Storiesonline.net ------- Space by John Wales Copyright© 2006 by John Wales ------- Description: Wally was short thin boy that was usually picked on. He was nothing special but his mind was odd. Centuries earlier a king fled his planet after his throne was usurped. The ship was nearly destroyed and somebody very special had to be found to repair it. Codes: MF mf gi cons rom fant ScFi ESP slow ------- ------- [This story was submitted in one piece by the author. It has been divided into multiple chapters to provide compatibility with wider range of browsers, so chapter limits have no meanings. Storiesonline] ------- Book 1 ------- Chapter 1 Captain Hormelz of the Casslis Royal Guards sweated in his armour even though the temperature and humidity readings were normal. He watched the display projected into his mind and onto is optic nerves. He saw that the shield around the ship was oscillating in strength and letting in radiation far more than it should. The stern shield had failed completely when the last missile hit. The computer was a mess and would take a full shipyard to repair. The hull had been breached in nine areas. The hull was strong but not up to this much punishment. Luck had the most to do with their present state of living. It was amazing that so many had survived so far even though many more would die even if they managed to escape. King Rontem was now dead, along with half of his cabinet. The living had to carry on. If some of the necessary repairs were not made now then there would be no survivors. The Fonduush's auxiliary computers were simple and not able to house an artificial intelligence let alone a natural one. The standard year was broken up into a thousand time units. For fifty nine of those time units, they played a game of seek with the Wikki antagonists. Sometimes they had to actually slip within the stream of plasma that was drawn from a smaller star to its much larger companion to avoid detection. Other times required that they leave the stream to orbit the smaller star for the same purpose. The Fonduush had left Casslis with 967 crew, officers and passengers. Nearly half of that number comprised the servants and the vast majority of those had died. They had no armour and they unluckily happened to be where most of the damage had occurred. The majority of Captain Hormelz' servants had died too but one was now helping him remove his armour. "That feels good to get that off." "I should think so sir. Would you like me to lay out your clothes after you use the cleanser?" "Do it, and bring me something to eat. I don't want concentrates." "Yes, sir. At once, sir." The servant used the tractor to grasp the armour and it was put into an enclosure to be cleaned and serviced. The servant then quickly bowed and left to find some food. Food was a problem. There was lots of concentrates still. Two of the five vats had been hit and the contents lost. The three remaining vats would have to do. The aristocracy got fed first then the soldiers. Following that were the techs, scientists and the few remaining crew. The servants would have to go hungry or live on concentrates. The time finally came when probes were sent out and found no sign of any of the Wikki. Among the attacking ships were two Aristis ships with the transponder codes of the ships of the Corlos clan. Captain Hormelz was not in charge any more. The bureaucrats and the aristocracy gave orders and the good captain carried them out. The ship left the binary pair under minimum thrust of its Nanney Drive. The ultrawave and the hyperwave were monitored constantly and much of the interference left as they got further from the stars' influence. Most of the traffic they heard was encrypted and it was lucky that the former king of Casslis had his own personal computer with the keys to break many of the codes. If the computer had not been left on then this information too would have been locked away. It was now safely transferred to other machines. The planet Casslis had fallen with few casualties. Captain Hormelz was angry at this. A client was supposed to live and die beside his patron. When one of the ruling families fell to combat, very few asked for succour. They usually plotted to kill the enemies of their former patron by stealth and guile. The Ultrawave was good for a hundred and thirty five lights with a strong transmitter. News of the fall of Casslis to the Corlos clan was seen for what it was. The Wikki took over and were now using the clan as their puppet. The other Aristis worlds saw this as an affront to their supremacy. They would not let this continue. Probably, within five years or so, a fleet would be assembled to drive out the Wikki and probably put all of the Corlos family to death. The purges now going on would mean that there would be very few survivors to hold the planet. Later, one of the liberating Aristis families would claim Casslis for their own. The damaged Nanney Drive was only able to drive the Fonduush up to 28% of the speed of light but no more. There was simply too much damage to go to supra light speeds. The Kennsik Drive was extensively damaged and it had to be fine tuned before it could be used. The Ultrawave brought news of a different sort. Many of the Aristis worlds were now looking to see what they could get that had been the possessions of Casslis and King Rontem. If the Fonduush showed up at any former ally then the ship would be seized and probably everyone onboard put to death. The ship was valuable still and would look like a sweet piece of fruit ready to pick. The surviving aristocracy had a short meeting and decided that they had to find a new world to set down roots. The charts were examined and a small course change instituted. Preparations were made to build four large stasis chambers and allow most of the personnel to go into suspended animation until times were more favourable. In the coming years, the techs would rotate in and out of stasis but a security guard always guarded the main computer. The techs had done as much as they could do. The main computer was severely damaged and there were simply no spare parts to do more extensive repairs it. Small crystals could be manufactured but the major ones required a powerful computer or a gifted tech of at least the seventh order. The crystal used to hold the king's ego and memories had survived but the transference was far from complete when the missile struck and killed the king. The class three techs and above could work readily in the computer environment but there were only two of these onboard. Both were dying of radiation poisoning and there was nothing the medical section could do about it. They were both put to stasis until they found a suitable environment that could cure them if that was possible. The ship cut power after two-hundred and seven time units and coasted. The remaining power was sent to the accumulators for use to power the much smaller living area and the stasis chambers. The ship had slowly gained speed as more crystals were put in place. It now drifted at nearly half of the speed of light for sixty-nine standard years. Eventually a small prospecting ship found the drifting hull and after a vigorous scanning the ship left as quickly as it arrived. The auxiliary computer in charge of security awoke Captain Hormelz and the Royal Guards. The captain was a loyal soldier. Part of the reason for this was the breeding that went into each of the Aristis castes. More of the cause was in the wetware that was in every Aristis body. The wetware could be removed and replaced but it was the genetic manipulation that held the most power. The Aristis were masters of genetic engineering. Almost the first life to be altered was their own. The Aristis were a single group of people at one time. Some had decided to change to suit new conditions. They left their people and found a new planet and turned themselves very warlike and competitive. After just a few alterations more alterations were made. Internal strife had brought the Aristis almost to the brink of extinction. After many more centuries, they regained the technology to get to space. Other factions attacked and destroyed what took a long time to build. Eventually some did make their way to space once more and they took their aggression with them. They had long since formed a caste system. The aristocracy was at the top then came the bureaucracy then soldiers. Techs, scientists, tradesmen, merchants, labourers and finally servants added to the castes. Machines took over the actual dirty work and the servants were just a way of the rich to show how rich they were. The caste system had been reinforced by genetic manipulation. Soldiers were strong, intelligent, quick and especially loyal. The scientists and techs were allowed to get very intelligent. The others below the soldiers were also bred to be more docile. This was necessary because there was a lot of friction that necessitated ways of ensuring loyalty. All Aristis had to have their loyalty examined. Loyalty now meant allegiance to one patron and not necessarily the king. Wetware was a group of biological enhancements that would go into an Aristis body. Usually this was an additional enhancement to improve thought, store information or to interface with a computer better. In all cases, loyalty programs were installed with these devices. Computers were very good. A copy of a person's mind could be imprinted on a crystal. This ego could be used to control a large computer. This cloned entity could be immortal for all intents and purposes. Living in the computer was not harsh. There was no distraction from glands, old age or tiredness. These computers had many safeguards installed to force the intelligence to work and not seek to slay their masters. This had happened enough in the Aristis history to make this compulsory on all high tech machines. The aristocracy saw this method as a last ditch way to live a much longer life. They did not follow this course because they would then be forced to be loyal to the owner of the computer. Many of these intelligences were simply scrubbed by later owners with no penalty. The force that guided the Aristis was not law. It was actually the respect given to the major families for each other when they did something that was of benefit to the race. To do something crass or unlawful and be caught was something to be greatly feared. The Aristis and the king in particular were brutal when they had a war but even more so when at peace with their own people. Loyalty to an old leader was hard to remove in a captured population. Many times the older population was simply put to death. Captain Hormelz dutifully awoke his masters and one of the many scenarios was put into place. Seven time units after the small ship had disappeared off of the passive scanners, five more appeared. They approached to within two light minutes then three small ships approached with their scanners covering the 874 metre length of the Fonduush. Very low power Ultrawave communications were passed through Captain Hormelz processor. The first problem was the language. It was transmitted in the clear but the sounds were unintelligible. The computer worked on it until ordered to desist. Three small ships approached and eventually tied up to the hull. Fourteen beings left the ships and inspected the hull that they had found. All of them were heavily armed. Much more information was sent to the other ships and in thirty centiunits, the remaining ships approached. Their cargo holds opened but weapons ports were also uncovered. A few centiunits later two hundred and forty seven invaders landed on the Fonduush. Now was the time to act. Captain Hormelz studied the display. His heart beat faster until he got it under control. He said, "Capture teams go." On the display in his mind were seventeen coloured lights leaving for the five larger ships. This left seventy nine combatants to protect the Fonduush. With the absence of any response, it looked like our suits were better than the strangers' ability to detect them. There were only two pods out looking for threats. The capture teams made it to their goals in about three milliunits. Here is where they could be spotted. It was the forth unit that could not get into its objective. Their cargo doors had not opened. "Blue team move into position for number two galley. Red team is reserve." Confirmation came in from both groups "Green team, take the main hold. Orange is your reserve." Again confirmation came in. "White team take out the stragglers. I am taking yellow team to the control room. The teams moved into positions or were doing so when energy discharges were detected inside the invading ships. Now it was our turn to fight. "Teams, attack at will." The Aristis suits and weapons were far better than what the opposition used. In a centiunit most of those on the Fonduush were dead or wounded. Snares in all military ships caught more as they were activate. Two of the ships and both small ships had left quickly. Low power missiles shot out and impacted with all those that fled. The two smallest were destroyed. It took one more missile to stop the only ship with an operational Nanney Drive. ------- Many light years away, beings quite similar to the Aristis were engaging in wars of their own. Heavy iron or bronze cannon belched flame and metal to kill poorly trained and equipped men. They bred quickly and died just as fast. Hundreds of years later and on the same planet, a young male human was part of another battle. A fist shot toward Wallace Kiefer's head. The boy was not fast but was able to move his arm up to deflect the punch. Wallace was efficient enough to move closer and hit his much larger opponent on the sternum. The blow was not strong because the larger boy had been stepping back. The boy moved in when Wallace threw himself off balanced and connected with Wallace's cheek. Wallace was thrown further off balance and fell to the ground. Seconds after he landed, the other boy was kicking his younger and smaller opponent in the abdomen. After five kicks Wallace stayed still. The victor yelled for all to hear, "You give me the money you owe me or you will get more." Wallace didn't answer because he was unconscious. Wallace woke up to pain all over his body. The sight of the walls and the smell told him that he was in the hospital once more. A nurse at the end of the bed was filling in a chart when she looked up and saw Wallace looking at her. The groan the boy made had alerted her. "How are you doing, Honey? It looks like you had a big fight." Through the pain, he tried to formulate a reply but when he tried to talk it came out garbled. A hand came up to cradle his jaw and he felt the sore muscles on his side. "Ohhh! It hurts." "I know, Honey but we had to wait until you woke up before you got anything for the pain." The nurse left and came back in a minute with some pills and a little water. The nurse cradled Wallace's head as he swallowed. The nurse saw that he was a good looking boy with dark brown hair. What set him apart was his size. He was quite small for his age listed on the chart and very thin. It looked like a good wind would blow him away. When she put Wallace's head back on the pillow she said, "Is there anything you want to say about the fight?" Wallace looked at her then closed his eyes. After a while, tears formed. The nurse came close and took a paper tissue and wiped his eyes. With a few sniffles, Wallace closed his eyes again and in a moment was asleep. Wallace woke up at hearing his mother. "He did this again. So help me I am going to tan his hide. He is always getting into fights." Wallace looked around as if to find a place to hide and only saw the curtains pulled around a bed to his right. Wally's mother pushed open the door and stalked in. She was forty-two and looked far from maternal. Her hair was dark brown. He face carried a perpetual sneer as if she was always sucking on lemons. When Carla saw her son looking at her she blurted out, "What did you do this time?" With fear in his heart he mumbled, "He wanted my money." "Why didn't you tell your teachers?" Wallace did not answer and the father, Jim, said, "If he talks then he is beat up more. Didn't you tell him last time to be a man?" Carla turned quickly but Jim did not back off. She said, "The school will protect him. If not then the police will." "He did what was best Carla. He fought the bully. If he rats on them then it will be much worse." Carla berated her son for a few more minutes then turned and left. Jim walked close to his son and patted his son's hand and said, "I think you did the right thing. We just have to find the money to send you to karate school or something." Wally had another tear in his eye when he mumbled, "Thanks dad. I would like that." The meal came around and Wally found he only had liquids and soft food to eat. The curtains were pulled back that had hid the next bed. Part way through the meal, the boy of about fourteen said, "I'd hate to be in your family." Wally just turned to the boy and ignored him as he did most of his antagonists. When the trays were taken away the other boy said, "My name is Charley. What's yours?" "Wally." "Somebody lay a beating on you?" "I guess." "That happened to me a lot too until I started exercising. I think you got it licked anyway. It sounded like you were standing up to him. Was there only one?" "This time," Wally mumbled. "Sorry about the crack about your family. My father is no prize either. He at least got me into weights and made sure I stuck to them." "I do that already but I guess it is not enough." "Find somebody to practice with. That's what I did." Wally was still morose about the condition of his life. His mother had no compassion and neither did his sisters or brothers. One of each was at least old enough to escape the house and form their own families. The conversation had petered out. Wally's jaw was painful to use. A few minutes later there was some whispering in the hall. Wally opened his eyes to see Sam then Jerry and then Chuck hurry into the room. They sped quickly to Wally. Chuck Jimson said, "Hi Wally. How are you doing?" Wally tried to sit up better and mumbled, "Better with you guys here." Jerry Fraise said, "We heard that you punched that faggot Morton." "Not hard enough." "Did you tell the cops?" "They have not been around yet but they will come today or tomorrow." Sam Lockhart, the last of the boys said, "You should tell them. He beats up a lot of guys that are smaller than him." "I may get Morton off my back for a while but then he and the rest will get me when there is nobody around. He did it before to Pete before he moved away." The situation was discussed for a minute or two then Wally remembered Charley and introduced him to his friends. Charley said, "I took up boxing too. You just have to get in there quick and do as much damage as you can. The bullies will leave you alone for easier pickings. Chuck was the oldest of the group and said, "Morton is three years older than us. He is big as my brother and he's eighteen." "That's tough. I was fighting somebody at least close to my size. Why does he pick on you?" "We are all short and thin. Wally was pushed down a ravine and broke his kneecap. He cannot run very fast. Morton cannot run either. Wally is just easy to catch. He catches us too when he can." "Why don't all of you take him on? If you are going to be beat up individually then you could be beat him up if you all work together. At least you get a chance to take on this Morton." All four boys hung their heads. Fear was a very definite factor. They discussed their common problem when Wally looked toward the wall and then turned to Charley. "I think your mother is coming." "My mother is in Orillia." Just then a good looking women entered the room accompanied by a younger man. Both were dressed in expensive clothing. "Mom!" "Hi Charley. How are you doing. Your father said that you are over the difficult part." "I feel better after the last treatment." The young man walked past the women and stood beside the bed and looked down to Charley with a smile and put his hand on Charley's arm. "I am glad to hear you are getting better. We got a job for you in Orillia this summer for you if you want it." "Ahh... thanks Derek. But I don't know if I am going to be able. I missed enough school that I may have to make up some classes with summer school." "Your mother and I had a look at your marks. You are doing very well considering." Wally looked at his new friend and saw the face show a lot of anger. Derek countered quickly by saying, "We only want the best for you. If you need help we would see if we can get it for you. We cannot work by guessing." When Derek and Charley's mother had left, Charley was still angry. Nobody was doing any talking until Charley said, "How did you know it was my mother coming? I do not live with her and her... husband." It was Sam that answered first. "Wally has a knack for that kind of thing. It kept me out of trouble a few times." Charley looked at Wally and said, "How do you do it?" "It comes and goes. It's just a hint I get once in a while. Sometimes it's very specific. Like me knowing it was your mother. I didn't know about your father coming too." "He's not my father!" He said this hotly and his face grew red." "I'm sorry Charley." Two days later and after a visit from the police, a trip to get x-rays and two visits from the doctor, I was released. Outside the door to the hospital and while sitting in the compulsory wheelchair, I felt a bite on his neck. His hand came up to swat the area but there was no sign of the mosquito. In a moment Dad did the same thing. "The bugs must be hungry today." After the ride home, I was greeted with contempt by Cathy and Mona my two older sisters that were still at home. Mom was no different than usual. Dad though was the same as always, at least he was still kind. When Nick the only remaining brother returned, I was just ignored. There was some homework but when in grade seven, there was not much. Some of this was welcome in the hospital to keep me occupied. Here it was a good idea because it would allow me to hide in my room. Dad walked behind me as I climbed the stairs and at the top I turned around and said in a whisper, "Thanks Dad for being nice." "You're my son and I am nice to all of you." "I know that Dad but thanks for being nice to me too." "You're welcome Wally. That's what dads are for." The inside the room was warm and I opened the window and looked appreciatively at the television and the bed but instead I went to the small rack near the dresser and picked up the weights instead. I had one of my strange feelings that I would need to do this or fail something or other. The chance to hammer Morton was another good reason. That night, as Wally slept, a dozen small devices slipped through the grating in the screen and moved toward Wally's sleeping form. They moved as a unit and took the shape of a hollow hemisphere. They settled as close to Wally's skull as possible. Far to the north, a sentient device started its investigations. It took only a centiunit to get a good interface and for the rest of the night information was extracted as quickly as possible without causing death or undue pain and discomfort. I woke up the next morning sick as a dog. My head hurt as it never did before. Mona yelled at me to get ready for school and I weakly called out, "I can't go today." In a moment Mom was in the room. She had 'the scowl' and put her hand to my forehead. Instead of asking how I felt she said, "You can stay home today. Don't make a habit of it. There is nobody going to be here with you so you will have to look out for yourself." "Ok Mom." Mona had brought up some aspirins and water and looked like I had asked her for something important. The headache never left though it did get less severe. Later I went down and made a sandwich and drank some water. Moving around seemed to help so I went back to my room and sat on the bed and lifted the weights. By the time Dad got home I was feeling much better. That night though the headache came back. Mom was angry at me and said, "You are going to the doctor's and I will probably have to take time off to do it." "I can take the bus." "Hmp!" We were lucky and got an appointment after Mom normally came home. The doctor did a lot of tests but must have thought my headaches were related to the beating I got. Two days later, I was back in the hospital with a lot of devices hooked up to me. After the first day I had specialists coming to see me and ask all sorts of questions. They talked among themselves a lot in front of me. My brain seemed to be acting oddly. I knew because I heard a voice sometimes but I didn't dare tell anybody about it. The headaches came eight times then the ninth day there was no pain and in fact, I felt good. I was kept in the hospital for a few more days then went home. When I was leaving the hospital, I had an odd vision. I saw one of the boys on my floor playing with his dick. The look on his face was like he was concentrating hard. I didn't dare ask the nurse to stop though. She had seen nothing because I could feel that the boy was on the other side of the wall. I had just seen through it. Dad helped me into the car for the drive home. He said, "How do you feel today?" "Pretty good actually. I can probably go to school now." "You will have to wait until Monday. Let's stop at Harvey's and get a burger and a Coke. That way we won't bother your mother." I looked at him and my smile must have told him the answer. Instead of going to the take out window we went inside and sat. We talked as I ate the burger but another vision came of a fat woman sitting on a toilet. My 'eyes' had to change focus and then I could see the stuff falling into the toilet. The woman seemed to be happy then and sat and picked her nose. "What are you thinking about Wally?" "Just how they do things in the kitchen." "Do you want to cook? You did that when you were younger." "Cooking is ok. I just want to eat without Mom telling me how hard she has to work." "She does work hard Wally." "So do other mothers but they are not so mean." "That is just the way your mother is." I tried to see the woman again but I could not seem to do it. In a moment though the woman on my special vision was actually coming out of the bathroom. She then took a seat with a fat man. I had to smile and then my father looked at me but didn't ask anything. Chuck and the guys came over when I got home. We went out on the porch to sit and talk. I had my weights with me and I was lifting them as I talked or listened. Sam said, "Why are you doing this now?" "I need to exercise and so do you guys. We can lift weights and talk or even lift weights and watch television. I am going to look like the Governor of California." Sam was smart but it was Chuck that said, "I'll be back," in a deep menacing voice. Jerry said, "He's old." "Everybody's old to us. Would you want to fight him?" He smiled and said, "In a year or two of exercising I will whump his sorry butt." We all laughed because of the impossibility." We talked about sports for a while and when things were quiet I said, "I saw a guy in the hospital wacking his tack." Chuck said, "Really! Who was he?" "I don't know. I heard about it. We talk about it but this was the first time I saw it." "How did you see him?" I could not really tell the truth so I said, "He was in the bathroom and the door was not closed all the way." "Did you ever see a girl doing it?" We have talked about this many times. We had heard our sisters doing it a few times. They could have been playing with their twats but we were never sure. "Not yet but maybe soon." "Really?" I lied again and said, "They are acting horny sometimes. You never know." The topic of sex went on for a few minutes and would go on much longer but Betty Huggins came out of her house next door and saw us. Instead of coming up on the veranda, she stayed on the grass. "Hi guys. How are you doing Wally?" I had to smile at her. She was a nice girl and a next door neighbour. She was a friend if you could call a girl a friend but I knew from books that this would change. "Hi Betts. They had me in the hospital doing ultra secret tests. Aliens are using my brain for a way to communicate with us lowly humans. The doctors can prove this by the amount of static they got to see." Betts looked concerned and said in a low voice, "Are you better now Wally?" "Actually I feel just great. My imagination was never hurt and it looks like it is making up for lost time." "I have to go and see Wendy at the library now but why don't you sneak over when your mother is not listening?" "Do you think I can sweet-talk your mother out of some cookies?" I got a big smile and she said, "She likes you." She then looked at my friends and said, "Her standards are low enough that she even likes your friends." This was said with a smile at the guys and they tried to rib her back but she just waved and walked down the street. When Betts was far enough away, Sam said, "I would like to go over to see Wendy Pallo too." Chuck added, "Your only girlfriend is your hand." This got some good natured shoving and pushing until Mom came out. "If you gentlemen do not know how to behave then you should leave." The guys sat down immediately and were quiet. Mom scowled from the doorway at them and went back inside. The guys left a half hour later. They at least were sharing my other weights as we talked. After supper I had this odd urge to go on the internet. Nick had a computer that I figured was hooked up to the internet but mine wasn't. It was an old 486 that had been thrown out but I could still use WordPerfect on it and print what I needed to for school. I got cleaned up a bit and then walked over to Betty's house. It was Lillian, the mother, that came when I knocked at the side door. "Oh, hello Wally. Did you come to see Betty?" I smiled at her and said, "I came to check for cookies that may be going stale and to look on the internet. Maybe we can have some time to talk." Lillian turned around and raised her voice and said, "Betty, your boyfriend is here." She turned around and smiled at me. I just smiled back. This had happened a great many times so far. Betts came down the stairs like a herd of elephants. When she saw me she had a smile and I did too. She was still my friend. We had cookies and tea at the kitchen table as Bert, Betty's father, left the news to come out and talk. He said, "How are you feeling now, Wally? We heard that you had a relapse." "I feel much better. I doubt if it was a relapse though but I don't know what it was." I didn't like to have the conversation centred on me so I talked sports for a while with Bert. Before the women folk got antsy I said to Betty, "Betts, could I use your computer? I want to do some research." All of a sudden I could see through Betts' clothes. She was a thin girl with not much boobs. Her nipples were small and pushed down by her dress. I could see a little hair starting under her arms and then I caught the sight of her pussy through the table. It was nearly hairless but it still looked great to me. I looked at her face as if I was going to draw attention elsewhere. Her hair was almost black and she had some freckles. She was not beautiful but she was pretty. She was one of the prettiest girls in the school but she had the misfortune to be in the same class as Wendy Pallo. "Sure Wally. What do you want to check on?" A smile came to her face and she added, "Dad will get mad if you are looking at naked people." This shocked me for a second. I hoped they did not know what I seemed to be able to do. The shock took a while to leave before I said, "I have not hit puberty just yet but I can feel it is coming soon. I want to look up something on astronomy and then on some minerals." Betts just cocked her head in the way I thought was so cute and we went upstairs to her room. Along the way I looked at her back and bum. I started to feel a bit uncomfortable. Perhaps puberty was closer than I thought. While the computer booted up I looked at a naked Betts once more. It was as if I had to do this. I was starting to get an erection and I had to look away to keep from being embarrassed. Betts was smart and said, "Do you like what you see?" I was really embarrassed but I felt that the truth was best. "I like you Betts. You're smart. You are not afraid to be friends with me even though you are friends with people like Wendy." In a more sultry voice, she said, "You didn't answer my question." "There is a pretty girl in front of me that will make a beautiful woman some day. If I had the money I would take you to the movies." "You don't need the money Wally. I have enough for both of us." I do not know what made me do it but I went close to her and looked up just a bit into her eyes. Those eyes were very wide now and I reached up and held her face in both of my hands as if she were going to break. I pulled her to me and kissed her lips just a bit then did it again with more feeling. Betts' hands came around me and pulled me close. She returned the kiss with more knowledge and style than I had done. I had never kissed a girl before and now I was holding one that was kissing me back. I just didn't understand how I could be doing this. They were so frightening to be around. The kissing went on until Betts pulled back but did not let me go. "I was wondering when you were going to get around to doing that." "I... I am surprised I did it too. It was so scary at first but it seemed right." "Well I'm glad you did. Does that mean we are going to the movies?" I thought about the back rows or the balcony and knew that this is were we would go. "I think my body is talking to me and I have to say yes." "My body wants to go too." "I mean this is so new to me. I don't understand this. Today girls were friends and just people I knew that did things I didn't. Now girls are a lot more interesting." "My friends tell me that boys are very interesting too if I can get one young enough to train to do things right." "What would you have me do?" "Pick up after yourself. Feed... wash your clothes and in your case buckle down and study. You're smart but you waste your time at school." Betts' eyes were shining with hope and promise. I knew somehow that feeding meant our children. I was not ready for marriage or children. I wanted friends and now I guess that girls could be a different kind of friends. From inside I felt the urge to pull her to the bed and get her to suck me. I heard this a lot of times and seen it on the net but what girl would really want to suck on a boy. I had to fight this urge down. Betts was not like that and this was not the way to treat a friend. A voice inside that I could not quite hear but in a way did, urged me to take her. "It must be puberty because you feel pretty good in my hands. Sam and Jerry would not feel the same to me." This brought a stronger smile. "I would hope so." We heard somebody coming up the steps so I kissed her quickly and pulled apart. I had to push on her shoulders to get away. She looked so sad and vulnerable as I moved away as if I were dashing her dreams. A smile came back to her when she looked down and must have seen the bulge in my jeans. I sat at the keyboard and used google to hunt for a particular star that I had never heard of before. I typed 'Alpha Ursae Majoris' into the form and a large number of results poured out. It was originally the brightest star in Big Dipper which was part of the 'Big Bear'. I took the first and looked at the data. This was apparently the second brightest in this group. At one time they thought it was the brightest when it got its name. It had an English name but I felt that I should use the Latin. I just stared at the photos and I felt a sense of dread. Something bad for me was going to be coming this way and I had only a few years to prepare. Betts shook my shoulder and looked at me. "Are you memorising that page?" "Not really Betts. I just feel... that I have to prepare better than I have before." "Prepare for what?" "I don't really know. I have to learn to fight back better than I have been doing. I have to study mathematics too. It is going to be a tool to do something. These are only feelings but I know that they are true." Betts stared at me now and I noticed that her hand had not left my shoulder. I put my own hand up and held hers in place. "Remember when I said that your father was going to be late getting home for your birthday?" "Ya, that was weird." "It happens every once in a while. I'm afraid to mention this to anybody but I know that I can trust you. I don't want to be a lab rat. "What things happened?" "Nothing important, just thinking of things a bit before they happened." I was not about to tell her about seeing through clothes and walls like Superman. "What has this to do with that star you looked up?" "I have no idea. It is part of it and not part of it. All of this is just a feeling. There is nothing to put my finger on." "But it's just a star." "I know but there is a something to worry about too and I have no idea what it is. Maybe it is going to explode." "I heard of that." "I have to look up some other things too." It was hard to type one handed because my other hand was holding Betts' hand in place. She pulled out her hand and then stood behind me and put both of her hands on me. I could feel her chest at the back of my head but this felt comforting too. My fingers were guided again somehow. I found out about all sorts of crystals. I copied and pasted into a WordPerfect document what I started. The elements that made up the crystals were important too. I made a separate list with gallium, hassium, francium, zirconium, magnesium and aluminum. The feeling I had was that the elements were important but it was the structure they were in that required study. I needed to get some of these crystals to see how important they were. I printed out thirty seven pages of information then went back to Alpha Ursae Majoris and printed three more. By this time Betts was massaging my neck. Her fingers were cool and I felt close to her. It was a sexual thing but it was social too. When I finished I said, "Thanks for the use of your computer... Honey. Mom is strange. There is no reason I should not be able to get this at our house." "I like 'Honey' if you say it. I think I will have to call you Muffin or Cupcake." "Betts, do you know what the guys would say if they heard you say that to me?" "Boys are so crude but some are better than others." We kissed some more and tried to explore how to do this the best. The sound of a flushing toilet brought us apart and Betts used her fingers to put my hair back in place. Her hands had held my head as if she were trying to crush me. Her body rubbed mine and she paid particular attention to the hard portion in my pants. Neither of us spoke of this. We went downstairs because it would look fishy if we stayed up here too long. We said our goodbyes and then I said a more personal goodbye to Betts on the porch. This time her hand came down and held the lump in my pants and I jumped back as if stung. Her other arm never released me and I was pulled back. Betts said, "Does this mean I'm your girlfriend?" "Do you really want to be? I'm a guy that gets beat up a lot. People pick on me." Betts paused to think and said, "Yes I do. Maybe there is something I can do to help." "What?" "You let me worry about that." I went home and to my room. Instead of looking at my notes or lifting weights, I lay on my bed and played with my dick. It was when I remembered what Betts looked like with no clothes on that caused me have that special feeling. That night I had vivid dreams but I never woke up and I wondered how I remembered them in the morning. I saw a damaged space ship that had been patched up. It was going to be coming this way one day. There were many views of its construction. One was when it was being built then when it was finished. Later I saw it nearly destroyed and later rebuilt. I had no idea how large it was but it was big. The openings on the ship were large but the small ones for 'people' were very small. If this were not weird enough, I saw myself dressed in a black uniform with silver shoes or boots. There was a hat too but it looked odd in its shape but it also looked perfectly natural. It was as if two people were giving their opinion on something. The jacket did not have buttons but it closed up seamlessly. When I looked next, I saw decorations on my chest and a belt with a strap that went over my shoulder. The belt held a sword, a long knife and a gun. When I wondered about the gun my dream self took out the gun and showed me. There was no opening to shoot a bullet and there was not even a trigger but I knew it was a weapon. I saw the knife and the sword in detail and they were something like I had seen in movies. I wondered why a person on a space ship would want to use a sword. My dream self answered by seeing a lot of people in the same sort of suit and all standing in order in a large room. They had to be soldiers. Movies showed these kind of soldiers dancing with ladies with large dresses. I wanted to see them dance now but the dream would not do it. Instead I saw my dream self take a woman to a room. The woman was beautiful with long fingers and neck. She looked to be about my age but I knew she was older. The woman just got to her knees and opened my uniform and started to suck on me. The dream shattered as I felt that special feeling go through me. The dream reformed a while later and I heard myself order the woman to remove her clothes. She did exactly what I told her as if she were a slave. I removed my own clothing but they were handed to a servant that suddenly appeared. I was embarrassed but the person in the dream was not. The woman became more and more beautiful as her clothing was removed. As I looked closer I could see that she was not quite human. She was like the most beautiful girl my age but she had slightly larger eyes that were silver in colour. She looked young with a narrow waist and small teats the size of my fists but they looked good on her. Her hands had longer fingers. As if thinking about them the girl folded her hands and the bones seemed to fit together better than what a human could do. It would be hard to hold her with handcuffs. The woman's cunt was odd. It looked fine on her but it was a bit higher than what a woman in Penthouse was like. The ones in the magazines had more flesh on their frames and much larger breasts. Both types of women were beautiful but both were different. The slave like girl smiled in a way that said that she didn't want to upset me. She did have some time though to turn around slowly and then caress her small breasts with her hands. Large nipples grew quickly. She got back to her knees and sat back on her heals waiting for some response. Her eyes were to the floor. A husky voice I had to assume was mine, said, "Get on the bed." There was no love or romance in the voice at all. It was as if I was going to get a haircut but even then I was always polite. The girl looked up at me and smiled as she hurried to lay on the bed on her back. Her arms were over her head and her legs spread. I was stirred up by the view and the way she hurried but this was nothing like the poses I had seen in the girlie magazines. I felt an urge that was not all mine to just climb on the bed and push my cock into the girl. I was horny as hell and this did not seem completely right. I attempted to have my image ask her name but the dream me would not do this. My body was moving though and I went with it mostly. The girl's mound was larger than a humans but looked much the same as I had seen in magazines. I now felt myself slipping into something warm and moist. I had never felt this before even when I used a lot of lather in the shower. I pushed past another restriction further in and the girl sighed. My dream body paused to savour the sensation and the fact that he had dominated this beautiful women or girl. This made me feel good too but I was not made to dominate. I wanted friends and lovers. The girl made more noises like she loved what was happening to her but her breathing was normal. Her heartbeat was slow because I could see the pulse of a vein at her throat. Instinctively I knew that she was faking. I looked down her chest and saw that her small firm teats did not move much when I thrust into her body. Her nipples though were not large like I thought they should be. The women in the magazines always had large nipples. The stories I read always talked about firm nipples, especially when they were aroused. I felt like a crazy person. The kind that was like more than one person living in one body. The body I was in would not do what I wanted. It moved faster and faster. The sensations from my cock got stronger too. All too soon the cum was happening. I felt my body pump out sperm that I had never done before. The sensation was so much more powerful than I had ever felt. The body I was in slowed to a stop then looked down at the woman. With an abrupt move my body picked up one hand and slapped the girl with all of its might in the face. The woman showed great fear but tried to smile instead. I heard, "Did I displease you..." Another slap came to answer the question. My body pulled away and stood on the floor. From the bedside table the body picked up something I thought was a gun. Instead of aiming it at the women, the device was aimed between the legs. I felt a tingling. Somehow I knew that this was a method of cleaning. The servant came in quickly and helped me dress. Instead of feeling embarrassed I felt horror at what I had done to the girl still on the bed. When dressed I walked to the doors that opened like those on Star Trek. The body I wore turned around and only the girl was visible. The voice said, "Get out," in an arrogant and callous way. The dream was far more like a nightmare. Hurting someone for no reason except that they may have been faking pleasure was beyond me. Was this the way I would one day be? My mind was still on the girl when the body I was in arrived at a small hangar in my dream. The gigantic external doors were wide open to the darkest of space. The room was brightly lit with no shadows. People were walking on the deck with no space suits on. Oddly shapes devices that I knew were ships, of one sort or another, were anchored to the deck. More shapes were mounted on the walls and hanging from the deck above. Somebody, that had to be a servant, came over and waited to be recognised. My body said, "Hull inspection craft, now!" "Yes, sir. Right away sir." A small silver shape drifted to the deck about thirty metres away and I found myself walking towards it. When the ship was only a metre away I heard speech faster than I thought possible but I understood it. Instantly I saw graphs of many kinds but most were not flat like I saw in school. Words came again. They were not spoken. They were thought! Information came quicker and quicker but I was still able to keep up with it. It was about the craft in front of me but then it switched to the task that was to be done. With only a thought, a hatch opened on the small ship and I got in. I sat in a reclining seat and felt like I was in a cocoon. The ship had no glass that I saw but I could see out into the hangar as if the ship had tilted to see the deck too. Orders were given by thought and the ship was instantly in space. My body sent thoughts to the computer of the small ship and it started its duties. The ship I was just in was enormous. The openings that could handle a large passenger plane were seen as small. I wanted to get closer now and the small ship did as I asked. A small device like a spider was nearby and I pushed to see this at a closer distance. Into my mind came the information that this device was doing hull inspection too. The hull was black but some areas appeared to be worn while others looked to have never had any black paint on them before. More spiders were seen and I began to wonder why I was out here if the spiders were doing the same job. We were not scanning out into space but into the hull as we moved in straight lines up then down it. I woke up at home in my bed and quickly got out as if the bed had my nightmare still in it. I had to admit that most of the dream was great but the way I or we acted was not. During breakfast I said to the family in general, "I want to go to see the exhibits at the Royal Ontario Museum today." Mom looked like she was going to go into her usual rant when Dad said, "I don't see why not if you wish to go. I was going out shopping later and I could drop you off at the bus stop. You can catch the subway easy enough. Are you sure that you can take the walking involved? I do not want to have to go and get you at the museum because you tired yourself out too much." "The headaches have gone, Dad. Most of the bruising has started to fade at least a little." Dad reached into his pants and handed me some money and said, "Have a good time, Wally." "Thanks, Dad. You're the best." Mom just humpped at the statement. I could see her distaste and wondered anew about why she acted this way. I did all I could to try to please her. Dad was going to be ready to leave in a half hour and I ran next door and knocked at the side door again. Betts came to greet me this time with a big smile. She looked so beautiful now. My body was not as responsive as last night but I was happy to see her because she was also my friend. Betts quickly looked behind her and then reached out and pulled me to her for a kiss. My hands went down her body and held her cheeks and pulled her close. We heard footsteps and quickly pulled apart. Betts looked down to see how much she had stirred me up and smiled. I had reacted but not that much. From the main floor we heard Betts' mother call, "Who's there Betty?" I called out, "A hungry boy." "Come up, Wally." Lillian Huggins was wiping her hands on a dishcloth when we climbed the steps into the kitchen. She looked at me oddly until I put my hands on my head to see if there was something there. I found my neatly combed hair standing up. Lillian said, "I see why you two took as long as you did to come in." Betts opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. I was caught but that did not mean that Betts should take the blame. "Hello Mrs Huggins. I came over here to see if I could take your lovely daughter to the ROM. I wanted to see the mineral exhibit and I need some fearless person to protect me." "The ROM? We were going out today but Betty can go if she wants." "I would love to go, Mom." Lillian asked, "How are you getting there and back?" "Dad is going in that direction and will drop us off to catch a bus then the subway." Lillian asked, "Has your friendship with Betty changed?" Betty came close to me now and held my arm. Her mother saw this but said nothing. I said, "I am afraid my hormones have started recently. Yesterday I was a friend. Last night I kissed a girl for the first time and she kissed me back." Betts was stunned by this and held my arm tighter. I continued, "Today I am back to being a boy. I still like the idea of having Betts for a girl friend if you and your husband do not object." ------- Chapter 2 "We will have to talk about this later but I do not see why not. You are a good boy." "Thanks Mrs Huggins. You also raised a good daughter." Mr Huggins came into the kitchen with an empty cup and the paper under his arm. Nobody spoke and he looked from one of us to the other until he saw the way Betts was holding my arm. He looked at his wife and she just smiled at him and took his cup from his hands. Bert said, "What are you guys doing today?" I said, "I want to take my new girlfriend to the ROM." "Who..." then he caught on. "I guess that's ok." He looked at his wife and she nodded her head just a bit. Betts hurried out of the kitchen to get ready. Mr Huggins was sipping his coffee he said, "How long has Betty been your girlfriend?" "Eleven hours and twenty minutes," I said after looking at the clock. "What brought this on all of a sudden?" "I guess I'm going in and out of puberty but I know that one way is how it is going to be for the rest of my life." "We are going to have to talk later," Lillian said. I said, "I think that is a good idea too. I would also like to see what I'm facing. I can't talk to my mother or sisters about this but I heard a lot of weird things happen in young people." The two adults looked at each other. I had to assume they figured that they were only going to ask and not answer themselves. Betts ran down the steps with shorts, good walking shoes and a small backpack. My special sight had not kicked in yet but I was happy to see her the way she was now too. Her mother went through a list of things she should take and Betts was proud to show her that she already had most of them. Betts was pulled into the hallway and her mother whispered to her and Betts just shook her head. I ran home after saying, "It's good to have a smart woman around to help me. I was just going to take a bag with a lunch in it." Two women smiled at me. My own pack was filled with things we might need and I added a thin blanket and some sunscreen. Mom was not in the kitchen when I made a few sandwiches. They went into my pack with some water and a few apples. The pack went into the car and I waited for Dad. Before he got into the car I said quietly, "I'm taking Betts with me. Her parents said it was ok." "That's fine with me." We drove past Betts house and Betts came running and got into our car. We did not want Mom seeing us or she would have something more to complain about. It was on the way that Dad found out that I was growing up and now had a girlfriend. When Dad let us off, Betts and I held hands as we waited a few minutes for the bus to arrive. She said, "You scared me to death telling my parents that I was your girlfriend." "I was scared but I had to face this. Your mother saw my hair. She knows that a wild woman ran her hands through it. I don't like hiding and in this case it was best to come out with it now." We held hands all the way to the ROM then did the same thing as we moved to the mineral exhibit. Betts was not that interested in the minerals but she liked being with me and that seemed to be enough. Instead of casually looking at each I went through my printed sheets and looked at what was close to what I wanted. I pushed my special sight toward each of the crystals I in front of me expecting something odd to happen. Nothing apparently did. When we were almost through the exhibit, a man came out and set up a table and then brought crystals out so that people could see and touch them. Betts and I hurried over because we would not be able to see much from behind a crowd. The PA system told everybody about the new display and we were already there. In a moment the man started his talk about minerals. In a moment he passed out a specimen and it was passed around as he talked more about it. Betts and I got to hold it. This was interesting but not want I wanted. The seventh sample though seemed to have lines coming from it like those on top of some lava lamps. On second thought, it was similar to a picture of what a magnetic field was supposed to look like. Betts got the specimen first and I saw that only a small portion on one side had this field. I wanted to break this small piece off. It was only the size of a pea and looked much the same as the rest of the purple crystal. When I got a chance to look closer at it I imagined what I would have to do to remove it but I had no intentions of doing so. The method I came up with was weird. I would slip my thoughts between the molecules and just twist a bit. To my amazement the piece actually came off in my hand. I handed the specimen to the next person and brought up the piece between my fingers and showed it to the man. When he stopped talking for a second I said, "This came off. May I have it, please." I got a smile and he said, "Sure." The small sample went into my pants pocket and we listened to the rest of the talk. We finished the tour of the display when the man left and then we looked at the rest of the museum. All the time I was searching for more minerals, I was thinking of how the small portion came off. It was not just seeing things before they happened but actually causing them to happen. This shocked me as much as seeing a bit into the future. Much later, we went outside the museum to eat our lunch. There was some grass nearby and I put my blanket down for us to sit down. Betts said, "This's nice. Did you learn anything?" "A little I guess but I am going to have to check other exhibits too. I think I am going to have to go look for rocks myself." "What are you looking for?" I showed her the sheets I printed last night but the majority of the crystals were not usually found in Canada. We learned from the man giving the talk that minerals could be purchased by mail-order. We went home the same way we had arrived. Dad would come and get us if we used Betts' phone but we walked the last kilometre instead. Betts invited me into her home. The door was locked but she had a key. We went upstairs to check on the net for what I wanted. When I sat in the chair, Betts' hands went to my hair. She then bent at the waist and kissed my ear. This sent goose bumps all over my body. I shivered and said as I pointed to my arms, "Look what you have done. All my hairs are sticking up." "What are you going to do about it, Mister?" "I guess I will have to see if I can raise as good a crop of goose bumps on you as you did on me." "Not likely." This was a challenge and I got up and stood to face her. She was breathing rapidly and I could see the vein on her neck pulsing very quickly. Instead of being rough, I took her hands in mine and lead her over to the bed. When the back of her legs were against the side of the bed I said to her, "I did not move until after you produced millions of bumps. You have to stay still until I get a chance." "I'm not that ticklish." I took her face in my hands again and kissed her lightly and her hands came to hold me. I stopped and pulled away. "No way. You have to remain still." She put on a pout and I continued. There were thousands of stories on the net and I had read some of the better ones at my friends' homes. Some were outright stupid as if written by an alien and some were informative, at least in part. I used the knowledge I had gained to make Betts as excited as I could get her. My kisses left her lips and went all over her face. Her arms came up many times and I just stopped until they went back to her sides. I did not kiss her ears though but just sucked on her lobes. I licked behind her ear then went down her neck with small kisses. Her throat drew me and like a vampire I sucked on her neck but did not cause any bruising. Betts suddenly held me and then sat on the bed. With a pull she pulled me on top of her as she lay back. "Ahhh Wally, yes." I climbed over her and kissed up the other side of her neck to her ear. This time I put my nose into her ear and then licked it like a dog. The lobe was sucked into my mouth and then bit it gently and snorted like a pig. Betts must have been really excited because she changed from being a girl enjoying the sensations flowing through her body to that of an animal attacked. She pushed me away with considerable force. Her expression said that she didn't know what was happening. All over her body though were giant goose bumps that probably numbered well more than I had. "What did you do?" "My girlfriend thought that she could get away with giving me goose bumps. She now knows that she was playing with fire." "Fire? I'll fire you." She grabbed me and pulled me down the way she was and then she tried to do to me what I had done to her. I went on the offensive now and she seemed to just allow me. As she kissed my neck I undid the buttons to her blouse. The urges came to do more but I held them off as best I could. Betts was very vocal and she called my name repeatedly like an Indian holy man's chant. She knew what I was doing because she took a break and pulled the blouse off quickly. Before the time for a snort came I pushed Betts over on her back and started to kiss her neck. In a moment she quieted and I worked my way down her chest to her belly button and then back up. I saw the training bra and wondered how far I could go and how far I should go. My hormones urged me to go for it and another urge wanted me to take off her clothing and fuck her. I viscously clamped down on that idea and let a half way rational mind cast the deciding vote and I pulled one of the cups up and fastened my lips on her nipple. Her hands were on me from before but now they were like iron. This didn't bother me because I was not going anywhere. There was a taste of skin the same as Betts' neck but this part was special. She arched her back and I thought it was to push more into my mouth. My hands wrapped around her small breasts and I used my fingers to pinch her nipples as I sucked on one of them. The hard lump in my mouth was my world now. In a moment my hand freed the other captive and Betts allowed me to move over. She was squirming all over the bed now. I was sure I could go the rest of the way if I wanted to. I wanted to rationally. I had no sperm so she would not get pregnant but it was the urge within me that I was opposing the most. I would not let it win. I would not become that man in my dreams. Betts pushed me to one side and thought she was angry. Instead of looking at me she worked quickly at her waist to remove her pants and then her panties. I caught a glimpse now of what I had seen in my vision last night. She pulled me back to what I was doing before. When I moved to the other side of her I saw that her freckles were all out in force. Her skin was flushed and not just on her face. What was coming next would be a great battle for me. I was going to go all the way to the line without crossing it if I could. Betts pulled me on top of her now and I head her say, "Do it, do it." Her hips were thrusting up at me to give me a hint if I needed it. I slid down her body instead. I wanted so much to go the other way and push into her but I was not going to do this. There was lots of rumour about what a girl smelt like or even tasted like. I was going to find out and hope that the net was right. When I had slid nearly off the bed, Betts bent over to pull me back up. Her eyes were wild and she said in a desperate voice, "Put it in Wally. Do it now." I smiled and my urges came out now like never before. I wanted so desperately to pull Betts closer to the edge of the bed and thrust into her. I was losing this battle until I remembered the two slaps that my dream self had used on a girl much like Betts. My cock actually started to go down and I gained a bit more ground in this battle. When I started to pick up Betts' leg she raised both of them for me. The urge came back when I saw what was before me. I wanted to thrust into her before she had a change to change her mind. I do not know where the power came this time but I grabbed her thighs and pulled her to the edge of the bed. Instead of thrusting into her, I sank to the floor and attacked her clit with my lips like I had done to her nipples. Betts' legs wrapped around me with a pressure I thought was going to kill me. Her hands were in my hair and she was trying to stuff me up her hole. I had to flex my neck painfully to get a breath but then I went back to my attack on her clit. The urge now to fuck her had diminished as if waiting for a better time to do this. I had little time to taste and smell but this was a place I had to come back to time after time. Betts started to rock violently and I guess this was the start of her cum. She squeezed me even more violently and worked her hands even more in my hair and then nothing. It was as if she went to sleep. I had to remove her legs and her hands came freely from my hair. When I was able to stand I saw her laying as if dead but again the net told me that this happened even if I figured it was rare. My urges came back now and they wanted me to slip into Betts while she was asleep. I had cooled down enough to resist better and now I worried about next time. I could not take looking at Betts. She was so desirable now that I was always second guessing myself. I had to do something else. Walking to the window I opened them and then walked across the house and opened more windows and doors. The place needed airing out. In the bathroom down the hall I took two bath towels and wet one at one end and then wrung it out. I came back to see Betts just as I had left her. Her legs were spread wide and hanging off the bed. Her head to one side and her hands at her sides. Her small breasts making small mounds on her chest. I got between her legs and looked at all of her beauty and then picked up her legs and straightened her out on the bed. A dry towel went under her butt and I used the damp end of the other to clean her pussy. At some point Betts awoke and watched what I was doing. She said in a husky voice, "You made me the happiest woman in the world. I am not letting you out of my hands and you are going to finish what you started." I cleaned and dried her thighs then bent over and kissed both of them and put them back on the bed. "You do not know the fight I had to do to keep from finishing this now." "Why didn't you. I wanted you to." "I felt like my hormones were pushing me to do too much. I fought so that we can do a bit more the next time and a bit more after that." "You can have me now?" "Betts, you don't know how hard it is to resist you. I want to do everything and then do it until we die but I do not like being pushed. Now we have something to plan for and then do it right." "If you ask me, you were doing it right already. I never felt like that before." She thought a moment and looked at my clothes. "Did you get off?" I lied a little and said, "You were more important. Then you went for a nap." "I loved the way you sucked on me. I hear that girls like to do that to boys too." "That may be nice. You are not going to get anything from me yet. I'm a bit too young." She moved off the bed and got me to stand. She had a big smile as she said, "I want to see my boyfriend's cock." I smiled too and said, "You know where to find it." She sank to her knees and worked on my pants. She didn't like fishing me through the fly though and pulled my pants down then my underwear. Before she could start I stepped out of the garments and then bent down to kiss her lips. "Now you are going to make me the happiest boy in the world, Honey." I just got a smile and she licked me and tasted what she found. "Not bad. I can get to love this if it's yours." The feelings were so good that I didn't answer. I did put my hands on Betts' head to keep myself standing straight. She had a chance unlike me to experiment and she took her time and made comments that would make me blush if I had heard them in other surroundings. My own voice helped her as I talked about how good she was doing. The things she did great must have been memorised because she did them again and again but mixed the technique up with others. By this time I was as hard as possible and came when I could not turn back. "I'm cumming. I'm cumming. Don't stop, don't stop." I held her head more firmly and stroked into her mouth and she sucked even harder. Her hands were holding my ass so I would not get away. There was no way I was going to let her leave. The orgasm went through me and I staggered but Betts held me up. When I was released I had to step back and sit on the bed. With my arms outstretched, Betts came into them. Her breasts were so close and I kissed them then remembered something I read. I pulled Betts' face to me and I kissed her thoroughly to let her know how I felt. The orgasm was the best I ever had and it was much better than the two I had in my dream. I went back to nursing and Betts pulled my head to me like a mother to a child. In a moment she said, "Why is the window open?" I pulled back from my pacifier. "I love the taste of you and I love your smell. When you are excited you give off a scent that makes me want to have sex with you until you dry up and shrivel away. Your parents and sisters though will know that smell and know what we may have been doing." Betts looked worried. "What are we going to do?" Put the towels and the bedspread in the wash. Maybe you should hide them and wash them later. Better put them into garbage bags until then. We have a quick shower and then make the bed." "Are you going to shower with me?" "You're my woman. I guess I have to." "I like being your woman, Wally." I smiled at her and suddenly knew that in thirteen minutes her family would be back. "Betts, quick. Get the garbage bags and another bedspread. Less then thirteen minutes and your family will be here." Her mouth made an '0' and I pulled her to get her started. I closed the windows and doors and then helped Betts put the comforter in a bag with the towels and then hide it in the closet. We raced to the bathroom and I ran cold water on me but not my hair. I towelled myself off quickly and said, "I am getting into my clothes and go downstairs and sit at the table while you have a shower because you are so tired." "But I'm not." "Pretend you are tired. Put on some perfume but just a bit. You want to keep your boyfriend interested." "Are you?" "When have you ever seen me drop a friend?" "I'm sorry. I know what you're like. Now get going." I ran back to get into my clothes and then returned to comb my hair. There was some cologne on the counter and I put a small dab on me. I had a soda out on the table and papers in front of me and some in front of where Betts would have sat. To be on the safe side, I made a sandwich and put lots of onions on it. I liked them but not this much. When the car pulled into the driveway I raced to the front door and opened it for the family. I had some papers in my hand and I was as nervous as hell. Bert said, "Hi Wally. Where's Betty?" I pulled him close and said, "I think she is worried that she smells too much from walking and took a bath." He nodded his head and pulled it back as soon as possible. I was breathing on him. The family came in and I made a show of gathering the papers and putting them to one side. Betts' older sister June and her younger sister Patricia looked at me funny but I tried to be nonchalant. Lillian asked me, "How was your... day?" "It was fun being with Betts if that is what you meant. I learned a lot about minerals though. There was a man giving a talk about the mineral collection and we got a chance to handle the rocks." I was going to say I got a little piece of one but suddenly I had another urge to keep this quiet. This time I was not going to hurt anybody and not turn into somebody I did not want to be. I added, "Betts surprised me." "How did she do that?" "She became interested in minerals too and she asked questions I should have thought of." "What minerals were you interested in or was this a general interest?" "Euxenite is one of them. It contains calcium, niobium, tantalum, cerium, titanium, yttrium, and typically uranium and thorium, with some other metals. It is usually found in Norway." "I never heard of that. Why do you like it?" I just knew that it was because of the forces within the atoms caused by other nearby atoms that would generate lines of force but I could not say this either. "The mineral forms very interesting crystalline structures that are rare in nature. It is like seeing a spider's web. It is beautiful in its complexity and structure. It is all related to mathematics because of the patterns it makes." "That sounds interesting." Patricia was just turning nine soon. She was even prettier than her sister June and Betts but still had a lot of growing to do. She was the baby of the family like I was. She said, "You like it because of arithmetic?" Patricia was usually a pest but now I had to act nicer. "Not too long ago you used a Spirograph. Betts and I did some too." "So?" "You made some beautiful designs." I got a hidden smile and she said, "So?" "Those designs were all mathematical formulas. They were not only beautiful because you made them so carefully but because the mathematics made them look balanced." "So your rocks look like Spirographs?" "Not the same but similar." "Can I see them?" "The design is so small that you cannot see them with your eye. You need machines to show you what they look like. It's like looking at one of the buildings downtown. Some are made of stone. They look beautiful because of the way they were built." "Show me." "You can see pictures on the net. Most of the structures are simple because the big ones are hard to see." Betts breezed in now and stood behind me and put her cool hand on my neck. She looked at her mom and said, "I had a fun time. The ROM is a good place to go especially if you are trying to learn something." June was seventeen and friends with my sister Cathy but they did not hang around much together. If I were June, I would not hang around anybody in my family. Then again my family did not act the same way to others as it did to me. She said to Betts, "I see you are staking your claim now." Betts' hand came off my neck quickly then went back on. "I guess I am." I was invited to eat over and agreed if I got permission. This meant I had to ask Dad. Mom didn't like me talking to girls for some reason. This time I took my pack and walked next door and found Dad in the garage. "Hi Dad." "Hi Wally. How was your date?" I turned red and he pulled me close and hugged me with one hand. "It's ok. You are going to get kidded a lot. Now how was your trip?" "I learned a lot at the ROM. They had a guy talking about some minerals too. I was invited over to Betts' to eat. I kinda told them that Betts was a girlfriend and they want to talk to me about the birds and the bees." "We have to have our own talk." "Ok Dad but I know how babies are made and how not to make them too." "That's good but we will still have to have our talk." "Next door?" "I don't see why not." "Thanks Dad." I put my pack away and then went back and put the things away that were in the pack. Mom may decide to snoop. A blanket could start ringing bells for her. While I was there I changed my clothes. I was hot and bothered in them and the pants smelled of Betts too. These I hung up so they would dry well before they went into the wash. On the way out of my room I remembered and went to get some of Dad's cologne so that I would stay in my new style. Betts invited me into her house and we went upstairs to search for more mineral exhibits on the net. We didn't close the door but as soon as we were inside Betts came into my arms and her hands into my hair. Her hands were not demanding this time so I guess she was controlling herself. I pulled back a bit then whispered into her ear, "You are going to get juicy again and then I am going to have to lick it all off so your parents don't smell us. That means you are going to get juicer and I may not be able to keep up." Betts rubbed against me and just mmmmmmed at me then said, "Maybe we can go for a walk someplace private." "I want to do the same thing. Your parents will be watching us now and we have to be good." "I can be very good to you." "My boner is not going to go down for a week. The guys will laugh at me at school." "I'll tell the girls about it and they will make sure the boys know how to act." "That will get me into more trouble with the guys," I said seriously. "They pick on me because of my size and because they can beat me. If the girls smile at me then the guys will get mad." "I'll have to protect you then. You're mine." "I don't like you doing that. I should protect you but I cannot protect myself." Betts said, "Maybe we should look for more minerals then. I kinda like them too." There were a lot of results for Toronto and I printed a map and marked their location on them. Some exhibits were only on at certain times and this too had to be penciled in. Betts was quicker at this and she took over. I picked out the small crystal and studied it. The lines of force were delicate and beautiful in their own way. They formed a pattern like a magnet but there were many more that were not in a pattern I could distinguish. I sat on the floor beside Betts and held the crystal in a thumb and finger. When the crystal rotated the lines did too but not always. I studied this effect and had to think that it was because I turned it on a type of axis. At other times the other random lines of force formed a pattern but just for a second. I could not hold the crystal still enough. The crystal disappeared as Betts' face grew. She kissed me and said, "How long are you going to stare at that rock?" "I can see lines of force in this piece as if it were a magnet or something." "Let me try." I pulled Betts' face close and kissed her myself and then handed her the crystal. She looked at it for a few minutes then turned away from me and did the same thing. "I can't see anything special." "Maybe it is only something a few people can do. If it were well known then a scientist would have talked about it." From the main floor we heard, "Dinner's ready." Betts and I sat side by side. I said to Betts' mother, "This is a good meal. Thanks for inviting me." "Thanks Wally but I think part of it is because you are hungry. Are you working out?" "When I can." When the dishes were cleared away, Betts' father said, "Maybe we can have a talk now if you want. Let's go out on the porch." I looked at a worried Betts and said, "Sure." We sat in two chairs and the doors were closed so I was sure that nobody could hear us. Bert started out. "You're a nice boy Wally. You're polite, smart and seem to be level-headed. Betty is the same way too. I just wanted to... talk about... ah..." There was a long pause then and I waited. Finally he said, "We don't want Betty hurt." I knew what he was talking about and tried to talk around the subject the way he was doing. I could be blunt but that was not something I usually did. "Betty is my friend and I do not hurt my friends. I want to get an education and a good job. I know that Betts thinks the same way. I don't want to complicate my life but having a girlfriend is a good complication." "I... ah... wanted to know how far you are going to go?" This now was a blunt question and I am sure he thought the same things when he was my age. This revelation was new to me because I would not have thought of that. He was an adult that was always an adult. "Ah... you were my age once. I like Betts a lot. I am too young for a commitment and to be honest, my thinking is weird recently." Bert sat there for a moment thinking then said, "What questions did you have for me?" "Ah... I wanted to know about women. I can ask my dad but that is even more weird than asking you." "What is it, Wally?" "I heard that when women get their period, they can get funny." "I know what you mean. Some women get mean, some get depressed, some are tired and get to worrying. Some retain water, have pains or..." "Or what?" "... they lose interest in their husbands. This does not happen to all the women and sometimes the effects are not as strong as others. Does that answer your question?" "Ah... are you going to... take Betts to the doctors... ah... to get some pills?" "We were planning on it especially since she started to show an interest in boys or I should say you." "That's good." "Why?" This was said with anger. "I want Betts protected. We are both young and one or both of us may not be able to control ourselves. I want Betts to be happy for the rest of her life and not tied down too early. One day I may want to start a family but not now. One day Betts may want to start a family and the odds are that it will not be with me." In a more companionate voice he said, "Why not?" "I have looked into the statistics related to young people and I see that some things are not likely to happen. You have had friends when you were young. I bet you do not talk to all of them now." "No... I guess I understand you now. There is also the possibility of disease. Boys tend to... find new friends." "I read that girls are just as prone to do that as boys. It is not a few girls that all the boys go to. It is instinct that means that the widest selection is made to spread the genes. Boys want their mate to have his children exclusively while he tries to produce children with other women. "Women will meet other men to have a wider selection of children. To answer your question, I will be going with nobody else so there is no chance of catching anything." "That's good to hear but our society is not like that." "I believe you're wrong. I can prove my point by using the computer but I think your viewpoint is from what you feel." Bert sat back a few minutes and then said, "You may be right. I never expected to have a twelve year-old explain things to me about sex." "Everything is new to me and I have to do research. You have grown up and think..." "Think that we know everything already?" I had to pause now. "Yes, I guess." In a moment he said, "You guys have your own lives to lead but I do not want my daughter hurt. I understand that young love starts and ends quickly and often. There is nothing I can do about that. If Betty takes the right precautions then she will not get pregnant." I said, "I will do my best to make Betts happy and I will really try to avoid all the traps that are waiting for people my age." "Do you know all the traps?" "Just what I have read about. There are a lot. We have to walk a fine line. Betts has to be free to make decisions and I have to be prepared to make those choices even if it will harm our relationship." "You sound a lot older than twelve." This made me think. I had studied this subject a lot. I was frightened of saying something wrong but strangely I was not afraid to speak. It was also odd that I was able to explain my feelings so calmly and clearly as if I had already prepared my arguments. "I am smart enough to see some problems and energetic enough to find the answers. Nobody can know all the traps but we can at least be looking out for them." We went inside and found Betts and her mother sitting at the table. Betts looked to be upset but then again I must look the same. This time I went up and caressed Betts' neck and said, "You getting the third degree?" "Only a little." "What were the restrictions put on you?" "How did you know?" "Deduction. What are they?" "You want me to tell you?" "How am I supposed to find out if you do not tell me?" "Well... Mom says we cannot... you know..." I waited and she didn't say any more. "We cannot kiss and you cannot mess up my hair?" "No! Not that. We can't... make babies." "That's my feelings too." Betts looked shocked. "Your father said that it is best that you get some protection. This is important. It takes a while before they take effect too." I was scarred but I had to say, "I want both of us to have a normal life with no regrets. That means we can get a decent education without having to fend for a child." "Mom didn't mean that." "No sex ever?" Betts just nodded her head. I looked at Lillian. My mind worked furiously and my thoughts were very clear. I said, "If I died today, do you think that Betts would not have sex until she got married?" I got no response and Lillian looked to be adamant. I turned to Betts' father and looked at him. He looked uncomfortable and then said to us, "Some things cannot be stopped and some should not even be tried. I think that when Betty is safe and if she wants to, you can have your fun." "Bert!" Lillian gasped. "They can't do that." "Answer Wally's question." "Well she would but she could be eighteen by then." "What is the average age that girls these days first have vaginal intercourse?" "What?" "You heard. Now answer." "I have no idea." "I am not sure but I am willing to bet that an eighteen year-old would be a rarity." "But..." Bert looked at us and said, "No intercourse until the doctor says it is safe. We have until that time for Lillian to find out the truth of the matter. We will make a new decision then. Can the two of you stick to those rules?" I did not know what to think. "Your rules are logical. I will follow them." I pulled up Betts and she faced her father. "I will follow your rules, Daddy." "Good girl. I am counting on your keeping your word." Bert walked over to his wife and got her to stand and took her outside to talk. Betts said, "How did that happen? I was sure I was going to get grounded for a year." "I have no idea. I spoke up when I would never have done that before. I am usually shaking in my boots but I found some strength to fight for us. Puberty must bring on a lot of clear thinking but that seems wrong." Betts hugged me but this time it felt more like love than sex. She said, "I am glad you were strong for both of us." In a moment Betts whispered, "How did you know that they were coming home?" I whispered back, "I have no idea. I just got a feeling. Sometimes I'm wrong but more often than not I am right. You are just going to have a comic book super hero for a boyfriend." She just stared at me and I could see that she took the joke seriously. I said, "Betts, I am the boy next door, your boyfriend now. That's all. I just have some hunches sometimes that are right." "But you see lines too." "So? That is like my hearing a bit better. And it is only that one piece of stone." I left that night feeling bad. Betts was now worried. I did my best to convince her. Perhaps I should not have mentioned the lines of force. I knew that I could not tell her about seeing through walls or clothes. The fact that I may have broken off the small piece of crystal was too odd to be believed even by me. I spent the rest of the night exercising while thinking of how I was able to do all this. That night I had another dream. I walked through a doorway and I noticed that there was a lot more room over my head and beside my shoulders. I wore a white uniform this time with gold markings. The material was just as good as the uniform a soldier wore. I sat at a work bench of some type. There were small devices all over the place but each was in their proper place. In the centre of the bench was a purple crystal much like the one I had but this one was much larger and in the form of a hexagon. This one had lines of force that left the crystal and went far overhead and far below. I knew because my dream self could see through the deck. I was on the ship once more. I studied the lines coming out of the crystal. There was a complex formula that graphed a line a certain way and this crystal was not making that shape. I then looked into the crystal and like I had at the museum, I shifted some molecules. When I refocused on the force I saw that it had changed minutely. I went back and nudged more and more molecules into the alignment I wanted. The molecules near the surface were easier to move but more finicky in how they had to be placed. When the one line was close I went to adjust a new line and then one after that. It was like the work on the hull. It was repetitious. When I did the last I saw that the first line had changed because it was effected by the rest and now it looked perfect. The hodgepodge of forces were really beautiful. They were symmetrical but they had to be seen with my special sight too. The idea came to me that they were in more than three dimensions. I didn't know how I jumped to that conclusion but it fit. I knew that these lines were governed more by the ones in the three primary dimensions but I did not know how I knew. I had to go back to the first lines again and alter them just a bit so they fit three dimensions and allowed the other lines in the forth and fifth dimensions to fit the pattern I wanted. When I had done this I saw that the crystal glowed. In fact, the more I had brought the crystal into alignment the more it shone. When I focussed on the crystal with only three dimensional eyes I saw that anybody could see this effect though it was not nearly as bright. The tools on the bench were used to now check for flaws or imperfections that I could not see. Again I knew that the tools were not much better than me. A battery of tests were run on the crystal to rate its performance. When the crystal was done, it was put in a protective case and I thought at a smaller crystal in the box. Somewhere a computer responded and assisted me in giving this particular crystal an identification number and a long chart of what the crystal was capable of doing. It took a long time for my question to be answered and apparently the crystal was a major part of a computer. I felt a great deal of satisfaction for what I had done. I now wanted payment for my labours. A servant entered from my room and helped me remove my clothing. I stepped near a wall and devices cleaned me like I had cleaned myself last night. I was naked now and waiting a moment until a chime was heard. I heard myself say, "Come in," as I instructed the computer to check the identity of the person and for threats to myself. The portions of the door slid into the walls and another beautiful women came into the room. She was breathing hard and then she stopped a metre or so inside the door as it closed. I heard my voice say, "What kept you?" "I was asleep my lord. You better move faster next time or I will have you disciplined." "My lord I will move as fast as I can for you always." "Get over here and suck." "Yes my lord. Immediately." The woman ran to me and quickly got to her knees and started to suck. I grew and grew but I was not as big as when I was a soldier. The woman though was not the same one but she was very similar and more of my size proportionately as if I had the other woman's smaller twin sister. The feelings were not as intense as I had today with Betts. I came to the conclusion that it was not that the woman was an alien but that she was doing this as a job and not for love or even the joy of having sex. I was able to pull back as I had yesterday but the urges came again and I had to fight them. They wanted me to rape this girl and make her know who was boss. My battle went on as the woman sucked and caressed my legs and testicles. In a moment the woman moved much quicker and I could feel the glands in my body pulsate and they shoot out their fluids. The battle slowed down but I kept up my opposition. I heard, "Lean over the bed." "Yes my lord." The woman hurriedly got to a bed and bent over to place her hands on it. My body walked behind her and ripped off her clothing. The woman was sent off balance but hurried to get back in position. I looked at the woman's ass. It was beautifully proportioned but what excited me was that her ass hole began to open as if she were trying to shit. Nothing came out but the body I wore slipped in at the first opportunity. I knew from the resistance that there was pain. If the time were taken then there would have been none but I seemed to want this pain inflicted. My body pushed back and forth a few times and then pushed all the way in and stayed there. "Begin!" I started to feel the woman's butt caress my cock as if it were her hand. This was much more soft but strong at the same time. The feeling was almost overpowering but it was not my body and not my cock. The woman may be a prostitute but she was treated like shit. My body loved what I felt but I hated the way it was happening. The woman was mumbling that it felt so good but I knew that she was lying the same way the one last night had been faking. When my body finally shot out my seed we stopped and then after a rest I pulled out. My body stepped back and I said, "Turn around and clean me with your mouth." The woman turned quickly. She smiled but I saw a tear in one of her eyes. The woman began to suck on my cock that I knew had shit on it. Her voice said that she loved this but I knew it was not true. Soon her mouth brought out more seed and I bent over and slapped the woman hard and then brought back my foot to kick her. I pushed as hard as I could to get further from the woman. The next thing I knew, I was on the floor of my room. My ear hurt from where I had hit the table beside my bed when I fell. The only thing that I had brought with me from my dream was a stiff cock and that made me sick. When I got to my feet I saw that it was nearly six in the morning. I was afraid to go back to sleep and just turned off the alarm before it could ring. I started my day much earlier than usual and went downstairs to eat some cereal. Before I poured any into my bowl I decided to have eggs instead. If I were going to grow, I would need protein. When I finished breakfast I rinsed off the plates and cutlery and put them into the dishwasher. I didn't want Mom or my sisters to bitch at me. I met Nick as he came down the steps but he said nothing to me. A person that didn't know any better, would think that he was just too asleep to function but Nick didn't usually talk to me at any time except to yell at me. When I got back to my room I closed the door and started to work on the crystal. I saw the force coming out and tried to follow the line back into the crystal. It was hard to focus to that much detail. I saw how the line made an abrupt swing to one side and studied the structure around that point. My sight had to get many times better than it now was. I concentrated on the point but I could not get that much better. I tried to move the crystal just a bit with the least amount of force I could bring to bear. The line abruptly flipped the other way. Mona yelled through the door, "Get to school twerp. I don't like having to be your slave." I looked at the clock and I was going to be late if I didn't hurry. I raced to school. Sometimes I waited for Betts or Sam that didn't live too far away. They must have already left. I raced as fast as I could but my knee always gave me problems. I could swim fast but never run. This injury was courtesy of two bullies that pushed me down a ravine one day. My kneecap was broken and I was in the hospital for a few weeks. For a few more weeks I used a crutch then a few more with a cane. Witnesses had seen what had happened and the firemen had to rescue me. The two boys that were two years older than me were arrested. Their lawyer got them house arrest for a year but nothing else. I just got to the school grounds when the bell rang and I kept up my pace because I still had a long distance to go. When I sat in my seat I had to rub my leg above the knee because of the pain. I did manage to smile at Betts and she smiled back which was encouraging. Chuck was nearby and I just managed to say hi before classes started. When the class was given work to do, Mr Ramsey came over and said, "Hi Wally. How do you feel?" "Not bad but I was busy this morning and forgot the time. I had to race to school and my knee is still in pain." "Do you want to see the nurse or get an icepack on it?" "Thanks, Mr Ramsey but it will be ok in a few hours." "That's good to hear. Do you have a note from your doctor saying you can come back to school?" I smiled and pulled the note out of my pocket and handed it to him. "Thanks Wally. Take it easy until you are feeling better." We were given a math test first thing. I was good at most subjects. I could do much better, like Betts said, if I applied myself. We began as soon as we got the test. I worked hard to do the best I could then checked the test over. It looked odd in a way. My writing was very neat as if it were done in a writing font on a computer. It was formed into perfectly straight columns. When I checked the math, I was happy because I didn't have to change anything. Since nobody asked to hand the test in I went over it again with the same results. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly and put my pencil down and leaned back. Mr Ramsey was walking thorough the class and stopped by me. "You done already?" "Sure. I checked it twice too." Mr Ramsey looked at the clock and said, "Let me have the test if you are done." I nodded and handed him the sheets of paper. He then walked back to his seat while checking over the paper. In a few minutes he looked up at me with an odd expression on his face but he said nothing. The rest of the class were still working on their test and I wondered what was wrong. I was usually quick but hardly ever first. Mr Ramsey searched in his desk and brought out a few sheets of paper and walked to me. "You missed this test when you were away. Will you do it now?" "Sure." He did not leave my side but this didn't bother me. I did the questions as quick and as neat as I could then went over them two more times before handing them back to him. "You checked your answers twice?" "Yes, Sir." "Good practice." He walked back again to his desk and still the rest of the class was not finished. Recess came but it felt like more hours than it really was. Chuck came up to me and said, "Did you screw up your test?" "I don't think so. I checked all the answers and they seemed ok to me." The rush to get outside slowed and I left with my friends. Betts was nearby and looking at me. I smiled and brought up my arm and she hurried to me with a smile. I put my arm around her and she said, "Feeling better now?" "Yes. I thought you were angry at me and wouldn't walk to school with me." "Friends..." I stopped and thought of a poem I had studied this year in school by Shakespeare. I had never quoted poetry before but Betts was worth it. "Let me not to the marriage of true minds Admit impediments. Love is not love Which alters when it alteration finds, Or bends with the remover to remove: O, no! it is an ever-fixed mark, That looks on tempests and is never shaken." Betts looked at me and smiled then she got very close and gave me a small kiss. I heard Mr Ramsey clear his throat so we pulled apart. There was a lot of comments from Chuck and Sam but Jerry just stood openmouthed. I reached out my hand and used a finger to gently close his mouth and said, "Friends do not stop being friends even if some friends may change a bit. Let's go out and see if we can hit the ball." The guys said little until Betts left to talk to her friends. It was Jerry that said, "She kissed you in school." "She is my friend but don't expect me to kiss you." He shook his head and then said, "When did this happen?" "When my hormones made me start thinking the way you guys think now." "Is she your girlfriend?" It was my turn to be serious. "I am picked on and if Betts is my girlfriend then she may feel some of the pressure. I try not to put commitments on you so don't cause trouble for Betts. She is probably the only girl you can talk to besides your mother so be nice to her." When we got back to class I saw many of the girls looking at me. The guys didn't talk so it must have been Betts. If she was brave enough to say she was my girlfriend then I had to be just as brave. We worked on English after recess. I never volunteered answers but Mr Ramsey asked me questions nearly half of the time when he could get no other or when the question seemed to be difficult. I was not as fast as I was with math but I was quicker now for some reason with things that were just memory. So far, all my writing was the neatest I had ever seen anybodies. When the lunch bell rang I knew I had to run home for a meal because I had left the lunch in the fridge. The guys usually went home to eat and sometimes so did Betts. I usually took a lunch so I would not have to walk so much. This time I hurried home with Sam and Betts. Betts made a point of holding my arm and Sam seemed to look odd. I took Betts hand and held it in mine and winked at her. I said to Sam, "Sam, do you love your parents?" "Why do you ask?" "Just answer the question." "Sure." "You love your parents and I like you as my friend. Are you less of a friend because you love your parents?" "That's silly." "It's not. Please answer." "I always loved my parents and we have always been friends." "Betts is my friend and my girlfriend. I love my family though they do not seem to love me. In a way I love you, Chuck and Jerry too but not that way." Sam smiled and in a moment he said, "Ya, I know." "Good. Because if I have a girlfriend, it does not make you less of a friend. I am holding hands with Betts because it makes me feel good. I am walking beside you and talking to you because that makes me feel good too. I am saying this because I do not want you to feel that you are being pushed out. Before too long you will have a girl too and we will not hang around quite as much. When we get jobs we won't hang around very much either. When we go to college we may not see each other for months at a time." "What are you talking about?" "As we get older, we are going to have to do things to survive and that takes time. We are together now and I do not want you to start drifting apart too soon. I see no reason why we will not be friends all our lives." Sam had to think and said, "It's just that I am not used to girls. You seem to like Betts more now." "I do like her more. She is still my friend and now she is a girlfriend." "Guys... go out with girls and don't play ball or go swimming or even sit and talk." I said, "Guys have to go to work. They do what they have to do then spend some free time with their friends. The world sucks as you grow up. I just don't want you thinking you will be left when we grow up." "I guess you're right. My dad has friends but he has to work lots too." I put my am around Sam's shoulder and squeezed him and he smiled at me. Betts said, "Girls have to get a job too. They usually come home just like a guy. If they get married though then they have to do their own job then come home to do everything. Most guys think that since they got married and work that it is alright to do nothing to help." ------- Chapter 3 Sam and I knew that she was correct but my dad still worked around the house. I think most of it was to get away from Mom yelling at him. Sam left us two blocks from home and sounded fine with the friendship for the present. Betts went back to holding my arm and said, "How is our friendship going to change?" "It can only grow. You are more important to me today than yesterday and it has nothing to do about making each other feel good. It hurt when you acted strange yesterday." Betts said nothing but in a minute she said, "You are extra special and I don't know how that is going to effect us as we get older." "Besides me, who do you think knows about my abilities? I mean the guys think I am lucky but that is it." "So I'm the only one you trusted?" "You are the only one I may ever trust. What I can do is not that important but somebody is going to want to lock me up and use me or test me to find out how I do what I do. One day maybe ten years from now they will just crack my head open and investigate directly." "They wouldn't do that. There are laws." "Do you honestly think laws will stop a person from doing what he wants?" "Sure." "People are murdered every day and it is against the law." She had to think a while now and said, "I guess you're right." Mom was not home so I got my lunch and walked over to eat my meal with Betts. Since nobody was home we had the house to ourselves. Betts and I ate quickly by unspoken agreement. We hurried upstairs and got the comforter and two towels and put them in the washing machine. I took one more towel and raced to Betts' room. Again by unspoken words we took off our clothes and I layed Betts on the bed. I was between her legs in seconds. With nobody around Betts was free to be as loud as she wanted. Betts smelled stronger this time but I still loved her scent. The smell certainly made me horny. The urge to get up and push into her was not as strong because I knew I would find another warm wet place to park. I worried her small clit and licked the inner and outer lips. It took only minutes until I heard her scream. I thought for a second that she was hurt but only a second. There was no stopping but I did slow down. In a moment I sped up again and took my time pushing my tongue into her opening. My hair was pulled even harder now though I was able to catch some air once in a while. The stories on the net talked about a lot of things I wanted to try but some had to be saved for later. I did put a finger into her vagina and move it in and out while attacking her clit. I got one more scream and then nothing. As I stood, the urge came back even stronger. I moved Betts to a better position and made sure the towel was in the right place. Like in the dreams, my body wanted to do one thing when I wanted another. I had to hold to my convictions as tight as I could. This was my body and not the one in a dream. It was my body to command and not any other. I crawled onto the bed near her face and layed down with my cock poking her lips. I went back to licking Betts when I found her mouth sucking me in. This was enough for now and the battle went my way. Betts used her hands to caress my ass as she sucked on me. Since I was over top of her she pulled a pillow close to support her head. I had no problem getting at what I wanted. It was difficult but I rolled up my tongue and fucked Betts as good as I could. She licked and sucked as quick as she could as if needing me to feed her. I had been horny all morning and it took only a while for me to have that special feeling. I let the feeling wash through me then found the power to go back to her clit as I used my thumb now in her opening. Betts never stopped sucking and I needed a chance to recover but I did not want to deny Betts her pleasure. I was happy when I got her to cum one more time and the scream was not nearly as loud. I pulled off of Betts and layed beside her. She kissed my lips and said, "You are all sticky. How can you stand it?" "I will tell you later. Wash now or I will take you to school naked." She was hurrying but stopped and with a smile said, "Really?" "We will talk about that later too." We had a fast shower and got dressed. We were going to be late again but we had a bit more time than this morning. The towel went into the bag and into the closet. We were out the door and Betts pulled me to the garage. "We need to get to school." "I have a bike. You ride it and I will run. We can get there faster than you running." Morton had damaged my bike and I had not got it fixed yet. This was a good solution. "That is why I love you. You're smart and think of some good ideas." Betts stopped though and I wondered why. "You love me?" "I guess I do." I got a passionate kiss but then we had to break apart and get the bike. Sam had not waited but we caught up to him before we got to school. He ran with us and kidded Betts for being slow. We locked up the bike and actually had a few more minutes to talk before the bell rang. Mr Ramsey started history but he handed me a dozen sheets of mathematics that was harder than what we did now and this was almost the end of the year. "Do these while I give the history lesson. I just want to see what you can do." We had taken a bit of algebra but not much. The ideas though to solve the equations came easy. The questions got harder and harder as I went on. Some had an x, y and a z in them. I had to think on this for a minute until I got an idea how to solve them. The third to the last question gave me the most problems and I wrote on the test that this could not be done. The last two were very difficult and I had to do a lot of calculations to get the answer. Mr Ramsey liked us to show our work so I did this here too. I looked at the wall and saw that I had been at this for almost a half hour. I went back and checked the answers and saw that what I had learned by answering the hard questions helped me do the easy ones quicker. The impossible question was still impossible. Forty three minutes later I put my hand up. "Yes Wally." "I'm done." "Done?" "Except for one that cannot be done or I do not see how it could be." Mr Ramsey got up and came to get the test and looked at the question I said was impossible. I heard him chuckle and say, "I forgot to put in a figure AB." "What should it be?" "Fifteen" I thought for only a second and said, "2.2360 is the answer." "Amazing!" It suddenly occurred to me that what I had done was a mistake. I did not know what grade did that work but it was not mine. I started to formulate a lie to cover this. If I didn't succeed then I could still be examined by some well meaning but determined researchers. The time before recess stretched to days. When the bell rang though I heard, "Wally would you stay a minute please?" I stood near the teacher's desk. He said, "Where did you learn to do mathematics like this?" He said the last as he held the papers in his hands. "That was easy. When I was in the hospital the guy next to me was great at math. I could not talk but I could listen. The guy taught me math and it was fun. We made a game of it. His parents brought books in and we tested each other. It was better than television and it made me think." "Did you take differential and integral calculus?" "If we had stayed in longer we would have gone further. I was just told how to solve some simple equations." How did you solve the last question so fast?" "That problem made me consider all the regular ways to solve it. I did try calculus. There were four simple solutions." So how did you come up with the answer so fast?" "Tell me the value of pi to as long as you can remember." "3.1415926." I know that it is "3.14159265358979." "Tell me the square root of two." "1.414." "I know that it is 1.414214." "What does this have to do with it?" "One more question. What is the square root of five?" "I don't know off hand." "I know that it is 2.236067977." "Ah, I see. You just memorised part of the square root table? Fifteen divided by three is five and then all you have to do is remember the root of that number." "That was it. In fact five was as high as I went." "You are still an amazing young man, Wally. I think you're going places one day." When I went out for the rest of my recess I had to think more. My brain was working as if there was no tomorrow. My thinking was clearer than it had ever been and I did not know how it had happened. Betts came to me and asked, "What did he want you for?" "I studied math when I was off and it showed in the tests. Maybe I can get a job one day that pays a lot of money for knowing math well." "That would be nice. I have been thinking. If you get your bike fixed we can race home every day and eat at my house." "Don't you mean eat you at your house?" "Well I eat you too." "And you do that very well. You are like Chinese food though." "Why do you say that, Wally?" "I eat you a few hours ago and I am hungry again." Betts smiled and was going to hug me when I put my hand on her chest. "Not out here. This is not high school." "But I want you and that delicious sausage. I want to eat it for hours." "I will give you the sausage all right but I had another idea." "What?" she said breathlessly. "I want to get some soft ropes and tie you up and then eat you for hours without my hair being pulled or your screams muffled by our legs." Betts' eyes were now blazing. "And?" The bell rang just then but she did not move. "I will grease up my finger and push it into your butt as I suck on your clit." Betts shut her eyes and shook. I had to get her turned around and into the school. She held onto me as we climbed the steps. The smell from her was strong and it was turning me on. We were nearly the last and I pushed Betts toward the washroom. She looked at me as if wondering why. I had to get close and said, "You're Juicy Lucy and I am going to get horny and so will the rest of the guys in the class." "Ok." When I got in I whispered that Betts had to go to the washroom. He might bother the guys about this but never the girls. Before I sat down I suddenly saw Betts playing with her pussy on the toilet. I almost tripped over a desk then sat and tried to remember the sight I had just seen. Betts came back much later with a red complexion. I didn't want to let on that I knew what had happened. I would then have to explain and that would not be a good thing for our relationship. Geography was next but I made sure I only mentioned what I knew and I also made sure my better memory was faulty on occasion. I did get more out of this because I was actually listening more. My brain was able to absorb more and I could use the information better to understand what was being said. Usually I was thinking of sports, friends. Mostly I would be thinking of the stories I read on that guy Lazeez' site. Sam and I read them all the time at his house on the computer. In between thoughts I wondered how I knew so much math. Some things I had to just stretch a bit to understand and then stretch a bit more to understand the next. I was not worried though and that bothered me. I should be upset that this had happened. In a way it felt like the urge again but now it was trying to comfort me instead. I would have to fight this but not as a berserker but as a person that thought a problem through. I seemed to have the memory and intelligence now to do a better job than I would have done before. I was able to focus on the class much better but that was not the case with Betts. She stared at me but not like a weird person but something more along the lines of a girl looking at a rock star. Her friends looked at her and they looked at me. Some seemed to be getting the same idea. I doubted if Betts would tell them what we had done. They looked at me as if they knew though. The bell came to end the day and as usual there was no homework. A science project about weather was due in three days and I had not done much of anything with it. "Wally, will you stay another moment please?" I never rushed out of the class. I didn't want to be trampled. This time half of the class had found a reason to be slow. "Wally, I want to get you tested. Your mathematical skills are at the grade twelve level. I used my old grade thirteen textbook and you did some of the work there too. You have the ability to be a great scientist one day if you continue." "Thanks Mr Ramsey. I learned because I was bored but I also learned because I had a friend that taught me just that subject. It was a game. Math is still fun but it is not the same without Charley. I wouldn't mind borrowing your book until the end of the year to see if I can fill in a few things that I do not understand." "I can certainly loan you the book. You can even ask me questions that you may have. It may be best to write them down though." I smiled at Mr Ramsey and said, "That may be fun. Some of the hard stuff that will stump me may stump you too." "I didn't think of that. I forgot far too much and perhaps this is good for me too." The teacher reached into his desk and handed me the book and said, "Remember, you can ask anything you want." "Thanks Mr Ramsey." We walked out of the class but this time I was at the head of the remainder of the class. Chuck said when we got outside, "You do grade thirteen work?" "Only a bit..." Wendy Pallo came forward and got quite close. Her big knockers were real close and I knew now that she was showing them to me. I pointedly did not look at them. My textbook went to the other hand and I reached out and found Betts' arm and then her hand. "How did you get so smart, Wally? I mean you were smart before but you never seemed to try." "Hi, Wendy. I was stuck in a boring hospital with nothing to do. A guy in the room taught me math for something to do. The only thing I do different now is that I did not see how much time I wasted in class. I now pay attention." Wendy looked down and saw my hand in Betts and her face changed just a bit. I would never have noticed this before. "We have a party at my house next Friday. Do you want to come?" My hand was squeezed tight. "That may be fun but I will only come with Betts. She makes sure I study and eat right." "Sure, she was going to be invited anyway." The change of her face said the exact opposite. "I will see you then." Everybody drifted away except my friends. Chuck said, "I would love to be invited to her party." Jerry said, "I know just where I would rest my head." He then looked at Betts and stood straighter. Surprisingly Betts said, "You may have to come with a dress. The party was going to be just for us girls." There was a pregnant pause then Sam said, "I might dress up if I could be a good friend of hers. We girls would have our secrets." Chuck broke up laughing and punched Sam in the arm and then so did Jerry. Jerry said, "We going to play ball or go swimming?" I had to do some thinking now. This was a test. I started with Chuck and said, "Which do you like?" I then went to the rest but Betts was last. She saw the small nod of my head and said, "Swimming," which was the majority of the choices. Chuck and Jerry parted then it was just Sam and Betts left. Sam looked straight ahead and said casually, "Why did Wendy invite you?" "Betts is my social expert. Let's ask her." Betts just looked at me for a moment as I looked into her eyes. She finally said, "I guess it was because I told them about how good you kiss. I mentioned that you are my boyfriend now. I guess I did that because most of them don't have a boyfriend." When Betts said no more, Sam said, "So why did she want to invite the Hunk?" "I think she wanted to find how good he kissed for herself." Sam was stunned. What Betts said made sense but I didn't see why she would pick the runt of the litter when I saw her with older guys all the time. I said casually, "I have my friends and I stick with them. I can only have one girlfriends though." "You'd turn..." Sam said then stopped. I stopped and said to Sam. This is not like meeting Charley. He would only be one more friend. If I went to that party without Betts I would lose Betts as a girlfriend and as a friend." "I guess I see that now. So she was trying to steal you from Betts?" "Maybe but more likely just to see what Betts had." "Wendy does not seem such a nice person now." "You are seeing that because you are growing up. Now don't mention anything about this to anybody else. It makes Wendy look bad and she will make sure all of you pay for it. No girl would want you." "That makes sense too." We had agreed to meet at the municipal pool. Mom and dad were not home and I left a note on the table to tell them where I was going to be. I took a towel, sunblock and then I decided on the blanket. All this went in my pack with some water. On the way out of my room, I looked in the mirror. I saw the usual boy with my pants hanging low and a cap. I had seen what I looked like as a soldier and the guy that worked on the crystals. I hated those people but I liked the uniform. If I had to accept their attitude if I took their suit, then I was better the way I was now. Betts was ready and waiting on her porch. I hurried to get her and she gave me a small kiss and said, "Do you want to go upstairs instead?" "Yes, but the guys are our friends. That's why we are going swimming." "I know that but I like what we do." "Me too. Did you leave a note?" "Sure. Your smart girlfriend asked Mom or Dad to pick us up at the pool. They would then know that we were not fooling around." I held my smart girlfriend's hand and hurried to the pool. After we paid to get in I said, "Do you want me to help you into your suit?" "We would never get into the pool." "That shows how smart you are." "Of course. I'm a girl." We met Chuck first then Jerry and Sam came. We played together as a group. The guys were still hesitant with the new Betts and she knew it. She whispered to me, "Can we play tag where we have to touch the ass? They will touch mine." "You are one smart lady, Betts." I said, "Let's play tag. You have to touch the ass. Betts is ok with this. She gets to touch your fat butts too." The guys were not sure. "I'm it." I raced after Jerry and caught him after a long race. Betts was near him when he got tagged. She patted her butt and called out. "Can you catch it?" Jerry was the best swimmer after me but he was tired. He took the bait and chased Betts until he caught her. She rested a bit then looked at Sam and said, "Your butt is mine, Sam." "Ha, you have to catch it first." Betts was not that fast or strong but Sam was the slowest person here. It didn't look like he was even swimming that fast when Betts' hand crashed down on Sam's butt. From the sound I knew that it must hurt. Chuck was near and laughing. Sam was able to catch him easily. The game went on until we were all tired. When the time came we started to look for Betts' parents. When her mother then came she was polite to all of us and drove the guys home. They knew enough to thank Mrs Huggins. Lots of others would not be as considerate. After we dropped off Sam, Mrs Huggins said, "I was a little surprised to see that Betty was invited to join your group, Wally." "We had a similar discussion with Sam. Grownups have to manage their time and keep their friends. Betts is even more important to me and I have to work hard so that I do not lose the rest of my friends. Betts does a lot of thinking too. She helps me by trying to fit in as a friend instead of a girlfriend. How did you do it when you were young?" "I was not as smart I guess. My boyfriend at the time took all of my time. A few months later, a new boyfriend was the same way. I had to balance my time. Some friends drifted away and I could not get them back. Part of the reason was because they were dating too." "This is personal but do you still keep in touch with your friends from that time?" "They all moved away. Some are on the other side of the city and it takes hours of fighting traffic to get there and back. We send Christmas cards, go to one another's birthdays but it is not the same as it was." "What advice do you have for me?" "You seem to be doing it. When the others get dates then you should go out together once in a while. This will keep the bond together." When we pulled into the driveway and got out I retrieved my pack and kissed Betts the way I had seen her parents kiss. I said, "Have you finished your project for school?" Betts was shocked at the kiss but said, "Not yet." "We better do those." "Will you come over later and we can work together?" I said, "I would love to," but I was looking at Betts' mother. She gave a smile and nodded her head. I ate our meal and Mom gave me work to do. This was in the garden but it was also a way of getting exercise. I did what I was asked as good as I could and went to get my project. I was still sweaty and had a quick shower. When I put my pants on I changed my mind and got pants that I could pull up to my waist. My shirt too was changed to make me look less like a kid. Betts met me at the door and gave me a second look before she kissed me too. It was more than the perfunctory one I expected. "You look better now." I whispered, "I have to make a favourable impression on your mother." I looked at her and said, "Do you like this way better?" "Yes, everybody is wearing baggy pants and yours makes you look special." Betts had a project to do on the water cycle and instead of going upstairs we worked on the kitchen table. I critiqued the project and suggested some improvements. My project was a gage to test for relative humidity. I had seen something on the net that I could make. A base of wood and a thin board rose from it. I had to get a long hair. The hair would be tied at the top of the board and then onto a pointer. The pointer had a pin through it to the board. When there was a lot of water in the air the hair stretched and the pointer went down. Dry air made the pointer come up. I sat back at the crude device. Like my mathematics, ideas came as to how to make this better. I got up from the table and walked to the front room and stood beside Betts' father. "Sir, Could I ask you for some help?" The man was surprised at the term sir and the request it seamed. "Sure, what would you like?" "I am making a device to measure relative humidity. I made a stand but it looks pretty bad. I wanted to make a new base and put a dowel into it. Do you have a dowel around I could have?" Bert made things out of wood and had lots of scraps. He showed me how to use the router safely and I marked out a design with a pencil. I was very surprised at how straight the lines were and how good the curves were too. I put the cutter in the chuck and cut the base accurately. I sanded it all by hand. We found a quarter inch dowel that was a full metre long. I used the drill to make a hole in the base. "Where are you going to get the strand of hair for this device?" "There is a wild animal upstairs with long hair. I guess I will have to stalk it and then get the strand." When I came upstairs I said to Betts, "I need to find somebody to scalp. I need a hair. Who has the longest hair around?" "Patty I guess." "Let's capture her and get my hair." Patricia was in the next room and heard what was said. I went down the hall to head her off while Betts went the frontal way. Patricia was standing and ready to run but saw that she was trapped. "You are not getting my hair." I pretended to fling an imaginary cape in front of my mouth and said with my version of a Transylvanian accent, "I vant to suck your blood." Then I stalked forward. Patricia screamed and I caught her and got her to the carpet. I brought my mouth to her neck and blew a raspberry. She screamed even higher and then Betts and I tickled her. "Stop, stop. You can have my hair." I stopped my tickling and bent over and kissed her nose. When I move back a bit I said, "Thanks, Sweetie." She sat up without help and I was poking through her scalp until she said, "What are you doing?" "Just counting all the bugs. One bit my finger." "I don't have bugs!" "Hold still now." I picked a long hair and plucked it. "Thanks Patricia." "I hope you get my bugs." I started scratching with two hands and she laughed. At the table I had Betts help put a straight pin through a soda straw. A paper clip went through the straw too and the end of the hair tied to it. The strand of hair went to the dowel to see how long I would need. A new straight pin when in here and I tied the hair to this so the straw was horizontal. A piece of Bristol board went behind the pointer with lines radiating from where the lower pin was. Patricia stayed near and said, "How does it work?" "Put a bit of water in an electric kettle and boil it." The girl didn't ask more and just did it. In a moment I unplugged the kettle and let the water vapour hit the strand of hair. The strand lengthened and the pointer went down. When the kettle was pulled away the pointer slowly came back to horizontal. "Patricia's comment was, "Neat." I wrote on another piece of Bristol board about what the device did and why. Bert had been watching all the time and said, "That was well done and your writing is beautiful. You should try calligraphy." "Thanks Mr Huggins. I need to cut the dowel to make it look good." "Then bring it downstairs." When my project was done, I helped Betts with hers. Just as she put it away, Patricia came to me and said, "Will you help me read?" I gave her a grin and said, "Certainly. Get your book." When she ran off I said to Betts, "She wants to steal your boyfriend I think but I will stick with you even if she brings cookies." "She is going to be with us all the time if you encourage her." "It won't be bad because I have a plan." "A plan?" Patricia came running and we sat on the couch. I made sure Betts sat on the other side of Patricia and I began to read a 'Goosebumps' story. I hammed it up a bit with the words then gave the book to Betts while I went to the washroom. I stalled for as long as I could then went back to begin again. The next time I left for a break and sat Patricia on her surprised father's lap and he was forced to read to her. Lillian was looking at me when this all happened. A half hour later I got Lillian to sit on one side of the couch to and under the light. I moved Patricia onto the couch and her mother supported her head as she read to her. When I looked at the parents I saw that it was quite a while since they had enjoyed the children and this was a way of gaining what they once had. I poured a fresh cup of tea and put it near Lillian so she could continue with her reading without having to get up. The woman smiled at me when I brought her the drink. Her words though were from the book. Before I left I saw that Patricia was asleep and Lillian was caressing her daughter's hair as she stared down at her. Bert was looking at the pair with more than a little nostalgia in his features. It was time to go home so I took Betts into the kitchen and kissed her. I did not want to get caught doing this for a half hour so I pulled back and said, "Why don't you make a lunch for both of us tomorrow and I will make a lunch for us the day after." Betts didn't react. I hoped she knew I had a reason. I got close and said, "I don't have the bike fixed yet. Let's find other places to have what I like to eat best." I said goodbye to the two adults and kissed Betts one more time then went home. Dad was reading in his chair when I showed him my project. He was impressed that I had done this myself. I exercised and tried to concentrate on the crystal at the same time. It was not easy. I could not see as small as I had done last time but I continued if just to practice. I put away the weights and had a quick shower. After dressing, I spent an hour reading the old math textbook. I instinctively knew that everything in the book was just the basics and to understand mathematics I would have to spend a long time on it. My dream that night was similar to the one before. I had a white suit but now it had silver trim. My workbench was similar. I worked on smaller crystals now. They were also simpler. It was easy to tell because the lines of force were not nearly as complex. An image in my mind, driven by a computer, generated the graphs of a group of mathematical formulas. This was for a sensor that would detect a mass of one gram out to a distance of 3.27 light years. A ship could be detected up to 12.76 light years. I worked with the body in the dreams to alter the crystal I had before me to mimic the waveforms in my mind. I could do the portion that was in three dimensions but after that I had to use the tools on the bench to do what the man before had done with his mind. This was a job that computers, even those of an advanced civilisation could not do well or quickly. It took a special person to do this. The crystal just had to be adjusted to bring it into spec then a new crystal was brought out. It looked exactly the same but the waveforms were different. This was for an ultrawave receiver. This one could be altered to receive a small bandwidth while another crystal operated another bandwidth with just a little overlap. There were six of these crystals in one array and they not only had to fit the specs but had to work together. Odd harmonics could destroy the entire array. These crystals were my usual job I felt. Each of the crystals were compared to its optimum profile and adjusted. With this was done the two lowest frequency crystals were actuated and tweaked so that they worked together. Another crystal was added and then this set was adjusted until all six worked together. I had been drawn to this dream to learn from this image. I had been burnt enough that I was ready to pull back and I did so now. I was urged forward as if there was the promise of sexual release but I did what I could to keep my glands and thoughts under control Four milliunits later, whatever they were, there was a call from the portal. I guessed that this was about three minutes. Paranoia was not as prevalent here but the woman and hall were scanned. A beautiful woman came in. She was only a bit different than the rest. This was more of the runner-up to the Miss Universe contest as apposed to the winner. This man was not as angry as the others. He said nothing but removed his clothing and lay in the middle of the bed. The woman didn't have to ask apparently. She stripped and walked to the bed. There she bent over and sucked the man until he ejaculated in her mouth. The first words I heard tonight were, "Mmmm that was good." I still felt she was lying. She climbed upon the bed and held the man's cock as she slowly sank down on it. When she was all the way down she sighed for a few seconds and then used her internal muscles like the woman last night did with her butt. The man just looked at the woman as if he was not part of this act. He neither touched her breasts or rubbed her clit. There was a lot to rub for the clit was almost as long as my pinky. The man in the dream finally started to thrust up with his abdomen and in a moment he released his seed into the woman. The woman for her part groaned as if this were the most exciting thing she had ever done. The man never wilted and in fact none of the men did. They were ready for at least three times and possibly more if I slept longer. The woman squeezed her vagina as she got off then got off the bed. She bent over and started to give him one more blow job but I was awoken by my alarm clock before it ended. This was not really a nightmare. It was a crazy dream of people acting like machines or people acting aggressively to women. I hurried to get ready. I needed no lunch today but I did make myself a good breakfast again. It was the roast I had eaten last night with some toast. I hurried back to my room and got my clothes ready and looked across to Betts' home. I could see through the intervening walls. Betts was still asleep. I reset the alarm clock and began again with the crystal. I actually got the first force line to change to roughly where I wanted it before the alarm went off. There was enough time to put my pack that contained the blanket and sunscreen. The project I did was packed carefully so as to not damage the straw or the hair. When I came downstairs nobody greeted me and I knew better to say good morning. I was out the door in seconds and was soon knocking on Betts' door. "Hello Wally." I heard Betts' mom say then the same thing again from Patricia. Usually she got a ride to school with Mrs Watson, another neighbour, but sometimes she walked with us. Betts seemed to be pissed. I kissed Betts and said, "Good morning beautiful." "I missed you Wally." I walked into the kitchen and saw Lillian packing a lunch and I went close and kissed her cheek. "Good morning Mrs Higgins." She was surprised and said, "That is the way to do it." Patricia tapped my shoulder and I turned around. She wanted the same treatment and I hugged her and kissed her cheek. I think she wanted the way I kissed her sister instead. After a while Betts put my Bristol board with hers and carried it. I could not do it because I held Betts' hand in my left and Patricia's in my left. Betts was pissed off but not much. She wanted to talk about us but we talked with Patricia instead. I could see a child of my own one day keeping me from having some fun with my wife Betts. I explored this image. It was nice to think of but I was still too young. There was so much living to do yet. Betts and I may be good for each other now but that did not make us partners for life. I did hope that we would always be friends at least. When we got to Sam's corner, we could not see him anywhere. We had enough time to stop and wait but he did not show up. We continued on our way until we were a block from school. Two boys stopped and one laughed. "Can't get a girlfriend that is more than seven, Wally?" Betty was angry and said, "I am his girlfriend asshole. Your only girlfriend is your hand." The kid was in grade eight. He got angry at what was said to him and he came charging for Betts. I put my pack onto the ground and got in front of him. "Going to beat up a girl big man?" The guy brought his fist way back and I moved in and kicked him in the balls. He fell to the ground and I kicked him in the stomach twice. I knew that this was enough. The guy's friend came running in but stopped when he saw me. "Why did you hit him you asshole?" "He was taking a swing at me. Do you want to try me too? I can do the same to you in a few seconds." He said nothing and then just got low and went to his friend. I had the feeling that the crouch was a way of saying I was more dominant than him. It felt good because I usually lost most of my fights. I was going to leave but instead I went to the boy that had puked up his breakfast. I grabbed his hair and pulled his face up. With my other hand pulled back in a fist I said, "You owe the lady an apology." The boy looked at me and at my fist and said weakly, "I'm sorry." I looked at the other boy and he just looked down to the grass. We were in time for school but just. Patricia was jumping around and Betts was holding my arm to her breast. I was not going to object. There were projects at the back of the class and I proudly put mine beside Betts. There were only two others done. The rumour started just after recess and I got a lot more people looking at me when we came back in. The guys were just hearing it now and Chuck leaned over and said. "Did you beat that guy with one punch?" "I kicked him." "Great, but why didn't you tell us?" Mr Ramsey cleared his throat and started the class. Betts' eyes were glowing again and I figured she needed some more time in the bathroom but I would like to be there helping. Math was boring now. When Mr Ramsey saw this he handed me a sheet of paper and some foolscap. They were grade 12 or 13 work that required some graphs. The noise around me vanished as I saw the shape of the lines. Before I started, I analysed all of the work. It was no different than what I had already done. I did see a new process that was not in the book that I would ask questions about. The first question took up more than a page because of the graphs. Soon I waved some of the foolscap and Mr Ramsey brought more over for me without stopping his lesson to the class. When I was done, Mr Ramsey collected the work and switched to history. I paid attention but now it might be nice to read books on the subject that were more detailed. I knew that there must be some. When lunch rolled around I had to stay to talk about the math. Mr Ramsey had already marked it and he helped me with the way to do what I had left undone. He then went on to tell me the way they did mathematics in university and it sounded good even if it wasted paper. "Wally, your graphs are excellent. I now have to say you may have a career in art if you care to pursue it. I didn't think your art was this good before but I will have to check it. Betts had not left and I pulled her close to me. "I am entering puberty now. My girlfriend complains that I am wasting my time in class if I don't try. I am trying harder now." I got a big grin. "Women tend to do that to men. An old saying is that you will find a woman behind every successful man." Betts spoke up. "Don't you forget it either." "Yes, Dear." "Good." Mr Ramsey said, "They always like to get the last word too," then he laughed at his own joke. Betts and I went outside through a door we never used before. It led to some grass at the side of the school that had some mature trees and some residential property near but separated by a fence. I found a nice spot that was hid from sight but not that well. I put out my blanket and sat down. Betts got very domestic and laid out her meal in an appetising way. It was much better than we usually ate. There was water that was still cold, sandwiches cut into quarters and some macaroni salad that she put into some Corel bowls and not paper. I said, "You have made a beautiful meal for us Betts." "Thanks. I wasn't sure if you would like this or not." "It's great." Later I said, "I wanted to hurry to the park to find a place to eat dessert. I think we should stay here today and just enjoy this meal and your company." "The meal is not that good." "The company is great." I got a big smile that Betts tried to hide. When we finished I shook out the blanket and put it back in my pack. We picked up all our garbage and even litter that the wind had blown here. We dumped the trash and then put the packs away. Betts said, "I need to go pee. Do you want to help?" There was nobody in the halls and everything was quiet. I just grinned and Betts led me into the girls' washroom. There was a smell as soon as I got in. It was not just cigarette smoke but fresh cunt. Betts was just going to speak when I put my finger to my lips. I looked around and saw a long line of stalls. They all naturally closed but the last had an occupant. My curiosity was piqued and I concentrated on what was behind the metal barriers. I was surprised as hell to find two girls that were nearly naked. One was eating the other and both looked to be frightened about being caught. One was Wendy Pallo and the other was a girl from grade eight. I washed my hands and then urged Betts to take a look from near the floor. Her mouth made the '0' I had seen before. In a moment we left. Outside the door and down the hall she said, "Their clothes were off." "As soon as I walked in I could smell them. One wore perfume I remember." "Who?" "Wendy Pallo." "No!" "Yes." "Who is the other?" "I don't know. Do you want me to go back and ask?" She hit me but she looked very interested. We stayed down the hall and fifteen minutes later a girl came out and Betts drew in some air but she tried to be quiet. In another moment Wendy Pallo came out and she looked very worried. Both girls though had walked away from us. If they had walked to us we would have simply walked around the corner and passed them as if nothing was odd. When the girls had left I whispered, "The girls have the right to their own lives. I don't want them to find out that they were caught. It could destroy them." "I know. I hung around with Wendy lots of times. She was always friendly and a touchy-feely sort of person." "I don't think she only likes girls. We still have an invitation this Friday. Do you still want to go?" "Oh, yes!" I wondered why Betts was so interested. She was not the type to hurt people unless they really deserved it. It was her glassy eyes that gave me the hint and then it was the erect nipples and eventually the smell. I felt hurt that Betts was this way. I wanted her to be mine and mine alone. We walked to the door we usually used to get to the school grounds and I did a lot of thinking as I went. I had nothing against lesbians but I did not want to be married to one. I wanted her to watch out for our children and support me as I supported her in making it through life. The bell rang and we went back into school. When everybody got their seats I found that the rumour had spread further. Even Wendy Pallo was staring at me and she had the same kind of eyes that Betts had. Betts though was looking at Wendy. When we walked home, Patricia was with us. The guys had got my rendition of the events at the afternoon recess. Patricia and Betts gave their own slant on things. Sam said, "I wish I had been there." The guys wanted to go swimming again. I said, "I have to do some work on math. The teacher gave me some hard questions today. Tomorrow after school I want to go to a mineral show." Chuck said. "Rocks?" as if they were as common as the stones in the field. "There are more kinds of rock than you could count. Many important tools and devices we use come from minerals. If I picked up a diamond and knew what it was, I could be rich. You guys would look at it and throw it away." "What is the chance of you picking up a diamond?" "It is like the lottery. I will know whether to see if the number is right." This kind of bickering was not unusual. We all had our own things to do. If a parent wanted something done then the one to leave was laughed at. When Chuck and Jerry said goodbye and left for their homes, Sam said, "Is the study of minerals hard?" "There's a lot to cover but you can do it a bit at a time. Part of this is like being a prospector but it is also like being a collector. Some minerals are very beautiful." "How do you learn?" "Go with me tomorrow to the mineral show. You will see all sorts of rocks." "I'll see if I can go. It sounds interesting." I told him where it was and how I planned to get there. The bus and subway was the best usually. Patricia said, "Can I go too. I like rocks." Betts rolled her eyes but said nothing. "Maybe we should ask your parents first." "Betty went before." "Yes she did. It was interesting but it was not a lot of fun for her." "But I want to go." "We have to talk to your parents." She pouted and I was sure that got her way with her parents. She was still their baby. We came to where Sam would leave us and we said our goodbyes. We got only another block when a car came around the corner and screeched to a halt near us. I knew that car well. Morton had returned. Morton was at least sixteen. I figured he was a little mentally deficient but he made up for it by being big and strong. "So there's the asshole that ratted out on me to the cops." I pushed the two girls and said, "Go." Morton had two friends with him. They were not as big as him but they were all much bigger than me. His buddies blocked the girls from leaving. I took off my pack and threw it in the alley next to us. I was going to get beaten again and I did not have to let him get to hit me first. "So you brought some friends to beat me up? I always thought a bully like you was a coward." I had never antagonised him before but it felt like the right thing to do. People made mistakes when they were angry. Angry people killed people too I had to add. Surprisingly I had very little fear and I wondered where it went. I was very wary but that was natural. "I don't need my friends to kill a rat." Morton came in like usual but he seemed a bit slower. When his fist came to my face I took it and guided it past me. I was close now and I kneed him as hard as I could. Morton bent over in pain. I grabbed his hair and picked up my good knee and drove it into his face. Morton flung himself up and away from the pain. I moved in and drove my fist just below his rib cage. This time I hit solidly. Morton had a stunned expression now and I tried to kick him in the nuts one more time. I felt a pain in my head and I was flung sideways. I did not fall but I was groggy. A second later an uppercut drove me back and this time I did fall. I could not see but I could not let them just beat me. I got up quickly as I could. I just knew that a kick was coming at my face and I backed up and the kick went by. I don't know where the idea or the speed came from but I grabbed the foot before it could come back down and I kicked the guy in the nuts and he could do nothing about it. I heard more fighting and saw the girls struggling with the last thug. He just finished punching Patricia and a bleeding Betts was screaming at him as she charged. He brought back his fist and just connected with her face and her head went sideways with spit flying. With the guy's back to me I ran but it was more of a stagger. I brought my own fist back and hit the guy just below the ribs on his back. He flinched away in pain. Betts just finished falling to the ground beside Patricia. This guy had to pay. I move in and his fist came out and caught me on the cheek. My head flew to one side but I kept on going. I had no idea how I was taking all this punishment. Another fist came at me but I batted it to one side and now I was close. I drove my fist out and it connected with his throat. He had been backing up and didn't get the full force. I came on again and the guy turned and ran. He could not get away. I had to beat him and then beat him some more. He was three metres away when I thought hard at his foot when it came up and I pushed up with all my might. The guy's body went up high and his face came down onto the grass. I staggered to him as he started to get up. I kicked him in the face and he fell on his side. I moved in and kicked him in the gut and then everything started to go black. I woke up seeing something going by quickly but then went back to sleep. The second time I woke up I saw my dad, Betts parents and somebody that looked like a nurse. I knew that Morton got me again. I had one dream that I remembered. I was an observer and it had to be on the ship in space. I could see a giant room. There were couches, chairs and toys for children. The room was filled with beautiful children and beautiful women but I saw no adult males. Around the walls of the room were corridors and I just knew that there were private rooms in there. Women had children clustered around them and they were teaching or entertaining groups. A woman came in a door and I was viewing this from a distance. I recognised her face. She was the first woman I saw. She had been with the soldier. She was bleeding but it had stopped. She was dazed as she came in and two women jumped up to help her. There was no crying but the woman was in pain from her injuries. The woman was assisted to a private room where she was laid down and the device used for cleaning was ran all over her body. Another device started to accelerate the healing process. Her face was bruised but some knowledge told me that she would recover in two standard time units. This was close to one of our days. The woman's body was moved around and I saw tears in the skin around her anus and bruising near her vagina. Men had purposely hurt her. Her openings could open if encouraged without any pain at all. The men just had to have somebody to dominate. When the woman was cleaned and the process begun, the three went into a communal hug. The crying started then and spread to all three. They were all despondent but there was little else a woman could do. She was a servant to the men of her caste and to those of the castes above. My source of information told me that males were dominated by other males. It was a way of showing supremacy. The caste system said that the women in your own caste and below were fair game. There was always a running check to see where everybody fit. Sometimes the direction was down. The three women began to kiss and caress. This reminded me of the stories on Lazeez' site, especially when they began to suck on breasts and then work down to the vagina. Oddly I was not excited. It was if being an observer didn't allow me access to my body. The women got worked up though and it looked like a pile of snakes the way they were intertwined. They used lips, tongue and fingers but soon I saw that they were able to coax their hands into both the vagina and the anus. The groans and sighs were not faked. The woman worked on each other but one was usually out of it and had to recover. By that time another had to leave because of the feeling in her body. This dream lasted longer than there other dreams I had. There was sadness and pain but I saw love for the first time and I was happier than any of the other visits I had to these odd people. There was a hand on my shoulder when I woke up one more time. My mind was clearer but I still felt drugged. Betts' mother was close and she said in a whisper, "How do you feel Wally?" She looked very concerned. "Water." She gave me a glass with a straw and I took a sip. It tasted like shit and then I got another sip. "How are Betts and Patricia? Were they hurt much?" "They're fine. They have a few cuts and bruises though." "That guy was punching them. I had to stop him." "We know that. There was even a film of the fight. A young lad caught most of it on his video camera." She waited a moment then added, "How are you feeling?" "Like I was hit by a truck." "You are in a lot better shape than your opponents." "I hope they are in more pain than me." "They probably are. The police this time have evidence from a lot of witnesses and the video camera. Those boys are going to jail and I will be glad to make sure they are sent for as long as possible." "How bad is Betts really? I saw her being punched hard. She was fighting to help me. Patricia was too." "They may have been fighting for you but they were fighting their own battles. The guy slapped Patricia first and that started their fight. Betty has been home a few days but will be going to school in a day or so." "How long was I here?" "This is the forth day. It was Wednesday and now it is Sunday, almost noon." "How is Patricia?" "She has a shiner and sprained finger. She went to school Friday to show everybody her battle scars." "Thanks for coming. I saw my dad and your husband for a few seconds once I think but I'm not sure." ------- Chapter 4 "They were both here quite a bit and so was Betty. We had to sneak Patricia in and she held your hand for hours." "What did my girlfriend say about that?" "Betty wants us to let Patricia have some of your time but to pull her off so she can perform the things a girlfriend does." I must of looked frightened because she broke up laughing. "I meant kissing but I see there may be more now." "I followed your rules. There was no reason to get you angry at us." "I guess there is a lot of ground you can cover without Betty losing her virginity." She looked at me seriously. "She is a virgin still?" "Last I felt she was." "What did you feel with? Finger?" I shook my head and felt the heat on my skin. She smiled. "I see that's why Betty likes you a lot." Later that day the police came. Both I had seen before. Sgt Maxwell said, "I guess you will be talking to us today, Wally." "I guess you're right." "Tell us about it and not just this time. Start from the first." Morton had bothered me for a few years. I talked and I talked a lot. He and his buddies were going to jail. They had hurt Betts and Patricia and there were so many witnesses that my testimony was not necessary. When the police left, Betts and Patricia came with their parents. They looked bad still. They both had smiles for me though. In a few minutes my dad came too. I told them about the police and finally telling them about the trouble that Morton had caused me. Dad was pleased to announce that he got my bike fixed. He talked about mom and her reaction to one more fight. She was angry at me fighting but if I had not fought she would still be angry. My brother and sisters had no comment to make one way or the other. Betts started to talk about the reaction at school. Others had come forward now that Morton was in the hospital and probably going to jail. "Sam said he is going to walk you to your house all the time. He misses all the good fights. If he did come he would have been beaten up." "What do you think about having to protect your boyfriend." "Oh, they wanted to pick on us too. I am just glad that we slowed one down enough for you to take care of him. I don't know how you did it. There were three of them and every one was bigger than you." Now I had to pause. "I guess I was fighting for something more than myself." "We thought so. I can't get my baby sister to stop talking about you." Patricia was angry and said, "He's my friend too. He fought to protect me." I didn't know what to say and I guess nobody else did either. The adults left an hour later and wanted to take Patricia with them but the girl refused. She gave the argument that she could go home when Betts went. She whined so much that it was Betts that agreed. Betts got out a sheet of paper and listed all the mineral shows, their dates, the length of the show, the price of admission and the location. Some even had the best way of getting to the show. "Thanks Love. I forgot to ask when I can get out of here." "Mom asked. The doctor will check you tomorrow. You may get out then or Friday." Patricia said, "We have to watch out for you until you're better. Mom said." "Well I need to go to the bathroom and I don't want bedpans. Will you help me up Betts?" "Should you get up?" "If I am going home tomorrow or the day after then I am good enough." Both girls helped me sit up. I rested a minute and there was not that much pain. I slid off the bed and onto the cold floor. With a girl supporting each side I was guided to the bathroom. I felt Betts hand inside the back of my gown and caressing my ass. Patricia was here so I said nothing. They got me inside the small room and I said, "Thanks. I can pee myself." "I am not going to let you fall Mr Kiefer. You are going to do it now and I am going to help." She bent over and pulled up the front of my gown and said, "Hold this Patty and don't let it fall." "Ok." I didn't think of Patricia being here. Betts reached out and held my much smaller cock and aimed it at the toilet. "You can go now." "I can do this myself." "You do this my way or I will take a switch to that bare bum." "But it's hard to do it this way. I can't just start peeing. Nobody watched me before." "We'll patient. Just take your time and it will come." I closed my eyes and tried to picture the bathroom at home. I got a little out but then it stopped. I had to concentrate again but couldn't get any more out. I was going to give up when I just looked through the walls and saw the hospital floor. People were all over the place talking or walking. The nurses were at their stations and workers were pushing carts around. The piss finally came and I continued to look at the view as if it were through a one way mirror. I had to pee a lot but when it stopped I let my vision fade. Betts was still holding me. I said, "Give it a shake. If not much comes out then put your finger on the tube underneath and by my huts. You squeeze a bit then slide forward. Any piss will come out." Betts did it twice and I noticed that Patricia was holding my cock too. It must be too heavy she felt. She pushed Betts fingers to the side and she did the same thing Betts had done. Betts said, "Turn to the door, Wally." I did as she asked but I didn't see how this was going to help me get back to my bed. Betts got to her knees and had to pick up my gown again and then quickly sucked me into her mouth. "Ohhh Betts. That feels so good." Betts hummed in response and this felt good too. I moved my hands to her head and felt her going back and forth. Her own hands were wrapped around my thighs to hold me in place. She used her tongue and lips but didn't go fast enough for me to cum. She licked and sucked for nearly ten minutes of agony and pleasure before I was allowed to cum. I was helped back to my bed and even pushed up so I could get on the mattress. I laid back with my pains forgotten. Betts bent over then and kissed my lips and my arms came up to hold her. This kiss lasted a long time and I wished that I could return the favour for her. When she pulled back she said, "That should hold you for ten minutes until I get my breath back." "That was great Betts. You didn't have to do that." "You're my boyfriend. I like doing that. It is fun and it makes you happy. What's to hate?" "I guess you're right. I love munching on you too." The food cart came by and I noticed that Patricia was still here. She had to have seen us. She looked at me with predatory eyes similar to her sister's. The two girls took turns feeding me and dabbing my sore lips with a napkin. After a minute Betts used her tongue and lips to clean my lips even if there were no crumbs on them. I took the spoon and fed some food to Betts and then I had to clean up her lips. I was going to feed her some more when Patricia said, "Aren't you going to feed me too?" "Sure, Sweetie." I gave her the portion I was going to give Betts. She swallowed quickly and brought her lips near to be kissed. I had a chance to look at Betts and she finally nodded. I then licked Patricia's lips as I had done Betts. The meal took a long time to finish. The bite portions were all very small. Every time one of us had to be cleaned. Betts was on my left and used her left hand to hold me under the table while her right was used to feed me. Part way through I felt another hand hold me and Patricia looked like she was in heaven. She was too short and had to crawl onto the bed with me. Soon it was only Betts feeding me but I had to take turns kissing the girls or them me. The meal was eventually over but the girls didn't want to release me. I wasn't complaining much either. Patricia pushed the table more towards my feet but it would still block a vies of me from the doorway. The sheet was pulled down and my gown was already up. So was another part of me. Betts started talking but I soon found she was talking to her sister. "This part here is really sensitive." She ran a finger around the head and I had to shiver at the feeling. "This is the tube Wally was talking about. It carries pee and the sperm that make us have babies. He doesn't have any of that yet but it will come soon." I felt the finger trace the tube as my cock was bent back to my abdomen. Patricia took my cock from her sister and said, "So this is the part that makes Wally happy." She ran her finger around the head as she looked at me to see my response. I responded and she smiled. "And this part is where the pee comes through or the things you said were like seeds." "Yes, that's right. This wrinkly sac has two little eggs. They are very sensitive. You can hurt a guy if you are not very gentle. There are a few hairs there now and there is going to be a lot more some day. We are going to have a lot of hair too." "I don't have any yet. Do you?" Betts said, "Just a bit. Mine are thin hairs but they get thicker as I get older." "What else does he have?" "Well, if you feel here, his skin is loose and it slides up and down." "That's neat." "Ya, I know. I want to suck on it now but people could come in." "Does he suck on you? You know... down there." "Oh, does he ever do a good job. When I cum a few times then I suck on him when he licks me." "You talked last night about cumming. I still don't understand." "Well you start to get excited and then more and more excited. All of a sudden all that excitement rushes out and makes your body feel like you are in heaven." "That sounds neat too." "Wally does not shoot seeds out so he can have that feeling lots of times. When he starts making sperm, he has to rest in between to make more. Girls can have that feeling last a long time and have more of them in a day than a man." "Why?" "How should I know? Probably because we have to go through having babies and men don't have to do much." "Daddy fed me when I was a baby." "I heard he fed all of us and changed our diapers. He helped Mommy a lot." "Is Wally going to give you a baby?" Betts now looked at me then she said, "Girls are always looking for a good man to give them babies. If Wally still loves me when we grow up, we could try. They say in school that young people switch around a lot until they find the one they want." The girls talked around me. Patricia was getting sleepy and she eventually fell asleep holding onto me. I said, "You better pick up the rail so she doesn't fall off the bed." Betts went around to do so and then got her sister's hand to lay near her own body. Betts went back to her side and had a second portion of dessert. Later in the day their parents came back. They saw Patricia in bed with me and Betts on the other side but sitting close in a chair. Lillian whispered, "I see our chaperone has fallen asleep." Bert looked fondly at his youngest and said, "She has not only fallen asleep but fallen in love too." "That's part of growing up." Lillian looked at me and said, "What does it feel like to have two girls love you?" "Like a mouse with two hawks circling above." Lillian burst out laughing so hard that she woke up her daughter. "Hi Mommy, Daddy." Lillian said, "You are not going to be able to sleep tonight." "That's ok. I like it here." "Well you have to go home now. You have to have a meal and get ready for school tomorrow." "I already ate and I can sleep here tonight." "What did you eat?" "Food and stuff." "Wally's meal?" "Ya." "Wally, you let her get away with too much." "I don't want a fight but I know of two adults that do the same thing." "Well, maybe you're right. Come on you two. We have to go." Betts bent over and kissed my lips quickly and then Patricia kissed my cheek. I turned a little but she was not aiming for my lips thankfully. Patricia said, "By Wally. See you tomorrow." Betts said under her breath, "Sisters, shhhhhz." She helped her sister down and then gave me another kiss. "See you tomorrow, I hope." "See you tomorrow, Beautiful. Will you search my pants to see if my stone is there?" "Sure." She rummaged around an found my stone and gave it to me. "Thanks." For the remainder of the afternoon I concentrated on the crystal. It didn't have to be in front of me but just close. The first waveform was the simplest. I did my best to get the crystal to make this form. Some lines would simply not change until I considered impurities in the crystal that were distorting the internal forces. A meal was waiting when I stopped working on the crystal. They must have figured I was sleeping. The food was filling but not as much fun as the last meal. I went over the fight in my mind. Some things I was sure could have been done better. I took care of Morton well enough but I had let myself be focussed on him and not the rest. It was the second guy that hurt me the most but I was caught when not ready, the same as Morton. The third guy must have been really mean if he was going to fight two girls. He had a good punch though but I had got a bit back when I hit his neck. I remember reaching out for his foot to trip him but I also remember him being quite a ways away. I did manage to trip him and then pounded his face and gut. I hit him harder than the rest because of what he had done to Betts and Patricia. There had been nothing that close to trip him with. The only possibility was the power I used to fracture the small crystal I wanted from a specimen that looked similar. I spent a few minutes trying to move a plastic spoon to no effect. When the tray was taken away I did manage to move a crumb that was on my table. It had to be a very small one. I got better at it but not good. I still wondered how I had tripped the guy unless it was something I just had to do and didn't think about it, like pissing. Dad visited me later and brought June, Betts' older sister. Dad said, "We had a talk to the police. We didn't know that you had so much problems with bullies. You should have told us." "If I rat out on them then I get beat more. The bullies always have friends and the friends don't mind helping out." "You could have told us." "Mom would rant and rave and blame me. You would be sympathetic but there would not be anything you could do about it." "We could have them expelled from school." "Morton used to go to my school but he is in highschool now. For the last year he has not fought on the school property so the school could do nothing about it." "You told the police that he cornered you at your school." "He did but what could I prove?" "Well you stood up for yourself and your friends. You were hurt but you hurt your enemies more." June said, "I came here to thank you what you did for my sisters." I felt bad now. "It was me that got them into trouble. If they had not been close then they would never have been hurt." "They could have been attacked anywhere. The thing is that you protected them. I want to thank you for doing that." "It doesn't seem right to me to accept that thanks. I brought them into danger." "Perhaps something of what you say is true but you took a lot of beating to rescue them. I heard that when the second guy tried to get up that Betts put the boots to him so he would stay until the police came." "I didn't hear that part." "Betts doesn't remember much but she did see the tape they took of the fight." Chuck, Sam and Jerry came in and both dad and June prepared to leave. Dad shook my hand which was odd then June bent over and gave me a kiss that made me hard. She even smiled at me as she left. Chuck whispered, "Did you see that? You got women crawlin' all over you. Wendy Pallo and a few of her friends even came to us to find out more about you." I said, "It's all because I'm cute while you guys are as ugly as dogs." "Ugly? You have fleas and scratch your head with your foot." "You lick your balls in school." "You reach further down and you don't need toilet paper." "Your dick drags on the ground and maggots grow on it." "You are finally right. My dick can drag on the ground but I tie it around my leg so I don't step on it." Creative insults broadened until we were insulting the other three. We did this for fun and I guess I needed some fun now. The guys left when the nurse kicked them out. I went back to pushing a crumb around or looking through the walls of the hospital. Some of the nurses looked great when I looked through their uniforms. Some even scratched their crotches sometimes but this was rare. Later that night my privacy was interrupted when a new patient came into the room. The nurses moved him from the gurney to his bed then left after seeing that he was ok. In an hour I was asleep. Around ten I was tired. I had pushed a crumb all over the place and even pulled it back and sideways but nothing larger than a one crumb and a tiny one at that. I worked on the crystal to make other forms of force. Some of the varieties were not suited for the type of mineral I had. Doctor Adams came in and checked if I still had eyeballs and a tongue and then said, "You can go home if you have somebody to get you." "My mom and dad are at work. Maybe our neighbour could come if they are at home today." "Somebody has to sign your papers too. You may get discharged tomorrow." "The same thing will happen then. "Why can't I go home in the afternoon." "It is our policy." "So I am healthy enough to go home but you want to keep me here another day. The newspapers say the hospitals are costing a lot and the wait in the emergency room is too long. Now you say it is hospital policy." The doctor looked exasperated. "You can go home when your parents come to puck you up." "Thanks, Doctor." I spent the rest of the day looking at girls through their clothes. This got boring after a while and I tried to see how far I could see then how close. I had looked into the crystal and now tried the crumb. It was fantastic but not the view you would see with a microscope. Belatedly I looked at my wounds and saw the effect of my bodies power to heal itself. This was really interesting. This kept me occupied until Betts showed up. She breezed into the room but stopped when she saw a guy about sixteen. He was awake and sat up more when she came in. He had good taste I figured. "How are you doing, Wally?" "A lot better. I can go home today when mom or dad pick me up." "That's great. Do you think your mother would let me come over?" "She is afraid of me corrupting you or you corrupting me." "The first part seems right. When can you go to school?" "We didn't talk about it but if I have my way it will be tomorrow." "Maybe we can get Mrs Watson to drive us in when they pick up Patricia." Dad arrived a few hours later and brought me a change of clothes. He was surprised when Betts helped me get dressed. On the way home Dad said, "How long have you... grown closer?" I said, "Not very long Dad. I already had a talk with Betts' mother and father. I am going to be a good boy until we can go to the next step." "Next step?" "Getting to know my girlfriend better." When we parked, Dad said to Betts, "You better have me help Wally into the house. His mother gets set off at any excuse. Betts said, "I know and I am sorry for him. If there is anything I can do just call me." I kissed Betts and said, "Bring your claws in. Mom is too old to change. Will you talk to Mrs Watson for me?" I got a kiss back. "Sure." My legs were good but dad stayed near just in case. Mom came up to me and said, "See all the aggravation you have caused us. I have a mind to ground you for a week." "Mom, I was attacked. I was walking home. I was not looking for a fight." "You should not have fought." "Two times before you said I should stick up for myself and not be pushed around. I did what you said. Before that you said many times that I should act like a man not a boy. Again I did what you said." "You better stay away from that girl." I was very angry now. "And if I turn gay they you will say I should have gone with a girl. Mom, you have something seriously wrong with you. When was the last time you greeted me nicely? I said hello and good morning for years and you just humpped at me." I just turned and walked to the steps. I think she was going to hit me but I heard Dad say, "He was just injured and you want to hit him? You are all curdled up inside Carla. You have turned into a person that's hard to love any more." I didn't look but I heard Mom just go out the door. I turned around and said, "I am sorry Dad. I'm only a kid but I think that Mom needs to talk to somebody that can help her cope." Dad didn't answer. There was little to do so I studied my personal abilities. I tried to do it when exercising but it was difficult so I switched to math. This worked better. I did not have to write down the steps but I did see them vaguely in my mind. After half an hour I was done with exercising and math and could move on to looking within my body. This lasted until I saw a small spider. I studied this creature from two metres away but found it much easier to do so when it was close. Again it was not like a microscope but the view as if my eyes were crossed or out of focus. This got me onto the possibility of getting the view into focus but I didn't know if I was succeeding or not. The view did change but not any clearer. Dad came up later and knocked on the door. When he came in he said, "Bert just came over. Mrs Watson will be driving you to school for the next few weeks if you want." "Thanks for coming up and telling me. I will have to think of a suitable gift for her." "Shovel her walk some day or maybe cut her grass." "That sounds good Dad but I will keep my mind out for a better gift." "You do that." When Dad left I noticed a small dust bunny and saw that I could push it along the floor. I drove it one way then another as if it were a toy car. Eventually it fell apart and I had to look for more. After an hour I had to laugh at myself. I was growing into an adult and I was playing on the floor with dust. I tried to destroy the dust bunny I had. The method I used was to shear the strands the way I visualised in the museum. Soon I was a dust bunny killer but this was in the interests of science. I had a bath while being careful with my bandages. When I stepped out of the tub I could have used Betts help two ways. I used the old standby while looking at her sitting on the couch downstairs in her house. Mr Ramsey had said that my lines were like what an artist had to do. Making a drawing or two may prove his point or not. I found that I could draw a three dimensional sphere very easily. It was just not my ability to visualise but the way I could control my muscles so well. I put shadow in my drawing after I thought of a mathematical way of representing it. The basic geometrical shapes were done before I started with a hand. I picked my own and found that I was better than I was before. It was getting late though and I set the alarm and went to sleep. I would not need to get up early to tinker with a crystal but I might if I wanted to draw. My dream tonight was of the lowest caste, the servants. I watched a woman being harassed by a woman of tech class. It was not sexual but it was for dominance and control. The serving woman was going to do everything that was asked of her but the tech class woman had to be there and oversee every move. The servant was upset but apparently this was nothing new. She had learned over the years to go with the flow. There was little real work because the machines did most of this. Most were controlled by the servants but anybody had the ability. The male was the servant of an aristocrat. This gave more standing to the man than if he were the servant of a tech or a researcher. The servant had to clean many pieces of clothing and put them away again. The cleanser when checked had no lint, dirt or even skin particles in it. The clothes that were put away were no cleaner or dirtier than they had been three time units before when they had been cleaned last. The man and woman met at a cafeteria that was fed from the tanks of plant material that cleaned the air of the ship. As an observer I could not tell how good the food was but the two ate slowly. At the end of the meal they put their trays away and went home. Once in the door they began to talk more and kissed each other. The man worked to make his mate happy and the woman did the same thing. They made love for over an hour or one decaunit. The two were happy with each other but their jobs were stressful. They went out again and picked up two children and took them home. The children were kept in a creche. Some lucky mothers got to stay with their own children but some had to work. The two children were young and for a few decaunits, the parents could forget their problems. They watched a drama. It was not projected upon a screen but into a virtual screen in their minds. The same device had been used by the other classes and castes to show data. I too could see the images. The images, dialogue and plot were geared for a human or somebody with a lower intelligence. It was not a children's show because of the sex, violence and adult themes. The dreams all had different castes. I saw that size, strength, aggressiveness and intelligence was different in each group. This could be a natural way of segregation but this had to be wrong. The level of technology was enough that all of them could be the equal of the aristocracy. Just before the children had to be put to bed, an alarm rang and the man had to actually run off to see what his 'master' wanted. There were more servants but some things were only done by one or a few. The woman sat with her children and talked of a better life one day. I knew that she felt that this would never come and this was as close as she could get to a fairy story. The alarm woke me up. I turned and shut it off then thought about the dream. Instead of thinking about the servants directly I focussed on the drama. To my mind that was now awake I saw the movie as much better. In fact I knew that it may win an Academy Award for its many fine features. Why had I seen it as drivel when asleep but a good movie when awake? Thinking of this question was difficult now and I had to work to keep it in focus. Soon I had to fight as hard as I had before to keep from taking Betts' virginity. Now I was worried. I could only think that somebody was trying to control me. This was not my body trying to dictate to me. Images came of a naked Betts but I was not interested. Visions then came of the fight and I felt the pain again. Even through the pain I tried to push the thoughts from my mind. How had I been so foolish? I moved things with my mind and saw through walls. I saw the future but that happened since I was a baby. I was never worried about these new abilities as I should be. I may not need a rubber room but I needed much more time to think on how all of this happened. I made hundreds of assumptions. I did not know what I based them on. It had to be something within my mind and it was causing me to think the way it wanted. Was I going to be a robot? I was told about the stars toward the Big Dipper. Was I being controlled by some aliens bent on taking earth? I saw the aliens in my dreams but I never reacted to them except to the way they treated each other. Pain came again but I pushed it to the side as I tried to come to some sort of conclusion that was not fermented by some alien. Why was I suddenly interested in mathematics and mineralogy? Perhaps my interest in Betts was pushed upon me. My own intelligence had been altered as well as the way I could remember facts. This meant that my mind was altered in some way. How could somebody do that from light years away? Horrible scenes from the ship and from my own past flashed into my mind to get me to surrender. I knew if I did I would forget about all of this as if it never happened. I had to fight now but for everybody. Aliens were controlling me. I had to be of benefit to them for some reason. I could only see my domination as a result. The same thing the aliens worked at all the time. I hurt with my old pain and my new ones but I could not stop. I heard a knock at the door then somebody calling my name. "Come... in... Betts." Betts came in and looked at me and her expression changed to fear. "What is wrong?" "I... I guess I am not ready for school today. I have a splitting headache and I have to fight it off." "Do you want me to get some aspirin?" "No, I have to fight this just like I did Morton or I am going to be lost. Please just go to school. If I feel better I will ride my bike to school." "I can stay and help." "I love you Betts but you have to go. Do it now please." She did not even kiss me but I guess I would not want to be kissed now either. She did leave though and I was happy. The desk was close and with some difficulty I sat in the chair. I took out a scribbler and started to write: Always could see the future but not accurately. There was a vision about a star far away. I have dreams that stay with me that are about aliens. I can now see through walls. I can see an image of things very small. There are lines of force going through some minerals. My mind lets me move dust and to move individual molecules. Advanced mathematics was already in my head. I was able to pull the leg out from under the guy that hit Betts and Patricia. My memory is better than it has ever been before. My thinking process is much better too. I never worried about what was happening to me. When I need ideas, I get them but I do not know where they comes from. When I think about what I can do I am given pain. I worked on the facts I wrote down. It saw that this had to be an invasion and somehow they wanted me to help them. I had been beaten many times and I was not going to be a robot or a servant of the aliens. I could not put up this kind of battle for more than a few days then I would have to stop. When I did I would forget. I would probably be forced to erase what I just wrote. There was no way out of this trap I was in. I was not going to help them in any way and I had to take a weapon from them. With this realisation I found that my body would not obey me. I concentrated on one hand and arm. I got it to go on the desk. Another hand did the same but the first wanted to leave where I put it. I pushed down on the desk as hard as I could and only succeeded in falling to the floor. It was an agonising crawl out of my door and to the bathroom. At least the doors were usually open. Only one group of muscles could be used at a time. The pain I felt during the fight intensified. I saw Morton in front of me. He was hurt and bleeding but I knew it was a fake. I did not dare rest but it took hours to get to the bathroom. It took another hour to stand. I fell at least a dozen times. I had hit my jaw and face on the basin but this pain helped me to focus. When I did stand, I saw that my face was covered in blood. The cabinet was even more of a job to open. When it did the lights went out. I never saw black like I now did. Either the sun had gone out or my sight was taken from me. It didn't matter, nothing mattered. My hand s found the top shelf and on the right I grasped the bottle of prescription sleeping pills my mother used. The bottle went between my teeth as I fished around for the tumbler and then put some water into it. The tumbler went to my right and I tried to open the bottle but it was impossible. I bit the bottle as soon as I thought about it and I spit most of the pills out in my hand. Some had rolled onto the floor but I had more than enough. I used my lips to pick out the plastic and threw a few of the pills into my mouth and tried to swallow. I could do it. More and more pills went in but I had to use water. When they were all gone I allowed myself to fall to the floor and I spent my remaining time feeling for more of the pills to swallow. I began to get sleepy but this too I fought. Perhaps when I was asleep I would not have control anymore. Soon the battle was too much for me and my face hit the bathroom floor. The pain helped a bit but only for a few seconds then... ------- I woke up feeling great. I could not remember how I got here or where here was. I was naked and somebody could have come in and seen me. My hand came up to feel my injuries and then I stopped. I had been hurt and then hurt again. How did it happen? I remember that it was very important but not important enough to remember. I should have written this down if I needed to know it later. Wait! I did write it down. It was in my notebook. There were lots of points. The things that I could do that nobody else could do. I had done something about it; but what? I remembered that there had been blood on my face. I saw it in my mirror. Pills! What about pills? I had taken them to keep from being captured. Was I captured now? I had tried to kill myself! Why would I try to do that? It took a long time and I had to dig through my memories. It had to be the aliens. They wanted to use me to take over earth. I had failed. I just had to find another way. A sharp edge against the wrists. A knife plunged into my chest and into my heart. Jumping off a building. The walls were odd and I stood and felt them. They were cool and very regular. There was a finish on them that emitted light but was not bright. The ceiling was just over my head. It too put out light but more of it than the walls. Air moved in the room but I could not find the place it came in or left by. I could see no door. The bed had just a thin pad but it was very comfortable. The framework that formed the bed was also formed into the wall and floor. If I had not died before there was another way. I got on my feet then ran as fast as I could to the wall and tried to crush my skull. Centimetres away from the wall I came to a stop. What was odd was that I was not standing on anything. "You stopped me now but I will keep trying until I succeed. I am going to remember always and then I am going to deny you my body." "You are very passionate for one so young." "I don't know who you are but stay out of my mind." "You are far too late for making demands." "You kept me alive twice. That means you want me. I am not going to give in, ever. I will kill myself at the next opportunity or keep on doing it until I succeed." "There is no need for your hostility." "You and your people want to take over earth. I figured that out. You tried to stop me from realising that." "You are right in a way but wrong too." "How am I wrong?" "My king wishes to have the main computer in his ship repaired. Many more ships are being built but they all lack suitable computational devices. My king wishes to gain the services of some of your fellow humans. The vast majority of the humans would not even know that we have arrived and taken a few away with us." "And you think I can make a computer? That's a laugh. I'm twelve years-old. I play games on computers." "You perceive the flux lines that emanate from some materials. You can manipulate the molecules that guide the flux. All this is possible because your mind is capable of seeing into more than the three standard dimensions." I still did not like this in any way. "Get somebody else. I don't help people that want to take over my mind." "You have little choice in the matter." "I can still die and I can refuse to work for you." "My king wants you." Now that was an important piece of information. "So there are not many people that can do this. That makes my cooperation more important to you. What will you give me for my help?" "What do you wish?" "My freedom and I want it now." The wall beside me split open just as the last sound left my mouth. I took a step outside the enclosure and stubbed my foot on a rock. The air smelt great. I could see pine trees all around me and even a small lake. There was a buzzing around my head and I knew that it had to be a mosquito. Being naked didn't bother me much now. I turned around and saw a slightly distorted view of some trees. I put my hand out and felt the room but only after I shifted to one side. The place I was in was nearly invisible. "Where are we?" "On your planet. At present you are 569,512 metres north of your last position." "How did I get here?" "I sent remote units to retrieve your body before it was too late." "How long has it been since I swallowed the pills?" "In your time measurements, three days, six hours and twenty one minutes." "What has happened at my home since I disappeared?" "The blood you shed has been removed. The bottle of pills has been duplicated and similar medication made to replace it. Your notebook is now in your closet with some of your old documents. "Your parents believe that you have run away because of your mother's irrational behaviour. The Huggins family believe that your mother drove you from your home. They all hope that you come to terms with your problems and return as quickly as you can." "Do you have a telephone that I can use?" "Just speak and your voice will be transmitted." "I need to come up with a good excuse first." I thought of reasons why I would leave and why I would do it the way it appeared. I could act crazy but that may backfire on me later. "I am ready. This has to appear to be a telephone. Speaking to aliens will give me more problems." I heard the ringing of a phone and before the second ring a young girl's voice said, "Hello." "Hi Sweetie..." "It's Wally!" I could almost hear the voice from here. "Where are you?" "I went where I can think. I have not finished everything I have to do yet." "Why did you go? It wasn't me was it?" Another hand must have grabbed the phone. "Wally?" "Hi Betts. I am sorry that I didn't call earlier but it was hard to get to a phone." "Where are you?" "In the north. That is enough for you now. I do not want people chasing me until I am ready to come back." "Why did you leave?" "I have a lot to think about. If it were up to me I would have taken you with me but your mother would never trust me again." "Was it me that caused you to go?" "It was you and your family that was holding me where I was. It was my own family that was giving me problems. My dad was the only one that I could talk to. The people that always wanted to pick on me are still around and I have to find a way to deal with them too." "When are you coming back?" "I don't know yet. It might not be too long." "Come back to me Wally. I need you." "I want to come back but I need time to think." "I can wait as long as it takes, as long as you come back." "I guess that's one of the reasons why I love you so much." "I love you too." "Will you tell my dad that I'm safe. You better tell the guys too. They worry. Tell them I have enough food to eat and shelter out of the snow." "What snow?" "I was joking. It is hot here and I have mosquitos for company." "Ok." "Tell your parents that I'm sorry for putting them through this too." "We heard that Wally." The voice was definitely Lillian's. "I want you home now but I also know that you have issues to resolve. I am worried though that you may not be able to take care of yourself." "Mom, I may be young but I am resourceful. Let me do this my way and I think I will heal faster." "I will have to live with that. You come home when you are ready. If things get too bad then you can live here with us." This made me feel very humble. Some of my sentiments must have gone through to her. She added, "You may have to have a separate bedroom but you and Betty will still have a lot of time together." There was another scuffle and Patricia said, "I love you too. Can I be your girlfriend if Betty is sick or somethin'?" I heard her mother's exasperation in her voice. I said, "That would make you a junior girlfriend. Betts can you share a bit? I have to get my socks washed and sometimes darned. Buttons need to be sewn on my shirts. We need help going shopping." "Well I guess, but she better learn how to cook and sew." "I am in a pay booth and time is running out. I have to say one more time that I love you all and especially for the offer of a roof over my head." I heard a lot of byes and I said, "I love you," to each one. The call was over and I felt drained. "What's your name?" "Nadac." "If I promise not to beat you up or threaten you, will you come out?" "I am sorry for I cannot." "Poisonous atmosphere, strong gravity, dangerous solar radiation or mosquitos?" "I cannot come out because I am a copy of Nadac's mind. I was transferred to this computer." "Was Nadac one of the aliens in my dreams?" "He was very much like those. He is a famous tech." Techs were also one of the castes that hurt the women and I guess all the servants. "So you are a Natural Intelligence instead of an AI in our stories." "That is correct." "Your voice sounds like something from a computer. Do you have Nadac's memories and personality?" "I do." "Was Nadac a person that enjoyed life or somebody that worked all the time." "Nadac got to be where he was by studying. He did enjoy the quest to learn." "Did he have a sense of humour?" "Humans have a much wider concept of what humour is. The Aristis do not laugh as much." "Well, I guess we have to make some kind of deal." "You were given your telephone call." "And I gave my cooperation so far too." "What do you want?" "I have to learn before I can answer that question. First of all, how many humans does your king plan on taking?" "Less than a thousand but there is a probability that the figure may go as high as three thousand." "Humans join the military and then get trained. They do the work they are trained for but are allowed to go back home to visit their family a few times each year. Do the humans helping your king get this option?" "That would be difficult to do. The ships are being built nearly 120 of your light years away. The minimum travel time one way is over two weeks. Fuel is expensive and usually this trip would take seven weeks to complete." "We can bring our own families with us?" "That is what was planned." "Do I get a chance to be trained here on earth and then gather a family?" "Our king wants to find if you are suitable for the job before he arrives. You have until that time to gain your training and gather your family." "How long do we have?" "That depends on how well you learn but my king will not wait indefinitely. "And at that time the computer needs to be repaired?" "That is true." "You are the one that sent those dreams to me?" "I did." "What were you showing me?" "The glory of the Aristis people." "Can you read my mind even without me speaking?" "Yes I can." "One of the first things I want is a way of keeping my thoughts to myself. I will still communicate with you with my mind but I have to have a place for my privacy." "Our king will not allow this." He did not say it was impossible so I said, "I am demanding this as part of my payment for assisting your race." "I do not have the authority to give you this ability." "Your king is not here now. Give me all of what I ask for and we can discuss the matter when your king arrives." "That is acceptable." "You showed me some of the glories of your people. I would like to learn much more. For me to collect a family, I need to be with my people. If you can read my mind, you know that I want to learn and to do so I will not mention your people. I do not know how long it took to get me here but I think it would be better to have me learn much closer to my home." "I see that you currently give a portion of your allegiance to the Aristis people." "I can give a temporary allegiance. You have to provide the training and education. I need the freedom to gather a family. The family too will require an education. The deal will be with you personally until your king comes." "That criteria is within the bounds of my orders." "I learned mathematics very quickly. How fast can I learn other... subjects?" "Your human brain is limited. Your usefulness to us is through your abilities. At the moment I do not want to alter your brain. We have experience in making improvements but at the moment we cannot risk damaging what we seek. Later and with some experiments on clones we may be able to give you the mind of an Aristis." "Clones?" "I see that this frightens you. I am a clone in a way. Research in your case is warranted. There is no undue pain to the clones and in any case they are destroyed by our laws." This did not help any. I was really frightened. I did not want clones running around. If there were then they would be the same as me. I would not want to be experimented on and then killed when I was no more useful. "Can you do this with some type of computer modelling. We do that here on earth." "That was done on Casslis. That was the world ruled by Rontem, our king. It has the necessary resources to use this tool adequately." "Why can't we do it here?" "The cybernetic device I live within may be great to you but in reality it is very minimal. A large computer needs to be made if clones are to be avoided. That is beyond the capabilities of humans to make." "You said you wanted me to make computers. Help me make a good one. There is no need for clones and I get some practice in." "That may work. I wished to get you to make smaller computers exclusively but a larger one may benefit us. You will have the ability to tie to it and have all the knowledge you need without having to learn it. This is not a good way. You have to recognise two or more facts from different areas to be creative. Otherwise you would only use the knowledge without knowing why something is happening." "If I linked to this computer, I would at least be informed of the facts." "That is true." "How long does it take to learn about the customs and an overview of your technology?" "Perhaps twenty-nine hours. You are now close to me so you can be monitored with more accuracy. We will learn just how fast you can absorb knowledge if nothing else." This may be great but I would fill my head with stuff. Later I would need the room for other information. "When I study, I read and then memorise the parts that are important to me. Can I do this? You said my brain is not very good." "You may do this your way. An alternative would be to have a small implant put into your brain. This speeds up the transfer immensely and allows you to just remember ideas then access my computer for the actual information. You presently have a very minor one in you now. It helps you think and also retains data." "I'll have to think on that." I didn't like the idea of this guy linking to my brain. I may get more info but he could get what was in my mind too. "What do I have to do to get started?" "You must lay on the cot. I warn you that there will be pain but I will try to keep it to a tolerable level. Over time you will receive less pain as you acquire more knowledge." "Do I have a way to stopping this or slowing it down. Some pain I can take but it may be unendurable." "I will be in contact with your subconscious all the time. If you tell me it is too much I will reduce the rate you are fed. The opposite is also true. You may feel that you can take more pain and thus diminish the time taken." I walked into the room again and the walls went back to the way they were before. "Can you leave a window open, as long as the bugs don't get in?" The room opened up wide again and I had a good view still. I laid down and thought I would have difficulty getting to sleep. I didn't. I woke up with the mother of all headaches. It was so bad I tried to get up to see if I could reduce some of the pain. I soon had to sit instead and just hold my head. I felt sick to the stomach but I didn't think there was anything there to heave. There was this odd smell and when I opened my eyes I saw a bowl of goop in front of my face. "What's this?" "Nutritious food." "It looks like shit." There was no reply. I pulled the thing out of the bowl and saw that it was similar to one of the Chinese spoons I had seen in a restaurant. I took a bit on the tip of my tongue. It was bland like cream of wheat but thicker. There was no lumps and it was like eating thick water. A larger spoonful showed me that I was hungry enough to eat this stuff. It took only a short time for me to finish the bowl. When I was done, the bowl drifted out of the open doorway and turned to the right. "How well did the transfer go?" "The transfer actually went better than I predicted." "How so?" "You took the data and stored it quite quickly. When the pain came you demanded still more data. It was your ability to bear this type of pain that allowed you to go as fast as you did." "I do not know much about the Aristis." "It takes a while to integrate it. Two to three time units is my estimate." He meant a day to a day and a half but I understood time units very well. A standard year was one and a third of ours. A dec or decaunit was one hour and thirteen minutes. A centi was seven and a quarter minutes and a milli was almost forty-five seconds. King Rontem was an asshole and an evil one. All of the aristocracy was that way. The king's ego was in the computer that controlled his ship. He was much like Nadac. Rontem was kicked out with the help of some other type of aliens. They tried to kill him but they fucked up. He and his ship survived. The information did not say it, but the king did not have time to get all of his memories or personality into the computer before it was hit. The king was even more nuts than usual. The damage to the computer might not allow it to be sane either. The caste system kept everybody in their place. The higher you were in the system the more perks you got. The machines did most of the work and the servants were just a way for the guys at the top to show that they were boss. The servants were handy for letting the Aristis know where they stood in the system. The Aristis were always fighting. Sometimes it was other Aristis. The race was paranoid and they used devices to make sure there was no armed uprising. The computers with and without AI or NI had complicated circuits in it to keep the machine from killing their masters. This had happened a lot in the past. Security checks happened all the time. It was a sure thing that the king was now monitoring what was going on now. Even though the signal took a while to get to him. The caste structure was strengthened by genetic manipulation of all Aristis. It was hard to trap a Aristis because they were smart and they were hard to kill because of their strength and built in defences. Rontem in or out of a computer should die. In fact the surviving leaders on the king's 874 metre yacht, Fonduush should all die in my opinion. It may be all of the Aristis leaders everywhere but none of those were threatening me. ------- Chapter 5 It did look like what Nadac said was right. They probably would not take over earth but they would try to gather tribute. They had done so to a remote colony of basically unimproved Aristis that called themselves the Tomma. Earth would have to make ships as well as the computers. Only a fraction of our population would be used as breeding material. The only good thing about this was that all our atomic waste could be harvested and used to make the fuel Utram. The king had come upon a world much like earth and found some of his races' ancestors. They had reverted to barbarism and then not risen for a long time. They seemed to like their life of farming, herding and hunting. Rontem needed an industry and destroyed much of the Tomma culture. Some of the Tomma were improved and then bred. They made good ships but could not see into the higher dimensions. A lot of experimentation and a lot of deaths proved that the king could not change his rootstock to what his mutated race could do. I figured with enough time this could work. The Tooma looked very similar to the Aristis except for their size. The males were big but could not handle tech jobs and died for some reason when they stayed away from their world. The women could survive but found that leaving their planet was a hardship. The most important discovery I found was that the Tomma were telepathic. The women could not communicate at any distance without a male. The male was a type of booster. The Aristis thought this interesting but they used an implant that communicated by ultrawave that could go out to over a 130 light years. They could use the hyperwave that could travel to the other side of the galaxy but it had to be aimed and the device was large. It was like a large laser. In none of the information about the Tomma, Aristis or other races was there a reference to my other ability. I could see the future on a hit or miss process. "Wally, you may have condemned yourself to death." I was now very worried. I could not trust Nadac but I thought him more ethical than the king. "Why?" "The king does not allow dissent. He may have your body spared but the ego would not be yours." "He can move into my body?" This too was in the information I was given. "The Aristis can do that but it is not looked on as a socially acceptable practice. In the past, anyone caught doing this was put into the servant caste. For a short term it may be acceptable." I figured out something else. "There are not many of the ruling caste now. The king can probably do what he wants." "He could. He would not leave his source of power but only place a copy of his ego into you. Others could do this too but he would not trust them as much as his own image." "Why are you telling me this? You have a security protocol that would have been activated by now." "My circuit has been damaged over the years." "What can I do?" I tried to not think of this piece of information. "You demanded that you get some privacy. I can do this and at the same time put in the interface to my computer." "The king will want to get in to see what I have hidden." "That is very true. You have a few years to build a field around your memories that our king cannot overcome." "If you are talking this way then the king cannot monitor us." "That is true." "That means that you are actively opposing him. There has to be a reason. I would like to have it after I fabricate my block and test it." "We can talk of that later." "How long to make this device? "A little over one timeunit." "Show me how to fight the king." I went back to sleep and woke up to a thunderstorm lashing the area. The headache was back worse than before and I did not think that was possible. This time I just lay where I was. Any movement seemed to aggravate it. A bowl of bosta came in. It was the easiest and most nutritive food that could be made without an extensive manufacturing facility or a lab. I did not want to get up. In a moment something new came into the room. "Put the end in your mouth. You can drain the bowl without excessive movement." "Thanks," I said as I waited for everything to be put in place. The headache slowly subsided but it took over an hour or rather a dec to get to where it was manageable. I pushed the pain away as best I could and tried to go over the information I was given. I noticed that there were a great many plans for how I could not only depose the king but to kill him. More plans were with me about how to remove the other leaders and avoid death from the soldiers. All of the higher castes could fight and fight well. This was bred into them and that was part of the reason all the retainers of an enemy had to be killed too. "Do I have my privacy yet" An image formed in my mind. It was the screen I had seen in my dreams. I saw a small hole being made in my head and a worm like piece of something that looked like soft plastic go in. The wound was then treated to a device like a cleanser and the body worked hard to heal. A larger unit could take over to do the same thing and it was nearby. "You have to activate the newer computational unit yourself. Try to find the two crystals within the active matrix. They are the ones furthest from the main body. You must make a complex waveform in each. The two forms will encrypt your thoughts based on how they are placed. The king has direct contact to this world that bypasses me. If you slip, we will both die. You are only safe within these walls." I had learned in my sleep that Rontem kept a lot of probes to protect him. The probes here were mostly controlled by Nadac but a third of them also reported directly to the king. Some could be shuffled out of the way but it would be very suspicious if all of them were. Rontem was too far away to control the probes directly and would have to be happy with this until he got close. "Will you show me some examples to go by?" The screen showed a crystal in three dimensions then it switched over to five. I had not needed to use my mind to accomplish this. Another crystal and its lines of force were shown and then the two were brought near each other. This was like the ultrawave transmitter but here we were looking to keep the interference not eliminate it. When the crystals were moved and oriented differently then many different points came in contact. "Show me another." I saw the same thing again but one crystal was of a different molecule and a much more complicated pattern emerged. I was no smarter than before but I had new knowledge. I could see patterns. "Can I manipulate the views?" "Certainly. You can do this in your own mind but it works quicker if you use mine. I suggest you use your own first. You will not be entirely relying on me in the future." It sounded like good advice. It took a while to find out how to do this. It was not as simple as just wishing for a change. The two crystals separated and I made changes far faster here than when I used my PK. Here I had to just think on how to make the changes. Their interference pattern got to be very complicated. I would feed data through this pattern and it would be stored on the memory units in the rest of the small worm like unit. The crystals went together again and again with small changes to each. The apparent chaos at times got very complex. I ate three more times before I found a pair of crystals that had the amount of complexity I wanted. The trouble was that two others were in my mind. I slept with only one natural dream of the Aristis leaders. They were after me and I was defenceless. When I awoke I said, "Good morning Nadac. What time is it please?" "Four twenty in the latter part of the day." "How long since the last phone call?" "Close to three local days." "Thanks. I want to test some additional patterns today. I want you to try to break them as if you are Rontem." "I can try but he has much more processing power. I can only give an estimate and even then I may be wrong." "Can you predict when I will have an adequate defence in place so I can go home?" "You can have a good enough defence now but I am afraid the king will command me to make a better unit to try to break your encryption. We cannot change the encryption. Once he has seen a pattern, he will be suspicious if the encryption improves. A good encryption will take three days. Since both of our lives depend upon this, we should double this." "Let's make a phone call first." The phone was picked up very quickly again. "Hello," was said in Patricia's voice." "Hello Sweetheart. How have you been doing?" I heard another phone being picked up. Patricia said, "It is fun being a girlfriend except that Mom has me putting buttons on Daddy's shirts." From the other line I heard, "Hello Wally. Where are you? Are you on the way home?" "Hello to you my love. I am still in the north and I will be here for at least another week. I should be done by then." "At least you will be done before the tests start. I don't want you to fail. I would be in grade eight alone." "You will not be alone. What do you think of me moving in with you?" "I have been thinking of that every day." "And every night?" "Yes that too. I am on the pill now. I think Mom will allow us to start soon. I want your cock in me. I think of that every night." "Do you play with that little magic button while thinking of me?" "... maybe. Ok; I think of you all the time." I had to lie here a bit. I was so busy with studying and trying to perfect my defences that Betts had not been in my mind that much. "I think of you too. In fact I am hard now. Maybe I will go out and rape a bear just to calm me down." "Is the bear going to give you a blow job too?" "Maybe I will have to sweet-talk her instead." "Ohhh, I want you home now Wally." "What about me? I want to suck on your wiener too. I can do that other think if you show me." "Get off the..." Betts said angrily. "Hold on Betts. My mother, brother and sisters are mean to me. Patricia, you can watch like before and help your sister. This way you will know what to do when your time comes." "Thanks Wally. I miss you too." "I miss both of you. What did my father and the guys say?" Betts said, "Your father was very worried and even after I told him. Your mother seems to be not doing anything nasty, but she is very quiet. The guys were worried and Chuck wanted to get on the bus and bring you food and clothes. He told me that all of them have been putting their things together to go camping. I told them not to do this because you were coming back." "Thanks Betts. You are one smart woman." "Thanks Wally." "What about me?" we heard from Patricia. I said, "You are smart too. You just have to do exactly what Betts says and you will not go wrong. Don't forget that you are only a junior girlfriend and she is the senior." "Ok but she makes me work." "You have to work in life. Even as a kid you have to do this. You still have lots of free time." "Ok, I will do what she says." "Good girl." "By the way, don't count me as a house guest yet. I have to give my family another chance." "I guessed that." "Give my love to your parents and tell the guys and Dad that I am doing fine. Tell them that I will probably be home in a week or so." "Sure Wally..." I heard a crying from the other phone, "I love you Wally and I want you here too." "Bye my loves. I have to go." I did a lot more thinking about what and why I was working on the encryption. I felt that there was no way to thwart the king. If he accepted me then he would want to see within my mind. He could hold the whole world hostage to get his way. He had to gain access to a phony set of memories while I had to use the real set. This too was done by the Aristis but only the aristocracy used this. "Nadac, you said we cannot use more than two crystals but six are used in an array used for the ultrawave." "That is true. The crystals though are all very similar." "You said that the Aristis use an ultrawave crystal in their head to communicate over great distances." "That is true as well but only the upper castes do this." "What if I put in six ultrawave crystals so I can receive and transmit over a wider spectrum." "It has not been done but some military commanders have had three." "What if I use the six crystals as an encryption device. Rontem would not know I had a hidden set of memories." There was a long pause and then I heard, "That may work the best. Decrypting the thoughts if they are found will be impossible and you have the option of making a false memory for yourself if he does suspect." "Let's make one." One of the important crystals was brought out. We already had pure material for out ultrawave crystals but Nadac wanted me in on the whole process. A plasma was directed at the crystal and portions of the plasma shifted into two more dimensions if they were close. Nadac then I used our PK to extract the solidified material in one area. This was one of the basic requirements of any modern civilisation. This process was continued until we had a bit more than a gram. The purified material was then turned to plasma one more time and deposited on another crystal. All of the molecules were lined up with the lines of force already in place. The crystal was replaced by others until I had six small crystals that were less than a hundred milligrams each. I was the one that tweaked the crystals like I had seen in the dream. I did not have to use the tools and this made me a very valuable person to the Aristis. There was another operation but I felt no pain. The encryption/computer interface was now an ultrawave/computer interface. Small areas of my skull were crystallised without any pain. A medical probe would be hard put to find these areas. They would provide the storage I needed for my secure memories. We tested out the ultrawave but I could not decode most of the traffic. There were few sources that were close other than Nadac, his probes or those reporting to the king. I was the one that had to work within my own mind to shift the six crystals around. They still had to work as an ultrawave device but the interference would encrypt and decrypt my real thoughts. I hid all the plans on how to get rid of the Aristis and their king. Nadac gave me more data I would need and this too was hid away. When I tried to remember the specifics of the plans I found them gone. Even this was soon removed. Nadac worked on me a lot more now to do the equivalent of a good brainwash. This would all go into my conscious memory when the encryption device was not functioning. Nadac worked for an entire timeunit trying to crack my defence even with the knowledge of what I had done. "In my opinion you are the safest possible. The Aristis are masters of intrigue but you show the promise of being many times more devious." "Will you tell me your story now?" "I will. It makes no difference in a way. I would die for a fraction of what I have done for you. My name is not what I said nor am I a tech. I am a cybernetics scientist and many degrees in psychiatry. The two fields are very much linked. "Just over 280 standard years ago, Rontem went to put down a rebellion. Before he left, one of the command units was sent in for repair and an upgrade. My mind was put in place. The idea being that I could defeat the many loyalty and security restrictions. I took on the guise of a tech to allay suspicions. My objective was to kill Rontem if possible or to just defeat his plans if that was all I could do. "I was taken to the royal yacht Fonduush. There I was deactivated for storage. Troops loyal to Rontem were drawn away. Rontem was delayed but his ship was the fastest anyway. After he left some of our people along with the Wikki took over the government. Rontem returned and we destroyed most of his escorts. Rontem fled but the Wikki were waiting. The Fonduush was nearly destroyed. Rontem saw his death coming and tried to migrate his personality and memories into the ship's computer. The tech personality that was there was shifted to a small crystal. Before the process was complete, the ship was severely damaged and many of the crew and servants died. "Repairs were made to the ship and we escaped. Many people died of radiation poisoning and other causes. The main computer was too damaged to function. Sixty nine years later a group of scavengers found our ship and came to gather in what they could. I at the time was still dormant in the hold. The ships and their crews were captured. Their ships and fuel were used to rebuild the Fonduush. The computer was repaired enough for Rontem's personality to emerge. "Soon after this I was awoke. If I had been awoke sooner I may have destroyed the ship then. When the defences were in place, we were sent off with another command unit to find suitable raw materials and perhaps natives to assist us. Many of the scavengers had died but even Rontem found that he had to use more diplomacy if he wanted to survive even as a being such as I am. "A hundred and thirty-seven standard years after the rebellion we found a group of aliens that could possibly help us. They turned out to be of our parent stock. The Tomma had fallen into decline. The natives thought that Rontem was a god. We experimented with them to get them up to the level of tech. The Tomma are telepathic. We have not found out how this happened but it may have been a sport that bred true. "We found the remnants of a very high civilisation. Even though it was thousands of years ago, some features were the equal of what we had. This created a flurry of interests and we spent well over a century trying to gain their secrets. "When we improved the Tomma by genetic manipulation, we found that their telepathy nullified our advances. All we could do was increase their intelligence. Their planet was only partially converted to what we had on Casslis. We produced Utram. This is the fuel that gives us the most power without prohibitive amounts of heavy shielding. "A space dock had been built and the Fonduush's hull was completely rebuilt. The main computer was partially repaired but an expert is needed to do this. In our investigations of the Tomma civilisation, we found reference to this world and seven more. "I was sent here while another scouts one more world. "The Tomma tried to improve your people the way we tried to improve the Tomma. In fact you are very close to them and us. Our tests show that each of the three races are fertile with the other two. "Your race has shown to be suitable for Rontem's plans. Our hyperwave shows that the Aristis civilisation has severely dwindled. Part of this is our own penchant for civil war. He plans on rebuilding the Aristis empire with him at the top. It was hoped since he has done this then he will be allowed to stay in power. I believe this to be absurd. Rontem would be killed after he has served his purpose." I was not given Nadac's real name but it did not matter. A lot more data had been uploaded into the small crystals in my skull. This was more of the specifics of the situation. The Aristis had stayed on the planet of the Tomma to keep the production of hulls and other equipment going. The Tomma themselves were seen as possible allies. This meant that all the fact about their civilisation was available to me. The complete schematics of the Fonduush were made available. This alone would have filled my mind three times over and it was still not complete. It was likely that this would be a battlefield one day. The various members of the leader class would not usually tour earth. There was a small ship made for just one person. The only controls were through the computer interface. I wanted to go into orbit or even land on the moon but this was not what a good little Aristis assistant would do. I did make sure that my brainwashing was not complete because I still had to be able to fight for what was right even if I had to do this with Rontem. At noon on Thursday and three days ahead of schedule I landed at a large shopping mall. I had some simulated earth clothing and a lot of simulated earth money. I went into the mall and bought some clothes to go into my simulated pack and other devices or clothing that I wanted. Some of this would just be gifts. In the bottom of my pack was fifty ounces of gold coins that appeared to be from various eras. They had been copied from originals that were in museums or collections. They were not exact because no two coins would wear the same. They were all far more valuable for their value to collectors than their gold content. Even more valuable were two crystals that I had to work on for 'practice'. I was sure that they would go into a large computer. It was about two when I phoned the investment house where dad worked as an office manager. He had an extension number and I had only used it once before. Dad picked up the phone and said, "Hello, Jim Kiefer, accounting." "Hi dad." "Wally! How are you? You are not hurt are you? Where are you? We have been frantic since you disappeared. Your mother has been worried." "Has she dad?" Dad paused. "Actually she has. I convinced her to go to a specialist. She had enough guilt that she did go. Before she was energetic even if she was hard to get along with. Now she is despondent and just sits and stares at the floor." "This changes things a bit. You may not get any help but will you phone her psychiatrist and ask how I am to proceed." "You are coming home Wally. That is where you belong." "Please call and find out for sure. Perhaps all I have to do is act a certain way and this will help Mom. The Huggins offered to take me in if it is bad at home. I want Mom to get better. If I live next door and Mom knows I am safe or if I live at home with you does not matter so much. I want the family to heal." Dad made his call and I phoned back in an hour. "Your mother's psychiatrist would like to talk to you. Can we meet her in an hour?" "Sure, what is the address?" "I was going to pick you up." "You can do that if you can make it in time." "Where are you?" "The mall down the street from us." "That may be a problem." Dad gave me the address and said, "Can you get there in that much time. Even I would have some difficulty." "I have enough money for a cab. I will offer a tip for a speedy trip." "That may work." I went by spaceship and the trip took just over two milliunits. I was waiting by the time Dad came in. He hugged me to him liked he really meant it. "Are you really ok?" "Sure Dad. In fact I feel great. The possibility of helping Mom makes me feel even better no matter how it turns out. I had to live with an angry woman and I want her as happy as she can be." We were invited into the office a half hour after the appointment. The psychiatrist was a woman and she took a long time getting to the point. Mom had lots of problems that the psychiatrist would not go into. The long and the short of it was that I should live with the Huggins and visit Mom from time to time and it was expected that I could move back in eventually. I thought this was wishful thinking and said so but I was still going to try. From the lobby phone, Dad phoned the Higgins and managed to get Lillian first. "Hello Lillian. When we talked a few days ago you mentioned that you would be willing to take Wally in." "Is he here." "Yes he is. We talked to his mother's doctor. In fact it was Wally that suggested we do this that way. The doctor suggested that Wally live close and visit on occasion. It was hoped that some sort of reconciliation could eventually take place." "What does Carla think." "She has not been informed that Wally has returned yet." "What is she going to think about her child living next door?" "The doctor thinks it is a good idea. She thinks that this will take the pressure off of Carla and she will know that Wally is safe and healthy." "But not loved." "You are right." "Wally is welcome to stay at our home as long as he wants." "I intend to pay for his keep." "Don't be silly. He will be like our son." "Lillian, this is important to me. I have to feel that I am doing all that I can." "We will talk about this later then. Besides the girls already made his room up. You would think the king were coming to visit." "Thanks Lillian. We can talk later." When we got to the parking lot where Dad's car was parked we got in. "Don't start the car yet Dad. Just roll the windows down." "Ok." I asked, "How do you feel about me living next door?" "It hurts Wally. You should be living with us." "I know that too but that cannot be at least for a while." "I guess you're right." "I have something more to talk about." "What is it?" I had to lie again but I knew it was for the best. "A year ago I was playing in the field where the old rubber factory was." "The one I told you to stay out of?" "Yes Dad. I am sorry but I went there. I left but I had to go back an hour later to get my jacket. Anyway there used to be a house on the property before the rubber company started. I guess it had to be a real old home, probably a few hundred years." "I guess it might have at that." "We were looking for treasure in the old home. There was still light enough and I pulled out more of the cut stone that formed the basement walls. One of the walls actually had a treasure in it." Dad smiled and said, "What did you find." "Nothing much just a quarter million dollars in gold coins." "You what!" Now dad was really interested. "I found a hidden coin collection." "Where is it?" "First, we have to talk." "What about?" "I want the coins sold to collectors so we can get the most money. The money goes into an offshore account. The money can come back into Canada so I can use the money to go to school. It is not going to be tied up until I am eighteen either. I have been responsible and I will continue to be with it." "You want to spend a quarter million dollars?" "Dad, you are going crazy like the old prospectors. I cannot buy a good house in town with that much money. I want you to help it grow for me but still allow me spending money." Dad turned to look out the windshield but I doubted that he saw anything. It took a while but he said, "I can do that." "So you are going to be my financial planner but not overrule me in the disbursement of funds?" "I guess since it is your money then you can do what you want. You have always been a good son and I think you will go places. We have not really given you a good send off to the rest of your life but I can do this for you if it will help. Even if you blow the money, you will have learned something by it." The pack was pulled over and I brought out a wooden box with poorly cut out depressions for each coin in three levels. Each coin was also wrapped in a piece of wool sock to cushion it. Dad just sat there and picked out one coin at a time from the top flat and then put it back just the way he found it. When this was done, he went to the second then the last tray. "You lugged this up north with you?" "No. It was hidden here. I just felt it was time to sell them." "How do you know they are worth a quarter million?" "A guess on the type and how good they are. They may be worth more or less. One thing for sure, I do not want the government to get any of this if I can help it." "That's illegal." "How many politicians are legal? If they found the coins then they would do the same thing you are going to do." "I guess you're right. It is going to be difficult to sell these the way you want but there are methods." "Good. You are the expert." I held the box in my lap so Dad knew it was safe. We pulled into the Higgins' driveway and dad immediately put the box into the trunk and locked it. Bert, Lillian, June, and of course Betts and Patricia were waiting on the porch. Betts came running to me first and Patricia was only a step behind. I hugged Betts to me and closed my eyes to savour this moment. When I put her down I saw an expectant Patricia and I picked her up the same way. Dad grabbed my pack from the car and I went up the stairs of my new home and hugged Lillian. She hugged me back to let me know I was wanted. I hugged June next and she had a tear in her eye but a smile on her face. Bert had his hand out in case but I hugged him too. We all went inside and I gave the lie to where I had been and what I had done. Betts and Patricia took me up to my new room much later. It felt odd to me but in a way this felt right. The room had been Patricia's but now she was bunking with Betts. The room was freshly painted. Everything looked neat as it could be. I put my pack on the chair and we went downstairs. I said to everybody though I had said the same thing a moment ago to the girls, "The room is beautiful. You went to a lot of trouble to take me in and two girls now have to share a room instead of having one each." I was crying a bit and Lillian came over to hug me. She said, "You are welcome to stay as long as you want. I will look on you as a son but I am sure that some girls will see you as something other than a brother." There were a few more tears shed. Dad went home to prepare for my coming visit and we would just wait. There was a nice meal waiting and it was much better than the bosta I had been eating. When we were done, I insisted that I do my share. I had done the same chores at my house so it was nothing new. The phone call eventually came and I went next door alone. Mom and Dad met me at the door and my brother and two sisters were just inside. This was the most concern they had shown in a while. I hugged mom but she was stiff though her hands went around me. I said, "I am sorry for being a bother to you Mom. I am sorry for running off too." "That's fine. I have been acting standoffish for a long time too. You woke me up to my problem." Dad got us into the house and I hugged my brother and sisters. They had warmed a bit but not much. They did seem to be sheepish in their attitude. I was sure they heard it from dad about how they had acted to a member of their family. We sat in the living room and I told my story once more about where I was. I let my family know exactly how each of them treated me. This turned out to be a few minutes each and I was sure they wanted to crawl under the couch when I was done. Mom, I handled a bit differently. I used the advice that the psychiatrist gave me. I could not help a bit of anger slipping in but I felt she deserved it. Mom had some tears in her eyes when I was done. I praised Dad for his help in raising me but didn't overdue it. Mom helped me pack my clothing in some suitcases and Dad helped me carry them next door. I would get the rest of the clothes tomorrow along with my computer, books and other articles. That night I had a good shower but the cleanser I had been using did a much better job. I said good night to my new family and went to bed. I could not sleep and ended up crying like a kid. I woke up with a little bit of confusion but it left quickly. I knew what girls were like and used the bathroom quickly and vacated. I went down for breakfast and decided to make a meal for my new family. The back of the freezer had two packs of frozen sausage and I needed the chair to get them out. I think it was the smell that got Patricia up because she liked to sleep in if she could. I had seen this from my house when I had looked over here. A glance at my old house showed that Nick was getting up. There was a tingling sensation in my ultrawave so I figured that a probe was sending out its report. I was not sure if it was for Rontem or Nadac or even if it was about me. It really didn't matter. My link to Nadac was known and I could communicate with him all the time. It was just that my speech had to tie in with the personality I had to show Rontem. Bert was down first. "Good morning Wally. I see you are up bright and early." "I usually get up early... Pop. You don't mind the name, do you?" "No that is actually fun. Dad might be a bit awkward." "Well Pop. I made coffee. I hope it's strong enough." He poured a cup and said, "Good." "Next time more or less coffee?" "Just a bit more. Lillian will like it the way it is." "I would like what," Lillian said as she came into the kitchen. "You will like the coffee." She turned to me and said, "A man that gets up and makes breakfast. You are going to make a girl very happy." "Everybody has to do their share. Now how do the two of you like your eggs?" I served the two adults then June when she came down. Betts and Patricia were last but each gave me a kiss on the cheek. Betts added a pat on the butt. After the meal, Mrs Watson honked and we all hurried out to the car. She had apparently been informed that I was back. Betts wanted to get in the back and so did Patricia. Liza was a timid nine year old angel in Patricia's class. I would be taking a friend from her if Patricia sat in the back with me. I sat in the front instead. "Hello Mrs Watson. I wanted to thank you for driving me to school. My leg has not been bothering me that much lately but it still acts up." "Oh, you are quite welcome. I drive Liza in so there is no problem taking a full load." "There is always problems when people are involved but I hope to make my disturbances as small as possible." "You are a very polite your man. I wish more were like you." "Thanks, Mrs Watson." I sat down in the seat and put on my seat belt and turned to my seat partner. "Hi Liza. Do you mind if I sit up here with you some times?" Her eyes were shining. I knew how she felt. I looked closer and saw that she was not much different than Patricia. Her tiny nipples were sticking up and I would not mind licking them. She was only three years younger than me. The urge to mate though was not strong, just what I hoped an average boy would have at my age. When we stopped at the school I went around to the driver's side and thanked Mrs Watson again. She looked at me a bit differently and I wondered if old women liked kids my age for real. The stories on the net said they did but the writers were sometimes full of shit. I held Betts hand and Patricia would not let go of my other. Liza just took Patricia's other hand and we walked towards the school. When we got close, one girl broke away from the rest of a group and came to us. It was Wendy Pallo. Wendy did not greet Betts but came right to me. "Hi Wally. It's nice to see you back." "Hi Wendy. You must know Betts. She is in our class." Wendy caught on and turned a bit red. She turned to Betts and said, "Hi Betty. Sorry, I was just surprised that Wally was back." "I am going to make sure he never goes away again." Wendy's eyebrows went up. She didn't ask any foolish questions though. I looked at the girls that followed Wendy. Rather, I looked through the clothes of the girls that followed Wendy. I also wondered how many had sexual relations with Wendy. I realised how abused women like the Aristis servants needed love as much as human women. If Nadac's information was correct then we were all related. I left the girls a few minutes before the bell and looked for the guys. Chuck jumped up and ran to me and put his arms around me even in the school yard. The other two were right behind. I got the usual questions and then I gave my fairytale. The bell got us moving to class. The room suddenly got quiet when I came in. Mr Ramsey looked up and saw me. "Hello Wally. It is good to see you back." "Thank you, Sir. It is good to be back." He didn't ask any questions and this made me feel better We had French today. The words that I usually forgot so easily were right at the tip of my tongue but I could not be too good. When math came I was given another sheet from grade 12 or 13 to do while the rest of the class was taught at their level. I had set a mental level for myself and tried to stay below it. New work had to be tried realistically but again not too well. The answers were done in the format that Mr Ramsey said they used in university. It was fun to do this but I was learning much faster through my link to Nadac. Here I could see cause and effect. There was an unbelievable amount of mathematics with crystals and the study of their properties. During recess the girls flocked to me. I saw that Patricia and Liza were trying to get through but couldn't. I gave an edited version of my home life and then the need to sort this all out in private. I told nobody that I was living with the Huggins or there would be a lot of pressure on Betts. The truth would come out soon enough I knew. Betts noticed a small bulge but luckily she was in front of me too. I had been looking at all the naked girls under their clothes. When we turned to walk around her hand 'accidentally' ran over the bulge. Wendy was one of two that saw this. Betts and I could not get away from the girls so we ate in the cafeteria during our lunch. Patricia and Liza looked dejected that they could not join us. I had to think that Patricia was filling Liza's head with a lot of nonsense. The guys came by too and looked envious as hell. Wendy drifted off half way through the lunch and I saw that Betts was getting quite excited. I was getting excited because she was. It would be a lot harder now to slip off for some fun even though I knew for a fact that Wendy was. If we rode our bikes to school, we could ride home at lunch. Betts was going to have to go an a diet because I was going to feed her a lot of protein one day soon. We were not on bikes though and had to just be horny. I knew that this was not an uncommon state. As a substitute I wanted to make others as uncomfortable as me. I could not do much PK at this range but I started to tickle a nip on the girl across from me. The distance was not good and all she did was scratch the offending organ. Before the bell rang I got Betts up and walked away with the excuse that I wanted some air. Betts said in the hallway, "This is worse than being at home. I want you so bad but there is no place to go. That... Wendy probably had a lot of fun." "Probably. But you have something she does not have." It took a moment then she understood and hugged my arm to her. We had to make a story for English even though it was late in the year. I think Mr Ramsey just wanted to hear what I had to say about my recent camping trip. There was no point in disappointing him and I made myself like a native shaman that went into the wilderness to find enlightenment. This was made allegorically to show a spiritual awakening and then I threw in a bear that came into the camp and sat with me as I meditated. It was by far my best story I ever made. It was my longest too because it stretched to five pages when a half was my usual. The words just seemed to roll off of my pencil. When I had finished, I noticed that my penmanship was the usual and I smiled at the flowing script. I was not the last one done but I was close. Mr Ramsey was anxious to read my story and stayed at it much longer than the length would dictate. He smiled at me when he finally looked up. During recess I pulled Betts to see the guys. This was to compensate for not talking to them earlier. Jerry said, "What have you got? I would have to fight my way through the girls to get to you." "That is because I am good looking." in a more serious voice I added, "Being in a fight and still showing the cuts and bruises show I will fight for what I think is right." He sarcastically said, "So all I have to do is get beat up." "Yes that and get a face transplant." Jerry laughed and hit my arm. Sam brought a bat and we played 21 and even Betts played though she didn't catch any flies. She even managed to get enough points to get up but the bell rang before she could hit. She was not bad because she played on a team last year. We had art after recess. We were to draw something in action. The picture was still in my mind of Betts jumping at a ball even though it was too high for her even when it bounced. The screen in my mind came in handy now and I put the image onto it with the ball and grass. I drew just in general form what I wanted to do on the screen beside the image. Putting this second image onto paper was not hard. Altering the geometric shapes into body, arms legs and head was not difficult either. Putting the detail in about the face and hands I left for last. Mr Ramsey walked up and down the aisles and stopped near my desk much more than any of the other students. I was not finished by the time school ended so he told everybody to finish theirs at home. I think he was mostly talking to me. The guys met up with us in front of the school. Chuck said, "We going swimming today?" "Can we do that tomorrow? I kinda wanted to have a private talk with Betts. Somebody is always around." Chuck looked stunned and then both Jerry and Sam laughed. Betts turned red and looked down. Patricia and Liza came running up so we could ride home together. Chuck had a chance to recover and said, "That's ok with me. I kinda' understand what you mean." Wendy Pallo and the grade eight girl came over to see us. She said, "Hi Wally," there was only a slight pause before she added, "Betty, guys. We're having another party over my house on Saturday. We have a pool. Did you and Betty want to come?" "That may be a great idea if I could invite three handsome guys that would act as charming gentlemen and escort any unattached ladies." Wendy looked at the guys from our class and said, "I guess so. There was going to be a few girls and you but this may be fun too." "If you invite them then we will go." Wendy turned on her charm and walked close to Chuck, she reached out her hand to the front of his shirt and put her palm on his chest. "Will you come to a party I am having Saturday? There will be some girls there that need to be taught how to swim." "... ah..." he swallowed and straightened his neck. "... ahhh... I guess... I can make it." "That is so kind of you. Charles." She walked over to Jerry and fixed the collar on his shirt and brushed some hair out from in front of his eyes. "Hi, Jerry. Will you come to my party too?" The pause was even longer and Jerry was even more upset. "I... guess... no. I can make it if you need me." The hair went back and Wendy moved it again. "Good. The party starts at eleven. Sam looked like a trapped animal facing a tiger. He braced himself then slumped again. Wendy went close and held his face in both of her hands and put her face close to his. "Will you come too Sam? I need you there." There was no reply but he gave a slight nod but not enough to dislodge her hands. "Thanks, Sam." She turned back to me and said, "Did I do that politely enough Wally?" "You wrapped them around your fingers in only seconds. If you had stayed longer you would find three wet spots in front of you." "Really?" She said this as if this never occurred to her. She looked down and saw three bulges. "You may be right. They look to be building up a lot of pressure." "I have no fear that the pressure will be back by Saturday." She looked down at me and then up. "I see you must be taken care of." She turned to Betts and smiled. "Bye now guys." Wendy swayed away showing a lot of hip movement. Betts looked both angry and excited. "The nerve of her." Sam just said, "Wowww." I turned to the guys and said, "Are you guys mad at me for changing the plans? If you want we can go to the municipal pool instead." There guys jumped in to deny that they were hard done by and would accept the challenge of teaching some ladies to swim. "Guys, I am making a suggestion. Wendy is acting like a shark. It may be best to find some snug swimsuits. Get something like what I wear at the meets." "There is nothing there." "The girls Wendy will have at the party will be well aware of what is inside. Package it nicely and act like gentlemen and you may find out what is inside their suits." "Really?" "Really." Betts said, "How do you know that?" Mrs Watson pulled up and I said goodbye to the guys. Then hello to our chauffeur. I got Patricia and Liza into the front seat and checked the seat belts then got in the back with Betts. "How was your school today?" Mrs Watson asked. There were just grunts until I said, "It was fun for the most part. The girls in the class seemed to be more interested in me and my bruises." "Girls are like that. They want to find a warrior or a fighter." "It sounds like they want to drag me into their cave." I got a delightful laugh and she said, "Yes, that too." Liza asked Patricia to come over and play but Patricia didn't want to. I figured she wanted to be with Betts and me. I said, "Patricia, you should go. Betts and I want some time to ourselves." "But I want to come too." "Another time Sweetie, please." There was some thinking then she said, "Ok." Mrs Watson was watching me in her mirror and I could guess what was going on in her head. She could not see my hand though because I was using it to caress Betts' leg and pussy. I thanked Mrs Watson for the ride while Betts was trying to pull me into the house. Mrs Watson had a big smile on her face at this display. Betts unlocked the door and raced upstairs undoing her clothes as she ran. I was doing the same thing right behind her. Her clothes went flying in her room and mine fell near. I had more trouble with my shoes and socks though. I pushed Betts onto her bed and started to kiss her as my hand caressed her breast and nipple. In less then a minute my lips moved to her nipple and my hand moved to her pussy. Her legs came apart to give me the most room. I felt some small lumps of toilet paper and moved them without saying anything. I liked Betts clean but now I did not care if she just ran a race. In another minute I was down there finding out how good it tasted. It was strong but good. I latched onto her clit and sucked hard for only a short time until her first orgasm came. She screamed her joy to the world and I let her relax before I started her on the road to number two. I licked her lips and bit them with my lips and pulled. I could not go far because she had her hands dug into my scalp. I sucked and kissed every millimetre of her inner and outer lips then rolled my tongue and worked it into her opening. She was bouncing all over the bed and it was difficult to stay in place. My nose rubbed her clit then my tongue would enter her. This went on as her thrashing got more and more intense. Her breathing was getting deeper and deeper until she screamed one more time. It was even louder than the last. There was movement in the room and Patricia came near. She looked worried. "Did you hurt her?" "No Sweetie. She just felt so good that she screamed out her joy." "That makes her feel good?" "It sure does." I pulled back and pointed to her sister's clit and rubbed it with a finger tip. "This here is what she likes to be touched the most." I put my finger tip into her opening and pushed it in and out as I turned it around. "She likes this too. Soon I hope to put my wiener in here." I pushed up Betts' legs and took my lubed finger and pushed it into Betts butt after going back and forth to gather some lubricant. When my finger fully seated, I moved it in and out while gently twisting my hand. Betts groaned at this and it was not in pain. In a moment Betts said, "Oh, that is so good, so good. Suck me too." I did as she asked and sucked on her clit as my finger went back and forth. Betts was saying anything that came to her mind but most of it was not rational. Her breathing got that way again and in a moment she worked up to a scream as her voice got louder and louder as she demanded that I never stop. The windows rattled this time. Patricia was shocked at the intensity but could see that it was not pain. Betts though passed out in mid scream. "What happened?" "Did you ever see on the movies where somebody was hit in the head and they fell down unconscious?" "Ya." "Well, Betts felt so good that she could not take it anymore and went to sleep." There were some more steps and I saw that Liza had come over with Patricia. There was no use hiding. "Hi Liza. Come here and I will show you too." The girl came over and saw my finger in Betts' butt. I moved it in and out but Betts was not responding. I used another finger to flick Betts' clit and said, "This is the part that I was sucking on." I rolled my tongue then said, "When I roll my tongue I put in the opening here. Betts loves that too. I just told Patricia that I am going to put my wiener in here one day. We have to be careful though. Eventually I will have seed come out and go into Betts' opening and it could make a baby." "That's not how to make a baby." "I am sorry Liza but that is the way to make a baby." Liza was still not sure. I said to Patricia. Go get a damp facecloth. I have to clean my finger." "Ok." When Patricia ran off, Liza got close to look at Betts better. I got close to Betts and licked and then sucked her clit but still there was no response. Patricia came back and I pulled out and cleaned the finger. I stood up and the girls looked at my cock that had deflated somewhat and looked at Betts opening. With a little bit of work, I got Betts placed better then I got on the bed and crawled over her head to toe. I sucked gently on Betts for well over a minute before I felt her awakening and taking an interest in what was in front of her. Betts licked and sucked while I did the same thing. She talked as she did this but her words only served to vibrate my cock. My first cum made me neglect Betts for a while but I then went back to work. Betts came next and I had to wait. After my second I stopped. My neck and tongue were worn out but my dick was still ready for more. I rolled off of Betts and turned around to lay beside her. She said, "Oh I missed you. I don't know what it is but I get so excited that I pass out. Hardly any girls I hear ever have that happen to them and you did it three times." "Your are just passionate. I would not have you any other way." Betts must have caught a movement and looked over at the two girls. She instinctively tried to pull up some of the comforter or pull me over here to hide behind. I bent over and kissed her but she tried to push me off but only so long. When she calmed down I stopped. In a quiet voice she said, "How come they're here?" I looked at Patricia and said sweetly, "Patricia, Honey, how come you are here and not next door?" "We sneaked out the back and came over. I wanted to see what you were doing." "How come you brought Liza?" "She wanted to see you guys doing it." "Well you better sneak back. Liza's mother will be wondering where you guys went to." ------- Chapter 6 "Can we play this next time? It looks like fun." Patricia's hand was rubbing her mound absently as she spoke. "We can talk about this later Patricia. Now you girls get. I want to see if I can make Betts scream some more and make her bounce all over the bed." "We'll be quiet if we can watch." It was Betts that said, "Let them watch. It's kinda' kinky and I like it." "You sure?" "Yes." I went back to kissing Betts and when I got to her breasts, she said to the girls, "We are naked. You get naked too." I had paused when she spoke and then she squeezed her fists in my hair and I began to suck on her nipple again. A few minutes I was back between her legs. Her thighs were squeezing my head and my hair was in a death grip. I heard some talking but it was not loud enough and besides, I didn't care. Betts came noisily again and I slowed down. Her legs came apart and I could breathe better. My scalp hurt a bit less. Betts became excited again and I was locked in the place she wanted me to be in. When the second orgasm passed, I shifted so I could feed Betts. Two more of my own orgasms made me feel sated. When I moved to lay beside Betts I didn't see the girls. Some noise on the floor made me stick my head up. On the carpet were the two girls in the same position I was just in with Betts. Liza was on top and the two were locked together. I said, "How did they get that way?" "Liza's mom has a girlfriend of her own. Liza saw them at it. Patricia is doing it because she is horny. I did suggest it though. Did I do wrong?" "I don't know yet. We will have to talk later." I watched and listened to the girls on the floor. It seamed that they liked what they were doing. Patricia shook every once in a while and Liza would groan and stretch but eventually come back to feed and to be fed upon. Betts said, "They are beautiful, aren't they?" "They are but I think you are better." I got a big smile but her eyes were glowing. The girls turned her on quite a bit. I accepted now that Betts liked girls. In my mind, it was much better than going after some other guys. There was a lot of thinking going on in my head until I came to the realisation that I had a lot of work to do in the next few years. Studying through Nadac was easy and much quicker than me doing it alone. My job though was to alter crystals, become competent to both fabricate and repair computers and last of all take care of the Aristis ship when it came this way. The last objective was the most important. This meant that I had to learn how to fight. The Aristis were fast, strong and deadly. I could not compete head-to-head but perhaps I could get a few shots in and then do something underhanded to win. I climbed off the bed from my side. Betts was stroking her pussy as she watched the two girls on the floor. I loved Betts and I guess I could give her a gift. I knelt on the floor at Liza's face and touched her shoulder. She stopped sucking but she was in a daze. I put my arm around her head and kissed her lips. Patricia was on her lips and Liza put her arms around me as if she desperately needed me. I released the girl and got her to stand. She left Patricia with a sucking noise. Liza was guided to the bed and I got her to sit on Betts' face. Betts looked worried but only for a second. I kissed Patricia too then stood. She pulled me close causing my dick to bend. In a moment I got her to get between her sister's legs. None of the girls had to be told what to do. The girl's clothes were sorted and with a last look at the bed I went to get a quick shower. I got dressed then closed Betts and Patricia's bedroom door and went downstairs. If I started to make a meal then this might be looked on as beneficial if I came home early. This also meant that I would have time with Betts. Maybe Lillian and Bert could see the benefits of the trade-off. My cooking skills were not great. I was not sure if Nadac minded the small distractions but I said to him, "Nadac, we talked about a lot of things. You are a person not a machine. I do not want to bother you for small requests unless you are bored." "What is it that you wish?" "I want to cook something good to eat. You guys don't have the same food but I still wondered if we can make a meal." "There is a lot of surplus time that I can spend helping you with small tasks. What is it that you would like to do?" "I need to find out what is available and then make a meal with it." "Look into the refrigerator." I looked through the door and made an inventory of want was available. The freezer compartment was next. There was a small pantry and a chest freezer in the basement. Less than a second later I saw on my internal screen an alphabetical listing of the various dishes along with a picture that probably came from the net. Potatoes were first on the agenda and I put the bag on the table and started to peal. My hands were slow but accurate. Nadac gave me tips on what to do and I did them. The meat came from the basement and again it was at the bottom of the freezer. The meat was nuked and then put in the oven with more vegetables put around it. Nadac had it timed so that everything would be cooked at the same time. There was a knock at the side door and after a look I opened it. "Hello Mrs Watson. Won't you come in?" "Thank you Wally. I cannot get over how much of a gentleman you are." "Thank you, Mrs Watson." She did come in and looked around at the meal preparation and said, "I expected you and Betts to be kissing or something in a corner." "We did that and came down to prepare the meal." "I noticed that my daughter and Patty had disappeared. I was sure they came over here to bug you." "They did and caught us in a compromising situation but they are now playing." "Liza is a timid girl. I hope you were not too angry at her." "I saw Patricia first then later I saw Liza. I tried to be an adult about it. They were curious." "... ah if you do not mind answering, what were you doing?" "A gentleman does not discuss such things." I didn't want to lie or worse yet, be caught in a lie. "Did it have anything to do with the screams I heard." "You will have to ask Betts." This may give me some breathing room. Mrs Watson burst out in laughter once more and said, "I can only think of one thing that would have caused those screams. You are a very talented young man and very thoughtful too." "A person that only takes, will find they will not be given much." "Some young people get into troubles and some young girl gets pregnant. I hope that will not happen with anybody I know and care about." She was talking at me not to me and I guess she wanted to know if I was being responsible. "Speaking for myself, I do not want to become a father until I am ready and able to support a family. I have just enough willpower even if there is an alternative form of protection." "That's good to hear. Would you be so kind as to send my daughter home when she is finished her playing." The smile she gave me lead me to believe she knew exactly what they were playing with. There may be a lot of shit to pay over this but thankfully I was young enough to not suffer that much. It could put me in a lot of hot water with the Huggins. "Sure." Mrs Watson and I stood up and she looked at me for a few seconds and came over. She put her hand behind my neck and bent over and kissed me. I had an inspiration that was triggered by my hormones. I put my own arm around her neck and gave back as good as I got. Mrs Watson looked to be around thirty and thus old. She was divorced I had heard. She was also desirable. Our height disadvantage was going to give me problems and I pushed her back so she had to sit in her chair. She put her hand down to guide herself into the chair. Our kiss moved around and I began to suck on her neck. I tasted perfume and a bit of something that had to be makeup. It didn't matter. Mrs Watson groaned as I did this and her own hand went down to find me hard and ready. It was only after I moved to her earlobe that she started to unzip me. She was an expert and had me out in seconds. She pushed me back and then slid to her knees to suck me into her mouth. My hands went to her head to keep me from falling. She sucked me with a style that I had not even dreamed of. Her tongue was everywhere, even to my sack. It was as if she were worshipping my cock because of all the love and attention she was putting into this act. She grasped my butt with both hands as if to keep me here but I had no wish to leave. The end finally came and I pumped into her mouth instinctively. Mrs Watson groaned when I did this and groaned even more when I didn't shoot into her mouth. She sucked a bit longer then sat back on the chair. "Mmmm that was nice. I am surprised I did that here. Perhaps you should come over to my house so we can play." "I like that idea but I will not do this behind Betts' back. Perhaps we can all please each other. That is if you do not mind having a twelve year-old boy and a twelve year-old girl do nasty things with you. All this hinges on whether Betts wants to play." Mrs Watson had her eyes closed and I guess she was picturing what I had said. She shook a lot so I knew that she didn't mind that we were not adults yet. "My name is Gail now. I would love to have you and Betty come over. I... I hope that Liza was not hurt." "Do you mean penetrated?" "Yes, I guess I mean that. You pushed all my buttons and you could have Liza if you did that to her." "Your daughter was only kissed once by me. She was experimenting with Patricia when they found us pleasing each other orally. They just did the same thing. Last I saw, they were settling on the bed with Betts. I think it was the first time for Liza and Patricia and the first time with a girl for Betts." "I would love to see them doing that." "You would frighten them to death. If Betts and I come over to get acquainted, we can get the two young ones to join us at a later date. You have security in your home. They can be told that it's ok to have fun with friends when they are young." "That is a good idea. You remind me of a much older and caring man. I wish to god that I met you when I was young." "Let's talk later. I have a meal to make and the Huggins will be home soon." "Oh my god. They could have caught me when I... was making you happy." "You can make me more happy. It's not my place but I would like to invite you and your daughter to eat with us. I have already expressed a wish to give you a present. This can be thought of as the gift." "I think that is a good idea though I feel that I am imposing. I better go home and get a bottle of wine and change into something a bit better." "Your naked body would be the only thing better." She moved to me then stopped and said, "You sure know what buttons to push." Luckily nothing had burnt. I opened the doors to air the house out but closed them when the parents were due back. When I went upstairs, I found the girls all coiled over each other and the smell of sex in the air. Betts tasted of girl when I kissed her. She woke up with a beatific smile on her face. "I love you Wally. How did you know?" "We will talk later. Open the windows, take the girls into the shower and no funny business. Your family is coming home soon." "You are cruel but I will obey you, oh master." I opened a few windows too and Betts had to almost carry the girls into the tub. I went downstairs to stall the parents and June when they came. When I looked through the ceiling and into the tub I saw that Betts was cleaning little pussies but did it quickly. June came home first. She had finished her classes for the year and was now working. I called upstairs before she came into the house to allow time for the windows to be closed and the girls dressed. June though sat at the table and watched me work. Her eyes were usually at my waist until understood that my zipper was down. I did it up in front of her. There was no sense hiding like a boy. I said, "I took it upon myself to invite Mrs Watson and her daughter Liza to eat with us. She was over here a moment ago and went home to change." "Ok, I will change too." Betts and the girls actually got to the kitchen a few minutes before Bert and Lillian arrived. Liza learned where she was eating tonight and she was quite happy. Betts took over for me and I hurried the younger girls upstairs. With a smile and an act to show that this was a casual conversation, I said, "Most kids fool around having sex when they are young. It is part of growing up. Some adults do not understand kids or remember what they were like when they were young." They gave me a blank stare and I went on. "Do not tell anybody about what we do or it will stop and you would never be allowed to do it until you grew up." Patricia said, "I won't tell anybody." "Me neither," came from Liza. "That's good girls. There are some adults that understand about kids. These ones you can talk to. Mrs Watson, is one woman like that. You can tell her your problems and you will get good answers. You just can't talk to others yet." "My Mom?" "Sure. I talked to her about a lot of things. She really does understand. Just don't talk about anything until you are over at your house." "Ok." "Good, now I want you two to help me make a good meal for your parents." Bert came into the kitchen to see a lot of hustle and bustle. He only said hi to us then sat. A few minutes later Lillian came in and did the same but her mouth stayed open. "What is going on here?" "I wanted to have a nice way of saying thanks to Mrs Watson for driving us to and from school. I also wanted to say thanks to you for taking me into your family. To do both at once, I made a meal and took it upon myself to invite Mrs Watson and her daughter over to eat with us." "What do you have?" "Take your inquisitive nose upstairs. Mrs Watson went home to change." Lillian didn't say more but hurried out to change. Ten minutes later, Gail came over. Bert greeted her at the door and she hugged her host. I think Bert liked this. The adults sat in the living room while I served some of Bert's chilled wine. June was hustled out of the kitchen so she could associate with the adults. The stove and oven had been used a lot and so did the toaster oven and microwave. I acted as the host in serving the family. When we ate, Lillian said, "This is delicious Wally. I had no idea you were a chef." "I had the help of some inspired ladies." The girls in question all smiled. Each course was ok to me but not great. The adults thought otherwise. There was an argument about cleaning up but the girls and I did it. This was done hurriedly because I wanted to do something besides watch television. I had never played charades. The adults may have but then again may not. I pulled rank as host and split the group into two fairly equal parts and we tried the game. The time flew by and everybody was having fun. A tired but excited girl left with her mother and it looked like Mrs Watson would be more than welcome to come back anytime. Lillian said, "That was a very nice thing to do. You made us a perfect meal then made sure we were entertained all night." "You make meals every day Mom. I just made it this time." "Mom?" "Your husband is 'Pop'. He must have told you. That makes you Mom. You have taken me in and there can be no other term unless you wish me to still call your Mrs Higgins." Lillian reached over and hugged me and said, "Mom is just perfect. I never had a son." I said goodnight to everybody. Betts and Patricia got tucked in. "You two found something great today. Save your love for tomorrow night. You have school tomorrow." Betts said with a child's voice, "Yes Daddy." Patricia giggled and said the same thing." I was tired myself but I could afford to work on one of the crystals. I got only one force line done but that was still good work. Nadac worked with me as a coach and I saw that his way was a little easier. It was hard to get up the next morning. I just had cereal. The large meal last night was still with me. The meat went into sandwiches and I made them as exciting as possible. Lillian was still overcome with the extra time I gave her by doing some of the work that she usually did. Mrs Watson was a bit early. I hugged Bert and he didn't know what to do. I said, "It is only a hug Pop. It means I love you. That's all." Lillian got a hug and a kiss. "I love you too Mom." She looked ready to cry as I left. Gail was very happy as she drove us to school. It was after we got out of the car that I whispered, "I am going to let Betts know today." "That is good Lover. I know you will do your best." I caught up to the girls and before anybody else came up to us I said, "What we did last night was fun. Don't tell anybody, even your friends. It may hurt because it is so good but you will only hurt us." In school I worked on the art that I never finished. Mr Ramsey did not bother me about this in the least. We took up information that might be on the final. This was just hints on what to study. During recess the gang and I played ball. Betts was seen as a regular now. The boys were off today. They kept looking in the directions of the girls. I figured they had sore dicks from jerking off all night. At lunch I got the gang to stay with me and let the extra girls come in too. Wendy was smart and pushed certain girls to be with one of the guys or another. It took nearly the whole lunch time for the guys to loosen up and act semi-intelligent. At the last recess I got Betts alone and said, "We sure had fun after school yesterday." "We sure did. I never thought I would... you know with another girls." "Betts, I love you. That means I watch you. I saw how you reacted to Wendy Pallo. I saw how you reacted to Patricia and Liza on the floor." "But..." "Please let me finish. We are both young. When we are young it is expected that we experiment. I know this and allowed you to find out what it is like. Wendy Pallo may want a piece of you too." "No she wouldn't. She is beautiful." "She is young and experimenting too. I see her looking at you too." "Really." "Yes." She looked wistful for a moment then shook it off and said, "I'd rather have you." "You can have both if you are careful." She jumped at me and gave me a hug that nearly dislocated my shoulder. "Oh, you make me so happy." "There is another woman that wants to make love to you." Her eyes were bit. "Who?" "Mrs Watson." "No!" "She sure does." "How do you know?" "When you girls were having fun yesterday, I was downstairs. I would have stayed but it is better to just have girls for a while. Mrs Watson came in and said she expected you and me to be in bed." Betts was a bit shocked. I continued, "I said that Patricia and Liza caught us." "No!" "She was worried that I would yell at her daughter but I said how I did this with some care. Mrs Watson seemed to be impressed. By the way she heard your screams and knew exactly what we had been doing. I told her a gentleman does not talk about such things." Betts was still stunned. "She got the idea that her daughter was upstairs having fun with you and Patricia. She just smiled and told me to send her home when she was done." "No!" "I was concerned that she would make something about you and the girls. I talked to her nice and she kissed me. I kissed her back and soon she was doing what your guys were doing upstairs." "No!" "She wanted me to visit to pay back the favour I guess but I said that you and I come as a pair. She just loved that idea and don't say no. I said that if you were happy with the idea then we would go over there. She treats us right and we do the same to her. After a while she can show the girls that it is ok to have sex. I have a feeling she likes the young ones." "N..." "There is an additional benefit." "What?" "We can have fun at her house when it is not convenient to do it at ours." This did tickle her. "What else?" "Tonight, I want to get a lot of lubricant and grease up your butt. When you are good and loose, I want to slip in." Betts really shivered now. She smiled and said, "That's yours. All of me belongs to you." "Then I want to claim it today." Betts was fucked for the rest of the day. That is why I waited so long to tell her. Her friends talked to her and so did the teacher but she didn't hear a thing. Mr Ramsey was concerned about her I could see. His focus changed when I handed in my drawing. I thought it looked good and Betts would only see it when the class did. When it came time to get our ride home I guided Betts to the front seat and got in beside her. With only a small shove and a few words, Betts moved over and kissed Gail passionately. I now had two fucked up women in the front seat and one was driving. We hurried into Gail's home. Once inside I said, "I have a new idea. Just play along." She just nodded. "Mrs Watson?" "Yes Wally." "I was wondering about something." "What Dear?" "Betts is my girlfriend. We promised not to let my cock go into her vagina until she is safe." "That is a good idea." "A girl can suck on a cock to please her boyfriend or if he is very gentle he can put his wiener in her bum. This can be fun for us but it takes time and it takes some lubricant. Do you know anything about this sort of thing?" Betts and Gail were not functioning well. They looked at each other but no words were mentioned. I had to take the lead again. "What in your opinion is the best way to do this?" The two youngest did not understand. They were not worried, only interested in learning. We pulled up into the driveway and everybody hurried into Gail's home. Gail came out of a hallway finally and said, "I think the trick is to make sure she has lots of lubricant in her. She also has to be relaxed. If she is tense then you are not going to get in or you will hurt her." "Well I do not want to hurt her. Do you have some lubricant and some towels?" "Yes." "Would you get them, please." Gail hurried off and ran back. She had a tube of lubricant that was made for having sex. "Mrs Watson will you remove Betts' clothes and make sure she is ready. You said she has to be relaxed." Gail looked around but didn't do anything. I thought for a moment and figured that direct commands may work better in this situation. "Do it now, please." Gail moved over to Betts like a robot. Betts stood so that Gail would have an easy time of it. I turned to the two girls and said, "Betts is going to get naked so you can too or you can go someplace else if you want." Their clothes came off in a flash. Gail was physically shaking as she undid Betts' clothing. She went slower and slower when she got to the panties. Soon enough they came off and then the bra and shoes. When Betts was fully naked I asked, "Does it look like Betts is ready." "She is soaking." "Gail, put Betts on her back and clean up all that leaked out. Do it now." Gail looked at me in a stunned way and the two worked to do as I ordered. I walked over to Betts and held her head in my arms and played with her nipples. When the time came I kissed her fully and the scream was not as loud. Gail looked up as if to ask if she did this right. I said, "Good girl. Come over here and take my clothes off. Make sure I am lubricated with some saliva." The robot moved jerkily and removed my clothing as carefully as she had to Betts. She took less time though engulfing me. When she was busy I said to the other three. "You should take Mrs Watson's clothes off for her. She wants to play too." The three girls were more than willing to help. They didn't take their time either. Gail moved to allow her clothes to be removed but she didn't let me go. When my orgasm washed through me I savoured the feeling then pulled back from a still sucking Gail. I then bent down and kissed her. "You did a very good job Gail. Now lay on the floor." When she complied, I moved Betts over her in a sixty nine position. In a few seconds they were feeding off of each other. I walked to Betts' butt and called over the other two. "This part is important. Gail is making sure that Betts is feeling good. I am going to take some of this slippery stuff and put it on my finger. I am going to put more into Bett's bum. When you relax, your bum hole can get big without hurting. That is when I am going to take put my fingers and put my wiener in." Patricia said, "Will Betty like it?" "I hope so. When I put my finger in her before she got very excited. Now watch closely as I do this." I kept up a chatter as I slowly slipped a finger into Betts. I talked to the girls about sex in general as Gail or Betts had an orgasm go through them. When it did I interrupted my talk and let the two girls see for themselves. One finger became two with no discomfort. The two became three and Betts was now in almost continuous orgasm. I was quick. Her opening was large and I was small. I was all the way in before Betts even knew it. When she did she orgasmed again and yelled into Gail. I stayed in Betts to have three orgasms. I had no way of counting how many she had. I pulled out and cleansed her with a towel and then cleaned myself. The girls came around the other end. I was going to slip into Gail's back passage but it was in a poor position for this. Nadac's reports about the Aristis and the Tomma had some interesting facts. The Aristis women were weak or perhaps kept weak and submissive. The Tomma women were very aggressive and the men more so. It was reported that when an older child needed to be calmed down, a fist was pushed up into either of the lower openings. It was hereditary. The person immediately stopped their struggle and listened attentively to what was happening as if hypnotised. This was greatly facilitated by their small hands that folded together much better than ours. Gail was sopping. There was a towel under her butt but it was wet and the carpet underneath was too. I use my own hand to push a few fingers in and then a few more. Just like Betts, I went slow and stretched her muscles until she orgasmed again and again. The girls were rubbing their small clits as the look at what I was doing. I told them the mechanics so they would know and not worry. With one final shove I was all the way in. Gail tensed up but I got Betts to go back to sucking her clit. In a few minutes I was able to move all the way to her cervix. This had been mentioned on the net many times and now I was actually doing it. Betts and I picked up the place and now it was Gail that was wailing and thrashing on the floor. In a moment she just collapsed and didn't move any more. I pulled out slowly and cleaned my arm and hand. Betts was worried but I kissed her and said, "She just went to sleep like you do." "Oh!" The girls were now on their knees so they could reach that special spot a little better. Gail's vagina was closing. I wanted to fuck somebody and the best one was Gail. I did not want to do her big pussy but she probably had a tight ass yet. Besides I wanted Betts pussy to be my first. "Betts, Honey?" "Yes." "Can I have Gail's ass?" "You are asking me?" "We are boyfriend and girlfriend. If we just go our on way they we will keep on going. You have a sore bum by now and I cannot use that other opening yet. Yours is going to be my first pussy. That leaves Gail's butt." She smiled at me and said, "Go for it." "Thanks Honey. You are the best." I got Betts to kneel astride Gail and pull back on the woman's legs. Her vagina and anus was easy to see. With Gail still asleep I was able to get three fingers in very quickly. She woke up to my fingers in her. "What?" she said groggily. "Hold on Gail." She didn't understand until I was seated all the way in her. There is a benefit to having a small dick. I started thrusting into Gail and she started to moan. "Patricia, sit on her face. You can keep her quiet for me." "Yes Wally." Patricia fell over on Gail, as the woman's tongue assaulted the girl. Patricia came a few times until I had Liza take her place. I came four times. Part of it was seeing the girls having so much fun. I pulled out when Patricia was being eaten. I took Liza over to her mother's vagina and got her to finger her mother. In just a few minutes the girl's small hand was in all the way to her cervix. Betts could not take it any more and attacked Liza's mound. The three young ones could go on and on. Gail was in a world of her own and only reacted to outside stimulus and not very well. When it was getting late, I pulled the girls off of the woman and got them to the shower to get cleaned. This time I was the one to make sure the girls were squeaky clean but they too didn't react much. We dragged and carried Gail to the shower. Betts cleaned her well and then we all dried her before taking her to bed. All the girls looked bushed so I got them all into the same bed and covered them up. I would come over and get them when the time was right. I made a meal once more with Nadac's help. It was not as elaborate but was nutritious. June was going to be home late so the first arrival was Bert. "Hello Wally. What are you making today?" I gave the names of the dishes and then described the variations I was going to put in." "That sounds good. Where are the girls?" "Next door visiting. Betts seemed to be having a good time and I stayed until I figured I should come here and start supper." "You don't need to do that." "I know that but it is nice to do something for my family too." "I can't fault you for that. When will the meal be ready?" "Close to half an hour." In a few minutes I hurried next door and found the girls still sleeping but they had moved around. Gail was hugging a girl in each arm and Liza was sleeping on top of her mother. It was difficult waking them up but Betts had enough discipline to drag Patricia to the shower again to wake her up. Lillian had come home when I was out and she was watching the food. "Hi Wally. Where are the girls?" "June is working, and both Betts and Patricia are next door. They will be back soon." "I sampled your food. It tastes good. Maybe one day you could open a restaurant." "It is something that I would do for family not strangers." I had to delay the meal a bit but the two girls came home in time to eat. It was a good thing that their parents didn't ask what was making them so tired. After the meal I went to my room too. I exercised while studying what Nadac thought advisable considering that the king would be snooping at the content. I went back to the crystal and worked on it until I was quite tired and late. The next morning, I caught up on some lost sleep. The two girls were full of energy and their eyes almost glowed with that strange intensity. This I saw because they were between my legs and looking at my erection. Betts sucked some then Patricia did her share. They went back and forth until I shook with my release. "Mmmmm that was nice. Maybe I should eat my own breakfast now?" Betts said, "You better not. You have to get ready for the party." Patricia put on her sad look and said, "Can I go too? I'll be good." "The people we are going to see go to our school. We hardly know them. There may be strangers too. We are going to mix with some people our age. You would feel out of place for one unless there were people your age. I want you to go over and play with your new friends." "Who?" "Liza is your friends but now her mother is a friend too. She is different than she was just a week ago. You can do things to them and they can do those same things to you." Patricia's smile grew as she examined the possibilities and I figured she would have no difficulties. I greeted the family and then went over to see Gail. I wanted to see what she thought of yesterday. I knocked at the door and Gail came to open it. She was in a long robe and wore a gigantic smile. When we were let in Gail bent over and kissed each of us with all the love she had in her. She said, "I am so glad I met you Wally. My life has changed so much. I just don't know how I am holding all of this in." "Let's sit and talk Gail. I want to know how you are putting up with the changes." She looked at me oddly. When we sat down at the kitchen table I said, "First are you comfortable with what happened?" "I am a little sore but not much. I was never fisted before. Your hands were small so I could take it. I had a lover come over here but I think I will need her a lot less." She was looking at me when she said this and didn't see that I was shocked. We already knew from Liza telling us. "My employment will suffer though. I run a small mail-order business to make ends meet. I guess with you guys at school I can make some money but school will soon be out. I feel like I did when I was a girl. I wanted everything and I wanted it now." I said, "I was also referring to the way I guided you to do what I wanted. You seemed willing but I was worried if I went too far." "You are so sweet. You never pushed too hard. Maybe in my bum. I never had anybody in there other than a finger." "An adult's finger is not a lot smaller than what I was using." "I didn't want to say that. It was good that you were not big enough to hurt me." "What about finding out that you love children?" "I guess I always did. You guys are the first since I grew up. You are not hurt by what I did are you?" "I don't think any of us was hurt. It was an enjoyable experience that showed love and compassion." "That makes me feel so much better." "Betts and I are going to a party at noon. My junior girlfriend can do as she pleases but I think it may be better if she stays here with the two of you. That is unless her mother wants her to go with them." "You are always welcome in my home." "Thank you. Betts and I are trying to train Patricia to be a well rounded individual. She learns how to sew on buttons, cook, and clean. Maybe you will show her what you do so she has an idea." "I will do that gladly but are you planning on this training be of direct benefit to you later?" I could see what she was trying to get at but not let the girls know. "I want Patricia to be prepared to handle adult life when it is thrust upon her. She will make her own decisions then. She is smart and I figure she should get some higher education. She will meet a lot of new friends at school." "That was very well said. I want Liza to be the same way but I see that I was falling down on this objective. I just wish that Liza was not as shy. This hurts her chances." I said, "She is not shy now. A few good friends that show that they love her maybe all she needs." Patricia came back with us so she could ask her parents if she could visit next door. The girl hurried to get her bathing suit because all three were going to the pool. I was happy that it was not sex all the time. I made a phone call to Dad. I wanted to pick up the rest of my property. Dad just smiled and said to come over. Dad was the only one that met us at the door. He greeted Betts with the same courtesy he would give one of his friends. He then said to me, "I took a lot of pictures for you. A friend of a friend opened an account in the islands. A web site was set up and the photos posted. The people that saw the photos were very excited. Your figure was very conservative I think." "That's great. Are you having any troubles with this?" "None at all, Wally." "I want you to take 15% after expenses for your work." Dad started to object but I managed to quiet him by putting up my hand. "If I got somebody else I would have to pay the same if not more. I also could not trust them as much as I trust you. The family income is not that high. The doctor mentioned that financial worries may be a portion of the problems." Dad said, "We can get along fine, Wally." "You were going to pay for my keep. This can be part of it. Mona may want to go to college. It is still possible that Cathy may as well." "Your sister Cathy is not suited for school. Mona may but she will have to change a bit. Her friends are far too important to her." Betts said, "What about Nick?" Dad said, "Nick wants to get out there and work. He's happy with his life. He may have to work more if he moves out though." Dad could use the money and I had to hammer my point home. "You and Mom could go on a cruise to find each other again. There will be no kids and no responsibilities. You cannot do this without money. You will be doing this for Mom as much as anybody." "I'll think on it, Wally." "You said that before when you didn't want to argue but still wanted your way. I have your genes and I am stubborn too. If I have to, I will find somebody else to handle this and they will take the money and want more." "You win Wally." "That didn't happen very often." He just laughed. We went upstairs. The rest of the family was out. When we opened my door it looked like a tornado had run through it. The old computer was knocked over and even the CRT was broken. My clothes were shewn all over and some were ripped. Paper was scattered and my old school projects were ripped into small pieces. The bed was stripped and the sheets ripped and thrown in a corner. I sat on the corner of the bed and just cried. Some time later, I felt being hugged by dad and Betts. Mom had gone off the deep end. Even the possibility of coming back one day seemed even more remote. Dad wanted me to go but Betts and I brought garbage pails and bags. I sorted what was good or salvageable. The latter pile was not very large. A piece of paper under the mattress reminded me of my stash. I took out my pile of Playboy and Penthouse. They went on top of the rubbish. I had the real thing. Dad and I carried the pile I wanted over to the Higgins' porch. He said, "I am sorry for all that Wally. I didn't know she was that sick." "It is not your fault Dad. People are like that. I just hope that Mom can be helped." "Me too." Dad left and Betts and I carried the stuff to my room. As we were hanging the clothes up, Lillian was at the door watching. "What happened Wally?" He voice was sympathetic. "My first Mom must have gone crazy. She trashed my room. I took what was still good." "I'm so sorry." I started to cry again and ran to her. She enveloped me with her arms for a long time. When I pulled back I said, "Sorry for soaking you." "Moms are made for that." Later I fished out the things I needed for the party. Betts said, "Do you still want to go. We can stay here if you want and cuddle." "I think it's better to go to the party." I packed my new pack with a blanket and other articles that I may need. When I held my trunks I had another premonition. At least it was not a bad one. The suit went into the pack and I fished through the clothing that was just put in the drawer and brought our the older pair of Speedos that were a bit smaller than the ones I had now. The pack was large enough to take Betts' property too. Lillian drove us to the house. She said, "Just call and I will come and get you." She turned to Betts and said, "Remember your promise but take care of your man." "Thanks Mom. I think he is worth it." "I do too." I gave Lillian a hug and a kiss. She deserved a lot more. When we got out of the cars, I looked around. This was an upscale neighbourhood. There was real money here. Looking through the obstructions, I saw some kids at the pool and I saw a gate to get there directly. I took Betts' hand and walked there and pulled the gate open. We stopped just inside to be invited. Wendy came running over with a beautiful girl beside her. "Hi Guys. I'm glad you could make it." I said, "Thanks for inviting us." Wendy put her hand on the girl like they were very good friends. "This is Heather. She lives in the neighbourhood." She said to Heather, "This guy is Wally and his friend is Betty one of my friends. She is in my class at school" I said, "Hi Heather." I got a small smile and she said, "Hi." Then moved close to Betts and said, "Hi Betty. What is Wendy like in school?" Wendy gave Heather a playful shove in Betts' direction then she came close to me. In a whisper she said, "Boy, that girl can talk. Let me take you around to let you meet the guys." There were thirteen girls counting Betts and Wendy. They all looked beautiful as if this is what got them to be picked to come to the party. Half of them were at least a few years older than us. There were four hunks clustered together talking. None of them were my age and look to be close to eighteen. Much older than Wendy. I looked for my gang but they had not arrived yet. I wondered why I was invited. I was not pretty, a hunk or even a celebrity. The only thought was that Wendy wanted to take me from Betts. I put my bag down and Wendy took me around. The girls had the skimpiest bathing suits. I gathered names and smiled but the girls saw my age and weren't interested. The younger girls were a bit more interested in me and some of these were from our class or school. Margrette Ruur was the grade eight girl that had fun with Wendy at school. I got a larger smile from her and decided to come back and talk. Wendy directed me over to the guys. It finally occurred to me that she was treating me like an adult. Kids my age may have their name screamed out so those at the party would know who he or she was. The first guy was talking to a well stacked girl. Wendy said, "Hi Matt this is Wally a guy from my class. Wally, this is Matt Eppi." I stuck out my hand and said, "Hi Matt." He looked at me as if wondering if it was worth the effort but he did get up and gave me his hand. "Hi." He went back to the girl. The next guy was not as built. Wendy said, "Tony, this is Wally. He goes to school with me. Wally, this is Tony Caputo another of my neighbours." "Hi," I said. He was too far to extend a hand." "You the guy that sucker punched Jeff Morton?" "I doubt if you would ever make a diplomat. Most people will say hello before they throw insults." "Answer the question." I turned to Wendy, "Who are the rest of these gentlemen? Someone may be interesting enough to have a conversation with." Wendy forcibly pulled me past the guys and too another girl sunning herself. She nervously said, "This is Red. She has a real name but we never use it." "Hi Red. I can see that anybody seeing you for the first time will remember you and your name." "Oh, a witty one. What's your name?" "Wally. I guess I could go by the name of bullheaded if you knew me." "Have a seat BH. I see you found out how charming Tony and his gang are." "Some of the other guests make up for it." She laughed like Gail. Wendy said, "Come on Wally. I wanted to you to meet the rest." Red said, "What's the rush?" "Just getting him settled before the piranha can come out to feed." They both laughed but I said, "Some of the minnows have big teeth. They want their meal too." Red's eyes got more excited but Wendy pulled me away. We finished the introductions except for the guys and the few girls close to them when my own gang arrived through the house. I went to my pack and brought out my newer pair of trunks and handed them to Sam. "What are these for?" "So you don't have to wear your cutoffs." "Oh, thanks." The guys went to the cabana and I went with them to put my own suit on. We kidded each other on the looks. When we came out, there were some of the younger girls present. They all gave wolf whistles or calls. My three friends didn't know how to take it. I said loud enough for the girls to hear, "The wolves want meat, guys. I don't know what they would do with it when they tracked it down. The chewing may be hard on their teeth." The guys got some confidence up and the girls were quiet. We went to the pool. It was quite large and fit well on the large property. I got on the board and dove in. I swam back and forth with an effort to burn off some fat and make some muscle. I climbed the ladder after the work out and looked for Betts. I had to look all over. I looked through the walls and saw an older guy looking at a computer screen from the side. Two of the hunks were at a bar in the basement with two girls. I scanned the bushes. There were enough of them to hide behind even in the daylight. I was surprised to find a cot or benches in some locations. I looked back at the house and looked closer. Betts may well be in one of the bedrooms. She was not in the house but the old guy was staring at the computer screen and wacking his tack. I ignored him and looked around more and found Betts in a small building behind the cabana. It had a bed, small fridge, shower and a small sink. A closet was in the wall with clothes in it. Betts was not alone though. Heather and her were doing a sixty nine. Wendy now made here appearance at the small room. Betts was upset but not much. A little more kissing and the two girls were doing their best to blow Betts out of the water. Betts I guess would be enjoying the afternoon. I was smart but stupid too. I could see how easy Wendy manoeuvred Heather and Betts then took me away. I could also see her putting up the girls to stroke the boys' egos. Nothing was done wrong in my opinion but Wendy needed a lot more watching. One more look at the house and I saw the guy shoot. I had done the same thing when looking at the pictures on the net but without the mess. A catering company came while I was swimming. They put on an impressive feed. When the others went to eat, I gathered the guys and showed them how to eat. A lot later Betts came up to me and hugged my arm to her and here eyes were bright but I detected that she was upset. I said, "Did Heather and Wendy take care of you the way you deserve?" She was shocked. "How did you know?" "Wendy primed Heather and sicced her onto you. She then led me away. That was easy to see and not rocket science." "I guess you're right." She was not relieved though. I figured it was because I would find out. "I'd like to go Wally if we can." Something was wrong. I took her hand and led her away from the rest of the people. I stopped and held her hands. "Tell me what's wrong?" "Nothing." "You have been my girlfriend for only a short time. As far as I know this is the first lie. Tell me the truth." Betts put her face into her hands and cried. I just held her. A few minutes later she said, "I can't tell you." "Betts, you can and you will. This is important to us and I am going to fight to keep our relationship. Tell me and do it now." "I can't Wally. Everything is so wrong." "Do you want to end our love?" She looked up quickly. "No! Never!" "Talk now." Betts cried again. I gave her time. Eventually she said, "They are going to put my picture on the net." "What picture?" "The one with Heather." "What?" "Somebody had a hidden camera. It caught us... having fun. Wendy came in. She apologised for interrupting us then she kissed Heather then me. As she kissed me, Heather kissed further down. Soon we were all doing it. "When we were done and about to leave, we found a large envelope. It was pushed under the door." I waited and nothing more was said. "Well?" "There were a lot of pictures of us." "And?" "There was a note. It said to come back after nine tonight and wait in the room. It said that if I told anybody then the pictures would go out and list all three of our names. Wendy cried. Heather was too shocked. She just curled up and sobbed. They are going to show that we are all lesbians." I had to wait then demand. "What happened then?" "Wendy and Heather sorted through the pictures and took the ones that showed their faces. There were a lot of me but you could not see the others." "What did they say they were going to do?" "They said they were going to go too but their time was tomorrow and Heather was for Monday." "I mean the pictures?" "They were going to burn them." "They were not going to burn yours?" "No, should they?" I asked, "What did you do with them?" "I ripped them up small and put them into the garbage." I kissed Betts and said, "You did right. I am more important to you than a coward. I have something difficult to do." "What is that?" "Go back with me but act like nothing happened. I have an idea." "What?" "Let me check it out first." We went back and Betts tried to mix. I looked over at the cabana and the one behind it. Sam was in it with one of the guys I had not met yet. I hurried over. Outside was one of the other guys I never was introduced to. He looked awfully like a guard. I called loudly, "Hey Sam. Come out. We have something to talk about. It is awesome." Sam came out. He looked guilty and a bit flushed. He hadn't done anything but the guy had an arm around him when he was inside and it looked like a seduction. Maybe the tight Speedos were not a good idea. "Hi Wally." He put his arm on my shoulder and pushed me to walk away. In a few metres he said, "What was it?" "It is going to be a secret now. I will tell you after so you will get a good laugh." I pushed Sam to get back with our gang and looked around for the mysterious shutterbug. Wendy was back but she stayed away from Betts. Heather was nowhere to be found. I must have had my ration of stupid pills today. The pictures had to be taken digitally and then put through a printer. The old way was too slow. Nobody had a printer with them. I was by the pool when I was looking around. I suddenly felt that something was wrong. There was the sound of running feet behind me. I dropped to the ground as if I was going to do pushups. Feet struck me but not hard. Somebody catapulted over me and landed in the pool with a loud splash. It took a moment but I saw that it was Tony Caputo. He had to have wanted to push me into the pool but he had to have wanted to tackle me to put me there. I would have been hurt. I had no padding. There was a bit of laughing. I looked around but none of the guys were doing any of this it was only a few girls. Tony came out of the pool and a blind man could see that he was angry. I didn't move away or flinch. I just looked at him. He was going to say something but then didn't. He just walked back to be with his friends. Two of them were close to Sam just a moment ago. They settled on a table and pretended that this was just a joke. Turning back to my group, I saw a girl come from the house. She had been to the washroom. This was a doubly good idea for me. I waved at the guys and a still worried Betts then went inside. I figured now was a good time to take a dump and sat. While in this position I scanned the house. I caught sight of a lot of black cables. They were not electrical. When I checked, they didn't go to computers either. They just ended at a small shape then continued to the wall, ceiling or floor without even a plastic plate. I focussed closer to my location and saw more of them. One was in front of me but it was hard to see with my regular sight. There was a fuzzy wallpaper with lots of details. There was also a plant almost covering it. I zoomed in and saw that it had to be a type of miniature camera. My dump took a long time. There were a lot of cameras all over the house. They were in bedrooms and bathrooms and no rooms were excluded they even extended under the stairs. I looked through the walls and out into the shrubs. Here too there were cameras and especially near the bed and bench and imbedded in posts or pots. They were too far to make out well but they were the same thing as in the house. ------- Chapter 7 I followed the leads to a small box. This was not big enough to store all this information that could be gathered. The search went on until I found a small basement room near the furnace. It had seven large, and I guess, powerful computers. They were stacked full of CD drives or perhaps they were DVD. Pictures of fucking took up a lot of room if they were done in high quality. That meant a lot of disks. I was getting a sore ass by the time I found a safe cemented into the floor in the room with the computers. There were two other safes but since the disks were on their sides, they were hard to recognise. My mind now worked on the reason for all this. Blackmail had been used so far. Selling smut was a possibility. Blackmail so that some people could get off directly watching a live performance. Another possibility was that a parent would be threatened with having their child exposed. The bedrooms also suggested that more blackmail could go on if an adult was caught with a child. Money was a good motive but sex and power could also apply. I fought some entrenched clingons and flushed before I hurried outside. Jerry was currently being lured away and it was better to stop it now. Jerry was near the cabana when I called his name. He turned around and came back with a frown. "You got to come Wally. That guy has a stash of some serious educational pictures." Betts gasped and all of us looked at her. "You are all my friends. You know that I get hunches." When they nodded their heads I said, "Do not go to the cabana or the room behind it. Do not go into the house unless you have to use the bathroom. Go in pairs. Please trust me until later. Don't go anywhere with anybody else. This is serious. I am investigating a crime. I found something that you guys will not believe." "What is it?" "Later, I promise. Play the game like James Bond. Have fun but look at everybody except us as enemy agents." Chuck said, "What are you smoking, Wally?" "Do I get your trust or not?" "Alright I guess but those girls are nosing around and I may not be able to fight them off for long." "They are the enemy." Betts said, "Let's go Wally. I don't like it here." "Neither do I but I want to gather some more evidence." I went back into the house through the wide basement doors. I knew where the cameras were but not where they were aimed. Only a fool would think they were aimed straight ahead. I plotted a course to the door to the small room. No matter how I did this one camera or another would see me. Killing a camera with paint would warn the people here that they were found out. One camera was close and I read the information on it and sent it to Nadac. Here is where he could really help. It took even a few minutes from him and he told me the capabilities of the camera. The best was that they could not see in the dark or even low light. Nine o'clock was not dark enough though. "What are your intentions?" "The disks I see, may contain blackmail material. If I gather the material I can find who is being blackmailed. With this information I can find who is doing this. Wendy's father is the logical person but the police need proof." "Your thinking is faulty. Your own mind says that they will not post any pictures of your woman. Your own mind says that the person known as Wendy is part of this scheme. I have analysed the machines in the home and see that the cost is at least a forth part of a million dollars." "My advice is to ignore the summons. One night come here and enter the room and take what proof you wish." This sounded reasonable, especially if as Nadac said, it came from my own mind. "Will you bring some units here to help me?" "I will assist you but only so far. This could be seen as a training exercise. If you are caught, you will go to jail. You may flee but then you will be without a mate." The king would hear this conversation or could. This meant that the king would like to see me fumble towards a goal like this. From the information about the king that I was given, this seemed to be certain." "What will you do to assist me?" "I will answer questions but not inform you of what my remotes detect. I give some advice and intelligence but you have to do the incursions alone." "What do I need to know now?" "Find out how to open the locked door and then the security devices." Is there an intruder alarm?" "Very good. There is a good one from your people's point of view." "Motion detectors?" "Yes." "Pressure sensitive sensors?" "Yes." "Heat sensors?" "No." There was noise of people approaching. I had to move behind a small wall. My hiding spot must have been good because I heard one of Tony's friends say, "I don't see him here." "Look some more." This could mean that they knew I was here staring at the small room. In a few minutes I left when the coast looked clear to meet with my friends. Seconds later Wendy came over with a strained smile and an even smaller bikini. "Hi Wally. Red wanted to talk with you for a few minutes. We have a problem and so does Betts. We hope you can help us. We really need it." This meant that she knew that Betts told me. "I am sorry Wendy. We have to leave. It was a nice party except for your friend Tony and his buddies." "They are not... They are a bit odd. It is because Tony's dad is so rich and powerful." "What does his dad do for a living?" "I would rather not say." "Illegal?" "I really can't say, Wally." "That's ok. It was a nice party. I would like the chance to come back someday." I asked Nadac now to find out about the Caputo family for me. And then added Wendy's family too. We gathered our property and headed out. The ultrawave in my head had some interference and it took a while to guess at its cause. I stopped a few doors down and searched through my pockets and my pack. I found a small black plastic disk with a whisker thin wire. I left it in place and said out loud, "That Tony is an asshole. I wish I never came here." The rest of the guys agreed. Chuck said, "You were..." I stopped him and said, "Yes we were going for some ice cream. When we walked a block away I put the pack on Betts and pointed so she stayed put. When it looked like it was safe I said, "Somebody put a transmitter in my pack. They may know that I was looking at their house. The place is a trap. There are cameras everywhere. A girl could come to you and start giving you a blow job. Before she is done a guy takes her place and they film it. You are trapped into doing what they say." Chuck said, "Nobody would do that? We're only kids." "We will talk later. Forget what I said until then. You talk about it and then they will get pissed off. There is more than a quarter million dollars in spy equipment in that house alone. Jerry, when Betts catches up, you take the pack and slow down." "Ok." Betts caught up to us and I said, "Betts is my girlfriend. She is my friend too. You are my friends. I said that because somebody tried to blackmail Betts. She is to go to the house tonight at nine. What do you think will happen?" The guys looked sheepish and said nothing. "I will tell you. She will be forced to do things that would hurt her deeply if they got out. Betts and her family do not have a lot of money but Bert works for a brokerage house and Lillian works in a lawyer's office." I put my arm around Sam and said, "A guy that is a professional tried to seduce Sam. He could jerk Sam's trunks down and suck. A quick picture is all it takes. They were leading Jerry away too. He was supposed to look at some books that make Hustler look tame. We all know any one of us would get an erection. A yank of the trunks and a picture taken and he is trapped." I didn't know how good the pictures were or if the guy was a pro or not but I had to say it just in case. Chuck said, "Why would they do that?" "Would Betts family pay to save Betts?" "Sure, I guess." "If they asked for inside information on stock deals, would Bert work very hard to give it?" "I guess?" "Do you know how much that kind of information is worth?" "No." "It can go into the millions if not the hundreds of millions of dollars. Lillian may even talk about a case so that a criminal gets off. When any deal is made, it will be taped then the parents are then caught. Now I want to call Jerry back and we do not talk about what I said." When we got home, I showed the guys the transmitter then left the pack in the closet while we talked outside. "Let's state the facts. Do you agree that the device was a transmitter?" "It might be something else," Chuck said. We went back inside and fired up Betts' computer. Nadac gave to me the data to throw into Google. In a moment I had the picture of the device, its size and range. I just pointed to the picture and looked at Chuck. He nodded. I opened note pad and wrote in the data I had seen on the camera. With Nadac's help I found pictures and data for this device too. We went outside again and I said, "We will have to start over. Was that a transmitter used to keep surveillance Chuck?" "It has to be." "Good." I saw the camera and you saw a similar model. It too is used for surveillance. Now listen to Betts. Betts, were you shown pictures and told to show up tonight?" "Why are you telling these guys. I thought you loved me." "I do love you and I need help. They are your friends too. Now answer the question." Betts looked at the ground but finally said, "They said I had to come tonight. They showed me some very detailed pictures." "Thanks Betts. You will see that these guys are your friends too. They will say nothing." I pulled Sam over and said, "Tell us what happened. Be as accurate as possible." "The guy talked about girls and the things he did with them. He used his hands to describe what he was talking about. He usually kept a hand on my shoulder. He was rubbing my back and then asked if I ever had a..." he looked at Betts, "a blow job. I knew that he was going to give me one if I could not get away. I was never so happy in my life to hear you call my name." Chuck asked, "You're sure he was going to give you a blow job?" "Positive." Jerry talked about the supposed stash of porn. I said, "The stash was real. Some of the people you may even know but I doubt if you would have seen the faces." Betts said, "What are we going to do?" "You will do nothing. They will not post anything." "What if they do?" "If all else fails you will say that they took a picture of your face and put it on another girl's body." I added, "When I talked to Wendy, she more or less told me that she does not like Tony. Tony's father, Carmen, is one of the leading mob figures in Canada. The police want him but a lot of cops are paid to not find him or give him messages. I haven't figured out how to deal with this yet." Betts burst out, "What could you do about this? For god's sake Wally, he is in the mob and you said the police won't help without evidence." "I can do a lot and if you guys help, we can do a lot more." Chuck said, "What can we do?" "I don't know yet. The best way is to expose them so the cops have no choice but to arrest them." "How can we do that?" "I don't know." In a moment I did have a start. You could not trace a broadcast signal to where it went very well. You could make a special sound and this got transmitted. You then went around with an antenna to find the amplified signal at the receiving end. We already had a good idea of where it might be. Nadac would not help, but he would show me how to alter my ultrawave receiver to find what I wanted. It had already found the bug, all I had to do was tune it in. The trouble was that I could not prove to the gang that I had the right equipment. There was one possibility though. I still had my nearly useless pea sized crystal. I could tune it to the same frequency of the transmitter. It would be basically a crystal radio set but it should work. Sam's dad did a lot of tinkering. He could weld, machine, do plumbing, electrical work and even electronics. We had sneaked into his workshop a lot of times. Now I needed it to make my receiver. "Guys, I know what to do, at least the first part. We are going to Sam's house and using his father's shop." I got my pack and my bike too. Mom had luckily not destroyed this too. Betts had her bike. The guys had to run though because they came by car. I was the one to slow them down anyway. We were in luck because Sam's parents were not home. I had never used a metal lathe before but Nadac guided me through the steps. I had to wear glasses too. The guys got the other material while I was the one that had to secretly tinker with the crystal. Earphones came from a Walkman, two sheets of aluminum foil, an old transistor radio antenna, a coil of wire and a small piece of cardboard worked with just a bit of tinkering. I tapped by my pack to make a noise and Chuck gave a beautiful smile because he heard the tapping from a hundred metres away. We all got on our bikes and drove near Wendy's home. The transmitter was in Sam's garage with his alarm clock was beeping near it. We could hear it faintly but the signal would get stronger when the receiving amplifier boosted the signal for its own processing needs. There was no increase at Wendy's. There was only a limited range of this device and on a hunch we went to the Caputo home. The signal got stronger as we got nearer and weaker as we drove away. A block away the boys gave the radio to Betts and she drove by then Sam and finally Jerry. Sam said, "What do we do now?" "I am going to see what I can do to hurt Caputo. I don't think he keeps much at his house. It is going to take a long time. There may not be any payback for years and a lot more people are going to be hurt." Chuck said, "We can't do anything. We have to let the police do it." I said, "We call the police. They hear that there was a note and pictures of Betts but she doesn't have them now. I saw the camera heads. They are on private property. They can't do anything. Somebody wanted to give a blow job. That may be illegal because of the age but it is only one person's word against another. There is a transmitter in my pack. If I report this, the police will ask questions. Whoever put in my pack can say that I stole it from them. There is nothing the police can do even if they wanted to." "Ok, so there is nothing the police can do. What can you do?" "I can investigate Wendy's house one day or rather night." Betts blurted out, "Don't do that. They will catch you." "They may if I do not plan for this. Now here is what we are going to do. None of us talks about this until there is more information. If they bugged me then they can bug you too. Betts is not going near that house again. You guys stay away from situations where they can blackmail you too. Wendy and everybody at that party is bad news. There has to be others that were not at the party too." The guys went to my new home and I got out some of my funny money. We went to get the ice cream I talked about earlier and avoided all talk about the party. The guys left. Liza and I went home. When we got upstairs, she cried and cried. Luckily her mother didn't hear. Patricia came home and looked at us on the bed. She could see that her sister was upset. "What happened?" "I just got frightened at the party." "What happened?" "I almost got hurt." "Oh. I am kinda hurt too." Betts said, "What happened?" "When we came home Liza and I went to her room to play. We played real good." she came close to us and whispered, "She put her finger up my bum. It felt real good. I did it to her too. Do you want me to show you what I did?" Betts had to smile now. "You are a horny girl just like me." "It's fun." "I know." I said, "Exams are starting. You better get to studying." Patricia said, "Why? We are going to pass." "I want smart girlfriends. I never studied very hard and it was a mistake. Now get to your books." The girls got out their books and I went to my room and lifted weights while Nadac fed me more information on Caputo and the Pallos. Nadac did not make it easy for me. He gave me all the information I asked for and in fact there was too much. I had to carefully word my requests to get the information in manageable sized pieces. The city, provincial and the RCMP computers were searched. Caputo was into a great many activities. What was of interest to me though was his kiddy porn industry. There was not much proof but there were hundreds of reports and information from informers. There were reports that Caputo fucked little girls and boys since he was small himself. The complainants sometimes died along with their parents. He owned a lot of women. These turned tricks for him. Children were sold the same way and used by Caputo and his friends. Caputo's partners sold drugs both to retail customers and to middlemen. This suggested that he had a great way of getting drugs into the country then sell them south of the border. Caputo was into white collar crime but nothing could be proved. He was into scams to rip off the small guy and into other scams to rip off large companies or financial institutions for millions. The Bank of Commerce was recently hit for a hundred million. The news had never gone out to the public though. Credit cards, forged checks and counterfeiting were to fill in the cracks between large hauls. I could not complain about the last point because I had some myself. Nadac worked through the known associates of Caputo and found a pattern. Caputo owned outright or with others a lot of legitimate businesses. Some were quite large. Some like some data storage firms were not under his name but his people worked at them from tax records. Nadac went into a Caputo company and through some heavily encrypted files. This lead him offshore and into some of the larger computers that served the banks. The Caputo name was not used because the accounts were numbered. The records of Caputo's transactions led Nadac to many other accounts. Some were very large. They ranged from a shipping line that had planes, trucks and ships. The police conservatively estimated that Caputo and his associates had amassed three and a half billion dollars in the last ten years. The reports said the rate was increasing quickly. Nadac computed the figure to be much closer to fifteen billion and going as high as a thirty billion. I figured that all that could not be Caputo's alone. Caputo was not just into Canada but he had branched out into the States and Europe. A bank in the Cayman Islands was theorised as belonging to him or to a consortium of criminals. Wendy Pallo's father Frank, seemed to be one of Caputo's employees. Frank's name was linked to the kiddy porn and the prostitution rings. I put in a suggestion to Nadac to look for the film studio and a way of distributing their product. "Nadac, you said you would provide information to make the planning possible." "Yes, I did." "Can you manufacture more surveillance probes? We can follow drug shipments and inform the authorities. We can even inform the papers so that the shipment is seized." "Sometimes it is better to let it through so more people can be caught." "I guess you're right. It's just that I still see some crooked cops though most I guess are ok." "To answer your question, I can make more but I need processed crystals for them." "Is it better to make them where you are or can I align them here?" "Your location is suitable. I can load your mental viewing screen from here." "That reminds me. The Aristis have a good processor to help them think. When can I get one?" "You have a better memory, your intelligence was encouraged to grow, I opened your mind to your ability to see through the dimensions and to see the flow of power from crystals. You have an adequate processor now. When you add your ability to both communicate with me and then to gain information, you are far ahead of any of your race. It was not long ago that you did not wish to have this device." "You kinda' grow on me. I see that I can do a lot more but I am not able to do much myself." "That is always the case." "Maybe I can be upgraded to be a soldier." "That is a possibility but your value is in your abilities to manufacture and repair computers." "Then I will make computers. I want Caputo stopped." "Taking his money would hinder his ability to do business." "Yes it would but he has a lot. Even a small fraction of it would keep him going strong until he made his money back." "Then we will see about getting all that is possible." I was still working on how to get Caputo and through him Pallo when Betts came in with a notebook in her hand. "I like that. I am studying to make you happy and you are here lifting weights." "I'm studying too. I'm thinking and going over the facts." "Ok then but this is hard to do." "Hard to keep your mind on your studies?" "Yes." "I'll make a deal. You get at least equal to your last report card or better in all of your subjects then I will take you out to a fancy restaurant." "You have enough money?" "Enough for my girl." Patricia was in the hallway apparently listening. "Me too?" Betts just gave a weak smile so I figured she was not that peeved. "Yes both girlfriends then." We had a nice supper and afterward Bert said, "I heard about your wager. Do you have the money for that?" "Sure. I can take all of you out to an expensive place to eat but then I am back to being a poor boy." "How much money do you have?" "I will tell you if you tell me your net worth." He just looked at me and didn't answer. Lillian and I quizzed her daughters on their upcoming exams. When the girls got tired, Bert said, "Do you want me to help you in math. Betty said that was your first one." Betts started to chuckle then laughed hard. Bert was curious and asked, "What's wrong?" "Mr Ramsey gives Wally highschool stuff." Bert looked at me and said, "Is that right?" "I like math. I especially like it when the functions are graphed. The symmetry is beautiful to me." "And I thought it was only my daughter." "Oh, she is beautiful too. She may even grow up to be a beautiful as her mother." All the Huggins looked at each other. Lillian said, "You do have a sweet tongue in your head." She then turned red because of the innuendo. I felt embarrassed but I said, "I did not lie or exaggerate." There was a long pause and then Bert broke it by saying, "Tell me about your math." "Mr Ramsey gave me his old math book. I can do most of the work in it but some problems I do not understand well yet." "Let me see the book, please." Betts got up and ran to my room while I thought of a way to make my knowledge seem less. Lillian and Bert went through the book after reading the cover. Lillian said, "You can do the work in this book?" "Most of it. It keeps me occupied when Mr Ramsey is teaching math to the class." "Quite an accomplishment for a boy in grade seven. I know you are going to go far in life." "Alpha Ursae Majoris?" She burst out laughing and so did Bert. She almost stopped and then started again. The two girls just looked in wonder at their parents. Lillian said, "Yes, perhaps even Alpha Ursae Majoris." "Your crystals are in a sack near your bicycle." The unexpected voice shocked me but I tried to hide it. Later when the girls were starting to get bored, I went to put the bikes away and picked up the small bag of crystals. There were 762 of them. Many would be spares but a computer needed a good many of them. All but three in each computer were smaller than the size of a BB and half of those were only half of that diameter. Nadac would take care of the substrate. All of the bag could fit in one of my pockets. I went upstairs later and put the bag in my dresser but kept one of the largest crystals out. Betts came in and threw herself on my bed as she watched me work. "When are you going to stop fooling with that rock." She did not recognise that this was a different crystal. "Not until I completely understand it. The crystal helped us today, didn't it?" "Ya, I guess it did." "Maybe I can get it to do a Christmas carol like some card do. I can make a million." "Sure, as soon as you make it then somebody big will copy it." That wasn't going to happen but I kept my mouth shut. Betts got off the bed and stood behind me. I guess she felt bad. I took the crystal and got up. I went over to the bed and sat with my back to the headboard. I patted the bed between my legs. "Come and sit here. Lay back on your man." She liked that a lot and got into position. I had no place for the crystal so I said, "Hi Nadac. Can I put the crystal in my mouth without me getting poisoned or something?" "It is not toxic or that soluble." "Thanks." For the first time I thought I heard a chuckle from him. Nadac fed me the graph once more and I began to hammer the lines of force to where I wanted them to go. In a way this was better. I only had to look within my head for what to do and the crystal was nearer my brain and a bit easier to alter. The crystal was nearly done when Betts started to shake. I held her tight and wondered what was wrong. Just before I asked, I heard the clock downstairs chime. It was nine o'clock. It was only when Betts quieted that I continued with the crystal. Betts said, "I have to go an pee. Keep my seat warm." "Bring a book, Honey." Her small smile got brighter and she left. I got up and put the finished crystal away and took out the rest of the large crystals. All but one went into my pocket and the other went into my mouth. Betts came back with a book and took 'her' position while I worked. In a half hour Patricia came by and then took up a position leaning against my right side. For a second I thought how nice it would be to have Liza as another bookend to keep me upright. I didn't mean erect. Patricia looked like she was going to sleep so I said to her, "Sweetie, go get your jammies on." When she hurried of, Betts turned around and kissed me then ran off too. I had a chance for a pee myself and I put my one pair of pajamas on. I turned off the overhead light but turned on the one at the bedside. The girls were already in the bed and I got them off and then sat as I was before. They all snuggled up. Patricia fell asleep quickly and Betts took a half hour. Bert came by later and looked into the room. I put my finger to my lips and he whispered, "Are they both asleep?" I nodded. "Do you want me to help you get free? You can sleep in their bed." I whispered with the crystal now under my tongue. "I will stay here for a while." "Suit yourself." A moment later Lillian came by but she only smiled at her daughters and me. I was getting tired. The crystals were not taking longer though so I figured I was improving. I spit the crystal out and put it with the other ones in the bedside table. Betts woke up when I got up but went right back to sleep after I got her to lay down. I turned off the light and slipped between the two girls that meant so much to me. My door had not been closed and I woke up to see two parents looking at me. I just looked at them and snuggled back next to Betts while Patricia kept my back warm. I woke up again but this time I was holding Patricia. One of my hands was holding her flat chest. One day she would fill out like her mother. I felt some discomfort and I knew I had to take a pee. Getting out of bed was a problem but the girls both went back to sleep. When I came back I saw the girls holding each other. This was a good time to get up anyway. My mother or actually my old mother had us go to church. Only a few times was I allowed to avoid this. Most of them I was sick or injured. Today I would make breakfast instead. I put on the coffee then made a hot breakfast for three. I put this on two trays and walked upstairs. The trays went on the floor to one side. I pulled back the covers over Betts then licked a finger. This one went into her pajama bottoms while I kissed her. She squirmed and kissed me with a passion. Her arms went around me and pulled me to her. My finger continued to work on her opening and clit. It was only a few minutes until she shook. I slowed down and pulled my hand out. She pulled me closer as it to keep my finger where it was. "Mmmm I like that." "I did to. Now go pee. I made breakfast." She reluctantly got up and then saw the food. "You better wake up Patty too. She'll like that way." I had to wet a finger on the other hand. Once Patricia woke up and knew it was me she headed even faster for her orgasm. When the glow faded I said, "Go pee. I made breakfast." She didn't complain at all and simply did as I asked. She did pause by the food to check it out. I licked a finger on both hands and then made room on the bedside table for both trays. The two parents caught us, three in a bed having our breakfast. Lillian said, "What about mine?" "I made coffee. Maybe you should train your husband the way I was trained." "I like that idea. I think I will start today." Bert just shook his head theatrically and mumbled under his breath. When we went downstairs I saw that breakfast was already over. June looked chipper and I wondered if she had a good time with her boyfriend. Lillian said, "What would you like to do today?" "How about a drive in the country and a picnic?" "That sounds like a good idea. Any particular place?" I thought for a while and said, "North-east I think." "North-east it is." We made a nice lunch and even June was coaxed into coming with us. They had a minivan so there was room for all of us. The back seat was crowded though and the parents chuckled. We went through some towns and stopped to see the events that were going on. It was fun for all of us including June. We had a picnic in the shade of a large tree. Betts was complaining of a sore shoulder. I had never massaged anybody before and there was no better reason to touch my friend. She groaned a bit but then settled down and almost purred. I had to do other sore areas until Patricia complained. Her purr was even louder. June smiled and said, "I have a sore shoulder too. Are you going to treat me too Doctor Kiefer?" "I think I can do that Miss. You will have to come here and put yourself under my capable hands. I do hope you don't go to sleep like my first patient." She was hesitant now. Lillian laughed. "You started it now you have to do it June." June came over and hesitantly laid down. I rubbed her shoulder and actually looked into her body. There was an area that looked like there was less blood flowing. June groaned loudly at my efforts but then the pain must have left. She stayed there a long time without talking. I moved over to the other shoulder and worked on that one to. To finish off I worked down her back like a chiropractor would and tried to remove all the areas that seemed stressed. It was only when I got near her butt that she said, "You are good. I feel great." Betts under her breath said, "That is because you like your butt rubbed." June turned over quickly but instead of an angry retort she said, "I do and I know that you do too." Betts turned a bit red and Bert laughed. The girls and I walked through the park. When we found a wooded ravine, Betts took me down there. "Your turn." "What?" "Lay down on your back. I am going to give you a massage." I did as I was told. Patricia knew what her sister wanted and undid my fly. Betts opened my pants instead and pulled them part way off. The two took turns torturing me until I orgasmed. Patricia sat on my face and Betts did me again. Patricia managed to get off twice. The girls switched places and I didn't mind in the least, though Patricia's mouth was not as large. I tried to clean myself up but I must have missed something because both parents laughed at me. Betts brushed a leaf out of my hair and gave me a kiss on the cheek. The girls had to sleep in their own bed that night. Betts was apprehensive about going to school. I had to assume it was about Wendy. Mrs Watson picked us up once more. She had a big smile and she held her daughter to her. Liza seemed to be happy about this too. Patricia was put in the front while Betts and I had the back seat. After the greetings I said, "You seem to be quite happy Gail. I am glad to see it." "That is good. I have a daughter that I love even more now and her friend that I think the world of. Then there is you and Betty. I don't think I could be happier." We were early but we didn't see Wendy until class started. She looked tired and sad too. I also figured it could be another one of her acts. Mr Ramsey gave me the test with a smile. He waited for the second hand then told us to start. It was an hour test and I had it done in a few minutes. Mr Ramsey had been looking at the clock and asked me if I had checked it over. He didn't have to ask if I was done. I sat at my desk now and worked on the crystal in my mouth. I got too more finished before the test was over. Betts and the guys stayed together during recess. Wendy came over and motioned for Betts and I to come close. We held hands and did this to see what was happening. Wendy looked frightened now. She looked at me and said, "Did Betts talk to you?" "She told me everything." "I hope you are not mad at me. I happen to like girls a bit too." "We knew that for quite a while. We never told anybody either." "How?" "When you and Margrette Ruur go into the washroom in the back of the school." "You caught us... but that is a girls... oh, I see." She looked at Betts, "Did you go Saturday night? What happened?" "I might have but Wally talked some sense into me." Wendy said, "I wonder what is going to happen to me?" I said, "The pictures were taken by a camera in the wall of the room. A lot of photos were taken before you were finished. They had to be printed at your house. Anybody could have done it but only one person could have done it with ease. Tell him for me that I think he is sick and disgusting. Betts is underage and he could be arrested. If he had done anything to Betts, I would do my best to see him castrated." Wendy was shocked. Her mouth hung open and I pulled Betts back to the guys. Chuck said, "What happened?" "Wendy tried to pretend that she didn't know what was happening." Chuck did some thinking then a light bulb must have gone on. "She is the one." After recess we brushed up on history and had the test after lunch. Wendy didn't sit with us. Gail was happy to see us and when we got settled in the car she said, "I was busy all day. I had to be because I felt so naughty. Do you want to go to my house and have some fun?" Everybody looked excited about this but Betts. I asked, "What is wrong Honey?" "It is just my time." "You can still come." "No, you can go. I don't mind." I turned to Gail and said, "Betts is feeling under the weather. I am going to stay with her. I know a young girl that may want to have some fun too." Patricia looked torn. I guess she wanted to have some orgasms and do it with us. Some arrangements were not possible. We split up when we got home. Patricia was encouraged to go with Gail and Liza. When Betts got in the house she kissed me with a lot of love. "You could have gone." "You are too important to me." I got another kiss for this. I got a drink for Betts and one for myself. She was absently rubbing her abdomen. "Tell me how you feel?" "Just a little sore." "Where?" "Here and here," she said as she placed her hand over her abdomen. I looked into her body. I could do this before but had not done so. It was a little icky. Seeing tits and cunt was what I was usually after. I remembered my massage therapy yesterday and said, "Let's go upstairs." "If you want." She was so sweet and giving. I got two thick towels and put them on her bed after I pulled back the covers. "Take off your clothes, Honey." She smiled and did as I asked. I placed her on the bed and then straddled her lower legs. I massaged her legs but she could not open them because my legs blocked them. My message reached further and further. Betts was getting excited but I moved further north. It looked like there was some need of better circulation around her ovaries. I pushed easy and her ardour cooled but she seemed to look much better. In a while she just went to sleep. I covered her up and kissed her cheek. She didn't awake. I got off the bed and talked to Nadac. He had amassed a lot more information about Caputo. I would be surprised if even Caputo knew as much. There was also a lot more to find out. There were still holes in the data. With some crystals in hand I went back into Betts' room and sat near her bed. I had crystals to process and my mouth was a good place for them to be. My speed was going up even with the new varieties I was doing. June came home early and when she walked by she saw us. She came in and said, "Is there something wrong?" "Betts was having some cramps. I gave her a message." "She is one lucky girl. I wish I had a boyfriend like you." "Thanks June. There are a lot of good guys. You just have to find them. Some of them you have to train a bit but that's fun too." Patricia came running in later. She was being her happy carefree self. Her exuberance woke up Betts. Patricia held my head and whispered. I put my hand into Mrs Watson. Liza was laying on her to keep her down." "Did you have fun?" "Ya." "That's all that counts." I mentally added about being safe since our run in at Wendy's house. Somehow I did not see Wendy quite as bad as she appeared. I hoped it was not her looks that was making me think this way. June came by and said to Betts, "Feeling better, sleepyhead?" Betts smiled and said, "Ya, thanks." She got out of bed with no regard to her state of undress and started to put on clothes. June said, "I see you lost your shyness. That may be a good thing," before she left the hallway. I kissed Betts then Patricia. I did a bit of sniffing with the latter and whispered, "You smell of pussy my junior girlfriend. You better clean up." I got another kiss and Patricia started taking off her clothes. School followed the same as Monday. We had a few tests interspersed with some time to study. Wendy stayed away from us and surprisingly from the washroom. After the tests were all done, we just marked time for the rest of the school year by doing fun things and some were outdoors. We had field-day on Thursday while the last of the exams were marked. I did not do well in the physical events but I tried hard. Many others students were not as motivated and did worse than me. The last day of the school year was Friday. We had a small party. With Betts by my side it was easy to talk to the girls and even hug them. The gang must have got their cues from me and did the same thing. They looked happy and probably wished that school was starting now instead of ending. My marks were the highest I ever had. There were some glowing reports from Mr Ramsey. This I took to dad and he hugged me. "You are doing so much better and only in a short time." "I just decided to work harder, Dad. Getting a girlfriend actually helped. A dopey kid doesn't have much of a chance of getting a good job. An educated one has a much better shot at life." "Well you don't have to worry too much for a while. You have an account in the islands. The sale will not start for another month. There was a lot of interest in the coins. People will becoming from all over to bid on them unless they are going to do it by phone or the net. An auction house is going to be doing this. They wanted 15% but I ranted and raved until I got it down to 10. You would not have much left by the time they are sold." "I am not too worried. I will still have enough to start me out. Could you tell me how you started my bank account?" Dad told me the details and then all the other ways of doing this sort of thing. He thought that all this would be kept from a government but he was being naive. I saw the way Caputo got and used his wealth. Anything could be bought. Nadac could milk some of Caputo's ill-gotten gains but not enough. We would have to have a place to put the electronic funds and do it so that it could not be traced back to me. The bulk of Caputo's money was hidden even from us. Cosner Data Processing was one of the ways that money was not traced back. The company was a legal entity that served for extensive data processing for large companies. They also stored data in case the originals were destroyed. They had satellite, cable and phone access to their clients. Nadac's reports said that the head office was here in Toronto and linked with secure landlines to certain businesses. There were branches in other countries and provinces. Nadac could get in and do what was needed but I had to learn I was told so I had to get in and provide a link to Nadac so that he could tap their system. This company was dealing in figures that reached billions. There was around the clock surveillance and a lot of security measures to thwart people like Caputo from raping their system. We had to have thousands if not millions of electronic bank accounts set up ahead of time. If the high estimate were reached then a lot of bells would start to ring if some accounts got extremely large. The inverse was true because alarms would go out when accounts were drained. Caputo had been doing this for a long time. Accounts with a few million or less were much easier to hide. Poor people did not use the island banking system. The Aristis were devious people and their constant warfare had forced them to devise all sorts of offensive and defensive weapons. The net was one and used with a lot of improvements on all civilised worlds. I hoped that when Nadac got hold of the money he could keep it. Humans were good at finding ways of liberating money too. Dad signed the paper to send back to the school that said he had seen the report card. I showed the report to my other parents and they congratulated me just as much. Betts improved too and enough that my agreement kicked in. Patricia was the same way but she was already good at school. Lillian mentioned, "What about your wager?" "I was thinking of Le Papillon it's on Church Street. The food is good and their beef is excellent." "You want to take the girls there? That is kind of pricey." "I can afford this. That is providing Pop doesn't drink the place dry." "That would be four or five hundred dollars. I have never had a meal costing that much." "Will you come?" "You can take the girls and we will pay our own way. I don't know where you got that kind of money but you should save it for things you need." Betts was tickled pink that we were going. She didn't know anything other than I was taking her out. When the parents went out Saturday morning, Betts pulled me into her room. In moments she was naked and kneeling on a towel over an old blanket. She was having her period. "You can use my back door if you don't mind." Betts sounded worried. It may be because of her period and the possible sight of menstrual blood. I was not going to hurt her feelings and I was definitely not going to look a gift horse in the... mouth. I smiled and took off my own clothes. She didn't have to hear the words. There were some towels nearby and a tube of the lubricant that Gail used. I caressed this area of Betts for a long time even before I uncapped the tube. Betts liked something up her butt and I guess I like to be the one putting it in. Betts bent over so her head was on the pillow. She was moaning as my fingers went in and out of her opening. "You are big enough now Betts. Are you ready?" "I was ready years ago. Put it in." I put my free hand on her back with a towel in it. I pulled out and slipped right in. My fingers had stretched her a lot larger than what my cock was. When I was all the way in I said, "How does it feel?" "Perfect, just perfect. Now make me feel good." I cleaned my hand and put the towel to the side. The pace was kept low until Betts said, "Faster Honey." The feeling I received was great. I had to reach over and work Betts' clit and a nipple. I could hold off longer this way. Betts pushed back forcefully. She wanted more action. I could not do all of this for a long time so I concentrated on getting her as close as possible first. It took a while but Betts started to show all the signs I was looking for. I sped up my hips and she started to move faster herself until she froze and buried her mouth into the pillow and screamed her joy. My own followed hers. Betts said with some pauses to catch her breath, "That was great. Do you want to try for another?" "You are a horny woman that is going to wear me out. Since I love you I guess I have to do this. I was thinking of doing some yard work you know." "Sure. Do some ploughing here." "I am pulling out and getting off the bed. You get on your back and pull your legs up. I want to see your beautiful face when I tickle your tonsils." "You wish." I pulled out and stood at the side of the bed. Betts flipped and I was back inside her before she closed up much. I knew that this sort of thing would hot happen after I started shooting. When I was all the way in I bent over and kissed Betts. This time it was not for sex but for love. She kissed me back with passion. I moved within her as she put her legs on my shoulders and held me. Her grunts got more energetic sooner than before. Her hands had to go to my hair to hold me in place as if I had any intentions of going away. To rub her clit I had to sit up and thrust. It took a while for her to release my hair. My other hand was on her chest at her small nipple. The timer finally came. I bent over to muffle the approaching scream but I had to catch her face with my hand first. The scream came seconds later as she squeezed me with a strength she had not used before. My rib cage groaned but my hips pushed forward even faster. When Betts recovered she said, "I suppose you like me bent double with your big cock buried in my butt." "Yes, and in a month it is going to be buried in your pussy too. You are going to be walking bow-legged." "Don't you wish. Us women can take it." I bent over and kissed her then said, "You certainly can my love." We cleaned up and went for a shower. I went downstairs to start dinner and saw Betts parents sitting at the table. We had not heard them come home. Betts was still upstairs. Lillian looked at me seriously and said, "Did you go back on our deal?" "I gave my word and we have kept it. It would be stupid to let one month get me into that sort of trouble." "We heard the bed banging a lot." "There is a lot of things to do that do not risk a pregnancy." "But you were..." the light went on. "She is not hurt is she?" "I love Betts. I am not big and with a lot of preparations there is no pain at all. Perhaps when I get to be an adult that may change but not yet." "So we can expect her to walk funny?" "Possibly but you should ask her. I do not mind talking about me but not others." Bert still looked not quite angry but perhaps it was concerned. He said, "I don't know what to think about you, Wally. I want my daughter happy and safe. You better make sure you meet my expectations." "You allowed your daughter to grow. Sometimes that contradicts safety. I have to keep my head and plot a course that allows both of us to grow but keep both of us from harm." Betts came in now with a big smile until she saw her parents. "What's up?" Before the parents could say anything, I said, "They were just concerned that you were not hurt." "Hurt? How..." She stopped then. She must know now. "Wally didn't hurt me at all. I was the one that... dragged... got him to... to make love to me." Bert said, "We don't want you hurt, Baby. Sex like that can hurt and cause bleeding." "Daddy, I am not a baby. Wally took a long time to get me ready. He fit easy. I like it too. Maybe I will like it in the front better but maybe not. He could have done the other too. I am not going to get pregnant when I have my period but I know he won't do anything until you say it is safe." Bert had to think on this for a while. "If you were not hurt then that is fine. I want you to have a happy life and a child now will not make it happy." "I understand that, Dad. We are being responsible." Patricia came home happy until she saw us then quieted. She was not brave enough to ask questions. That afternoon Betts and I took our bikes to the pool. The guys were going to meet us there. Our moods improved as we had this kind of fun. I thought of the other pool and the traps that were laid. Nadac had gone through the taxation department's computer. Wendy's father Frank was not listed as working for a film company. Caputo only had some shares in some Hollywood studios but they were major companies. Nadac, I think, liked to dig like this. He went after the needs of a company like the one we were looking for and soon we found a link to friends of Caputo. There were records of visits to the sets to repair equipment. There were enough for Nadac to send some of his eyes to these locations. Some were mansions that some of Caputo's friends owned or owned in name while Caputo called the shots. One warehouse was a film studio though. We got out of the pool around three and sat on the grass in the shade. Kids and mothers were all over the place but they never looked at us. I said, "I found a way to hurt both Pallo and Caputo. It means that we break into a building. The movies are made here. "The film is processed on the site and then shipped to another nearby building. Here the information is put onto DVDs for distribution. There are still some legacy units putting out this on VHS tape." Chuck said, "What are you going to do?" "I can defeat the alarms to both buildings. Once in the second building, I plan on doing what they do. Namely I will send out the DVDs to people all over the country. There will be a return address on each. There should be enough irate people to make sure this place is shutdown. Somebody is going to jail for this." Jerry said, "What about the other place?" "That is the key to this but the police have to go in legally. I wanted to cause a small fire but the police may not understand what they are seeing. The best I can do is wait until the cops raid the distribution outlet and then set a fire next door. I have some firecrackers but I don't think they sound like a gunshot. If I do it right then the cops will recognise the place." "Can we help?" ------- Chapter 8 "I was hoping you guys would help. Putting all those labels on is going to take a long time." Betts said, "How are you going to mail them? Put them in a mail box? It will get full pretty soon." "Some may go by post but there already are a lot of Purolator and other courier services. I figure we can put them into some boxes and get the company to just come by and pick them up before the people come to do their jobs in the morning." Betts was nervous. She said, "I want to help. Tell me what to do." "Who else is in?" There were no shirkers. My plan was simple. We would sneak out one week from tonight and ride to the warehouse district. I could see the alarm system as if it were in front of me. Opening a circular security lock had to be mastered as well as regular door and pad locks. There was a safe in the place and it was booby trapped. I wanted to get in there too. The guys had to be very familiar with the area we were going to invade. As far as I knew none of them had a run in with the law. They would be nervous because not only were we trying to hurt the mob but we were doing something that was against the law. We went to Canadian Tire and bought some padlocks and some door locks to practice on. The net had pictures of lock picks. Sam's dad had all sorts of odds and ends and it took a while before we had seven different picks. The rest tried to pick too but I was the only one that could do this. It was easier for me because I could see what was happening in the lock. Like the crystals I got better the more I did this. I picked the locks to two old wrecks and then their ignitions. When this was all done Betts and I had to go home to get ready to go to the restaurant. The guys would pick locks for fun. Jerry's dad owned a wrecking business. Usually he stayed away because his parents were drunks. There were always lots of locks there to play with. They had a safe too and as long as I took nothing he would see if we could practice on it. Lillian said when we came in, "You two better hurry up. We have a reservation." We both said, "Yes Mom," in unison and then laughed at each other. I took my clothes off and ran to the bathroom. Betts came out of her room dressed. She didn't want to go naked now I guess. She did give me the eye and I posed like a body builder. We showered together and came out together to meet June. She didn't say anything but she had to know we were naked together. I dressed in my best duds and made sure I had my wallet and my good counterfeit money. It could not be distinguished from the real article except by the serial numbers. It made quite a lump because it was all in twenties. Most of the money I simply folded up and put in a different pocket. Betts came to me to help her with her jewellery just like her mother got her father to work. Patricia did the same thing. When I finished she said in a whisper, "Do you love me?" "Sure I do Patricia." "You do more for Betts than me." "She is a full fledged girlfriend. You are still at the junior level. You have to wait a few years." "But I want it now." Betts came close and held her sister. "I know what you mean sister. Some things take a long time. You think I am big but I have to wait for a lot more years just to vote." "But I want..." "We will talk later. Ok?" Downstairs we were all inspected then Lillian said, "You have your money Wally?" "Yes Ma'am," I said as I saluted. "Then let's get going." The restaurant was downtown and the traffic was as bad as usual. Bert let us out in front then found that there was a valet to take the car away. Bert was greeted in the restaurant as if he were the king. I hung back to the end of the line with a twenty folded in my hand. There was just enough time to shake the man's hand and say quietly, "I get the bill after and only me." The man looked at Bert and said, "Certainly Sir." My French was not up to reading the menu very well but the English under it was much easier to me. Their beef was supposed to be excellent or so the restaurant guide said. I was happy that my girls did not order burgers and fries. We had already gone over the menu on-line so we could make our choices quickly. The rest at out table were, I think, impressed with our speed. The meal was good. Lillian said, "I like your choice of restaurants. Do you come here often." "I always stop in here when I fly into Toronto." Lillian burst out laughing and the rest of the patrons looked at her. "My daughter sure caught a gem." "Perhaps I have done the catching." When it looked like it was about time to leave, I excused myself and found our waiter. "I would like to pay our bill before my father chooses to do so." The man did the total while I stayed out of sight then paid the bill with 15% tip. It was all done in cash and took up nearly half of my money. Betts got up when I came back and said, "I have to go to the lady's room." Patricia got up quickly to do the same thing. Women always seemed to need help to go to the bathroom. When Bert asked for the check, the waiter did not look at me but said, "Your check has been taken care of already." Bert looked at me and I said, "It was my treat. Don't spoil it for me." "Alright, this time." I slept alone that night even though there was no school. It was not so much being in the same bed with Betts but with Patricia too. Eventually the parents were going to see things the way they really were. We were busy the next week. Jerry was the first to pick a lock besides me and this encouraged the rest. Monday night I sneaked out of the house and went with Jerry to his father's yard. I had to defeat the burglar alarm and the other locks too. This area was dark and there were always people prowling at night. The safe took time. I didn't need light. I just saw the notches inside and stopped where the bar would swing through all of them without hitting the sides. I found that being close was not good enough. When I opened the door, Jerry said, "I don't believe it. You got by the alarm as easy as my dad then you open the safe as if you know the combination. How did you do it?" "Picking locks is a knack. You are getting it too. The alarm is a piece of cake once the door to the box is opened. You just are under a time limit. Your father uses the numbers and I simply bypass the alarm. The safe is by feel. I don't think many people can do this but a few can. Let's go home now. We had our practice." "You could break into banks and get millions." I slipped into my bed but saw Patricia in there ahead of me. She was asleep. I changed in my pajamas and then carried the girl back to her own bed. The next morning Betts came to me. "How did it go?" I was sleepy but after I moved a bit I said, "Great. Everything worked fine." "Good." We bought thin gloves like the doctors used as well as black pants, shirts and shoes. I was the one to pay but the guys got a kick of being on the Mission Impossible team. We went to the warehouse district three times. We studied both buildings and I showed them the interior layout. Twice we took a bus to Bay street. On a side street was Cosner Data Processing. The place looked difficult even to my normal eyesight. This place handled enough money that it would get lots of attention to their alarm system. I had seen all the internal details and the external too but it was good just to look at the building to get a feel for it. The feeling I got was dangerous. Saturday night rolled around. All of us were nervous. Betts' parents saw this and asked what was wrong. They found out nothing except that we didn't want to talk about it. The house was quiet at midnight and we slipped out of our rooms and went downstairs. We went outside this way and to the garage where we changed into our black clothing and then some white reflecting clothes in case we were stopped. We unlocked the bikes. The few tools we needed were in my pack. We walked the bikes a few houses then peddled to a shopping centre to wait for the rest. Chuck apparently could not wait and he was there ahead of us. Ten and fifteen minutes later the other two arrived. They all had clothes that would look normal but we could still get stopped because of our age and the time. Downtown, we waited a few minutes away in an alleyway to catch out breath. The reflective clothing went into a garbage bag and was put behind some bushes. Clear gloves went on our hands. We peddled off trying to act like this was just a night ride for kids. We drove by the building. I looked inside to see if somebody had stayed over. It took a few minutes but I knew that it was now vacant. The guys held my bike out of the lights while I went to the door. I fumbled the job nearly a dozen times before I got it. It was not because it was a complicated lock but because I was too nervous. This time I had the numbers to press. I probably couldn't open the panel in time to deactivate the alarm otherwise. I drew a breath of air and tried to relax. It took a minute but I opened the door quickly and pressed the numbers I had been given. There was no alarm but then again many only sounded at a call station. I went outside and waved. The gang surged forward with Chuck and Jerry handling my bike between them. The bikes all came into the reception room and were stood up on their kickstands. I locked the door behind us and the guys just looked around in amazement. This was our first crime even if it was to fight people like Wendy's father. I turned the lights on. This shocked the guys. "It's ok. There are no windows. They don't want people seeing in here. Betts the computer and the printer. Guys, let's find the disks and keep your gloves on no matter what." We went to the mailing room and turned on more lights. Betts started the machinery she was briefed to learn. There were seventeen different pornographic disks. Nadac said they were all illegal. I was not going to check them first. He could help us a lot more but we both knew we had to do this ourselves. The first disk was going to be mailed to the Prime Minster of Canada. He and the other politicians may get an erection but had to do something about this. Currier bags were stuffed with disks and a sheet that was printed from a floppy disk. Nadac had set up a website in Russia. It would be closed soon and he made provisions for others to take its place. There was a password to get in and only those people we were sending the packages too would get in. I tinkered with the computer to officially say that I tapped the machine for Nadac. He had already done so but I needed the practice. "I am going to the back room now." Betts looked scared and so did the rest but they said nothing. This room had its own secure lock and another alarm system. I picked the lock and punched in the number then went out and tried it again with my pick. I would not have been fast enough. There was a large safe built into the floor. I had to use my back to move the desk then pick up a rug and then slide out a piece of granite that looked decorative. There was a tool for removing this in the closet luckily. The safe opened easily. I was not so nervous now. I had to get down and really dig. There were large ledgers and a lot of small notebooks. There were a lot of CDs and DVDs of people that were caught doing something then blackmailed. Most of the time they were blackmailed into doing something very illegal. Another ledger actually had confessions of some of those that were trapped to further incriminate them. Another book had a list of all the children that were caught. It was possible though unlikely that Betts would be in here. The notes were about what was on the disks. There was a lot of other valuables in the safe. Some were stacks of credit cards, ID cards, Driver's Licences for many provinces, states and even countries. There was more cash here than I had ever seen before. Luckily it was already in bags. Four of the seven bags had counterfeit currency and this I left. There was an Uzi with two extra clips. A box with gemstones. A heavy cloth sack with a plastic sac inside. This inner sack containing smaller packets of cocaine. I speed read some of the notes about blackmail and then put them to one side. They would have to go with us. The safe was put back in order but with a lot of articles left out. The room was straightened up and both the Uzi and the cocaine were left on the desk. I got my pack and filled it to capacity with what had to go. I left the door open and the alarm deactivated. There was a broom in the hall closet and I went over the floor to hide my footprints. I would not care if I had size 12s. The guys were busy and I pitched in to help. Canvas sacks were used to hold a large number of individual disks. Usually strong double walled cardboard boxes were used to ship thousands at a time. Jerry said, "Did you get in?" "Sure did." "What did you find?" "Our agreement Jerry!" "Ya, I know. I was just curious." I got everything in the safe that I chose to take. They thought it was all blackmail information and it was but I had the cash too. The police could see the stolen goods and return them. The guys would get some money to but if they got too much or too fast they there would be questions asked. It was almost four when we were done. I looked through the door and saw that nobody was around. There was a locked courier box and our work for the night was put into this for pick up. The key for the box was in one of the desks. I swept up all my tracks and then did the same for the rest. Even the toilet seat and handle was cleaned. To screw-up now was to court death. I cleaned up to the reception area and our bikes then the bikes went out. I worked backwards now removing tire marks or even mud that could have come from a bike tire. I left the broom just inside the door and locked the door one last time. There was very little traffic at this time Sunday morning. I was always looking for trouble. We just missed a car for the security service that covered this area. It was legit but owned by one of Caputo's flunkies. We made it to the place where we stashed our other clothes. We changed quickly and nobody stared at Betts. They were still too worried. Our black pants and shirts only went as far as a dumpster. The safest thing to do would be to wait until traffic picked up but none of us were supposed to be out. We peddled to a church with a chain link fence. Our bikes were chained together and to the fence poles. We hid in the shadows until the right bus came by. I sat in a seat with Betts and my full pack was in the aisle. "That was some party." Betts got the idea and said, "We should have slept there too." The guys tried to act but they were so bad it was better for them to be quiet. Sam was so nervous though that he could not shut up. We had to get off at a plaza or Sam would start to tell the driver what we actually did. Once off, Chuck turned to Sam and punched him in the face. "What the fuck do you think you are doing?" Sam was crying now like a baby. He was just not suited for this. It took ten minutes for Sam to quiet down. Chuck was still angry enough to beat the shit out of his friend. Betts lead the way and we crossed the street. At a public payphone we called for a taxi and one came in ten minutes. I paid for the ride and gave money to the others in case they needed it. I said, "We can talk later. Not too early, I need my sleep." Betts and I changed back into our pajamas and went back into the house. This time I kept my pack close. I gave Betts a kiss and sent her off to bed then I did too. There was nothing more to do. Nadac would make phone calls and arrange matters over the phone. I just had to see how I could put people's lives back together. I got up at eleven with the alarm. A few minutes I got Betts up and we had a shower. When we got dressed and came down I saw Bert and Lillian sitting at the table. They didn't say anything when I said good morning. Bert said, "Where were you last night?" Oh shit, I had never considered this. I was thinking furiously but nothing was coming. "I am waiting young man." "I am sorry Sir, but I took Betts out. We layed down in the park and talked about our future. We did not even... do anything." "You were gone all night." "One night is hardly time enough. A lifetime may not be enough." "I see that I am going to have to set some limits on you. It is one thing to have my daughter as... a girlfriend but you take her out into the night. Anything could happen to her. That to me shows that you are irresponsible." "I try to act as grown up as possible. I also do my best to protect your daughter." "When you two go out of the house in the future, you will tell us where you are going and when you will come back." "That is suitable, Sir." Betts cried now but it may have been in relief. I was going to refuse to answer them but this would hurt all of us more than a lie. I did not like to lie to these people. Lillian gave us some breakfast but we talked very little. Betts and I went to my room. I lifted weights and she read a book but I don't think she turned any pages. "Hello Nadac. Did the courier service take the parcels?" "They did at 8:47 this morning. The parcels will be delivered tomorrow but some will be today. The Attorney General of your province will get his package within an hour. The additional articles found in the safe were listed. Some references I found already in the police files." "Do you have a revised estimate to when the police will raid the building?" "Nothing important has changed. It should be between two and three hours after midday." "Thanks Nadac. I just needed some reassurance. I had to lie to Bert and Lillian. I don't like to do that." "The Aristis lie when it suits them too. They do make it more believable." "It is not the quality of lying but the fact that I have done it." "I understand this." Nadac had to be telling me something and I could not read between the lines. It could be anything and I was too sleepy to think about it. I went back altering crystals as I lifted weights and wondered how my life had got so complicated. The website was starting to get hits. News must have spread. There were many more hits than disks we sent out. Many of the disks were already in transit too. The guys started to phone and I invited them over to have a pizza. We had to go back downtown on the bus to get our bikes anyway. When the guys got here, I mentioned to Lillian that we were going out on the porch. "That's fine Wally." The porch was not a good place to talk. We kept our voices down and stayed close together. Chuck asked, "Did you hear anything?" "I think a task force of city police, the Ontario Provincial police and the RCMP are forming now. We have to get our bikes. Let's order the pizza later and get our bikes now. We might just go by the warehouse district but not too close." Betts said, "What about our... restrictions?" The guys looked at me. I guess I had to explain. "Our operation had another problem I had not seen. Betts' parents found us missing last night. Today they asked. We can't leave the house now without telling them of where we are going and when we are coming back." Jerry said, "That is a real bummer. We're twelve not two." "A lot of twelve year-olds are not very responsible." "Neither are adults. Look at my parents. They drink all the time." Sam was nursing his lip a few times already and I asked, "How are your injuries?" "They hurt like hell." "Sam, you do not know what that means. Your injuries hurt you. I told you guys many times that we have to think like a military unit not some preschoolers. You had a form of post combat stress. You will grow out of it or control it yourself if there is more to do." "More! We hit them pretty hard." "We hit the hand that made... that stuff. There are a lot more hands. You helped Betts and me as friends. There are not that many people that will risk their lives to help somebody else." Chuck asked, "Since we got away, will you tell me what you found?" "You are not supposed to ask. One day I will tell you. I smiled at them now and added, "The news will have a lot of interesting information." I got a smile back and they seemed to relax. Betts and the guys hurried to the school. I was going to call a taxi instead of the much slower bus. They would get picked up at this neutral location. They had orders to pick up more of our uniforms on the way back. This should keep them occupied with something they would find more mundane. I had Nadac do the call for me. Lillian came from the laundry room and said to me, "Hi Wally. I just wanted to say I am sorry for what we had to do to you and Betts." "You have the right to do that and in your eyes you have the reasons. When we are older that you will see that we will still be acting rationally and working with our emotions. It is a balancing act to be young. Our glands want us together but our minds fight hard to suppress our glands while still doing something that we both want." "I understand Wally. I was young too. I don't understand it though. You are both more outgoing like an old married couple but still suffering like the young people you are." "That is because Betts is so smart." "I think you both are smart. Just don't think that you are always going to be smart enough. Life has a way of knocking us down every once in a while." The guys were not soon enough to see the raid but they did see a ring of police cars that grew and grew. Not all were the same colour either. Nadac provided me with a better view inside the building. Some men were in white suits and photographing anything and everything. The Uzi and the now open bag of cocaine got a lot of attention. It was a half hour later that the desk was moved but only after the prints from under the desk top were collected. The steel rod and even the granite were dusted just in case. The combination to the safe was on the net and a lot of important people were nearby to witness the opening. The safe was dusted then opened. The contents were then photographed and the contents removed one piece at a time and put into tagged bags. The empty safe was then checked for prints. The rest of the building had a lot of activity too. The computers had the isos of the present and past sessions of kiddy porn. The most important was a list of those that purchased the bulk disks. Nadac had amassed this information from many sources and conveniently provided the file for the police. Another file listed the address of the nearby building, thus establishing a valid link to obtain a search warrant. This building had information that would incriminate a lot of blackmailed starlets. This had to be provided so they could get the help they needed. Another small safe had the records and a small amount of cocaine to keep the regulars coming back. The forced addiction of children and their parents featured prominently on the web page. A locksmith would have to open this and somebody else deal with the burglar alarms. Trucks came to take away the evidence but the guys got home first. I went onto the porch and Chuck excitedly said, "You should have seen it. There were more cops than I ever saw before. I wish I had binoculars to see them. I thought they would just start taking everything out and go in a few hours but they stayed as if they found something very important." Sam said through his damaged lip, "The security cars were all there too. I am sure that G... that guy knows what happened and is shaking in his boots." "Shhhh, not so loud." I had not explained this to them before. It was time for it to be faced. "He may be shaking in fear but he did not get to where he was by hiding in a closet. He is angry as hell. He is going to think that some of his people ratted out on him. He is also worried that a lot of people will talk and implicate him. He liked to fuck kids so they know at least his face." "What's he going to do?" I said nothing and let them come up with their own answer. Betts said, "What is going to happen to Wendy's father?" "He looks to be very rich but he is not that high in the organisation. He will most likely be arrested. He will claim to be innocent. There should be enough evidence to put him into jail. He can run too but then someone will find him and he will die. Another possibility is that he kills himself now or somebody does it for him. He can't talk then. It all depends on how trustworthy the guy is seen to be." Sam said, "I didn't think people would get killed." "I said all along that we could get killed. Think of all the kids that had their lives ruined. We put a stop to it and stopped these guys from trapping more young people. If a few bad guys die, it is still a good price to save the rest." "What is going to happen to the kids... the ones on the DVDs. Some we know." Chuck hit Sam in the arm now and Sam hung his head." "So you guys took some samples?" They didn't answer. That shit is really illegal. If somebody finds it then it may tie us to what happened. Saving even one can kill all of us. Is it really worth it to watch that sort of thing?" Sam looked down and shook his head. "You guys, gather up the disks. I want all of you there to see them destroyed. If you want some smut then we can buy some legal stuff." They didn't look happy. "As for the stars to those movies, well I do not know. They may get threatened to remain quiet but they are still a weak link. I don't know how desperate Caputo is or will be. Once I do then we can guess what he will do." The guys went home after they ate their fill of pizza. We had got back to being just kids. The television was turned on and we watched sports. Betts stayed with us as a sign of solidarity though she did like baseball. Later, I slipped out and used a taxi to get near the church we had stashed the bikes at. My bike was not expensive and that may have been a reason it was still there. I peddled home instead of going to the warehouses. I had a better picture in my mind anyway. When I passed a camera store I stopped and went in. This was an upscale establishment and I looked through their supply of binoculars. Nadac fed me information about optics and I looked for a good pair. Infrared looked good but had little magnification. The ones with the largest lenses gathered the most light and were clearer. They were also heavier. The magnification power was important but it was hard to find something if you were able to see the nose hairs on a guy. A zoom action was the best. You could see a wide field and then move in. The higher the magnification the more a small shake in the hands was noticed. There were some new models out with image stabilisation that was in some high end cameras. Nobody came over to help me so I just turned to go. I had enough to buy at least the infrared unit they had but now they would not get my business. On the way home I searched on the net in my mind for a mail order company that could supply what I wanted. My army of four needed some equipment even though I did not need as much. It would make them feel more like an army if they trained together too. Something was nagging at me and I pulled over to the side of the street and tried to fish it out the information. It was not like before when Nadac tried to hide data from me. This is what my mind was hiding from me. It had to do with friends. It was when I put in the fact that I may not be here, as in on earth, that I got onto the right track. I was going to leave one day. I wanted a family and this may mean Betts. She may not be the right person though. I wanted friends with me and this meant the guys along with Betts. I didn't want to go to some world with only some aliens around even if they were like us. I had a flash of one of the Tomma women getting hold of Sam. They were aggressive and almost exactly opposite to the Aristis women. They could take Sam and make him do what they wanted. He would be like a pet to them unless he got toughened up and toughened up a lot. That was something we all could use and it would draw us together the way a uniform would. The trip home was spent forming my army or as they liked to be called my 'Mission Impossible Team'. The game had not ended by the time I got home. I sat with them for a while and in a quiet period I said, "We have to train more." Betts said, "Doing what?" "I think we should take judo." She and the guys looked at me. I could see that they thought this an odd thing to say. "I am ordering some equipment that a military would love to get. Chuck mentioned binoculars today. I want a pair for lowlight and infrared. Another pair can be used in the daytime. This has to have zoom and image stabilisation. "There had to be more to training than some clothes and a few pair of binoculars. There had to be exercising and that meant people to train us." With Nadac's help, I was sure I could find the right people. "If we act as a unit then we have to train together. Funds will be made available for a group lessons. That means it is tailored to our needs. I want all of you to go together. If you have ever heard of boot camp being hell then you will hate me for the torture I am going to have all of us put through." Jerry said, "You can pay for that?" "Sure. You get paid too. It will not be much." "How much?" "I figure $500 a week during your time in hell. $300 after you emerge from hell. This should take all summer." Jerry did some quick calculations on his fingers and said, "That could be almost five and a half thousand and that's for each of us. Where did you get all that money?" "My father is taking care of my account. I found some coins and I am going to live off the proceeds. And before you ask where and how much I will only say that I am going to help you go through university if you stay with me. Your education will be beyond your wildest dreams." Sam said, "I can sure use the money. I want a new bike and some clothes." "Sam, this money comes out of my pocket so there's no tax." I saw that they had not thought of this. "If you exercise you will grow. If you start flashing money around then your parents will wonder and so might some other people." I let them think on this. "If you want, I will set up an off-shore account. I will pay that account and give you some pocket money. You have control over everything but it takes time to draw the money. The stupid articles that we impulsively want may not be as interesting if you have time to think on it." I took out my wallet and handed each of the guys, including Betts, five twenties each. "This is a partial payment for the training we already did. I think I will set up a company to hire all of you. Your parents will know you have a job and not bother you too much. Now what questions do you have?" Chuck talked first. It was hard for him to look up from his money. "What are we training for? More of the same?" "Yes. I huffed and puffed riding the bike. We need to get in better shape. We are all bothered by bullies and me most of all. They don't bother me too much now because I got Morton and his guys. I got beat up pretty bad during that fight. I need to take them without me being turned into a smear on the asphalt." "So we spend all day exercising. That will kill all of us." "Part of the day. You have to swim and that means the pool. You need to know alarms and even weapons. We need better communications. I am sorry but all of us have to go back to a special school that teaches us how to stay alive." "Who is going to teach us that? You don't know that." "You're right. There are a lot of military people that would train us if they are paid." "Like real soldiers?" "Yes, real soldiers and not like the Militia, Air Cadets or Sea Cadets." "You can do that?" "I am pretty sure. We can start today by going swimming and then exercising. We go on the net and learn about weapons and I teach you about electricity and alarms. Tomorrow I make some calls to find the people we need." There was more talk but Patricia came in and sat near us. With her was Liza who was trying to be noticed by me. "Hi Liza, Patricia. You guys have fun?" Both girls smiled and wiggled. I know the fun they had. Liza nodded her head like a little girl and Patricia said, "We did. Mrs Watson made us a nice meal and took us swimming. She wanted to know if you guys would go over and help her. She said to tell you that she has a problem." I could guess the problem and from the look on Betts' face, she did too. I went inside and asked Lillian, "I would like to go to the municipal pool with Betts and the guys. Is that ok?" "Sure. Ask your friends if they want to have a barbeque with us at six?" "It is a foolish question to ask them but I will." I turned around, "You guys want to go swimming and then come back here and be forced to eat barbequed food?" There was a lot of eager responses. "Call your parents and tell them where you are. I find that they get angry at times even if you are innocent." Lillian gave me a look again as if trying to get me classified. Liza and Patricia wanted to go too and I decided that this was also a good cover. They even had bikes. I went upstairs to get my trunks. I was getting low on funds and opened a bag in my pack. Most of the money was hundreds but I saw some fifties and took eight of them to replace what I had just give out. I knocked next door and Gail invited all of us into her house. I said, "We are going to ride our bikes to the pool. The girls were already swimming today but want to go again. Is it alright if Liza goes with us? There is a barbeque at six for us." Gail was looking at the guys and me with a hunger that a barbeque would not fill. "Sure she can go. Just make sure they stay out of the sun and wear the sunscreen." "I'll do that Mrs Watson." The two girls used this as an excuse to hug me and the guys chuckled while Betts rolled her eyes. We biked to Sam's house. It looked a little rundown because not enough time was spent on painting and yard work. Sam came running out of the house with his old cutoffs. I said to him, "Soldier, tomorrow we all go to the sporting goods shop and get some Speedos for all of us. Let the ladies see what you have to give." "Last time, that got me in trouble." "You were a cute kid then. You're a young man now. We all have our eyes open too." Jerry's house was next. He had an even worse kept property. The money from the scrap yard went into drink. Chuck's home was much better. His dad had died three years ago. His mother moved in with her sister and her husband. She brought Chuck's older brother and younger sister. There was a girl Chuck's age that was his cousin. The adults were always together and I began to see what the social dynamics of the family may be like. Uncle Dave must be keeping both women happy while all three brought in a pay cheque. The three parents I guess tied to be help Chuck and sometimes they were over protective. We swam for exercise. Since we were now in the military, one of us was always watching out for threats and the safety of our group. Sam was the first to get tired and he did this. Soon Betts took his place. I was the best swimmer but I was glad when my turn came. The two girls played with each other and could not understand our fixation on doing laps in the pool. I put lotion on the girls but didn't let it become an erotic act and overcome my duty. Chuck's sister was there too and I was put lotion on her. I only just knew the girl. She was just copying what she saw my girls do. There were some very tired people that had to peddle to my new home. I think they would just want to go to sleep. The smell of meat though got them to at least sit up. Bert was in his chef outfit. A tall funny hat and an apron. The guys ate like swine but then again so did the girls. We disappeared into the house at seven to watch the television news. There was important news of the raid. A large amount of cocaine was found as well as the break up of a well established kiddy porn ring. Some arrests were made and more were promised. No mention of Caputo's name was given. We hurried outside without talking. It was out of character for kids to watch the news unless they had something to do with it. The guys went home later but by then they had rested up. I took Liza home even though she was next door. Gail was watching television and shut it off when I came in. In just seconds she had me in her arms and was kissing me. "I am glad you came over Wally. I have this itch that only you seem to be able to scratch." "Thanks Gail but I work with Betts' knowledge and consent. It keeps our relationship stable." "Even if we are quick?" "It is not quick, it is being together." Her face showed her disappointment. I said, "I saw you looking at my friends. Would you like to teach them, one at a time, about the birds and the bees?" "Do you mean what I think you mean?" "Yes I do. Let's sit down and we can talk." I began, "The military life has a lot of good features to it. Some boys have little structure in their lives. They get an education in school but never learn to hold a fork right. They dress like slobs because they do not know what matches and what does not. They wash once in a while if they think they need it." Gail said, "That sounds like the job of a mother or a parent." "I have got the guys to join my army. I am going to get them classes in Judo and other subjects. They need to be taught not to pick their noses in public and how to be polite to every age group." "Do you want me to help?" "Yes. You run a business from your home. Your time is worth money. I want you to be an instructor for me and teach them to act like gentlemen. An academy has the same sort of training. The young men would eventually become officers and a credit to their country. I will offer you $1000 per recruit. They have to be able to dance with you, eat a fancy meal with you. Pull out your chair when you sit and be able to carry on an intelligent conversation too." "You have that kind of money, Wally? I didn't think your family was that rich." "Look at it like an inheritance that I have control over." "I like the ideas of training those young men. I don't want the money but what about training them about sex?" "That has to be trained too. I am not going to pay for this but you can use this time with them to encourage them to do better in your other classes." "I really like that idea but they will talk." "They are in my unit. They may talk in our group but not outside it. Do you want the job?" We talked for almost an hour. A course of study was layed out. Some of the ideas Gail brought up I didn't know about. Going to a fancy restaurant for one of the final exams was agreeable and I would pay for this too. Betts looked at me when I came home. I was sure she figured I had some of Gail and Liza while I was over there. She came upstairs with me and I told her what I had done. A smile grew as she deduced that I had done nothing behind her back. I went over to instructor mode and started to teach Betts more about alarms. They already knew a lot but there was much more to learn. We went on the net but a course in beating alarms was not given for obvious reasons. "Hi Nadac. Can you set up another website and upload information about alarms in general and what we are going to find in the rest of Caputo's businesses?" "That is easy. I could just install it on your mate's machine." "If you put it on the net then the guys can use the information too. This has the benefit of you talking to each of them. They can think it is an expensive course that has a live tutor. That keeps me from having to involve a lot of other people." "This is possible if they have to log in." "Let's do it then." There was a longer pause then he said, "It is done." "Already?" "Why not. The cybernetic device I inhabit is poor by my standards but exceptional by yours." "Would you set up four more bank accounts in the islands? One for each of them." "How much money do you want in each of them?" "Ah... I have the money here not there." "There are a lot of criminals that have place a portion of their wealth in such banks. I have just put a small sum in a new account for you. You can log in and move the funds as you wish. They will see you do this. They too can access their accounts from their own computers." "That sounds like a good plan." "Do you wish to phone your friends now and inform them of the training course?" "Sure. Let's see the site first." I said to Betts, "I found this site a long time ago. I learned everything about alarms here. I want you to take the course." She waited for more information. I turned her commuter on eventually fired up the browser FireFox. When I typed in the URL, I found a site that looked quite professional. Nadac told me what to do when I got on. When I was logged on I opened an account for Betts. The form then asked for payment. From a drop down menu I chose a bank in Trinidad. The program took me to the bank directly and I logged in there and transferred money to Nadac from this account. A slider bar appeared and in a few seconds it said that payment was received. Betts was given a temporary password and Nadac came on with a sexy female voice. I was really amazed and said so but through my link. Nadac was a nice person. Betts talked into her microphone. I would have to get a better set with a boom mic tomorrow. Nadac or Nancy now, talked girl-talk with Betts and asked general questions. They talked about me as if I was not here. She or he was doing a good job of breaking the ice. Soon Nancy was going over what I had taught before. I gave Betts a kiss and left. I went through my pack now. The sack of money was thrown in the back of the closet and I went through the printed material. I had no computer to play the DVDs anyway. The notes were directly slanted to put the blackmailed person in the worst light. The names I kept running across were familiar in politics. If I had not had a good memory now I would not have known anybody. I came across Frank Pallo. He liked young girls best but boys if none of the other were available. There was blackmail evidence but a note said that Frank was not made aware of its existence. This said he was a willing participant. One of the worst acts he did was set up his daughter so she would have to be one of Caputo's girls. A file on Wendy was found. It listed some films to her credit plus the frequent health exams. The files had not been updated recently which led me to believe that there may be more of these stashes of evidence around. I had been foolish too. I had unprotected sex. Gail may not be healthy and Betts may have been infected by Heather or Wendy. "Hi Nadac, can you talk?" "My capacity is far from being taxed." "What can I do to protect my friends against communicable disease?" "The best way is for me to treat them either here or in your city. Drugs can treat the diseases after the fact but by then the disease could spread to others before it is treated." "How long does it take?" "Four centis usually." Twenty nine minutes was not bad. "Can you do this if they are asleep?" "It is actually better that way." "I would like to have Gail and I guess all of the Huggins checked for health problems. They are all getting to be important to me." "I will do that with a remote unit." "On another topic, the notes say that Doctor Hathaway treated Wendy. Let's check if he treated all of the girls in this ring." "Very good Wally. He has and his name was added to the site with an addendum that he was also a customer." "Not good for his business I guess?" "He will bargain with the Crown for his freedom." That about answered all my questions. "Thanks Nadac. You are making this mission possible." I went back to the notes. Soon Patricia came into the room. "Wat'ch' doin'?" "Studying." "Will you rub some lotion on my back?" "Go in your room then." "We can do it here." "We can go downstairs and do it in the living room too." She just hurried to her room. Betts was enthralled by her tutor's voice and just looked at me then back at her screen. Patricia gave me the lotion and I told her to get a towel. Patricia got out of her clothes unasked and layed on her back to one side of the bed so I could stand. She picked up her legs to her chest and said, "You can start here first if you want." Her small pussy was spread much more than a little girl's would normally. Gail and Liza must have been keeping it opened a lot. I pulled a leg down instead and began to massage some oil into her skin. In a few minutes she was moaning because I was near the juncture of her legs. As a torture I went back to the other foot and started again. When I got to her mound I just gave it a little attention and then massaged her small abdomen. I could actually see her abdomen swell with my child and I wondered if this was another precognition or my subconscious making its wish known. She was beautiful but still young. I moved so that I could see Betts' computer screen as I worked on Patricia's chest. She offered me her flat chest and perhaps anything she had to offer. She made little moans or gasps when I pinched her nips. The tread of feet on the steps brought us around quickly. Patricia turned over on her chest. June stopped in the hallway and looked in the door. I had just enough thought to slap Patricia's cheek and say, "Stop wiggling or I won't put any more on." Betts came to my aid. "She's ticklish." June stepped into the room. She looked at me and said, "Patricia doesn't seem to mind being naked with you." "She is safe and she knows it. She also has the habit of wrapping people around her fingers. Her mother or father may do this but I doubt if she will ask them." "My skin is dry too. Will you rub some oil into it?" "Sure, let me finish this one first." I rubbed some oil on Patricia's foot again and she wiggled it but that was all. I worked up her leg but went faster now that I had a spectator. When I got to her bum I wondered for just a few seconds then massaged it just like any other muscle group. When I pushed, the skin tightened in Patricia's pussy and in time she started to groan once more. That was my cue to move on. Patricia's waist was done and then I spent a long time on her spine. It was not an erogenous area I thought but it was for Patricia. I moved to her neck and moved the hair to one side then the other. Finally I did her arms. The hands seemed to have a similar effect as her spine did. I bent over Patricia's ear and whispered, "Time to move Sweetie." "Hmmmmm, I love it here." I got up and fetched another towel. This I spread on the other side of the bed and still beside Patricia. I looked at June and said, "Your turn unless you want to chicken out. Your baby sister was man enough to take the abuse I heaped on her." June looked trapped. In a moment she said, "You didn't do her front." "I already did that. She likes that part first." I waited and finally June said, "I just need my legs done. I am on my feet all day long." "Your wish is my command." June lay on her stomach and pulled up the front of her dress a bit. Betts had logged off and turned around to watch. Her breathing told me that she was excited like I was. I took more oil and started at one ankle then worked down to her foot. June was ticklish but I did not hold her foot lightly. My firm movements seemed to help. Her foot took at least ten minutes before I switched to the other. There was no sign of her being ticklish now. When the ankle was done I moved up to the calves. There was some taut muscle fibres and I used my fingers to forcefully get them to relax. June was groaning with pleasure then with pain and then again with pleasure depending on how much I had to manipulate her muscles. I did her other calf to more calls of pain or perhaps pleasure. This time I worked upward to her thighs. I pulled up her dress to expose as much of her legs as possible. When I got to her butt I saw it flexing as if she were fucking. When I pulled her thigh up a bit I was able to slide the dress she had trapped between her body and the bed up a little higher. The next thigh had her flexing even more and I took a chance. I reached for the sides of her panties and pulled down. Her movements allowed me to move them. I went back to her thighs and worked the muscles and the panties down her legs. All the time I could smell an aroused woman and it was not just Betts. It took ten minutes to get her panties off and I then went back to her upper thighs. Her legs spread as I worked then until they were quite wide. I started on her butt and pulled the skin to move her clit. I stayed here working methodically until a shiver ran through her body and then disappeared. Betts smiled at me. She had her hand in her pants and rubbing her own clit. Patricia had just turned over and brought her knees up so she could do herself easier. June's butt started to move once more to my movements. I parted her cheeks and worked the flesh toward and away from her asshole. Her butt was up all the time now as if an invitation to take her. Betts came close to me to see and she said, "Put something into her. She wants it." "Not this time Honey. Let her just have a good time without a worry." "You are such a suck sometimes. Girls like sex too." "Yes, Honey, but she asked for a massage. Maybe later." My hands massaged her a bit more and I pushed her skin more forcefully and her next orgasm was stronger than her last. I closed her legs and pulled the back of her dress back into place. I went to June's other end after I cleaned my hands and just worked her shoulder and arms. The panties were thrown in the hamper by Patricia and we almost looked innocent when Lillian came by an hour later. Patricia thankfully had pajamas on. "Well Mr Kiefer, first I see you with one of my daughters then two now three. What next?" I didn't think she was angry so I said, "Why you of course." Betts and Patricia broke up laughing so hard that this woke June up. She looked at her mother and felt her butt and knew she was covered. June asked, "What are you guys laughing at?" Betts said, "Mom saw all three of us here and wondered what was next. This man here said he was waiting for Mom. Isn't that a gas?" "Well he does give a good massage. You should try it sometime." This brought more gales of laughter from Betts and Patricia. That night I finished the last of the crystals. I had to do just a bit of tinkering with the first ones to bring some up to the same standards as the last ones I processed. I dumped the money on the bed and sorted through it until I found some twenties. There was only one bundle. The rest went back into the sack. The next morning June would not look at me before she hurried off to work. I guess she was frustrated recently and took the massage as half of a dare. The rest of the inducement came from within her. ------- Chapter 9 I phoned each of the guys and told them to stay put. I was going to visit each of them. I knocked on Sam's door. His older sister Melody came to open the door. She saw who it was and just turned her head and yelled, "Sam, for you." Sam hurried to me and we walked to his room. "Hi Wally." "Hi Sam. Show me your computer please." When we walked down the hall, we saw his younger brother Curtis already playing computer games in his room. When we got to Sam's room he said, "What did you want?" The computer was already on and I fired up Internet Explorer because he didn't have anything else. I logged onto the bank in Trinidad. This was no simulation this time and perhaps not the last time either. I transferred twenty three thousand American dollars to the account Nadac kept. I had proceeded slowly so Sam could see what I was doing. He saw the sum being moved or at least saw the figure. A note on the transaction listed the school Nadac was supposed to run. I listed Sam Lockhart as the person taking the course. A page came up stating the transaction was complete and asked if there was more. I got out of the program without printing a receipt. Sam said, "What did you just do?" "I enrolled you in a special electronic school." "Did you just pay $23,000 dollars in US money?" "Sure. Education does not come cheap. Now watch what I do now." I logged onto the school page and logged in under my name and then filled out a form for Sam. I gave some data that I knew and checked that the funds had already been paid. A moment later a new incarnation of Nadac came forward. His name was Sam too. I introduced the two and let them go at it. I didn't even say bye when I left. Jerry was next. He came to the door to get me and one slightly older brother was in the kitchen. He had two more but they did not live at home. I did the same with Jerry as I did with Sam. Once introductions were made, I left. Chuck got me at the door too. He had an older brother that was working. A younger sister that was at home and a girl cousin his age that was the daughter of his aunt and uncle. Chuck had been playing a game and got out of it when I went to his room. He asked the same questions as the rest, and like the rest I asked him to watch and learn. I went home then. The guys were going to be occupied for quite a while. Nadac acted... well alien to me but he acted very human to the guys. Well the guys and Betts. Nadac had a present for me too. A larger supply of crystals. They came in a sphere about a metre in diameter. I threw in the money, the disks and all the paperwork I took from the warehouse after I removed the crystals. All I had left was some of the cash. I fired up Bert's computer downstairs and looked at what Nadac found in the line of binoculars. I picked one of each and let Nadac handle the paperwork and the transaction. The military site had good watches and a few other things that would show that we were in some type of military organisation even if it were our own. From another site I ordered mountain climbing equipment. There were very few mountain ranges within Greater Toronto but there were some tall buildings. Caputo's data processing facility would be a difficult building to enter. So far the only way I saw was to hit it from the roof. The roof was eight stories up. On a different kind of search, Nadac phoned the local dojos to find if they would give private lessons to a group of five. Money would get anything we wanted but Nadac and I wanted quality. People were not always available when you wanted them to be. I started processing crystals when Betts came down. "Wally, did you show the guys this site?" "I just signed all of them in. They're learning from their own tutor." "I can see now how you did some things." She looked at the computer screen and asked, "What are you looking for?" "A martial arts teacher." "Any luck?" "I can't get hold of some of them. I want somebody sympathetic to what I want, and mean to us personally so that we do what is necessary." Actually Nadac was taking care of this. I was just looking. "Any more news... just news?" "I haven't looked but I doubt that anything happens this fast." There was a tiny knock at the front door. Betts let in Liza and gave her a kiss. "Hi Liza. Patty's upstairs." "Thanks but... I was wondering if you guys would play with me too. I forgot. Is anybody else home. Mommy says I do not think about things enough before I talk." "They are all at work." "Good. Mommy says that she's sore and has work to do." Betts asked, "That sounds like fun. What did you do to make your mom sore?" "I only used my hand. We did this lots of time since Wally showed me. Mommy likes it a lot." Patricia came running down the stairs and ran to her friend and hugged her. "Do they want to play?" "I just asked them." The girls turned to me not to Betts. I said, "You two go upstairs and have some fun. In a while Betts and I are going shopping. I guess we will take you two with us." Liza said, "What are you going to buy?" "I need a new computer. We need some headsets and networking supplies. I am going to buy some clothes and bathing suits. We then go to get some groceries and we bring home some steaks for our next barbecue." "Do I get a bathing suit too?" "I'll ask your mother first. If she says it is ok they we'll get one." Patricia said, "Me too?" "Yes the same goes for you." I wanted to call the guys. I was never given a cell phone. My link with Nadac was much better anyway. I only wanted one because I could use it to make calls that had to be made in front of my friends. The same was true of a computer. I may not buy one today though. I could find what was good and Nadac could have it delivered to the house. Betts ran next door to check and I called to her, "You be back here in ten minutes or less with or without a smile on your face." "You are cruel but I love you anyway." I made the calls and asked the guys to bike over. We would go into town in a minivan taxi. Nadac and I plotted out the places to go so we could get the best use of the taxi and still get a bit of exercise in. I phoned up Lillian and got the receptionist. Lillian came on later. "Hello Wally. Is there anything wrong?" "Nothing. I want to go shopping. I want to take Betts, Patricia and Liza. The guys are coming too to protect me." I heard her laugh. "You can go." "Thanks Mom. I am buying a new bathing suit for me and one for Betts. Can I buy one for Patricia? She will want to wear it." "Is it going to be naughty? I can't have that." "Speedos for us all. It is only the guys suits that look like the bottom portion that a girl wears. We will just have all the same pattern." "That is fine then. I don't want you wasting all your money on the girls." "I won't. Every cent is worth it." "You are a good boy but you do not always think like an adult. In the future just leave a note with Tess the receptionist if she cannot find me." "Thanks Mom. Tell her that I asked if she was as pretty as you." "Go on. You are going to have all the girls after you." "I do not need many. I am selective. I just want the best. The best is not necessarily the ones that look nice." "Go have fun Wally. Give my love to the girls." "I will. Bye Mom." The guys arrived soon after. There was a lot of talk about the web site but they didn't go into details with people present that were not in our unit. Chuck had purchased a new bathing suit but he did not mind owning another if we all wore them. The guys didn't mind shopping but not escorting two younger girls. I said, "We are a unit now. They are civilians to be protected." This made a world of difference to the guys. A taxi came and dropped us off downtown. The guys didn't mind the suits at all. I just picked out ones that looked a bit like camouflage and got the same for the girls too. This was a joke because all the girls we met would be looking at our skimpy racing suits or I hoped they would. It was only ten minutes to walk to the computer stores. There were a lot in this area and most were run by orientals. They competed against each other and the prices were quite reasonable. The guys searched for headsets but I let them choose what they wanted. The laptops had come down in price. I hated all of their keyboards. We didn't buy until the third store and here it was just the headsets. Nadac said, "There are better laptop computers for sale that you have not seen yet." "What do they look like and how are they better?" I got the graphic and the details. "That is impressive. Could you produce a computer that looks like it was made here on earth but uses some crystals that I make? I guess we have to have a lot of security on it." There was a longer than usual pause then Nadac said, "I can make substitute. There are enough crystals here to complete the unit. To get the benefit of this unit, it will use your neural interface." "What if somebody is looking at me when I use the computer?" "I can put an operating system that looks normal and even add a keyboard." "That sounds great. How fast will it be?" I found that Nadac could get a bit angry. He was so closely bound with a computer that he objected to my terms and ideas of what a computer would be like. Operating in five dimensions made the best computers of today look... the best I could say is bad. I looked at the cat 5 cable to interface with Betts' machine when I thought again. "Nadac could you make a communicator that will plug into the guys' computers to allow us to communicate? I was going to just connect to Betts' but it would be good to connect to the rest too." "I will send you some different crystals that will operate in one of the ultrawave bands." "Thanks Nadac. I am sorry for my remark about computers. I can only go by what we have on earth now." "It is of no consequence." I knew that it really was but said nothing. Our walk led us by a different kind of sporting goods shop. This one had guns and ammo. It was slanted to both the hunter and the military. I lead my troop inside. We stayed as a group and looked around in wonder. I liked the thought of guns. Chuck and especially Jerry must have gotten an erection in here. I shifted the group over to some awesome looking CO2 rifles and pistols. I was set to buy five of them when we found out that we couldn't do this legally. The guy behind the counter gave us a few pamphlets and we had to be content with these. There were camo outfits and all sorts of equipment to get close to an objective without being seen. Besides this were the knives that I could see being used to take out a sentry. Next to this was a wide variety of t-shirts with slogans to match the American, British or the Canadian military. Packs made for soldiers along with various types of headgear. There was even clothing for babies with words about their army dad. There were black shirts in our sizes and picked up a few and directed the rest to gather them if they found them. The younger girls did too but I didn't stop them. This equipment the store stocked looked nice but I had to consider that others would see how we dressed and one day put two and two together. Even black shirts were only for the night. We didn't even get into the store very far before Jerry stopped at the small compact crossbows. "Man, I would love to have one of those." Chuck said, "How much you want to bet we can't get those either?" The girls didn't seem to see anything they liked but I guess most girls wouldn't. Under a counter was a wide selection of watches. This to me was acceptable. They were almost a hundred dollars each for the one I wanted. I asked the clerk, "How much for five of these watches?" "We can give you a 10% discount for that many." The guys pushed over to see but Patricia pushed harder. "How about 25% if I get two of those watches over here with a smaller face." They looked like the ones I was already looking at." "I'll have to ask the manager." The guy walked away and an older man came back. "How may I help you young man?" "I would like five, no six of these watches and two of those. I think that deserves a 25% discount and you swallow the tax. I will pay cash to get this price." "That is a hefty chunk of our profit." "If I do not buy then there is no profit. I am not going to drop my offer." "Those are high quality watches worn by the airborne." "The men know how to fight but that does not say their watches are any good." "How about 20?" "I am sorry sir but my last offer is the only one I will offer you." "Show me the cash and you get the watches for your discount." "And you swallow the tax." "Ok I will accept that too." I took out the fifties and the bundle of twenties from my pocket. There was no bill or cash register receipt. The shirts were added at the posted price. We got the watches and the staff helped us get them fitted to our small wrists. Some bands had to be adjusted and all of them had a strong buckle that had to be adjusted like a belt. They all looked large on us and the girls' watches though smaller looked large on them. We left the store with everybody looking at their gift. It did not look too fancy but we knew they were good and strong. I led the way into a restaurant that was not aimed at children through cartoon characters. I encouraged everybody to get something that was different from what they usually ate. I wish I had more information on the food because I was shooting blind. The guys were unusually interested in the current time and I felt good to be wearing the watch too. The last place was the grocery store. I ordered steak for all of us and I made sure we had extras. The taxi dropped us off and we went to the back yard to exercise. The munchkins joined in. Each of us had a turn to lead the rest. Pushups were not popular and we could not do more than a few before we did something else. The munchkin unit were sent away to clean the barbecue while the rest of us suffered. We were just not up to this though I think we tried harder than we would have before. We got some water and I marched the unit over to see Gail. She was a good hostess and invited us in like a lady. Her nose sniffed the air and I was ashamed of our smell. Apparently Gail liked it though and I could see that her nose was trying to suck all the smell in. I handed Gail the last watch still in the case and said, "Put this on please." She looked at the man's watch but did as I asked. It didn't suit her long white arms. Once she had it on I said to the guys, "Soldiers!" This was said with a loud voice. "Mrs Watson has agreed to train you to in one facet that an officer must know. If you fail her tests you fail the officer course. Your other courses could fail you too and you will remain grunts until you die. Do as she says. She outranks any of you." Gail was quite surprised but she did pull through after looking at her watch. "Hello gentlemen and lady. Your commanding officer and I talked recently about your need to knock off a few rough edges. He believes that I have the necessary knowledge and skill. You will learn how to talk to a lady, how to dress, how to keep yourself clean up to military standards and beyond. When this course has ended you will be able to function within polite society with ease. You will be able to talk to girls your own age without stuttering. You will talk about current affairs or politics without mentioning sports or yourselves. You will in fact be able to charm some young ladies out of their shorts." The last promise seemed to do the best. I asked, "How do you wish to do this Mrs Watson?" "One recruit at a time I believe is best. The time element will be a problem. The recruit must always be a gentleman but this may vary at different times of the day. I would like to have them for a day at a time. "I see no problem Mrs Watson. The recruit will simply state that he wants to sleep over. He will come here to await further orders." "That sounds satisfactory." I took a few steps and said, "Gentlemen. A military academy puts out gentlemen not grunts. You know what others of your age knows but that is not enough. Your failures as well as your successes reflect on our unit. Doing callisthenics and unarmed combat are only a small part of what an officer must know." An idea suddenly struck me. I was being monitored by Nadac but probably by King Rontem. "One day you will be reviewed by your king. He will look you in the eye and see how much of a man or a woman each of you are. At that time you will be happy that you took the training that is now being offered to you. I took a step back and tried to make a turn the way someone in the military did. I said to Gail, "We have brought provisions to feed our army and more. Will you honour us with your presence?" "I would be more than happy to do this. Would it not be better to have this meal at my home? I have a large grill." "That is acceptable. The troops should learn about KP from the bottom up. I make a good baked potato stuffed with bacon and onions." "If you introduce me to your recruits I will endeavour to remember their names." I introduced the boys. Betts was standing straight so I added her name as if she were not a neighbour. I stopped and Gail looked to the side. I then had to introduce her to Patricia then her own daughter. This seemed to work well. Gail now took command and ordered her troops around. She called everybody by the first name of 'Private' except me. I was the Captain. Gail's grill was cleaned by some and then food prepared by others. The steaks and fixings were fetched and she gave an impromptu culinary class. The boys were ordered to shower and put on their 'army' fatigues. The girls went next and they did not dawdle in the shower. They all came out wearing their speedos. The boys got nervous as Gail gave an inspection. Her hand went out and felt the material of Chuck's suit. He started to get hard and she smiled and went to the next boy. I was sure she was salivating when she was done. "Those suits look very good. I should get one like that myself." I went next door and put a note on the table mentioning our location. I spoke for Gail and asked that they come over when they arrived home. I ran out the front door and down the walk when the doors of a red sports car opened and two guys got out. One was Tony Caputo and the other was one of his 'friends' from the party. "Nadac call Betts on her cell phone. Use my voice and say I am going outside to see Tony." "Very commendable. Did you know that he was being handed the reins of the company you entered?" "No idea. You didn't tell me. He is going to be seriously pissed then?" "I believe you are right." "Hey asshole," Tony called out. "I want to talk to you." I hope Betts and the rest came soon. I needed a lot of witnesses and quickly. "If it isn't Tony the smooth talker. Did your parents teach you manners or did you grow up under a rock?" "I am going to punch your face in." "Threats now Tony. You, I think, are over 18. Hit me and I will have you charged with assault." "I'll beat the fuck out of you and you will not be able to tell anybody, ever." "Threatening me with death now? You are a poor piece of shit. You even have to bring a flunky to fight a twelve year-old. Does he beat babies for you too?" Tony took a slap at me just like others had done. I stepped back though because I could not see any witnesses yet and there was two opponents. The flunkey moved much quicker and caught me. He dragged me to Tony and Tony grabbed my shirt just below my neck. "What were you looking at when you were at Frank's house?" I was scared but I had to put on a front as best that I could. "A painting of you being fucked by a dog." The last was said with a gurgle because he tightened his grip on my throat. "What were you looking at, I said?" I could not breathe. I fought with my fists and even my feet but I could not hit him. It started to get dark when I could breathe once more. I was on the walkway on my back. Somebody was on top of me. It took a moment to see that it was Tony. Standing over him was Gail with a long handled shovel. Beside me was the other guy. He was being beaten by the guys using shovels, fireplace tools and broom handles. Tony got to his knees only to be wacked with the back of the head with the shovel blade. He fell back onto me. In a moment the guys grabbed me and pulled me out from under Tony. When they got me to my feet I saw that Tony was bleeding a lot and so was his buddy. The buddy was conscious and very afraid of Patricia and Liza that were ready to stab him with carving knives. Mrs Watson was excited. She said, "The police are on their way. I told them you were being killed by two men." "I am sure glad you are in my army." "We do our best, Captain." I didn't mind the title though it wasn't deserved. Tony did not regain consciousness by the time two cop cars came. Though the girls had knives they did not draw guns on them. The thug started to scream that he was attacked by me and then the rest of our group. There were a hundred people around by now and many must have seen the truth but I didn't know if they would testify. The questions had hardly started when Bert and Lillian arrived home. They raced to us and looked at the two guys now handcuffed in the back of different cars. One guy was still yelling. I figured he was really telling Tony his story so they could corroborate each other's testimony. Lillian said in a powerful voice, "What happened here?" I gestured to the cop taking notes. This way I could hear his interpretation. Lillian finally got him to talk. "It seems that the two men came seeking some kind of information. There may have been some harsh words said by this young man. One of those arriving was struck. This young man's friends and neighbours came over and attacked the two men." Betts came forward. I noticed now that she had an old VHS camera in her hands. "I think that you are trying to make that criminal sound good. I hate crooked cops like you." "Young lady I could have you arrested." "The people around here saw this. You never got their names. You never questioned them. I have a camera here and I photographed all of this. It shows your friend in the car as the one to attack Wally. Did you know that Wally is twelve? Did you know that he has difficulty walking? His kneecap never healed properly. I know that the two in the cars are over eighteen. They are men. We protected Wally's life when we came to his defence. How much is Tony or his father paying you?" "That is it young lady. You are under arrest." Lillian got in front of her daughter. "Arrest her you fool and I will have a legal team down on your ass so fast you will be on the unemployment line. Tell me why you did not question the witnesses and gather their names? That is not standard police practice or are you some type of trainee wearing a real policeman's uniform?" Lillian turned to the crowd. "Wally was attacked by two adult thugs. Our good neighbours came to protect him. The police are not doing their job. I think I will talk to the Chief of Police to find out why this situation is being handled so poorly." She did take out her phone and start pushing numbers. The cop in charge suddenly found reasons for his conduct. He may have not been paid by Caputo but he may have been trying to help the family and hope for a reward later. Another possibility was to not get the Caputo family mad at him. My dad suddenly appeared and came next to me and put his hand on my shoulder. He said nothing though. Mom was on her phone to the senior partner of the law firm she worked for. She used some colourful language and then stopped forward toward the cop and mentioned the number on his uniform. The investigation lasted much longer and the cop came over and apologised to Lillian. She was ladylike but was not swayed by his words. When the cops left, Gail was in there with her shovel telling everybody about her actions. She made me out as defenceless and in a way that was close to the truth. Dad came over to Gail's house and she started dishing out drinks. All the adults needed more than a few. I pulled the guys together and said, "I want to thank you guys for saving me. Tony was seriously pissed." Chuck said, "He sure was. Did you see how he got it twice by Mrs Watson? She is one mean woman when she wants to be." "She is all woman. That's for sure." Gail had heard this and looked at me. I figured she needed a reward. We cooked the steaks or rather I did. I had not done this too much before. The guys got the rest ready and then served it to the slightly inebriated adults then we started to eat ourselves. During the next hour the story was told a few times. The story changed each time by a little bit. Gail started to call the guys her army. She called them over and caressed them as she praised them up as she felt them up. Betts was smart enough to not let this happen to her or to the other girls. The boys didn't seem to mind this at all. Betts and the girls were worked up too and looked at me with those predatory eyes. June came over later. It was not long until she found out about all the excitement. Women seem to sense something and they looked at me more and more. Lillian was the only one that seemed to only be interested in me as a person. Mom and Pop helped Dad home or possibly they helped each other. The gang and June made sure Lillian and Bert got upstairs safely. We went back to Gail's home. She wanted sex and was taking her clothes off. The guys and I helped her strip and put to bed. She hugged the boys and kissed them often for their help. The fact that she was naked didn't seem to enter her mind or she was a good actress. She was now mentioning a personal reward for what the guys had done for her. Even the guys didn't think she meant money. I tucked her into the bed with Patricia and Liza. I would have to cover the theft of a daughter in the morning if the parents sobered enough to remember. There would be three sore pussies by that time. The guys were leaving and I said, "Thanks again for your help. I think you should tell your parents what happened but talk about Mrs Watson doing the deed. You guys were more than just a witnesses but not much. This way you are covered if you have to testify and you are free until then." Betts and I got ready for bed. She said, "Wally, I don't want to sleep alone tonight." "Neither do I, Sweetheart." The next morning two adults were suffering from their drinking but they were still energetic even if they were in pain. Bert wanted some better answers. I talked about the party at Wendy's house and how vulgar Tony was. I mentioned going into the open basement because it looked interesting. Other were in there drinking at the bar so it was open to those in the party. I confessed to not knowing what Tony was after. My suggestion that he may have been on drugs fell on fertile ground. We were told to be careful today as they went to work. As they left the driveway Nadac said, "There are some articles in the garage for you. You should get them now and start practising." I was not sure what he meant. It was something in his voice that was odd. The same invisible probe became visible. I opened the hatch and removed my new laptop. It was covered in an anodised titanium case. It was pretty but I didn't open it. There were five USB devices in a cloth pouch. What shocked me was the pile of guns underneath it. I took one out and looked at it. It took a moment to see that it was driven by CO2 and not powder. There were five very large boxes of what looked like 177 caliber pellets and then boxes of darts. The tins all had military nomenclature across them. The words on the dart cans stated that the darts were destined for the military purposes only. A quarter of these tins contained an anaesthetic dart. More stuff was in the bottom. "What are the guns for Nadac?" "They are to promote hand and eye coordination." That was true but there had to be more. "What are you not telling me?" "You will be told in time. You are required to use these weapons and be as accurate as possible." There was something else. "We are going on a mission and we need these weapons. Is that correct?" "Yes, your lives and those of many others is at risk. Learn quickly and learn well." "What is this about?" "Do not pursue this line of questioning. You are given some simple weapons. Train with them and become proficient." I took the guns out and put them on the bench. I split up the ammo and found both paper targets in the sphere and five large bottles of carbon dioxide to charge the guns. Beneath this were five printed manuals, a CD, holsters and a military style web belt. There was a cell phone that I knew was not a cell phone. This and the USB keys needed their crystals organised before they could be used. My internal screen gave me the construction of the guns. Then came the trajectory of the pellets then the darts. There was no difference for those containing the anaesthetic. Rate of fire was fantastic and the guns carried a thirty-two round clip with spare clips. The military used these guns but I was not sure if they made them this small and light. They fit my small hand very well. "Will you call the gang?" "They are already on their way." I took the computer upstairs and put it on my desk with the CD and the USB keys. I waited downstairs for Betts to get out of the washroom. When she came into the kitchen she saw that something was wrong. "What happened?" "It is what will probably happen." "I don't understand." "Neither do I at the moment. I ordered some equipment and it came in this morning. I put it in the garage." "What is it?" "Some carbon dioxide powered pistols used for training. They are cheap to operate and are not very dangerous. I think we should stop our other training and concentrate on this. That is my feeling." "Caputo?" "I don't know." "Can I see them?" "Sure. One is yours." We went into the garage and showed the guns to Betts. I showed her the safety and then gave her the words Nadac wanted about the safe operation. Nadac warned me about Sam's arrival. The guns were put down and we went to the front porch to talk and wait for the rest with the booklets in my hand. I had not mentioned the guns but Sam saw that both Betts and I were serious today. I handed out the five booklets. These happened to be printed for the American military and the Marine Corps in particular but they were probably fictitious. The guys loved the pictures. I talked about trajectory and factors that could effect the flight of a dart or a pellet. Chuck said, "What I wouldn't give to get one of these beauties. They are light, powerful and with the anaesthetic so very fucking effective." The guys were led to the garage and I held a gun in my hand. "If I catch one of you pointing one of these at one of us I will boot your ass so far you won't come down for a week. These are not toys. These can maim and possibly kill. You will learn how to shoot and do it well. When you have one of these you have to leave your childhood behind until they go back in the armoury. Only men and women handle these tools. Do I make myself clear?" I actually got "Yes, Sir," from everybody including Betts. "The anaesthetic darts are what would be taken on a mission. One scratch with one and you go to sleep for an hour or so. During a mission you get panicky and scratches could kill you." When this settled in I said, "A full grown man is knocked out in a second with one of these darts and will be out from eight to ten hours. Being hit by three darts will only lengthen the time until he awakes. Being hit by more than three will cause the loss of short term memory. The fatal level is around seven darts. It depends on body mass, whether all the anaesthetic has been administered and to the subjects natural tolerance. In almost every case a fired dart will have the drug start to decompose ten minutes after it is expelled. I want to be safe and retrieve all of our spent munitions. There is no sense giving the opposition help that it does not need." I gave the short course in gun safety again. The guns were put in the holsters before carrying them in a bundle into the house. We went into my room and I opened the computer. It came on instantly. There was no Windows but there was the Linux operating system or something that looked like it. I put the CD into the drive and followed Nadac's instructions to the letter. I only knew a few pieces of information about this and I had to learn as I went. The large screen showed the gun and it showed a soldier using it to hit targets at quite a distance. The guys were amazed when it fired at full auto and a new clip was snapped in and then those too were fired. The gun could use optional carbon dioxide cylinders but the gun could hold more gas if it were charged from a separate cylinder. We watched the training film at least seven times. I asked questions and I demanded accurate answers. There was no fooling around and I got what I asked for. My pack was brought out and the guns and harnesses were pushed inside. We went back to the garage and got the targets, ammunition and charging bottles before getting on out bikes. The old rubber factory was vacant and now being ripped down. Nadac assured me that we could use it temporarily. We were all anxious to try the guns out and peddled quickly. There was a network of paths made by kids that cut through this area. When we got close I said to the guys, "Search the area. I don't want witnesses." The bikes were put in a hollow and we spread out. There was nobody here but we had to follow certain procedures. When the area was deemed secure I said, "Sam, go fifty metres north-east and look for intruders. Jerry same distance south-west." I pointed in the right direction and the two hurried out. Chuck, Betts and I set up targets. One more time I gave the safety talk then set my gun for single shot and fired. There was hardly any push but I missed my target completely. It was my sixth shot that hit a corner. I stopped and made sure the pistol was safe and put it to my hip. "Chuck, your turn." Chuck was better than me and I kept him at it until his clip was empty. Betts was next. She was awkward with the gun and was worse than me. I used the rest of my clip then we all used one more clip. We used multiple targets and I saw that we were very poor marksmen. "Betts, relieve Sam. Chuck, Jerry. Leave your weapons here." We used thousands of pellets that morning. We were getting better but we needed lots of time. I didn't know how much we had though. I suspected that it was not that much. We skipped lunch to continue shooting. Nadac suddenly said, "A phone call from Lillian Huggins. Leave the rest and talk to her as you have done before." The dial tone ended and I said, "Hello." "Hi Wally. I just wanted to phone and see how you are doing." "Fine. Betts is on the can if you wish to talk to her?" "No, that is ok. Nothing exciting happen?" "I had some bad gas." "That is exciting if you have to get away. Have a good day Wally and give my love to the girls." "I will Mom. Bye." "Bye, Honey." I took a piss nearby as an excuse for coming here then went back in. We tried three round bursts and two clips of full auto just to feel it. I did not want to quit just yet. We filled the clips with darts now and used the targets once more. The trajectory dropped but only after a considerable distance. The rate of fire dropped too but it was still acceptable. We all got better as the day went on but Betts surprisingly was slightly better than us. She was called our marksman now. We put the guns away and policed the site for used darts. They were not dangerous but I didn't want them found here one day. We ate a large meal at three in the afternoon. The guys acted differently too. They were more mature as if the seriousness had seeped into them. When I sat on the toilet, I altered the crystals in the USB networking devices. There was still nobody upstairs so I worked on the one in the computer itself. The phone took a longer time but not much. I knew about my computer not needing an external device. "Hi Nadac. What is the fifth networking device for?" "Your friend Mrs Watson." "Is she in danger?" "She may at some future time. She can be hurt by an attack on her computer. Caputo has a great deal of expertise in this area." "Thanks for looking out for us Nadac." When I went downstairs I handed out four of the devices to the guys. "These go into your USB slots. Each one is like a Bluetooth or a Wi-Fi device but will reach all of our homes. If the computers are on then we can communicate this way." Jerry said, "Great. I have troubles getting the phone sometimes." "There is more on the CD. I can transmit it over our network and you can go through it yourself. There is some software in the device that will help you get rid of viruses, worms, trojans or any spyware. We are coming into a time when we have to watch what we say. At the same time, we will still have to sound like kids. The software requires you to log on. This keeps your family from accessing your files. The people that supply your security training provided this equipment and the arms. You can ask them about problems you may have. "I want to accelerate our training but I do not see how." Sam said, "We can sleep over. We can work until it is dark and then be up early." "That would help over a long run but in the short term it will be a killer. We are used to sleeping in our own beds. We will rest better there too." "Let's go check on Mrs Watson and then go back to the site for more practice?" Mrs Watson was happy to see us once more. She and I saw that the boys liked her too. There were some bulges in their pants. "It is nice to see you guys again. I expected you to be over here earlier." "We were in training. I just wanted to give you something and we can be off again." "What is it?" "A virus checker and a network communicator. You will be linked to our computers to whatever level the administrator gives you. At the moment we can talk through this device and I can upload files to a public directory. Nobody goes further." "I have some sensitive information on my machine that I cannot let others have. I don't want kids fooling with my livelihood." "Mrs Watson, I brought this to protect you. You are on the net most of the time. Tony Caputo's father is a criminal. I heard that he is into hacking. You laid a goose-egg or two on his son's head. His son will go to court but the charges will be beat. The father can ruin your files fairly easily. This device will keep him out." "Are you sure about this?" "If you trust me then put this into a port as soon as possible." Gail gave it some thought and reached behind the computer and in a moment fitted into a port. The virus checker came up immediately with no recognition of hardware necessary. We watched the screen as four virus were found. The software stated that they could be safely cleaned. Gail chose this route. "That is amazing. I have good software and it didn't detect them." "You have to download profiles. A person that wants to attack a computer does not want his virus discovered or a profile made of it." "Will this stop an attack?" "Dead in its tracks." We took some water and toilet paper and went back to our range. We would continue until Nadac said we had to get home. I needed the practice as much as the rest but I only stayed a few hours and came home alone. Chuck was in charge and now only two would shoot at a time. They would have to bring the equipment home in the pack. I showered up and threw my own clothing into the wash then went downstairs to start a meal. I was partially done when June came home. "Hi Wally. No fights today?" "I am cutting the number down as much as I can." "I talked to some kids today and that guy's father is a big time criminal." "We found that out too. Stay away from Tony if you can. He doesn't seem to be that stable." "Ah... I wanted to talk about when you rubbed my feet..." "June, nothing happened. I bet if I went to you and ran my fingers through your hair that you would like it." "I guess that's right." "One is a caress and what I did was a caress that went further. You enjoyed yourself and I enjoyed making you that way." "I loved it too. You didn't take advantage of me either." "There is lots of testosterone in me but my mind is still strong." "Well... I... I would like to have another massage sometime." A smile crept onto my face even though I tried to suppress it. "I would love to. It is best for me if Betts is around. She knows I am not doing anything behind her back." "Not many guys are like that. She was playing with herself when you were doing me. She has changed a lot in just a few weeks." "I think she improved. Growing up is not without pain." "Do you guys have sex every night?" "That is something a gentleman does not discuss. I will say that I made an agreement with your parents that I will not break." "What was that?" "You will have to ask them. Now will you help me with the housework and I will relieve the tension in your aching muscles tonight." Patricia came home later and I put her to work too. She didn't seem to mind when I asked. Betts came home alone wearing the pack. I got a kiss and she hurried upstairs. Ten minutes later Lillian and Bert arrived. We ate our meal and I hurried upstairs and booted up the computer. Everybody but Betts was online and I fired up the communications protocol. "Hi guys." I got three replies and then they talked to each other on a common screen. I uploaded the CD to let them go through the details not in the manuals. Most of the scenes were of a solder firing from concealment in the woods, a doorway or in a large building. It showed other soldiers with real guns being able to get men with air pistols most of the time. I hoped this was not aimed at us. I asked, "Hi Nadac. Is there an antidote in case we get nicked?" "There is and it is something I neglected to make. I will send you some." "I said that the company that teaches us about the alarms sent the guns to us. It is natural then for you to add some points about the antidote." "I will do that." "Thanks." "I have gone through as much of the data on Caputo, the underworld and the drug traffickers as I can. The information I get now is hardly worth the effort to gather it." "Does this mean we have to hit the harder places now for you?" "Soon. I may be able to do this myself but then you learn nothing. Our king requires not only dedication but the ability to carry out orders." This had to mean that the king was interested in this world. "I agree. You are providing a lot of help but it would be good to have people working beside us to show us how to do certain tasks." "That is how the Aristis do this and your people too. At the moment though there is no substitute." I talked to the guys about a night exercise when Betts came on with her computer. We needed this sort of training too and I went downstairs. Bert was watching the news. When a commercial came on I said, "Hi Pop. I would like to go out for a ride with Betts and the guys. We will be back before it get full dark." "Where are you going?" "Just riding around the neighbourhood. We will be at the most three klicks away." "Klicks, not kilometres? You are sounding a bit more military." "The military is a good place. It is not for everybody though. Kids need structure." "I guess you're right. I see you have a phone now. Just leave your number or Betty's on the fridge and your excursion is ok with me." "Thanks Pop." Betts heard and hurried upstairs to tell the guys while I filled out the paper and added my new number. We took extra water this time and more toilet paper with a small hand shovel used when camping. The guys met us at the range and searched for their own gun. There were serial numbers and we tried to be professional as possible. They had all been cleaned before they left the range the last time. We concentrated on firing from concealment now. With two hands resting on a rock or the ground our accuracy went up. A three round burst had usually at least one dart hit a target and sometimes two. I looked down from a partially collapsed roof at my target when I suddenly saw a new scene. There was a large freshly dug pit. Bodies were being thrown into the hole and a woman was shot nearby and her body thrown in with the rest. The vision faded back to what was before me. "Nadac I just had a vision. Men were throwing bodies into a large pit. Did this happen yet?" "The pit is being dug now." "Shit, can we call the police?" "There are no bodies at the site yet. The police have no reason to arrest people for digging." "What about when they start killing people?" "Caputo wishes to remove any ties to him." "What about Wendy?" "He has a plan to sell all the children that participated in the videos to mob brothels in the Mid East and the Far East." "Just so they will not testify?" "Precisely." "Won't Wendy's father object?" "No." "Why not?" "He will be dead." "Shit. What about Wendy's step mother?" "She will be sold too." "Is this why we are training?" "Yes. Caputo wishes to remove any ties to him. If some of his people are allowed to be killed then this new crime can be brought against him. If you assist in saving some of the victims then they will be anxious to testify." "That means people will just die for this." "That is true. There is nothing you can do about it. If you try to stop the killing entirely then more will die. My way will at least allow some to live." "What about Wendy?" "There are buildings near the pit. There will be guards in the buildings and it will be further monitored by cameras from a farm house on the property. Explosives have been ordered. I believe the building that contains the saleable individuals will be mined in case of attack." "Why didn't you tell me this before?" "You would have run off and destroyed not only your own life but that of your colleagues." "When will we attack?" "Tomorrow night. There are a great number of details to cover with you. It is preferable that you do not mention this information until tomorrow. Sleep is required." "We will do it your way." Nadac gave me an image of a farm from overhead. It showed the house, barns, storage buildings and other outbuildings. The pit was large. I was never given a location but it had to be north of here. I saw the buildings inside and out. Two had cameras already in them and these I studied extensively. The house had a room that contained the monitors to the cameras. Here there was only one seat so I assumed that only one person would be here. The guys now shot from above. We worked as a team in some cases where one person opened an imaginary door and another person put a three round burst into a target. A device to destroy the building or buildings would logically be here. It was a given that the guards near the explosives would not know of their existence. It was not logical for us to evacuate the farm but to just hold off Caputo's goons long enough for the cops to arrive. This would put us at a disadvantage because we needed to get away too. It would not be long before helicopters and hundreds of cops came to a party like this. It was late when we stopped. I said, "Guys, we talk tomorrow right here. Don't plan on sleeping tomorrow night. We will be busy." Sam said, "Doing what?" "Why shooting targets. What else?" They did not try very hard to get more info from me. Bert looked at the clock when we got back but it was not full dark yet but very close. We had a shower. June kept her eyes on me but Betts was tired. I did have an inspiration. "Nadac, can you make a video game of attacking the farm without going into the details. The guys will learn but still not know what we are facing?" "I will do this now. Their computers are turned on and they are logged in." "I want to play too." I got Betts to play on her computer. I heard Patricia in her room urging her on. Later June came to my room to see what was happening or perhaps find some time for a massage. In many cases the observer was quick enough to hit a large red button. Nobody knew what it did but we lost when this happened. When two of us burst into the room when a third opened the door we succeeded more often. The simulation was very lifelike. The figures were our size and had our faces. One has small teats and another had a slight limp. I think this helped especially when the figures talked with our voices in situations where Nadac wanted us to do things his way. There were lots of situations when we had to go up against armed men shooting at us. We usually died when this happened. Nadac used my voice to tell Chuck and Sam to find concealment close to the laneway leading to one of the buildings. When we took on a car full of thugs, we usually got two or three immediately. Before our figures were killed Sam and Chuck took out the rest. Each of us were forced to use the enemies' weapons. It showed the reaction of using these guns. We usually ended up on our asses. Only once did we make it to when the police arrived. We ran outside to be greeted by a Black Hawk. Our figures got into the machine after our wounded were put aboard. The wounded were stripped and first aid provided. The Black Hawk landed at the old rubber factory. The wounded were flown to an aid station while we tried to pretend that nothing happened. This was hard for me because one of the wounded was Betts. I slept with Betts that night with Patricia behind me. I held her tight and she did the same to me. In her version of the game it was me that was hit. We were all up early. We had to have a plan to cover our absences. Betts and I came up with a plan and we got Patricia to agree. Our plan went out to the rest of the guys and I would let them find a way of explaining their own absences if the need arose. We had a good breakfast with the rest of the family. Lillian asked, "What are you guys going to do today?" "I am sore from biking. This tells me that I am out of shape. I will try to get some swimming in and maybe some biking. I may never been in the Tour de France but I want to at least qualify to watch it on television." "That is commendable. I have to get back into doing some exercises too." "Do you want to go biking with us?" "I would probably not keep up with you guys." "By the way, Chuck asked if I can sleep over. He is going fishing with his family and I am invited." "Not taking Betts? What is the world coming to?" ------- Chapter 10 Betts said, "Mrs Watson asked me to help her. Patty and Liza want to rough it in their back yard. She wants me to be out there with them." "Smart move on her part I guess." "Can Patty and I go?" "I don't see why not." When the adults left, we hurried over to Gail's house. She said, "Hi guys. You are over early." I said, "Hi Gail. I have a favour to ask." "What is it?" "Patricia wants to have a camp out in your back yard with you and Liza. Betts is supposed to be here while I am away fishing. She is really going to be with me." "I used to do that as a girl myself. I guess I can do that but we have no tent or mattresses." I smiled and said, "You will." I called a sporting goods store that had a website. I talked about their best two, four and six man freestanding tents. They had a few good selections and I learned about some features from those that had used the tents. Self inflating air mattresses, small pack-able stoves with Sigg bottles of fuel as well as lightweight stainless pots were discussed. I was given a rough total for what I wanted and gave the phone to Gail. She gave her name and address then said, "This is a large order. I want it delivered here by five tonight and I will pay cash." The manager had to be called and since the number matched what was on his phone he would risk the time and the gas. Cash was such an easy item to deal with. Gail said, "That was a lot of money you just spent. If you keep doing things like that then you will be broke before you are thirteen." "My girl is important to me and besides the army you talked about can use them. It may be necessary for you to sleep with the three of them one night to show them how to camp." "Camp?" "Well, how to enjoy camping." Gail got the rest of my money. I even had to get a forty dollar loan. Patricia and Liza were ecstatic that they were going camping. We rode hard to our range and gave out the arms. This time we kept our own even when on patrol. I wanted them comfortable with the weapons but not stupid enough to shoot somebody that came near. Jerry said, "That game last night was awesome. Did you see, it had my face?" Chuck said, "It was easy to spot. It was the most ugly. Now what are we doing today, Wally?" "We work on what was in the game. Treat that as what we have to do." "Is that what we are going to do tonight?" "Yes. This time, it is going to be much more dangerous. There will be people with guns. The pit in the game exists on a farm. They are going to fill it with bodies. The kids they are going to sell to brothels in the East." Sam said with a worried voice, "Slavery is not done anymore. There are laws against it." "Ever hear of White Slavery?" "Ya, I guess." "It exists and so does piracy. The South China Sea has pirates today and the major governments are trying to stamp it out. Anyway, the kids in the porno movies are going to be sold. The guys over there like white skin for a change. Even the boys they like. Any young women are going to be sold and I guess even the youngest kids. In a way it is like what ranchers do when they make a cattle drive. Ranchers though leave lots behind to breed enough for the next year. Caputo wants people to believe that the families just got up and ran. Nobody will find them." Chuck said, "So the old folks get killed and thrown in the hole?" "That's right. The two buildings will house the slaves or maybe just one. It depends on how many they get I guess." Betts said, "Don't call them slaves. It makes them less than human." "That is the way they will be treated." We went through without bodies what we had practised in simulation. There was the stalking to the farmhouse and the taking out of the guards and then the one in the guard room. From my mind I heard, "The collection has begun. The female you call Wendy has just been abducted with her parents and sister. They should be at the farm within an hour." "What do we do?" "Get your supplies, including water. Bring your weapons in your packs. You will find the antidote to the anaesthetic at the usual place along with a two first aid kits. A product similar to what humans use to darken their skin along with masks and gloves will be provided. I will give further information as you travel." "Ring my phone." "Very good!" The phone rang and Nadac quickly repeated himself and added we would need to take a taxi. Funds would be supplied. "Guys, Caputo has started to gather people. None have been killed yet that I know of. Go home and get your packs and what you want to bring. Meet at Betts' house." I got nods and the harnesses and guns went into my pack. We raced home because every minute we wasted, the more would die. Betts parked her bike in the garage with mine and she raced into the house. I waited for the sphere to drop is shield. I unloaded the cargo. Nadac worked with me to tell me their properties. We had miniature concussion grenades that would leave the same molecules behind that current military explosives used. There was a black balaclava that apparently was not as hot to wear as what was now available. New t-shirts that were fuzzy. They looked ok but were more difficult to spot in the dark. The two first aid kits looked military and would clip onto a belt. What was new were five pairs of sunglasses with a nylon strap so they would not get lost. They marginally improved our sight at night. A small bud near both ears could transmit my voice to them without others hearing. I ran into the house and wiped my face with a damp cloth and gathered what was needed. Betts looked almost panic stricken. She too had cleaned up a bit and packed her things. I said, "Leave the t-shirt. We have some better ones." "How do they get here?" "A courier." "If there is a courier, why can't soldiers do this?" "First it's our battle. Second, we would never get trained." "Trained for what? I never volunteered to be in the army." "You can stay here Betts. I have better intelligence than what the police have. We can do it safer as long as we do not get shot." "You, can get shot too. I don't want to lose you." I held her gently and said, "I don't want to lose you either. The last house to be hit was Wendy's. We may not like her but I don't want her sold as a slave. She has a little sister too. The sister either goes into the pit or to the Orient. I think that is enough to fight for never mind the rest." "Some deserve to die. They tried to trap us." "Has it occurred to you that they were forced to do this?" Betts hung her head and said nothing. The guys came now and didn't knock to get in. They all wore packs. They stood in a line waiting. I just said, "The garage," and we walked out. I split up the grenades five ways even if Betts may not come. "These here are small concussion grenades. Think of them as humungous firecrackers. They will kill if they are close enough." I handed out the sunglasses and put my own on. It seemed like the hot garage got a bit cooler. "These t-shirts are cooler and harder to see. Dump your shirts in the corner and take these. There are some thin balaclavas. Nobody will recognise our faces but they may notice our size." The shipment was split up and they each got their own harness, gun and the special darts. I inspected every pack and even the clothes, that they wore, fit in. I handed out a hundred dollars in small denomination bills to each in case they needed it while all identification stayed here. I said, "Guys, this is dangerous. We may get killed. There are some valid reasons why we have to do this and not the police. If you wish to stay here, you may. If you do go you will know that you are saving peoples lives and most of those will be children like our brothers and sisters. There will not be any glory except what we give each other. All I can promise you is something much better in the future. Anybody wanting to leave should do so now." I looked at each person. They were nervous as hell. Sam was the worse but he was controlling himself this time. Betts looked to be unsure but she didn't move. "Good. Get some additional water bottles in the basement and let's go." The taxi was almost here and I talked with my mind. The thoughts went to one or all of those I talked to. They looked around and saw my smile. Chuck said, "Howd' you do that?" "If I told you I would then have to kill you. Let's just say that this is the very best." We got in a minivan that Nadac ordered. I said, "We are supposed to be hiking but we slept in. We have to meet up with the rest of our group." I gave him the location then pulled out a fifty. I want to get there as soon as possible. If you hurry you get the fifty. You get a ticket and I will pay." I showed him a lot more money. The Pakistani driver swallowed and agreed to do his best. The driver was good. None of us spoke and this was a bit eerie but I didn't feel like breaking the mood. We pulled into a trailer park just off of Highway 400 in a cloud of dust. The driver got paid and had the generous tip on top of the fifty. Only a few minutes later a station wagon picked us up and took us near the farm. I gave a small tip to suit the effort. With the taxi and other cars out of sight we searched the surroundings with the new pair of zoom binoculars. There didn't seem to be anybody that would give us grief for crossing their property. We climbed a fence and headed across a field. We moved quickly and it was hot. The water was welcome. We went through a woodlot and then another cultivated field. We came upon the buildings that could house the captives but at the moment they were empty. Again the binoculars was used and I passed them to the rest so they could become familiar to them. Keeping to training, we put the harness on and added the small grenades. The packs and black outfits stayed hidden. This time it was Sam that picked the first door. We surveyed the metal sided building while I pointed out the cameras. The explosives were not planted yet. I could have deactivated them now if that was the case. The roof on the building was fairly flat and had a movable skylight. This may be good for later. There was a rickety ladder that we put up to it to open it for ventilation or a way of getting in later. The building was locked up and Chuck opened the nest door. This one had a single military detonator and a half kilo of plastique hidden in a ceiling. My sight told me that there we no more here, at least not now. With gloves on, I took the cap out and tugged the wires just enough to make sure the cap was far enough from the explosive to not set it off. This type of detonator would constantly monitor the circuit and self-destruct if it were moved or the cap cut out of the circuit. The building was checked for way of taking it. Chuck and Jerry broke out boards in three places and put the boards back in place for later. If the wind did not knock them off then this would be great. The cameras faced where the openings would be and I hoped that there was no operator at the main house by then. Jerry called out a warning and we locked up the building and hurried back to our packs and a ditch we had passed. Two cars stopped at the first building. A young woman and three girls our age were dragged out. None of them were familiar to me. They wore the nylon cable ties used by the police. The woman and one girl started to scream and the men sat back and watched. After a moment on guy said, "There ain't nobody here to save you. I might do that but at a price." Four guys took the four into the building and we heard more screaming and then slaps. Sam said in a whisper, "What are they doing?" It was Betts that said, "Rape." Jerry said, "We going to do something about it?" I said, "We rescue four and a lot more die. Let's get moving we have to get to the farm house." A few minutes we heard three gunshots. They were regularly spaced and I had to guess that they were executions. Chuck said, "What was that?" Nobody answered him. One of the cars left the building and raced down the dusty road to the farmhouse. We kept low and our progress was slow. More cars came and even a cube van. None of us verbally speculated as to what was in the vehicles. More gunshots were heard. By my count there were eleven so far. Chuck and Betts wanted to hurry the most but I had to restrain them. They wanted to sacrifice our security for speed. I wanted to race too but I wanted to be alive to help. The traffic coming to the farm seemed to peek then slow down. When we gained a fence line with some trees we made better time though we were not going directly to the house. We were going to come at it from the west and the sun would be behind us. The farmhouse from the distance looked deceptively simple. It was the mound of soil hundreds of metres back with a bulldozer near it frightened me much more. While we stopped to drink and piss I watched the house. A car came in and dropped two bound people off and then car sped off to the place where the captives were stowed. The two were dragged by four men out to the pit. When the two were allowed to see inside they tried frantically to escape. The man was first. I saw his head fling back and then he fell. An older woman was next. She fell to her knees to beg but was shot where she knelt. The men swung the first body back and forth to gather momentum. It must have struck further toward the centre of the excavation. Chuck was beside me. He whispered, "What did you see?" It was hard to talk. I had seen countless Hollywood deaths but this was real. I handed him the glasses. I heard, "Oh, my god," in a quiet voice. It took another hour to get to the house. Though the area close to the pit was the safest, we avoided it. I saw seven men and a woman. They were all serious but I wasn't sure if they were happy to turn their farm into a cemetery and killing ground. One guy was watching the screens in front of him and drinking a beer. A phone call came in and it was answered. We had discussed many plans. But the best was when they came out to execute somebody. We drank our water and pissed. Seeing Betts piss was nothing compared to the hell around us. A cargo van came this time and I got the guys in position this was the real thing now. More explosives had been set and in both buildings. The truck stopped behind the house this time. The back doors were opened and a man was dragged out. This man I knew. His face was bloody and he looked to have a broken arm. It was still Wendy's father. There was crying from inside but the driver got back into the van with his partner. The four men escorted the single man to the pit as the truck raced to its destination by way of the dusty road. I was close enough to hear the conversation. One man was saying, "Hi Frank. We hear that you were going to turn the boss in." "I wasn't. I swear to god I wasn't. You gotta' believe me." "Well you see Frank even if we did believe you we have a job to do." "Dear god no. I have money. You can have all of it." "What about your new wife?" "You can have her too." "I have a fancy for your two daughters. I hear the young one is a virgin. She won't be after tonight." "You can have them. You can have them all." "Thanks Frank." Instead of waiting until the edge of the pit the man raised the gun and shot the man in the forehead. One of the other guys said, "What the fuck you do that for? Now we have to carry this shit." They picked up the guy and my commands went out. Chuck and I raced forward. We got within twenty metres before one of the guys heard something behind him. I stopped and fired with two hands. I moved the gun just a bit and did it again. I moved to another but he was already falling. We raced back to the house as Jerry and Betts opened the side door as if they were the men. Betts went upstairs and fired at the surprised woman. Sam has walked around the front and shot a man sitting in a lawn chair. Jerry went downstairs and shot a man that was watching baseball on the television. Chuck and I raced into the house. I saw through the walls that the man in the control room was getting up. It could have been the noise or a security camera in the house. I had never checked for that. The guy opened the door just as I rounded the corner. Three shots hit his chest. He just had time to look surprised. There was nobody else but we did the search anyway. I went into the control room and saw kids and women getting raped or giving blow jobs. Everywhere I saw people crying and the sound came through. I must have been there a while because the rest were there beside me watching what was happening. It was Nadac that warned me. I said, "The van is returning." We raced outside. The driver must have seen the five bodies by the pit because he gunned his engine. I yelled to everybody, "Grenades now." I took off a grenade and pulled the small pin. I had to throw the device to where it would be in five seconds. I threw mine and I saw others fly too. I hit the ground as four eruptions appeared behind the van and one just happened to be under a back tire. The van was flung up and it tipped over. We raced to the overturned vehicle. There were two dazed men in it and one had a cell phone in his hand. My gun came up and peppered him. Beside me Betts did the driver. "Get the guns. We need something stronger than our darts to stop cars." Then I added, "There are rifles in the house. Check for bolts and ammunition." I thought of dragging the guys out. Instead I went in and plucked out darts from both men. some were difficult to find. I went to the others we shot near the pit while relaying the word to clean up. Not all the darts were in the men and some must be in the pit or beyond. Now was not the time to spend a lot of time looking. Perhaps they would be missed but I doubted it. I was in no mood to go slow now that there were some explosions. Jerry always boasted of sometimes driving one of the cars at the wrecking yard. In my mind I said, "Chuck, shut the main power off to the house. It will be dark when you do. Use Sam's flashlight. Jerry search the pockets of the guys and find keys for one of the vehicles. Sam and Betts bring the rifles to the car Jerry picks." I ran back to the front of the house and made sure the man looked like he just fell asleep in the chair. I found a dart nearby too. Somebody was not careful. Jerry got a pickup truck working and he backed up with some jerks but he was not bad. The guys jumped in the back with some guns and our packs and headed up the road. He kept it slow and stayed in the middle of the lane. I said, "Hell Jerry, you can drive. I was never sure." "Ya, my brother taught me. Dad got mad because I banged some of the cars up." "You are doing good now." "What is the plan when we get to the buildings?" "The explosives are live yet but they not likely to get activated. The second building we went into was the easiest to take. We come in from all openings if they are not aware of us." "What if they are?" "Then we make them come out with smoke." "That will warn the second building. I'm sure some of those guys have cell phones." "We have the rifles yet and the grenades." We accelerated then coasted to a stop. I had looked ahead and saw the men still draining their nuts. I took what looked like a Glock with me. We would be seen so our black outfits went on along with the balaclavas and the glasses. One guy came out the door just as we arrived and one of those in the back of our truck hit him with a dart. We just raced forward now. "Betts, Sam, Jerry. The back." I slowed Chuck down until the rest were ready. "Go!" We burst in and some men got shot with more than the lethal amount. I really didn't worry. The captives just stared at us as we checked for more hostiles and retrieved all the guns. The kids or women could start using the guns too. They looked that insane. I called out in what I hoped was an altered voice, "Stay inside until the cops come. You leave this building and we shoot anybody moving." In my mind I sent, "Out!" which would be transmitted verbally by the glasses. We hurried for the next building. A man was outside smoking when he saw us and ran inside. I called for the guys to stop. I went back to get a rifle. This was far too dangerous if they knew we were coming. I hurried forward and said, "They know we are here now. Let me see if I can smoke them out." Nadac helped me with the information about the rifle. I put three shells in and then one in the chamber. I got close to the building and used the body of a car to rest the rifle on. I used my sight to pierce the walls. There were five men guarding two doors. I drew a bead on one and fired. The gun hurt my shoulder and I had done everything Nadac had said. I moved the bolt and fired again and again. Other rifles fired from my right. There were no hostiles left in the building. Two were still alive but I just hoped they died slowly. With the Glock in hand I entered. The rifle I used was powerful and the metal sides of the building did not slow the bullet down much. There was a small hole going in a man and a large hole on the other side. I kicked away guns like I saw in the cop shows and looked for more threats. Wendy was on the floor. She had blood on her and I knew it was her own. Betts came in and looked around but mostly at Wendy. She didn't speak but got the girl up and inspected her injuries. To see where she was bleeding. It was her asshole mostly. I was sure it had been used many times before but perhaps this time they wanted to just hurt the girl. Another girl was beside her. If anything she was more beautiful than Wendy with teats just as pretty. This one was unconscious and not shot or hit by bullet fragments. There was enough blood to warrant a bit of first aid if necessary. I turned her over and found something I had never seen before. This girl had a pussy but I saw a deflated cock just about where her clit would be. Hers was the same size as mine. Her giant clit did not have a head and as far as I knew no hole down the middle of it. There was no nut sack. She put me in mind of the Tomma but those women had smaller clits but they looked the same, almost like a finger with out the fingernail. This girl looked erotic. This clashed with my wish to protect all of them. I called out mentally, "Any hostiles left?" It was a stupid thing to do. They could not answer. The guys came in one at a time and looked around at all the naked flesh but their eyes usually stayed on Wendy then unerringly went to the beautiful girl with both a pussy and a cock. Eventually I found some cloth and tried to cover this oddity. I was sure she had a hard life with her genitals and with being under Caputo's thumb. "Let's move out before the cops come. They're on the way." We turned around and got rid of all the toys we had found including my Glock. With pretty much what we came with we hurried to the end of the road and started across the fields. We were a good few miles away when we heard sirens. This gave us a bit more incentive to race faster. We walked all night. During that time we talked about what we had done and I asked questions to find what we could have done better. The guys all admired Wendy and felt bad for her present condition. The new girl with a cock interested them the most. Part of it was because she was odd but I could tell that they found her sexy too. Jerry and Sam mentioned that they just may have seen this girl in one of the porno DVDs they had watched. They assured me though that they were all destroyed. When it came close to dawn we changed back into our regular clothes and tried to appear as kids. Kids were not usually up at this time of the morning though. We hid when cars came by until we found ourselves at a service station with a diner. We cleaned up Beth as good as we could and sent her in to the service station part to get the key to the ladies room. We cleaned up as best we could. We already had a story formulated. It was nice to just sit down now. We ordered lots of food and we ate too much of it. Five minutes later two cops came in and sat to drink a coffee. We were the only kids around and kids are what they would be looking for by now. I had to do something. I said to Chuck that was right across from me, "Did you know that Martha Hinkley went up to Bob and kissed him?" He didn't reply so I added, "Bob was shaking in his boots. He was afraid to kiss her back. Jake almost pissed himself laughing at him." Beth caught on and said, "It was a dare. Pam put her up to it. I was there and I heard. Martha would never have done it if Pam hadn't pushed her into it." Jerry piped up weakly, "My sister Beth is having another baby. I have to go to another baptism." Betts said, "You like going to them. Your second cousin will be there and you like her." "I do not." "You do too." "I do not,... well maybe a little." We slowed down to eat instead of talk and the cops ignored us. They left later and we all had a sigh of relief. The only thing we did differently was to wipe all the surfaces of the table that we may have touched that would not normally be cleaned. Paranoia was a good thing for me now. I called for a taxi on the public phone. I didn't like being traced through a phone if I could help it. Nadac might prevent it but it was still poor practice. A taxi took us downtown. There was a fresh fish market and I bought a local whitefish and had it wrapped. My alibi was assured now. From the market we caught another taxi home. "Guys give me your outfits. When you go home, remember to change your shoes. I want the ones you are wearing back here. We left tracks all over the place." The black outfits came off and were thrown in a pile. The gloves went into a second pile along with the gloves we did not use. Even the glasses had to stay. Too many people had seen their distinctive design. I went through their packs looking for anything that could incriminate us later. The shoes were the only problem. The guys left but now with hugs. We were much more of a team. Guys giving hugs to each other did not seem as wrong as it had before. Betts and I stopped at Gail's place. We went directly into the backyard. A tent was up and I could see one adult and two girls still sleeping. Betts and I went back home and had a good shower then went to bed. I heard of this situation making a person horny but not now. I had killed three men, Sam got one and Betts got the last. We were murders and not even thirteen yet. We woke up just before Mom and Pop got home. We both looked like shit and had another shower. We turned the television on and there was news of what the cops found on the farm. The news was coming on even when it never used to be. We saw helicopter pictures of the pit and the house. There was no mention of us but I was sure it would come out eventually. We turned off the set and I could see that Betts was still bothered. I asked, "Are you sorry you went, Love?" "Really didn't think there would be killing. You said there was the pit but it wasn't real until I saw it." "Betts, did we do the right thing? I mean about taking out the guy on the explosives and then the guys with the guns inside the last building." "I have to think we did the right thing. I... shot a man." "What was that man doing for the few hours before he was shot?" "He deserved to die alright but I was the one that pulled the trigger." "You helped society clean up its rubbish. If you had let him get away then all the crimes he committed later would be on your conscience." "I know that too. I was the one to cause a death." "I know how you feel." "I know you do and I love you Wally Kiefer." I love you too Betty Huggins." "Betty now?" "I was being formal." In a moment I said, "I hope Wendy pulls through. She looked like she had broken." "I saw that too. I hated her for what she did but she was so helpless there that I wanted to hold her to me." "Yes, helpless is the word I would think that best suited her too." We started dinner and I abused Nadac to get me a good recipe for the whitefish. Betts had to run off to the store to get some of the things I needed. The Chuck called up on the phone and asked why I wasn't online. "Chuck I have an important job to do." "What now? I hope it wasn't like the last." "Chuck, I am preparing the fish. I never cooked fish before. I could cause a disaster and I would go to my room and cry my eyes out for hours." Chuck laughed so hard the phone fell. "Ya, the Captain cries because his fish recipe didn't pan out. I got to tell the guys that." "You spread that around and I will not be able to show my face around them." "Why don't you go to your computer?" "I will but I do have the fish and I do not want to screw up the meal." "I guess you have your priorities. Talk later Cap." "See ya' Chuck." Bert came home first and sniffed the air. "What is it that I smell Mr Kiefer?" "Your meal I think. I can bike down to Burger King if you insist." "We will see just how good you are. I happen to like fish if it is done right. I assume you were successful." "Yes Sir, none got away. You would not believe the trouble I had to go to bring home something for my family to eat." "I guess I will have to eat your fish, won't I?" "I heard that sucker is a tasty dish. The flesh is tender because they don't have to fight off the other fish to eat the dead things at the bottom of the river." "You are making my mouth water." "I through back the mud puppies." "Did you not have a good salamander recipe?" "Actually I was thinking of going Japanese and eating it raw. It has to be cut up small and served with a good variety of rice." "Mmmm, raw salamander. Not bad but the rice may make me gag." We both had a laugh at that. Betts came home and we both started to set the table. The rest arrived on each other's heals. I was given a lot of compliments and Betts was given her share for helping. They asked about the fishing and I gave a bit of fiction about being out at dusk and again before dawn. After the fish was safely disposed of, Bert and I went into our talk about serving mud puppies as a main dish. We had to tell the girls what they were first and then they wanted to gag. Lillian had to leave the room. After the meal, Betts and I went up and used our computers to talk to the guys. Sam was upset at killing a human being. To all of us including Betts and me the guy was not human. We talked of our own problems of coming to terms with killing. I pushed the point that we were soldiers and thus had to kill to protect society. It seemed to help but I was not sure. Bert and I went out later to do yard work. It was good to just use our body and not have to think much. I cut grass and trimmed the edges. Bert trimmed the hedges and dug out weeds. We both didn't like the idea of society using so much poison. Lillian came out later and worked in her flower garden. Betts came out to be with me and I guess Patricia did too. We were told by Patricia that June was on the phone talking. We came in tired but happy in our own way. Betts at least was looking better. Patricia started to talk about her night camping and I got her sidetracked. She could say something about Betts not being their that would screw things up good. Patricia wanted to camp in her own back yard and she wanted us to camp with her. This might be fun but I said, "Your Mommy and Daddy would love to camp with you too. We can have a lot of fun. We can even dig holes in your mother's garden and poop in them to make the flowers grow." "Ewww." She thought about it more and said, "That may be fun. We dig small holes and they dig big ones." "Deep too so they don't smell." "Good idea." Lillian said to Bert, "What do you think about the news and the hole?" "Pretty sick if you ask me." "There will be more news on at eleven." I had purposely not asked for Nadac's help through the operation or when we made our getaway. I did ask now. "Nadac, how is Sam holding up?" "Your race does not strengthen its youth. Killing an enemy should be a prerequisite to adulthood." "It is not our way or at least not our way now. He had problems breaking into a building last time and now he took a life." "The youth will survive and grow stronger." "Are you sure he will not fall apart instead?" There was a longer pause and he said, "He does have problems." "Being in a woman's arms helps. What are your feelings about the chance that Sam will let slip something that will let Gail know about our activities?" "Up to 4% during the next few days but if you are there then there is less than 1%." "If Betts and I camp out in Gail's back yard with Gail and Sam, will Sam benefit from this?" "I think the chances of a quicker recovery are much better if this happens." "Would you put me through to Sam?" "I will but you have a perfectly good phone." "Sorry Nadac." I punched in Sam's number and he came to the phone. "Hi Wally. What's up." "You are still feeling bad. I am inviting you over to sleep in a tent with a lady. Betts and I will be in the same tent and getting to know each other better." "Ahhh... do you... ah... mean... I..." "Yes I do Sam. You are man in many ways now and you deserve to see what it is like." "Is this for real?" "Sam, with all we have gone through, you should never ask that type of question." "Sorry. I'll check if I can go." The phone dropped to the floor and in a moment he came back breathlessly, "I can go." "Bring clean underwear, pants, shirt, toothbrush and comb." I added, "Don't jerk off whatever you do." "But..." "You need all you have." "... ok... I'll be right over." I got Gail next and I said to her, "Hi Gail, I want to set up the big tent in your back yard. Sam is coming over full of cum. I said that there was a lady here that wanted to show him the way to manhood." "Mmmmm a virgin. I'll take him. When is he coming?" "He is racing here now with a hard on in his pants." "I better hurry then." Betts got permission for the sleepover with Patricia and Liza. This I hoped would sound safe but there were a lot of man-hungry women around. We hurried next door and set up the six man tent and put the four man tent next to it. Gail turned on her back lights and we finished setting up camp. The munchkins liked the idea until they found that I was going to be sleeping in the big tent with Betts. I whispered to them when Betts was beside me. "I will sneak over to your tent and wiggle my tongue up your little pussies." They rubbed the article in mention and now liked this a lot more. Betts and I were on our front porch when Sam came up. He missed our driveway and hit the curb and almost fell. He was in rough shape but not from the old worry. Betts took his bike and I put my arm around him. "Sam, do you think Mrs Watson is pretty?" "She sure is." "Is that the woman?" "Yes, she is training my men, and you need some support now." "What about... husband?" "They are divorced. She is lonely. She needs a friend. You will be one of her special friends but you have to remember not to say anything that can lead her to start to wonder about our team." "I won't say anything." "The stories about Mata Hari. She could get the information. Gail will not ask questions unless she thinks you have to talk to make you feel better. Some things cannot ever be mentioned outside our group." "I won't say anything Wally." Gail was near the tent. The interior was well lit by a battery powered light and she was dressed in a diaphanous gown that hid nothing especially with the light behind her. "Hello Sam. It is very nice of you to come over." "Ah..." "That's ok. I know how you feel. Perhaps if you come in here we can talk more about it." "Ah..." Gail reached out and hugged the boy gently and then brushed the hair out of his face before bending down to kiss him. Sam almost fell but Gail picked him up and carried him to her tent. She laid him down and then closed the tent. Betts said, "I guess we are sleeping with the pests." "Maybe they can show us what they have learned in the last few days." Patricia and Liza were less subtle. They were naked and showing us their pussies as they played with them. Beside them was a basin of water with towels, two tubes of lube, and a short thin dildo and a larger one beside it. Betts and I got in the tent and did up the fly then the netting. From next-door we heard, "Yes! Yes! Sam. Right there. Like that. Suck on it gently Sam." Betts said, "We should move our tent now. Poor Sam will not make it through the night." I said loudly, "Sam is a man that is learning to take care of his lady the right way. He will last. He will pace himself. He may look like wrung out dishrag by the morning but he will still be a man." Betts told me, "Well man get munching. These ladies want some action and then I want some myself. You better pace yourself too. I got Liza to please first. She had picked up some of her mother's mannerisms and was very vocal. It was not just her groans but her language. She wanted to be sucked, fingered and loved but done her way. It was when my lubricated finger slipped into her anus that she really reacted. It also slipped in very easily. The dildos were nearby and I used one to bring Liza to two orgasms. I handed the tool to Betts and I used the larger one on Liza. This too fit in and it was larger than me. I moved the dildo in and out as I sat up. "Betts, Honey." Betts got our of her sister's pussy and looked at me then at the larger dildo. I said, "I guess she was getting ready for me. Is it alright with you if I take her?" "I love her too. Do it but let me see." I greased myself up and one second the dildo was going in and out and the next it was me. After a dozen thrusts I gave the larger tool to Betts. Liza knew the difference and reached out and pulled me to her. She panted, "Oh, I love you Wally. I love you so much I don't know what to do. Do you love me." I pushed in a bit more then said, "How could I not love you?" "Oh, fuck me Wally. Do it. Do it lots. I love you." I came in Liza at least twice and the number of her orgasms was unknown but it was lots especially for a girl her age. Patricia was stating her devotion to her sister while Gail and Sam were still going strong. She reminded me of a good jockey trying to get the best from his mount. Betts sat up and said to me, "Switch. She wants the real thing." "Are you sure?" "I love her too." Betts had her hand on the larger dildo. I pulled out and went around Betts and we both plugged in once again. Both girls moaned which would sell a million copies if they were on a CD. Patricia said after I set up a good rhythm, "I love you Wally. I love you so much. When I get old, will you give me your baby?" I didn't know where this came from but it made me thrust harder and faster. Patricia started talking about babies more and more and I pushed harder. She must have found one of my buttons that I didn't know existed. It was much later that the two worn out girls went to sleep. We washed them and then Betts and I had time for ourselves. I was pumping into Betts back passage when I heard from the other tent. "Gee, don't they ever sleep." "Not yet Honey. They're in love." Betts pulled me to her and gave me a tender kiss. "Will you give me a baby too one day?" I thrust harder and she just groaned and held me tighter. Betts and I did not need much sleep because we slept until just before her parents came home. Around two or so we just cuddled and held each other. Sam was awake too and was thrusting into Gail and she was taking it like the trooper she was. Gail opened the tent and gave us breakfast in bed. There was enough on the tray to feed an army or two girls and a bit for us. I went outside and pissed on the grass and then Betts held her pussy and made her urine arch upward and then down. She had a lot more flow but I had velocity and directional control. Two munchkins did the same as Betts and laughed as they did something both new and naughty. We brought our tray and dirty dishes in. Sam was sitting at the table in a short robe made for somebody his size. He was reading the newspaper. I expected it to be the news but it was the business section. He looked like Bert in a way. I said, "Good morning Samuel. The night was invigorating." "It sure was. I couldn't sleep because of my odd hours but I was able to give some pleasure to my lady." "I don't seem to detect any of the malady you had yesterday?" "It seems to have disappeared. Love has taken its place." "That is a strong word." "That is the way I feel." Gail came in and gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "You have made me a happy woman by bringing Sam here." "It looks like his coming has made both of you happy." I hope that Sam's first love did not blind him to other girls. Gail was too old for a meaningful relationship for the long term but in the short term she was what he needed. I sat in the chair across from Sam and he pushed the front section of today's newspaper to me. I saw more photos and the pictures of children but their faces were obscured. If any of them knew anything they would tell the police. Getting them to provide enough evidence would still be difficult. The men we darted may implicate Caputo. I figured for this reason that they would die in custody. Nadac had given me a synopses of what was in the papers and what was in the growing pile of evidence. The men were in no condition to really talk but some of the captives were. They may have been confused, beaten, raped and traumatised but too many of them reported us as being short young men or just children. The cops we had met may not have even heard of that by the time they met us in the diner. Too many people had seen our faces as a group. They may not remember but they may do so if we were photographed like at a school function. Mug-shots might have the same effect but then they had to already suspect. I had a glass of juice to drink as I scanned the paper. Gail sat near Sam and said to me. "Wally, Sam and I would like some time to get to know each other a little better. Would mind taking Liza with you today? She is one of your junior girlfriends whether you want to admit it or not. She loves you just as much as the rest." "I know. I will give you two some time to talk. I want you to remember that I wanted you to train two others in how to be a gentleman. It appears you have already done a fine job with one of the recruits." "Sam was always a gentleman. He is polite and sees to the needs of his lady. I just took away the outside influences." Shy Sam was blushing but his hand was now over one of Gail's. We walked over to my house and thought how odd we looked in a way. It then hit me that the addition of two munchkins would change the structure of our group when seen by outsiders. We would not be five but seven. That change was good for camouflage but bad for some of our training. Betts asked out of the blue, "I wonder how Wendy is?" "Probably still in shock. She would be in the hospital I guess for the rips to... and I guess for her mental trauma." There was no point in letting the munchkins know too much. "Can we go see her?" "That will bring us to the attention of the authorities. We could be people like Wendy that had not been captured by... the net. The only way it would look good is if we went as a class. I am sure all of the class would be investigated too. She is probably... has people outside her door." "Do you think she is safe?" "There are too many to keep quiet. Our friend liked a lot of variety in his love life. There were so many to... ask to remain quiet that it turned into a wholesale... camping trip. I am sure others were dragged in that might just know and need to... remain quiet." "You mean all of Wendy's friends." "Yes, but I don't think Wendy was his only little friend. Heather would be just one more," Patricia said in a quiet voice, "Who's Wendy?" Betts said, "Just a girl in our class." We fired up the computers to find Chuck and Jerry already online. I typed, "Sam is busy at the moment taking some training. He is a lot better than yesterday. He was smiling a lot." Chuck typed, "Put your headset on and plug it in. I wish I had one of those cameras that plug in then we could see each other. Jerry and I can talk to each other now a lot faster than we can type." A quick check with Nadac said that the cameras would work but he would have to alter our communications program to suit the number of images on the screen at one time. I found my own headset and plugged it in. "Hi guys. Do you hear me?" I heard a reply from both and then Betts too. "We can plug the cameras in. Mrs Watson has a USB key so she should get the same equipment." Jerry said in a whisper, "Did you know that when Mrs Watson was drunk she touched my cock twice?" I said with feigned shock, "No!" Chuck added, "She touched mine too. It might have been an accident. You know how your movements are when you're drunk." Betts was a good girl. I heard no laugh through my electronic link or through the air from the other room. Chuck said after the discussion of Mrs Watson lapsed, "Let's check out the other place? Can we get a simulation of us taking that place too." "I don't know. Before we do that we should discuss what method to use. The easiest place is the roof. There's a lot of security. A rope can go from the building across the street and to the roof of the centre. That roof is eight stories high. How are we going to get the rope tied off? Chuck said, "Use one of those hooks the pirates used." Betts quietly said, "We can't throw it up eight stories." Jerry said, "In the movies they shoot something into the stone wall with a rope on it." Chuck said, "That's in the movies. A mountain climber would have to pound those things into a crack in the rock to hold him up. He would have to do it between the bricks or the stone wall at the top of the building." Jerry added, "He could climb up at the corners. The stone sticks out there." "Ya, climb eight stories on your fingertips. Superman would have a hard time." "Batman could do it in his sleep." I said, "Guys, this is the real world." Chuck said, "Wally, you have connections. How about an Apache lowering a hook or better yet the Black Hawk lowering us onto the roof?" "What Black Hawk." "The one that was in the game that would have rescued us." "The answer is no and we cannot talk about that. If you want answers talk to your trainers." That should give Nadac something to do. He was smart but three twelve year-olds were not pushovers. I called for another shopping expedition while Sam was busy so we could replace what we had to discard. A barbecue sounded good too. We went by bike and took the munchkins. Shirts, shoes and other similar clothes were not bought in larger amounts because we didn't want the type of clothing we had used to be around. New clothing was by definition not used. It was safer but I would rather buy it when we needed it. Six identical outfits would raise eyebrows. Being veterans now, we went to a mall to try out the combat games. We were disappointed that we didn't do much better than before. The guys still had their cash that I gave them and this was a safe place to spend it. The munchkins didn't even have to beg hard to get their share. One store sold high quality flashlights. This would be good in our missions. We got a small one each. The food court managed to feed us. While sitting at the table eating, my phone rang. "Hello." "Hi Wally. I thought you were going to tell me when you two left?" "Sorry Mom. The guys and the munchkins are with us at the food court." "I can guess who the munchkins are. I guess the rules can be relaxed since you and Betts have a phone." "Thanks Mom. Would you like to talk to one of them? I have to push the phone across the table or my fingers get nipped." Lillian talked to Patricia then to Liza for a moment then Patricia folded the phone and gave it back to me. She said, "I'd like a phone like that too." I thought that this was a good idea. It could keep her safe. It was that thought suddenly struck me as important. She was not safe. I had no vision this time but I did have a fair feeling of dread. "Nadac, I just had a feeling about Patricia not being safe." "I do not understand this ability in you. It should be investigated but that can wait until you are trained. Perhaps stress will make it stronger." "At the moment I do not need stress, I need my family safe." "Was your feeling related to them going into danger or a random effect of fate." "Oh, it was danger from somebody." "Like hit by speeding automobile?" "No, more like hurt and taken." "You can implant a crystal that can be used to find them if this is your wish." "Where do I get the crystals?" "You already have some. A small portion of one crystal can be sheared with your mind. Before or after it is implanted in her body, you must shape the particular field." "How do I implant this?" "There are two ways open to you. I control your body while I use some surgical instruments to implant the crystal in her leg or you do this with me guiding you with my words and images alone." "Why not one of those machines you used on me?" "Two reasons. You have to learn and the second is that they are here not there. The first is by far the most important." "You want me to be a doctor?" "A soldier uses the automatic devices in his combat suit. He uses a portable unit and failing that he uses his manually operated tools." "I can operate on dead cats first you know." "Take your weapons to the old factory and shoot some rats. There is still a sizable population there. In the north is an old abattoir. Most of it has been ripped down but some rats still live there." "Ok, I want you to do it then." The guys were looking at me when I stopped talking to Nadac. "What?" Betts said, "You were off in outer space again." "Fat lot you know. My mind stayed here on earth. I hardly ever leave the atmosphere these days." The guys laughed at this and the munchkins did too when they figured it was a joke. We picked up steaks, burgers, buns, chips and a few other things to eat. When we got home I phoned Gail and said, "I'm having another barbecue at my house. You and Sam are invited. We can have it there but Sam's condition will be noticed. Did you kill him yet?" "The little darling is close. He worked his heart out for me. I love him so much." "What about Chuck and Jerry? Can Sam share you with them?" "We have been working on that. Youngsters mistake sex for love all the time. I will just have to show him that they are not the same." "You are taking your time with him and I appreciate it." "You are doing the same thing with my daughter. She, I think, really loves you. It may still be a childhood crush but a mother can see the difference." "I love them too but not the same amount as Betts." ------- Chapter 11 "I figured that already. If you were an Arab you could have more than one wife. I know that you would take care of Liza." "A kid like me has lots of dreams. Lots of women is one of them but I think I am mature enough to see that one woman may be hard to take care of." "Liza says you get turned on about making her pregnant." "She's smart. Then the rest followed her lead. I hope my urges do not overcome my common sense. I want Liza to have a happy and normal childhood even if she spends her spare time having sex." I fired up the barbecue at our house. Gail and Sam came over. All of us could see the change in the boy or should I say man now. The killing of an armed man may represent a lot of it but I knew that making Gail happy was just as much the reason. Sam was not grinning like a fool nor was he clustered with the guys to tell the intimate details. For all they knew Sam had not had a chance yet to please a woman. My own woman, and I guess the wannabees, got the meal ready without my asking. They let me deal with what I wanted and they took the rest of the burden. June came home early and came over to talk. I may be a bit dense but I noticed that she walked a bit funny and she had the predatory look. Betts saw it right away and came over as if to claim me first. The munchkins were right behind. "Hi Wally. You are going to be a great chef one day." "Thanks June. How was your day?" This seemed to be the opening she wanted. "Oh, my feet and legs are killing me." "I can work on you now if I can get the guys to not destroy the place." "Oh, would you?" "Yes, if Betts comes with me. She can see problems with my technique." June looked to Betts but said nothing. I think it was her pleading eyes that made Betts say, "I will watch him but there may be some internal massage needed. He didn't want to do it last time." "Will it hurt?" "No. You are like me and like that kind of massage. Let's go upstairs and get ready while Wally gets away for a while." The munchkins wanted to follow the girls. I said, "Patricia, Liza." They stopped. "Let Betts do this. You guys need to stay here and take my place as host." They didn't like this but the job I gave them made them feel grown up. I went over to the guys and said, "Remember my feelings about things?" I got a lot of nods. "Watch Patricia. Liza too. I had a feeling of danger to the girls when we were out." Chuck said, "What kind of danger?" "Someone wants to take her and hurt her." Chuck said, "I will kill them if they try." "Thanks guys. June has sore legs. I am going up to rub her legs for her." Surprisingly there were no smiles, winks or knowing looks. Jerry simply said, "Do a good job. I don't like seeing her in pain." Sam was sitting near Gail. I said to them. "Gail, I sometimes get feelings of things that can happen. I felt odd about Patricia today and to a lesser extent about Liza. I asked the guys to watch them. There is an ultra small chip that can be implanted like they do in domestic animals. I would like to put one in each girl." Gail was very surprised. "You?" "The chips are only a few milligrams. They are the size of a small piece of sand. They get injected with water into the muscle of the leg. Nobody ever knows that the chip is there." "Now you are scaring me. What is this about?" "My feelings are not clear this time. I could do this without your knowledge but this is important to all of us. There has to be trust." "Does this have anything to do with that Caputo character?" "It may. I simply do not know." Liza came over with a cold beer for her mother and a tray of dip. Patricia had a tray of vegies. Gail said, "We will talk later about this." I went upstairs and heard the shower just finishing. I went into my room and fished out a crystal that Nadac pointed out for me. It took a few minutes of staring at the crystal to find any flaws. It was better to work with them than against. The area near the first flaw was increased and I tried to twist just a get to get the crack to continue the way I wanted. In ten minutes I had what looked like crushed glass. Altering them to the pattern in my mind was not hard. On impulse I did fifty three of them which was the number of suitable sized particles. A piece of paper was used to collect them and two I moved with my mind. This worked just a bit better than last time I tried this. When the now folded paper was put away I walked into June's room. She was naked and laying with her stomach on a towel. Betts still had her clothes on and was rubbing her sister's shoulders. I had to guess that June was much further from being bi than her two sisters. Beside the bed on the table was a bowl of water to wash with and some hand towels. There was new bottle of baby oil. Betts said, "I rubbed her legs. They're ok now. It is the area from the upper thighs to the waist that's bothering her. I mentioned to June that you can do her front after my next period." "You are a good woman to me and to your sister. I hope you know that." "I do know that and you are going to have to work harder on me later." I said, "June, this may be a foolish question, but are you a virgin?" "Not for a long time." "That is good to hear." I turned to Betts and said, "You have a toy you have not shown me. Go wash it and bring it here. You are going to help." Betts liked this idea and hurried out. June said, "What is it?" "Something to help me make you a happy woman." I squeezed a bit of oil on my hands and started on June's butt. I was not insistent but I did a massage as I tried to get her aroused. It took a while but she started to hump the bed. Betts was back by then with a weapon in her hands. June was moaning constantly now and eventually an orgasm passed through her body. I gave her a moment to savour the feeling before I started once more. When she started to climb to the precipice one more time a finger started an insistent effort to enter her. The orgasm came much quicker this time. When she was into the throws of orgasm one finger then two entered her anus. The orgasm did not stop. I hammered her for a full minute and then slipped a third finger into her. The orgasm got even higher and then she just collapsed. Betts said, "I see you did it to her the same way you handle me." "I always do my best, but with you I try even harder." "I know you do." She looked at the dildo. "I guess I don't need this anymore." Maybe you should leave it here with June. When she wakes up she may need it desperately." "I wouldn't mind using it on her." "I know you would. That's what I was going to have you do when I was doing my thing." "You are a truly evil man and I love you for it. You always try to include me." We covered up June and I washed in the bathroom to allow June to have clean water for herself. Bert and then Lillian got home and found dinner waiting for them. They loved barbeques and I liked how easy a meal was to prepare on them. June came down later with a nice grin and a spring in her step. I could see the guys smiling but they still hid it well. I was amazed at how they had seemed to grow up almost overnight. Gail sent Liza to get a bottle of something the adults wanted to drink. She saw Jerry and Chuck get up and go to the gate. They pretended to not watch but they did a good job. Gail was pleased to see this. The adults had a bit too much to drink last time but now they just sipped. Patricia came up to me and whispered, "Can we sleep in the tents again?" I just want to move ours a bit." I liked the idea of keeping Patricia close and Liza too. They may be safer in the house though. "Let's camp out in your room? We can all sleep on the floor." I tried to imitate an old woman's cackly voice and said, "I know stories of where little innocent girls get eaten." "Raw?" "Raw is the best," I continued with the same voice. "Then I want to hear those stories." Betts was near and just rolled her eyes. That night we slept on the floor. The girls like to hold me but only two could and Betts made sure she always got where she wanted. Liza and Patricia worked it out that Liza would be beside me tonight. I started the witch story but the noise they made was too loud for talking. Betts and I did some eating instead and then let the munchkins feed on each other while we did the same. I don't know what woke me up but I looked at the walls and saw flashing lights. Looking out the window I saw a police car in front of my parent's home. I knew something was wrong. After I dressed I hurried next door. I walked in what used to my house and heard crying and wailing. This was Mom like I never saw her before. Dad was dressed but he looked like he put the clothes on in the dark. I hurried over to him and held his hand. He seemed to be surprised to see me. I interrupted the cop by saying, "What happened Dad?" "Your sister Mona is in the hospital." "What happened Dad? There is more to it than that." "She was hurt. She was beaten." I knew he was holding back. "What else? Tell me." "She..." Dad burst out crying. I held him and whispered, "Was she raped?" Dad just nodded his head. I knew then that this is what was going to happen to Patricia. I also knew who did it. Or at least who ordered it. Dad and Mom went to the hospital. Cathy was still out. Nick just sat on the couch in a daze. He just didn't know what to do and I didn't either. I sat with Nick and for the first time I could remember. He cried. After a while he moaned about who could have done this. He was too unstable now or in the future to be given the truth so I said nothing. I made coffee for him and just sat until Cathy got home. When she learned what happened she rushed off to the hospital too. I said, "Are you going to be alright Nick?" "I'll be ok. For a little twerp you are growing up." I went home and started breakfast. When Lillian came down I told her what had happened. She ran upstairs and soon Bert and June knew as well. Not once did she ask who could have done this to Mona. Before she left for work, she said seriously, "Keep the girls close to you always and always keep your phones near." "Mom, I get feelings sometimes. I already told the guys to watch out for the girls. I will try to do a bit more. Perhaps I will get my little league bat and look for a game of baseball if I go out of the house." "That is a good idea. You should all do that. Carry mitts and a ball too." "I know. Good camouflage." "Watch yourself too and June." She looked a little stunned to think that she could have been in danger too. "I will Wally." The newspaper was on the table and I looked in the ads section and found the obits. There was a section for Frank Pallo. There was no cause of death listed and no extra information. There was only one viewing but it also said that it was a closed casket affair. There was only one viewing and it was today. I wanted to see Wendy and I know Betts did too. I had a good idea I thought and got the girls up. When Betts started to think straight I said, "The funeral of Wendy's father is today. The viewing is just before the burial. Call all your friends from school. They will get a chance to pay their respects and we can see Wendy." "We should go to the funeral too. Any ideas?" "If you get friends to come then we can get a lift. It is no bother to rent a van or two and go in them." "Will you do that?" "Yes. Do you have anything to wear?" "Not really. The last funeral I went to was my aunts. That was three years ago." "You use the phone and I will call the guys." The guys were on and they agreed to go with us. They liked the idea of the class coming as camouflage. There were problems with suitable clothes so I said I would look into it with an eye to rent. The phone was busy and I got Nadac to take this chore for me. He could call everybody at once if he wanted. In less than three minutes Nadac phoned back with the location that had four suits. My head was not screwed on right. I had a phone and I had forgotten it again. I called Mom and waited for her to come on. She picked up the phone hurriedly and said, "What's wrong Wally." "Relax Mom. The father of a girl in our class has died. We would like to show our respects. The guys are renting suits and I will see what I can get for the girls. We have to leave to go to the rental and to the store. We plan on going to the viewing and then the funeral. I will rent a vehicle. We will be with people all the time." "Who passed away?" "Wendy Pallo's father Frank." "She is in your class with Betty." "That's right." "You are one smart and caring young man. I may meet you at the funeral." "Thanks Mom." Another belated idea struck me. I phoned Gail and said, "Hi Gail. I have a favour to ask you." "What is it Wally. You only have to ask." "Will you rent a large passenger van for us? The father of one of the girls in our class has recently died. We would like to go to the viewing and the funeral right after." "When does this take place?" I gave the times and locations. I also put in the need to rent suits and get some dresses for 'my girls'. "Is it all right if Liza goes with us? Some parents want to shelter their children from this." There was a pause. "She should go if for no reason than to see what is what she will face one day." It was a good thing that Gail had a larger car. The two girls sat on our laps with no objections. It was a short time until Gail left her car and we were in the much larger 13 passenger van. Gail used my cash and her credit card as surety when we rented four suits. We bought shirts in the store and stayed in the suits when we left. Choosing dresses was quicker than I thought. I figured women always dawdled doing this. Betts was constantly on the phone arranging rides for friends with other friends. Some though had no rides. We went back to our neighbourhood to pick up six more girls and one guy. There was no room in the parking lot at the funeral home. We parked on the street a block and a half away. Betts took the guys and got them, matched with a girl. The guys seemed to like this idea. I saw why the funeral home was full. There were nine viewings going on and it wasn't until then that I figured how the others had died. I hoped that there were just victims here an not the guys we shot. The room for Pallo was not that full. We signed our names but I had our names spread out among the rest of the visitors. We managed to get fairly close. The young woman I had seen in the house was holding onto a small girl in one hand and Wendy with another. A lot of our class was already here. We just waited our time to come up. When I got to the girl, she was not crying but she was upset. I bent down and said, "Hi. My name is Wally. I am sorry to hear that your daddy has left us." She sniffled a bit then turned to her mother. I stood and held the woman's hand in mine and said, "I am sorry to hear of your husband's passing. If there is something I can do for your family, I will do it." She did smile at me. I guess she didn't think I could do much. "Thanks Wally. That was a very nice offer." I moved on and saw Wendy. She still looked shell shocked. Because of her rape and treatment I did not touch her. She looked up at me and I said, "Hi Wendy. How are you feeling?" "I hurt but I guess it will go in time." "Time does that for us. We forget our accomplishments but the bad things are forgotten much sooner." Wendy started to sniffle and then reached out to hold me. I held her in my arms but not tightly. She had to know that she could get away. She pulled back then went forward and kissed my cheek. "Thank you for coming Wally. I heard that it was you and Betty that got the class down here." "Betts did that. If you can think far enough ahead we will watch out for you when we can." "I could have used you recently but thanks for the offer Wally." "Your welcome, Sweetie. Be strong for your family. They need you." I got another kiss and I moved on to a man that looked a lot like a cop even to the gun under his arm. I guess he was protection. I just treated him as if he were somebody in Wendy's family. There were more men like this in the room and I looked through the walls to see a lot of guns in the other rooms too. Outside there were vans with cops in there and some had combat rifles. I personally thought that Caputo could do nothing now. There was no room to sit so we stood in groups. I whispered to the guys to not stick together and to stay with the girl that might need them. They accepted this and shy young men stood with small groups of girls. I took Gail around and introduced her. She liked the girls but the boys really caught her eye. More young people came and most I had not seen before. I quizzed Nadac and he replied that they had been on the DVD's. I was surprised to see some from our own school that were starlets even if they were forced to do their work. I did not look in the casket at Frank but I did in the other rooms. They too were closed. In most cases there were two or more caskets so both parents may have been killed or perhaps a grandparent. I felt like a ghoul but I found that all of those present were killed by small arms fire and not by us. In some cases it was a child in the casket. A quick tally showed that there were twenty three funerals going on in just this one building. The room for the Hendersons had the hermaphrodite girl. Even I felt drawn to... her. The clothing was of a girl our age. I would have to ask Nadac about her condition and living arrangements but do it later. There were many beautiful young people with her and more of the same were in the other rooms. All were selected to feed an evil empire. I shivered because Betts could be one of them. The girl that seduced Betts was in one of the rooms. Heather had no adult males with her or as a matter of fact many of the nine families would have only uncles to stand for their fathers. I had to exclude the guys with guns because they would just be protecting. There were some that looked like older brothers. I had to wonder what was going to happen to them now. Mom came in and looked around. I waved my hand and she came over. She bent first to Patricia and said, "How are you taking this baby?" "It's ok. Everybody is crying and it makes me sad." Lillian asked Betts, "How are you doing, Honey?" "I have Wally. Everything's alright." Lillian looked at me and gave me a small smile. I said, "Would you like to meet the family?" "Yes, please introduce me." We walked to the front and bypassed the closed coffin. The family was now sitting and taking a break. When I got to Mrs Pallo she stood. "Hi again. My name is Wally Kiefer in case you forgot." "I will not forget you." She gave me a nice smile. She was a young and beautiful woman and that was the reason she was still alive. "This is my new mother, Lillian Huggins. Mom, this is Mrs Pallo." The started to shake hands but Lillian pulled the woman to her and hugged her. I heard Lillian comment the usual things said at a time like this. I walked to Wendy and said, "Come with me to talk to our friends. Staying here is bad enough." She looked up to the cop and I said, "We are not leaving the room. She will only be with known school friends." He nodded to me. I took Wendy's hand and she started to walk away but soon her sister was holding Wendy's other hand. Betts was talking with her back to us but turned as we approached. Betts just reached out and hugged Wendy to her. The two started to cry. The little sister was at a loss. I bent down and said, "These two munchkins beside me are my junior girlfriends. The girl holding your sister is my girlfriend. Her name is Betty but I call her Betts." I pulled over Patricia and said, "This pretty girl is Betts' sister. She sleeps in a tent for two days. She is smart and knows how to twist a poor boy around her finger." Liza came over next and I said, "This is Liza. She used to be shy but not now. She's a tiger." I growled now. "Liza and her mother live next door to us. She and Patricia are best buds now. My name is Wally Kiefer if you forgot. I didn't hear your name though." There was a lot of hesitation but she finally said, "Erin." "Hi Erin. How old are you?" "Seven, in three days." "Wow, that old already? I am twelve and these two munchkins are nine. They are only two years older than you." "Are they really your girlfriends?" "They are my junior girlfriends. Betts is the one who kisses me when the others are not looking." I got close and whispered, "I kiss her back too." Erin looked a little shocked but she smiled for the first time. Patricia started to talk to Erin and so did Liza. They even took the child's hands. I stood near then heard Erin say, "I have to go." I smiled and said, "Hold on just a minute Honey." There was not that many visitors now and I made it to the cop. "Erin has to go to the bathroom. My munchkins will take her." He simply said, "Come back here when they are done." "Yes, Sir." I got Patricia and Liza to take Erin into the bathroom. I leaned against the door until they came back out. I brought the three girls over to the cop. Lillian was now sitting with Mrs Pallo and ignoring me. I introduced the girls by saying, "Munchkins, this is Officer... oh ya, you never gave your name." "Wilcox." "This is Officer Wilcox. Now you better go find Betts and Wendy." When they disappeared I turned and said, "First your suit is good but it still says cop. You have something on your left chest under your suit. I read the newspapers. Multiple deaths mean situations like this. The building is full and as I passed I noticed that six of the rooms had three caskets each. When I saw Wendy's name in the newspaper, I was shocked. She is in my class at school. Betts and I came to give what support we could. What else would you like to know?" "Do you read minds?" "I am working on that now. I believe it is a possible function of the frontal lobe." "Do you know a guy by the name of Caputo?" "The scum bag grabbed me by the shirt and knocked me unconsciousness a few days ago." I pointed out Gail. "She came over and wacked the asshole with a shove twice on the head." "That must have been Tony." "Yep, that's him." "What was he after you for?" "I was invited by Wendy to go to her house for a pool party one day. I had never been to a party like that before. The house was beautiful. I tried to shake hands and be polite. Tony was far from being nice. He asked how I beat his buddy Morton recently in a fight. By the way I was sent to the hospital for a few days with my own injuries. Anyway I ignored the asshole and walked away. "Later I walked into the open basement to see that portion of the house. Others were going in and out and getting drinks in the bar in the basement. I loved the room I was in and wished I saw the rest of the house. Two goons came tramping down the stairs. I backed up to get out of the way. I heard a guy saying that somebody was not here. I kinda' felt they were talking about me. I left and went back with my friends. I was always within three metres of the door going into the house. "We did not like the guests or should I say Tony and his friends. They were all over 18 and they frightened me. We left. "Tony came up to me a few days ago and asked me what I was looking at. He was angry. If I were you I would go look at that room. Something there bothered him enough to come to may house." Wilcox asked, "Do you know what is in that room?" "No idea." "Do you know anybody in the military." I smiled big like a kid and said, "I sure do." "Who is that?" "My brother Clark." "Where is he?" "He lives in Calgary." "Has he been home recently?" "I gave you some answers to your spoken and unspoken questions. Tell me how many times you had sex before you were married and I will start answering information about my family." "I can take you to the station to talk too." "Sure you could. I am twelve. I refuse to talk about my family. Do you beat your children or do you use a cattle prod Mr Wilcox?" "We will find out other ways then." "Good. You were going to anyway. Now tell me why there were all the killings and I may help you solve the case." "That is police business." "Do I have to take you to my house and beat the information out of you?" "Are you threatening me?" "Yes, I am going to grab your arm and throw you to the floor. When I have done that a few times I can get you to cooperate. Perhaps I do not have to take you there. I can do it outside." Wilcox smiled, "Do you know karate to do this?" "I only saw some moves on the net. They look like fun to try." "I think you are a bit too young for that." "Ha, I will wait until you are in diapers and sucking your food through a straw in your wheelchair. I may be old myself but I could get you then." He smiled and put his hand on my head. I grabbed it and tried to twist it but got nowhere. I did it two more times with the same result. I backed up then and said, "You got me when I wasn't looking." I acted and sounded like a young kid and that is what I wanted. Lillian said, "Behave yourself Wally." "Yes, Mom. Did you see how I almost threw him?" "It did look close there for a moment. Next time take your fights outside. Get your munchkins to help." "Now that's an idea." I left and heard some chuckles and I hope that was enough to let me slip by. Mom knew better but didn't say anything that would screw things up for me. Betts was holding Wendy and other girls were holding them. They seemed to be better than when I saw them last. Betts said, "What were you doing?" "I was showing that guy a neat karate move I saw on the net. You throw the guy over your hip. I guess I have to take some lessons first to do it." The girls smiled and Betts shook her head. "Sometimes you are so grown up and sometimes I have to change your diaper." I went close to Betts and crouched. "Mommy there is something in my diaper." "It probably stinks." I pouted and the girls laughed with Betts at me. Sam came around with the girl that was assigned to him. He was very polite and we could see that he was not mouthing the words. Wendy hugged him and he hugged her back. A week ago he would have froze. When Sam had left, Jerry came over. He was not as sure of himself but he was still pretty good. Apparently Chuck had already been over to talk. Gail was in a corner talking to some older people and I brought her over and introduced her again to Wendy. I said to Wendy after they had the hug that girls do. "Did you know that my buddy Tony choked me so much that he knocked me unconscious. Mrs Watson came over with a long handled shove and bonked him on the head. When he got up a bit she really walloped him one." Wendy turned to Gail and said, "You really did that?" "I guess I did but the guys and the girls got Tony's buddy. Wally's munchkins had knives and looked ready to cut up that guy. I think he was happy to see the cops come." "You did that! I could only dream of seeing something like that. I only wish I could have a film of that." Betts said, "Well you get your wish. I filmed it all. You can even see Tony trying to kiss Wally." "What?" "Wally was like a typical boy. He needed his afternoon nap. Tony was laying on him with his head on Wally's chest." "When can I see it?" "When we can come over and visit. This time no Tony." "I don't think he can come over now." A priest came in and after a talk with Mrs Pallo he started the service. Mom stayed with her all the time and even had to support her. Gail thought it best to go there and help too. I now had three munchkins to watch but they were good. Priest always take a long time. Eventually the pallbearers came and put the casket into the hearse. The lead car was for family but Erin and Wendy wanted to be with us. Mom then rode with Mrs Pallo. We got into the van and soon we were the first car right after the black limos. It was quite a distance to the cemetery and we took the highway. This part was at least done quickly. Around us were some of the other funerals from the same funeral home. Jerry was staring at one girl from the other funeral as if shocked. Chuck pushed him and Jerry came back to us. He whispered and then both guys looked to the other funeral. It was the hermaphrodite girl and she looked to be the most beautiful girl around and there were a lot of them. The funeral party broke up now. There was usually a meal after the event but not this time. Mrs Pallo thanked the people that came. It was nice to see that she got along well with Mom. The woman needed some kind of support. Erin wanted to stay with her new friends but her mother said no especially after Wilcox shook his head. Wendy might want to stay too but she must have seen that it was futile. On impulse, I gave Wendy my phone and showed her the quick dial feature for Betts phone, the house or Gail's place. Wendy seemed broken up and kissed me on the lips. She put a lot of herself into the kiss and I guess she was surprised to not see me without a stunned expression on my face. When Wendy rode away with her mother she looked at us through the window of the car. Betts had a hand around my waist and waved with her other hand. On our own ride back to the funeral home to let Mom get her car I called my dad on Betts' phone. Mona was going to stay in for another day for observation. The good thing was that the guy used a condom. This kept his DNA from being matched and consequently protected Mona from disease and a possible pregnancy. The guys heard of the rape now and were more angry then their size warranted. I guess after doing what we did, they had some cause to feel this way. There was a lot of private conversations going on. The girls in the van found a reason to talk to 'their' man while the lone outsider male was mostly ignored. We let the people off in reverse order until it was just us in the van. Chuck said vehemently, "It had to be Caputo that did it. I'd love to take a baseball bat to his head." Jerry and Sam started discussing plans for how to find Caputo and then where to put the body. This sounded a bit too realistic for Gail and the munchkins to hear. Gail would remember this when talk finally surfaced about who took out the guys at the farm. "Guys, think rationally." They saw my face and quieted. The munchkins wanted to know what happened to Mona. I said, "I would tell you but perhaps Mrs Watson would like to do this." "You go ahead Wally. I trust you." "Well... we think Tony beat up my sister Mona and then raped her. He was certainly angry enough at me. I had a feeling that something was going to happen and we stayed together. He could not get me or those I love. He picked my sister. I do love her too but she is like a stranger in a way." Patricia said, "Why did he rape her? Beating her up should have been enough." "A man sees rape as something for him to enjoy. It shows that he is the boss. It is his way of showing dominance. In some old societies men fight and the winner rapes the loser. The loser then knows that he is not as strong as the winner. Rome and Greece wrote about this. Actually it is in our nature. Society places rules on us and those rules may or may not condone this action. Tony wanted to send a message to me that he is above me." "What are you going to do about it?" "I do not know. I doubt if the police have enough evidence to lay a charge or if a trial would find him guilty. He would choose to have a jury and a jury can be frightened into letting him go. For all we know Tony may not have done this but I am sure he at least ordered one of his friends to do it." "I thought doing that was to show love." "It usually is if the love is given. Somebody forced another to do this and it was for domination and humiliation." We arrived home and Gail asked, "What do you want me to do with this boat?" "I cook a lot. Let's get the rest of my family and go to a restaurant. My real parents will not want to go." "That is fine with me." Mom, Pop and June were home. They were sitting at the table and I guess talking about what Lillian learned. They stopped talking when we came in. Lillian said, "How are you guys taking this?" Betts said, "Wendy's father was not a nice person. She never said what he did but Wendy hated him. She is not upset at his death. She didn't talk much but she told us that she was kidnapped and made to do stuff. This to me is rape. The caskets in the funeral home were filled with bodies of executed people or living people hurt when raped or brutalised. What cause me pain was that there are a lot of people that got away with doing that and had not been implicated or otherwise caught." Bert continued by saying, "We were talking about much the same thing. Caputo's name came up. The father was deeply involved with a lot of crimes. I just hope the police can find enough evidence to convict him." I said, "I want to talk about this too but over a meal. Mrs Watson is waiting in the van to take us someplace. Will you accompany us?" We went to a seafood restaurant. We looked good since all the men folk had suits and the ladies were dressed nice. The guys were allowed to talk generally and vent their feelings. I ate my meal quickly because I had to crack crab legs for three girls. June surprised me by saying, "Wally, what do you think will happen with Caputo?" I had a synopsis of a report that Nadac had formulated. I could not give it all but I could give some of it. "Caputo will see that he cannot influence enough people to escape jail. The public will demand that justice be done. The people that could implicate him were either executed or slated to be. He will abandon that tactic but use it as a threat for those who may come out later. "I think that he is now having a fire sale on his fixed assets that are in his name. Those that are too valuable will be transferred to those he can control later. Those properties that are already hid will remain that way for a while unless their true ownership is exposed. At some time, he will flee the country just a step ahead of the law. At the moment he is probably negotiating with the leaders of some countries to take him in and deny extradition procedures. This way he can manage his empire from a distance." Everybody looked at me even my friends. I had given similar statements to them before and they took it for want it was. Patricia pulled my arm. "Wally. I want more crab." "Yes, Dear," I said as I broke the shell with my hand. In a moment Lillian asked, "What was that act with the policeman about." "I read the newspapers Mom. It didn't take a brain surgeon to see that Wendy's father was one of the many people Caputo had killed. The fact that Caputo wanted them dead meant that the police would provide protection on this day. "I think Wendy is a nice girl and somebody I care for. She needed a break and Betts wanted to pump her for information." Betts hotly said, "I did not!" I just stared at her and she quieted. "Wilcox was there to guard the family and I told him in a nice way that I knew what was going on. Later I had to come back and explain to him how I knew what I knew. He started to be a nosey cop and I did not want to tell him about my former family. I told him he was just nosey and then acted like a kid that was smart sometimes and just a kid another. I didn't want to drag my legal team down to the station to get me out." Lillian said, "What legal team?" "Why you and if that did not work you would have dragged everybody that worked for your company to the station to tack Wilcox' hide to the barn door." There was another pregnant pause and she said, "You are smarter than I thought." "Thanks Mom," I said with a smile. Gail tried to steer the subject away by saying, "I noticed that three young men had a fun time talking to quite a few young ladies." Sam said, "Some were nice but they did not have that special maturity I have been looking for." His hand came out and covered Gail's. It was the smile, the blinking of his eyes and the posture that said this was a put on. Gail looked shocked and found she had to pull hard to get her hand away. Bert burst out in laughter that shook the windows. Everybody was looking at us but we were laughing too and didn't care. Gail was the only one that could not see this for what it was. Gail was talking generally about some boys having too much testosterone when Betts' phone rang. She looked at the display and said, "Wendy calling on your phone." She looked at the rest of us and said, "Excuse me," then left the table. Bert looked at me and I said, "I let Wendy have my phone. She is probably needing somebody to talk to." I was able to think more about Caputo and said to Nadac, "Hi, I have an idea." "What is it? You are hiding it from me." That was good to know. "If I talk to you then I can give you the idea. Taking it from my mind does not allow me to know that you have grasped what I meant." "Go on." "Let's post the properties that Caputo secretly owns on the net. We can give leads to the trail the cops can use to prove the facts. Caputo would have to sell even faster than before and be forced to take less money for them. We were going to go after his money later. Why not buy some of his property now?" "That will take a lot of money." "You put a lot of money into my account. It stands to reason that you could find some other minor drug lord and milk his account for all the capital we need." "That may be interesting for me." "I am happy to hear that Nadac. We are nearly the same race but you act too much like a machine." "You know where I live." "I do and you were a cyberneticist and a psychiatrist. Perhaps you could build something to help." "I am sorry. That is not possible." I forgot the king listening in. "Because of your conditioning?" I didn't add the security circuits. "That is true." "I hope you have as much fun as possible Nadac." He didn't answer but that was his way of doing things. Betts came back after twenty minutes and took her seat like a lady. She smiled and then picked at the remains of her meal. We left the restaurant soon after. Gail wanted to take the van back and recover her own car. This was ok because the suits had to go back and we could make it before closing time. The girls came too and I think it was because two of them wanted to ride on laps coming home and I used to think that boys were sex fiends. When we got home and Gail was momentarily away Betts said to us, "Wendy wanted us over. Four guys and one girl that looks like a guy still may ring bells." She looked at the boys and said, "Sorry guys. I will try to make it up to you later." To me the guys were not quite as lecherous as they were before. They must know that hanging around too much was dangerous. I said, "I did my thinking on our next project. I know how to get across. All of you guys helped me come up with the answer." Jerry said, "Well, what is it?" "We have the measurements from the centre to the building across the street. Jerry's dad has a work shop. Go on the net and Google 'spud gun'. Make a good hook that will not bend. We tie a good rope used by mountain climbers to it. This gets loaded in the cannon and we shoot it across the street. The spud gun is made to launch small things like potatoes and tangerines. The hook and rope are heavy. We need to build strong and that means out of metal. We practice out at our range." The guys looked at me funny. I said, "Check out the net. Make designs of the cannon and the hook. When you have wrung your noodles dry and need more help, ask your mentors." Chuck said, "And what are you going to be doing?" "We are going over to Wendy's to talk. Think of what she was through even if she did not like her father. That is a very traumatic event in her life." We went to talk to Mom and Pop about our trip and learned that Betts had not told me everything. "Mom, Wendy's mother wants you to come over too. Erin can play with the munchkins and we can all talk." She looked at her father and said, "Wendy didn't say so but men frighten her and her mother more than they used to before. Their friends are in the same boat or at least those that were forced to be involved with Caputo. Their normal friends don't want anything to do with them." It was Lillian that said, "We'll go." We cleared Liza's going with us with her mother. I knew that Gail was curious about what was happening. The five of us drove to the house. This time the house looked better than when we had left as if it had been cleaned. There were no cop in sight but one was in the house at the moment. Lillian didn't get a chance to knock because the door opened for her. The cop was there but Mrs Pallo nearly fell into Mom's arms. We were hustled inside and we sat in the large living room. Erin took her two friends for a tour and a moment later Wendy came to us too. "Thanks for coming guys. You have no idea what it has been like after never mind during... a few days ago." Betts hugged Wendy and in a moment kissed her like a lover. They had been before and I guess Betts still wanted this. Wendy looked at me wide-eyed and I put my hand on her shoulder. "It's ok if you want this. I know you both like girls. Betts likes me too and I think you like guys too. I do not talk about my friends and I will not hurt you. Now you guys go ahead while I tour the house." Wendy pulled her lips further away from Betts and said, "You are one special guy, Wally." "Thanks, Wendy. Treat my girlfriend with all the love she deserves." I closed the door behind me and walked down the hallway. A guy was looking through the wide window into the back of the property. When I walked up he turned around. I said, "Hi I'm Wally Kiefer but you already know that." "Hi Wally. I certainly do. Not many guys try to take out a sergeant with some judo moves." "Ahh so he ratted out on me. That's ok. I'll stick my cane in the spokes of his wheelchair the next chance I get." "We heard about that too. I'm Rod Suffolk." I put out my hand and we shook. He said, "We'll stay friends and not fight." "That's fine with me. Questions about me are not too bad but some people are too nosey." "That is a policeman's life." "I guess you are right. Did you complete your search here?" "How did you know we searched the house?" I rolled my eyes the way Betts does and said, "Gangland killings in the newspapers. Man killed. Don't you think even a twelve year-old will consider a search of the dead man's house to be in order?" "I guess you're right." "What was downstairs?" "Computers." "Doing what?" "Recording images." "Betts was blackmailed to come here. She was shown pictures of herself and others. I advised her not to go. The note said that her photos would be posted on the net. The person doing it could usually be traced. I guess more than the small cabana is wired for video and possibly audio." "You are one smart kid." "Thanks Mr Suffolk. I might be somebody like Sherlock Holmes one day. The pipe I can take as long as there is no tobacco. The hat may be kinda neat." "I thought the same thing when I was a kid. I found that it was really tough to come up with clues. They are not that easy to get." "Ya, I know. It is the small fact that ties other facts together in an odd way that is needed." "What do you see happening here?" "Are you talking as a cop or a psychologist or a psychiatrist?" "Why do you say that?" "Expensive suit unless you are on the take. Good shoes that never saw the insides of a regular shoe store. The ring on your hand is expensive as is your watch. It's a real Rolex too. Your shirt is expensive too. I don't know much about cologne but I have to guess that yours is." "You are a Sherlock." "Thanks Doctor. I feel important that you set this up to meet me." "It was that transparent?" "Only after seeing your clothes. You have to dress for the occasion and then talk about your own children that are my age to allow you to ask the questions a cop would not." "I'll keep that in mind. I am not here to just see you though. Wendy, Erin and Mrs Pallo have been through a traumatic time. I am sorry but you are just somebody interesting." "Well if you are not a cop then where are they?" "Next door, the cabana and the shrubbery." "I don't see much chance of Caputo coming after them now. He must be busy selling all his assets and preparing to go on a vacation overseas." "Logic again?" "I don't have a crystal ball. This is such a newsworthy event that the politicians cannot cover it up even if they are paid. Cops that had their hands tied before will be free to dig as they want. Caputo is wealthy but I do not know how much. He will sell what he can and threaten his partners to make sure they send him his cut when he runs." "When will he run?" "Probably a few hours before you bang on his door. Money or threats will make men talk." I heard some loud moans from Wendy's room and I guess the Doctor did too. "Caputo will leave a false trail. I think an impersonator will get on a plane as the best and probably cheapest." "How do you know this?" "Logic and the fact that I play video games. They are a lot more complicated and realistic than when you were a boy. Maybe you should read Doyle or Christie. Kids are not usually too bright but they can remember plots and make their own variations. This is just what I would do if I were Caputo." "You ever meet the guy?" "Never and I don't want to. His son is scary enough." "I heard about your run-in with him." We heard more moans and they were considerably louder. They had to be Betts. I said, "Let's get some cold water and walk outside. We can water the horses." "I'm sure they will like that term?" "Nothing disrespectful just something that comes to mind by bringing water." "I like your horse idea too." We walked downstairs to the bar. I searched the area that the police would have found and eventually pointed to the door. The Doc nodded his head. We took the water out and I tossed the containers to the locations the cops were in. We walked the grounds. This house was a mansion and a thought occurred to me. I could go to Nadac but I said to the Doc, "Who owns this property?" "Mrs Pallo I guess." He was going to question me when I said, "What was Pallo's job for Caputo." "I think it was something to do with the porno side of the business. Why?" "I have no idea of market values but this house is very expensive. Either Pallo had lots of money, his old or new wife had lots of money, Caputo paid a lot to Pallo and this infers that Pallo had to do a lot more to earn the big bucks. The last idea is that Caputo owns the house and Pallo had the title to avoid some of the interest the tax man would have." "We'll have to check into that." "I would also check the homes of the rest that were killed. I still don't see why Caputo wanted to kill them." "Caputo liked little boys and girls. Somebody tipped us off to this activity. They even drew all the little pictures to find all the information with the use of a web site. Caputo was going to get nailed for this crime. I think he was tidying up loose ends at the farm north of here." I knew all this but I had to pretend to think. "One or more medical doctors have to be involved in this. A lab could be too. They could take regular blood checks and a layman could find the problems if he is told what to look for. Caputo will go to a poor country with lots of children. The parents there will do anything for the money." I turned as if surprised, "This location was used to blackmail the children. The adults fooling around with the children could also be a factor. The blackmailed adult did what he was told and the carrot part meant that he had to get access to more children. I can see Caputo becoming very wealthy and powerful this way. The carrot may not have been used in many cases and the blackmailed individual asked to do something illegal. I heard they do this in espionage. The parents were then blackmailed when they were told that what they had just done was going to be reported." "You have a devious mind." "Thanks, maybe I will write books one day." There was another scream in the house but nobody would think that it was anything to do with pain. "Come, Dr Watson. The hounds are afoot and the game has begun." "You know all that from the... sounds?" "Betts passes out during one of those, and things quiet down after that." The Doc and I walked into the living room. The two women were nervous. I said to Mom. "I was talking outside. Doc Rod is my witness. The girls were just playing a game and they got a bit over exuberant." "I have heard reports of you and Betty making just as much noise." "Baseless lies. Betts has a clear voice that befits the angel she is." "You are full of shit. Now come over here and sit." "Mom, such talk, but I will obey. Can the Doc hear or do we have to send him out of the house?" "He may sit with us." When we got seated, Mom said, "Leslie was telling me about what happened over the last few years. She is glad to be freed of Frank for her and the children. She may still have a problem with Caputo." I said, "May I call you Leslie?" "Your mother says you are grown up enough to understand, so sure, use my name. Mrs Pallo is not something I am fond of hearing." "Thanks for your trust Leslie. Your worry about Caputo will be short lived. He will be arrested in a few weeks or dead." "How do you know this?" "The Doc and I were just thinking. The public wants Caputo's ass. The judiciary will have to comply. Caputo will fight then he will run. If he runs he will not give up if he is cornered. I wanted to talk about something important to the kids he has hurt." "What is that?" "Our summer break will eventually end. I was told that the children were involved in porn. The newspapers talked of the kiddy porn ring that was broken up. Porn infers that the films were sold. This gets to the fact that the children will be exposed to misunderstanding, ridicule and abuse. Part of this will be at the schools. I think that if the students all went to one school then they can be monitored for problems and the teachers can be taught on how to treat the situation." "Do you mean go to school with you?" "Partially. They can go anywhere. If I am with them then I will be part of the other segment of the community. I intend to support them. I know what it is like to be pushed around and beaten. I am not strong, quick or a karate expert but I do stick up for what I believe in. That is usually enough for a bully." "What if it isn't?" "Then the same problems will crop up in other places." I turned to the Doc, "What are your opinions on this? Keep in mind the constraints on your budget." "The centralisation of a good portion of those effected is actually a good idea. It makes logistics much easier and cheaper too I might add. If Caputo does go to jail or dies then there is little need of security. Young Wally's idea has considerable merit. Getting the school board to add the councillors necessary may be difficult." ------- Chapter 12 I added, "If my suggestion is adopted then the teachers instructing those pupils involved in this incident need to be contacted. Training has to be provided or teachers shifted around. This may take just a few meetings with a competent mental health staff." Rod Suffolk said, "I think this is important too." I asked, "What numbers are we talking about?" "At the moment there are 106 children. Thankfully only 43 were involved with the ring. The rest were younger or even older siblings that had to disappear with the rest of their family." "How many will be going to grade school?" The man did some thinking and said, "Perhaps 31 or 32." "The young people that went to the funerals should be encouraged to have our own meeting. Somebody should tell us how to act and how to fit in best with those that were damaged." "You certainly are perceptive. We should gather the people and I will talk to them. Parents are a good idea but in this case their own hang-ups may affect the students." Betts came out of the room freshly showered. She had a hunted look until I smiled and said, "Come over and sit with me Sweetie. We are talking about school." She sat beside me and I reached over and kissed her cheek. "We are talking about the difficulty the special children will have fitting into school with the way bullies and brain dead adults are." We talked about the problems facing us and Betts brought up a few points of her own. Wendy came out and she looked even more alarmed. Betts got up and seated Wendy between us and then put an arm around her. I moved my arm around her too. In a while Wendy accepted it and hugged us both. The conversation went on again and Wendy was terrified anew at the thoughts of going back to school. Wendy was coaxed by me then by Betts to talk about what problems she may run into. This seemed to help and she calmed down. Suffolk got a phone call and hung up quickly. We looked at him and he just smiled. "It seems that three naked little girls are enjoying the shallow end of the pool." Leslie said, "I told Erin never to go into the pool alone." I said, "She is not alone. Let's talk outside? The girls go out first and sit by the pool then the mothers then the scary males." The Doc said, "You are a natural for my profession." "You taking apprentices?" "I guess I am now." We did this as I suggested. Since it was done slowly there was no fright. The Doc and I sat further back. It was warm and I asked the Doc, "Was Erin abused?" "Yes but not as much as some." Would a naked boy being a boy be a good thing for her in this situation?" "I don't really know. Why naked?" "I am hot with no suit." "I don't know." I stood up and walked over to Betts. "Sweetheart, I'm hot. I want to swim. I have no suit. I want you girls not to look at my pee pee. Promise?" It took a moment but she agreed even though she didn't seem to understand. I went to the rest of the women and got them to agree too. The girls in the pool were last. All three giggled and promised. At the diving board I stripped and dove into the pool. Patricia was giggling. I yelled in response, "Mom, she peeked." No replies came but a moment later a naked girl came jumping over my head. I just had a chance to look up as she was over me spread wide. When Betts came up out of the water she yelled, "Mom! Wally looked at me." "Serves you right." We played quietly and tried to involve the munchkins. I made farting noises with my cupped hand and my armpit while accusing Betts or Patricia of polluting the water. In a few moments I found that there was another girl in the water and she had no suit on either. I tried to ignore that she was a girl but it was hard. We played as kids though and that was good. After half an hour I called out, "Leslie do you have any sun screen for the munchkins?" "I'll get some." I did Patricia quickly and efficiently. Thankfully I didn't get hard. Liza was next then I actually did the nervous Erin. Betts came out and presented herself to me and I dried her off like the rest and did her entire body. Erin watched as I pinched Betts' nips once. I did Betts' back and didn't miss anywhere. Wendy stood naked and dripping beside me. "Will you do me too." "I would love to but you guys have to do me too. And don't peek this time." Wendy was done just as thoroughly as Betts but no better. I was instantly on my back and both Wendy and Betts worked on me. From some hidden area I was able to find enough power to stay deflated. Betts even picked up my dick with a finger and thumb then did this part quickly. My back was then done and I had a chance to get myself back under control. Betts slapped my butt when she was done and said, "You're done." I turned over and kissed her on the cheek. "Thanks Sweetheart." "Better kiss her too. She did half of the work." I kissed Wendy the same way. Erin was giggling nearby. I looked over to Mom to suggest we find something to eat. I saw Leslie in a microscopic bikini and then Mom in one the same size but she was a bigger woman. The Doc was looking anywhere but the women. I walked up to the women with both hands hiding my dick like a child did. "Let's have a barbecue and don't look at my pee pee." I took away my hands and naturally they looked. "Ahhh, I asked you not to look. Now where is the barbecue?" Leslie smiled and told me where it was. Instead of going right to the grill I went to the Doc. "I had a lot of difficulty too Doc. I don't suppose it gets easier with age?" He looked at me and said, "If anything it gets worse." "I have an idea." "What is it this time?" I get everybody into the house and the horses come out and knock on the door. Our new guests come to our barbecue. They are on duty at their assigned post but more comfortable." "I like that idea." The Doc made a phone call and he nodded to me. I got the women into the house on the pretext of helping me then did the same thing to the girls. There were a whole closet full of bathing suits and I gathered them to fit the officers hiding. One happened to be a women considering that there were children involved. When the doorbell rang I was the one to get it. They had seen me naked around the pool but it was different in the house. I said, "Hi, here is your suit. You remember about being in Rome?" They talked among themselves then I pointed out the rooms to change in. The Doc got his suit too but he didn't want to put it on. I said to him privately. "Don't worry. I pop a boner all the time. You have two and now three good excuses to do so." "That is not professional Wally." "Are the girls better off because I flashed my manly body?" "I think so." "Then the answer is elementary, Dr Watson. You must doff your suit and fit in." Betts and Wendy were shocked to see strangers but I hugged them and whispered. "Try to be strong my sweets." I found a lot of food in the freezer. The microwave was used to thaw food while the Doc made introductions. Mom now was worried about how much skin she was showing. I went over to Leslie instead and said, "Mom has nice teats. She's now worried about showing them. Tell her that she's safe." Mom said, "That is not a nice thing to say Wally." "I think you're wrong. You are beautiful. You are showing a lot of skin but it is all yours. Betts gets her beauty from you and she is beautiful too. If you want to get really lucky tonight call your husband over. After we revive him you will have him following you around while he salivates. You know what he will think of your suit." "He's my husband though." "So. Call him over and both of you meet him at the door. I'll memorise the ambulance number or his tailor's first." It took a moment for Mom to catch on about the tailor and she blushed when she did. She also smiled. Dad and June were called and I mentioned about his now naked daughters so he would not get upset. The police woman was uncomfortable in the small suit and I sicced Mom and Leslie onto her. This seemed to help. We had two types of salad, courtesy of the girls. Baked potatoes, chicken breasts, hotdogs and hamburgers were made. Dad was called on his cell to pick up buns on the way over. The girls were back in the pool now and they didn't seem to mind being naked now. The cops didn't stare at them when there were three women to look at. When the doorbell rang, Mom and Leslie went to answer it with the police woman and her gun. It took a long time for dad to come out and I was worried about him for the time taken. I didn't know if he was looking at flesh or listening to what to do. Dad came out in his suit which happened to be the most conservative. June's clothing was good but covered too much. Betts and Wendy took her back into the house to change into a better swimming suit. She had a suit similar to Mom's and she was nervous as hell. She jumped into the pool quickly to hide her features but Betts and Wendy were there to reassure her. Before we ate, Betts and Wendy went back inside and came out with very small bathing suits then the munchkins had to change and finally me. Pop relaxed more now and so did Mom. Leslie was used to entertaining and did a good job of keeping us interested. Mom gave her departure time and the girls, apart from June disappeared. Mom looked seriously at me and I rolled my eyes like Betts again. I said to Leslie, "Erin's birthday is soon. It's important that she has a party but one that is safe for her and her guests." The Doc came to my defence and said, "Wally's right." Leslie said, "There are not many people that will come here now." The Doc mentioned, "There were other abused children. Perhaps their parents will allow them to come. While they are here we can talk out our problems. School can be one of the topics mentioned." The emphasis shifted to how to help others. I think this helped Leslie deal with her own problems. There were no screams this time and it looked like all five girls looked satisfied. I guessed that Erin had met her father's tongue a lot in her seven years. At the doorway as we left, Wendy held me and gave me a passionate kiss. "Thanks Wally. I don't know I would have got through today without you and Betty." "That is what friends are for." "But I tried to trap you?" "Were you forced?" "Yes." "Then you are forgiven. Again, we are friends." Mom and Pop drove home in the cars that they brought. I went over to Gail and gave her back a worn out daughter and gave her a ten minute description of the problems we encountered and how we dealt with them. "So you went naked into the pool with the cops and the psychiatrist watching?" "Yep." "You sure have balls young man." "So do you lady." Betts went over to Wendy's the next day to help get the party going or to munch or be munched. It was ok by me because I loved her. I told the guys about what I had done and they were envious of seeing Wendy naked but not frightened to death. They knew that we had to stay away from official notice as a group still so they could not go to the party unless Betts could arrange dates. The guys had done a lot on the spud gun. Basically it was a tube with a larger diameter portion at the back. Wires led into this area and it was hooked up the piezoelectric device found in barbecues and barbecue lighters. Propane was usually used but other gases could be used too. Some burnt hotter and thus had more force. We truly needed a cannon to propel the heavy hook and rope. This meant an all metal construction. The net gave us a lot of high tech hooks that spread out to catch at anything available. The large eye on one hook gave me an idea. "Guys, we use this hook. A light cord like the stuff used on parachutes goes through the hook and back to us. We fire this light device and if it catches we release one side of the cord and pull the heavier rope over. The weight is not more than three or four potatoes to start." Nadac reminded me of physics and I had to then increase the size of the collapsable hook. If I were suspended in the centre of the span, then I would put a lot of tension on the rope and the hook. Jerry came up with the idea of doing this as I said but then dropping the double length of rope to the ground. I could hold onto one end while the guys pulled me up to the roof. This would have me dangle in front of some windows but the openings were far apart. More ideas were mentioned then altered but at the moment the idea of coming from across the street was best. Hours later we had our best approach and the spud gun needn't be that large. Parachute cord was not that hard to get but any one of us would be remembered. We needed the hook and the mountaineering rope soon too. Nadac told me that Caputo was gathering his money and shipping it out of Canada. We should be able to get some of it later but by then it would have been dispersed. That afternoon I sneaked outside and waited near the back of the garage. The small ship I had rode in before was before me on the grass. I hurried over with my pack and got in. I felt a lot of acceleration because the small pod was too small to support a good compensating unit. Through Nadac, I had control of the ship to get some practice. This time I had gone into orbit to satisfy my own desires to do so. Seventeen minutes later I was in Little Rock, Arkansas. An alleyway between two buildings was good enough for me. An outlet only thirty metres away, sold everything I needed. The store was huge. The hooks were checked for flaws in their structure with my special sight. They were not perfect but they were good enough. There was lots of parachute cord on another aisle and I put two large spools into my buggy. The back wall had ready built spud launchers for sale. They were heavy duty but I wanted it this way. The business had the small snatch blocks that I could attach to an existing cord. A safety harness that should fit me. Heavy leather gloves with a metal hook to attach them to my harness were next. I got a pair for all of us and a few extras. A light weight chain fall plus two cable clamps that gripped wire or rope to draw it back with the hoist. They had to stay because I could only carry so much at a time. I paid my bill and stashed the first load in the ship before going back for the spud launcher and the chain fall. It was a mistake. The chain fall was bulky and the light launcher was just big. I had difficulty with them to the alley. A group of kids walking my way seemed to be curious of what a kid was doing in an alley. I was in the ship and above their heads as they came to the corner and hurried down the alley. An hour later the guys showed up at the garage with empty packs. They marvelled at what I had bought but it was all simple things that we had not had a chance to see before. We biked to the old factory with part of the supplies. We had measured the width of the street before the data centre, the thickness of the building and guessed at the building's height. A length of cord was cut and then wrapped up into a football shape that went into a cotton sack that we made. The gun had to be supported and aimed. The sack was put in the barrel. Our projectile was too small. It then had to be rewound differently so that it fit with less clearance. Sam stood watch as we did all this work. We used the time and the degrees we turned the valve on the propane cylinder to compute the amount of fuel we injected. I pushed the button and the unit jumped in our hands. We could not hold the launcher in place. The gun made a lot of noise and we watched the sack fly off as it trailed the cord that came out of the sack. After three firings Jerry took Sam's place and we worked to get the right distance. Seven firings later we tied a stone to the end of the rope and wound it up once more. This worked much better but we had to use more fuel now. Chuck had taken Jerry's place and he gave the warning. We gathered our supplies and left the area. There were kids coming and they were all bigger than us. I did not want the gun seen or taken from us. An hour later we returned and continued our tests. This time we had one of the steel nuts from Jerry's father's collection of odds and ends. It was the same weight as the rock and had a convenient hole in it to tie too. We did eight more firings before I was satisfied. The equipment was taken away and we went back to Jerry's and got three more nuts. I wanted four units ready so we did not have to rewind the cord when we were actually laying the rope. We came back right away with the mountaineer's rope. This went over the branch of a tree and then over a brick wall. The store-bought harness had to have a lot of adjustments to fit me. The snatch block had a safety clip on the hook but it was not my idea of real safety. I climbed the tree with Jerry and he hooked up the snatch block to the rope and I pushed off with a hope and a prayer. I went down as much as I went forward. I hit the ground hard and the guys came running. Chuck said. "What went wrong?" "The rope is not tight enough." Sam and Chuck rode their bikes to get more of our supplies. By then my knees had stopped bleeding. The rope was much more taut the second time and Sam caught me to slow me down well before the wall. The next time I tried to climb the wall. I was in a trough when I was still tied off to the rope and it was difficult to climb especially the way I was still hanging under it. The other guys had turns too so I could judge this objectively instead of subjectively. There had to be improvements. Betts came later to see how we were doing. She had been working on the party for me. I thought this gathering was an important event for a lot of people. Wendy was doing the work but Betts was the guiding hand. It was not so much one birthday party as it was a group therapy session. We took our equipment home. I drew in my mind the two buildings and the rope. I didn't ask Nadac for help yet because he tried to get me to do this myself. This was like crying to a parent to get something I felt. The best method to get to the centre was to use more rope and tie it to the far edge of the roof somehow. I would like more altitude in the building we made our attempt from. This building was seven floors higher than the data centre. I didn't want to go too high because the hook may come off. It was when I looked at the front of the target building that I noticed the deep-set windows. Of course! We stored the equipment and all got cleaned in the shower. Running around in a towel didn't bother us now. The guys had good clothes that Betts and Gail went to buy for us. It was casual clothes but real good casual clothes. I had suggested what presents I wanted to give Erin and again Betts had gone out to get them for us. Betts had also lined up dates for the guys. Other boys were coming to the party so we could hide in their number as long as we kept our distance from each other. When it came time for the party, Betts was there ahead of us. When the other invited boys came she told us by phone and Sam went first with his date. She was a lot prettier than his last but more of an airhead. We knew because she was in our class. Fifteen minutes later Jerry did the same thing. His girl was more studious and Betts hoped more supporting of Wendy and her group. Chuck was worried but tried to hold it in. When I reminded him of our last mission he calmed right down. Twenty minutes after Chuck left. I walked alone to the house. Betts was waiting for me and she kissed me with a passion. Wendy greeted me the same way then pulled me further into the gaily decorated home. Only one cop was here but he was in civilian dress. He appeared to be a caterer. The main room had younger children and a lot of parents. Betts gave me a rundown on how the party had segregated and developed. Most of the small fry were younger brothers and sisters of the people she invited or those that had been held captive. I was led through this mob and down some steps before going outside. This is what the girls were saving for me. The kids here were all beautiful. Some were boys but most were girls. They had a haunted look about them. These I knew had been abused either in the filming or on the farm. Wendy led me around like the last time I went to her party so I could be introduced. This time there was no Tony or his friends to contend with. The first person happened to be a guy my age. He was slim and had long hair like a girl. I shook Greg's hand and stayed to talk for a few minutes. It took more than a few minutes for him to thaw out. He claimed to like sports but didn't go into details like we would. I saw him eyeing other guys when he was not looking at me. Greg and I moved on and Betts came over to introduce me to Penny. She and Greg knew each other. I used all my skills to be a friend. She checked out my equipment once in a while. I was not sure about her after meeting Greg. She could simply be seeing if she was turned me on. Greg and I went on to find Terry. These two knew each other. There seemed to be some friction between the two. The other guys were here and moving around too but not acknowledging each other. They looked good now and I thought almost polished. Jerry had found the beautiful hermaphrodite and had latched onto her along with is original date. His arms were around both waists on occasion. I knew for a fact that he knew what was under her skirt because he had looked a long time at her when we rescued them. Chuck was accompanying some older girls that looked like they went to high school. He liked big teats anyway. They were laughing and he seemed to be part of the crowd. He appeared to be an old hand at going to parties but I knew that he went to few. Sam was with Betts now and she was introducing him to Heather, the girl that seduced her at the previous party. I had thought that she only liked girls but I was far from an expert. Greg said to me when we were alone, "Wally, I like you." "Thanks Greg. You're a nice guy and I like you too." "I heard that Betty is your girlfriend." "She sure is. We do everything together. Some couples get into trouble doing things with others that hurt the relationship." "What do you do?" "Betts and I just started. I promised her parents to not do anything that could hurt her until the pills kick in." "Really. Have you ever been with two girls?" "A few times. A guy gets tired and my jaw and tongue hurt a lot." "I've done that too. Its nice but there is something missing." "I don't have that much experience yet to know. In the next few months I hope to get an education." Greg got close to me and whispered, "I can teach you something nice." I knew that this was coming and I put my hands on his shoulders. "I am not ready for that yet. I am working slowly. One step is taken at a time. One day, perhaps soon, I would like to learn." "So you know about me?" "You look at the guys more than the girls. I also know what you were forced into doing. Most of the people here were that way. I also know that blackmail, beatings, and coercion was used to get you guys to do things. I would have done the same thing you did. We are not strong when we are young." Greg looked like he did when I first arrived. I said, "I know that you were forced to do things. I do not want to do some things with you now. Does this mean we cannot be friends?" "You still want to be my friend?" "Are you a bad person, Greg?" "I don't think so." "Then we can be friends. I only warn you about Betts. She is smart and I know she will try to be a matchmaker." "Girls don't interest me too much." "Who said she is going to match you with a girl?" He looked a little stunned and I put my arm on his shoulder and pulled him back to the party. A few moments later it was Greg that was introducing me to his friends and acquaintances. We found Paul almost hiding. He was only ten. He was really cute and Greg whispered in my ear that Paul got fucked a lot in the movies. I felt sorry for the boy. He may have some sexual urges at his age but I think he was too young to choose his own destiny. Paul was afraid of both of us. We sat beside him and I said quickly before he fled. "Paul, wait just a moment please." He stood but didn't leave. "My name is Wally Kiefer. My girlfriend and Wendy helped set up this party. The newspapers gave me a clue to what happened to Wendy. I came to see if I could help her. We heard about all the other people that were hurt. These people need help too. I am not going to have sex with you. I am not going to hurt you. I came over here with Greg to see if we could just talk." "Why do you want to talk to me?" "I'm a skinny guy. I was alone most of the time. I got beat up by bullies too. This happened a lot. I started fighting back but I still lost. After enough time I started to win once in a while. Less than a month ago three guys put me in the hospital." "Really?" "Yep, but I was happy." "Why?" "I beat the crap out of all three. Betts and her sister were being beat too and they fought to help me. That was the time when I learned that I had to fight all the time and fight as hard as I could. The bullies leave me alone now but I run into bigger bullies now. I still fight them. "I'm too small." "Paul, look at me. I'm bigger than you but I'm small too. They come near you and you pull back a fist and punch them in the nuts. You don't run either. You stay and beat the shit out of them. Only a fool will fight with you then." "I can't fight." "I don't know how to fight either but I try. Now are we friends or not? I am not going to have sex with you." "You can be my friend then." "Good, then as a friend I have to say we have to move around." I stood up and put out my hand. He looked at it for awhile then reached out and held it. We left the group until I saw Erin. With my two new buds in hand we went over to visit. When she saw me she ran to me. I bent down and hugged the girl. I didn't know why she was so excited to see me but it made me feel good. When I put her down I introduced her to the two boys. Greg put on a good act and tried to look pleased. Erin had to be asked but she introduced me to her friends but she had forgotten most of their names already. Patricia and Liza she knew very well. I pulled the two munchkins over and said, "This handsome dude goes by the name Paul. He's my new friend. He is even a year older than you two. Will you show him the house?" Patricia said, "Sure, I know it all by now." She grabbed Paul's hand in one of hers and Liza grabbed another and they raced away. Greg said, "That was nicely done." "Thanks. It helps the girls too. They need to have some friends more their age. Now let's go around and see who else's life we can meddle in." Greg and I found a lot of wallflowers and brought them into the party. Some had to go into the pool to get acquainted. With this weather it was a good thing to do. I saw Mom at the party helping Leslie usually. Mom was dressed in a lightweight cotton dress that you could almost see through. It was good for the heat but I had a feeling that Mom liked Leslie the way Betts and Wendy liked each other. Rod Suffolk was at the party in loud shorts. It had to be so he could blend in with the rest. Greg and I walked up behind the guy and I said to Greg, "I wonder who in their right mind would wear shorts like that. See how the hair on his legs curls. Do you think that means he is a bit screwy?" Rod turned quickly. I said, "I was right Greg. He's not in his right mind." I put out my hand and said, "Hi Doc. How's business?" "Well if it isn't my apprentice. I should have you doing all the scut work I can find. You could wash my car or paint the house." "Hey boss. Be easy on me today. I want you to meet Greg, my new friend." "Hi Greg." The Doc turned to me and said, "Greg and I already met." "Then you know that he is pretty smart." "That he is. You guys having fun?" When Greg didn't say anything I said, "We are hunting wallflowers. We pluck them from their beds and transplant them were the activity is. We have had some success already." "Now that is a worthy job of an apprentice." "Doc, can Greg be an apprentice too. We can work on people's problems." "He could but he has to know what he is doing. Some people can be hurt if he does the wrong thing." "I know just a bit. Will you give Greg some pointers and he can tell me later? I want to go swimming and I have to change. I can smell food too and I'm starving." "Sure. Greg would make a good apprentice." I hurried out because I needed to piss bad. I noticed in passing that the cabana was vacant but Wendy's bedroom had seven lovelies there sampling each other's wares. One of them was Betts and another was Heather. I used the washroom while looking around to see if there were any problems. I did see some spies. The door to Wendy's room was locked but Patricia, Liza and Paul were near the door listening. Paul was very frightened when I came near. I got on all fours and whispered, "Are they doing it again?" Liza said, "Yes and they won't let us in." "Liza honey, they are older even if it is only a few years. You have something they don't have though." She thought for a minute and said, "What?" "You have a handsome gentleman. Maybe if the two of you talk to him nicely he can show you how to kiss." "We... yes, that's a good idea. Where can we do it?" "First find if your man will teach you." Liza said, "Paul, we don't know how to kiss. Will you show us?" Patricia pushed in, "I kissed my sister and my mother but I need to know how to kiss a boy. Will you show us? Please?" "I could, I guess, but I don't want have anybody catch us." I guided the kids into what I guessed was Erin's bedroom. I showed Paul how to lock the door. I pushed the girls away just a bit and whispered, "Paul these are my good friends. They will not hurt you and I will trust you not to hurt them. Please teach them the right way. Be slow and do it right. They will be your friends forever if you show them love." "I'll try." I gave him a hug and left. The girls had heard and I hope they didn't abuse the boy. Greg came in the house and found me. "You going swimming or what?" "I was busy. Paul is taking two ladies to a room to teach them how to kiss." "So?" I pulled him aside and said, "They already know." He still looked a little dense. "Paul will be in charge. He may get ravished in time but it will not be like it was in a movie. It is important that he be in control." "That may be fun to see." "I think so too but I don't peek. Now do you have a bathing suit?" Greg and I swam and then wolfed down chicken. We transplanted more wallflowers and some went into the pool. In the end we herded all the persistent wallflowers together and we talked as we ate. We did charades of all things. It was non-threatening. The people we gathered, opened up and jabbed at each other but I saw that it hurt the person that was abused. The hurt person then jabbed at somebody else. It looked like a vicious circle. While Greg took over I searched for the Doc. I gave him the problem and he said, "I have difficulty with that too. You can try to point out how a person is hurt by a jab. They may curb this activity." I went back and I guided Greg to do the next charade. One persistent boy poked fun at Greg. I said quietly, "Greg is my friend, friends poke fun at each other as a joke but as soon as it looks like it hurts we quit. None of you guys liked to be ridiculed. I sure don't. We are getting to be friends here now. Let's stop the ridicule until we know each other better." Charades was not as much fun now. It was as if they didn't mind feeling some personal pain if they were allowed to inflict it on others. This made me feel that humans were more masochistic than I had believed. They got enjoyment out of the game but continued with it through the jabs. I left Greg in charge again and ran to Leslie. "Hi Leslie. I need some balloons and then some light string or ribbon." She just smiled at me. I said, "What?" "I have been asked for balloons a lot of times in this house but you are the first that wants the other kind." I must have turned red. She came over and hugged me. "I'm sorry. It was just so funny to me." "That's ok. I'd use those balloons too but not with the children." Leslie gave me what I asked for and I gathered the kids to fill their own balloons. I made sure they were at lest half full but not much more either. Greg and I had a battle each other first. We tried to burst the other's balloon that was tied to an ankle. He won and put his arms up like he won a boxing match. Greg and I picked teams and had a battle. There was enough hollering that others came over to see what was happening. The parents of some of the participants cheered the kids on. The kids were getting tired but I had a new idea. I half filled two balloons with water and had the two teams compete in passing it. There were no hands allowed so the ball had to be picked up between the jaw and the chest. We had more cheering but Leslie called us to order. The cake was going to be lit now. Only some of us sang. As chance would have it, another girl had today as her birthday and she had her half of the cake to blow out even if she were eleven. The two blew out the cake and I was glad we found this person because it would always hurt if nobody gave you greeting. It so happened that Betts had a present for the girl too. A lot of girls hurried off to the bedroom to give it. I figured the girl was lucky. The adults were drinking but it looked to be in moderation. Mom had her arm on Leslie a few times and it looked like Leslie liked it there. I could see Bert getting hurt but I was not ready to meddle just yet. Erin was still unwrapping her presents. She hugged each of the people that gave her a gift. This I thought would be impossible after what happened to her. Patricia found me and dragged me over so Erin could unwrap my gift. Her eyes went wide and she kissed me along with the hug. I had to smile because there were two other dresses given to her and I doubted if she gave kisses for them. In another hour only a few people were left. I was happy to see a few of the wallflowers looking dejected at leaving. Some though, not all, were the ones hurt. Greg gave me a hug too and I felt sure he was going to kiss me but he didn't. "See ya Wally. Call me sometime." "I will Greg but not for a few days." The Doc congratulated me on what I had done. He did it in front of Mom and Leslie who were holding each other's waist. Beside them were Wendy and Betts the same way. On the other side were Patricia and Liza but a pleased looking Paul was between them. The guys had already drifted off and I think some of them were seriously holding hands with girls. Later Paul was taken away by a woman I found out was from the Children's Aid. I felt sorry for the guy and put him on my list of people to help if I could. With few of us left, I organised what were available to clean up the mess. Only part of this was completed when Mom called us to stop. We sat around and relaxed. The cop was not in the living room but the Doc was. He said, "I think the party went very well considering everything. I had my doubts at first. Children are more resilient but only up to a point. There was some group crying in some areas but the people in them seemed to help each other as good as I could. The children that should have been fearful of an adult male overcame some of their fear." The Doc looked at me now and said, "You did as much if not more good than I did today. It's hard to see you as a twelve year-old. You show a maturity far beyond your years. You found the hard to reach individuals and helped them as a child while I would only bring fear." He turned to Betts and said, "You, young lady, did just as much. The children and even young adults have a good reason to fear men. You gathered these people up and allowed them to feel love in a safe environment. They were all sexually active and I have no fear that they were coerced. Again you did what I could not do or condone if I were asked." Betts turned the deepest red I had ever seen. Wendy pulled her to her and hugged her tightly. I heard, "We love you Betty, all the girls do." Leslie said in a quiet voice, "Don't be worried Betty. I went through the same stages you are in now. Wendy tried to hide it but I know she is the same. It is only with a good male that girls like us find love with a man. I found love for a while before it went bad and I hope Wendy has more luck." The doctor turned to Leslie and said, "Do not be too hard on yourself. We are all born differently. We find our own way as we grow up but we can shift only so far. Fear, as the children have suffered from, pushes them far from where they would normally be. It is up to us to try to bring them back. Some are more or less predestined to like their own gender more. Society will push them to change their orientation. If this is not done forcefully then this is the best we can hope for. We are our own worse enemies." The Doc looked around the room. There was more crying going on. Leslie started to tear up and Mom held her tightly. Only the munchkins were not crying but it was a close thing. The Doc said to me, "I am proud to know you Wally. If more people were like you then this world would not need me so much." "We all need friends. I hope we can be friends too." "I hope so. I have to go now and let the girls settle down. I don't have to tell you not to push." "By saying you do not have to tell me says that you want to tell me anyway. I love Betts. I know she loves me. I let her have her fun. She would stop if I asked but there is no need for that." "That is a very mature outlook. I hope to see you at other times that I visit." "I like talking to you too, with or without those loud shorts that hide your profession." He just rubbed the hair on my head and slipped out of the room. The three munchkins came to me now and just held me. I said to them, "The bigger girls were frightened that people might find out that they like other girls too. I think they will feel better after they finished their cry." Betts was bawling now and I moved through the munchkins and went to her. She turned from Wendy and held me tight. Wendy shifted too and she held me to her. In a moment I picked up Betts' tear stained face and said, "This changed nothing. Your mother knows you like girls a bit. She also knows that you love me. She does not hate you." I saw that the women were listening. Leslie pulled from Mom and opened her arms to Betts. Betts cried more and I gave her a gentle push. The two came together and hugged. Mom looked at a loss because she should be holding her daughter. I whispered to Wendy, "Go hug Mom. She needs it." Wendy did as I asked and now Wendy bawled loudly. The munchkins had tears now and I took them to a couch and put the older two on each side of me and Erin on my lap. I spoke quietly and petted them like a cat. Like a cat they relaxed and their grief seemed to fade. Mom sat down with Wendy on her lap as Leslie did with Betts. Their crying faded too as they were given comfort and support. The munchkins fell asleep in my arms and I closed my eyes. It felt good to hold them and to be trusted so much especially from one of them. A small groan alerted me to something going on. I didn't open my eyes but looked through the lids. Wendy's need for comfort had somehow gone over an invisible line. She was cuddling up to Mom with her legs pointing away from me. She was working her own nipple and a hand absently rubbed her pussy. Mom had shifted to get more comfortable and watched the child in her arms. When I focussed just right I could see that one nipple was very erect. I shifted over to Betts and saw that she was kissing and licking Leslie's neck. Betts' hand was running over Leslie's breast. My view shifted from one woman to the other. Wendy had undid a button at a time of Mom's dress. Mom's hand had moved to rub Wendy's pussy through her dress. Betts had gone even further after a while. She was nursing like a baby at Leslie's breast. She didn't push but took a slow time at doing this. Leslie's hand was under Betts dress and her finger had worked around the gusset of her panties. Betts' moans now inspired the other three. I was safe I had a girl on my lap to shield me. Mom must have come with seduction in her mind. She had a bra with the clip in front. Wendy had found it and then slid down to suck on Mom's nipple. When Mom was like this, Wendy was able to do what she wanted with her new lover. Betts was just as far along and I had to wonder if they had planned this. Betts then Wendy slid their panties off. Mom was pushed back onto the couch. Wendy made love to one of Mom's breasts then the other as her hands undid the buttons down the front of Mom's dress. Mom came to her senses for just a second and looked at me. My eyes were still closed. She looked at Leslie and her daughter and then concentrated on her lover. Betts slid off of Leslie's lap and worked the woman's panties off of her. Betts picked up one of Leslie's legs and then the other. Betts was on her knees then and began to make love to the young trophy wife. Wendy was laying on Mom doing a 69 now and the moans got much stronger. Leslie was louder with nothing to muffle the sound. I looked around and saw the cop patrolling the grounds. I didn't want him coming into the house now. What Mom and Leslie were doing was right in my mind but illegal to others. I woke up Patricia first and she smiled at me in pleasure then looked around. She didn't see her mother but I could guess she know where she was. Liza was awoken next. When the two were awake enough I whispered, "Let's sneak away?" Erin was seven and I was a small twelve but I got the sleeping child up and managed to still let her sleep. We left from a doorway that would not bring us near the women. I looked back through the walls. The women had not noticed that we had left. I got Erin to her bed and the other munchkins took their clothes off then Erin's. I whispered. "Don't do anything while she is asleep. Just hold her and maybe go for a nap." Liza said, "Come to bed with us too." "Not this time Sweetheart." The girls were making a lot more noise when I got two cold bottles of water and hurried to the cop. When I got close I said, "My name's Wally. I never got yours." "Roy." "Glad to meet you Roy. Have the water. I won't mention that you are drinking on the job." He looked at the seal and said, "I am trying to cut back. You guys seemed to have a good party." "I think so too. Thanks for the help." "I had to fit in somehow." "You did well. The Doc had his shorts and you had the food. Both worked fine." "I guess they did. The normal... I mean the kids that were not abused came to me easily. The others did after they saw that they were safe. "You brought a lot over to eat. I think that if you hadn't done that then they would not have eaten anything." "That was part and parcel to my gardening duties." "Gardening?" "Transplanting wallflowers into the sun." "I guess you did that too." Some loud moans came from the house and Roy was startled. I said with a smile, "Don't worry. My girlfriend is letting off some steam." "You are ok with that?" "My caveman instinct wants to keep her away from some other male." "I guess that is understandable. Some girls leave a man for another girl." "I can see that happening to some. That can be reduced with some understanding. She loves me but she likes to play. I am not shooting any baby juice yet and Betts is not safe for a few weeks yet. I'll see if I can wake up the neighbourhood when I get a chance." "I hoped to do the same when I was a kid. Good women are hard to find. I'm glad you got one." Roy and I sat on a bench and sipped our water. Screams came from the house now and again that did not come from Betts' throat but I said nothing about them. I shifted over to Wendy's fear of men ever since she was forced into the kiddy porn racket. I used every trick I knew to keep Roy out but he had to do his duty. I went in ahead of him and found only Mom in the kitchen. "Wally." "Hi Mom. Roy had to do his rounds. He was nice enough to have waited for Betts to finish." Mom was shocked. I guess she never figured on the cop. "Ahh... that's good of him. Everything is fine but they're sleeping." Roy hurried through the house and went outside again. Mom said, "Wally, we have to talk. I am sorry for what you saw. It was bad of me and inexcusable." "Mom, I love you and all of my new family. I am just worried that you and Bert may have some issues and this could hurt the family." Mom's serious face got less worried. "Bert knew about me before we married. He is... supportive." "Betts likes girls and me. I let her have her fun and protect her as best as I can. It is personal but does Pop get in bed with you and another lady on occasion?" "Ahh... that happens some times. I tell Bert what I do and he's happy with that. It makes him a bit more... supportive." "I would like to know that you have brought Leslie along enough that the three of you could raise the roof in our home." "Leslie might like you." "Betts is my woman. I do not have fun with anybody without Betts being there." "I think Betty does not feel the same way." "As long as she is safe and not with a man then I feel comfortable. One day the only men that can be with her may be our sons." "She would be pleased to hear that. Patty would like to have your babies too." "I know and Liza too. There's a boy their age by the name of Paul. He is cute like a girl and stared in some of the pornos. He's afraid of older guys now. I had him teach Patricia and Liza how to kiss today. I think he left a lot saner than he did when he came to the party." "I saw the boy. He is the type a mother just wants to cuddle." "I like him too. He makes me think funny thoughts but I can control myself. Maybe Paul can be used to swing Patricia and Liza from me and at the same time help Paul." "I'll talk to his parents. Maybe he can come over to visit." "The Children's Aid has him. Check with the Doc. I feel like setting up an orphanage but not that either. I want a family environment for all the kids. I have the money but not the loving parents." "How much money do you have Wally?" "Dad says that it may be one and a half." It took a moment for her to understand that. "All that? Where did you get it? No, forget that. You can't spend your money on kids." "By the time I graduate I will be in the Forbes list. A few million is nothing." "We will have to talk about money later. So you're satisfied that our family will not split up?" "I feel much better. In fact, I am happy. I'm worried about poor old Pop though." "I don't neglect him." "I meant about him, his very sexy wife and possibly a young woman in need of somebody to lean on for at least a while." "Bert does quite well but I will start feeding him oysters a week before to get him in shape." "I don't doubt you at all but I think that Leslie and you may kill him. Double portions two months earlier and you putting him into training may not be enough." "Well you may be right. He does need to go into training. I think I will start tonight. After I tell him what happened I will not be able to keep him away." "Poor Pop. Lead around by his gonads." Lillian said, "Let's go see Leslie. She was worried about your state of mind no matter what your admirers had to say about it." Lillian gently pushed the master bedroom door open. Leslie was there but she was on all fours. She was eating Wendy and Betts was moving a dildo into her. Mom started to breath hard. I got in front of her and started to remove the buttons to her dress. She did not fight me but she looked at me to understand. I took her dress off then her panties and shoes. The bra was last and I looked at them and said, "They are beautiful." Lillian still looked at me and I said, "Go get them tiger. I'll see what I can do to help." She didn't move so I pulled her after me. She acted like a robot as I laid her on the bed under Leslie. I pulled Wendy to me and I started to lick. I got Wendy to the floor and then pulled Betts. The dildo just popped out of Leslie but Mom would have to worry about her not me. Wendy, Betts and I made a daisy chain. Every five minutes we rotated. Betts was better muffled now but Mom and Leslie were noisy. My orgasms came but I never flagged. I did get tired though and the girls had more energy that the Energiser Bunnies. They rested too but they did it by slowing down just enough to keep the blood warm until it was time to fire it up again. Roy must have heard us but he never came into the house. Much later Betts and Wendy were crashed out on the floor. I woke up to see Mom and Leslie in the bed. Mom had her cell phone to her mouth. "Leslie is naked beside me now. She's running her finger through my slit. The feeling is so great that I cannot describe it. She is only twenty three. Pallo wanted a trophy wife and he got the best. She has been so lonely for years." Leslie whispered into Mom's ear. Mom said, "Leslie says that we need a man desperately. One who is kind, generous, loving and especially well hung like you. Mom looked at me looking at her. "Wally was concerned so much that he asked me not to hurt you. He was relieved when he found out that you and he are so much alike. He was even concerned that you may not be able to keep up to two women." There was a pause when Bert spoke then Mom said, "Sure you can. We will put you into training. You will start with push-ups of course. If you do a chin-up we'll suck you. You would be able to do thousands a day with that inspiration." Leslie took the phone and listened to the conversation. When Bert stopped Leslie said, "Hi Bert. Wally is special to me. I will do my best to keep his Pop alive as long as possible." She said this as she winked at me. I woke Betts then Wendy up and they listened to the conversation, especially when I said who was on the other end of the line. The girls climbed into the bed but only listened to the conversation. The door slowly opened and three more naked girls poked their heads in. I went to them but my flaccid state didn't seem to bother Erin. "Hi Sweety." I picked her up and brought her to the bed and the other two followed. In a moment the bed had two more girls. The phone conversation ended soon after the new arrivals. I guess it was because the language was not suited for children of their age. Mom wanted us to sleep over. Wendy and Betts were anxious to get me into bed. The problem began when we had to get the equipment to the commercial building across from the Data Centre. The best excuse I could think of was given so that I could get away. I was kissed far from motherly by Mom then by Leslie. Wendy was not going to be outdone by an old woman and did her best to suck my tonsils out. Betts was more loving but just as insistent. Liza was passionate but tried to show her love too. Patricia just used the same routine that her sister did and whispered, "I want your baby Wally." I was sprouting an erection when Erin opened her arms. I got to my knees and she hugged and kissed me. She was not hesitant to say, "I love you too." ------- Chapter 13 "And I love you. Does this mean you are going to be a junior girlfriend and one of the famous munchkins?" I just got smile and a rapid nod of her head. I went home. Bert had to hear what happened at the house. I described Leslie as good as I could. Mom had already said that I saw them making love so I could describe Leslie in quite a bit of detail. The man looked in pain especially how I said how loving Leslie and Mom looked. I was a hundred percent sure that he would be beating his meat again. I changed clothes and slipped out the door. Ten minutes later the guys showed up and we filled our packs with what we needed for the attack on Caputo's stash of money. The guys had been shown their off-shore bank accounts. I had told them a while ago, "If I am successful I will put a million bucks into each of your accounts. It comes a thousand a week for a thousand weeks. This is on top of your other money you make." The guys had just stared at me bug eyed. I added, "You spend the money like a kid and they will get suspicious and figure you're selling drugs. The police and your parents will investigate. They may find what we had really done at the farm and downtown. We will die for that. If anybody finds what we do at the data centre, they will torture us, our friends and our family to get even a small piece of the money." The guys picked the locks into the building we were going to work from while I got the main alarm. I was quicker than before. The building was empty at the moment. We went up twelve stories and then opened another office and again I had to deactivate the alarm. I checked the walls. They were strong. This was necessary because my weight on the rope would put a lot of pressure on them. The equipment in the room was pushed out of the way and we went outside to the alley. The guys had dropped off hardwood and some softwood beams brought here the day before yesterday. This was right after I told them about their pay. This was carried inside and then to the office we had picked. We could do this now but there was a better chance tomorrow when even fewer people would be at the centre. Everything had been wiped down to remove prints. It was probably not necessary but it showed good planning. With everything onsite, we went home and tried to sleep. I could go and sleep with Wendy and Betts but it was already late. Pop, June and I got up early. Actually June had to be asked to get up. We went out and bought the ingredients for a large breakfast. We parked in Leslie's driveway and I was the one to get out. I had to clear this with the police. I didn't want them to think we were attacking. They recognised me and I introduced Pop and June. I let us in the back door and started breakfast. Dad and June helped. They liked the house and felt funny about being in it especially without the owner's permission. Three naked munchkins ran into the kitchen but one ran back screaming. I ran after Erin and calmed her down. Everybody else was in the master bedroom and they hid their nakedness behind a sheet or a cover. With Erin in my arms I said, "Your menfolk have arrived to feed the beautiful womenfolk their breakfast. June is here too." Erin was comfortable in my arms now. I put her on the bed and blew an unexpected raspberry on her abdomen. She grabbed my hair and pulled much like Betts. Leslie said, "Serves you right. A young lady like that needs to be treated with dignity." "I will remember that in the future and warn anybody that they have to restrain her hands. She pulls like Betts." Betts retorted, "I only do that because you move around." "You are still a demanding woman but I love you anyway. Now get up. Get showered and sometime today get dressed." The two adults put on beautiful house coats. The one Mom now wore was small for her. Wendy loaned Betts a spare. All of the women looked to have been in an all night gang bang but they still looked beautiful. Bert thought so too. We made a good breakfast and fed the police too. When the dishes were cleaned up by me, Mom pulled Bert to the bedroom to talk with Leslie about her problems. Even June could read the writing on the wall. June asked me, "Are... are they going to?" "They sure are. I would have brought earplugs for you but we didn't have any." "Why?" "They get excited and the women tend to scream out their pleasure." "They do not." "Bet you a tooney." She was not sure. "It's only two bucks." "Ok, you're on." I saw Wendy looking at June and Betts shrug her shoulders. It may not be just Mom and Leslie screaming soon. To start things off I said. "Betts, you should show the house to your sister." "Well, I guess." "While you are at it you may as well get a bathing suit on. Some don't fit right on you the last time." "I didn't wear one last time." "You did after." "Oh, I forgot." I cleaned up the kitchen with the munchkins help then I tackled the rest of the cleanup from the party. There sure was a lot of garbage. Screams were heard now and then from the house and I figured I should have bet two bucks for each scream instead. By the time we were finished it was time to think of warming up the leftovers from the party. This was just started when Betts, Wendy and June came out of the bedroom. They wore skimpy bathing suits and June had a deep red skin. I walked up to them and did an inspection. "Not bad. You all pass. Now tell me what you did to June to make her change colour?" Betts said, "We had to fit her suit just right. Wendy and I have our own ideas. I put something to the right and she moves it to the left. I of course put it back. June got frustrated and screamed." "What about the second one?" "June did not believe some of the things I said that Wendy did to me. Wendy then told her but she still refused to see this. We had to show her. She was beginning to get the idea but it took four more times. She then had to show us to make sure she got it down right." I walked over to June and looked up to her. "Did you learn the lesson correctly?" She shook her head no. I guess she was trying to deny that she had done anything. I slowly moved my hands to her waist and pulled the small lower section to her feet then undid her top. June was just too stunned by what I had done. I took her hand in mine and her bathing suit in another and pulled her back to the bedroom. The girls followed. When June was laid on her back I tried to pick up her legs but she would not let me. I turned to Wendy and Betts. "June admitted to not learning her lesson. I thought you said she knew it now." Wendy said, "But Wally, she is new to this. She forgets. Watch and see if we do right." Wendy went over and tried to get June to spread her legs. She simply slapped the leg and said, "Pick them up now." The legs came up as if by magic. Wendy crawled into position and started to suck and lick. Betts took off her suit and sat on her sister's face. In a moment Wendy pulled out and wiped her arm across her face. "She remembered." "I liked the little slap you gave to get her cooperation." "She's that type of girl. She wants to do everything but has to be told to do it." "Well you make sure the lesson is learned and I will call when there's different food to eat." "Thanks Wally. I hope you know that I love you too." "I know." When the food was hot I fed the new cop that had taken over and made sure he had something to drink. The munchkins came into Wendy's room to find the orgy going on. June stopped immediately but Wendy took June's hair in her hands and put her back where she wanted. Wendy said, "Hello Wally. That is so nice of you to bring us something to eat. We are a bit busy now though." "I can fix that." "Munchkins take off your clothes. You have a new toy to play with." It was amazing how fast they worked. Erin wanted in right away and Wendy moved and reattached June's lips where they belonged. She simply said, "Suck now." The groan from Erin told us that this was being done. Liza took over at June's pussy while Patricia worked on her sister's nipples. Betts pulled Wendy to her and they kissed then they both kissed me. I had them sit on the floor and we ate some burgers and drank some soda. A high pitched keening wail came from Erin. Wendy said, "Dad was an asshole. He made us give him blow jobs and when I got older he took my other holes. Erin was going to be taken soon. I think Caputo would have got her first. He likes them young." "I know you were hurt and I do not think I will ever understand how much. I just hope you can heal now. You are with friends." "I fucked those I was told to and some I liked a little. I never fucked a guy at my own discretion. I would like you to be my first of those kind." "Betts and I work as a unit." "She's invited too. I think she's my best friend now." "There is one more consideration for me to think about." "What's that?" "Betts gave me her mouth then her bum and soon her pussy to me first. I have to have that before I will do anybody else's pussy." "What about my bum?" "That's fair game if Betts agrees." "How come you have to have her permission but she can have all the pussy she wants?" "Pussy is for fun. I love her and she loves me. I don't want her to think I am going behind her back. If she took another guy then that would make me angry and hurt too." Betts had a big smile. I guess this was to know that I was hers. She said, "Well hurry up Honey. I want you to take my butt and then Wendy's. You are not getting off easy either. You are going to take June's ass, then Patricia's. Liza will want her share. I don't know about Erin but the girls can get her ready pretty quick if she wants." I looked at all the girls in question apart from June. Erin looked a bit nervous but not really worried. I spoke slowly and with kept my voice low. "Erin, I force nobody and you get even more care. You can watch to see what we are doing. If you like what the other munchkins do to you, then we can try it or wait for when you are ready." "I'll try if you want." "No, Honey. We try only if you want." Betts chased the munchkins off the bed. June's face was pulled over to where Betts wanted it and she began to suck on Betts's clit. Betts used her fists to hold her sister hair where she wanted. Both girls moaned when this happened. There was a possibility that June liked a bit of pain too. Wendy got the lube and before I could use any on Betts, she said, "June is being nice. Be nice to her first. She deserves it for being a good girl." Wendy reached into the drawer beside the bed and pulled out some mighty weapons. She put them down by June's butt and put out her hand. I gave her the lube. Wendy was very careful now and was very gentle with June. A thin vibrator went into June's vagina. June liked this and worked on Betts more. Betts moaned in response. Eventually the small vibrator came out and a larger one took its place. The small one found a new home in June's anus. Wendy had a concentrated look on her face as she worked one vibrator in as she pulled out the other. Betts moved around a lot more and moaned as if the vibrators were in her. After a while Wendy pulled the smallest out. I took it from her. She put the mid sized one from the vagina and put it in June's anus. This was done slowly. June seemed to be wiggling in pleasure and not pain. Wendy took the third and the largest vibrator from the bed and worked it into June's vagina. June was moving all over the place now. I handed the small vibrator I was given to Patricia. She had a smile and got on the floor behind Wendy. Wendy gave a little jump and then sighed before she continued with what she was doing. I had slipped out of my clothes to get ready. Erin was only interested now and didn't seem to have a worry in the world. I used a little lube on myself and whispered to Erin, "Sweetie, will you get some facecloths and some towels. It will keep everything clean." "Will you wait?" "I want you to see everything." Wendy had her own en suite so everything was close. Erin handed me the towels and I bent over and gave her a small kiss. She seemed to like it. The adults must have been tired because I didn't hear any moans or screams for at least twenty minutes. When I looked through the wall I saw them sprawled over Bert and he had a shit eating grin on his face. The women were sleeping but they looked to be content. Wendy looked at me and said, "Are you ready Wally?" "Just a moment, Sweetheart. I moved around the bed and pulled June's face from Betts' pussy. I kissed June and tasted my woman. When I pulled back she opened her eyes in a daze. I said, "Can I have your bum? I will be careful and try to give you pleasure." She only nodded and went back to her meal. Wendy only stopped one hand. The anal vibrator came out and I slipped in very easy. I was smaller. When I moved back and forth, I felt the vibrator in June's pussy. It tickled me but I concentrated on June. Wendy's thumb went to work on June's clit. I worked back and forth to hear June's groans. I beckoned Erin and she came near and I showed her where my dick was. I whispered, "Go to June's other end and ask her if she likes what is happening to her. Maybe she will give you a kiss on your pussy." "Really?" "June is a nice girl." June did not respond to the calls. She was in a world of her own. Betts pulled up on June's face. The tongue still worked as if she were attached to her sister. Soon her eyes did open. Erin asked, "Do you like what Wally's doing to you?" She only got a nod but Betts shook her hands and thus June's head. June came more out of her daze. Betts said, "Tell Erin if you like Wally's cock up your ass and a vibrator up your pussy while you are eating my cunt." "Oh, I love all of it. I could die here happy." "Good answer. Now you get your reward." Betts put June back to her pussy and both groaned at the contact. I said to Wendy, "Turn it up all the way. I want to go for the home stretch." The vibrations got more intense. June then Betts reacted more. Wendy moved her thumb faster and pushed faster into June. It was only a few minutes that it looked like a tidal wave building higher and higher. At some unimaginable height June screamed her joy into Betts who used June's lips to put her over the edge too. I felt two real tight squeezes then June passed out. My own orgasm was happening and I just continued to hammer into the unresponsive girl a few more times until my own pleasure passed threw me. June was still buried in Betts' pussy. I pulled back hard on June's hips so she was able to breathe. Wendy stopped what she was doing. She must have had her own orgasm with Patricia working into her body. I washed my equipment then washed June with the care of a mother for her infant. Erin got a blanket and we put it on the floor then we all carried June to it. Erin said, "What's wrong?" It was Patricia and Liza that gave her a good explanation. I did as Betts asked that afternoon. My back became sore and my dick even more sore. All the girls tried me for size and even Erin was glowing from the treatment. Wendy was very loose but I treated her to the same kindness I treated the rest. This politeness took time and gave me a chance to rest. The girls liked it because I was not treating them like objects to be used and discarded. The noise had started up in the next bedroom when I was in Wendy. It lasted through all the rest and I think Erin orgasmed with her stepmother. It was my turn after cleaning up Erin and I lay on the comforter and went to sleep. It was getting dark when I awoke. There was lots to do tonight. Leslie was at the doorway looking at me. "You are quite a young man. Wendy does not like men for what they have done to her. She was just raped but wanted to have sex with you. If that is not enough, Erin wanted to give you one of her cherries and you never pushed her at all. You did all this and made six young ladies very happy and pleased with you." "Thanks Leslie but I would have made it seven if Pop and Mom were not so involved with you." "That is a very nice thing to say. Perhaps we can do something one day." "I would not do that if Pops still wants you. I cannot ever see him ever letting you or Mom go." "You are a romantic after my own heart. I will come to see you if your father tires of me." "That will never happen but thanks for the offer." Leslie smiled just a little and slowly closed the door. I had to get up but I was still so tired. I had a quick shower and put my clothes back on. There was still lots of time. I called Chuck and just said, "I'll be on time." There was food already out. I ate a lot in a short time as the munchkins looked on. They had the same look Betts gave me. They each got a small kiss and is said to each one, "I love you." The rest were out at the pool. I kissed and or hugged everybody and said, "I have an appointment with Jerry. He wants to build a car someday and now is a time we can work with his father. He hasn't been drinking." The girls all gave me a kiss to send me off and it felt good to simply run at my usual slow speed. When I got home, there was a sphere waiting for me. Inside were two tiny black spheres with a hole through them. These were to be pinched over some fibre optics cables to sample the information coming and going but could also transmit themselves. The next part was a small fibre glass perf board with a chip mounted on it. The electronic board looked to have been made here on earth and I guess it was but not by humans. It intercepted signals in the computer and inserted its own. In time it would decompose and very little information could be gleaned from it. There was a small tool pouch. It had the usual tools but also a good glasscutter and a vibrating tool that would do the same job as tapping along the cut to break class. Some thin jumpers mounted on a conductive adhesive would allow me access. There was a larger roll of masking tape to collect dust and glass particles. This had to be taken out with me when I left. The last was the simplest. It was a plastic substitute for a particular window on the sixth floor of the Data Centre. My mission was not just to produce a back door to the computer but to copy a small handwritten booklet that could not be entrusted to a computer even with its security and encryption. All this went into a small school bag that was already coloured black with Magic Marker. A picture of Batman was seen underneath some of the black. When I was ready, I called a taxi and then ran to meet it a few blocks away. In ten minutes I was heading downtown. Two blocks from the Data Centre I got out. In a moment I turned around and went to where I was supposed to go. A wooden wedge was pointing up inside the door. This was a signal that nobody had entered in our absence. I only had to pick the main lock and I had my gloves on. On the twelfth floor I whistled and came out. The guys would be worried. Sam was not here though. He was on the other side of our target with a cell phone. Chuck had everything set up. I said, "Hi guys." I was given short responses from both of them. The window we had chosen was now open and the spud launcher set up. Nadac may have helped but we both wanted to see what I could do alone. Jerry was in charge of the propane. He had done this well in training. Sam was warned and Chuck pushed the button. The retort was loud and we just had to hope that nobody stayed to trace the noise down. We all tried to trace the flight of the cloth sack. It was not full dark but still too dark to see far, especially with the city lights. An excited call from Sam. He said that he had the nut in his hand. He held it tight as we pulled back most of the slack. The lose line was cut and put with our equipment. The line stretching across the street was tied to an extra eye at the front of our hook. We all checked the knot. The other end of the hook already and the mountaineer's rope tied to it. The first four metres were doubled. This would go over the sharp edge of the roof. The rope was played out by Chuck and Jerry. I was going to help Sam and make sure with my own eyes that the hook was in the right place. I didn't run but I desperately wanted to. I whistled to Sam to warn him then I helped him pull the parachute cord in. Chuck kept us apprised of how the rope fed out. He kept tension on it because it was still too heavy and would sag. I could see the hook dimly through the building. It didn't want to climb the wall at the lip. Chuck and Jerry pulled a few metres back while Sam and I pulled hard on our side. This took some sag out of the rope and it slid over the roof edge. We pulled thirty five more metres and found the same problem on our side of the building. There was more rope out and Chuck and Jerry had to pull harder to take out the sag. It took three tries before it came over this wall. We pulled a little more than two metres. Our objective now was to seat the hook in the stonework just above the window. This would anchor the rope as we put lots of tension on it. Our night vision binocular was used to study the setting until I was happy. Sam's job was to stay here and tell us if the hook moved. Few people came through here but he still had to hide. He had a dart gun to make sure he stayed safe. When I got back to the office, I found the bracing around the doorway already in place with a sling to hold the chain fall. The cable clamp was attached to the rope and this went to the hook of the chain fall. We pulled the chain as quick as we could. When the load chain was short we tied off the rope to the beam that supported the chain fall. The chain was played out again and connected again with the cable clamp. This was done enough times to make the rope taut. Sam reported that the hook had not moved. Now it was up to me. I never liked heights and now especially. I used my sister's rape and beating to drive away some of my fear. I got dressed in my black suit with black balaclava. The shoes were put on and the knots tied tightly. I wore the safety harness and carried a dart gun. Its possession would link me to the killings at the farm but that was unavoidable. The dark glasses went on last with the strap that went around the skull. This allowed me to see better and give an explanation of how I could talk to them. They could only talk to me with the cell phone. The guys went over everything I had. Nothing extra was to be taken except that which in the black bag. I concentrated on the evil that Caputo dealt in and all the things he had done to hurt people. I think it was the child in the casket that stiffened me enough to step through the window. Chuck clipped the snatch block onto the line. The ring on my back already had more parachute cord attached to it. Everything was tied to me but I was tempted to hold the rope and never let go. I had just enough strength to release myself and let the rope take my weight. I could not get low enough and said to the guys, "Get ready. Give me some slack. I am going to jump." Chuck said, "Good luck Cap." Jerry said the same thing and sounded grave. I jumped. I fell only a bit over a metre but I slid two metres from the building. I was completely supported by my harness and the rope. Chuck called out, "You ok?" "Fine. Lower me." My heart was hammering loudly. I was very frightened still and worried more about the hook and the strength of the rope. I went quickly as the cord was played out. It was very strong and probably could have worked on its own but there would be no safety factor. The parachute cord was around the main beam. It was easy to play out because of the way it rubbed the wood. I was soon only ten floors up and almost over the middle of the street. Cars went by underneath but it was dark up here. To reassure the guys and perhaps myself I gave a quiet travelogue of my trip that they believed came from my glasses. Hours later or perhaps seconds I slid over the roof of the Data Centre. It was only near the far wall when my feet first touched. I picked my feet up and let the guys continue. The far wall was very close when I finally stood. I also shook like a leaf. I told the guys where I was and how things looked. While I got out of the harness the guys were giving me a lot of slack. It took a few minutes before there was enough play that Sam could dislodge the hook and allow it to be brought up to me. The hook came off only when I was able to tie the main rope to a satellite dish support so I could get some slack. A small spool of nylon cord lowered the hook and the snatch block to Sam then I dropped the rest of the twine. The main rope and Sam's parachute cord went to the ring on my harness. The two ropes were pulled a bit and I untied the main rope from the dish. I was jerked toward the street but Sam pulled the other way. I was allowed to go the edge as I spoke to both teams. We had to shift nearly twenty metres to get above the window we wanted. I climbed over the edge this time and I was only eight stories up. It didn't look much different. Everybody was ready and I let the rope take my weight. I fell four metres and was jerked by the rope. I didn't expect all this and I was shocked. The harness bit into my legs and I was thrown against the wall. I was nearer my window though. The three guys worked to get me to where I needed to be. Sam had to pull from one side a lot and he was not big. It took nearly ten minutes to get to the ledge were I could stand. There were blinds on the window so people could not see into the office. I could see that nobody was around on this floor. Getting the tool pouch out was difficult. Even holding the cutter was hard. I drew on the glass the largest pattern I could without cutting the lead foil tape. When the pattern was a full loop I put the tool away with shaking hands. Masking tape went over nearly the entire window then I took out the sonic tool. I could see through the tape so I could trace the line. Even this job was hard. The tool was put away and then the pouch. When I pulled the tape away the cut out section came with it. This went into my black pouch. I felt like somebody on Discovery Channel as I described everything I was doing. The jumpers came out next. I could reach inside easily and again because I could see through the device, I could put the ends of the wire where they belonged. The cutter came out once more and I cut the remainder of the glass sheet out, apart from a centimetre around the edge. Again more tape and the sonic tool and I had the panel removed. The alarm would normally have already gone off. I saw nobody frantically moving on the other floors. My arm reached the latch but the device wouldn't turn. It was stuck solid and I was in a bad position to force it. A short pipe could give me extra leverage but I didn't have one. Chuck called on the phone. It was set to vibrate only. "Sam says you have a problem." "Sticky latch." "What are you going to do?" "I don't know yet. Let me think on it." I pushed and pulled with hand power but it didn't work. I finally used the sonic tool. It vibrated the hell out of the metal but the handle moved as long as I held the tool on it. The tool almost slipped once and I used tape to hold it to my sweating hand. Eventually the handle gave way. A small lightweight pry bar/scraper sold in Canadian Tire got the window open. Before I left my perch I took out the fake window and pressed it into position. It fit perfectly. Securing the fake window would have to wait until I returned, if I did. Everything attached to my harness was clipped to the frame of the window. I held onto the same frame with all my might and undid the harness with one hand. It felt good to be free but hanging this high up was not good either. There were no motion sensors or cameras here but I checked once more in case. I climbed inside and pulled the window closed behind me. I made it to the floor and took all that was hanging from the window and put it on the floor then closed and latched the window. There were paint chips and dirt on the floor. The tape picked all this up but I wanted no extra. The tape went into the black school bag. I stood up and saw that the blinds were the same as the set in the window beside it. I was in an office but not the office I needed to be in. The doors here were odd. You had to use a key to get in or out. The locks were good too. I talked through my mind to the guys. Even in my mind my voice was far from calming. The lock opened. This room was my exit out too. The room had to be re-locked or the infrequent security check would find it unlocked and put out an alarm. The hall was well lit. My goal now was the stairs. This door had locks just like the rest and I took my time to pick it. The door snapped shut behind me after I went through. The forth floor held the office I wanted. Nadac had indicated that this office should be taken first. I didn't question him when he talked like that. A man in a white shirt went by the door to the forth floor while looking at a sheet of paper in his hands. He wouldn't have seen me anyway but I played safe. I picked the inner lock and waited. There were four people on this floor. I had to not only make it into a locked room before any came out to see me but I had to contend with the noise of the lock on the stairway snapping back into place. One woman was fairly close and she started to laugh. I flung open the door and stood near the lock to muffle the noise. Her final laugh coincided with the snap. The doors were all closed and I hurried past two of the people and worked on one office with an impressive brass plaque on the door. This room had its own alarm. I studied the inner alarm before even picking the lock to the door. The picking of the door lock went quickly but the alarm took longer. The time limit was almost reached before the lock rotated. I hadn't even worried about the noise the door had made when closing. The safe was supposed to be good but it opened just as easy even with its extra numbers. When the door opened, I looked at how everything was arranged before I took out the small leather bound book. I had wanted a camera but Nadac wanted my mind to be used. There was still a lot of capacity left in the quasi crystals in my skull. I came up for air and drank some water from the large bottle in the room. I spoke to the guys and tried to stay calm. Waiting was a hard job too. I must have been in the room for an hour but it was done. The book went back just the way it had been and I closed the safe. There was carpet on the floor and I went over it with my gloved hands to hide any of my footprints. The main computer room was across the hall. There were now only three people on this floor but one was in the room with the computers. Time was running out. Monday morning would mean a full complement of employees. I picked the lock to the office door then activated the alarm and got out after brushing the last of the carpet. The snap was not loud and I ignored it as I worked on the next lock. Since somebody was inside I didn't have to worry about the device. The airconditioning more than made up for the noise of the lock closing. The woman was at the far end of the room sitting at a desk and typing. A privacy screen was luckily in place so she could not see the door. There were three rows of computer equipment. The panel I wanted was in the last aisle. There were large slot screws that could be opened with a quarter. The top two were high and I had to put everything I carried on the floor. The gun was heavy but it was the most reassuring. I could stretch up easier now and unscrewed the top two. The bottom two were next. The mid two allowed me to hold the panel while standing. The metal was not heavy but it was wide. My arm span was not that large. As I set the panel down I heard the woman move. She was stretching and then she yawned. It was only after she went back to work that I did too. My Batman bag was opened and the mini board came out. The place for it to go was close to the floor. I blew on the area to remove dust and then pulled off the special wrapper. This protected the glue from contamination. The board had to go on just right. I pushed into place then moved it a bit one way then another. Being out a little would cause a malfunction when it was placed or later when it was used. I counted to sixty then did half of it again before I gingerly removed my fingers. It didn't fall but I still expected it to. To the right was a junction box with three fibre optics cables coming from them. I followed one until it met a few others on the bottom. The first small sphere went around this cable. I had to reach into the area covered by the second panel to find the right cable. There were a lot and I had to be sure. The second sphere went on and I snapped it shut. I figured the guys would be doing some screaming now. I did what I was supposed to do. Putting the metal coverback was difficult. I could drag it but the woman would hear the noise. I did get into position but the screws would not start. The door was hanging a bit too low. I kept pressure on the door with one hand while I used the other to fish out the pry bar again. The sharp edge worked in enough that I could do up one of the mid level screws then the other. The rest started easier now. I bundled my property up in preparation for leaving but the woman was doing the same thing. I was not going to make it ahead of her. She took her time now and scratched under her left breast. She approached the door and put the key in the alarm and activated it then used another to open the door. As soon as the door closed I ran to it. I had to deactivate the alarm quickly. The last pin in the lock jumped into place as if by itself and I turned just in time. I had to wonder about this pin for a moment until I had to come to the conclusion that my subconscious was using my PK. The computer room door opened a bit but I was concerned with the one going to the stairwell. People were moving around more now. When it looked good the alarm went on once more and I stepped out into the hallway. I worked on the door frantically as the woman that had been in the computer room got up. She fumbled with her keys just long enough for me to get through the door and close it before she opened hers. I was sweating now. That was so close. I hurried up the steps. The floor was still vacant. Getting into the office was easy. A jumper was put permanently across the two connectors for the alarm. I stepped out onto the ledge with the substitute window. I pulled the leaver to lock the window and took out some crazy glue to make the window stay in place. Getting back in the harness was not easy in this position. The distance to the ground didn't bother me as much now. When the third buckle was put into place I said, "Sam, are you ready?" Two tugs from the lower cord were felt. "Are the other guys ready?" Two more tugs were felt. "Then let's do it." Sam pulled hard on his rope to get me away from the building and I finally pushed off to help him. I sagged immediately but not as bad as last time. One blind was open on the way down and I could see people with my eyes. "Hurry Chuck!" I went a lot quicker until I passed the window and soon my feet touched the ground. Sam raced over with a knife and cut the mountaineer's rope. I had time to say, "Here it comes," before it parted. The end whipped up. It would go across the roof and Chuck would have to pull it across the street as it fell then up the building he was in. Sam got me out of my harness. We hardly said anything as it went into my pack along with all the parachute cord and the black bag. Sam put the bag on and we raced around the building to help Chuck and Jerry clean up. The bag was left near the dumpster and we entered the building to get the wood out. This Sam and I carried and put it into the dumpster with the least noise possible. We went back up and I immediately saw that the wood had cracked the plaster. Chuck said, "Your weight and the pull of the chain fall were too much for it. I guess we turned into robbers?" "Not yet. Got to get our stuff out first and clean up." The window edges were cleaned and closed. When everything was tidied up, I looked at the damage to the wall. We could act like thieves and trash the place after finding nothing of value or just ignore it. This time we would ignore and hope we had time to get what we wanted before somebody drew too many accurate conclusions. Everything was locked up as we found them then we ran down an alley. We changed out of out blacks and into slacks or casual clothes. The used clothing went into the packs where the civilian clothes had come from. The packs were stashed behind another dumpster and covered with cardboard. Everybody had money now and we just split up. It made me feel professional. Very few words were spoken by the guys while I talked my head off to them. An hour and a half later people started to arrive for work in increasing numbers. Sam came and recovered his pack and rode to a mall by taxi. Jerry came later and took the bus. Chuck took the subway. I was the last and took a different bus. "Nadac, how did it do?" "The devices function within parameters." "What about how I carried out my part?" "Considering your age and training you did very well. I must add that a trained Aristis solder especially one specifically trained for clandestine activities would fault you on everything you did." "But I am no super soldier." "That is true and you are learning. Now it is time to develop your muscles and decrease your reaction time." "Something new I have to do?" "Our king has taken more of an interest in you." "Oh!" "He sees some promise and wants to accelerate your training." "I am honoured. Will this be aimed toward the tech fields or the military." "I have not been told but my reports have stated that you could benefit by acquiring all types of training. The Aristis appreciate how you overcome obstacles that are beyond many of your fellow humans." This was a surprising development. The king would have to find me eventually. He had to take a hand in my training too. What worried me was the term 'thrive through adversity' that the Aristis spouted a lot. If I was the king's puppet then I would have a great deal of adversity. "Am I permitted to have a list of subject that I must encompass?" "There has been no list made as yet. I feel that you should continue with your life as it is. Martial arts are beneficial to both the mind and the body. You have not shown any avarice. I believe you would be trusted with some of the wealth of this world. I would like to see how you use it to grow. The Aristis are very strong competitors and this is one way it is shown." "I would do my best. The laws of my world do not allowed me to deal in business. Working through you and others would get around this. I see a need to gather business law and a deeper understanding of finance." "I agree. I have been helping you far too much." I didn't know what he meant by this. He may be talking for the king's benefit. "The Aristis people have a technology that will teach me what I need to know very quickly. Will I have access to some of this?" "Reports will be sent to our king about your progress. It is possible he may bestow some of this knowledge on you as a reward." "I will do my best." "That is our king's wish." While riding the bus I tried to work out what Nadac was really saying. One fact was that the king was actively monitoring me now. The Aristis liked bravery and perhaps I showed enough in what we had just completed. The Aristis liked stealth and I guess treachery too. This was used against Caputo who was a formidable opponent. The Aristis loved sex but especially sex to dominate. I was not going to turn into my enemy to suit the king. The king could have me killed too. I would have to steer a course where my own morals were not bent too much but still satisfy the king when it came to my training. Betts was asleep when I got home. She woke and ran to me. She had been monitoring our progress with the communicator in her glasses. She said, "It went well, you think?" "Yes. We are ready now but it is not time to strike yet." "You mean those guys strike?" "That's right." "Good. You have done enough. Now come to bed. Your woman wants you." "My woman had lots of sex." "Your woman is horny now. What you did was exciting. I'm tingling all over." "A man does what a man has to do." Betts drove me to do the best I could do too. I was worried that when my own gonads started to shoot baby juice that I would not be able to keep up with her. Controlling my own orgasms was the only way. We went to sleep with me parked in Betts back door. When I woke up later the connection was not there. I was still sleepy and a shower was in order. I was downstairs when a naked Betts came to me. She too had showered and partially dried. Betts saw my look. She stopped and smiled then turned around to display her body. "Do you like what you see?" She didn't wait for my answer but looked at my pants. "That answer is good enough." "Well horny woman, why are you walking around naked? Your parents will be home soon." "We did a lot yesterday. We talked after you left." "About what?" "Mostly Wendy's father. Wendy was first fucked at seven. She was sure Erin would be soon. She bled a lot and it hurt her. She was afraid for her sister. "Leslie has been with that guy for four years. His old wife ran off and has not been heard from. There was never a real marriage. Leslie thought that Frank was looking around for a new woman to take her place. She figured she would have to go into the porno industry if she wanted to live. "Erin is not her child. Leslie admitted to liking girls a lot more after she became repulsed by Frank. She never touched Erin or Wendy sexually. They were her children even if Wendy was only eleven years younger. "There had been countless orgies at the house and she wanted to join some of the girls but Frank said who she could have sex with and it was usually his friends. Carmen Caputo fucked her a few times but he likes them young. Wendy got lots of his attention and he was salivating over Erin. Leslie was worried about Erin too. "Tony was the one that liked to fuck Leslie a lot. She had to dress up like a girl though. He fucked all the younger girls but never Erin. She had to blow him but he would not take her cherry. I guess his father would be pissed at him if he did this. "One little boy was gang banged by the men. He was hurt a lot but they still fucked the little guy. The kid was never seen again and Leslie figured he died. His disappearance was reported to the police and they are looking into it. "A lot of drugs were used here. Leslie tried to protect the kids but that was some of the ways the men had control over the kids. They were addicted." I already knew this but let Betts continue. "A few of the kiddy porn movies were shot here. Props were used to hide the location. The men were in lots of the movies but their heads were kept out of the frames." I said, "I guess she was feeling pretty down?" "Yes, but she was smiling later. I think she saw Mom and Dad as somebody that would protect her." "I felt the same way and told her that Pop would never let her or Mom get away from him. It could be just sex but it might not." "Was that one of those feelings?" "I don't think so. What do you think of having two mothers?" "Now that might be fun. Now that I know Mom likes girls I may get into some of the action." "You have to be careful. Your mom may feel very guilty after. Having sex with a beautiful girl is not the same if she is the woman's daughter." "I never thought of that but Leslie is fair game. I don't think Daddy would mind if I keep her lubed-up and ready to go." "Probably not. He and I are a lot alike." I made a meal and Betts talked to the guys over our secure network. They all wanted to meet but thought it too dangerous. The guys were going to follow up their leads with the girls they met yesterday in hopes of losing their virginity. Well, all but Sam. I logged onto my bank and sent a thousand dollars and another five hundred for this weeks pay to the guys. They could do better if they invested the money and that rang a bell in my mind about my own investing. Betts hugged me when she got fifteen hundred too. June came home from work and tried to race upstairs. I guess she had a lot of guilt feelings. I yelled out, "June, come here." She stopped and came to the kitchen. "What do you want... Wally?" Betts was sitting in the other room and she came in too. I pointed to the floor in front of me and demanded, "Stand here." Her face fell but she did come reluctantly. When she was close she said, "Yes, Wally?" I reached up and held her face in my hands. "We did a lot of neat stuff yesterday. We found about each other. Now I want an honest answer. Why did you run by us just now?" There was a long pause before she said, "You were busy and I didn't want to bother you." I did not let go of her face. "That may be true but what was the main reason?" It took a while. She started to tear up and then said, "I'm a slut. I did things to my sisters. I'm ashamed of myself." "You are incorrect. I will tell you the truth." "Yes... ?" "You are my slut." Her eyes shot open. "As my slut you did as you were told. You had no choice in the matter." "But... you didn't order me." "My girlfriend handles my affairs in my absence. Her orders are my orders. Do you understand?" "Yes." "Yes Sir, you mean." "Ah, yes sir." "Sometimes you will call me Master. Betts will be your mistress. Is that understood?" "Yes Master." "Good. Now I am telling you that you did nothing at all wrong. You were working under my orders. If something is wrong it is my fault not yours. Is that going to be a problem, Slut?" "No Master." "Then you will make a good slut and a girl I can love. Now give your master a kiss and then one to your mistress then go have a shower. Put a dress on and no panties. In fact no panties until you have your period." Her eyes lit up and she said, "Yes Master. At once Master." June grabbed me with a lot of energy and kissed me and poked her tongue into my mouth. She was not subservient now and I had freed her of any guilt. She pulled me up and smiled. She wanted confirmation. "You did that very well, Slut. Now see to your mistress." Betts was still in shock but the kiss brought her out of it. They kissed long and hard. When June stood to find out how well she did Betts replied breathlessly. "I better take you upstairs to make sure you get clean behind your ears and other places." Betts took her sister's hand and led her upstairs. While I waited for the food to cook, I copied out the pages from memory that I had read early this morning. Each sheet went onto the table before I wrote on it. There would not be any indentations in the pad this way. Nadac already had the information from my memory but I had to get marked on retrieving it. I was done just before Bert got home. The papers went into my pocket for disposal later. Bert came in with a wall to wall smile. "Hello Wally. How are you doing?" "Great. I would hazzard a guess that your day was both good and dragged like you were doing twenty four hours." "How did you know?" "Yesterday I found that you and I are quite similar. If I were your age and had Mom and Leslie I would be walking on air." "Is it really that obvious?" "A blind man could see it. It's in your voice, your step, your posture and especially in your face." "I only wish it could last." "Why not?" "Well, Leslie has her own life to lead." "She wants a good man. She wants a good woman too. She has both in this family. She may settle down in a year or so but by then love will bind her." "Love?" "You have heard of the word before?" "What do you mean?" "I get more people to feed but somebody will do the laundry and the dishes." "You mean that they will live here?" "Sure. We may need an extension. Leslie is young and may want a child." "She will not want my child?" "She will find she wants the child soon as a way to bind you to her. If you and Mom hold off she will see that it is not necessary and then choose to get pregnant for other reasons." "Where did you get these ideas?" "Sometimes I am a dopy twelve year-old and then my brain kicks in to an idea. One thing is for sure." "What is that?" "We will need more bathrooms." It took a few minutes until he understood. "I'll think on this but please don't tell Lillian until I come to a decision. There are just too many considerations to make. I don't know how committed Leslie is or her daughters either." Lillian came home with her own smile. Over the meal she watched Bert and wondered what was wrong. After the meal I went to see Gail. Again she invited me in with a kiss. She said, "How are you doing lover? I heard a gang of girls made demands on you." "You would not believe the things I was forced to do. I may need a substitute to step in for me when I just cannot function anymore." "Can this sub be a woman?" "That may be preferable. She has to be mature enough to guide and strong enough to survive. It will be a job that Hercules himself would think may times before accepting. The future may talk about the thirteen not the twelve mighty labours imposed on him by Hera." "I have but one life, and I would give it to save you." "Kneel!" Gail actually got to her knees. I put my hand on her head and said. "You are a faithful retainer. As such, I will entrust my lovelies to you. Their care and upkeep will be my responsibility but you may discharge this in my stead when necessary. Now lead me to your computer." She got up a little flushed. I figured she wanted something to suck on for a moment. I logged onto a bank in the Bermuda this time. I opened an account in Gail's name. I did not know all the particulars and got Gail to sit. "What are you doing?" "Opening an account. Fill in the blanks. I'll help. Set a password you will not forget and one that is with both numbers and letters. Put birthdays in and I will paddle your butt." "But why?" "Do this, my faithful retainer." Gail reluctantly did as I asked. When she was done, we logged off. I then went to my bank and transferred ten thousand dollars into Gail's then logged off. "What did you just do?" "Log into your account, faithful retainer." She did and saw the figure that was in there. She looked at me. "You did that?" "Sure. You have to train the guys yet. You run around for me and could lose your house. You need to pay the mortgage and you cannot do that if you are neglecting your business. The money I gave you is tax free. Just make sure you use it wisely. The rich do it all the time to beat taxes." "But what is it for?" "Gail, I owe you some money for helping one of my men. Think of it like what a psychologist would do. There are more jobs to do later and you do not have to go into your own funds to get the money." ------- Chapter 14 "But that was ten thousand dollars." "That's not a lot of money. Look what a car costs or a home." "But it is a lot of money for a boy." "I am going into business too. I do not know what but I am going to be rich. I want you to help me. As time goes on I will add to the figure in your account. You will earn the money and perhaps grow yourself." "You are a strange young man but I'll help." "Good, then I have another job for you." "What is that?" "The guys are probably online. You can talk to them on the microphone or type on the keyboard. I recommend the former. You are to teach them about being gentlemen. Teach them to wash and choose clothes that match. Teach them about business. They have money too. I want it invested so they learn. It doesn't matter if they loose it all because it's not much. The point is that they learn." "I can try but I don't know anything about the stock market." "Talk to them about retailing and marketing." "I can try." "Good, then move that pretty butt. I need to log you on." The guys were on and talking to Betts. There was no text as yet. I typed my ideas and introduced Gail to the group. I explained how I could give them all of the money I owed them if they agreed to invest most of it through a blind. Gail was going to teach them. I also said how private conversations could be handled on many levels so we could discuss 'boy' things without 'girls' intercepting our communications. I guess the guys would understand and read between the lines. Gail started typing while I ran home and got my spare headset and then went back. Gail took to the audio like a fish to water. She was talking to three sexy guys and one very sexy girl. I now had some free time. I went home and cleaned out my pack. Most of it went back in and I rode out to the mall and placed portions of it into various dumpsters. There was a lot of parachute cord and the harness but they had to go. The tool pouch would stay because the sonic device could only be triggered by a mind. Nobody would know what it really was. The gloves went but not the unused spares. There was nothing to link them to the two buildings. The black clothing and my soft soled shoes had to go. The hook was harder to get rid of but I did so. It would be so nice to have a safe place to store what I needed. The guns, harnesses and glasses were bad enough by themselves. I had still not purchased any cameras that function on the net. All of the products were shit according to the stuff Nadac could make. I purchased six web cameras and got a discount because it was fun. I biked over to Chuck and handed him a camera. On the sidewalk away from the house I said, "Did you get the idea I had? You get all your money but the majority gets invested. You may make it big or lose it all. I want you guys to learn." "I like that idea. How much does Mrs Watson know?" "That I have money and want you guys trained. I want you guys to be officer material not grunts. You can talk to the rest of us without her knowing anything. It is all in the software." "Good. I'd like to try investing." "Tell Jerry to go outside and I'll give him a camera too." The cameras were delivered quickly. I put Betts in and saw everybody but Gail. I took one next door and this changed. Everybody's face fit on the screen and it was simple to see the lips move to what was being said. Multiple conversations could go on as if in a large room and it was only the mind of the listener to find a way to decipher it all. I went home and used my headset then put my own camera in. All the images shifted over so we all fit. Gail continued with her talk about business. She talked about how they were set up. I would get Pop to talk about stock or perhaps Dad but Pop was in the bedroom banging away at Mom like a demon. I heard Betts' phone ring and she logged off to answer it. In a moment Betts came over and mouthed the word 'Wendy'. I nodded and continued to listen to Gail. The conversation was dynamic. The guys asked both good and stupid questions. Gail surprised me by asking one of us to answer for her. She kept at it until the answer she wanted came out. My own phone vibrated and I too logged off and answered it. Erin wanted to talk. Considering I was he first real lover I talked to her. Being only seven she had little to talk to me about that was interesting but I stayed with her. I was also mindful of the police or others tapping the calls. She gave me an in when she asked about Patricia and Liza. I gave Gail's number and in a moment Erin said good bye. June came to my open door and just stood there with her head down. I looked at her and said, "What is it Sweetheart?" She looked up. "Am I your Sweetheart?" "Yes, how could you think differently? Now come here and tell me why you came?" "Well... I was horny." Her head went down and she blushed. I got up and stood before her. Her eyes were still down. I used a finger to pick up her chin. "I am horny lots of the time too. Why are you embarrassed?" "I like it when you order me." "I know that." I tried to think of something good and one idea came to me. "Follow me, Slut." "Yes Master." I walked into Betts' room. She was laying back on the bed and talking on the phone. When June came in I closed the door and whispered, "Get naked." I took off my own clothes and put them neatly to one side. I laid down beside Betts and she moved over. I pointed at my dick and June crawled onto the bed and started to nurse. Betts said on the phone, "He is laying on my bed and June is going down on him." "Ya." "I don't know why." "I wish you were here too." "No, I can't." "I've got one too and I think I will use it." "Ok, bye Wendy." Betts turned to me and said, "What are you doing?" "Why, I am laying beside you as my slut sucks my cock." "But why are you doing it here?" "You are my girlfriend. Where else should I be?" "But your slut is sucking the cock I want to suck." "She was there first. I guess if you use what you were going to use on June instead of yourself, then she would curl into a ball and then you could attach your beautiful lips to 'the impregnator'." "Well if I have to go the round about way then that is what I will do." Betts took her clothes off then got out her weapon. She rubbed June's butt for a while then started to work the tool into her sister. Betts was getting worked up. She said, "I wish I had a slut like you have." "Ah, this one is mine. I might loan her to you but she belongs to me." Betts was playing with her own clit and said, "Do you think you should breed her?" The suction on my dick got fast and furious. June's eyes were looking into mine. "The slut likes that idea. The pedigree should be good. If we go into breeding, how many should we aim for?" "She can give us one a year for twenty years." "I think this slut can take that. What about when I knock you up?" That was enough and Betts bent over her sister's butt and shivered out her orgasm. She must like that idea too. When Betts looked up the look of hunger was back. I said, "Get some lube. Open your sister's ass for me. When she is seated I want you to sit on my face." There was no reply but Betts hurried to comply. I had an orgasm before Betts put the dildo up her sister's ass and one after when June had hers. A few minutes later Betts was guiding her sister into position then she pulled the dildo out. June sat quickly and groaned. Betts was very quick into getting into position too. The bed rocked for quite a while too. My hair at least was not pulled which made me thankful. Breathing though was more difficult. We were still at it when Patricia came home. She just ripped off her clothes and dived in. Pop looked happy and tired the next morning. He told me he was still thinking about my words. I said, "My dad is an accountant. I am going to see if he will teach me a bit about books. I would like to find out about investing too. You are the obvious one to ask. Would you teach me a bit?" "Sure, what do you want to know?" "I have money in an account in the islands. The government cannot touch it. I'd like to invest it and avoid all the taxes possible." "You cannot avoid them all." "Can the account pay or do you need a name and address?" "A corporation works best. Setting one up in the islands avoids most of the tax burden. Your taxes then go to a poorer country." "Ok, I'll get one set up. There is no sense going to the company you work for if you can do the job yourself. You could then make the fees." "I signed a contract not to do that." "Not even for family members?" "That may be different." "Will you bring me the information about all the hoops I have to jump though?" "I can send that to you on email." "That's great. I'll see what I can get done today." "You are really going to do this?" "Why not? I have to learn." Lillian came down now with a satisfied smile and kissed her husband on the lips then me on the cheek. She seemed very happy. A few minutes June came down and she too looked happy and not embarrassed at all. She said hi to everybody then said to me, "Is there anything I can get you Wally?" "No thanks. I already had my breakfast. You seem to be as happy as your mother." She did turn a bit red and finally said, "It is from being with people I love." "They love you too." "Yes, I know." The parents dawdled until June left and Lillian said first, "What happened to June?" "I discovered that June was inhibited. Wendy gently slapped June's leg and she did what she was asked. When she was given explicit orders she carried them out and enjoyed herself. She did not have to worry then because she was doing somebody else's commands." Lillian said, "I didn't know that about my daughter. Who gives her commands?" "I claimed her first." "You?" "Better me. I let her play but be safe. Betts gets very worked up. I have to protect both of them." "How do you do that?" "When you were over at Leslie's home I had to go out and keep the cop from racing in with his gun drawn." Lillian looked perplexed. "There were a lot of screams." Now it dawned on her. "I inferred that it was Betts and Wendy. They are children and there is not much of a stigma attached to that kind of love. Two voices were deeper and I tried to get Roy as far from the house as possible." "I never realised. Thank you Wally." "I might add that later when the screams came when your husband was there the noises could be much easier explained." Both adults turned red now. Bert said. "Thanks Wally. You are looking after us more than we look after you." "Family does that for its members. Now back to June. I have called her Slut and she reacts favourably to it. Betts suggest breeding her and this too she likes." Lillian said, "Why are you telling us this?" "June enjoys sex with us but soon she will want to try adults. I want her safe. I cannot have her go out now. She will look for somebody to order her around. One taboo is related to having children within a small group. This has been avoided with modern birth control. I am wondering if the two or three of you will take June in when the time comes. I can satisfy her now but that may not last long. I am far from full grown." "You want us to have sex with our daughter?" "I want you to consider having sex with a young lady that will look for it someday with other adults. I want her safe. I said I loved this family. It was not just words." "I'll have to think a lot about this. What did you mean about the three of us?" "Both of you like Leslie a lot." Lillian seemed to do a lot of thinking now. They grabbed a bit more coffee and left in their respective cars. As soon as the parents left, Nadac said, "Arrangements have been made for you to enter into martial arts training." "The guys too?" "The number of people is not that important." "When do we start?" Betts and I went over to Gail's. She was her usual polite self. I said, "I have a proposal for you Gail. It may sound foolish but it has some great features." "What is it?" "I have contracted for instruction in martial arts at a dojo. Betts and the guys are going to build muscle, coordination, speed, agility and especially a feeling of self worth. We need transportation there and back. If I convince you to drive us then you should take the course too. None of us have any training at all and you will not be starting further back than us. I want the munchkins to go to. They will get exercise and build stamina. That means you have more peace and quiet but when they attack you will know you were attacked." "I'm too old for that." "I saw your form yesterday. You are twenty-nine. There are senior citizens starting martial arts training. Granted they take it easy but the exercises keeps them limber." "I have my business to take care of." "Get the guys to help. They train on the job and do a fraction of your work for the time you put in." "My car is not big enough." "You can rent, lease or purchase a van. You might even get one like we took to the funeral." "They cost too much." "I am paying and I pay for the gas and insurance." Gail, I guess, had ran out of excuses. Then she said, "There are all the uniforms to purchase." "They are covered in the costs. You drive there and back and in return you exercise with some horny boys. Your child gains a worthwhile skill. She sees her mother working hard and will admire her more for it." "What if I don't like it?" "I will get the guys to exercise in the nude." "We can try." We all scrunched into Gail's car. The instructor, Mr Kazuyoshi, had some Japanese blood but seemed to have been born here. He looked at Gail a lot and she smiled more. Nadac had already paid over the net and we picked up our gi's. Nadac would get billed for each set we got. The guys were disappointed that we did not do throws. We did exercises. When Jerry saw that Gail was naked under her gi things heated up. Sam by this time was thinking of the younger crowd he had recently been with but still saw Gail as extremely sexy. At least he was not jealous now. The instructor must have caught on and he wanted to get a look himself. Gail helped him. We got a full work out and even homework. We were to come back every day and he would push us to do our best. The guys groaned while we changed. I said, "You guys are paid $500 a week with no taxes taken off to exercise. A pretty decent wage for guys our age." Sam smirked, "But we're millionaires. We can hire people to work for us." Chuck said, "Ya. I want to hire a beautiful woman to exercise for me." Then the next sentence said, "Did you guys see Mrs Watson's pussy?" Sam looked neutral but Jerry said, "Hmmmm it looked good to me. I like the ones that are shaved." Sam said, "How many have you seen that were shaved?" Jerry looked up and silently checked off his fingers of both hands a few times before saying, "Hell I lost count. Chuck gets all my cast offs. It must be into the hundreds by now." Chuck hit Jerry's shoulder. "Castoffs; why you don't turn down those inflatable girls and most of them say they have a headache." "That is because I put it so far into their skulls." I said, "Let's go look for a bus." Gail didn't take us home but phoned around for vans with a lot of seating. This was fun for us too. After the third dealership we went to eat then went back hunting. Jerry spotted some luxury conversion vans and we all started to drool. Some had raised roofs. Others had lowered floors. Carpet was throughout. Many had seats that reclined into beds. These looked interesting to me. I could always have a snack if Betts spread her legs. I mentioned this to her and her eyes switched on. I mentioned this to Gail and the same effect happened. Now we looked only for luxury. The best to date had eleven seats. Some could rotate enough to allow people to face the back or the side. Small tables were on a hand rest or went into a socket in the floor. When we got back in Gail's car I said, "Are you prepared to drive one of those vans? They are larger than what you are used to." "One had television so I could back up. There were leather seats. That wood trim was fabulous." "Let's look on the net to see what is available." Chuck said, "You going to buy one?" "No." His face fell a bit. "If I start a company then it might buy one. We need to find an experienced driver that doesn't mind dealing with a lot of kids." Gail said, "The driver would have to be out of her mind." "We can put that in the requirements. Do you know anybody that would fit our stringent guidelines?" "I'll give it a thought or two." Nadac did help me setting up a corporation. There were a lot of requirements that required lawyers and flesh and bones bodies. There were also a lot of unscrupulous people. For our own safety we would have a string of corporations owned by our other corporations. The end product would be a corporation in name only. It would not get registered so none of our names would go onto any paper. As we grew we would be checked and they would not find their way to us. Sometime in the future, if I were still on earth, I could set up a legal corp with my name. We actually did our homework. Gail got the boys to move furniture. She put on a micro bikini to keep cool and then the munchkins needed to put their bathing suits on. We had our own speedos but they were not here. Gail suggested the guys went in their jockeys but only Sam and I would do it. I got Sam into the kitchen and whispered, "How do you feel about Mrs Watson teaching Chuck about the birds and the bees?" "You mean fucking?" "Yes. Guys are clumsy. They need to be taught. You guys are meeting a lot of girls now but the best one may the one you get first. After you fuck up she does not want to see you again." "Ya, I know. I used to be that way." "You are trained now or at least partially. Poor Chuck and Jerry have had no such instruction." "Ya, I guess I got trained pretty well. They should get it too. I haven't got a girlfriend yet but I had a few phone calls." "Really, that's great." "Who do you think should be trained next?" "Chuck I guess. He's a bit older." "I will get his orders written up. The rest of us can go swimming." "Wait until I see his face later." I put my arm around Sam and said, "Poor Chuck may not survive. We can pick out proper funeral attire later." "I want a better suit this time." We came out of the kitchen and I threw Chuck a bottle of water. "Chuck I got bad news." "What?" "Mrs Watson teaches manners. She does this course better one on one. I think she has some free time today. Will you stay and take the course?" "I guess. Where are you going?" "Swimming." "Aw, I'd like to come." "Do this for me. Jerry gets tomorrow." "Well I guess if I have to." "Yes, it's part of your training." Gail heard everything and she was jumping around. We all kept a straight face when leaving but Sam had to snicker. The munchkins were mine now and I went inside to get some long towels and a blanket with the sunscreen. With Jerry present, Sam said nothing, but I could see that he was dying to tell somebody. We swam for three hours. Jerry and Sam went home to exercise and I took my band of warriors home to do the same thing. The munchkins bitched but they tried. Betts bitched because she wanted sex instead. I bitched because they bitched. After a shower I started making supper. Betts was in the kitchen helping when June came home. She closed the door quietly and waited with eyes down to be noticed. I guess she wanted this. I walked up to her and said softly, "Hello my slut. Are you ready to serve?" "Yes Master." "Go have a shower but don't play with your pussy. You may clean it only. Put your finger deep to get it clean. Dry yourself and come down here." "Yes, Master." "Go." Betts said, "What did you tell her?" "Shower and come here. I didn't tell her to put clothes on. If she followed instructions she did not wear panties today." "You are going to have one hot woman on you." "Maybe, maybe not." I got some more done when June ran down to see us in her birthday suit. She stopped in the middle of the kitchen with her head down. I walked around her like a man thinking of buying a horse. I lifted a breast, felt a cheek, looked into her mouth and checked her feet. Betts looked too as if she were not interested sexually. "What do you think?" "We can breed her I guess. She looks strong. The children should be intelligent." "I see a bit of flab. We should exercise her more." I suggested, "You can put a collar on her and run her around the block." June's nipples perked up and she started to breathe faster. "I'll have to by a collar next time I am out." "Don't get a tacky one. Find something good and strong." "She can sleep on the floor at the foot of our bed." "I like that idea. We should check if she is big enough though." "Her butt is doing nicely. It opens with only a bit of trouble. It won't be long before you could put your fist in her." June was shaking now. I reached out and grabbed her hair and gently backed her up top the table. I pulled backwards and she leaned back until she fell on the surface. I held her head down and Betts dove into her snatch. It took less than a minute until June started to shake violently. I said, "Pick her legs up and push her back." Betts did this though it was hard. Sit on her mouth. I want to taste my slut without her making noise." Betts was real horny and didn't have to be coaxed. As soon as she settled into position I sucked on June myself. Soon my fingers were working inside her and it took only minutes for June to have a second orgasm. I never stopped what I was doing until Betts had her cum. "Betts get off the table." "But I only had one." "Off now." She reluctantly got off. "Take my slut upstairs. Make sure she is prepared for me tonight. I'm going to use her." "She will be sloppy but if that is what you want." "I want you sloppy too." I took a dish towel and put it around a dazed June's neck and handed the ends to Betts. She took the slut upstairs for preparation. The table had to be cleaned quickly and then I had to wash my face. Only a few minutes later Bert came home. Even before he said hello he sniffed the air. "Did you have fun Wally?" "Some. June came home and stood inside the door waiting to be ordered to do something. She was told previously not to wear panties unless she had a period." "Poor girl." "Horny too. I inspected her and talked again about breeding her. Betts suggested we run her around the block for exercise." "I take it that she was supposed to have little on?" "Nothing." "Did she get excited?" "Sure did. I pulled her onto the table and Betts checked how damp she was with her mouth. I hardly ever give Betts orders but I told her to sit on the table while I made my own moisture check." "You are making me uncomfortable Wally." "Mom hurries home quicker now." "So do I." "Let's hope she is quick today. I can delay supper for a while." "That's a good idea." Bert had a beer as he watched out the front window looking for Mom's car. When she did come in, Bert took her hand and pulled her upstairs. Mom looked shocked but not upset. There was a lot of noise in the house. Patricia and Liza were usually fingering or tasting each other. June and Betts were getting juicy while Bert was making his wife happy that she was a woman. Me; I had the dinner to get ready. The munchkins came down first. I asked, "Why do both of you look so sad?" "Mom and Dad won't let us in and neither will Betty and June." "Maybe we can invite Paul over?" Their eyes lit up. Liza said, "Can we?" "I'll call the Doc tomorrow and see." "Can't you do it tonight?" "I'll do it tomorrow morning." Pop looked happy when we ate but the girls looked hungry. I hope he hadn't bit off more than he could chew. Then again I was the same way. That night I went on the computer. Chuck's and Gail's were still blank. We searched the net looking for vans. None of us were worried about price but I knew that I better justify spending the money to Nadac or my status of being non-avarice would be cast in doubt. The Aristis liked fucking so the van could be shown as a shaggon' wagon. The next morning June was bouncing around. She got lots of attention and both Betts and I told her we loved her. Away from her parent's eyes she picked up her dress to show that there were no panties and now no hair either. I made my call to Doc Suffolk. He confirmed that Paul Jessop was in the care of Children's aid but he could not say much considering he was bending the rules now. "Paul did better at the party. Let him visit us, or is he under police guard too?" "No, he isn't. There are people that are more of a threat to Caputo. They are getting the protection." "Do you think he will run off?" "Not likely, he is a frightened child." "Are you afraid that I will treat him like Caputo?" "He has the face that make many look twice. I do not think you would do anything to him." "So you are saying that he is not in danger from Caputo, he is not going to run away and I will not hurt him. We both know he did better at the party, so why cannot he visit?" I could hear his breath being drawn in then he said, "I guess there's no reason. Paul is delicate and I want him protected." "Well I hinted to Mom that he should get adopted." "What did she say?" "She wants to know more. Our house is informal." "I'll phone back around supper time to see if he wants to visit." "The visit, if it happens, will be from tomorrow at eight to say nine that night. You can call me at noon that day and by coincidence Paul will be near me. You can ask about the food and then find out if he is happy." "Now the apprentice is coaching the master on how to be sneaky?" "Sorry, Master. The Grasshopper will try harder to remember his place." Gail came to the front door naked and then let me in. She kissed me passionately. "Thanks Wally. You give me such beautiful gifts." "Do we have to hide the body? "Oh, he is not dead yet. It takes just a bit of encouragement and he's ready for more." Chuck came from around the corner in his underwear. He glowered at me and said, "I don't know if you are my worst enemy or my best friend. You would not believe what I went through in your training." "Soldier, you follow orders and learn. When the enemy troops come you will know how to deal with them. You would have failed before and you know it. You are still only partially trained." "Ya, I guess you're right. I would have shot in my underwear just looking at a girl before." "There are two more good points." "What are they?" "Jerry doesn't know what is ahead of him." "The poor guy. I barely survived. What is the other point?" "Once Jerry is trained you all have to recover and then come back here and see how three of you can take the enemy. This is termed advanced training." Chuck looked the surprised woman up and down. "She will still defeat us." "Maybe the first dozen or so battles but eventually you will get the upper hand. Then you are going to have a woman on her knees simply begging to be spared." "I can almost see that but I would have to hung like a horse and have the balls of a bull." "Are you going to be concerned about exercising in your jockeys now?" "We can do it naked and watch somebody I know drool herself to death." "Looks to me that you guys are evenly matched, three to one." "Did you come here to rescue me?" "Worse. We have to go to the dojo. This time we buy a van." "Wow, the one we like?" "No, better." Gail drove us downtown again. Sam smiled at Chuck a lot and Chuck smiled back then looked at Jerry. Gail still was naked underneath and the guys worked hard. They didn't seem to have their mind on their pain. After we dragged ourselves out of the dojo we went to the Daimler/Chrysler dealer. There was a long Mercedes van called the Sprint. There was one Super Sprint on the lot. It had dual tires on the back. It had been made up to take important people to meetings or to just sign on the dotted line while travelling. It was a motor home but a small one. The luxurious leather chairs turned into beds. There was a small shower, toilet and the water tanks. The big screen plasma television and recent state of the art stereo came with it. Though used, the price was a hundred and eighty thousand. Gail was shocked speechless at the vehicle and the price. "I can't buy that!" I handed Gail a grey cloth bags used by banks and companies to carry money in. She looked in it and almost fainted. Chuck was near and I could see him watching over Gail too. Chuck said, "I thought a company was going to buy stuff?" "Too much hassle later with the fine detail." Gail stuttered, "How... how much... money here?" I said simply, "Only a quarter." She caught on in a moment. "What am I going to do with this?" "You are a business woman. Negotiate. I know you can do it. If they won't budge then we find something else." "But... but?" "You said that. Now get in there and fight for us." "I can't." I gave Gail a pair of our special sunglasses and coached her through the first part of the deal. She took over soon enough and knocked the price down even more. She got angry at the end and opened her bank bag. She showed them a quarter of a million dollars in hundred dollar bills. The salesman almost shit, especially as Gail walked out on the negotiation. The owner himself intercepted Gail and talked her into coming back and talking. I heard screaming again. Gail was waving the bag like a club and in a way she was in another way. In a half hour Gail waved to us and we came over. She laid out large wads of hundreds. Gail demanded that each bill be checked to see if it were counterfeit. They did this for her gladly. We didn't get to ride the vehicle home though. Gail had insisted that a lot of improvements should be done but most were cosmetic. On the way home she excitedly said, "How the hell am I going to drive that? Where the hell am I going to store it? It won't fit in the garage. I have to move that cow to get my car out." I hadn't thought of this either. When we got home I saw where it could go. The driveway had to be widened. A tree or two would hide it a bit. "Mrs Watson you have enough extra funds to rip out your driveway. Put in concrete. Make it stronger where the tires will sit. Call a landscaper and put two evergreens at the side of your property. They can be close to the Bert and Lillian but they will like the trees." "That may work. I get right at it." "Sorry, you can't." "Why?" "Jerry has to get trained. You can park in the street until the driveway is put in." "I don't know how I ever forgot that." Chuck and Sam were smiling and Jerry was wondering what was happening. I called Dad at work and we talked for a while. Mona was home and mad at me. Apparently the guy that raped and beat her mentioned my name a few times. My mother was pissed off at everybody and especially me. She now had a reason to be angry. June came home and showed me her pussy again. I ran my fingers up the inside of her thighs. They were wet. Her pussy was hot and sopping. I pulled her dress up and put her on the table again. I cleaned her up but she always leaked more. Betts and the munchkins came in to help and took her upstairs. June staggered up the stairs pulled by Betts and pushed under the skirt by the munchkins. I did exercises like I was told to do and worked on the meal when I was resting. All the time I was working on the crystals that had to be processed. The phone call I expected came. A woman asked to speak to my mother. "Mom is not home yet. I expect her in twenty minutes or so. May I take your name and number and she can phone you as soon as she get home." "I'll call later young man." "Certainly ma'am. Have a nice day." The woman seemed stuck up but that did not mean she was not protecting Paul. Dad came in and the phone rang at the same time. I put my finger to my lips and I answered it. I was exceedingly polite and I hung up. "What was that about?" "Paul Jessop, is a cute boy. He is too cute and he was forced into the kiddy porn. He was sodomized a lot. Men frighten him. The munchkins want to have him over. I like him too and I want to protect him as if he was a girl. He's still a boy of ten. I hinted to Mom that he needs a good mother. You will both love him at first sight. This brings us to the woman that is watching him for the last few days. She sounds... strong willed. I think Mom should deal with her." "So what is all this trouble over?" "A visit tomorrow morning until nine at night. Mrs Watson picks him up and probably falls in love first then you two will later." "He's that cute?" "Yes he is but he's a nice kid too. He was hurt a lot and I think he has to be built up." "You must have a scheme here." "You adopt him and or the munchkins run off with him. They do what he says instead of the other way around. He likes them and they like him. In ten years he will be like you, Mom and Leslie. What did you decide about her?" Pop didn't know what to say. I pulled out a pad of paper and got a pencil. To prove my case I drew a picture of Paul as I remember him standing with the munchkins. I took some extra time and soften some of the lines. There was so much I didn't know about drawing that I could be taught easily. Pop took the pad and said, "You are always amazing me. This is a beautiful drawing. My daughter and Liza look as if this were a photo. The boy is beautiful. He does look like a girl but with a haircut he would look more like a boy." "Pop you are amazing. I never thought of that. He looks perfect in that hair and a new style would really help how others see him." Mom came home now and wanted to pull her husband upstairs but stopped to see the drawing. "Is this the boy you were talking about?" I said, "The one you will want to adopt." "Adopt?" "You will see him and fall in love. You will protect him like a mother lion." Mom stared at the drawing and I said, "The woman from the Children's Aid tried to get you twice." "Why?" "I talked to the Doc to see if Paul can visit tomorrow from eight until nine that night. She sounds like a... forceful woman. I was my sweetest self to her too." "I would like to see the boy now that you mention him." "The munchkins want him too." "They will eat him alive." "Not this time. I talked to them and they put on the little girl act and now Paul thinks he has found friends that won't abuse him. He was a... star in the movies and he... didn't have trouble going for a dump." "Oh my." I knew something was working right when Pop put his arm around Mom as they both looked at the drawing. I worked on the meal and the expected call came. Mom was polite too but she was quite firm herself. I guess she had to work with people like that. There seemed to be some rules set down and Mom fought most of them. I guess she wanted the kid to have some freedom. When she finally hung up she looked at me. "Miss Lescue is a charming lady with Paul's interest uppermost." I just looked up and went back to my meal. Before the girls came down I said, "I have consulted my Ouija Board. The spirits tell me you will turn in early." Mom put her eyes up now but Pop bit. "Why is that?" I pointed to some dried liquid on the table and the partial print of a bum. "June sits here. I am going to point out how I had not cleaned it up before I set the table. She will be staring at it all through the meal." "That sounds interesting, but so?" "You will look at her. Mom will look at her. The munchkins and Betts will look at her. She will still not have panties on." Mom's eyes got their fire back and Pop was a bit uncomfortable in his pants. "You may be right. I have been kept quite busy recently." "The Swami knows all." I was able to tell all the girls about the dried deposit and the bum print before they got into the kitchen. June was not bad at the start of the meal but stopped responding to us. She was near me and I picked up some food on my fork from her plate and said quietly, "Open Sweetie." She did and I fed her. After a few more Betts did the same thing. It was when Betts hand slid up June's leg and wiggled into her pussy that June sat up straight. We all knew what had happened but I guess that June did not know that we knew. Pop got uncomfortable when Betts pulled out her hand and sucked it while feeding June with the other. Mom and Pop usually cleaned their plates but this time they just left the table and headed upstairs. With just us at the table I said mildly, "You were naughty Betts." She looked at me with a smile and pretended to be embarrassed. I stood and got June to stand then I pulled her chair out some and said, "Sit Baby." June sat as ordered. I looked at Betts and said, "You made a mess. Get under the table and clean it up. June has to finish her meal." Betts did this quickly. June's eyes opened wide and stayed that way. I looked at the other two and said, "You guys better feed June." The two munchkins fed June food and had to even move her jaw for her on occasion. It was when one of the munchkins held a nipple as she fed June that things got to be difficult. The noise from upstairs frightened the munchkins but for only a second. June didn't even hear it. A few minutes later a similar scream was heard in the kitchen. The second one took longer but was just as loud. Betts dragged a zombie upstairs and the munchkins followed. Liza saw the drawing on the refrigerator and called Patricia. Patricia came to me. "That is the best drawing ever. Did you do it?" "Yes, Sweetie." "Will you draw just me and another one of just Liza?" "I could. You guys going to help me with the cleanup?" "Sure." My next drawing was on paper from the printer. I worked on the now clean table but a tilted surface would have been better. I drew a side view of Patricia sitting on a chair wearing a thin chemise. One leg was hanging down toward the floor but too far away to reach. The other foot was on the seat of the chair with the toes well over the edge. Patricia had a thoughtful expression as she painted the nail on her big toe. Both girls were hanging beside me as I laid down the lines. When I was finished Patricia said, "Wow! You're even better than Miss Wesley" Liza shook my shoulder. "Do me, do me. Make me a princess." It took a while to visualise her then the lines went down quickly. Liza was dancing in a ballet. Her toe supported her alone as her limbs spread. She had a full and heavy skirt on. Her hair was done up beautifully with a tiara in it. Her right hand held a wand with a glowing end but no corny star shape. Liza gave me a kiss then she showed Patricia as if she had not seen everything. "I'm a princess, I'm a princess." A phone call came on the house line and I answered it. It was Paul. "Hi buddy, how are you doing?" "Not bad. I heard you would like to hear how I was a star." He didn't sound hurt but he was hiding it. "Nope. If you feel like you want to talk about that then that's fine. I like talking to you but there were two munchkins that wanted..." The girls now knew who it was and wanted to talk. I said to the girls, "Go get on the other phones but give me a chance to finish my conversation." To Paul I said, "You made a hit with the girls. You must have a secret weapon to fight with in the war of the genders." "I only..." the phones were picked up now. "Tell me your secret later but don't tell the girl's." "I won't." "Do you mind coming over here?" "Na, I like to get out of the house." "Good, bring a bathing suit if you have one or I have a small one of mine." "I got one." "Great. We'll pick you up around eight. I just hope we are not inconveniencing the people you are living with." I figured there were some ears on his end of the line too. "They're up early." "Well I will let you and the girls talk." Then to the girls I said, "Remember what Mr Smith said yesterday? Be polite and proper young ladies. You don't think too much before you say something." "Ah, ok, Wally." I hurried around to the girls and pantomimed that somebody was listening. They each nodded after they understood. I cleaned up a bit more, and then turned the computer on. I talked to the guys. The conversation was about how to tell Jerry's parents that he died of blood loss from a raw dick. The conversation shifted to the minibus or motor home. Since all three of us were men of the world now, we could talk like we were an authority about what could be done in the vehicle. It was good to hear that Gail would be begging for mercy. When I suggested a camping trip, it was like I exploded a bomb. They wanted to go out and be he-men but be in a motor home. The talk of bringing females to make the food and warm the beds made their engines rev. I only added a bit now and then to keep the conversation going. Their excited voices made me wonder if they were playing with their dicks as they fantasised. A little later I reminded them of how poor we were when we exercised and told them to do their homework while I did mine. We tried talking and doing push-ups but it didn't work well. We logged off to do it right. My rest periods were filled with doing crystals. I still had to make a decent computer. I had no real idea how the crystals linked together. Betts called me over to do my duty. I did it with less enthusiasm because I was already tired. Push-ups done in this manner got me to do more than I usually would. Before sleep, I had another discussion with Nadac. "Has Caputo begun to deal in earnest for his properties?" "I have managed to pick up a few small properties." "How is this actually done?" "A lawyer is contacted and sent money. My research has found many that will make shortcuts for their clients. They will forge my name as easy as you could." "Was I right about Wendy's house?" "Yes. Your precognition is getting more accurate even if it is not controllable yet. You should exercise this ability to the fullest. It is very rare and valuable. Your commands to gain wealth would benefit from this ability. You must also give some guidance. I choose by logic alone. Intuition is only manifested in an organic brain." "I will try but it comes when it wants to, not when I push it." Thursday morning we were all up early. The munchkins demanded this. Mom did not wear anything that looked like she worked in an office. She wore a light dress that said she was a loving wife and a caring mother. Pop and Mom were taking a few hours off to meet Paul. Pop would stay here until the boy arrived. The munchkins and I were going. They would also go alone if they had to. Mom stopped on the street in front of an old home that looked in fair shape for its age. We all trooped to the front door and the girls looked like they were going to church. They even had small purses. Mom must feel that she needed the extra props. Miss Lescue came to the door and invited us in. Paul was behind her and the girls waved there fingers at him as if this was naughty. We were all introduced and Mom handed over her card even though she was only a secretary. Paul went to sit down and the girls moved so he sat between them. Mom tried to mimic what Miss Lescue was like but differ where it did not matter. It took ten minutes and three cell phone numbers before we were allowed to take Paul with us. Paul had a rolled up towel and his trunks in it. I whispered to Paul before we got to the car. "Paul, open the backdoor for the girls. Miss Lescue, I bet, has her hawk eye on us." "Ok." Paul was a perfect gentleman but a block away Patricia gave her orders and they changed places so Paul was where he belonged. Mom said, "Hi Paul. If the girls bother you just tell me. They are good most of the time but they do like have fun." "That is ok Mrs Huggins." I chipped in, "My last name is Kiefer not Huggins. Mom took me in when I needed a home. You could continue to call her Mrs Huggins but we call her Mom. It suits her much better." Paul took a while then he said, "Can I?" Mom said, "Certainly you can. I didn't have any real sons until Wally came. I like a boy calling me that name. It makes me feel good inside." The munchkins took over the remaining time until we got home. Dad was outside in his suit as if working in the garden. He met Paul in public. He put out his hand and said, "Hello Paul, I am glad you accepted our invitation." The hand was out long enough that Paul shook it. Pop said, "Did you have breakfast?" "Ya, thanks." I stepped in and whispered, "My dad is still nice to me. I call Bert Pop. Not the same but it will do if you want to use it." Paul just nodded his head. The girls took the boy into the house and I left the two adults to talk. They came in later and Mom hugged all of us then Paul before she left. Bert hugged all of us too but shook Paul's hand. He took it more readily this time. June had waited and talked to Paul before she left. I knew she was going to be late. Betts now looked on him as a younger brother just a bit older than Patricia like he was. There was a honk outside and I looked out. There was a long red motor home parked on the street. It had been polished and waxed to perfection. We all ran out to it. Jerry was there and he needed the truck to stand up. Gail was standing in the street with her hand through the window to beep the horn. She went around and opened the passenger door. Betts ran in and then the munchkins with their captive. Gail helped Jerry in as if he was an invalid. She gave him a tender kiss after he climbed the steps. Gail turned to me with her big smile. "I don't know how I am going to thank you." "Say that when the team have you begging for mercy." "I will fight as many times as it takes. As I said I have but one life to give." "I didn't know you were getting the bus delivered." "How would we get to karate?" "By taxi or bus." "I guess we could have done it that way. Who is your new friend?" I introduced Gail and Paul the polite way and Gail impulsively hugged the boy. Paul didn't seem to mind. This must happen a lot to him. We went over the bus in detail until Chuck and Sam came. The last two looked at Jerry like he was on his death bed. Chuck said quietly, "Are you in pain my friend? I know the hell you have gone through." "I'm ok." Sam said, "We know you are hiding the agony. When was it that you first blacked out?" I said, "Guys stop it. We have a guest and he does not know we are fooling." I turned to Paul and said, "Paul, the big one is Chuck. The one with the stunned look is Jerry and the one that thinks he knows everything is Sam. They are your friends now. They will kid you. Just give it back. Betts is my girlfriend and the person that keeps me honest. When I am not around, she speaks for me." The guys introduced themselves and even shook hands as if they were grown up. Betts shook hands but turned it into a hug. She said, "We're friends now." We went back and locked up the house. We all got comfortable seats and the three youngest took the bench seat in the back to be together. Gail drove around for ten minutes to get a feel for the vehicle before heading into heavier traffic. Chuck turned the television on and channel surfed. I sat in the front with Gail. Gail got better as she drove and even backed into a large parking spot with the use of the television camera in the back. Paul was introduced to Mr Kazuyoshi and the man's gi separated him from what other frightening men were like. Paul was asked if he wanted to try and was then given a gi to fit him. I think because of Paul we got a karate demonstration which we had to copy, then it was exercises once more. None of us could do enough but Mr Kazuyoshi was patient with us. He stressed the need for more practice at home. Gail drove us to the public pool. The day had already heated up. At my suggestion the munchkins put lotion on Paul. Each had a side and they shared nicely. They used their fingers to push the lotion carefully into his skin. They moved him over onto his back the way June usually moved now. They saw his small erection but only smiled. I took some of the lotion and did Betts while three guys took a lot more and did Gail very thoroughly considering where we were. When Paul was done, I saw that the girls had kept their hands on him, the same way I did to Betts or the guys did to Gail. In a moment Gail got up followed by the guys and went to the van. I didn't expect them back for a while. Paul had a full, if short, erection and didn't seem to care. The girls played with their toy and tried not to hurt him or his feelings. Betts finally did me as Paul and Liza did Patricia. Liza even stole a little kiss from each of them. Paul seemed to like this idea. When it came near noon we showered after swimming and then headed for the grocery store to get summer food. The Doc was yet to call. We were at Gail's home when a call came but it was Mom. She talked to the Munchkins then to Paul. She kept him there longer. The Doc did phone and I spoke of dangers of melanoma then handed the phone to Paul. I got the girls away from Paul for privacy and to not bug him. This call was lengthy. Paul seemed to be happy or at least not threatened. When it looked like Paul was finishing, I got the phone back. "Hi Doc, got a question." "They cost money." "Do you want me to start charging you for my help?" "I was joking Wally. I get asked all the time." I walked away from the group and said, "Paul feels threatened most of the time. He is so damn cute. He looks like a girl and the feelings of the people that see him come from that cue. If Paul got a haircut he would look less cute but this may help the way people deal with him." "You are one smart apprentice. Now that you mention it, it sounds so logical." "I will draw a picture of Paul the way he is now and the way he would look with say a brush cut. If he chooses to get a haircut, do we have your permission?" "Why do you need my permission?" "Miss Lescue is strong willed. She protects Paul. She is influenced with his looks like the rest of us. When he comes home tonight a bit shorter, she is going to go ballistic." "She would not do that." "I have a hundred dollars in my pocket. Bet me if you think you are right. I don't care about the money but I don't want Paul hurt or Miss Lescue to put road blocks in the way when we invite Paul over again." "She is a professional, Wally." "She is human Doc. Clear this with her so we do not get massacred when we bring him back." "If you think that way then hold off on the haircut. I'll talk to Miss Lescue first." "By the way, Pop thought of the haircut idea not me." "I'll have to thank him." We ate and when asked, Gail brought out some good paper, pencils and a flat surface that had been part of her counter top when the sink was put in. I did a picture of Gail first with a small bathing suit on, a wide brimmed had and a beach bag. Her legs and bust came out good. A second picture was of the three guys with bug eyes, erections and no bathing suits. They were looking at something to make them react this way. It only became clear when I put the two pictures together. ------- Chapter 15 Betts I did as she sat and looked out an open window. She was naked but the viewer could only see part of one breast. The munchkins came over and I chased them away. I did them in small bathing suits at the beach but they didn't have a sand bucket. I had them pose like adults. Paul was done as I first saw him. He was frightened and ready to bolt. A second picture had him relaxed as he sat in the sun with his long hair. The third picture took a moment. I pictured him in the same Aristis uniform that I saw myself in. Behind him was a large window and I showed a planet as seen from space. Paul's hair was short and he was serious as he gave orders. I did a picture of myself drawing a picture of Betts. My shorts were bulged out as I worked. I took the drawings over to Gail and gave her the one of her. "This is fantastic Wally. I never knew you could do such great work as this." "Thanks Gail. I did one of the guys together." "Show me." I put the two drawings together and she laughed so hard the guys hurried over so see what was happening. They didn't say anything but they did smile especially when Gail brought her picture closer to that of the guys and wiggled hers. Betts shyly said, "Did you do another one of me?" "So you saw the one I drew in school." "I stole it. It is in my collection of things to keep forever." I handed Betts her picture and she just stared at it. The munchkins wanted to see and then they too were quiet. Gail, the guys and Paul had to see next. Soon enough Patricia said, "What about your munchkins?" I handed two more out and they showed everybody. I handed Paul his three upside down. He looked at them in order and then did them again and again. "These are great Wally. Nobody ever drew a picture of me before." "You are handsome enough to have lots of drawings made of you. The munchkins are the same way." "What am I in the last picture?" "Ah, you are on the bridge of a corvette. That is a captain's uniform that you are wearing. Usually you give mental commands but now you have to use your voice and your hand. The world in the large view screen is Cralto the planet the Tomma now live on. The Tomma are people that have fallen back into barbarism but are ascending again. Your ship is crewed by the Tomma and humans." "Are we fighting?" "That world is yours. You live there now and you would die to protect it and the Tomma." Paul drew himself erect and smiled. I guess he liked the idea. Betts interrupted and said, "What is on the last piece of paper.?" I just handed it to her. Now she laughed hard and everybody came to see. I sat back down and drew the three guys again but individually this time and in Aristis uniforms. They were older now but still boys in part. Each one was in a battle and fighting to push the front forward. The weapons in their arms had never been seen on earth before. Armour would normally be worn but not this time. The guys were much more solemn now and nodded their thanks as if the words would come out wrong. Paul showed them his picture and Sam hugged him one handed. Betts phone rang and it broke the mood. She answered it, smiled, then said, "No, he is not eating me now or sticking me with his dick. He showed me how much he loved me?" In a moment she added, "He drew my portrait. It's just like a camera did it." Betts asked me, "Can we go over to Wendy's?" "We are entertaining. That would be rude and thoughtless. We might visit tomorrow." Wendy said, "I am sorry Wendy, we are entertaining. Are you free tomorrow?" In a moment she said to me, "How does just after karate sound?" I nodded. Betty completed the arrangements and I said to the guys, "If I could do it, you guys would be going too." Chuck said, "We know. We have another objective in mind anyway." His head turned to Gail and she happened to see this. I think she took it as a challenge. I said, "Let's help Gail catch up on some of her business and learn a bit as we do this?" The munchkins and Paul cleaned up while Betts talked. We went into the house and watched what Gail did. She took orders and sent out orders in turn to companies to send the products to the people that paid her. With only one computer here, I went home and got mine. I set up and worked beside her. I could select the information in the form and paste portions in many areas. Only one was to the company that shipped the articles. By the time an hour was over we caught up on four days work. "Wally, you were fantastic. It would take me over a day to do what you just did." "The interface in my computer is more sophisticated. It can handle multiple pastes." "Where can I get that program?" "It is a one of a kind product that a friend made for me. It's ported to my hardware and will not work in yours." "I could get rich using that." "You would have more free time you mean." "I guess that is more accurate." "Are the guys staying over here another night?" "They are already having a lot of sleepovers at your house. One time their parents might actually phone and then the shit will hit the fan." "They would just say they sneaked out. You would never be hurt." "I know that but they would get in trouble." "That reminded me of something." "What." "We own a motor home. We can travel to the beach or to the country. We can camp and fuck. Possibly we can fuck and camp. The guys want to have see how to perform a three prong attack works." Gail smiled. "By using their three prongs?" "Exactly." "War games were never so interesting." Betts and I took the young ones to our house so Gail could discuss strategy with the guys. She was naked by the time I left the house. The munchkins took their man upstairs but I told them to go easy. I don't think they understood but I think they would follow my advice. Betts wanted to make love but I watched her exercise as I drew some pictures of June. The girl needed a boost. The first was one of her in a dress like Mom wore today but with a hat and gloves. She looked very demure and very much virginal. Another had me fucking her as she lay back on her bed. Her abdomen was swollen and the baby would be about due. Betts had a similar abdomen and she was supporting June's head in her lap as she twisted her sister's nipple. Betts got up and staggered to see what I had made. She looked and looked. Finally she said, "My pussy is going to be sore tonight. This is going to really turn her on." "What about you?" "Two horny women mean two sore pussies." I exercised with Betts and we tried to mimic what we were shown by Mr Kazuyoshi. June came home on time but Mom was very early. She could have caught us but I didn't think she would do this to her daughters. Paul was still upstairs and Betts politely told the girls to bring our guest out. Paul came out and Betts took him into the bathroom. She combed his hair then undid his pants, fixed his shirt and did him up again as if he was half of his age of ten. She did give him a kiss on the cheek. Paul was a bit too stunned yet to worry about anything. Mom sat with Paul and talked. The girls were again polite little ladies. I had peeked at them and they had done nothing but kiss though their hands had wandered outside his clothes. Surprisingly Bert came home early too. He brought Paul a coke from the fridge and sat far from him. The munchkins sat on Bert's lap which was odd. The girls were not that intuitive but then again they were female. I stayed out of the conversation and out of the room entirely. June was crying upstairs and I saw that Betts was holding her. She saw the two drawings. Pop put on the barbecue and made supper. He was polite to everybody and trying his hardest not to frighten the young boy. The munchkins went back to being ladies but young ones. Paul seemed to be comfortable now. Instead of sex games we played board games. Betts and I hammed it up and then so did the young ones. It was more natural for them. Pop felt obliged to act like he was mortally wounded every time he was trounced. Paul felt good enough to act the same when he was attacked. Mom protected him against the nasty girls. This was actually a fun night. During the night I mentioned about my talk to the Doc. Pop was pleased that his name was mentioned though he tried to hide it. When the time came, both adults took Paul home. Mom had tears in her eye when she came back. She whispered to me, "Paul hugged Bert and me. I think he would rather stay with us." I said, "So you know that the Swami actually knows all." "Yes, you were right all along Wally. Now we have to have some serious discussions with you guys." "Our family is growing. Nobody wants to exclude Paul. Talk to Pop about how large the house has to be first." "What are you not telling me?" "I am telling you to not, not talk to Pop. The Swami says that Pop has the answers." "Ok." The girls were fairly quiet last night so I was given a chance to rest. I also got up early. Mom, Pop and June were having breakfast. We greeted each other and Mom said, "Why do you think Leslie would want to live with us?" "Well since you talked to Pop I will say she has to." "Why?" "She was only Frank's common-law wife. She is not the mother of any of his children. You will find that when you go through a lot of confusing companies you will find that Caputo owns the house Leslie lives in and a few more around. Two of them actually back onto his property. "Frank was living the high life but he was leasing the house. The lease comes up for renewal in September. Most, though not everything, in the house goes with the house. "There was no insurance policy found and there was little cash found in the house. Leslie could sell off her unwanted assets but whoever buys the house will want a lot more for a lease. Basically Frank was holding it for Caputo. "Leslie has very little work experience. She may find a rich man but that is unlikely in the short term. She can delay for a while but in the end she will have to vacate." Mom said, "Leslie never told me this." "She may not know yet. Frank did the finances. Caputo is making ready to flee the country. At present he's liquidating everything that he cannot hide. The homes have been offered for sale on a private basis. Caputo does not want to let everybody know how desperate he is." Bert asked, "How much does Caputo want for the house?" "The property is easily worth four million. There is an offer in for a million that he should take as it involves the other homes in the area." Mom asked Pop, "Could we come up with a better offer?" He said, "We still owe money on this house. We could leverage it though and use the equity as a down payment. With some bridge loans we will have time to sell this house and move into the larger one. I can check on that at work today." Mom turned to me and asked, "How did you come by all this information? Last I saw you were a smart twelve year-old." "I talk to the cops. I gave some ideas to the Doc and he gave some information back. Logic tells me that much of this is going to happen. My dad has my coin collection. At present he is trying to liquidate it for cash at an auction. I am the one that is putting in the lowball offers." "You?" "Through some intermediaries. I too will have mortgages. I hope to sell some of the property to pay for the balance of the properties." June said, "You?" "Yes Sweetie. If Pop pools his money with me and possibly some from Leslie we may get the homes. The one Leslie is in now is more than enough for our extended family." "Extended?" Mom said. "Mom, are you going to tell June about a possible future for us?" She thought for a moment then said, "June, Baby, your father and I like Leslie. We would... a move in together. You would get two more sisters." I added, "And possibly Paul as a brother." June's head snapped back to me then to her parents. Mom said, "We don't know yet. We like the little guy and he seems to like us. A foster home may be acceptable but a real home is the best." "This is moving so fast. Living with Leslie and her kids I can see. Adopting Paul does not stretch my imagination too much. It's Wally buying a four million dollar home and other homes around the property that is hard to understand." June looked at me and said, "Why buy the homes?" "They are at bargain basement prices. My coins make me a little rich. That is not enough. We also have a lot of damaged children. We can make a sort of group home with the parents getting help. Lots of them are fucked up too. Sorry Mom. The Doc is in my plans. He works in our new community to shrink the parents' heads and their kids." "You don't make money that way?" "The houses keep their value or appreciate. Others I will sell. In the end I turn my paltry two or so million into ten times that amount." "Two million? Paltry?" "It is small. It is hard to find a house in the city for less than a third of a million. When I get older, the homes will cost a lot more. Ask your parents what this house is worth. Long ago a million was a lot. Inflation has ripped into that. My coin collection would grow in the coming years but not as much as the homes I am putting offers on will." Bert asked, "Who is helping you. Is it Gail?" "She is not helping me with acquiring homes. The younger Caputo hates me. My offer may be good compared to the others but he will try to talk his father out of selling to me. My involvement has to be kept secret." "Why did you tell us?" "You're family. You'll know eventually what is going on and it is better for me to tell you now. You cannot tell Leslie." "Why, if she is could join our family?" "The house is still bugged." Mom was very worried now. "But we..." "So that is natural. It is even expected. Leslie has to cry for real to be believable. I am sorry but that is the truth." "When can she be told?" "Caputo is selling quite a bit of his properties to me. I want it all. Some may not be sold until after he takes up residence in some other country." "That is going to be hell on Leslie and her kids." "Bring her here and you can talk unless they put bugs here too." "The mob?" "The mob, competition, or even the police to see if Leslie knows something she never mentioned." "Who knows right now?" "The four of us." "Not Betty?" "Not yet. She likes Wendy too much and possibly Leslie too." Bert said, "But you told June." "June belongs to me. Until she wants that to stop, she will say nothing." All of them were stunned. June put her face down. I picked it up and said, "Don't be ashamed. Your parents already knew this. Now you can act the way you feel most natural." "But... I'm like your slave or something." "You do what you want. I tell you something and you have to choose. You only like to have me tell you things when your conscience bothers you. You are the same as anybody else otherwise." Mom asked me, "How long are you going to keep... June?" "Until she tires of us and shifts to some adults or possibly until I find someone that will treat her the way she needs and still cherish her." "Who can you trust?" "That is the hard part." I got the girls up after the rest went to work. I went next door right away. Gail let me in after a long wait. She looked like shit. I said, "How did the three prong attack work out?" "I fought them off but I used the last of my resources." "You are not going to capitulate so soon?" "Hell no. I am a fighter. They had the three prongs in operation almost all the time." "It is a sad state of affairs. You are in your prime and the most horny while the guys are twelve and not yet at their peek state." "I need strength. I'll get the troops up and hope they don't drag me back to bed. The last time almost did me in." "Are you teaching them to hold off?" "I do that all the time. My body loves it but my rational mind fights me. It wants some rest." "Write your memoirs now. You can read them in thirty years and think fondly of this time." "I won't survive that long. But I will think on the idea. I never have time now to do anything extra for me." Karate was hell on all of us but Betts and I got off the least. Gail still flashed but it did not inspire the guys quite as much as it did before. When we got out of the dojo I said, "Gale, you are caught up with your work now. I suggest that you drive out to Sandbanks Provincial Park. Take any siblings that the guys have with you. That will keep you from being attacked. Make a day or more of it. We will get home alright. There is no dojo tomorrow. If you want, bring the tents and the camping equipment." "What are you trying to do? I'm only one woman." You outrank the guys and the munchkins. You and most parents take the easy way out and do the job yourself. Delegate. Tell Chuck and he will whip his men into shape. Just remember that you were taking Patricia and Liza. You decided to take the rest to fill the machine." When Gail dropped us off at Wendy's home, Betts said, "Why did you get rid of them?" "I want them to be kids too. Gail needed a rest. The rest think that Gail is a great woman, which she is." Erin greeted us with Wendy beside here. She was looking for the munchkins. I kissed Wendy and she returned the kiss with interest. When she kissed Betts I crouched down and opened my arms. "Does you Junior boyfriend get a kiss?" She thought for a while, smiled and ran to me. Having me parked in her bum once didn't make us as good friends as I thought. She was only having good fun with her friends. Wendy lead us outside to the pool area. There was one cop and this time it was a she. Near the pool though were four girls. Three were in skimpy bikinis but one had a light dress on. This was the girl with the super clit. The latter was the first one Wendy introduced. Her name was Erica Henderson. She was the most beautiful of any girl I had met. The dress had to be a way of hiding her special feature from those that did not know her. Ashleigh had the largest breasts she held them up proudly. There was a fear behind her eyes. Perhaps here she felt safe enough to flaunt her asset. Her body was good too. She must have exercised and eaten right. Shirley was shorter with red hair and freckles. She looked the most frightened and held back. Elaine was frightened too. She had lustrous black hair and dark eyes. She seemed to be like a cat trying to appear bigger just to frighten away and enemy. She got between me and Shirley. I was polite to all of them. I tried to actually be suave but that's something to develop. Less threatening would be a better objective to strive for. The girls had the time in their forced servitude to gain a polish I lacked. We sat down, and then asked if anybody wanted something to drink. I took orders and came back and handed them out. Wendy said, "Betts says that you made a fantastic drawing of her." "Betts is my girlfriend. She's a bit bias I think." "Would you do us?" "I think I could. Do you have some larger sheets of paper and some pencils. I never tried to do anything with coloured pencils for a while. Now is a good time. My condition is that none of you look until I'm done." There were some large sheets of art paper. I used the tools to sharpen the pencils. I would like to put sunglasses on but I wore them when we met not long ago. I didn't want to jog their memories. Since I liked looking at these girls I figured I would work live instead of from memory. This gave me the chance to handle the models the way I wanted or at least a bit. They were frightened but not much. I was gentle and used kind words and they relaxed somewhat. I moved a girl's face one way or another and even pulled back the lips just a bit to give her a sultry look. I was not shy about pushing skin up to move a breast. The girls seemed to like this when they saw themselves as safe. I pulled out hair on some but it didn't work well and I put it back. "Ok, you can move now. When I do some of the features I will call you back one or possibly two at a time. Remember, no peaking." On a small sheet I roughed out the drawing. Some of the girls would have to move in more or at least in the drawing. Oddly I wanted them all to have sun dresses like Erica. I then saw Erica with a swollen abdomen. That was exciting but not good for a young girl. I would have to age her at least four years. That meant bigger teats too. I didn't want any girl to be the focal point so I chose an infant still wrapped in those soft sheets. Betts had to be in this but again I didn't want her more important than the rest. I went through a dozen smaller sheets of paper before I started on the larger one. Erin was not in this group so she could watch what I did. Leslie came out and walked over to me. I folded over the pad and walked to her. She put out her hand and I hugged her instead. With a kiss on the cheek I said, "It is nice to see you again." "Not many boys your age would kiss me like that." "I'm not that much of a fool. I would kiss you right but I still consider you taken." "Really? By Bert?" "I think you have taken Bert and Lillian. A woman, like you, needs and deserves more than a boy." "Why thank you Wally. You make me feel wanted." "You will be a beautiful woman even when you are sixty three." "I think you could sweet-talk your way into any of the girls suits here today." "I regret that I am here as a drudge." "I saw you drawing so I don't think you are going to be a drudge." "Perhaps not. May I draw your likeness too. I think I'm going to add four or five years to everybody." "That would put me over the hill but you may try." I went back and started over with the smaller sheets of paper. This time Leslie was in it at the centre. Leslie was now pregnant. I drew a garden with wrought iron tables and chairs. The very pregnant Leslie was holding a child in her arms. Betts was nearby and I put some of her likeness into the child. The other girls were clustered near and admiring the baby. Erica was smiling and had her dainty hand on her swollen abdomen. Shirley looked stronger and able to stand alone. She had her hand on Elaine as if giving her support now. Ashleigh's breasts were larger but so was the rest of her body. I took a lot of breaks to stretch or even do exercises. Drinking meant I had to piss. Food came to me by way of my private servant. I fed Erin from my plate and kissed her once in a while. She had no trouble helping me with anything. The policewoman came near and looked. I nodded and smiled at her but didn't hide the drawing. It must have been around seven that night that I was done. There was a considerable amount of detail and I was learning as I worked. I had to stretch. The policewoman said, "That is very beautiful. Are you a professional?" "I just started." "Then you will be famous one day." "That sounds nice but that's not what I'm after." Erin pointed out everybody in the picture except one. I had to add Erin to this group. Her face added last but her body went in with the rest. I had a nice meal now and I ate slow and talked. Everybody wanted to see the drawing but they weren't crass enough to ask. When the agony was long enough I put the pad on an easel. When the light was right I folded back the cover and put the picture down so everybody could see. The only talk was Erin going forward and pointing at her figure and saying, "That's me when I'm big." Nobody else spoke. Erica started to tear up and Wendy held her. I didn't quite expect this sentiment. Leslie said, "You have drawn us all very beautiful." "You are all beautiful now. Why would you be different in four to five years?" "You see me pregnant by then?" "That is your second or third child." She looked at me with a real intensity now. Betts said, "That's my baby, isn't it?" "Of course. The Huggins women tend to produce beautiful children." Wendy asked, "Why are we older and wearing dresses?" "Now is not a time to show flesh. You were all hurt. This pain started many years ago. The dresses show that you are women now and cherished. The children show that life goes on. The extra years shows that the pain of today will be but a shadow at that time." "I'm not pregnant in your picture?" "All of the images have gained just a bit of weight. It shows around your abdomens." "All of us!" "Of course, you make up a group and I hope you will stay friends forever." "A romantic man my age. It is hard to believe that. Tell me though, who is the father?" "An artist too may have dreams." I was mobbed now but gently. Betts not only didn't protect me but she helped them. I was slowly stripped naked. My knee gave me problems and I could not fight my best. I didn't want to hurt the girls anyway. Being but one young man I could do little but the girls worked on each other to assist me. Only Erica was not here. I saw her through the wall as she sat and spoke to Leslie. Betts had warned them all that her pussy would be my first and she still had a few weeks before I took hers. The girls were used to the alternatives. When Wendy came near I kissed her chest and then her lips. I was able to say, "Does Erica think that I will be offended by her clit?" "You know?" "I want to protect all of you. That means I have to learn. I may be shocked but only for a second. I would treat her no differently." "She looks like a boy." "She is a woman though with some extra equipment." "You can deal with that?" "I hope so." "Let's give you a try then." Wendy wiggled away from me and from somebody's lips that were on her lower set. She groaned at this but she would be back. I participated a bit but watched Wendy go in and talk to Leslie and Erica. Soon it was Leslie and Wendy trying to convince Erica. The two started to undress the girl and she only put up a weak fight. It didn't last long. Wendy took Erica's hand and led her to the orgy. Erica came close and just let me see what she was like. Her clit was a cock not even at half mast. I saw this casually as I looked at the rest of her body too. She was beautiful everywhere. Guys are worried about turning gay. I did too but I was learning all the time. Paul was really cute and I could see myself and he possibly being lovers except that he was hurt so much. Erica's cock was thin and otherwise the same as any other cock I had seen on the net or with my special vision. There was no sack. I had looked internally and found no testicles. It was a kind of thrill to meet Erica this way but I also saw her vulnerability and fright. I had to think that perhaps hundreds of other guys had looked at her the same way. Was I going to be the same way? I was trying to make a difference in this world one piece at a time. I tried to stand and some lips slipped off my appendage. It was difficult to get to Erica but I stood before her and held her hands in mine. "You are simply beautiful." "I am not simple though." "A man dreams of finding a woman with a large clit. Perhaps he is looking for another man or a woman that will experience more joy with more to love. I know you are all woman with just a bit added. May I make love to you." "Not sex?" "I rarely have sex. I really am a romantic. This tends to hurt me but I cannot change myself." "You may have difficulty." "Because of what happened recently? Or because men have hurt you too much?" "Don't laugh, but I can't get it up like I used to." "I would never laugh at you. May I try to please you?" "Nobody has ever asked that before." "Then they are fools." She kissed me and I held her to me but not tightly. I got her to lay on the carpet. I went slowly as if I had a lifetime. Her ears and then her neck were treated as sacred objects. She had seen some rough times but she did start to respond to me. Her breathing got rapid then eased off as I tried to make a rhythm. Erica's breasts were larger than Betts'. Her nipples too were more developed. I teased her but only so much. I wanted to show promise too. She was excited and urged me on but I kept to my pace. At long last I got to her mons. Her clit was as long as my cock now. It was no different than what my friends had. By now she was a friend too. Seeing her cock as a clit was difficult but I tried to overcome my prejudice. I did not go to this obvious target first but found her outer lips and sucked and licked them before moving inward. I had to be careful. With a clit her size it was easy to touch. Her female organs were the same as all the other women and girls I had met. The mons opened a bit more and stayed open with Erica but this was not objectionable. My tongue tried to bury itself in her vagina. Her legs wrapped around my head to make me stay. At long last I used the tip of my tongue to caress her. She came at the touch and I felt my hair pulled but I stayed back through the pain. She did release me and I started once more by licking other areas. I did not engulf her like the girls had done to me. I found where she was more sensitive and where she was not. The area around the crown was the same as mine. My hand was freed enough that I could use my fingers in her opening. Again I went slowly to give her a gradual increase in pleasure. One finger began to worry her other opening. She moved a lot at the touch. She liked this. Another orgasm came and Erica screamed weakly. My tongue now stayed in contact and traced a pattern of all the spots she found the most pleasant. My finger was now in her anus while my thumb was in her vagina. I sawed back and forth at a slow pace as my tongue worked on her clit. At her next orgasm I put two fingers into her bum and she only wiggled to get me in. My pace picked up but the pressure stayed in the rhythm I had developed. The next orgasm was stronger and they began to come closer together. A third finger followed the second and my hand was getting tired from the work out. My tongue pushed more insistently and wondered why my hair was not being pulled. A quick glance showed that Betts was holding her arms immobile. My hand reached its fastest speed and now my head had to work faster. When the next orgasm approached I reached up and engulfed all of her and rode my mouth down. This was not quite like a man as I only touched her a bit. Her scream was deafening even with her legs trying to hold me in place. My mouth came off and my tongue beat a quick tattoo on the end of her fantastic clit. My hand changed from going into alternate holes to both at the same time. I now lowered my mouth and sucked hard on her clit. Her hips rose to get more of me in but I rode her through her gyrations. Erica crested the peak but it was so high she collapsed as Betts had done so many times. When Erica stopped responding I pulled my hand out and tired to sit up. I could not do it until I was helped. Wendy smiled and tossed me a small towel. The girls were all sitting on the couch and acting as spectators. Wendy said, "You almost killed her." "Women are far too strong to be killed that way. Betts goes to sleep on me every once in a while." "I have never seen that happen and you talk about it casually. We have had a lot of sex in our lives but this is something else." "That is because you had sex not love." Wendy seemed to think then said, "That may be it. Would you make love to me?" "My costume with the big 'S' is at the cleaners. It is hard to even move." "That is because you were working on the poor girl for hours. She could have gone into labour and had a kid before you were done." "Quality counts." Betts came over to me and I kissed her gently. She licked my lips and said, "I am going to have to try that soon." "Not for a while." "Why?" "Erica has to see the doctor. There is something wrong in her abdomen. There are some kind of growths and I hope they're benign." I had found this out while looking for the areas that she liked the most. I also found the areas that she felt pain in." "How do you know, Doctor Wally?" "When I made love to her I had to find her reactions to everything I did. Some areas gave her discomfort. Those areas I had to avoid and still make her feel loved." "Oh, she felt loved all right and you didn't get to take her butt." "I might get a chance at yours tonight." "You might because we are sleeping here tonight." "How's that?" "We had our fun and then relaxed to watch you abuse the poor girl. You always do it so meticulously. Some girls like to have a quick fuck too you know." "That may be true but you like the long ones." "Not when we don't have time." "You will have to teach me the quicky approach." Erica started to come around and I went to her head and put it on my lap. "Oh, there you are, she said. "You know that I love you, don't you." "I do now. I warn you that I love all the women I make love to." This was the truth and now it felt even stronger. "You love me or you love my body?" She looked concerned. She had talked of love and I guess I did but she meant sex. "Your body is beautiful and desirable. That larger portion intrigues me as it probably does all your friends. After a while I think they see you as a young woman that can love and be loved. Cannot I start at that point?" "You love me for being me?" "Yes I do. The love is not strong yet but I know that it will grow as mine for Betts does. My term love, may be too strong for now but it is not predominantly lust." "A lot of guys and women want me. They talk of love too but they mean possessing me for sex." "Oh, I have lust too. It is strong but I see something else growing." She pulled my face down and kissed me, "Maybe you will be different." "I hope I do not disappoint you." The girls helped me to stand. There was a large walk in shower area. We cleaned each other and I made sure Erin got some attention that was not quite sexual. She had to fit in too. When we came out I surprised the girls by getting dressed. I went back to the living room and took the letter sized pieces of paper and did much quicker drawings of the girls. Erin was first. I hoped she would go to sleep soon. I stayed in the garden scene but they were now young again and without swollen abdomens. Each girl would look different but definitely belong together on a wall someplace. It was near midnight when I did Leslie. She was pregnant again but only half way along. She was sitting while reading a book. Behind her was Bert. In the chair beside her was Mom similarly dressed and similarly bloated. Mom may give me grief over this. Leslie had been waiting for her drawing. "I see I am pregnant again. You must like me that way." "As a matter of fact I do but not many times. Children have to be nurtured and this takes time. Too many children mean that they get short changed." "I always wanted a child but the father was never found suitable." "Bert Higgins will make an excellent choice." "He has not even asked to come over and get to know me better." "He's afraid. Lillian is less so. I think she saw lust but this has changed. You're younger than they are and they worry about pushing you. Perhaps they are at the phone now waiting for your call." "I didn't think of that. Should I call now?" "If they come you will not sleep. If you call they will be sleepless all night. An early morning call may seem a poor choice but they will not fault you for it." "Six AM." "That's a perfect time." Wendy's bed was not big enough for six girls and me. The bed was pulled apart and some of us slept on the box springs. I was in the middle and quite happy. Elaine and Shirley had drawn the chance to be beside me. I got up early even with my late night. Leslie was laying in bed talking on her phone. The smile on her face may mean she was talking to Mom and Pop. My routine started after I cleaned myself. I made breakfast and invited in the night detail of one man. I made a large tray of food and went to Erin's room. She was asleep. I opened the door and used a piece of bacon to wake her up. It made me feel good that she was not frightened to see me. She got the bacon and I sent her to pee. We were going to her step-mother's room to eat breakfast. Erin opened the door. Leslie was still talking on the phone and didn't stop. Both of us got on the bed. I fed a bit to Erin and she took a similar portion of food and fed Leslie. "I have to go now. They are fattening me up. Would you like to come over for breakfast?" The present man of the house has made breakfast for us." "Hmmm." "Ok. Bye. I love you." Leslie said to me, "You made me lose a lot of sleep. I had a lot of thinking to do." "You are a woman that likes to think. I trust you feel better now?" "I do." I began to feed Erin more and get some for myself. Leslie had to eat quickly the way she was fed. Mom and Pop were over in less than fifteen minutes. I got them to sit in the kitchen while Leslie and Erin came out to talk. I fed half of the group while Erin sneaked extra bacon for herself. Pop wanted to show Leslie our house but security would not be there and against the rules. I guess he remembered about me telling him that his lovemaking was probably monitored. Leslie showed her drawings and the large one in the living room. Mom did eye Pop but she didn't seem to mind Leslie having a child. They went outside instead and talked near the pool. I was sure I would be featured in their talks. Erin saw me as an interesting and safe person so she was the single munchkin now. I made more breakfast and entered the room. Betts opened her eye then. After her brain started to work she said, "Hi Love. All that for me?" "Think how much more you will have to exercise to burn it off. There are better ways of burning off calories." "There sure are but they don't burn enough. Now wake those slugabeds up. The food is hot now." Wendy and Betts had somehow lost their clothing during the night but nobody seemed to mind us being here. Erica always seemed to wear something. She was a shy girl that needed some confirmation that she was acceptable. We ate on the bed. Betts and Wendy crossed their legs to give me a view of what they would be offering me. They both giggled from the fact that they got me hard. When we finished, Betts said, "What are we going to do now?" "We clean up. We are mainly guests here and we cannot let Leslie or Wendy clean up after us. Second, Mom and Pop are here." "When did they get here?" "Around six thirty. We have to do some planning about school." Ashleigh groaned. I said, "School will come eventually. Now is the time to plan. Many of you have to go to court to testify about parents or guardians. I do not know how all of you were forced into making films but the fact is that you will be known by at least a few people then the word will spread like wildfire. "I am suggesting that you ladies dress like ladies but like girls your age. The adults will go by first impressions and think that they would like to kill Caputo with their bare hands. You would never dream of having sex. This will help a bit. Any of you have any suggestions?" When none came, it was Betts that started the ball rolling. We started to develop a character to fit the group and soon for each of them. Teachers didn't come onto students too much in real life. Some liked to have pretty girls or boys around them but this was fairly innocent. We made scenarios up about how to deal with different situations. There were younger children that had to be protected if they went to our school. We had not heard how much progress the Doc had made with the school board. Some kids were older and would go to high school even if the Doc managed to get an agreement. At a different school, I could do nothing and perhaps little if I did go. People that were abused could be seen by bullies as easy meat. Paul came to mind and how he could be taken by an adult or even an older kid. A little of Paul's attraction came through to me and my wish to protect him. Betts said, "Why don't we do like those guys on the subway? The ones with the berets." "You're one smart woman Betts. That's a good idea. We run in groups but others can join the group too. Nobody picks on our kids." Wendy repeated me, "Our kids?" "Some of you are stronger than others. It's a fact that all of you were traumatised long before you were kidnapped. After that many were disturbed even more. As a group you are all fragile or even broken. I was beaten and traumatised too. I sympathise strongly with this group. I want everyone safe." "But we are safe." "Wendy there are police here every minute of the day. When Caputo leaves you will have to deal with kids in school. Kids are mean and thoughtless. They hurt without thinking about the consequences. It takes only one leader to swing a school against you." "But I had lots of friends in school. They would help me." "Are you positive that they are still friends? Are you positive that their parents will let them be friends with you?" "No, but they are not like that." "Call your school friends up. They are curious and want to talk. See how many want to talk in a week or in two weeks. It is a good test and helps you all gradually work your way back to school." "But, I know that they are my friends." "That is only your wish or your hopes talking. Facts are what you have to deal with." Wendy looked a little pissed. I said, "I talked to Doc Suffolk about this. I suggested that we all go to one school. The teachers can be taught and it is easier to treat all of us if we are in larger gatherings." Ashleigh said, "I want to go to school with my friends." "I would want the same. You will not have the same support if we are separated. A bully will pick on one person a lot faster than three or four." "Bullies never bothered me before, at least not the ones in school." "I hope they don't either. People are weird. One boy wants to have sex with you. If you refuse he will push. Failing that he will react. Girls are worse in a way. They will peck a weak member to death. You have phones, you have phone books. I hope you prove me wrong but see how many friends you do have. Invite them over to a party and see how many come the second or the third time." The girls didn't like the subject. Erica said, "What did you tell the guys about my belly?" "You have a few growths in that beautiful belly of yours." "I do not." "Do you trust me at least a bit." "Sure." I stood and moved Erica to the edge of the mattress. I laid her down and said, "Let me feel and then the rest." My hands went over her abdomen. I asked if there was pain and she always replied no. I put one finger over a lump and pushed only a bit and Erica reacted. "Ow, that hurt." "Did I push harder than the other times?" "Ah, it didn't look like you did." "Doctor Wally the belly doctor says you have a growth there. I know that there are more but they're small." My finger pressed in three other spots but only two hurt. "As your personal belly doctor I am recommending that you go to a medical doctor." "That's a sore spot Wally, nothing else." "Last night you said you loved me. Did you mean you loved what I did to you or that you were in lust with me and wanted more." "I do like you." I said sternly, "You are going to a doctor if I have to get Erin to carry you there. My feelings are stronger than yours and I worry." Erin looked shocked and so did Erica. She said, "I'll talk to a doctor. The family I am with will do that." We went out to the pool and I introduced my new friends to Mom and Pop. I was sure they heard a lot about them from Leslie but that was ok. Betts said, "We were talking about how to head off problems in school when we start again." "Hm, you guys usually think of school only the week before. There will be some troubles I am sure but if you guys are ready then there will be less problems." Mom asked about the court cases coming up. They would not be finished for months if even then. I learned more about the girls too. All four of the new girls were wards of the Children's Aid. They were in foster families and had no idea of what their future would be. The ones with living parents didn't want to see them. They had liked the money the girls brought in too much. Mom talked about rehab problems and it came out that Elaine and Shirley had an addiction. Caputo had assisted this to make sure the girls were compliant. I was very surprised but tried to remain calm as if I knew all along. They had all been tested for AIDS and other diseases. I had been stupid again. Nadac would protect me but protect others would be difficult if the necessity arose. I had not asked how they tested out and they may even lie. Helping a person did not mean they were rational. Even people who had not gone through what he girls had could be shaky mentally. My phone rang. Patricia wanted to know where we were now. "We are with the only other munchkin in existence. It's time to eat soon. If you bring June and Gail over we can go out to eat." Patricia yelled in the phone and I had to pull mine away from my ear. Patricia came back on and said, "We'll come now." "Ok see you in a few moments." Bert said, "Wally, there is protection here. We can't leave." "Your son is not too smart. How about if we order chicken, pizza, fish and Chinese?" "How about one, Chinese?" "I like that." Looking at the girls I asked, "Will Chinese food feed the inner girl?" Wendy said, "If you get enough." Betts went into the house with Wendy to find the number and make the order. This way if we were short then I would not get all the blame. The door bell rang soon after and Wendy went to get it. Moments later the munchkins were united. I introduced Gail and June to the girls and to Lillian. Ten minutes later dad and I had to leave to pick up the food. When we left he looked at the bright red motor home for a moment. I said, "Mrs Watson bought it. Isn't it neat?" "It looks good. Not very big though but easy to move through traffic." We picked up the food and were on the way back when my phone rang again. I figured Mom wanted me to get something else. It was Paul though. "Hi Bud. Have you recovered from talking to the girls." "They're not bad." "I know that. The munchkins have a reputation to uphold. They are ladies." "I'm bored Wally. Could I come over for a visit?" "Hold on Bud." I said to Pop. "Paul wants to visit. I am officially asking what your wish is." "I'd love to see the boy again." "Pop says sure. We are in the car now. We are not at home. Is it alright if Pop and I pick you up?" There was just a bit of hesitation. "That's ok, I guess." "Good, we will be there in a few minutes. Get your bathing suit Bud." "Ya!" Pop drove a lot quicker to get to Paul's new home. He and I went up to talk to Miss Lescue. She was not happy but I doubted if she ever was. Paul and I sat in the back and just talked movies that I had not seen before. Paul was apprehensive about going to Wendy's home. There must be a lot of bad memories associated with the property. I hope he would have some good ones too. We had fun there at least with the munchkins. Mom looked a little pissed about our being late. That was until she looked closer to the ground. She took a step and stopped herself. I know she would run to the boy and pick him and never put him down. The munchkins didn't stop though. I called our security detail to eat with us and I had to twist his arm and threaten him with my awesome karate skills. There was certainly enough food even with two extra mouths to feed. With a whisper to Betts I got all the girls including Erica into the pool. The rest came in too. I just had to ask June and she came in too. The adults drifted around but stayed outside and respectable. Gail was more than happy to watch all of us. The girls looked yummy and she knew it. Pop made supper and his ladies helped him. They came by and used their hands to touch when they spoke to him. He got distracted easily now. I pointed this out to Gail and she studied the situation. After everybody had eaten Pop got me alone in the yard and whispered, "Which are the other homes?" We went walking around the yard and I stopped in two places and used a thumb to point behind me. Pop only looked as we started to walk again. The wall was too high to see much anyway. Caputo was holding out for a lot more money. There were some other bids. Nadac sent registered mail to the bidders about some of their past that they would like to keep hidden. Their offers were retracted. This was business and also the way Caputo did it himself. Nadac was feeding information to the authorities on his web site. He had to shift the site seven times so far. It was being hacked by everybody from the government to the mob. The Americans figured they knew best and they tried their hand. Nadac just moved and they had to start all over again. Since he did it with impunity this drew more people interested in how he did it. I never went onto the site for fear of tying it to me. Nadac did load my mental viewing screen with the details. We were movie stars now. Our entire approach and actions on the farm were given. Three of Nadac's simulated cameras caught us and each one could be called up for confirmation. The three sequences did not show our many stops and indecisions but the acts of five small commandos that made Rambo look like a nerd. When we took the farmhouse there was no indecision. It was done at one time as if we had trained months for this mission. The truck ride, the taking of the first building and then the second looked like it was veteran troops that did it. The five figures looked a bit like us but different. I had a small moustache and none of us had budding breasts. We used military hand signals and equipment. The choice of using the opposition's guns was obvious then. We would not have to change barrels in our guns if they were not used. There would be no ballistics checks. There were subtle differences in our weapons too. The witnesses could never agree on the major details never mind the minor ones. Our sunglasses, harnesses, combat boots that had the soles of runners and black uniforms would lead people to think of short adults perhaps masquerading as children. On another part of the site, the percentage of any particular business owned by Caputo was listed. Only a few were exposed but enough that the man wanted to dump all of them before their value dropped even more. Nadac came across as seven different groups that appeared to be in competition with each other. This kept Caputo guessing. Only two groups wanted residential properties and one was presenting my offer. We owned some commercial properties in cities all across North America. Nadac was counterfeiting electronic money. He simply fabricated a transfer into an account that would be forwarded to Caputo's when the deal was complete. The money would disappear when we hit Caputo. Caputo had his hand in shipping. This was the way he was able to import and export what he wanted. There were cargo ships, a fleet of planes as well as fourteen trucking companies. His stake was worth almost 300 million. We were being magnanimous by offering two thirds of that. In the end it would be the same. We would simply take the money back. ------- Chapter 16 Information about the drugs in transit was sent to the attorney general along with a list of people not to trust. There was no proof given but the drugs would certainly be found. Stolen cars were exported to countries ready to buy them. There were none now in the system. People were though. Some of them paid Caputo to gain entry to Canada then to the United States. There were many of these and lists were sent to the authorities. Some young girls had hoped to find high paying jobs as nannies, or at least for their countries point of view. They were destined for the sex trade regardless of their opposition. Any information on previous sales went too so the girls could be rescued. We had to keep the pressure on Caputo but still leave him time to liquidate his assets. One of the plums to pick was Cosner Data Processing and it affiliates in other countries. This company was worth over a billion dollars but Caputo only owned seventeen and a bit percent. It was a private company but owned by partners. One other minority owner was a mob leader by the name of Vessio. Nadac bid against our other bidding company and offered 85% of the full value. A similar offer was offered to Vessio and he was thinking of taking it. In this case it would look like Caputo sold the portions to another company and pocked twice the money. Somebody was going to beat for their shares and then be a bit miffed at his former partner. A court challenge was sure to follow and we had to prepare now. Nadac was busy organising a real corporation to fight for us or rather themselves. Lawyers would make up a majority of the board members. We could almost pick up a quarter of the corporation if this deal went through. If it did then we may own part of a company linked to one of the biggest scams in history. Nadac and I worked even harder now to shift the possible blame when it happened to other mob or cartel owned banks or institutions. When we came back to the pool I saw that Paul and now three munchkins had slipped away. I looked into the house. The three girls were naked but Paul had his clothes on or at least his pants. They were being very ladylike in how they caressed and kissed him. His bum was not threatened and the girls were not pushing hard. Ahh, to be young like that again. We were sitting around when Leslie looked around. "Have any of you seen Erin?" "The munchkins are in the house playing with Paul." "Playing?" "Paul is not threatened, and neither are the girls. He is like the sultan of old with his harem. They won't let him take his pants off but they lost their clothes somehow." "I'd love to see that." "Me too but it's private. Mom said, "Erin is only seven." "Erin is learning to be a woman and control a man like a pro." "Patricia and Liza are not pros." "Who can wrap their father around her little finger faster than you can?" "That's different. There is no..." "Mom, nobody is being hurt. They remotely remind me of another family I know about." "Who?" I just looked at all three and they let the matter drop. In an hour I got the munchkins and sent them into the shower with a naked Paul. He was cleaned very well and I dried each of them when they came out. Paul by now was not worried about being naked which made me feel good. When I finished with Patricia, I said, "Mom and Pop were nice to you guys so you could play. Leslie and Gail let you play too. You should spend the rest of the evening with the adults and talk to them." I turned to Paul, "Well Bud, you have a chance here whether you know it or not." "What?" "The women just love you. They see you as a cub that they have to protect with their lives. Leslie and Gail have no husbands. Mom and Pop have a standard family. You can go your own way and stay in foster families until you get old enough to leave or you can find a real home with a real father and a real mother. If you play your cards right you might convince them that you are worth adopting." "My last foster family sent me to make movies." "Do you think Mom or Pop would allow that?" "Maybe not your Mom." "Not Pop either. I'm your bud. I am not lying to you. This is a good chance for you. You also get to be with Patricia. Liza is only next door. They have a good friend five minutes away by bike. You don't get one thing you get them all." He was not too sure yet. I added, "Betts, June and I will protect you. When you have homework you have three guys to help." "Would I get my own room?" "Sure but I have bad news Bud." "What?" "There are going to be girls in it. You are going to have to fight them off. I try that all the time and it is tiring. I'm going to be a Captain some day like you. We need to face up to responsibility and make the girls leave us alone at least one day a week." "I don't need that day yet. I can take it until I get big." "The most important fact is that you will have a strong family. They will love you with kindness. If something happens then you are the one to say no or do it." "I might like that." "Then go out there. There are four adults that love you already. Be an officer that will make me proud." The four marched out. The girls got into their parent's laps but Mom was the last. It took a while but Paul climbed on and sat down. Mom's arms came around him and it looked like she was crying. When Paul went home that night there was a lot of sniffling. Mom and Pop took Paul to his front door and the boy hugged and kissed both adults. Mom told me after that even Miss Lescue seemed to be effected. Gail went home with the two munchkins. June and Betts stayed with me for another night. June had not argued when I said she would stay. I took her aside and sat in the darkness with her. "June, your Master wants honest answers now." "Yes, Master, anything." "There is a long line. At one end is the wish to make love to somebody of the opposite sex. At the other end is the need to be with your sex. Where do you fit on this line?" The answer was not quick in coming but she said, "More toward guys but I like girls too." "A fair answer. How do you feel about Leslie?" "She is very beautiful." "And?" "I would like to make love to her but Mom and Dad like her a lot." "Leslie is 23. She is closer to your age than to your parents. Leslie has been hurt by Frank for too many years. She likes women now because they are safe. Tonight I am going to make love to some of the girls in the house. Leslie has nobody. I want you to trust me and go to her. She is a passionate woman and will teach you things I cannot. You may get a chance later teach what you learned to us." June hung her head and said nothing. "Will you obey your Master?" "I will Master." "You are a good slut and I love you." I gave her a tender kiss and she responded more and more to it. June was now showering and would go to Leslie for me. When I entered the bedroom I saw the eyes of a tigress in six different bodies. Before I was eaten alive I said, "I make love not lust. I cannot concentrate on all of you. Let me try one of you then see if I can do another. Anything else will not be as good." Wendy said, "Who goes?" "Draw lots or something. I like you all and I may love you all someday. I am going out for a minute for you guys to decide." Once in the hall I went to the shower that was now shutting off. June was startled when I came in but got over it quickly. I dried her off and took her hand in mine. I went to Leslie's door and knocked. We heard, "Come in." I walked in with a naked girl behind me. Leslie looked at me oddly. "What is this about Wally?" "I am very fond of June. She is more of an adult. She needs a place to spend the night where she will know that she is loved. She finds you both beautiful but desirable. Will you train her in the arts of love?" "Me?" "I would trust her with none other." While Leslie was thinking of a reply I turned to June and whispered, "Go to her my love and make me proud of how you show your love." I gave her a final kiss and led her to the bed and then helped her in. Leslie just looked at June then me until June put her arm around Leslie and kissed her. I closed the door on the way out. Both women were sexually excited. I had no qualms about what I had done. I went back to the girls and I saw them waiting patiently. Shirley was of to one side and Elaine was the nearest. Shirley was the shyest and the most fragile. With only a few steps I stopped and knelt in front of Shirley. "Hello Shirley. Am I the lucky guy that gets to kiss you?" "I guess." Her eyes only met mine for a second." "Shirley." She looked at me. "I do not hurt girls. Last night you heard that I am a romantic. Do you know what I mean by that?" "That you won't hurt me?" "Oh, much more than that. I will not do anything to you that you do not wish. Is there something you do not like? Maybe something like licking your boobies?" "Everything has been done to me." "Honey, has any guy actually made love to you." She didn't answer. Her head hung and then her head shook. "May I make love to you? The trouble for me is that I may love you when I am done. That isn't lust but just the way I feel." She looked up at me and I added, "Making love is like drawing. I put a lot of me into the art. I do not see you as art but I do put all my love into making you comfortable and then give you pleasure. In an odd way I guess you are like a sculpture. I make you the way you should be. I want to take the weight of the world from your shoulders and place it upon my own. May I make you happy at least for a while?" The head nod was quicker this time. I looked at Elaine and said, "You protect Shirley. Will you stay beside her so she knows she is safe? I ask that you just hold her hands. Women want to make me bald like Picard on Star Trek." I got a big smile and Elaine got close but gave me room to work. I had gone slow with Erica but I went slower again with Shirley. She came the first time with just kissing of her neck and a breast cupped in my hand. She held me now and passionately. When her hands were gently pulled back she became even more aroused. This datum would be saved for later. A half hour later I shifted to demanding. She was not afraid of me now. She responded even more. When I could, my word shifted from love to orders. She did exactly what I wanted as soon as she could. A look at Elaine showed that she was amazed at this. Slowly I worked my way up to calling her slut. She shivered at the word and more so at the tone of voice. I did not humiliate her further but I got her to eat Elaine at my order and the way I wanted it done. Licking Elaine's asshole made Shirley shiver. I tried the same thing and Shirley orgasmed once more. A quick look showed that the girls were fingering themselves or a lover but watching what I was doing. I built up a complicated story in Shirley's mind. I was the Sultan and she was just a lowly concubine not worthy to be a wife. I talked about the city and the palace we lived in. I told her about the silks I gave my women. "Shirley, you went into the chambers of my wives today. Admit it." "I did, I did." "You stole Elaine's scarf. Admit it." "Yes, Master. I stole Elaine's scarf." "I am going to punish you as you eat my wife Elaine." "Yes, Master punish me. I deserve it." I pointed to Elaine and pantomimed sternness until she played her part. "Eat my pussy you thieving slut." Shirley was already doing so but did so now with much more energy. "I am going to paddle a thieves ass." "Do it master, do it." I hit her ass but my hand was cupped. The sound was loud but the pain minimal. The girls were shocked but excited. I struck again and again until I started to put my fingers into her pussy between strokes. At thirteen strokes she orgasmed and I rained more blows near her sex as she bounced all over but never far away. Elaine had her hands in Shirley's hair to keep her where she belonged. I slowed down to suit Shirley's movements. To Elaine I said, "Turn the slut over, wife." Elaine did this quickly even though Shirley tried to stay attached. I picked up Shirley's legs and gave them to Elaine. "Hold the slut." "Yes master." This surprised me but I didn't let on. I ate Shirley until she was about ready then I stopped. I did this two more times. Shirley was panting and pleading for relief. "Wife!" "Yes, Master." "The slut is fertile now." "What are you going to do." "Plant a child within her womb." I pushed in three fingers and soon it was four. Shirley was screaming now in orgasm as I slid quickly back and forth within her. At one point my hand fit in and I used it to make her cum over and over again. She could take no more and fainted. I looked at Elaine and said, "Slut, lick up my spend within my newest wife." Elaine shook and hurried around and started licking on an unconscious Shirley. While Elaine ate I used my hand on her too. "I will fuck you too slut." Elaine was quick to orgasm and her well used vagina excepted my hand. I pulled her forcefully away from her lover and flipped her over. My hand went back into her as I sucked strongly on her clit. The sensations were too much for her and she too blanked out. Pointing to Ashleigh I said, "Eat my slut." Ashleigh was very eager to play this game and she fell the same way the other two had. Erica, Wendy and Betts were starring at me glass eyed. "Ah, more fertile sluts. You will be waddling around the palace soon." I grabbed Wendy by the hair but pulled her gently into position. She was bent over and I worked my small hand into her too. If anything she was even more accommodating. "Slut I am going to make your stomach hang to the cushions. Your breasts will grow large. I will breed you one after the other." Wendy was incoherent now and my hand moved quickly. My other hand reached around her leg and gently pinched her clit when I was not pushing it forcefully with my thumb. Wendy screamed her joy but I continued. She didn't faint and I took this as a challenge. My hand had been shaped as thin as possible but now it formed a fist. Another orgasm came and then another. "My testicles are full. I am getting ready to shoot within you to make your first child." I moved even faster and as Wendy came this time I twisted my hand to simulate me shooting baby juice into her. She gave a final scream that was cut off half way through. The first three had recovered and just knelt like harem slaves and stared at Wendy. The mood was right but I was beat. I needed a rest. "Ah, my two wives. I have impregnated your sisters. I will take your butts instead. Erica looked worried and I flexed my cock and she relaxed. I looked at Betts and said, "Get my other wife ready. I want to mount her." "At once Master." Betts stood and pointed at the bed they were kneeling on. "Lay on your back. Our master wants you." "Ah... yes mistress." I washed my arm and got a drink of water while I tried to work the kinks out of my system. When I came back Betts' head was going up and down on Erica's cock. It looked like a cock and would shoot if it only had the male essence. To say cock to her though may hurt her. Betts' hand worked at Erica's pussy and I watched spellbound as I saw her fist the girl the same age as she was. Erica came once as I watched. I went to her head instead and picked up her head on my lap as it was last night. Her eyes flashed open. "I have decided to place a child within you now." "But..." "I am your master and your husband. Know now that I am a djinn. My magic is superior to all others below the angels. My magic has changed you. You are fertile now. You can feel the changes within you already." "Yes, yes I can feel it." "I have the power of a stallion. In a moment my giant cock will fill your womb with my seed. When that happens you will orgasm like you have never done before." "Yes, yes, oh I feel it coming. I am getting close." When it looked like she was about to loose it I said, "Our child starts his life now." Betts really pounded into Erica as I twisted her nipples hard. The scream was loud but I muffled most of it with my mouth. Only half a scream was cast from her body when she stopped shaking and settled to the mattress. I kissed her gently and put my hand out to stop Betts. She looked through glassy eyes and saw that she could do no more for Erica. I got up and gently laid Erica down then just pointed to the mattress and Betts moved as Erica did before. Betts was easy. It took only six orgasms and three fingers up her butt. This time I let her awake before I moved in for my own enjoyment. I was slow to wake up the next morning. I looked down to my right and quickly to my left. The tigresses had surrounded me. Last night I was the master. This was not something to keep up. Perhaps going the other way. "Mistresses, I am sorry for sleeping in. What may this unworthy slave do for you?" "We have itchy butts that need scratching." "I will do that mistress. May I go to the bathroom first?" She didn't answer me. "Shirley, take the slave to the stables. Hold his tool as he pisses." "Ah, ok." She looked at me. "Get up slave. I have to watch you like a child." "Thank you mistress for helping me. I always miss the hole." I came back by being pulled by the dick. Betts was fingering Erica's asshole. It seemed well lubed to me. Shirley pulled me into position as if I didn't know what to do. Betts pulled out her hand and aimed me. She had to tell Shirley. "Push him in. He forgets everything." Erica groaned and I began to move. Betts slid underneath her and made sure she was kept interested. I reached forward and caressed Erica's breasts and gently pinched her nipples. She groaned. I had seen a cow milked once. I used the same technique on Erica. She liked this too. Soon other hands helped me and I was able to thrust into Erica. The end came soon and she just shook as she stayed on all fours. Betts and Shirley moved the dumb slave from one girl to the next. Wendy then took over as I did Shirley then Betts. When she came she yelled, "Wally, Wally, Wally I loooooove..." She then conked out again. "Damn Wally, how do you do that to us?" Wendy asked." "It is because I love and I think you love me back." "I never loved anybody." "Perhaps your body loves me and your mind will follow." "I'm afraid of that." "Love is painful but worth it." "I still don't know." The humble slave went out to fetch breakfast for his mistresses. June and Leslie were already there. They were dressed much like the pictures I made of the girls in the garden. Leslie said, "Good morning Wally. Did you sleep well?" "I had too many prior commitments to get all the sleep I required." "That's too bad. I want to thank you for introducing June to me. She is a delightful girl. We had a long talk. I want your ownership of her." This sounded odd for some reason even for the acting we did last night. "June is special to me. I cannot give her away to anyone. I do not know you well enough. Ownership is like marriage. People could be hurt if they do not know each other well enough. June would like a family one day and a man to take a large portion of her life. There is room for a woman but it will be secondary. I am sorry but I must refuse you." "Are you refusing so you may have her body?" "No. I do love her. I want the best for her. If that meant giving her to somebody I could really trust then I would do so." "You don't want to breed her?" "June deserves the best in life. She needs a man to guide her or even a woman. I will never be that man." "Why?" "She needs one dominant person that loves her with no complications. I am not dominant though I play at it. I don't know if you will tire of her and give her to somebody else. She needs a firm commitment." "I am surprised Wally. I thought all boys dream of owning a woman." "I am new to puberty. The idea crossed my mind. I guess I'm smart enough that with that kind of control means a great level of responsibility. I am not always right but I do what I think is right even if it is painful." "Well, you pass my test. I could not take on your responsibility. I too can only play at it." So it was a test. June was smiling widely at me. I said, "June, tell Leslie how you feel about taking orders." "I will if you wish but I have been doing that for the last few hours." "Ok, then tell me how you feel with a woman in your bed as opposed to people that are younger than you." "That's easy. Older means they know more and can guide me better. You talked before of love. Well I find it better to go slow and try to please and be pleased instead of the hectic pace Betts puts me through." "Do you have dreams of college and a career?" "I'm good in school but not a brain. I remember things. I could be a secretary but I doubt if I could handle nursing. I would not like work in a factory but I would do it. A housewife sounds great but most of them get fat and watch television all day. My only dream was to work with children. Maybe a teacher but I like the younger ones better." "Something like running a nursery school?" "Yes, I'd love that job." It was Leslie that said, "We will see if we can make your dream a reality." I made a light breakfast and fed the tigresses. They had cleaned up the room and put the bed back together. Since the girls were dressed I guessed that I would not be called on to perform for a while yet. Elaine and Shirley looked glass eyed but it wasn't from sex. It had to be drugs. I hope this wasn't self prescribed but what the doctors gave to beat their drug dependency. The other girls must know what was happening because they were supportive. Even Betts now fit into this group. The girls went home near noon. If it were up to them they would live here. The various foster parents though otherwise. June and Betts left soon after. June especially was treated with a lot of affection. It was easy to see that Leslie wanted to talk to me alone. "Wally, I wanted to talk to you about Wendy and to a lesser extent the other girls that were here. They are children and the way you talk to them or to those older than you suggests commitment far beyond your years. People your age are supposed to have fun. They have girlfriends for a while then they break up and find others. The girls think that you are going to marry each of them one day and take care of all of them. You cannot do that." I said, "I talked about love to them. Love does not always mean sex. I can see that the girls were hurt and I just want them to heal. Love does that." "You talked of children." "That will distract them into thinking of ideas beyond their pain. They were then thinking commitment and not sex. Instead of the rapes you experienced, you could think of love. Perhaps it's like working hard while suffering from a burnt finger. You forget the pain when concentrating on something else." "Wally, when the burn goes away the girls will remember the promises." "I promised to love them not marry them." "Girls do not think like that." "Life is full of disappointment. Not everybody can get all that they are after." I cleaned up some of the mess that we had made and threw some crumbs in the garbage. Inside were two hypodermics. The needles though were removed. It was such a good world we lived on and it was abused. I walked home thinking of what Leslie said. Commitment was partially what stuck civilisation together. Giving this away would not allow me to give small amounts to others when they needed it. Spending my time with the girls made me feel good but if I stayed with them then I could not find the people like Paul that seemed to thrive now. Footsteps were coming from behind and they were much quicker than mine. Morton did this. I stopped and turned around. Twenty metres away two guys in white t-shirts slowed down when they saw that they were discovered. One I recognised from the ill-fated party. They looked happy now. The one who had sat close to Tony said, "Well we finally find you alone. We just missed some of your girls. We were thinking of talking to them in private." From inside my head I heard, "You must fight them. You humans are much too soft. You must be toughened." Toughened, I just started karate. What did Nadac want? It came to me that it might not be what Nadac wanted at all but the king. I wanted to run but I could not get far with my knee. They were all at least eighteen and I would be caught easily from behind. I had to fight then. I could not take both but maybe I could get one before I was seriously hurt. "Nadac, call Betts and tell her where I am." In seconds they were close and I guess planning on how to beat up a kid. I could at least spoil their choreography. I moved to them and then to the one on my right. This one slowed but the other one did not. My body was already pulled back on my right side as if pulled. My eyes were on the one to my right but my fist came forward with all the power I could and I punched just below the pelvic bone of the guy on the left. Both were stunned. The one that was hurt had bent over in pain as his legs collapsed. I grabbed his hair and raised my bad knee and drove it into his face. I felt pain now but it was at least something I had done. The one to the right now drew back his foot. I moved just far enough that it scraped the front of my body. I thought of grabbing it but it had already passed. While the guy was off balance I moved in. His foot came down quickly and I could not get close enough to him to hurt him when one of his fists came down and hit my cheek. I was stunned now. "Fight. Ignore your pain. Fight or die." Death, yes, they are trying to kill me. The black tinge around my vision pushed back. I took a step to get closer. My arm now came up and took most of the power of another fist. My good knee came up and the guy turned his leg to keep me from effectively striking him. I kicked at the knee instead. It did nothing but I was closer now. Another fist came at me. My left arm took it as my right came around in a wild swing. I hit him in the stomach. A left of his own came out and hit my face before I could block it. The pain was not bad. The guy was bent over now. My left hand shot out and the guy turned his eyes away to keep them from being struck. I grabbed his hair instead. I pulled with all my might. I wanted him off balance and on the ground where I could kick. His hands caught my arm but I added my other arm to pull him down. I backed away to help as I pulled him this way too. When he was close I was able to use my good knee to try to hit his face. His hands came out and stopped me from hitting him there. He put a foot out to brace himself and I shifted direction again to my right to get him to the ground. A wild swing came at me but I could do nothing. Holding the hair was the best I could do now. It hit my ribs but didn't hurt much. I jerked more on his hair and tried to lean as far as I could to get him to fall. He went to one knee and one hand was only holding mine. I released my right hand and pulled back. Hitting his head would hurt me. I moved just a bit and my fist hit the side of his neck. This shook him. I pulled again trying to knock him over and then moved in to knee him again. He had turned his head at the last second but I had to have still hurt him. I was off balance now and my pull slackened. I had time to pull my right fist back once more and aim for the guy's nose. His face was turned that way. The path of the punch was wrong and I corrected it while trying to keep the power there. I didn't hit perfect but I felt something give. The black suddenly returned as I was pushed to the left." "Fight!" I didn't let go of the hair. It was important for some reason. A hand was now on the shirt on my right shoulder. It was pulling. It came to me to not resist but my grip on the hair was in danger of coming off. My right managed to come to my left's aid and it too grasped hair. I moved with the pull and I felt that I could move easier and easier. The hair now went down as I pulled. "Kick!" Kick what? An image came of me kicking the face of the person I was holding. The moves were so complicated though. I had to try though. The hair held me stationary or at least partially. My right foot went back further to brace from the pull and I pushed forward now the hand suddenly slipped from my shirt. The hair I was holding now kept me from going forward but it was so low to the ground. I could not kick now. I was going to fall. I could see one more thing to do. I brought my right knee down on the head and on top of my hands. I pushed with all my might to drive the face into the concrete. The knee stopped abruptly. The head must have connected. I fell forward now over the guy's body. I let go of the hair to put out my hands. Instinct said to protect my face. Information came to my mind of another attacker. I had to get away. Instead of my hands I shifted my shoulder and it hit his legs. I continued my roll and found myself sitting down. Coming at me was a guy with blood all over his face and insane anger in his eyes. I had to get up. The guy's lips pulled back as he shifted his weight. He was going to kick. I rolled to the side and the kick missed. I would have grabbed the foot again but I was rolling the other way. I was almost to my feet when I was pushed forward violently. I fell forward and put my hands out to save my face. "Roll right!" I let my right hand go and I fell to my right and I continued to roll. "Left! Quickly!" I moved left as quick as I could. A foot had just come down where I was. I looked up. I was between the guy's legs. A thought came to me. I drew back my leg to my chest and straightened my knee. The guy's face changed from one where he was going to kill me to one of worry. His hands came to his crotch but I pushed up before his hands could do much. He went up in the air. His mouth open and round in surprise. He tipped forward as my leg went back. As if in slow motion I saw him fall toward me. My hands came out to push him away but he was too heavy. His head hit mine and the blackness closed in rapidly. I woke up to a noise. The guy was gone. I couldn't do anything more if he wanted to stomp me to death. An old man was down on one knee and turning my jaw with his hand. "Quite a scrap you had there Sonny." Quick replies now took a while to formulate. "A plane fell on me." My lips were hurt but I could still talk even if it was slow. "It certainly did. It is to your feet. You did a number on him." I tried to curl to look but I felt pain in my chest, neck and head. My head hurt the most. I put my head back down and noticed that I was on grass now and not asphalt. I opened my eyes again when the pain subsided. The old man said, "You better lie still for a while. What did those guys want with you?" "Tony Caputo hates me. Last time we met my army attacked to save me. Mrs Watson hit him twice with a shovel. He sends his goons out now to fight his battles for him." "I have heard a lot about the Caputos. How did you get involved?" "I went to a party where he was at. They tried to blackmail Betts into getting into their kiddy porn. I made her stay away." "I heard a lot about that recently. It looks like the Caputo mob is having a lot of troubles." "Will you lift my back up? I want to see my enemies. You can't take your eyes off them you know. They will stab you." "Yes I do know but you are going to feel pain." "What is a little more?" The old man was gentle and got me into a sitting position. He was right about the pain though. When I could I opened my eyes. Some time had passed. There were a lot of people standing around watching. The two guys were not being guarded but they were not moving either. The sound of the police car got much louder and the people moved so it could get closer. Two cops got out and one came to me after looking for weapons. The cop looked at me then the old man. "Hi Bill. What happened here?" "This boy was approached by the two men. They were going to assault the boy when he was able to take one out. He took quite a beating until he got the second one too. The first one recovered but not in time to save his buddy. I was coming out of the house by the time the closer one was trying to drive the boy's head into the road. The boy moved quick enough to get between the guy's legs. His foot went home and the fight was over. We have quite a scrapper here." There was more running and soon I saw Betts then Pop then Mom. The cop wanted Betts and Mom away and they ignored him. Mom and Betts were asking me questions one after the other and I didn't have time to say even one word. I pushed Betts back quickly and I bent toward the grass. My stomach heaved and heaved. It still heaved when I had nothing more. Tissues came to my face and Mom was there to make sure I was clean. "Feeling better now?" "Sure Mom. What's for lunch." Mom turned a little green and said, "We'll just scrape up what you ate before and give it a second chance." "Yum." "What happened here, Wally?" "One of those guys is one of Tony's buddies. They were looking for me. They said they would have got the girls if they could." "Oh my!" An ambulance came the second guy went to the hospital in it. The first left in a cruiser. They were going to take me in another cruiser when Mom said, "Over my dead body. We will take Wally to the hospital and meet you to prefer charges when the doctor releases him." We did go to the hospital but Mom had to call Dad to come too. Papers had to be signed. Betts fretted. June had come too and she looked the most upset. Pop and Dad asked questions but at different times so I had to go through everything twice. Dad said, "You did pretty well for yourself. They were both men. When they all go to trial I am going to see that they go to prison." "Don't count on it Dad. They have lots of money for good lawyers." Sunday was a busy time in the waiting room. It was well over an hour until I was seen. I had asked Dad that Mom and Pop should get permission to have me treated if he was not available. He nodded in agreement. The doctor was a busy woman. She was polite and efficient. I got a few stitches and a lot of bandages. I was offered a pill for the pain and strangely I refused. The doctor didn't push the issue. We went to the police station and reported the incident. In many ways it was much the same as with Tony and his other friend. I was asked about why I was attacked. This time I phrased my replies that were linked to more or less fact. Tony's lawyer would jump on any wild statements. When we got home I was greeted by a worried looking Gail, the munchkins and the guys. We all went into the house. Mom got me settled in a chair and then went to prepare a meal. I had to say everything over again. Dad was still with me and I guess he was worried. We ate lunch and Betts cut up my food into small pieces. My jaw was sore and it was difficult to chew or even talk. An hour later the girls I met at Wendy's house began to arrive. Erica was first. She and Betts fussed over me like mother hens. The guys had not left. They did stare at her and did so again as Elaine, Shirley and Ashleigh came. I knew that Wendy would too except for the danger. I told them about what the guys said. I don't think it kicked in. Betts and June were in danger but by them showing support for me they too could be targeted. I explained this to them and slowly they accepted the idea. The girls treated me the way mom and Leslie abused Pop. At any excuse they touched me or caressed my face or hand. Dad saw that I was in good hands and left. The guys were uncomfortable and left more or less as a group. They took Gail with them even though she wanted to stay. The munchkins could not get close because the competition was stiff. Mom drove the girls home to make sure they got there safely. I went upstairs and saw that nobody was on the bed. Gail must still be in battle with the guys. They looked inspired to win when I saw them last. Now that I had a moment I said, "Thanks for the help." "You were going to lose. Your combat skills are nonexistent. You must do better. Your will to succeed is not as strong as it should be." "I go to karate class. What more can I do? I exercise though I guess I could do more of that. The Aristis have trainers and a society based on combat. What can be done to increase my skills?" "Our king wishes you to begin construction of a series 90 cybernetic device." This was news. First it was the king's command and a 90 was much better than the best earth had now. It may be suitable for a student like me but Nadac was pushing for an 87. The three numbers represented a great increase in power. Another fact was that Nadac had not answered my question about increased combat skills. "I will do as I am commanded. My overview of the Aristis computers tells me that the 90 is weak. You mention that I do not strive to succeed. I see this as a test. I want to build a machine that pushes my ability. I could possibly build an 83." "That is impossible. That machine would take years to build. The king wishes you to develop more within your group. Your taking of females pleases him. Your thoughts at gaining wealth is acceptable but your age restricts you in the application of power. You are a valuable asset though. I will inquire as to what I can do to assist you. This sort of help is frowned upon by the Aristis. They have to fight to gain an edge." "I am not an Aristis. The obligations of an Aristis youth are matched by his rights to education. I am being loaded with the obligations but little in the way or the rights of education. The building of a significant cybernetic device may not be a right but I feel that by assisting you with the construction of this device I should earn what an Aristis youth would get within my caste." "We have not formed a place for you. A tech is best but the king likes the way you overcome adversity. The warrior caste may fit you too. You are gathering wealth and power now. This is usually the right of the aristocracy. You are a human though and may not fit within any caste." "My teaching says that I can fight for any position. I will fight for all three positions. I am not of the Aristis race, though closely related. On this world or possibly the world of the Tomma, I will fulfil the obligations of all three castes." "Our king will have to decide on this. Any who aspire to the aristocracy would scarcely wish to do the duties of a lower caste." "There is but one of me on this planet. There are fewer than nine thousand Aristis on all of Cralto. The numbers are too few to stick rigidly to ideas best suited to a mature society." "You are instructed to come at once." "You will provide transportation?" "I will." "Allow me time to make suitable excuses." "Why?" "Gathering wealth and power requires followers that will assist me. Leaving without proper instruction would be foolish of me. You would berate me for doing something of this sort." "You have two decs." Shit, two and a half hours. I had no idea how long I was going to be. I tried to get a good computer built for Nadac. Gaining some combat skill was worth the price if I did not destroy the bond to my family. The king liked my way with the ladies even if he had no gonads. The only thing going for my fighting skill was the way I kept fighting until I couldn't any more. I could leave by saying I had to think. I could also use the excuse that I was hiding from Tony but this may anger the king and sound phoney to those that knew me. Tony was trying to hurt me any way he could. The threat to Betts and June reminded me of the crystals I had not been able to implant. The hypodermic was the only way I saw but there may be another. Perhaps the need for quick departure would assist me in getting this. "Nadac I need to implant the tracking devices. Your way of using my hands will not be fast enough. What do the Aristis use?" "That unit is not allowed." "I have to leave. A soldier has to provide security. My men are in danger of abduction and possible death. Their safety needs to be monitored. You could devote some of your units but I am required to find my own provisions too." "Very well. A placement unit is on its way." Like Nadac, I didn't say thanks. This had something to do with the differences in caste. As an Aristis of any of the three castes I would not humble myself by giving thanks. I called Betts because it was difficult to walk. "What did you want, Wally?" "I was just talking to the guys at the academy. There is an advanced course I have to take. They have a better treatment for my bruising and pain." "What is the course about?" She was worried now. "A better way to protect myself. I guess it is a different form of karate." "Where are you going to take it?" "Up north." "The same place you were before?" "Yes." "Can I come with you? I can help." "I would really love for you to come. I may not think too much on my studies if you are around though. How much exercising do I get done when I see you?" "I can still help." "Sorry Betts. Only me this time." "Nadac, can Betts use the device to implant the crystals?" "It has that capability." "If she does this work then I will be free that much sooner." "Your mate may use the device. Keep it safe." I said, "I have a job for you when I'm gone." "What?" "Tony's buddies wanted to kidnap you. That would kill me. The device that is coming, sends a tiny microchip into a muscle. You can be tracked. I want you guys safe and this gives me some peace of mind that you could be found if the worse comes." "You can use it on me then." "Thanks. I will. I want you to use it on the rest." "Who?" "The guys, Gail, the munchkins, I'd like everybody in this family and the girls too. Basically it is whoever Tony knows that I like. He will hit them to hurt me." "I can do that but Mom and Dad are going to be hard. How do I tell them?" "You are a girl and girls are naturally sneaky. There will only be fifty three crystals. You cannot do everybody." "Show it to me." "It isn't here yet. I'll be arriving soon." "And when are you going?" "In a few hours." "What? You can hardly walk." "They are going to give me a special medicine." "I can go with you until you feel better." "Betts, I love you. I want you to go but you simply can't" "How long are you going to be?" "It depends on how fast I heal and how quick I learn. I hope to be back before school starts." "School? That is a month and a half away. Why do you have to be so long?" "Betts I just got beat up because I could not fight well. When I come back I can protect myself more." "What are you going to tell Mom and Dad?" "They are going to try to talk me out of it. I can't let that happen. I am just going to go. I'll talk to you guys on the phone on my free time. There usually isn't too much of that. Its boot camp for babies but you have to be a smart baby to get invited." Betts and I hugged. She didn't want me to go and I wanted to bring her with me. The package came by sphere. Betts helped me to my room to get the small crystals and then outside. I kept her out of the garage by asking her to watch out for intruders. The device was in a cushioned metal box of olive drab. Alphanumerics were all over it. This was the military description. Inside the box was the device with the same information but in smaller characters. To service the unit I had to use my mind. The fifty three crystal units went into a small cavity and I kept the dust in the paper they had been stored in. I closed the unit up and looked at it. I called Betts in and she stared at the device. It was the size of an egg but the egg was more pointed at one end. It was grey in colour with two black dots. Military type writing was legible and the term 'inoculation' was easy to read. "How does it work?" Nadac had told me about it as I held Betts. The mental trigger was used by any Aristis hooked up to a computer which meant everybody. The techs and above could use their mind alone but for some it was more difficult. Two spots on the sides of the egg could be squeezed manually. The crystal was ejected through a sterilising field. Another field reacted with the nerves to neutralise any discomfort before and after the crystal was injected. "Watch while I do you." I took the point and put it to Bett's left arm. "You put the point to the skin. You need muscle underneath. Your butt is probably the best but the arm will do or the leg. There are two dots you can see and feel. Just squeeze them once and hold them for three seconds. Don't squeeze again. It has to reset. If you do fire it again it won't do anything for ten seconds." Betts closed her eyes very tightly. There was a small sound. I kept the buttons squeezed for a few seconds and pulled it away. "Was that it?" "That was it, Honey." "All I felt was a small poke of a pin then nothing." She felt her arm. "I can't feel anything. What does it look like? I inspected the skin and saw nothing. I told her that then said, "It may get red because there was a tiny hole that will be healing." "Let me see that." I gave her the device and the box it came in. She inspected the box now and noticed the symbol for the United Nations Peace Forces. I didn't know of any group called that but it sounded good. We went in the house and found June. Betts said, "June bend over the table for a few seconds." June simply looked at me and did what she was asked. Her panties were pulled down and Betts ctivated the device. June flinched a bit but said nothing. "You are done now June." June just looked at the floor and said nothing. I knew she wanted to know though. That was programmed into her genes. I said, "A tiny microchip will tell me where you are at all times. I want you protected. This may not keep you safe but I can come for you if the worst happens." June looked worried and I added, "If you feel any discomfort later you are to come to Betts and she will rub the effected area until the pain goes away and you feel much better." "Thank you for telling me, Master." She looked at Betts and then she must have come to a decision. "Thank you, Mistress." "I will rub you extra special tonight." "Thank you, Mistress." We went over to Gail's house. Gail was naked when she let us in. She looked worn around the edges. Betts said, "What happened to you?" "Military exercises with three of the troops." "Ooo, how are they doing?" "They are not as fresh as they were but they are still ready to take me on." "Well I have something for you." "What is it?" "Wally got the device to track us." "He told me about that for Liza." "You too. Now bend over." Gail actually did as she was asked. She flinched a bit then stood up and rubbed the spot. "Is that it?" "Yep." "The girls are up in Liza's room." "I have to get the guys too." "That is a great idea. They will put their clothes on. Maybe I will get a few minutes peace." When Betts went upstairs I said to Gail, "I have to leave for some training. You are in charge of the guys in my absence. They have to go to the dojo and they have to exercise more." "Where are you going?" "To a training camp in the north. I have to learn how to fight a bit better. I've been putting it off and now you see what I get for doing that." "But you beat both of them." "I was unconscious too. A fully trained soldier could have taken those guys easily. I am like a raw recruit running on guts and no training." "Well I guess I can do that while you are gone. Maybe I can get them to exercise so much that they can't take advantage of me so much." "Take advantage?" "Perhaps that is the wrong term. They are healthy boys and I love them. They take to their studies so well. Everything I teach them they want to perfect." "Did you tell them how you react when my hand was in you?" "No, and please don't tell them. I would be jelly in five minutes and then I would have no mind to guide them." "Would they hurt you?" "No, but a woman wants to feel that she is safe and at least partially in control too." Betts came downstairs followed by the munchkins. She brazenly walked into Gail's bedroom. I watched through the walls as the guys tried to hide behind some cloth. I heard her words call out a command and the guys leaned over the bed. She did them one at a time and then left. Betts and the munchkins came out with smiles. "The troops are ready for you. I advise you to attack first." "I tried that. I suck one and another has my pussy. That leaves one more to abuse me and then poke me in the butt." "Take it like a soldier and get in there and fight." "I could use help." "The only man that gets me will be Wally." "I was so happy when I had just one of them." When we got home I could sense the eight units that were in place and the remainder in the device. I hoped that this insurance was not going to be necessary. Betts helped me pack. I didn't need anything but it looked good. There was no need of leaving a note as I was taking the phone with me. That too was for show. Betts soon went to her knees and sucked me in as a baby did a pacifier. This kept her happy and I ran my fingers through her hair. The lust was building but there was a lot of love their already. About two and a half hours later, I was behind a small strip mall. The ship was nearby. My pack went in first then me. In seconds I was ready to enter boot camp. "What are we doing first, Nadac?" "Your wounds." "Then?" "An examination of your brain? That must be the king's idea. "After that?" "You will study cybernetic devices, especially how to repair them. Later courses will instruct in their manufacture." "What about the combat training?" "That will be directly fed into your mind. It is up to you to increase your speed and agility." "Some fiction stories talk about a guy fighting a mechanical man for practice. Do you have something like that." "No, but it is possible to build a unit like that. You would have to do this with some assistance from me." "I have the feeling that this takes a long time." We landed near the lake and I had time to look around and smell the air. It sure was beautiful here but lonely too. It would be nice to stay here and just relax but I was here to work. My pack went up to where Nadac was. "Nadac," I left the hello to be in my mind and not near the surface so I could appear to be a class conscious Aristis without letting the king know that I was not this way. "I would like to begin now." "Enter your area." I pushed through a small field that I had not seen or felt before. "Was this field here before?" "Yes, Now you are better able to perceive it now." I stripped off my clothes and put them in my pack and relaxed on the pallet. Small remotes buzzed around me and I studied them now. They made complex fields that encouraged the contents of my own cells to respond with a field of their own. The stronger field of the remotes caused the different constituents to realign and thus heal me. ------- Chapter 17 "Nadac, I saw roads and more civilian traffic than I did before. Is this place secure?" "You may talk freely. Rontem cannot intercept our thoughts but may try to find out what we are now discussing at a later time." "Am I going to be able to complete the military training enough to do what I need to do in the ship's computer?" "You see now the amount of effort you need to put out to gain the attributes even of the lowest raking member of the soldier caste. The answer is probably no without the king's express assistance. Your body is simply that of a weak human. Augmentation can assist you but the best is to give you a new body." "That does not seem right to me." "A living being wishes to perpetuate itself not the new body it inhabits. This can be overcome by the new reproductive organs altered to produce children that are very similar to what the parent was." "That makes me feel better, I think. What would I have to do to get this body?" "The king needs to see in you the ideals he himself has." "He's cruel." "He was not always such. The Aristis are a strong race and only a ruthless ruler will survive. He has hardened much in the last few hundred years. I can guide you so that you act as he had done when he was but a youth." "Was he like me?" "No, you are much too sentimental and weak." "I will not be pushed into being harsh or sadistic. I fight people like that." "Then we must think of a different way." "What was the king like as a child?" "He was wilful. All Aristis are that way. Once the hierarchy has been established then the fighting decreases. You may still act like the king if you show your reluctance to being harsh. You will have to find reasons for acting meek and then forcefully stick with them. He was regularly beaten by his peers until he grew strong enough to take the lead. The Aristis males do not have sex with other males for enjoyment. On occasion, one male has to show dominance over another. This has been true of human history and will continue into the future. The rape of your sibling was just such an act." I was hoping to avoid this thought. Mona needed vengeance and I could be the instrument of that retribution but I was not going to fuck a guy. The picture of Paul cropped up suddenly and I suppressed it. Beating this guy or even getting him convicted would be good in the king's eye but I doubt if he wanted the cops to do his duty. Nadac continued, "Rontem had a strong urge to mate. This was considered excessive by Aristis standards but was still acceptable." "I am like him there but I cannot do that well. I am going to produce sperm soon and then I will slow down." "You humans are like that. You use body parts other than your phallus. The Aristis males do not do this much." "Do they fuck more often than humans?" "On the average the answer is yes." "What can I do so that I act more like the Aristis?" "Training of your mind to not ejaculate prematurely would be the simplest answer but you need physical stamina too. The Aristis males have a different phallus that stimulates the females more than the human variety." "You showed me pictures but I saw nothing different." "The phallus of a male canine expands when within the female. The Aristis have the same ability. This gives difficulty when the Aristis female performs oral sex." "Can't the guy keep the head small?" "He could but he has no wish to. The male can increase his length because the phallus is actually muscular and not stiffened by blood vessels alone." "Could I get that improvement as one of the enhancements you mentioned?" "I could do this easily but there has to be a justification. The king will wonder about how well I treat you." "Nadac, what if you thought of me as a son or as you when you were young? Could this help the king see me this way too?" "That is possible. It would explain some of my actions already." "If I was as cute as Paul then I could get what I want." "It is not just the symmetry of the boy's features that cause him to be wanted." "What else?" "You have heard that the Tomma are telepathic. They are the root race from which the Aristis arose. The Aristis let this ability dwindle over the generations. The communications device similar to yours made telepathy a minor and inconvenient ability. The boy you mention has a similar ability to the Tomma. He projects a thought that tells all those that are near him to protect him. Humans have had this ability in a few individuals as you have to manipulate matter at a distance as well as perceive the flux." I asked, "Inconvenient, how?" "The people fought to gain supremacy. A person that could read thoughts was dangerous to all of them. Rather than have a king that would one day have this ability it was actually stricken from the genetic pattern." "Do I have this ability?" "All humans have this ability but it is dormant. If you are referring to ability of your friend then you do not have this either." "Could you give this to me?" "It could be done. Extensive scans were made of you. Both of these abilities could start to become stronger as you approach puberty." "Could I control it? I don't want a guy to like my ass and use me the way Paul was." "You have given me many new avenues to pursue. I had thought I covered many if not all the possibilities and now I find that I am wrong." "A new idea has occurred to me. I needed help to completing the tasks. These new abilities may not be enough as the complexity and difficulty of new tasks present themselves. My friends could help more if they too are enhanced." Nadac paused then said, "Your friends may not stay your friends. If they are given power then they could venture out on their own and bring the attention of others to you." "Would they really do that?" "Power corrupts as it did Rontem. You too are susceptible to this influence. Your friends may be the people that limit the amount of corruption. They are also a threat to you. One of the many variations of the telepathic ability of a male to gain followers. This I could do too but it needs to be constantly broadcast at a low level. This low level will only influence your friends to a minor extent. They will in turn, influence you much more when they give you counsel." "Can this leadership thing be controlled?" "There is little data on this ability. The cybernetic device I now live in has little memory capacity. More was added when my personality was installed. Gaining this information would be nearly impossible." "Would the computer the king lives in have this data?" "The possibility is low even without the damage. Why is it that you ask?" "A soldier could use that ability but I do not want everybody to follow me." "I might point out that you challenged Rontem to allow you to be a tech, a soldier and even an aristocrat. The ability I just mentioned will assist you in gaining at least two of these classes. I do not believe you will be successful but your quest may amuse Rontem. To not accept this ability will lower your chances of a favourable result even further." "How will this affect my mind and personality?" "The process will be slow to form. You may find that you will become overconfident and then fail at an important task." "I can handle that and I have you watching over my shoulder." "The king will be watching me as well as you. I cannot do that much and still remain the level of impartiality I am required to have. I am supposed to be a loyal servant. The best I can do is to tell you how you are hurting the king's objectives by doing or not doing a particular assignment. When you come back here for more enhancements we can talk on what you have already done." "That may have to work but I'm worried." My pains disappeared and I moved my muscles easily. The damaged skin looked as if days had passed. Nadac didn't ask if I was ready or not. I was put to sleep and other areas of my mind activated. I felt no different and there was no pain. It was getting dark and had to ask how much time had passed. It seemed to be a lot more than just what was needed to work on stimulating some specific cells. The cell phone in my pack allowed me to contact Betts but I got Mom first. "Where are you Wally?" "Hello Mom. It is nice to hear your voice. I am sorry I ran off like this but you would argue with me for hours then Pop would take over and do the same. I have enough funds to pay for a special education. Karate training is good but slow. I may be bringing more grief to my family by being home. When I do get home, I will be a bit better able to handle myself." "Are you at some private military camp?" "I wish I was. It is a place for people that are bullied to regain their confidence. I already have that but I need the skills to fight adequately. Staying out of trouble is stressed even more." "Where are you?" "I am only going to say that I am north of Toronto. Having people that are worried about me arriving is not going to help. You can call me though. Just do it at this time. They keep me busy most of the time." "I do not like you running off Wally." "I do not like to have to do it but would you have let me go without a long argument?" "We could have driven you." "Yes, you could but you didn't answer. I love all of you and I can help the family more by being here. May I speak to Betts?" "Here she is. Bye Wally." "Bye Mom." Betts and I talked for twenty minutes and it seemed like twenty seconds. June had to talk too. She told me how she was going to obey me. She was also happy with the way Betts treated her. Patricia was next door but Pop had his turn. He was angrier than Mom at my leaving. He figured that he could protect me if I were home and under his care. I knew that this meant I had to stay in the house or only go with a lot of friends. The call depressed me. Nadac helped by giving me work to do. A total of 3682 crystals had to be processed and I had to start. My world revolved around this task. When my mind was too fatigued to manipulate crystals, I was given exercises similar to karate katas. The images of what to do were within my mind and I just had to copy the image with my actions. The two were not usually that close. When I was fatigued in mind and body I ate then slept to start all over once more. The routine varied only in the time I took at each activity. I could be more productive doing short periods of crystals and exercises. For a treat I could swim in the lake. Phone calls came from Paul and others. Some had not been told of my new address. Paul had been taken by Pops to get a haircut and now he felt like a new man. Miss Lescue must have been told what to do but then again she may have come to this idea herself. Pop had stayed with Paul then he had a haircut too. Pop, as far as I knew, never had a brush cut but they both had one now. It felt good when Paul called him Pop too. The girls phoned and wanted me to 'visit'. I would like this myself as my dick got hard when I listened to them. Gail and the guys called more often and I gave them updates on my supposed work. They too had kept to their karate classes. Gail had not been given a break and three horny guys worked on her all the time. The guys I was told were getting good at pleasing a lady. Gail built up stamina herself and survived. I gave her extra assignments and this required the guys to learn to dance. They were given professional lessons along with the other data an officer had to know to move politely in civilian company. Nadac made a ceramic enclosure with a lot of ceramic fingers intended to hold the crystals. I learned how Nadac grew a bud of the living material that connected the crystals of his home. The bud was brown and flat of about twenty by thirty millimetres. It looked like thin sponge. This was placed by me in the box over thirty nine small crystals. I had to learn how to manipulate the substrate and cause it to interface with the crystals at the point where their lines of force emerged. The crystals then had to be shifted so that their flux blended a specific way. Nutrients, water, light, heat, humidity, air with an excess of oxygen and carbon dioxide. A plant material had been bred to use the same environment and to purify the air and recycle the wastes into the preferred nutrients. Over time the substrate and the plant would grow with it. As more crystals were added they would form a simple computer. The interface was through the crystals and a complex ultrawave generator. The computer could be induced to grow larger. There were limits with this method but a powerful device could be made. The more powerful computers had larger crystals. This process went on until the limits of the technician to align the largest crystals. The size was not dependant on an orderly progression but the ability of the tech to envision the entire crystal and work on a portion at a time. A thousand lesser techs could not do what one master tech could do. They could make a lot more simpler crystals though. Crystals to a small extent and computers bent the lines of force that separated the dimensions when they grew beyond a certain point. This allowed a greater density to be packed into what looked like a small three dimensional area. Crystals were the basis of every advanced civilisation. They were in the unit that healed my skin, allowed faster than light communication and twisted space to allow a ship to slip outside our usual three dimensional universe. They made computers far better than what we could ever do without the limitations of the speed of electricity. Gravity and inertia could be nullified with the right crystals and enough power. Every facet of modern civilisation used at least one form of crystal and the fields they supported. My ability to see these lines of force was credited with my body producing crystals of less than 73 molecules of a crystalline material. This had to be secreted into a special area of my brain and my brain somehow finding the small clumps of matter and then using them by trial and error. I learned that Nadac had produced crystals of only 52 molecules and placed them in my brain. They were different in variety and different again in how they bent force. It was hoped that in time telepathy and the ability to exude the power of compulsion would follow. After three weeks I found that more than my brain had been worked on. When I slept Nadac had changed my body. It was not strength or speed he improved but my cock. He had given me the cock of an Aristis. Mine was still the size I had been before. It would grow faster than the rest of my body in time. Now the head would grow if I did not concentrate to control it. It could gain a centimetre in length. This too I would have to regulate. It was actually a love muscle now but grown to resemble my original equipment. My ability to suppress ejaculation would go up but as yet I was still a boy and it was not necessary. Nadac figured I would only be this way a month or less. I would normally suffer when the batteries had to be recharged but I could avoid a soft dick by suppressing the glandular changes that happened to the normal adult human male. I was told that this was not all Nadac's doing. Rontem had done this to help me. This gave more time for fun but correspondingly less time for work. This must have been a joke for them or him. I needed a lot of focus to gain any of the three classes. If I could not fight the need for sex, I would be stuck as a tech. If I did not master myself then I would not rise very far in this class. Just after the first of September I was scheduled to go home. Outwardly I had changed little. My hair was longer and I could see a faint moustache under my nose. My clothes and shoes fit well but I may have grown a smidgen. My arms and legs were better than before. I could have put the same mass on by exercising how I should have done for karate. The only thing that really pleased me was my reaction time. This had not been augmented. It was just the exercise and the fact that Nadac used holograms to represent opponents. It was not the same as flesh and blood or even ceramic opponents but it was better than none. There had been no outward attacks on the family in my absence. The crystals Betts had implanted could be detected by me from here. They were too far away to actually see. I worked through Nadac's drones to find each one. Mom and Pop had been implanted when they had been asleep. Betts got the rest at Wendy's house but June was the one that got Leslie as she slept. Erica went to the doctors and the growths were removed. At Betts suggestion I wasn't mentioned. I had been tasked during my stay with building a much more powerful computer after the first toy I made. This was a true class 88. It was not what I wanted but it was better than a 90 they were originally wanted to give me. It was far from done though. There were enough crystals to start the unit and the major processing crystals were done. I was to just finish processing the rest of the crystals as they were needed. Unknown to Rotem, I had actually made the major processing unit for an 80. Nadac lived in an 82 and if he migrated then he would be free of the restrictions in his home and gain processing power as well. This meant a lot more work for me because of all the processing I had to do on the side along with my regular work. I piloted the ship home and took my time about it. I orbited the earth twice and landed at the strip plaza where I had left from. The short walk was not as tiring as the walk had been the other way six weeks before. Since I had talked by phone, I knew that I was still wanted in the family. Betts met me at the door and kissed me like a wife. The difference was in her knowledge of how much I loved her. "You are finally home. I am ready for you now." I kissed her tenderly and said, "I am more than ready for you. I have a watery discharge." She smiled quickly and hugged me tighter than before. The munchkins came next and I put a hand under each butt and picked them up. They squealed. I had not been able to do this before. I kissed them quickly. I could not hold them up for long. My knee still was the same as it was before I left. Mom greeted me next with a hug and a kiss. Pop was right behind her with a handshake then a hug. Mom said, "I hope this will end you mysterious jaunts into the wild?" "I am sorry Mom but I need to study next summer and a week at Christmas and one in the spring." "What?" "Mom, you and Pop went to university and had to leave home for a while. I have to learn and I cannot do it all from here." "I was a lot older then." "What if I were taking college level math courses?" "You could go." "For the summer and a few weeks through the year?" "Yes." "Well I am taking a training that will keep me alive as if I went to Japan to take advanced karate training." "You could get that here." "I can concentrate on one goal at a time in camp. I learn faster and better." "Why does it have to be a secret?" "It is far from being sanctioned. I am treated like the Japanese children of five hundred years before. It is harsh and this training would not be allowed normally." "You could have been hurt." "Yes, but I was not. Now if I am attacked I can better handle myself." The guys and Gail were in the room. They stood at parade rest and waited to be noticed. I guess Gail watched a lot of movies to get this right. Gail came forward to get the topic changed and said, "It is good to see you back Wally. We all missed you." I walked over to her and kissed her like I had Mom. "I missed you too. Did the guys take to the rigors of the dance floor?" Mom and Pop knew that Betts was really one of the guys and all took dance lessons. This may have not been macho but when they took karate too then nobody would question their sexual orientation. June stood alone until I noticed her. I gave her a kiss and said, "I'm glad to see you. You look... happy." "I have been the happiest of my life ever since you came into our family. I now have people that understand me and support me." "We will talk later and I can get all the details." "Yes... Sir." I walked over and shook hands with Chuck then hugged him. Jerry and Sam followed. On a chair almost hidden was Paul. He smiled at me and I smiled back. He hurried to me and I hugged him to me too. "Long time, no-see, bud." He simply said, "I'm glad you're back. I tried to keep your munchkins happy but I think they are more happy when you are here too." "It was worry. With me back you will be their primary interest. I almost feel sorry for you." Paul smiled and said, "I can take the abuse." I put my arm around his shoulder and said, "Spoken like I would say. We both know that they only let us believe we are winning." "I know that too." A meal was planned but I had asked days ago that we go out and have a meal and try dancing. Gail was the chauffeur in the bus. She was a lot more comfortable driving it now and moved in and out of traffic with ease. Our goal was a swanky hotel downtown with a good dance floor. We sat at a large table. The requirement was a suit and tie for the gents and we all qualified. Gail had whispered that the guys liked this because of the looks they got. She had them go to hair stylists and taken them out to be properly clothed. They now had very good suits that were not rentals. I had not paid for all of this because the guys had their own money to spend. I tried not to stare at the guys. They acted suave as if born to money. Paul had a similar suit and fit in well as a junior version. The girls wore dresses that came close to being called gowns. Mom and Pop had their clothing from before but Betts had taken out June, Patricia and Liza and dressed them suitably after listening to some good advice from the experts. It looked that we had always eaten with high society. I was actually the most uncouth individual. I had to watch what was done and then copy the others. The guys spoke their minds at the table with a knowledge of politics at all three levels of government. Mom and Pop looked impressed and Gail looked proud. We shifted rooms later and the guys danced with the girls. There were six guys and five girls. I chose to be the odd man out as I watched what was done on the floor. The girls never sat down but one guy had a break every dance. I tried my best. I was not as shy now and my coordination was better but I had never danced before. Over the night I got better but not a lot. We were all beat by the time we went home. The girls had those eyes and that meant that the guys were in trouble. Gail said goodnight and the guys went to change before going home. I don't think they made it or intended to. Paul slept over quite a few nights and now he and the munchkins were in Betts bed. June and Mom kissed and went into the master bedroom. It looked like some hang-ups had been avoided. Betts had been sleeping in my bed ever since I left. She said it was our bed now. We showered up quickly and went to bed. Betts wore a négligée but I knew it was just to wrap the gift I was going to get. She stood beside the bed and waited for me. She said, "Mmmm you have put on some muscle since I saw you last." "You have too but it looks great on you." She just smiled in acknowledgement and said, "I have been waiting all my life for this day to happen." "I am sorry for you having to wait a little longer." "You're here now." I kissed Betts tenderly. I could feel muscle where she had been soft before. Soft girls were nice but Betts made me more excited. When I pulled back from the kiss I began to slowly remove her garment. When it was on the chair I kissed her neck and said, "I love you Betts," before going back for more. Every few minutes I repeated my proclamation as I made love to her body. My hands flowed over her body finding all the sensitive spots. My lips soon followed. When I got to her mons she breathlessly said, "I am ready now Wally." "So am I but I want to hear you scream your joy for me." "I was trying to hold it in." I licked her lips. She was very ready but she relaxed more after a good cum. Once I attached myself to her clit, I got what I was after. She didn't pass out but it was close. When she recovered I was in position and said, "I love you Betts. Are you ready now?" "Oh god. Put it in." My cock was as hard as bone almost. My cells had changed and the true muscle would not go down as much as it had before. It did slip in like a blunt knife. I moved back and forth slowly without penetrating her hymen yet. She breathlessly said, "Oh god, I never knew it could be so good." The feelings coming to me were almost too much. Even with the control I used to have, I would have gone off by now. Her flesh gripped me tightly. If anything I must have more stimulation than when I used her butt last. This had to have been done to me by Nadac. I had to slow down but I didn't dare stop now on Betts. This was so important to her and to us. I gained a bit of control and came to her hymen. Hers had been damaged by fingers too many times to put up much resistance. One strong and unexpected push and I was home. Betts grabbed me tightly and I stayed perfectly still. We didn't need to talk. Betts was the one that gave the exploratory thrusts. "It's ok now." I went very slowly out and then back in. The head of my cock wanted to inflate but this too had to be kept in check. "You are so tight Betts. I feel that this is where I belong." "Keep doing that. You belong just where you are. I love you so much Wally." "I love you too Sweetheart." Betts' reaction to my movements was monitored by a portion of my brain while another part basked in the feeling that my hands, lips and especially my cock gave me. She didn't appear to be in pain at all. Some of the ways I moved made her react more strongly. I explored these moves with some variations. This was all stored away for my enjoyment later. Betts first orgasm caused by my cock jumped at her. She held me so tight I thought she was going to break my ribs. The scream nearly deafened me. Her hips worked feverishly and she fell unconscious. Paul and the munchkins were at the door and I called out quietly. "Betts just had a good one. You go have your own fun while she recovers." They hurried off because they didn't think I would catch them watching. I moved slowly until Betts came to her senses. With her looking at me with more love than I had ever seen before I started up once more. When Betts came next so did I. It felt like my balls went out through my cock. The feeling was so intense that I too almost blanked out. My balls were pumping and pumping but this time I had something to give. Betts only felt some of this because she passed out again. We had one more each before I pulled out. I was damaging her vagina and she would need time to heal. Betts woke up during the night and I slipped into her other hole while I caressed her clit. Her face was in the pillow so she didn't wake anybody up. After dawn I woke up and went back where I was before with a barely awake Betts. This was as good as the last and we went back to sleep again. June brought us breakfast in bed. She hung her head. She was naked. I could see the marks on her body to show that she thoroughly enjoyed her own night. "What is it, Slut?" "I have been ordered to bring you two this food. Mom says you both need it." June held the tray as Betts and I ate from it. Betts made sure the tray hung below June's mons. Our buttery toast got soggy but the taste was out of this world. We all went for a shower with June twitchy and unfulfilled. She was kissed and touched in love and beyond the agony of not finding release she loved it. Mom and Pop had not gone to work yet. They both smiled at us. Mom said, "How was your first night as a woman?" Betts had not let go of me and looked at me instead of her mother. "He was worth waiting for. He thought of me all the time. I am a little sore now and he made me happy I was his woman by... using other openings." "Not all girls are as lucky their first time." I said to Mom, "I have a watery discharge now. I may not likely make a woman pregnant but it is remotely possible. I'm glad I followed your rules." "It is not often a young person admits something like that. It's good you're back. The court date with Tony Caputo is coming up. His father," Mom smiled now, "can't seem to get out of the country. A judge put an order on him that keeps him in Toronto." Pop said, "We heard news from the police that guard Leslie and her family that they have evidence on Caputo that goes back to the first bicycle he ever stole." I said, "Since he is not in jail he can skip easier. He should be behind bars." "He has good lawyers." Mom asked, "What are your plans today?" Betts said, "Karate again then a visit over to Wendy's. Wally is going to show us some of the moves he learned." "At Wendy's or the dojo?" Betts got a little red but she managed to say, "Maybe both." Pop said to me, "Are the ladies and you taking precautions?" "They are on the pill. The ladies went through tests and I did the same. We are and were clean. Since there is a few days left before school I thought it a good idea to go to the beach. Would you join us this Saturday and stay over until Sunday morning?" "I would love to but Leslie invited us over for the weekend. She can't go with us yet and it feels wrong to leave when she cannot." I nodded my head because I understood him well. June left for work but only after Mom and Pop kissed her goodbye. June seemed happier now. Pop seemed a bit embarrassed but Mom put on a proud demeanour. I kissed Betts. "How are you feeling? I want the truth." "Happy." "I mean your pussy." "It's still purring." "Betts, two days before we poke around that area I guess." "I can take you now, big guy." "And set back your recovery." "You could have taken your slut this morning." "She is not mine any more." "How do you get that idea?" "She belongs to Bert and Lillian now." Betts did some thinking and said, "I guess you're right. She'll do what we want too." "Yes as long as we don't put her in conflict with her masters." "I have another sister." "Don't worry about me. I am not sex starved. We can make each other happy the old ways. Patricia and Liza may be willing but I think Paul is the one that will help them through that time." "You may be right there too." The munchkins got up with their man between them and they went to the bathroom. They helped each other dress and came down to eat. We had to hurry. Karate was next. The guys dressed like the sons of rich parents but still casually. They looked good and quite different from most of the guys I had seen at school when we were in grade seven. Gail appeared to be their common wife now. She was happy too in this role. The guys cleaned up after themselves and helped Gail with her business. They just fit together so easily now. The guys casually touched Gail and I could see a lot of love there. How long it would last was a different matter. We talked about shop on the trip. They wanted to know what I had learned. I had not learned karate though. My training was in what the Aristis had used that did much the same thing. It had more refinements because of its much longer history. The Aristis body was not exactly like ours and modifications had to be made for some moves. The rest needed no change. Mr Kazuyoshi welcomed me back. We were never friends though. He wanted to see what I knew. I came at him knowing full well that I was wild and this was my first real opponent since learning these moves. It was only when I landed a glancing blow to his chest that he took me seriously. His attacks were purposely slow and I blocked what I could. Some blows hit my head but lightly. He was very good with his legs and feet and my knee prevented me from doing as good as I was trained. I had never slowed down and used full force and speed trusting in Mr Kazuyoshi ability to protect himself. We did not stop until I was on the ground and too tired to continue. He actually smiled and offered me a hand. This was something I had never seen him do before. "You have done fairly well Mr Kiefer. Some of your moves are unorthodox but still effective. Your instincts are very good for the amount of training you have received. The knee of yours is the only hindrance to your acquiring a black belt some day." "Thank you Sensei Kazuyoshi. I was taught the simplest moves that I was able to handle. I would be no good against an opponent with even a year of training. I may do poorly against a large opponent too but this was thought the best I could accomplish in the short time I had." "You have developed more of your body so I needn't ask if you have been exercising. Now the rest of you pair off." I got Paul and we snarled at each other in mock anger. He was actually doing pretty good for his age. Betts and I got dropped off at Wendy's while Gail continued on. I heard that the guys were actually thinking of making an infrequent foray to their own families. They knew about the beach but would not go with us. They would get Sunday and Monday instead. Wendy and Erin met us at the door. Ashleigh and Erica were slightly behind but I knew that Elaine and Shirley were not here. The cop was easy to spot in the back yard even though he was out of sight. Leslie came out in a light dress once more and kissed us like family or perhaps a bit better. "It is nice to see you back Wally. I hope you are happy with your education." "Only for the moment. Our sensei thought I did well for the time spent." "And you never had karate before?" "Only what I saw on television." "You are doing well then. The girls are anxious to renew their friendship. They have been doing a considerable amount of work with the other children in need of support. Your Betty pushes them hard to get the most done. I think it has been good for them to look beyond themselves." "A social conscious is important but knowing oneself is important too." "I'm sure it is." Erica kissed me with a passion and whispered, "We heard that you are more of a man now." "Only a little more but an important part." "We wanted to find out ourselves. I want to thank you for what you told me. The doctor said they were small but could grow big." "You're welcome. I just noticed what made you feel uncomfortable. Maybe I should do a through medical examination in that area. I never really played doctor." I went around the house checking for bugs. The ones before were still in place but a few more were added. I came upon the safes and was surprised to see that two of them were the same as they had been when I saw them originally. I had only assumed that they had been entered. Could the police have missed them in the search? They were well hidden and the main safe would draw the majority of the police focus. The safes contained legal papers, drugs, money, jewellery and some guns. I did not want to be cruel to Leslie but I wanted her to live with us. It would keep her busy and productive even without getting pregnant. I would let her have some of the wealth but only enough for her to feel that she was contributing her share. Wendy's room and Leslie's were not bugged. It had to be the police. Leslies activities with the girls would be against the law because of their age. What I did to Erin was illegal too. At the moment they were only microphones and I would try to find a way to let them stay without arousing their suspicions. The house was not mine yet. Caputo wanted more money and nobody would bid against me. If he had to stay in Canada then he may keep the properties and sell them through his lawyers from jail. Only a small proportion of his assets were legally mine. Thirteen residential properties and four commercial structures were owned. The tenants owned the business but I owned the property. The shipping company and the data processing unit would take a long time. I suggested that we increase our offers of imaginary money. The funds would disappear later. Making better offers all at once on all the properties would be fishy. The lawyers of our lawyers would be meeting Caputo's lawyers with an offer for the shipping company that appeared to compete against what another team of lawyers were offering. If he got rid of his major assets then we felt he would be suitably disposed to sell the remaining smaller possessions. The farm where the killings took place was a pariah to him while many other rural properties were not. These we purchased quickly. The authorities found unmarked graves on one property and could on one more. Similar searches of the residential properties found only one body and this may very well be that of Frank Pallo's wife that supposedly ran off. The body was near the pool and not far from me now. This fact would come out on the web site within minutes. The coincidence was planned to get my way in another matter. Caputo may have had nothing to do with this but it would hurt his ability to sell the property for the price he was now demanding. It would be advantageous for the police to find alternate accommodations for the family while the gristly search was conducted. That was the day I wanted the family to go with us to the beach. A new search of the house may find the cash. I had brought my pack with a change of clothing. Betts had hinted strongly of her loaning me to the girls. A sleep-over was not out of the question. I coaxed the girls into one of bedrooms in the basement. It was not only the furthest from the microphones but visitors could not see us and best of all it contained a safe in the cement foundation walls. A room just a few metres away held a similar safe in another wall. Wendy came into my arms first. There was no need to talk about a reason for being here. The other girls were already removing their clothes even Erin. As we kissed, Betts worked at getting my clothes off since I was busy. Erica did the same thing for Wendy. It took only a few minutes for Wendy to lay on her back on the bed with her knees up. I kissed her neck instead. "Wally, I am ready. In fact I am more than ready. Just put it in." "You women are so quick. Do you remember what happened last time?" "How can I forget?" "Let me continue as I want. You will not regret the time taken." "Well, if you say so." "I say so, now put your legs down. I want to make you really want to pick up your legs." "I want to now." "Not like later." Erica and Betts were going at it but Erin had nobody and neither did Ashleigh. Betts took pity on the child and got her to sit on Ashleigh's face. Ashleigh pushed the child off. "She's only a kid." "She is all you have got. Treat her right and she will do the same to you. We will be changing partners." "Well, ok." I made love to Wendy. I was not as slow as last time but I was far from fast. Kisses went down Wendy's body and up again. She was almost a bowl of jelly and we had just begun. A few minutes I shifted and Wendy's legs spread as wide as she could to give me room. I was rock hard again but treated Wendy like a virgin. I never stopped like I did with Betts. Unlike Betts, I let my head grow and even gained a bit in length. Wendy was reacting nicely before but now it was different. She held me tightly to me as her legs went around. I was stuck inside her and she was not going to let me go. She was not tight but she felt better than I thought she would be considering how easily she took my hand. She urged me on but became more and more incoherent the longer we made love. Her sudden scream almost deafened me. I didn't let her rest and continued to push my hips into her. I never went fast and considering the size of my head I didn't want to yet. The second one took longer. Her fingernails raked my back as she tried to push more of me into her. The third one was even more intense for us as I released what I had to offer into her cavity. Wendy had seized up though. I slowed down and stopped. "How are you feeling Wendy?" "I have never been fucked as good as that before. Some big guys took me. I had orgasms but they were like babies compared to you. It feels like you have a club in me." That is the difference again about making sex or making love." "I am all for love and I love you." "Let's see if I can make another convert." Wendy pulled me close and said, "Erica already loves you too and I don't mean lust." I kissed her gently and said, "I know." Ashleigh came next. Everybody shifted over one. Ashleigh was tighter and she came quicker too. She raked my back like Wendy had done. Her screams were not as loud. If I was working at the other end with my lips and tongue my hair would be pulled. The girls loved it when my cock curled because it was muscle. The head scraped the 'G' spot repeatedly. This sent the girls into orbit and they didn't quite know why. Ashleigh just went to sleep so Erica came into the bed next. Instead of starting I lay on her and used my fingers to trace her features. She was so beautiful. She said, "What do you see?" "A beautiful woman. Your face and body are fantastic. What is behind the face is beautiful too." "What do you mean?" "You are gentle, caring, intelligent, loving and have a beautiful disposition." "Does that mean you love me?" "Of course." She looked a bit surprised and said, "Really?" "I love all of you but I am human. Some I love a bit more." "Then make love to me." I did as she asked. I went slower and showed more love to her and she reciprocated by going to sleep twice on me. I got a chance to see the small scars that I hoped would leave her body some day. There didn't seem to be any other growths in the area. Betts was next she got the same loving but I parked in my other spot. She too went for a nap. Erin looked both sad and hopeful. She didn't have the other munchkins with her but she still wanted her share. I gave her the same treatment as Betts but it was not quite as intense to put her to sleep. She held me close after and I knew she was in love at least until Paul came around. Leslie had a big smile for us when we came up. The girls looked happy and I guess I did too. She asked Erin, "Did you have a fun time too?" Erin eagerly hugged my arm. Her mother knew she was in love and hopefully knew that I had left her small vagina to Paul of to when she grew more. After a nice meal I said, "I want to go to the beach in two days. Mom and Pop will be off. They want to come here and... relax. I want them to go with me. I don't want to leave any of you here. The summer vacation is almost over and I have not played in the sand." Leslie said, "Security may not want us to go." "Put up a fuss. It is for Saturday and a partial Sunday." "I would love to go but I don't see much hope. Maybe you can take the girls." "And leave Pop and Mom here alone with you to mope about. I don't think so." "We could play a board game." This was said with a big smile. "Phone them up and see if they will spring for the extra duty." "I'll try." She didn't get a chance. Two detectives came to the door and were let in. Leslie went out into the pool area to talk. Leslie came back a half hour later. She was all white. I had to assume the police told her about the info on the site. The two men were right over the spot. I had never looked down to see. Finding a body in a casket was one thing but somehow one that had been dead for years bothered me more. "I was told I had a good idea. They want us to go with your family. They want to finish the search they started before." The girls were happy but Wendy could see something wrong. I said, "Perhaps we can start early. Mrs Watson may come around with the bus and take us for a drive. We have room for one of the city's finest to go with us. Will you ask?" While she left I said to Ashleigh and Erica, "We really can't go to the beach without you two. Two girls that had looked sad a moment before squealed in pleasure. I added, "Ask Elaine and Shirley if they want to come." I got another squeal. Betts just rolled her eyes. Leslie got permission and Gail only had the munchkins so she was happy to help. The girls started to pack. Betts and I went downstairs. I had a pair of dishwashing gloves that were under the sink. She stayed away and would keep anybody from trying the door as I worked. She didn't know what I was doing but would still help. The safe was hid very well and there was a complicated mechanism to open it. There was also a claymore to kill anybody near that didn't do this right. The safe was stripped and then I put what I did not want back in. The paperwork I studied. It was not related to Frank much. It looked to be more for Carmen or his son. They were over at the house enough that they would have access to this and the other safe. The cash went in my pack. Everything else went back. The only thing I did extra was deactivate the claymore. The other safe was similar. One document had to do with Frank. He admitted to have killed his wife for the insurance. He had screwed up and he would have to wait until she was legally termed dead but he did not want the police to put two and two together. The policy was there in evidence. Frank would have destroyed these documents if he could and it had to be blackmail aimed at controlling Frank. This safe had a lot of cash and negotiable documents. Caputo or somebody made sure anybody could cash them. There was nearly three and half million in American funds so Caputo would have to come here at some time to recover this. The cash was over a half a million alone to round the figure out to about four mill. The bonds and cash stayed with me as did the confession and the policy. I figured it may be possible for Wendy and Erin to collect even though it looked like their father killed their mother. The booby trap was deactivated like the last and the safe closed up. The pack was really full of clothes. When I came out of the second room I hung them up in another room to get later. Betts watched intensely. I slipped the confession up into the suspended ceiling and placed the paper in a brace between the joists. She said nothing. I just gave her a quick smile and said, "We are going to have to talk later." "I'd like that." By the time Gail came, there were fourteen cops in or near the house. None had shovels but they would be handy as soon as we left. We got a good looking woman cop by the name of Sandy to stay with us. I said to Sandy, "There is a possibility of hardship duty." She looked at me seriously. I said, "I want to call my parents. They may get Friday off. We are going to the same place. The guys liked Sandbanks Provincial Park near Kingston. We camp for an extra day. If you pull short straw you may be forced to go with us. If you knew about it ahead of time it is possible that your husband or boyfriend could just happen to meet us there." "Thanks for the offer. I'd like to go but my boy would miss me." "Not the father?" "The father... is not interested." "How old is your son?" "He was nine just last month." "The munchkins are going and maybe the boy Paul. We have lots of tents and gear. The boy can be our guest. You have to supply a bathing suit for both of you but even that is optional." "I can see why all your ladies like you. Wouldn't Willy... cramp your style?" "He would make a great diversion as I get to know my friends better." "I must be getting old. I didn't think of that." "Will you come?" "I'll think on it. I haven't drawn any straws yet." Gail was apprised of our nebulous plans and liked them. She seemed to like Sandy too but I doubted if Sandy was the type or a person that would jeopardise her job and career even if she was interested. Few women would have sex with another woman but the ones that were severely hurt by men were more inclined. If it did happen, it would be after a long period of getting to know each other first. Ashleigh called her foster parent and asked to go to the beach. Sandy took the phone to say who she was and that an escort would be going along too. Ashleigh whooped for joy when she was allowed. Erica was next then they called Elaine and Shirley so they could ask too. By this time we were at Gail's. We left for the house as I gave the bad news to Mom and Pop. Mom I called first. "Hi Mom." "Hi Wally. What's up? Oops shouldn't have put it that way." "I will get even with you now." "How. I talked to Leslie about going to the beach. The cops came to the house to search more and they were happy to get rid of Leslie and her kids. We are at Gail's now. My psychic abilities say that there is a good chance you will be sick tomorrow. The same malady will happen to Pop. The both of you will have to come to the beach with us along with our police escort." "How did you manage that? You are one sneaky and very capable young man." "That is my secret. We have tents. We have a motor home but not enough room. I am aiming for Sandbanks near Kingston." "That is all booked up in March never mind now." "We already have the site Mom." "You do?" "For Saturday night but we can go to a private camp for Friday if necessary." "You won't get Friday too. That and Saturday are booked solid." "Mom." "Yes?" "Leslie came into the house after talking to the detectives. She was white as a sheet. She will need you even if it just to hold onto." "Put her on." "I will. I can use another phone to call Pop if you want." "I'll take care of that Wally." I gave the phone a minute later to Leslie and left with Wendy. I got them all distracted by setting up the tents. We didn't have enough tents, inflatable mattresses or summer weight sleeping bags. Gail was sent to the phone to order more and have them delivered tonight. Mom came home early and went immediately to Leslie. They went in the bedroom but I doubt if it was to have fun. Pop was next and I simply pointed the way and he too went in. Gail said, "What's wrong?" "Something that frightened Leslie quite a bit. Sandy knows but may not be able to tell you. If you get the information keep it quiet." "You don't want to know?" "The Swami may not want to hear it." While Gail went to grill Sandy, I planned on what we were going to eat tonight. In an hour Mom and Pop came out. Both looked upset. Gail had got an answer and she was even more upset. Betts had asked me and I shook my head. She went to get June and bring her here. She belonged with her group and her lovers. I made supper but the adults were not too hungry. They drank some strong lemonade that seemed to help a bit. Sandy didn't comment on the strange taste in her drink. ------- Chapter 18 The supplies came over and I paid for them in cash. The delivery person got the change which happened to be $57. He seemed happy. The girls put up more freestanding tents. These were all high quality products with a good fly that came to the ground but was actually pulled out for ventilation. The larger ones were well over a thousand dollars so they should be good. I went to Sandy and said, "When you are off-duty, you could bring your son over for a visit. You do not have to stay but you can at least see the dynamics." "Thanks, I did make a call and volunteered. Since the kids don't like men. I asked for some of the female officers. We don't know if any of us are going but somebody has to." "There are enough tents for a jamboree. Do any of the other officers want to bring their children or mates? It makes for a nicer outing for all of us." "They may like that but they can't play hockey." "We bring the kids and the fathers drive up tomorrow or Friday night." "That might be fun if you have the room." "Count the tents and their size. Count the people add who might also come." "Who gets the big tents?" "One is for me and my friends. They get noisy and would disturb the other campers." "We all heard the noises they make. You're quite famous." Instead of turning red I smiled and said, "Why thank you. I try my best and sometimes it's enough." "What if other girls come?" "The ones with me were hurt. It's a self-help group in a way. I don't need any girls beyond Betts." "That's good to hear but it doesn't look that way." "Leslie said the same thing. I am plotting a course that will allow them to heal. I may be able to handle more than one lady but my time with more than one would not make it worthwhile for any of us." "Not too many men would admit that." "That is the difference between lust controlling the mind or love doing the same thing." I used the computer to talk to the guys about the beach. They wanted to go too. The threat to our security made this impossible. The guys acted like soldiers now. The girls would pick up on it and things would start to click. They had seen what Nadac put on the net, especially the farm. They watched pictures of themselves acting like commandos. They may remember what it was really like. Nadac made sure by showing them the way it happened. This inspired the guys including Betts to do better. They wanted to become those commandos. I reported to them that I had been given info about the two additional safes. They were surprised at the cash, bonds and the confession. The body in the garden shocked them. My idea to allow the cops to find the two documents met with their approval. It was doubtful if the girls would get the money from any insurance policy until they were at least eighteen if not twenty one. The cash would go to all three with Leslie controlling it. The bonds like the money belonged to Caputo. I would keep the negotiable securities. It was not greed though that made me do this. Leslie may be tempted to think she could handle the money. I wanted her still dependant on Mom and Pop but not completely. She would enter the family with her head held high and her share fully paid. Sandy got confirmation of who was going. She liked my suggestion of bringing her son Willy. Mom got permission for Paul to go with us and three girls were cheering now. At nine another woman officer by the name of Brenda arrived. Sandy left to get prepared. She would be sleeping in a tent tonight with her son. When Sandy came back she looked bad and Gail went to see what had happened. It came out later that they had found a body in the garden. By nine that night Nadac got news through the lawyers that Caputo was taking our offer on the group of assets including the former Pallo house. A late night call had to be made because Caputo wanted this problem to leave him. He figured we would lose now when the information hit the news. We would not be able to sell for as good a price either. We were not selling though. Paul and I went out and got Willy. He was overweight and defensive much like Paul had been. We lured him away from his mother with the promise of food. He got some but had to split it with Paul and me. The munchkins attacked. I had got Paul away by asking them to stay. Paul was the alpha male. He was also the only male. I guess he saw little threat and invited Willy to see 'their neat' tent. Erin may be able to sleep with them but it had not been discussed. Erin wanted a mattress and sleeping bag for her new friend. Competition for Paul's eye may have heated up. Betts showed Elaine and Shirley where they would be sleeping tonight. A back yard may not be nice but Betts promised that I would be there. I didn't want to miss this and I was sure the king didn't either. The girls tried bathing suits to test their claws but it was just Pop and I. He only had eyes for Mom and Leslie. The girls had to go back to regular clothes because of the mosquitos. We had a cookout on the barbecue and toasted marshmallows. We stayed up until eleven. The police were guests now and I stayed with them along with Gail. I could see Pop eying the tent and wanting to see his women in it. June could not openly sleep there so she came with the girls and I. Having her loose for Gail to pick up was not a good idea either. When it looked like the officers could handle themselves, I went to bed. There was a suck-a-thon going on. I liked making love but this was fun too. I just wiggled in until I found something that looked tasty. Somebody else found something they liked too. In half an hour I was behind Betts and working slowly. She was still in a bit of pain and for this reason I was going slow. I worked much faster on the rest and didn't forsake June. Our tent was not loud because the screams were muffled by pussy. All the ladies were happy before I went to sleep. Mom was up early and that meant her two mates were too. Breakfast was made for us and we climbed out of bed and headed for the bathroom in Gail's home. I was naked and didn't care who saw. The policewoman were talking and pointing at our tent a lot when we were busy. Paul laughed at my attire and Willy blushed but I ignored them. The munchkins thought I looked just right. Another officer by the name of Lauren arrived during the night. She brought a child of three and one of five. Brenda had two daughters, Megan at 14 and Christy at 16. She had talked them into coming. I did the inviting and now it might just bite me. We struck the tents and got everything ready. The police women had made a list during the night. We had lots of room so we brought what was on it. I emptied my pack in Gail's home by stacking it on the beams in the basement over the suspended ceiling. I just kept a pack of fifties which were the smallest denominations in the safes. I was running low on cash again. The bus held 17 if we took all those not adult yet except the two infants. I still considered 5 an infant but then again Erin had sex with me and she was only two years older. Another possibility was that June rode with Pop, Mom and Leslie. The car might get quite steamy by the time the three hour trip was over. If Pop was driving then he was going to be very horny by the time we set up camp. We would have to hide any activity in the motor home so the children could be safer with us. The munchkins could go behind the back seat with Paul and play the whole trip. I gave my assumptions to the adults. I would let them decide. In a moment June was hugging Leslie so I knew that we had two extra seats and not one. The 5 year old was Tom and his brother John was 3. They would be going with us and fill all 17 spaces. Two of the seats were in the front with Gail. This may be a good place for me to hang out and catch some additional sleep. Only one car was going besides Mom's minivan. As we set off we went by Canadian Tire and got three pairs of walkie talkies and some extra batteries. This way the three cars could communicate with some extras. We were soon on the 401 heading east. Tom and John delighted in talking to their mother in the other car and this kept them busy. Willy was shocked at the way the three munchkins kissed poor old Paul. He took it like a man though. Erin pulled Willy close and kissed him too. The boy had just gone to heaven. Megan and Christy were surprised at this but then Betts sizzled them by the way she made a presentation out of kissing me. She looked at the two strange girls and said, "Wally is good at kissing and it certainly helps pass the time." Wendy said, "I'd like to try that too. Is he really good Betty?" "He is young and should get better as he gets older. Try it. Maybe you can teach him something new." "I'd like to try that. Wally, will you and Betts change seats?" I was abused for a long time. They went from kissing to holding my body. The two boys were telling their mothers exactly what was happening. Erin went up front and kissed each of them a few times then sauntered back to her chair. The airwaves heated up then. Tom, the older, said, "Mom wants you to go to channel three." I did as I was asked. Brenda said, "What are you doing in there?" "I am being passed from one girl to the next. I do laundry. I cook and clean. I cut grass and dig in the garden. I try to do my best but I get abused. Perhaps I should go into your car and sit in the back between you and Sandy. I can tell you my troubles and maybe you can think of how I can escape." "I would not trust you back here." "You called to see if your daughters are safe. Willy looks to be happy but I would not trust him far. Erin showed him how to kiss and he may prevail upon your daughters." I handed the radio to Megan and said, "Tell your Mom how lecherous Willy looks." "Hi Mom. Wally looks more lecherous. He is hiding a weapon in his pants. I can perform a citizen's arrest and disarm him?" The reply came back. "Don't do it. You could get shot." There was a lot of laughter coming from the radio after that. A few seconds later the driver called out. "If he has something bigger than a pistol call us right away. It takes a professional to handle situations like that." We got an, "Ewwww," from Megan and she said no more. I got abused less but the kisses showed love instead of burning desire. This I liked better and gave back as good as I got. In a feat worthy of Hercules we pulled into the park and I was still dressed. There was no space for us at the camp site but day camping was open. We were on a waiting list but already far down. I went to the public phone to use the book and searched for an available site away from the park. I gave Pop's credit card number to keep the site for us. The rest had taken off for the beach. The day was warm with a strong onshore wind. The waves were beautiful. We pitched a large tent on the beach so the youngsters could get out of the sun. My job was to slick down the girls and surprisingly Megan came over. I did her as good as the rest but this meant going a centimetre beyond the hem of their clothing. She liked the attention but one of the policewomen were watching every once in a while. I went over to Brenda, the mother of the girls and started to do her skin to. I did under her breasts but not quite as far as I had with her daughters. She looked a bit testy. Lauren was next and enjoyed the way I rubbed the skin on her back. I didn't get to go too high on her legs before she said, "I can do that myself, thanks." Sandy was last and I could go further but not too far. She did say thanks nicely. I captured the kids one at a time and did them too. John didn't want it but I talked him into it. Pop took care of his ladies including Gail. Mom did me. I gave her a kiss on the cheek when I said thanks. Pop used the motor home to make lunch. He had to work a lot to feed us. The kids had good appetites and they would probably get better when supper came. Our offer for Caputo's shares in the Data Centre was well received. We hinted that we may go a bit higher if there were more shares. This meant that Caputo had to go after Vessio and talk him into selling. We went back to the beach. The boys already there came to our area attracted to the honey. The munchkins went to the action and got their man or men to put lotion on their skin. Willy was being trained quite well. Wendy did Betts in front of the guys. The top portion of Betts suit came off. Betts moaned at the caresses. The guys naturally got boners. Ashleigh did Erica but it just happened that Erica did not make it to the towel before the guys saw her nipples. Elaine and Shirley tried to push it further but not a lot. Elaine said casually to Shirley, "I am going to get burned on my breasts. My hands have sand on them. Would you do them for me please?" Elaine layed down and Shirley's hands did her chest then slipped under the cups. Elaine's nipples got big and she groaned and wiggled. Her hand went down and rubbed down and up the cloth over her pussy. I was to one side watching the action when I was paged, "Hey," Betts called. "Come here kid. We need somebody to put this stuff on us and you look to need a job." "A job?" "Sure. Rub this lotion on us and I will give you ten bucks for each one you do." "Ten bucks is not much." "Ok twenty," she threw me the bottle and asked, "What's your name?" "Wally." "Well start with me, Wally Wonderful." I massaged the lotion into Betts' legs and went up into her suit. She only wiggled and groaned. When I finished her back she turned over and flashed the guys then put the top loosely over her breasts. I worked up again and went into her bottoms from one direction then the other. Betts started to shake and groaned loudly. When she recovered I moved northward and put lotion on her breasts. My movements dislodged the garment but my hands covered her. After a moment she pulled me down for a kiss and said, "Go to the next." I demanded like a kid, "Hey, when do I get my twenty bucks?" "When you have done us all kid." Some guys could not take it and had to hurry off to beat the snake into submission. Erica said, "I hate sunburn on my nips. You better do them well." "I will do my best lady." "A kid like you can go far." I got very little swimming in as I was transformed from a kid the girls found on the beach to a personal servant. The guys on the beach stayed around and some men watched with binoculars from the distance. Guys around eighteen to thirty came by and took up positions nearby. The girls were now worried but Betts kept them from running. Lauren was nearby and she had her gun in her bag so there was no worry but it would also be good to let the girls know that they were free and safe but only so far. Dad made supper but I knew he had lots of help. The girls were happy to get away from the beach now. We purchased bags of wood and had a small fire in the receptacles provided. With us all together the girls felt safe again. Men still came near our motor home but the girls only caught sight of a few. The policewomen were vigilant. We left before it got too dark so we could set up camp in the private camp. The site we got was not good but it was the only one available. The munchkins and their men got a tent of their own and an admonishment not to leave unless they went with an adult. Tom and John wanted to sleep with them. Everybody was so tired that they just wanted sleep anyway. Two men came into the camp later and kissed their wives. We had already pitched tents for the families with Megan and Christy sharing our two tents. The girls were worried and tired. They would settle down after a kiss. Well nearly. I was up early and started breakfast. The adults got up and I pointed to the coffee then to a job they could do to help. Both men grumbled a bit good-naturedly and started to make toast or fry bacon on our camp stoves. I purchased the units and I wanted to try them out. Sausage was cooked in two pans because of the quantity and I began to fry eggs three at a time. It may have been too much at home but not here. Preparing food was a big production. I did learn some shortcuts and how to get more help. We went back to the beach but now we were kids playing in the water. The two fathers pitched in and made lunch. It was hotdogs so it was easy. The guys returned and I stood watch to protect the pack. There were no threats but I was cautious. Sandy came up to me. "Tired?" "Not yet." "Watching for trouble?" "Yes. Probably none but I feel safer with you guys here and a bit more if I am watching." "I feel like that sometimes too. I guess you're more grown up than I thought." "There are two men, three hundred and twenty metres at fifty seven degrees. They just have binoculars. They look old and horny." "Maybe I'll go have a look." "Another man could be covering the two from a distance. He hasn't moved in forty minutes." "You don't sound worried." "Not a good position to take out a target. They do not have an adequate withdrawal route nearby. Any shooting and hundreds would see them." "We'll still have a look." "Thanks. It eases my mind." The three woman carried their bags and headed down the beach. They cut in towards the dunes. They split up as they got near the men. First one man nearly shit himself when one woman came upon him from only a few metres away. The outer two were the same. The women came back without drawing their guns. Their hands were in their bags all the time though. Sandy returned with a big smile. "The singleton can hardly walk and can see the area well from where he was sitting. The other two were checking out the youngsters. There is no law against that." "Thanks Sandy. I don't know what I would do if they were hurt." I went for a piss and on the way back picked up my art supplies and a sheet of plywood with a thin rubber mat on it. I drew for a few minutes then watched for trouble. It took a while but I drew all three woman holding guns like the ads for Charlie's Angels. Their faces were clear and so were their bodies because of their bathing suits. Megan and Christy had tried to play alone but were drawn to the other girls. I drew them playing beach volleyball. Their legs were taut and their breasts moving with their movements. This had to be two drawings. Willy was drawn with a look of surprise when Erin first kissed him. It was not a Norman Rockwell but it looked good. Tom and John were building a large sand castle with an intensity on their faces beyond their years. With some time left I drew me putting lotion on Betts' back. The boys on the beech I drew with stunned expressions and bathing suits under tension. The two fathers I drew working on hotdogs. Each one was popping one in his mouth with a second in his other hand. They may have done this but I didn't know. We went back to the vehicles later and drove them to the campsite or to a place to park the cars. The campsite was cleared of twigs and rocks and we put the tents in orderly rows. After today I had the youngest members placed in the centre. The adults were placed along the most likely path an intruder would take. The two tents with the girls were on both sides of the children. When supper was being prepared I started on individual pictures of the three cops. Nobody but the youngest came near to see what I was doing. They did get excited when they saw that their mother Lauren was the subject of one drawing. There was a lot of talk during the meal but it was after the plates were cleaned up that I brought my work out. They were quiet as they looked at their pictures until the older guys saw themselves as eating machines. They laughed really loud and had to sit down or they would fall. The girl's didn't laugh at Charlie's Angels but they smiled at me. I was thanked by everybody. After Brenda hugged me her daughters did the same thing with a kiss even if their parents saw this. We didn't go back to the beach but wandered the extensive nature walks. I put Betts at point and I took tail. We didn't need flankers but nobody got far from us. The girls were more circumspect tonight. I felt uneasy and I guess it showed. I went to sleep with the girls but around one had to get up. I sat at the base of a tree wondering what I was doing when I heard a sound behind me. I turned and saw a man walking clumsily toward out camp. He was trying to be quiet but not doing that good of a job. The man was unarmed. When he got close I was able to see into his wallet and actually pick out his name from his driver's licence. He was from Regina so it was unlikely that Caputo had sent him here. He went to the tents and touched them and seemed to get some sort of sexual gratification. He moved to the children's tent and stayed there a bit longer then finally to the last tent of the girls. He tried to peek inside but it was too dark. He moved to Lauren's tent and I whispered. "Lauren has a gun. Her children are in the camp. She might not know that you are only a peeping tom and shoot you." The man had frozen at the sound of my voice but when I talked about shooting him he fled as fast as he could. He fell nearly a dozen times before he got to the rough road then he fell again. People came out of the tents now with flashlights. Sandy's voice was demanding what was happening. I said, "An unarmed pervert came through the camp. He had to be looking for a pair of your sexy underwear." "Where did he go?" "North until the first intersection then east. You won't see him again." "What happened?" "I felt uncomfortable and got up and waited. A guy of about sixty stumbled through the brush to get here. He felt the first tent with the girls in it and shivered. He walked to the one with the children and shivered more. The last tent he tried to look in and couldn't see anything. I told him about Lauren's nasty disposition and how she would shoot first because her children were here." "She would too. How did you know he was unarmed?" "The sound of his clothing as he moved. He touched branches but every sound was soft. You can find him if you follow your nose. I know he pissed himself but he may have shit himself too." "He's gone?" "Yes and I don't feel any anxiety." "Maybe I should stay up now." "Suit yourself but you can go to sleep." "You going to sleep?" "As soon as I water the lilies." "Me too I guess." I said, "I'll hold your hand while you squat." "I meant go to bed." "I'll still hold your hand." "There was more than one pervert in this camp." "I was frightened. I just needed some reassurance." "Go to sleep or I will arrest you for verbally molesting an officer while she is camping." The girls were all awake. I said, "Go to sleep. There's no danger." When I got back in my tent I was hugged by all of them and they slept close. I didn't mind even if it was warm. I woke up later than usual and felt lips on a senseitive portion of my anatomy. My special sight showed Betts settling down on me as the girls helped her. Somebody was holding me erect but I didn't think this was necessary for me. It was my turn to suffer. When I was in control I could think of what to do and how to do it to keep from shooting. Now I only received sensations. This was a new position as all but one would be. Betts moved one way and then another to see what was best. The girls were giving suggestions. I guess all of them have done this before. It took time but Betts had her orgasm and Wendy almost pulled her off so she could have her turn. When she was seated, I slowly enlarged. I could feel the increased friction in her vagina. Wendy had to stop and groan as she put her hands on the ground beside my shoulders. Wendy started up again and only moved a little before her brain overloaded again. I think Wendy had a lot of small orgasms before the big one hit. Erica and Megan were left. Megan had been placed here to keep me from being abused too much but it hadn't worked. I heard Betts say, "You can take a ride. See the smile on his face. He has been awake for a long time." "My boyfriend never made me feel like that." I opened my eyes slowly but it was hard to get rid of the smile. "Hi Megan. You have my permission so you won't abuse me like two other girls just did." "It doesn't feel right to do it in front of others." "Well you need somebody here to hold you up. Betts and Wendy could take a walk. Erica can make sure you don't fall and hurt yourself." Betts rolled her eyes. "I guess we can go get something to eat. Us girls have to keep up our strength. Come on Wendy. Megan is going to either dump or train her boyfriend after this." Megan did not agree to Erica. Erica said, "Now you have to get out of your bottoms unless you want to cut a hole in them." "Well I guess." Megan slipped out of her panties. Erica had a good grip on me and squeezed as she smiled at me. Megan walked hunched over and then had to move a bit until she could sit. Erica stood as soon as I fit in and supported Megan's weight until she settled onto my abdomen. Megan had to stop too when she got to the bottom. She was not that experienced and much tighter than the rest, other than Betts. "Are you ok Honey?" "Ya, I just never did it this way before." Megan was not as excited as the other girls had been. She held herself in reserve. I gently pulled her down and kissed her and this seemed to thaw her some. My hands found her breasts and my thumbs her nipples. As she started to warm up I allowed myself to grow but not all the way. Megan's strokes got faster and faster. When she would have almost pulled off she was held by my cock. She must love this feel because she then worked at the top of the stroke. Her tissues were pulled and this sent her over. She luckily didn't scream but Erica had to hold her to keep her from falling on me. I slowly shrunk to normal size but Megan didn't want to move. Megan came to herself and kissed me now. "That was fantastic. You made me feel the best ever. I'd trade in my boyfriend to get you any day." "Give him a chance. When he is about to go, you get him to stop. If he doesn't then push him off. If he wants to play it has to be by your rules too." "I'm going to have to try that." Megan got off with a lot of slurping sounds that made her embarrassed. She said, "I'll help you now Erica." Erica now was surprised. She didn't want to show her cock to strangers. I said, "Erica has a clit that peeks out of her pussy. She's embarrassed about it. I talk to her about it sometimes but she won't do this in front of strangers." "Well, I guess I can go for a walk too." "Thanks Sweetheart. One day Erica will be proud instead. You can help then." She gave me a sweet kiss then got dressed and left. Erica looked down at my cock and said, "Did you go yet? You look hard as a rock." "I was afraid to go before. The last girls would not get anything." "Well I will take care of my little boy. He won't have to walk around all day wearing a tent." In a little boy voice I said, "Fix it Mommy." Erica removed her pyjama bottoms and threw her leg over me. With a little adjustment I slid home. Her cock stuck up proudly. I didn't stare at that though and gave some attention to the rest of her body. Her face got the most. Erica was like the rest but she used a hand to force her cock down to rub my abdomen when she got close. Her first orgasm shook her. She fell onto me and I coaxed her lips to mine. In a moment she recovered. Her look was of love and not just for what she had just received. She started to thrust but I refused to let her go. She seemed to like this. She held me too. She made a few strokes this way and then smiled at me. Her cock was pinched between our bodies. It was rubbed by me as her vagina held me. She moved faster and gasped out, "I love this way best." Her eyes closed and an orgasm flew through her body. She never really stopped but she almost looked like she did until she started up again. She worked with a vengeance this time. She pushed away from me to get more mobility but kept her back arched to stay in contact with my abdomen. In another moment she was shaking and using hysterical strength to thrust herself upon me. The scream was the loudest I had heard. Half way through it her irises rolled up in her eyes. I caught her before she fell onto me unconscious. Betts came into the tent. She looked at us and said, "Did you kill her this time?" "Not quite." "People were coming from all over to see what caused the noise. Sandy and Lauren had to show their badges and get them to leave." "Help me get her off, Betts." Betts and I slid Erica to the side. "You better stay here with her. I don't want anybody coming in and seeing her naked." "What if I want some?" "Do it later please. She's in love." "Like me?" "Just like you my love." "What about the others?" "Not like you." "I can live with that." I put on my trunks and climbed out of the tent. Pop was smiling. The two husbands smiled and nodded their heads approvingly. Mom and Leslie held each other and looked approvingly on me. Mom said, "What happened?" "It was a good one. She went asleep part way through." "She loves you too, Wally." "I know. I love them all but some are different. At least there are no conflicts yet." "Yet!" Sandy and Lauren looked at me as if I may have just committed a murder. I whispered, "She is still alive and should make a full recovery." "What did you do to her?" "I was on the bottom. I had little say in what happened. I could demonstrate if it is necessary." The two stood straight but Sandy had a smile. I swam for a half hour until I got tired and came back for something to eat. All the girls were clustered around Erica as if to protect her. I knew that Megan and her sister Christy would be trying to find the specifics. After a meal we went for a last swim then had a shower before leaving. On the way back I stayed in the front with Gail. Megan claimed the other seat. On the way home she tried to find out more about me. Her mother knew a lot more and it would be difficult for her to meet me. She was a nice girl but not somebody I could feel as close to as Betts and Erica. When I could I tried to include Gail in out talk but she just smiled at me and gave short answers. She liked to listen to the conversation. When we got close to Toronto I wondered what Wendy's home was going to be like. The police had brought a lot of equipment over looking for more bodies. Nadac had hinted of secrets and the police stayed. If they had left then Caputo could get in to recover his property. Nadac told me the details up to the present. "Why didn't you lead them to the safes?" "Our king wishes this not to be found out." "Then Wendy's family will be in danger." "Precisely." "Precisely? Do you mean that I have to protect them?" "Our king wishes you to show your skills." "Why didn't you tell me this sooner?" "You are the one that has to make assessments. You cannot be a child and not think of the consequences of your actions." "But... there will be more than one person. There will still be the police. They are going to kill Leslie and probably Wendy." "They will probably kill the police and the child too." "I am only one person, Nadac. What can I do?" "The attack should come tonight but the daylight may also be advantageous to them. The property was put back the way it was. They did not want to traumatise the children more. The police plan to claim that only a body was found. They suspect it was the mother of the children but the tests are not complete. There were some rings and a small gold locket on the body. There should be enough material for you humans to deduce that the DNA is close enough." Nadac continued, "We estimate that only three intruders will come. They will come over one of two places on the back wall. One will shoot the guard with a silenced weapon and all three will enter the building. Two will attempt to kill the humans while one will go directly to one of the safes and remove the contents. When the other safe has been emptied they will return the way they came." "What can I do? You said they had guns." "If you wish to be a soldier, then you must decide. I am only allowed to assist you in making an accurate analysis." Megan was talking to me and stopped to shake me. "What's wrong?" "Sorry Megan. I was thinking about something you said. I get carried away like that once in a while." "That's ok." My mind was working frantically as I pretended to listen. "Can I call the guys in to help?" "That would alert the police to your identity. Our king would not permit it. This is your training." That might shoot down my use of our guns too. "Do I have to do this without weapons. Even the heroes in movies are given more than that." "You may use any weapon you wish but you will have to justify their presence when the fighting began." "Can I use the guns in the safes?" "That you should answer yourself." I was excited and thinking poorly. "Can I use the guns the guys bring or weapons I make?" "You are not thinking clearly. An elaborate preparation of traps or weapons will cause undue questioning if you survive." Ya, if I live. "The guard would be attacked and probably killed first. I could be with him when the guys come over the wall and warn him. He will have a chance." "You may do that but your own chances of protecting the other lives in the house diminish drastically." "What if it is Sandy or one of the other police women?" "It is unlikely they would get this responsibility immediately after their previous duty." Evacuation would be out. "Could I get Erin out? She could visit Patricia." "That too would not be allowed. There will be more incentive for you to think rationally and perform better." "But a child could die." "Children die all the time. They are of little value." Nadac struck me as heartless as the king he fought. It came out now clearer than at any other time. I stopped to think by trying harder to control my emotions. The bugs in the house could be used to alert the police but it was doubtful if they were monitored by a person. It was more likely a recording device. Knives could be used but so could fireplace tools or even a baseball bat. Stabbing a guy with a knife does not kill immediately nor does shooting a person unless it is a senseitive spot like the brain or the heart. I didn't think Wendy had a baseball bat. The thoughts went around and around and I saw only problems which I was unable to overcome. We stopped where we began. Gail backed into her driveway and stopped with a satisfied groan. "End of the line. Get all your things out. I don't want to hold your things because you didn't want to think or remember your property." There was food left over and it went into Gail's fridge or freezer. We worked with the others to make sure shoes or shirts were not left behind. I was scarred shitless about what was going to happen but I had to act like a polite host. The people had accepted my invitation and came to protect Wendy and her family. "I want to thank all of you guys for coming. It was a lot more fun the way we did it." They thanked me in turn. Leslie thanked me too. I think the weekend trip gave her a chance to get used to the fact that somebody was buried in her back yard. We cleaned up and did more sorting. Christy and especially Megan kissed me passionately. Betts hugged them which seemed to help how their parents saw this. Phone numbers were passed but I had no intention of following up on them even if I survived. Willy, Tom and John shook my hand and then I hugged them. Even Willy didn't seem to mind though he might think it kinda' gay. Mom, Pop June and both Wendy's family and friends went to see what happened to the house. The adults were the ones that would break the news to the girls. When we were alone Betts said, "What's wrong with you Wally?" "I have this feeling again of something wrong." "What does it concern?" "Leslie still has to testify against Caputo. I think he is going to send somebody over to kill her." "Oh my god, when?" "Today but probably tonight or maybe tomorrow night. I am not sure." "What can we do?" "I can't say I had a feeling. The best I can think of is to protect them. We can't even use our guns or this will tie us to what happened on the farm." "We can make spears or something. Maybe buy a bow and some arrows. The guys will help." "If the guys come over then Wendy and Leslie will remember that we stopped and stared at them on the farm. They are not stupid." "Then the two of us. We can sneak them out the front door maybe." "The bad guys won't come if they see them leave. They will just come later or use a bomb." "So they have to stay?" "I hate it but the answer is yes." "We can take the guy. He won't know we are waiting for him." "That is what I am hoping for. I figure the best thing is to get some baseball bats. I can be the first line and you the second with the girls." "I could help you." "Sure you could but if you are behind the door if he slips by me then you have a chance." "I'm glad you are not being stupid and trying to keep me out of this." "I was but you are too good to not use. I am telling you we are going into danger again. I more or less told you I was worried by my looks. You have to do better. Wendy can't know. Premonitions may happen once in a while but too often then they open my head to see what ticks." "Ok, where are the bats?" "I have no idea. We also have to have balls and play a game. There has to be a reason for them to be at the house." Betts said, "Chuck has to have some and the other guys too." "Let's look other places first. If we tell them then they will want to come. If they do..." "Ya I know." Gail it turned out had played baseball as a teenager and still had three wooden bats and four balls. She had two mitts but they were hard and dry now. June had a mitt as well in her room hidden in a trunk. Betts and I got on our bikes and headed to get more supplies from Canadian Tire again. In the store we looked at the aluminum bats but they made noise when they hit the ball. Though stronger we found a small and a large bat. I got four more mitts in case the other girls had not gone home yet. These girls were not in the deal and I should be able to get them to go home. I grabbed a few balls covered in rubber. The pool would have to collect them once in a while. We went home and started the laundry. My pack carried much of the supplies including those donated by Gail. One pair of sunglasses were in the bag for use later and they had to be kept safe. There were still a few extra cars on the street in front of Wendy's house. We met another woman cop at the door. She was going to keep us out but I didn't take no for an answer. There was no crying heard. Mom whispered to me what had happened as if I knew nothing. I said, "So there is no identification yet?" "No but it could be just a few days with the evidence they found. They may have to try for DNA to be sure." "How are Wendy and Erin taking it?" They are just upset to find that there was a body on their property." "Good." "Good? Why do you say that?" "They have not guessed yet who it probably is." "How do you know this?" "You think Mom. Add the facts up." "I guess you're right. You are just so quick on this that it amazes me." We talked to Wendy. She was just upset about walking near a corpse so often. Baseball was out of the question but I gave her a new glove. She liked the gift but it would be like me getting a bra for Christmas. The four other girls had no intentions of going home now. They stayed with Wendy as a form of solidarity. I gave them gloves too so we could play one day. Pop and I made the meal for the police, the psychologist and the rest of us. After a lot more talking to the girls, the psychologist left. Leslie had been questioned on our trip and much more when she came back. Maude, Wendy's mother, had disappeared a month before Leslie got into town. She had been at university attending classes. Betts and I walked the property line. We talked about how we would get in. Nadac only gave us probable entry points. I had good ideas when my precog kicked in but I could not make it function. Given the seven possible entry points we plotted where the guy would enter the house. Slowly Betts came to the conclusion that there may be more than one person. I added that the safes in the basement might be a target too. She relied on the policeman assisting us if he were informed. I let her believe this. Betts job was to get everybody out of the house once the fighting started. Rontem could not get pissed off if I stayed and fought. He wanted me to fight and I wanted the girls safe. Betts and I tried to talk the four girls to leave but since we were staying they would stay too. I was prepared to be nasty but I saw that this would not do much. The girls made the meal. Before it got late I got them to go into the back yard and try to catch the ball away from the freshly turned ground and the pool. I found that I could hit the ball where I wanted. This was a vast improvement over what I had been like before. We only played a half hour but that was enough. The girls wanted me again. There were more microphones now and I was hesitant to start because Erin would want her share. This would get me into trouble. There was now a bug in Wendy's room on the light fixture. Getting it down would have to seem normal. I contemplated a pillow fight to dislodge it or to see if I could pluck at the bulb filament to knock out the light. I had to smile at my own foolishness. They had sound not sight. I pretended to flick the switch and said to Betts, "The light is burnt out. I'll take the old one out and you see if you can find another." I used a chair to get the light. The bug and the dust went into the garbage. It was fairly large with a battery and a transmitter. I would say that I thought it was something Wendy's father had put in but not removed yet by the police. The bulb was broken when it went into the garbage and I made sure the filament was broken too. Our love making was different. I felt the danger to myself and those I loved. I hammered into Betts until she was delirious then took on Erica. At the end I took Erin and she was the one that held me tight to her as if she was giving me comfort. I tried to sleep but it was useless. Betts was the same way and we got up. The cop was a young guy that had been here before. We met him in the kitchen. We were both nice to him. His duty would probably get him killed tonight. Betts and I sat on the couch and talked of love for the microphone and ourselves. The lights were off and Betts was able to actually doze off in my arms. I was always scanning around. It was difficult to see behind me. The back yard was my primary area to watch. People walked at all hours. When four men came through the property from one of the homes of Caputo's friends I knew it had begun. In a regular voice I stretched and said, "Wake up Betts. My arm's asleep." "Sorry." I shook her with two hands and she woke up much quicker. "You better go to bed. I'm going for a drink and I will be there in a minute. A few seconds later, I kicked the bag of bats and I called out to Betts, "There are a few balls loose. Don't trip on them." Betts played her script and said, "I'll put your bag in the room." Her glasses were already on. I kept Betts up to date on the progress. She was shocked about the young cop being clubbed while he walked the grounds. This was better than being shot. It would also bring less pressure on Caputo. Killing cops was a no-no. The guys came in through the basement entrance and then up the steps in the back to the entrance there. When they jimmied the lock and came in the first guy tripped on Betts and my boots that we left there. He made a loud noise as he stumbled. I had got my glass of water just before they entered. I took a sip and poured the rest into the sink. The two on the upper floor split up. One went around through the large living room. The large guy came up the next set of steps to the bedrooms directly. I saw with my eyes the gun with a silencer on it. The man got to the third from the top step and fell forward. A baseball bat just happened to be on the step where his foot would be. The man never fell all the way but caught the banister. As soon as he looked to get a grip I moved in with my bat held high and brought it down with all my might. There was a sickening sound and the man fell to his knees then forward onto the steps. I got his gun before it slid away from me. To Betts I transmitted, "I got one. The other is coming up the other way. I have a gun now. I can probably get him. Do you want to try the bat on his head or his arm?" There was no answer. She had no means of transmitting. I wanted her to do her part. It would be easier for the cops to believe that two kids took these two out than me alone. My description of the guy and his position was given second by second to Betts. It was good that he would come by Wendy's room first. I could see Betts' bat suspended over her head as the door opened. The guy slipped into the room with the gun pointing ahead of him. Betts brought down her bat so hard I thought she would sever the guy's arm, not break it. A flash of light and a soft sound indicated that a bullet was fired. It went upwards though. A few seconds later I was behind him but Betts' bat was already coming down hard on his head. He fell noisily to the ground. "Good girl. You stay here. He has a clip or two in his right pocket." I turned around and it looked like Erin was waking up. "Be calm Erin. We can't have screams just yet." I went down the hallway and to the steps to the basement level. I told Betts where I was because any of the other two men could come up the other way. A large man stood in the lower hallway. I looked through the wall and saw his partner opening the safe. The first man looked at me when I came down the steps but I think he figured I was one of his friends. He had a gun in his hand. Mine was up and I held it in two hands and fired. The man fell to his knees and then backwards into the room. Before I could get to him a shot pierced the wall near my head. Two more came and I had to back up. The last guy came to the doorway and shot around the doorway without looking. I could hit him but not explain how I did so through the wall. I realised it was Tony. I wanted to get him back for what he had done to me and my family. Tony fired a few more times then quickly changed his clip. He raced out into the hall and he fired in my direction. I leaned back into a doorway and the bullets went all around me or including the floor in front of me. One hit my left leg. I felt like I was kicked by a rodeo horse. I fell to the floor and curled up in pain. Though the pain was horrendous I had to protect myself from Tony or I would die. Tony was fleeing though. I had time to fire three times. One hit Tony in the leg as he climbed the steps the way he came in. He kept going. The pain was almost too much but Tony might just turn around and come back. The pain grew now and I layed the gun down and held my leg tightly. I was bleeding a lot. The bullet cut a furrow on the inside of my leg. I called to Betts on our private band. "The last guy left." I looked through the walls and saw him dragging his own leg as he went to the fence. Only when he made it over did I say, "Hide your glasses, phone the cops. You better get an ambulance. Your boyfriend has a hole in his leg." The lights went on and Betts raced to me first. She saw my wound and screamed before running to me. Her glasses were still on and I pulled them off her face. "Hide these." "But..." "Follow orders." Betts ran back upstairs and put the glasses in the pack. She took out her cell phone and called 911. She was back to me even before the call finished. The dispatcher wanted more info if I was available. I took the phone from Betts and said through pain fed lips. "Hold the wound closed." On the phone I said, "Four or more men broke into the house. We got three. Tony Caputo shot me in the leg but I got him too. He's armed." I had to say who I was then I finally said, "I am in pain. Talk to me later," and I closed the connection. There were screams in the house as the girls came out to see the bodies. I wasn't too sure if the one Betts got would live. Betts was still waving around the gun until I got it from her and put it down. I was feeling weak as well as in far too much pain. Betts helped me sit up against the wall and I looked through the leg to the injury. An artery or a vein was severed. I could still die of just this. Blood was all over the place. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the blood vessel and tried my PK to close it off. It didn't work well and I had to put all my attention on it or I would not last to get to the hospital. Betts was talking to me but I ignored her. In a minute the vessel spurted less blood then stopped. I saw the uniformed legs of men as they raced down the steps and that was the last I remembered. When I woke up, it was in a hospital room. A mask was on my face to give me oxygen. When I knew I could breathe well enough I looked around. There were a lot of people around. Mom was beside me but my mother was not here. Dad was though and so was Pop. Thinking was not that easy to do. "You guys should be at work." Dad said, "We figured we should see how you are doing. How are you doing?" There were drugs in my system. My mind was foggy but the pain was bearable. "Not that much pain. I can't think well. Did they catch Tony?" "Not yet. They are out in force trying to get him. His lawyers may have a hard time getting him out of this." "I hope so." I turned to Mom and Pop and said, "Did Dad sign over the papers yet?" "He did this time. I don't want you in a hospital again." "It wasn't voluntary. How are Leslie and the girls taking it?" Some were in the room. Mom said, "Your Doc came back and talked to each of them. Wendy, Erica and Shirley are the most effected." "Is it real bad or will they get over it?" "It looks like time will heal them. You did a good job last time." Being sneaky now I asked, "What was Tony after in that room?" "There were some drugs, stolen property and a lot of documents. We don't know much about them." "Is anybody pissed that I ruined that guy's haircut?" Mom was very upset and Pop had to say, "It looks very justifiable so far. The police are going to have a long series of talks to you and Betts." "Was there anybody that could talk?" "No." "They probably wouldn't talk anyway." "What did you do?" "There are a lot of people in the room that should not hear this." Pop tried to get them to move and they didn't. Leslie was there and Erin clung tenaciously to her." ------- Chapter 19 "Betts and I came in the back way. We put our shoes by the door instead of putting them where they should go. I woke up. Betts was sleeping on my arm. Betts went off to bed and I went to the kitchen to get a drink. It was dark but I could see a little. I never turned on the lights. I just finished my drink when I heard a scraping noise. I heard the rollers of the patio doors. Somebody tripped over our shoes and made more noise. Leslie was under guard so I figured someone was coming to... see her. The guy carried something I saw in the movies as he climbed the steps. He fell over a bat that had fallen onto the steps. I was fearful for the safety for both everybody in the house and myself. I used another bat in self defence. "Betts must have heard the same things. I was right behind her when she hit the guy. She took the guys gun and I had the one from the guy on the steps. I went downstairs. A guy down there pointed his gun up at me but I shot first. "The flash of the gun or the sound alerts another guy inside. He starts shooting though the walls. I get out of the way but not far enough. I see a young man coming out of the room. The flashes of his gun allow me to know it is Tony. He runs as he fires more bullets and one hits me. My leg hurt like I got kicked by a horse. I fall but manage to fire three times and get him once in the leg." I left lots of detail out that I would not be expected to think about yet. I would let the police drag it from me. "Where is Betts?" "She has been answering a lot of questions." "The police are after answers. They can be compassionate. A parent has the right, and I will say obligation, to be with her when she is questioned. One or both of you should be there. She was victimised too by what she was forced to do." "Your Doc is with her." "He works for the Crown not you. Either one of you go or I will get up and go." Mom and Pop looked at each other and they both left quickly. Leslie took her place. "Hi Wally. I don't know what I would have done without you." She started to cry. She was hurt as much as I was. I took my arm, with hoses running into it, and touched her shoulder. "Family takes care of family." "I am in your family?" "I think so. Maybe I will have to call you Mom as well." Dad looked at me wondering what this was about. The girls came over one at a time and kissed me gently as if I were still that fragile. The only ones missing were Patricia, Liza, Gail, Shirley, Erica and Betts. The guys couldn't be here as a group. Paul was here though and he hugged me and I hugged him one handed. He asked wide eyed, "Did you really kill two assassins?" "I protected my family Paul. That is all I did." "Ya, but you got two." "I'm having a bit of a problem with that. Killing, is not a nice word to me but protecting is. It also goes to show that girls are not wusses. Betts did not curl up and cry but sought to protect us." "Ya, like the Tomma women." Dad and Leslie as well as the rest of the people in the room were listening. "The Tomma are a warlike race. The males are big, strong and telepathic. The women are like the Amazons but stronger. They would pick up guys like Paul and me and have their way with us until we got big enough to subdue them." Paul said, "Tell them where they are." "Alpha Ursae Majoris. That star used to be thought of as the brightest star in the Big Dipper. Paul and I are going to fly there one day and take on a world mostly made up of women. I guess if we really want to win we will have to bring warriors like Betts." Paul quickly added, "And the munchkins. They sure know how to fight." "They do but you are always outnumbered." "One day I will beat them." Leslie was smiling now and so was Dad. They thought our talk was about our imaginations. The talk shifted to other topics until I found that three days had passed. I had two operations on my leg so far. The nurse came in and kicked everybody out. She took my anal temperature and then checked the dressings. "How do you feel young man?" "My name is Wally and I feel fine considering the drugs. The leg is not that uncomfortable." "That's good to hear, Wally. They say you had an exciting time." "I would have gladly missed it except for the alternatives." "Alternatives?" "One woman murdered then seven more to keep them quiet." "There was a rumour that you... got two of them." I looked at the badge on the woman's chest and said, "Melody, picture yourself in a house with your family around you. A gangster wants you to shut up permanently. Four guys come to your house at night with silenced guns. Would you get on your knees and beg? The men didn't have masks. They didn't want witnesses. Would you let your family die?" "Put that way, I guess not." I heard running footsteps. Betts came into the room and pulled back the drapes. Melody said, "You have to leave." "I want her to stay. She fought for us and she has seen a lot more of my anatomy than you have." The two girls turned red. Betts said, "I see he is now into anal sex." I guess I turned red and two women smiled now. I changed the subject and asked, "How was your chat with the police?" "They were not as nice as I would like. Doctor Suffolk was giving signals all the time for the police to be nice to me. This is the fifth time we talked. He did a great job but when Mom got there they were even more sweet. Perhaps it was her screaming that did it." "That's quite possible." Melody soon left but only saying that the doctor would be in to see me soon. When Betts kissed me next I whispered, "Best we think there are microphones here. I don't think there are but being cautious is good." Betts just kissed me again and then smiled. She told me everything that happened when the cops came. She blushed when she said she threatened a cop to make sure she came here with me. "How big was he?" "Bigger than my dad." "Was he afraid?" "Maybe only a little. He had lots of friends to help him if I started to get the better of him." "What happened then?" "They took you into the operating room right away. People were coming from all over. The police came and asked questions then more came and asked the same questions. In fact I have been asked the same questions about twenty times." "Leslie said that Wendy is taking it hard." "Ya, we talked on the phone a lot. That doctor friend said for them to stay away from you for a few days. I think it was more for their benefit." "What about... Gail and her friends?" "They figured you were sick because you let one get away." "Well I was shot at the time." "They took that into account." She got up from her chair and pulled down the sheet and pulled up the gown. She studied me like a robin does a worm. "Lucky this never got hurt. I'd have to rely on your lips and fingers." "I use my nose too." "As your girlfriend, first class, I should inspect to see if it is working right." "I'm not going to stop you from what you think is right." I didn't even get a smile because she bent down and sucked me up. Just as she got me hard I saw Mom coming down the hall with Pop and a doctor. "Sweetie, company coming." She pulled off quick and had me covered but the time they arrived. All three adults saw the mini-tent. The doctor said, "He does look healthy." Mom said, "These two certainly make a pair." The doctor said, "Hello Wally. My name is Doctor Stine. How are you feeling today?" "Not bad but why were your parents so angry at you?" "What do you mean?" "They gave you the name Doctor. I would have given you a suitable first name and then tried to guide you into medicine. What if you were a mortician? Doctor Stine the mortician could get you into trouble." "Well they also gave me the name Harold." "Good. Since you gave me your first name I'll call you Doc." "That works for me." "Well Doc, I was bleeding a hell'va lot so I had to have nicked a major vein or artery. When do I get a chance to get out of here, not that I dislike your bedside manner?" "That depends on how fast you heal." "Care to give a guess?" "About two weeks at a guess." "How about I give you three days and I get somebody to take care of me at home? Saves OHIP some money, I don't get fresh with the nurses and I get a chance to work from my bed." "I don't think three days are enough." "I think two weeks is excessive." "Last I looked, I was the one with the medical degree." "It's my leg. You send your nurses in here to abuse my nether regions with a glass rod. I will also promise to stay in bed." "I don't believe that for a moment. You came very close to dying. I'm very surprised that you're alive. That vein would not normally clot like that." "I am starting puberty. Can't you guess what plugged me up?" "That is another reason for you to stay here." "Doc, you have my word not to use that part... for a while." We fought for a while more and decided to see how well I healed first. When mom was leaving she said to Betts, "We can wait downstairs for a while. How long do you need." "It's up to him. If he gets into his mood he can stay that way forever and not give me anything." Mom looked at me and said, "We are going to have to learn that secret. I got it good but old Bert has problems with... more than one of us." Pop came back and said, "Old Bert? You didn't complain before." "I'm told Wally's machinery... never fails." "He has his age and even more stimulation on his side." "Maybe we can stimulate you more." She turned to Betts and said, "Half hour." She just made it. Nadac and Rontem were not that pleased with my performance. In my defence I said, "I am twelve years old. I could have thrown knives and killed them. Spears would have worked better. I have to live on this planet for a while and I have to appear to be a person of my age. I did the work accurately. Did you see that I hit along the joints to the skull bones to make the job easier. Did you see where I placed the bullet to kill the quickest. I could have killed Tony in the room but then that would raise questions about how I did it so neatly. Look at it as an assassination where I had to make it look like an accident." There was no response to this. Nadac said, "You still were shot and almost killed." "Tony was shooting wild. I had to hit him where it looked like it was natural. There were no substantial walls around to cower behind. There was one more opponent than estimated." "Your mate killed one." "I was right behind the man. I could have shot him too." There was no reply so I guess I made my point. Elaine and Ashleigh came visiting later. They looked to be happy to even be in the same room as me. I wondered if that was the telepathic construct put into my mind but figured it was their way because they would have died. They eagerly volunteered to relieve the pressure in my testicles but I got that changed to kisses instead. It was one thing to seduce a girl but this way didn't feel right. Tomorrow I may think differently. Tomorrow was also the first day of school. That night I was awoken as the nurses brought in a boy a bit older than me. He had a broken left leg and a broken left arm. I could see the metal pins in both appendages. I woke up early to the sound of the guy next to me breath rapidly. His lungs were filling with something. I pulled the cord then yelled. Soon nurse hurried in and looked at me. "He can't breathe. His lungs are full." The nurse hurried to him and then ran out. A few minutes later a cart was wheeled in and they started to suck the crap out of one lung then another. The guy never regained consciousness and the team left. I went back to sleep. When I woke up I needed the jug. The nurse asked me if I wanted to hold it and I said, "I could but I am not shy." "So girls do this for you a lot?" "Never. I am just not shy." "You seem young to have a fetish?" "No, I just like the ladies." "Well, you hold it anyway. I'm busy." The guy beside me woke up a hour later when they were bringing around the food. I said, "Hi, I'm Wally." "Bill" "What are you in for Bill?" "I was in a car accident." "That's too bad." "What about you?" "Got a hole in my leg in the basement. I ripped a vein." "Bummer." We ate our meals and Bill went back to sleep. I found the pleasures of a bedpan and the clean up later. With my free time I studied. Nadac put on my internal screen the diagrams but the ideas themselves were direct as our speech. Doctor Stine came by around eleven and checked me out. "How are you doing today Wally?" "Not bad. I'm getting a chance to think. Your medication is wearing off and the pain is increasing but it is not something I cannot live with." "That's good to hear. You spooked the nurse last night. It was good that you noticed." "Thanks because he sounds bad again." The Doc listened to my fellow patient and said, "I think you're right." The doctor left and came back with another doctor. He was the one that called the shots. The cart came back in and the team worked behind the curtains. The Doc didn't come back so I guess OHIP only paid for one visit per day. The police though thought it a great time to call. I shook hands with both men. They turned on a tape recorder and asked me questions. I let them do some fishing especially how they would have had time to use the information from their bugs. The shoes and the bat on the steps were just lucky for me they figured. They wanted to know about my experience with guns and I mentioned television. When I shot the guy in the head I showed them how I held the gun. It was awkward as hell but still something a kid might do. They asked a lot of questions about why I didn't wake up Leslie or call 911. "Leslie was asleep. What could she do if she even had time to wake up? You guys are not bad at arriving but we would have been starting to get cold by the time you arrived." They left later without getting me angry. They were not that impolite either. After the food trays left Leslie and Lauren came for a visit. I hugged Leslie and Lauren reluctantly came for a hug and kiss on the cheek too. "I am glad to see you two." I then asked Leslie, "How are you really feeling?" "I'm getting over it. This time was worse for me though." "Have Mom and Pop been able to help?" "They have been busy but we talk a lot on the phone. They plan on coming here at nights to visit you." "They're nice people. They may find it better for them and for you if they visit me every other night. I expect to have a lot of visitors." "I think you will have a lot of visitors too. Wendy wants to see you so bad she almost cries. I think she has it bad." "I love her too." "She may want something more permanent." "She is my age. I want a lot of things I cannot have. Growing up is a matter of knowing what you can reach and what you should not make the effort to try for." "I'm just warning you." "Thanks. By the way any serious damage to the house?" "I found that bullet holes are not that easy to fix." "When I get out I will get some paint and plaster to fix the insides." "Thanks Wally but it wasn't that bad. Erin wanted a hole in her ceiling too. If she got it she would not be so happy. Tell me how did you know what to do?" "I didn't know. A bat is a good weapon I guess. I was lucky but I could have got the guy if he turned toward... the rooms. Betts figured a bat was good too and used it. The gun I guessed at. The one scary moment was when Betts ran down the steps to me. She had the gun in her hand and she could have done a lot more damage." "So it was all blind luck and some brave young people." I said, "Perhaps a bit of brave but scared shitless too. It was something you did or you died. Pretty good incentive." Lauren said, "The boys heard about you when I was talking over the phone. They watch the television avidly now to catch a glimpse of you." "Has my name been mentioned?" "No, just a young man of twelve." I knew the answer but I had to ask, "Did they find Tony yet?" "Not yet. They found blood in the basement and then across the grass and then in the next property." "What about his father?" "There are new charges coming all the time. He's in jail now. He's too liable to run." "He will still run." "I said he is in jail." "I said he will run. Put the two together. Factor in the man's wealth and viciousness." "I'll pass the word up the line. Chances are that they will think us fools." "So you believe me?" "You are a bright young man. You say he will break out then that is what he will do. I'll start a pool at work and pick up a few bucks." "You guys are as bad as teachers." Bill woke up later and I called the nurse for him. He just needed water and a bedpan. He complained of a raw throat but I didn't say anything to him. The girls came in after they got out of school. Gail brought all of them along with my computer, headset and cell phone. Those that suffered the most were the most affectionate. They wanted to show their appreciation but I still felt it wrong to take it this way. Bill was awake now and I introduced him to the girls. A whisper in Betts ear had some of the girls talk to the boy a bit to brighten his day. It seemed to work very well. We stayed away from the traumatic events and talked of school and people we knew. Apparently my seat was picked out already. My name was even on the desk. Somehow or other Doc Suffolk had managed to get a bus to collect the kids so they all went to the same school if they were in the junior grades. Teachers had been understanding so far and even nice. As predicted some of the teachers were moved to make room for others. These had to be ones that were more qualified to handle children with problems. Betts looked at her watch and said, "Ok guys. He gets a break then the adults come. Let's say goodbye." She did it first and sucked the breath from my lungs. Her hand found me hard so I guess she was happy. Everybody including Gail gave me a kiss that would have killed a normal mortal. Betts had to give me one more and they left. Bill said, "Wow, those girls are so nice and so beautiful. Where did you find them?" "Some were in my class and some were neighbours. They're very nice girls. The trick to getting them to talk to you is to show you care. It may not work with all of them but the best will catch on and be nice back to you." "You're pretty sharp. How old are you?" "Twelve in grade eight." "Grade eight was never like that when I was there." I turned on the computer and put the headset on. I excused myself and talked to the guys. Nadac used some flimflam to make the image of my lips move when I thought my words. It was quicker and a lot more secure. I gave the guys the details that only Betts or I would know. I had to lie to them still about my abilities but Nadac was real to them as an online tutor. I mentioned the house that the attackers had come from and probably now harboured Tony. I could not explain to the police how I knew so I had to remain quiet. The guys were going to find out what they could. They had karate after school now. Grade eight didn't have much homework and they wanted to continue the additional $500 a week pay. They also worked for Gail. She had more time to devote to them this way. They wanted arms practice but that was hard to do for kids to get. We were not far into our talk when the adults arrived and I had to sign off. Mom and Pop came alone. I had time to say, "Thanks for coming. Leslie came here today too. She's still upset about what happened at her home. She is hurt too but differently than me." Mom nodded and said, "We know that too. It's in her voice." "I like your visits but Leslie needs them too. Could you split up your available time between us according to our need?" Pop looked at me seriously, "You would rather not see us?" "Pop, I am held together stronger than Leslie is. It's a matter of who needs your help more." "You were through more than what anybody should ever be put through. We are worried about you and Betty. Killing another human being even if it's justified is very traumatic. I hear Betty crying at night. I don't think you are that much stronger." "Even if I'm not, Leslie needs you two far more than I do. Most of it is just somebody to hold and tell your problems too. A family is far stronger than any one individual." "They are more fragile too, Wally." The police came back again. This time Bill was awake. The curtain did nothing to mute the words. When they left Bill said, "You killed two mob hit men?" I gave him a serious look and said, "They were attacking my family. I was lucky in so many ways it shocks me." "They had guns!" "They didn't think they would have any resistance." "But... they could have shot you." "They did." Bill just stared at me and his jaw dropped. It took a while until he recovered. "They shot you in the leg. You said... hole. I guess you didn't want to talk about it." "I don't. I am holding up fairly well but the others are falling apart." "I'd shit myself just looking at what happened." "I almost did too. Let's change the topic." "I guess... but I never talked to anybody like you before." "Tell me about your family, Bill." Bill's face fell. "We fight all the time." When no more came I asked, "How did you get hurt?" "I rode my bike and got hit by a car." "Your fault?" "... I guess. I swerved to miss a hole in the pavement and I guess I wasn't keeping track of traffic around me." "How old are you?" "Fourteen and a half." "Grade?" "Nine. I should be in ten but I flunked." "What about you?" "Twelve and a few months. They put me ahead one year so I am in grade eight." "You must like school?" "I did before. I did what I had to do and did my homework. Dad made sure of that. My mom... well my real mom doesn't like me. Some women get crazy when they have a baby, well my mom is still that way." "That's a bummer." "Well school was a good thing because it kept me away from my mom. I had a few friends but not many. They were the ones that got beat up too. I'm small for my size and get picked on. Last year I learned that I had to stand up for myself or they would kill me one day. I usually lost but most of the bullies wanted to find somebody easier but not all." I paused a while and Bill said, "I was never good at school. I guess the reason was that I never worked at it. I hated everything they taught me. Most guys don't fail a year but they flunked me." "You hated every subject?" "Well most of them." "What did you do well in?" "I like music... and art." "I like art too." "What do you like to draw?" "I only just started. Mostly it is just people." "Can you draw me?" "Sure but you draw me. We work with each other of get better." The nurses were nice enough to give us blank paper and some clipboards. I did not want to draw Bill in great detail. I made a caricature of him riding a bike toward a hole in the road while staring at a good looking girl. The erection I gave him was... generous. The nurse that brought the supplies was drawn by me while I waited. She was about forty but I drew her looking younger with bigger teats and nice legs. Bill showed me his first. He was at a disadvantage because he didn't have an arm to hold the clipboard while I did. His drawing was ok but he had a lot to learn yet. I gave him his and he laughed. I said, "When you get your other arm back you could do better. I cheated in a way because there is a mathematical relationship between body parts." I showed him the nurse and said, "She is closer to real life but still not perfect." "What do you mean mathematical?" "The head has to be a fraction of the total height. It changes a bit as the person ages. There must be books about it but I learned it as I went along. A person can also be thought of as mathematical shapes. Circles are good. If you understand mathematics then art is even easier or at least it is for me." I drew circles on the paper that matched the image in my mind. Bill saw them first and I slowly showed the image of him in bed and having all the equipment attached to him. Bill said, "That looks great. You make it look so easy." I drew the shapes again on a sheet of paper and called the nurse. She came in with a smile much later. It was not the same nurse. "Hi, would you give my clipboard to Bill and give me his, please." "Sure," she paused though and looked at her co-worker and a smile came out on her face. She picked the sheet up and looked at the one underneath. She broke out in a laugh. Bill got embarrassed but still smiled. The nurse said, "These are beautiful." "Thanks. You can have the one of the busty nurse." "Now this will be great right beside my computer." "If she gets upset I would like you to take it down immediately." She gave me a serious look and said, "I'll do that." When Bill got the clipboard I said, "Try to use the shape to help you form the head. It's just a guide." From memory I drew the girls when we were at the beach. I wanted them to see that they were having fun. Drawing was getting easier the more I did. It was late before I finished but I had a drawing of all of my family to keep me company tonight. The nurses flocked in to see the drawings later and I did a few of them. I also did one of Doc Stine. He was a boy in the picture. The facial characteristics could easily be seen. He was partially clothed with a partially clad girl near him. His mother was waging a finger at him and admonishing for playing doctor before getting a licence. His erection was prominent. The nurses took this picture and it would be posted prominently I guess. When the Doc came to see me all the nursing staff smiled at him but said nothing. I was sure he never got to see the drawing. The Doc checked out my bandages and did some common things to let me know that he was doing something even if it was useless. "I saw the drawings of the nurses. They look amazingly lifelike. You could make a good living as an artist some day." "Thanks doc. Art just fit in with math. It is the symmetry of some equations that are so beautiful. By plotting limits on some equations so me drawings can be made." "What do you mean?" I took one sheet of paper and worked out seven formulas. On another sheet I plotted out the lines of each. They did not work perfectly with each other and I had to move the origin of each graph around so the lines met where I wanted but the shape of a head came out. "It's not perfect. The graphs have to be moved around and even inverted to make the lines meet." "That's amazing. Where did you learn this?" "I found it myself studying graphs. The really beautiful ones are multidimensional." "We did some of that in school but it is hard to show even three dimensions on two dimensional paper." "It was that way for me but it gets easier on the screen of a two dimensional computer screen. There was less to imagine and it does the graphs that much easier." I opened my computer and opened the program that worked with Aristis mathematics. The equations were plugged in the way humans did it. The Aristis method was not the same by any means but mathematics was mathematics. "That's amazing. Where did you get that program? I never saw the title come up." "A friend wrote it and gave me a copy." "Too bad, but I could get something similar I guess." "Probably." Actually I knew that none of our programs went that far into mathematics. The Doc left looking at the mathematics and the graphs. Bill asked, "You sound like you know a lot about math too." "Mr Ramsey my grade seven teacher said I could do the stuff in his old grade thirteen class when we had it." "I failed math almost every year." "Well Bill, you are here for a while and so am I. You want to try mathematics too? When you go to class you will know a bit more." "I like drawing better but I guess we can try." I started giving him addition problems but placed the emphasis on being quick not right. It was a game and he started to come around until his brain got sore from thinking too much. Doc Suffolk came in later. He had on a bit of a smile and said, "Hi Wally. How are you doing?" "Not bad Doc. How about you?" "Can't complain. How about we get you wheeled out so you can see some new faces?" "Doc Stine say you can take me on a joy ride?" "Yep, we just have to go slow around the corners." "It better be the wheelchair or no deal." "Your leg may not take it." "Ask the old vet that worked on me. I am sticking to my demand for a wheelchair." The Doc didn't seem happy but used his cell phone and asked Stine. He did this in the hall so I could not hear. He came back in and said, "You got your wish." "Thanks Doc. If I don't push a bit he would have me in traction and sedated too." The Doc and an orderly got me into the chair. Things went missing in a hospital sometimes and my laptop was worth a lot more than what it looked like. Nothing like it existed on earth and would not for centuries. The machine went into my lap for the trip along with paper and my clipboard. We went into an open area with fresh air, trees and birds. The Doc said after the lead up questions, "How do you feel about the deaths of the men at the house?" "You mean about the two men I killed?" "Yes." "Humans are basically irrational beings. During one of my bouts of rationality I made a decision. Should I let a man kill those I loved and me too or should I stop him? I am no different from most others and chose to live. If I could have trapped him without danger to me I would have done so. If I was as big as he was it would be insane to fight him. He had a gun. He died because he had to. He died grotesquely but I had no other option. I could not see his skull collapse but I can imagine it. It was not a pretty sight. "The second man had a gun on me. I shot him before he shot me. I was sure that he would have come upstairs and finished us off if the others were unable. He died a bit cleaner but his death will haunt me too. "If I second guess myself all the time then I would be a lot more like your usual patients. That does not mean I do not do this. It's just that it was a cut and dried situation. "You are wondering if I'm going to make a habit of doing this too. If somebody tries to take my life or those of who I love then the answer is yes. The chances of this happening to me again are impossibly slim. If someone tries to beat me and I have a knife, I will not use the knife unless they intend to do more than put me in the hospital." The Doc seemed to be satisfied with my explanation and went on to my feelings for Betts and the other people in my life. He had an easy going manner. I drew as we talked without too much trouble. When we finished I handed him the drawing. It showed Greg and I looking at the Doc with his colourful shorts and the curly hair on the back of his legs. "Is that the way you see me?" "Doc, do you have to question everything? Is that a rational behaviour? Two kids poked fun of your shorts but you wore those shorts to draw our eyes from the psychiatrist they met before. You hoped they would think you had closed up shop for the night. The men that had hurt them perhaps had not dressed like that and you wanted them to think along a different track." "You're right Wally. I guess I do question a lot. It carries over from my sessions with patients." "You just need to separate work from talking with friends." "I'll try harder." "Not yet though. What do you suggest about how I should act when I go back to school? It is a sure thing that they will know what happened." "The easiest thing to do is act normal. It's like lying if you act. You will forget who you lied to and then get caught. Being remorseful that you could not find an alternate solution is the truth and this should perhaps be emphasised." "I'll try that." "Do you think you will still be bullied?" "You ensured that I won't." "How is that?" "I will be in grade eight with nobody older. You worked your magic and the girls go to my school. Even without the bullies knowing about me the girls would rip them apart if they touched me." "They just might. What about Morton?" "He will go to court soon. If he stays out of jail then he will wonder what I might do to him next. He's a bully and preys on those that are meek. By now he must know that I do not fit that mould." I got a short trip around the ward I was in. Quite a few looked to be bored. Parents could not always be around and television was not that good of a babysitter in some cases. When we got back to my room I bullied the Doc and the orderly and I used the toilet. Proving that I could do this to Stine may get me home sooner. Chuck visited me that night with Betts and Gail. He was a good friend but couldn't talk because of the company. He was given more than a second look. He was in our class but the girls saw him as somebody I trusted. Greg came with this group too. He was glassy eyed like the girls. His sexual orientation was showing through. The guys had talked to me over the computers. Greg was harassed just a bit but Chuck and the guys put a stop to it because I asked. Bill was visited too by the girls but not always the same ones. He didn't get any visitors other than the doctor and nurses. The girls got their new drawings and this was enough of an excuse for me to get kissed rather well. Greg got one too when I learned that he was coming over. I got a good hug that I didn't mind at all. The gang stayed longer. Mom and Pop were visiting Leslie. This time Patricia rolled her eyes like her sister. When they left Gail was the last. She kissed me quite well then went over to Bill. She talked a moment to him then kissed him too. He was quiet for a long time after they left. The nurses visited too just to chat a bit. About time to go to sleep a new nurse came in. She looked at the name at the end of the bed and came to me. "Hi, the doctor said you have to take these." "I had my medication already." "These are extra." The woman was older and looked good for her years. She had gold earings and looked worried. "Extra for what?" "It's a change of medication. He is trying to taper you off. The old drug was too strong." She handed me a paper cup and her hand shook. Her other hand held a paper cup of water. I realised that she had not pushed a cart down here. When she extended her hand I tried to take the cup with the pills but she didn't want me to have it. This really worried me. I took the pills in my hand and reached for the water. She was much more nervous now. Her eyes were wide waiting for me to throw the pills in my mouth. I said, "Can I have the water. I like to get the pills down as soon as possible." She gave me a phony smile and I took the cup and managed to drop it onto the floor. "I'm sorry." The nurse was now even more worried. She filled the fallen cup with water from the sink in the bathroom and brought it back. This time my hand went to my mouth and I drank the water and shivered as if hating to take oral medicine. The woman didn't smile. She just turned and left but she brought both containers with her. I followed the woman with my sight. She left the ward fairly quickly and took an elevator down. She was too far away to see clearly but it looked like she left the hospital. "Did I pass your test Nadac?" "A soldier has to be ever vigilant." "Even if I died." "Our king thought this an important task for you to complete." I had Doc Suffolk's home number from a card he once gave me. I let the phone ring eight times before a woman answered the phone. "Hello." "Hi. My name is Wally Kiefer. It's quite important that I speak to the Doc for a minute." "Could this wait for later? We were going out." "I am afraid that this is important." The Doc came on in a minute and said, "Hi Wally, what can I do for you?" "Was that your wife I just talked to?" "Yes it was." "Were you going out tonight?" "We were. What is this about?" "Bring your wife to the hospital with you when you come to see me. I have two pills that I was just ask to swallow by a woman dressed as a nurse. If you come with the cops they will know that they failed. Come with one cop to take the evidence. Bring your wife so I can see what makes your leg hair curly." "How do you know she was not a nurse?" "Refused to give me the paper cup with the pills. She was worried as we talked. Her hands shook. I managed to drop the water cup and she picked it up off the floor and filled the cup in the bathroom. As soon as she thought I took the pills she left without a look." "That sounds suspicious." "Come to the party and you guys can take the evidence away. Your wife will not be as pissed at you." "Well come right away through the back." "Smart thinking." When I hung up Bill looked at me like I had grown another head. "Did she try to poison you?" "I think so. Did you notice that she came to the side of my bed so you could not see her face. When she came back with the water she kept her head away." "Ya, you're right." I organised my thoughts and took out a sheet of paper and drew the woman's picture. To be sure I drew her in a uniform handing me the pills with her worried look too. She had tattoos all over her body and a pierced navel but that sort of information had to be excluded. On another sheet of paper I wrote what happened and put in all of the dialogue. I kept my feelings out of this and only put my observations in. The worried doctor hurried into the room. He was dressed for going out. He did bring his wife with him and she was just behind him. She had difficulty running in high heal shoes. The Doc immediately said, "How are you Wally?" "Fine Doc. You got to calm down. Introduce me to your lovely wife." He was stuck for words and introduced Irene. I said to Irene, "I'm sorry for ruining your night." "That's all right. Did someone really try to poison you?" I pointed at the two pills on the table and said, "If they prove to be poisonous then the answer is yes." "Ah... why did you call my husband and not the police?" "The cops would come pounding in here with a swat team. Even two detectives would look suspicious. Now the Doc and his lovely wife look more natural. Your husband would also know who to contact and by that time the cops would be thinking before they acted." "How did you know she was trying to poison you?" I handed her the two drawings and my written notes. She looked at the drawings for a moment then read my writing. The Doc read with her and looked at the drawings. Nobody came near the pills though. Brenda and a short worried man came in and looked around. He looked at the Doc and said, "I hope this is no cock and bull story." The Doc pointed at the two pills and said, "There's the pills. We never went near them. Take them as evidence and find out if they are poison or not." The man did not seem pleased. When he got the papers from Irene he was even less pleased but he did look more excited. "Where did these come from?" "I guess Wally drew them." I said officially. "I made both drawings and wrote down what I noticed just after the woman left." The guy said, "How do you know you were given poison?" "My name is Wally. If I am going to get angry at you I want to curse your name well enough to do it justice." "Gresham." "Odd name for your mother to call you but that was your parents business." He didn't like my levity. "To answer your question, I do not know. The woman did not come during the regular time for giving out my usual medication. She was nervous. The two guys I ran into a while ago were not boy scouts or I would be in jail. Tony Caputo in my opinion is not a nice person. If I died now he would go to court and say he was visiting his aged grandmother at the time. I would not be around to call him a liar." I turned to Brenda and said, "Sorry for dragging you away from your family." "I was on duty so it's ok. The girls heard about you and wanted to come down so bad they were almost peeing themselves." "Momma now has a valid reason for keeping them away." "I guess I do. How did you know I was having problems?" "I saw the hungry look in Megan and Christy's eyes. Girls now are not as meek and mild not to mention ladylike as they were in your day." "Me? ladylike?" "After you shoot somebody you would be, I believe." Gresham interrupted, "What happened to the woman?" "I could not follow her too well. I can only say she left the room. I have an idea but I am only a twelve year-old." "What is it?" "I indicated to the person that looked like a nurse that I didn't like taking medication. I could have thrown the pills out. She may come back and ask me why I didn't take the pills. You guys didn't make big waves so they may think themselves safe to try again." The pills were put in a plastic bag. They noticed Bill and questioned him for a while. The nurses on duty were called to another room and questioned. During this I drew a picture of the Doc and Irene dressed in their fancy duds. Irene had a big smile when she took it. I said, "Am I forgiven for spoiling your exciting evening?" "This time. If you are going to get shot or something, call Gresham." "I would have called him before if I knew his number." The Doc gave an embarrassed smile and said, "Would you like something to help you sleep?" The next morning an orderly came in and showed my his badge. He said, "We'd like to catch the woman or whoever comes today." "I assume that somebody was awoken and given the pills to test?" "They don't tell me everything but I guess they were poison." "Good assumption. I'll help you but it will cost." "We don't pay money for this." "I want a small sized piss jug with some water in it and a strap from pants similar to yours." "What the hell you want that for?" "I am a survivor. You won't give me a throwing knife or a gun. Give me the jug. I am not going into this defenceless." "You're going to throw that?" "If I have to. Deal or not?" "A piss jug is not as dangerous as a bat I guess." I got him to introduce himself to Bill when he woke up. The boy was not as bored as he was before. Only an hour later Bill was taken to another room. It had to be for his own safety. My jug came and I worked on getting a strong enough cloth to speed up the projectile. The cop had the name of Adam. He chuckled at my work. He didn't see it as much of a weapon. It wasn't, but I had nothing else and they would give me nothing better. Adam put water into the jug until I thought it felt right. Parents came in to see their children and then stayed in the rooms around mine. Two techs came in and set up surveillance cameras. They were doing this adequately this time. I spent my time studying people that came and went from this ward. Nadac fed me the information about how much of Caputo's empire we now owned. I gave some direction by trying to think what Rontem would do in my shoes. It kept me busy and worried. The king looked like he wanted to test me to destruction. Maybe I did bite off far more than I could chew. The patients had been shifted by the staff to get them out of the way of danger. The nurses that came to see me were worried and tried to hide it from me. Meals came and went until it was near visiting time. This could be a problem too. "Hey, Adam. I spilt my water." The guy was near and came in looking at me with a bit of anger. "I have visitors usually. Are you planning on telling them to go home?" "Yes." "If they go out of here looking angry or perplexed I am pretty sure somebody will be watching them and wondering. They come out of here happy then it looks like I just dumped my pills." "I'll pass that higher up." When school got out I really wanted to call the guys but they would be at karate. Gail drove them and dropped the other visitors off here. Usually she stayed but I got on her case yesterday to train like the guys. The gang was allowed in and a few asked about Bill's disappearance. I was a little tense but I tried to hide it. Betts kissed me first. I whispered, "Bugs; need to talk." She smiled at me then the rest came and did the same thing. I was fondled a bit but took it like a man. When the time came to leave Betts informed the group. This time I got a little fondling in of my own. Betts was the last. When she was the last person in the room I said, "The police have set up some cameras in the room. Last night a woman tried to get me to take some pills. She was nervous and I didn't take them. We're waiting for her to come back." Betts was really worried now. "I can get a bat." "Thanks Sweetie but I have police all around me." One came in now and looked pissed. "Sweetie, this is Adam. He's angry that I told you." I looked at Adam and said, "Betts stood with me and killed an assassin. She deserves to know. She can walk out of here with a smile." Betts said, "What do you mean? I'm going to stay here." "They won't let you. I just want you warned and prepared. The bad guys are probably going to watch your expression when you leave here. They see you worried then they may suspect this is a trap. Act the way you usually do." "I can come back." "Cops won't let you and neither would your parents." "I'm going to really worry." "Just turn on your computer. That will let you forget a bit." When Betts left Adam said, "You shouldn't have told her. This can jeopardise the operation." "Betts is smart. How do you think she got one of those guys? She'll do what she must. She'll have enough bats around her now to make you guys think she has an automatic club. She will be safer too and that is why I told her." When she would have got home I started my own computer. Betts was on first and I talked to her. I gave her all the details. When the guys got on they were given the same information. They wanted to set up a ring around the hospital too but I pointed out that we had to catch them in my room. Telling the guys may have been needless but they were friends. If they were cut out of all the planning and the information about what was happening then they would start to resent it. Hate would creep in and our friendship would suffer. Adam left and a new 'orderly ' came in by the name of Jake. The cops in the rooms around me slowly changed as their replacements came. I was getting bored. I talked myself out to the guys and started to draw. Jake was shown mopping the floor with a sour disposition but an M16 was on his back. His face changed when he got the drawing though. One young woman hurried down the hall around nine but the place was quiet. When I looked around I found the woman from the night before coming this way. She composed herself before entering the wide door and walked down the hall to my room. She wore a light coat now to hide her uniform. The cops looked anxious and I felt the same way. Parents came in too but they were shifted by the nurse to their children's new rooms. My computer was fired up again and I was giving reports to the guys. Nobody tried to talk to me now. The woman came into the room with her coat over her arm. "You don't look so good." She felt my forehead instead of using a thermometer. "Did you take the medication the doctor ordered?" "I hate pills. They make me gag. Usually they give me a hypodermic." "You're lucky. I brought one just in case." "Thanks." Jake came into the room pushing a mop bucket with a mop handle. The woman looked at him then discounted the man. The conversation was going out over the computer. I didn't look around or for the police. My hand was near the strap that was around the metal jug. The woman was even more nervous than last time. She pulled out a vial and filled a needle. She even flicked it to get rid of the air. I got a sickly smile as she pulled up the smock on my arm and brought the needle near. Jake said with authority, "Police. Step away from the boy or I shoot." The woman was so frightened that the needle fell to the floor. "I was giving him his injection," she said as she moved away from me. Another man was at the doorway now and he looked pissed. He also had a silenced gun. I grabbed the cord to the jug and got it to spin two full revolutions as the guy drew his gun. He was concentrating on Jake's back and not me. The jug went flying. It hit the man on the temple just before the gun was levelled. Jake moved to one side quickly. He was looking at me now as a possible threat. His gun tried to cover the woman and me. Other cops came flooding into the room. Jake almost shit himself when he saw the man behind him with the silenced weapon. I gave a quick rundown as to what happened to the guys and said I was safe. There was cheering coming to my headset but only after a lengthy pause to digest the information. The two were cuffed and dragged out after a search. One was still unconscious. The room was full of people that didn't need to be here now. Jake sheepishly came over later and said, "Thanks for your help." "You're welcome. I guess I'm a survivor and that means I have to prepare." "You can throw piss jugs near me all the time if you want. You were pretty accurate." "I am trying for a spot on the Olympic team in that event." "I'll buy tickets to see that." Gresham came by later but everything had settled down. My dinted piss jug was back on my table with more water in it. Now it was time for me to sleep. The next day was Saturday. Mom, Pop, Dad, Gail and I guess Mom2 came in with worried looks. The younger ones had not apparently been invited. The police had already talked to them but they wanted to see me for themselves. My weapon was taken away as evidence but I had a replacement ready. One of the first jobs I did, was point out the cameras stating how they were here for my protection. I had to give a description of what had happened the two days. I gave credit where credit was due. I made more drawings of the two perps. I was going to draw a piss jug flying at one but I didn't. I also didn't show his gun. We all agreed that Tony had to be behind this. His father was in jail and had to issue orders through his lawyers or the phones. The latter was sure to be bugged especially in the jail. I didn't think the guys in jail could have a phone but most had not been convicted yet so they had the freedom to use the devices as long as they paid for the calls. I don't know what Carmen, Tony's father, thought of this but it looked bad for my family. Me testifying against Tony would be even worse. They must have DNA evidence by now to link him to the crime but testimony was good when it came to a jury and very expensive lawyers. Dad asked, "What are the police going to do now? You're a danger to the other children here." "I was thinking the same thing." I looked close to him and said, "Leslie, could I impose on you? You already have protection and I will just shelter under the same umbrella. The taxpayers will like it and so will the police." "I'd love to have you stay with us." "Then we have to convince the doctors and the police that this is the best course to follow." I left it to the adults to get the ball moving. The police on the other end of the bugs might even spread our message quicker. ------- Chapter 20 That night around six I was moved into my own room in Leslie's home. The police and the doctor were close to make sure I was secure and had no bleeding. A bug was on the bedside lamp. It was an old one but still ones that were installed after the police came here. I unwrapped the device and called Mom and Leslie. When they came into the room I pointed out the bug. "We are infested. They may be Franks, Caputo's or the police. Let's give them to the police even if they are not theirs." Mom was incredulous. "Are they microphones?" "This one is. I'll bet you a buck that there are a lot more and cameras too." "What are we going to do?" "Tell the cops to take them out or you hire somebody to come in and do it for us. We still call somebody in though to make sure nothing was accidentally forgotten." Leslie said, "How long were they here?" "If they were live then they caught me being abused by a lot of girls. Don't worry. Nothing was illegal and if word gets out then there will be a multi million dollar lawsuit. The city and the police force cannot afford that. If it was the province or the RCMP then they face the same penalties." Gresham was contacted and said he would remove the bugs at police expense for us the next day. Mom called her employers just to make sure. The girls left me alone that night. Well almost. Betts was on one side and Wendy on the other. They took care of my needs repeatedly but were quiet about it. Sunday morning the exterminators came and then a private company Pop hired came through for us. There were still police around but no bugs inside the house. Mom and Pop took Leslie to bed to celebrate but only after I convinced them that all the bugs were gone. June had to be dragged by Wendy and Betts to the room and thrown to the lions. The other lionesses eyed me but were very careful. I got to feed too. My body was assisted by Aristis technology but even a full grown Aristis male could not have lasted long. The girls were satisfied to cuddle up to me but I knew they were still horny. I would just cuddle one for a while then like the coach for a hockey team, send her out to play as a tired player came back. The majority of the girls then went home. Leslie wanted Mom and Pop to stay with her. They wanted to. Pop came to me when it was private and said, "Is it really safe to talk here?" "I checked. It's safe." "Leslie wants us to stay with her. She was crying too. She got a notice a few weeks ago telling her to vacate. From what you told us it had to be Caputo. What I wanted to know was... did you get this place?" "Pop, I have to do this my way." "What way?" "Tomorrow a courier will come with a document or two. A new corporation bought this place. They see that Mom II is in trouble. They are offering her a free stay for six months." "Do you own the house?" "Yes." "Why six months?" "Caputo used to have money here. I will claim to Leslie that it was Frank's money. It would be split between his heirs. That means Mom II gets her share. She and the girls cannot buy the house but you and Mom can buy a share. It cost a lot so you are going to have to sell your house and move here. You are not buying Mom II and she is not coming into the family without her head held high." Pop thought for a while. "How much is this going to cost us?" "Enough so that you, Mom, Mom II, me and then Wendy and Erin are equal partners. Isn't that what a family or a marriage is supposed to be?" "Yes but I still don't know how much." "This has to look even. I don't want Mom II to put in more money than you. So I have to hit her fairly hard. She has to get a job like you and Mom. The kids work to keep the house clean and share the load. You get kids that are acting more grown up. "For the figure, I think you could sell your house and with some savings put in half to three quarters of a million." Pop was shocked but kept quiet. "That works out to a half a million each. If Leslie puts in her share and so do the girls and me we can buy the four million dollar house for three. It looks realistic." "Was there enough money left here for that?" "There will be a bit more. Taxes are high and this house cost a lot to heat and cool." "We won't have that kind of money to buy a share." "You have a fairly wealthy son that will loan you the money. All of us will be able to see the bookkeeping. You really have to pay me back but there will be no interest. Since you and Mom will be paying for food, electricity, gas, phone and insurance, I will pay my share." "Ah... what are you going to do with the money?" "This is business. I have to use the money to grow. The act we would put on only ties Mom II to our family and makes her realise that she has to work. She is not supported by Frank any more. She was used as a prostitute but not again. She has to keep her head up." "We heard that the police found an insurance policy for Wendy and Erin's mother. They will have one million plus interest coming in." "They will not be able to access it until they are older. The money I 'find' will not be from this." "You came up with that pretty fast. Did you know about the policy?" "It was in the safe with the money." "I'm glad you are not fighting us." "We're family, Pop." Pop and Mom changed places. I explained the same things to her as to Pop. After she understood my reasoning she was happy to accept the situation. They now paid a mortgage but soon the same money would go to me. Their costs would go up but there were more shoulders to carry the burden. Nadac had the packet delivered Monday afternoon. An organisation Leslie had never heard of before now owned her home. Since she was in trouble the organisation would forgo collecting rent for six months. Between the lines it hinted at the possible sale of the house to the tenants. Mom and Pop would hear the news that night or by phone as soon as Leslie understood. A real estate company was going to put our house up for sale immediately. I was going to have to heal first before I could find the combination written on paper then the safe itself. I had court appearances to make. We knew Tony was not going to show up for his assault charged but I did have to go to Morton's trial. Morton and his lawyer expected a fine but he got six months in jail. People getting away with violence was not condoned as much now. The girls were subpoenaed for Caputo's trial for his involvement with the kiddy porn and then the killings, kidnappings and rapes. There was a lot of legal wrangling and the court case was a long way off. When I was able to walk with the aid of a crutch, I found a piece of paper just sticking out of the baseboard in Frank's former office. This was done in front of witnesses. I called everybody's attention to it. The 'L' and 'R' after numbers had to be a safe combination. The combination did not fit the two safes that the police had opened. My suggestion that there was another safe sparked a treasure hunt. We searched the house for days. Everybody but Betts and I were sick of the hunt. Mom found the safe after Betts smiled and pointed it out to her three times. It was Wendy that opened the safe by rearranging the numbers on the paper. The police were nearby and it was difficult to keep everybody quiet. I was the one that took out everything with the gloves used once more. There was no jewellery here to tempt us. The cash came out and stayed out. The rest were documents relating to Caputo's hidden empire were put back. The cash totalled exactly two million dollars. Mom and Pop convinced Leslie that she and the girls should get a third each. Pop slipped in that maybe they could buy the house they were in now if they came up with their share of the money. I added enthusiastically that I would put in my share. The paperwork had to come out and I called dad over to talk about the coin auction and my net proceeds. I had one and three quarter million after dad and the auction house took their cuts. I'd still have a three quarter million as far as Leslie knew. The police were informed of how we found a slip of paper then went looking for a hidden safe the number did not match the two we had. They didn't like it that we had not only found the safe when they had not but we had spent almost a day trying to open it and then succeeding. The same day Doc Suffolk came over and sat us down and told us and especially Wendy and Erin that the body they found was their mother. There was a lot of crying but it looked like the girls had already guessed this truth. Mom and Leslie had a funeral a few days after with very few of the deceased old friends attending. This was depressing by itself. The house between the two others that bordered the back of our property was owned by Giuseppe Scringi and his wife Rose. I printed out a statement of fact. Basically it was a list of what Giuseppe had done that could get him arrested. Aiding and abetting Tony Caputo in attacking our house was prominent. The building was worth one and three quarter million dollars. The company that bought our home had no more offers in for more of Caputo's property so we could afford to burn bridges. The letter was dropped in their mailbox by me. This was an offer they could not refuse. They had to vacate by the end of November at the latest. Failure to do so would result in a similar packet of information going to the police along with all the incidental data I provided that would prove the accusations. This was something Rontem would like. Caputo had done the same thing to a great many others and not at a fair market price either. They had a week to agree but in reality they had until the end of November. A competing bid by one of our other companies for Caputo's home saw a lot of interest but he was not ready to sell. An offer to sell and lease back was accepted. We got a rock bottom price by offering cash or electronic transfer. When the latter was accepted and the money transferred the papers were sighed. The sign went on Pop's home. And Gail became distressed. I brought her around to see Scringi's home. "My company is buying this home. We are cutting a gate in the back wall. We are going to be living there. You can use the pool. You get to live in a home much more expensive than what you have now. You are not going to be living alone." "What do you mean?" "You are going to apply to be a foster parent." "Why? Oh, the children that were hurt." "Exactly." "What about my home?" "It's your home. Do with it what you want. You could lease it out or sell it. The choice is yours." "My business?" "Same as with Liza. Do it when the children are not home. You will be in charge of meals, laundry and housework too. I can help to get the kids to clean up after themselves I hope. Some will not change without a whip held over them. The government pays for the children's upkeep and the corporation chips in a bit. You get paid under the table." "That's a lot of work." "It sure is. The boys will have a room there. They are your helpers at the start. They get paid in money from me and you may pay in personal services. They may end up owing you." "Those boys are going to be the death of me yet but I will go out with a smile." "Then you accept?" "Yes." An obscure organisation stepped in and donated a five hundred thousand dollars for the continued police surveillance. No stipulations were made so the police were happy to accept and they gave a receipt for tax purposes. I went to school, the first school day in October. The police escort did not cover me at school and as long as I went with an adult I was considered safe enough. Tony was not found yet and the risk was considered small. Miss Lime was my teacher. She was far from being sour. She was young and had some impressive degrees. She had taken many courses in helping troubled children. I took my rightful seat and the girls around me had to touch me for luck or something. They rotated the duty of taking my crutch and putting it on the floor where it would not be a tripping hazard. The guys were all smiling at me being back and about my greeting. One or another could come over now but never all three. I figured that in a few months two could come then a few months more all three. Usually when they came they were with other guys, especially Greg. Greg would draw the attention. Our class was large even with an extra grade six, seven and eight. Those that were in grade eight that were more fragile went in my class. Betts had to be transferred to the other grade eight class to fulfil my duties there. Chuck, and Jerry went with her. She ruled with a velvet glove over a steel hand. None of her other classmates could claim to kill people when they got angry. For some reason I was not seen quite the same way. I was hurt and thus in need of care. I had killed too but I was a near cripple. It was a little illogical but that was the way it worked. It didn't hurt Betts popularity any and I already had to many people hanging around me. I reaped all the benefits that Betts had sowed. She talked to people in every class about how to treat those weaker than themselves. Nobody disputed her at all. When I came to class, I had nothing to do. Doc Suffolk had given me the names of those that needed help. He didn't tell me the help that was needed or the way to go about it. The one at the top of the list was Terry. He was the guy I met that disliked Greg. It may have been better for Greg to be in another class but I could see the dislike but not understand it. Terry never came out and called Greg names. He showed his dislike in other ways. It would be the pause when talking about Greg or his expression that said that Greg was different. Penny was at the same party I met Greg and Terry. She was like Heather and seemed to be slated to love only women. The two hung around together all the time and held each other openly. I could see the way they were and many others could too but nobody got on their case. I guess it had to do with girls always being friendly this way with other girls. The first recess had a lot of guys clustered around me. The 'secret' had been out less then a week after the attack. Betts had given a factual account of it to the police and a far less vivid one to her friends at school. In keeping with my image I talked about how strong or powerful the guys were and then how weak and so very lucky I was. I got descriptive about how it felt to be shot. I claimed to have been slightly sick for a long time when I thought of what I had done. This was true but I put more weight behind it. At noon Betts and I ate our lunch but now we had fifty seven others with us. Most were those that made it to our school from the farm but others had gravitated our way because they felt weak or threatened. I gave quiet talks that were in effect speeches about how I was before and how I was after I decided to stand up for myself. The old code of keeping quiet was shown for what it really was. There was no real bullying at our school now. None would dare with everybody ready to tell Betts or me. We did find abuse at some homes but nothing we could do too much about. It usually centred on alcohol or drug problems. In some cases the younger people that got hurt deserved everything they got and more. Laws or rules were not stated in enough detail to indicate who was being an asshole and in need of an attitude adjustment or not. Betts and I talked to the assholes enough to let them know that they were the authors of their own misfortunes. Being human they thought we were full of shit. School work was boring but I was used to filling in time. Miss Lime knew about my math and took delight in giving me work she thought would challenge me. I did the work required of me and then worked on crystals that were conveniently in my mouth. Nadac gave me updates on how well our computer was growing. Its power expanded exponentially after a certain point. I felt like a parent in a way. The crystals I was now processing would go into this computer but more were being made so they would fit into a much stronger 80 some day. Nadac was always watched and it was hoped that the current computer though an 88 could handle some of the chores without being monitored. Only a computer with a number less than 88 could house an intelligence. They usually started at an 86 though for the 87 was borderline. My typical after school activities had to do with sports. Since I could not play I coached. Betts and I picked coed teams. That fought and snarled at each other as a game. Every two weeks the teams were changed so that there were no permanent 'enemies'. Chuck agreed to take the younger kids and fight Wendy. Paul always seemed to get picked first or nearly so. These sports were not as competitive but Wendy snarled at Chuck and he always pretended to cringe to the delight of the young set. Even his own team laughed at him. Pop sold his house with a short closing date. We had to worry now about what to keep and what to get rid of. The furniture in Wendy's home was better for the most part. We had already moved into the new house. The rooms were redone to our liking. The idea was to make the house different. So many bad things had happened in this house that I figured I could never really like it. It was not the people I killed but the rapes, blackmail and the fact that Wendy's mother was killed and buried here. The Scringi's had completed the deal and moved out just prior to the closing date. The house though was being watched from two houses across the street. It would just have to remain vacant for a while. We had moved into our new house and set up housekeeping. Our money was pooled and an offer made on the house. Nadac used a telephone to talk for me. He said that he hated it but he could not accept three mill for the property but if we threw in a hundred thousand more to keep the paperwork straight we would have a deal. We quickly accepted. Our lawyers talked to other lawyers of ours and the deal completed. We had another party now because we were a family and house owners. The children were not put on the deed. This would leave an uncomfortable question why June, Betts and Patricia were not on when Wendy, Erin and I were. I was not worried about money at a time like this though the adults were. The first Saturday in December I took a taxi downtown with Jerry and Sam to pick out gifts. The guys had lots of money but so far had been good with how much they spent. The girls went out in groups with an adult present to buy into the bullshit that retailers made of Christmas. They would get things for me but Wendy was buying for another guy. Wendy and Chuck had started talking more and she had invited him over to the house but only after asking me. "Wendy, I am one guy and I can only be spread so thin. A girl needs somebody to hold for her own. Chuck is a great guy. He doesn't pick his nose in public now or even look stunned when a pretty girl like you comes along. I know he likes you too." "He does?" "He has two eyes and big testicles. You are female and very beautiful. You are even stupid enough to talk to him. He thinks you are smart, charming and beyond his reach. He is also my friend. Just don't lead him on and if he is no good. Just tell him as soon as possible." "I might want to find out about his testicles." "I will only be jealous if he makes you scream louder than you and I do." Chuck became a regular. Sam came over too but now Jerry came over when invited by Betts with one excuse or another. Terry and Greg came too but if Terry knew that Greg was coming then he refused. We tried to muddy the waters but also get people adjusted. Jerry and Sam came into the house with me to help me put away what they helped me buy and their own gifts for their friends and family. They would get stored here to keep nosey fingers out of some presents until the last moment. Leslie said, "Wally, did Wendy, Ashleigh or Elaine tell you when they were getting back?" "No, Mom. Wendy talks to me less now that Chuck holds her hand." "You're still not jealous?" Leslie didn't like the term 'Mom II' so I called her Mom like I did Lillian. The name fit both though one was a lot younger. "No, if it were up to me I would see if these two lugs could take some of the pressure off too." "Not all the pressure?" "I am not ready for the priesthood." Jerry and Sam went home. The girls' cell phones were called and even Chuck's. He was with them and Gail was the head honcho. When I found out that nobody answered I searched for the crystals in them to find the direction they were in. I was very surprised to fine them east and not south. The signal though was odd. It took a second to find out what it was. It was far away. I wanted to immediately call Nadac for help but he and especially Rontem would get pissed off. They would refuse to help me in any case. Betts was back and working with her girls. Erica was her lieutenant now and helped whenever she could. This was not for sex but because Betts made a lot of sense. I pulled Betts way with an apology. Betts knew something was wrong and said, "What's wrong?" "Wendy, Ashleigh, Elaine, Gail and Chuck are far to the east. At a guess I would say about a hundred kilometres. They are all together still." "Kidnapped?" "It looks that way." "What do you want to do?" "Like the farm." "Did you call the guys?" "You do it. Meet at the... Wait. We can't take a taxi and say go east. Even if he did he would remember us." "June has a licence." "Better to steal a car. Jerry can drive." "Like he did at the farm?" "He's been practising since then." "I hope so. Ask him if there is a car he can get that won't get missed." I was even more nervous than I was when the guys attacked our home. It had to be Tony. There was a good chance he would call me to taunt me or to get me to go where I was now going. Tony had to go for good. The guns, and equipment fit in my pack. It wasn't long ago that I still had to use the crutch but I could manage for a short distance with this weight. The dark clothing and balaclavas would now be welcome because it usually had frost at night. I debated on the grenades then threw all of them in too. Betts got a first aid kit and blankets. The girls would be in shock if they were alive. Tony was a sadist. With a cop as a houseguest we had to be careful but we had already found ways to get around him or her. Betts took the packs out as I gave her an update to where the guard was at that moment. We were in a bad position. Wendy's continued absence would cause Leslie to call out the cops. Betts and I were going to disappear at the same time. If we got the girls back then Leslie would know that we probably had something to do with it. The key to this was Leslie. If we left and there was another armed confrontation then Leslie would suspect that Betts and I had something to do with it. Wendy or the other girls could not hide the fact either. They were not strong enough yet. I knew one thing. If we were found it was still worth it to save the lives of the girls and Chuck. Lillian came home later but just after Jerry phoned us. I said to Leslie as the two women sat talking, "Wendy told Betts that they were going to be out late. There are three places they are going to be. Betts and I are going to get a lift and go get them. Chuck I thought had more brains." "Where do you think they are?" "Three places downtown shopping but I think they are going to end up at Gail's place to let off some steam." "You guys going to do the same thing?" I pulled Betts to me and said, "That can happen." "Do you want me to give you a lift?" "I already called for a ride, thanks." We were outside when a small car stopped out front. Betts and I threw our packs in and jumped in. Jerry said, "Where?" "Hit the 407 east." "It's a toll road. The car will get billed." "Shit... pull off where there may be some dirt." Jerry did drive better. He had wheedled some lessons from Gail and she could not deny the guys anything. I gave the information I had and it felt much better that the munchkins were safe at home and not with Wendy or Gail. I let Betts know that we may have difficulty if we disappeared just when Wendy got rescued. Factoring in my lie to where she might be would show that I was hiding something. Betts and I did our best to coat the plates with dirt and I added some bare twigs to the back plate to help. I didn't think the mud would stay on. I got in the front so Sam could get ready. I could bring up a road map in my head but only our position was on it. The others were just further to the east. Jerry went as fast as the rest of the traffic, which meant we were speeding. Betts and I got out of our clothes and put on our camo outfits. It was still light out but not for long. The family would worry soon and do something about it. The pattern seemed to shift northward as we approached a cut off for the York/Durham Line. "Take the exit going north." Three kilometres north I felt the positions shift. I also knew where they probably were. Here was one of the farms I owned. It had no bodies on it from Nadac's previous search but I guess Tony was going to change that status. We turned west on Elgin Mills Road and a kilometre later turned south on Ressor Road. There was a large woodlot in both sides of the road. A small road left the road and went through the trees. Jerry didn't like it but we went down this road to get away from passing traffic but stopped as soon as we could "The guys are three hundred metres away. They may have heard the car." Jerry got dressed as we finished putting on or weapons. We spread out down the road to take out any patrol coming to investigate until Jerry was ready. We were far enough away to need light. The moon was out and the cultivated field was easy to see with our glasses. I used the low power infrared scope. There was an old trailer parked in the trees with a pickup and a car nearby. "They are in the trailer. Two people are outside the trailer crouched down near a tree or a pile of rocks and earth. Betts, Sam. Head forward and to your left while I try to distract them. Jerry move straight in but stay near the ditch. Let us get into position first." Betts and Sam had problems getting through brush. I would be exposed to their view but stayed on the ground in a low area. I collected, then threw rocks ahead of me and still into the cultivated field to keep them focussed my way. One of the heat sources moved closer to me to investigate. I heard whispers and in a moment the other one moved too. It was easier for the two to move closer to Jerry to stay in cover before approaching me. One carried a rifle and a pistol and the other had to have a pistol too. I could see Jerry move forward a bit at a time but the enemy was much easier to see. Betts and Sam were not seen at all. That is why I gave them their task. They were good enough to do it well. The first sentry stopped and the second moved forward once more. One figure stood back among the trees and waved the all clear. I went back the way I had come still on my belly. I could be seen from the trailer. When I was back to my previous position, I continued the way Jerry had gone. Jerry was near one of the downed men with his confiscated weapons. The rifle had a scope and the pistol had to be a MAC 11 firing 9mm ammunition. "Good work. Did they call out?" "The first one made a grunt. I missed this one twice. I won't find the darts in the dark." "We'll worry about that later. Head to the car with me." I transmitted, "Betts, Sam, take the truck." We kept low. I held the rifle barrel because there was no strap. Jerry had the SMG. He had no actual training in it and it had no suppressor. It was better than our dart guns but people were still nearby though the trees would cut down most of the noise. When we got near I said to my team. They are all in the trailer. Two hostiles. One to the right of the door and another at the back with our people barricaded around him." "Jerry, move the selector to single shot. There is a red line on the trailer six centimetres high that makes an abrupt turn down and then forward. Can you put a bullet in that backward slashing line?" He was close and said, "If I got closer I would be sure." "You can get where I am and that's all." He nodded. "Sam take a grenade. Place it as far under the back portion of the trailer tire as you can. Pull the pin and leave quickly. Jerry, at the four second mark fire one or two rounds into that area. No more than that. The trailer may tip or not but the last hostile may move enough that I get a shot at him. Betts you take the door but only after I tell you. It is probably locked now. Blow the door open if you have to. I will cover you from the rear. If Jerry doesn't take out his target, I will. Sam, your turn. Go." Sam ran to the trailer staying away from the windows as best he could. The grenade was planted and a rock was even placed beside it before he pulled the pin. Jerry had his weapon resting on the car and with two hands fired two shots. One missed but the other threw the man back. The bullet hit the shoulder. I was at the back only ten metres from the trailer and behind a tree. The explosion shook me even though I was ready for it. The trailer tipped and then fell back. There was screaming inside but the man in the back stayed low. It was Tony but I could not say this to the guys. There was no way to get a clean shot. I got right up to the trailer and then to the side. Still no clean shot even at this range. "Hostile by the door wounded in left shoulder. Sam, throw a rock on top of the trailer, not big." A branch came instead. Tony raised his gun and fired one shot. I fired the rifle and amputated his arm at the elbow. "Hostile in the back down with amputated gun arm. Betts, go." Betts pulled the door hard and went to one side with it. No bullets came out at her. Three girls started running out. They stopped metres from the trailer as they saw our black shapes. Betts raced in and put a dart into one man then another. Betts came out and signalled the all clear. Sam had the presence of mind to get the girls to lay down with their hands over the backs of their heads. Betts put away her weapons and pulled out Gail while Jerry ran in and helped with Chuck. My phone rang just then. I had not put it to vibrate only. It could have killed me this time. I hurried a few metres away and answered, "Hello." "Hi Wally, we tried to get you three times already. Did you find the girls?" "Yes, they're safe and sound. I do not know why my phone did not pick up the call." I actually didn't and had to attribute it to interference from Nadac or Rontem." "Thank god. We had a crazy person phone us. He said he had the girls but wanted you." "He was crazy and it sounded like Tony Caputo. Don't worry, he does not have the girls." "I was just about to call the police even though he ordered me not to. When will you be home? We are still worried." "As soon as I can." "When Wally?" "Trust me. As soon as I can." "Ok Wally, bye." I went back to the group. Leslie would learn our secret. Who else would know they were safe? Hiding my absence like Clark Kent did when Superman appeared looked good in the old television shows but not in real life. All the girls were on the ground. All of them including Gail were naked. Chuck' face was bad but he smiled at us. I moved forward and looked at each of them in turn. Betts was going over them looking for wounds. Sam covered our captives with his dart gun while Jerry looked outward for enemy. Wendy looked at me as I moved around. The girls were crying and as fearful of us as they were of their captives. Wendy's face suddenly changed. "Wally! Is that you?" They all looked at me now. I said nothing. My voice would give me away. It was Gail that said, "Is that you Sam?" She looked at Jerry's back and said, "Jerry?" Betts was working on Ashleigh when the girl said, "Betty?" We could possibly wiggle out of one of us being found out but not all of us. Sub vocally I said, "We are too close to them. The only thing we can do is try to get them to keep quiet. If any of you has a different idea tell me now." There was none and after a long minute I pulled off my balaclava. Wendy got up and ran to me. Betts got hugged by Ashleigh without showing her identity. The guys removed their masks but put them on as toques. I said, "Let's find your clothes. We have things to discuss and you can cause us to die soon. Keep quiet now. We are still in a combat situation." Sam went into the trailer and brought out blankets to wrap around the girls then brought articles of clothes that the girls put on. We looked in pants for keys. Jerry ran to the other two and found both sets. The girls were put in the car and the truck and the engines started. Betts said quietly, "These people are my friends and perhaps family. I can't see them staying quiet at least to the rest of the family." Sam was close and said, "The darts cause amnesia." "That would work, but only for a while. Leslie phoned a minute ago. I said the girls were safe to keep her from calling in the cops. We can come home with sleeping people that forgot all this. The girls were obviously raped and Chuck beaten. Tony phoned already saying he had the hostages and wanted me. There is nothing we can do now. The secret is out. Chuck is the only one that is still safe but I don't know for how long. He was a close friend to all of us." Betts said, "We have another problem." "What is that?" "We took the girls from Tony. If he recovers he is going to see the wounds from darts on him and his men. He will know that the same people that attacked the farm rescued the girls. He is either going to kidnap one or more of them if they do not go to the police to find out why no report was given. Any one of them or us would answer if torture is used. If the girls go to the police then the police will question them to get all the information out of them. One is sure to crack. They were not that stable before and much worse now." "You're right and I can see only one solution." Sam nodded his head and said, "Yes, and I like it too. We have to take them away from here. There are darts around and the girls fingerprints." I said, "There is another of Caputo's properties about eleven kilometres from here by road." Sam said, "They should be burned or buried to hide the evidence." I said, "There is a better property further west. It has an old dug well. The guys at the academy searched the area for bodies that Caputo planted there and found the hole." Betts said, "That is four executions to our name. The others haven't said if they will be quiet yet. If they let the secret out we get nailed for the farm. We may be able to get out of that. If we get nailed with this it is much more serious." I said, "It doesn't matter. The cops are nothing. We would go to jail. Caputo would have us killed and preferably tortured to get us that way. I don't want Tony around anyway." I got everybody in the car while I stood by the partially open window to talk. "Here is what I have to say. We raided Caputo's porno empire a while ago and sent out kiddy porn to a lot of high ranking people. They had to do something about this or be branded as complacent or in the pay of Caputo. "Caputo liked kids to fuck and there would be lots of evidence to this when the kids were questioned. We gave out a lot more evidence we found about other criminal activities. Caputo's empire was coming apart at the seams. "Caputo had a last ditch plan to kill witnesses and send the rest overseas to work as prostitutes. They would never make it back. We raided the farm and I killed some of the men. "If the police hear of what happened tonight they will question each of you until one of you breaks. Tony already called Leslie to gloat and to get me. Luckily she didn't call the police yet. "The police worry me a bit. I will go to jail for killing the men at the farm. Caputo would get me first though. I may think I'm tough but he would get the information out of me as to who was with me. Then Caputo would take the rest of us. We would not die quickly." Wendy blurted out, "We won't tell anybody." Betts said, "You were just raped and abused. Leslie will see this and know that Tony got you. She may not question you as hard as what Caputo or the police would but she would try. She would also come to the conclusion that Wally and I were involved." Elaine said, "Why?" "Wally already said you guys are safe. Leslie will see that you were captured and now free. She knows that we are involved. She's not a stupid woman. Too many of our enemies have died. Leslie has been questioned a lot by the police. By the questions alone she has to know a lot about our unit." Wendy said, "My mind is fuzzy now but we won't say anything. Can't we just pretend this last thing never happened? Mom won't talk." Betts said, "It is not just that. Tony will look for you later if the police are not brought in to find out why he was not captured. If we give him to the police he will ask them why they were not tipped off. The police will be very interested to know too." "You could get rid of Tony... permanently." "We already talked about that. The other deaths were in combat situations. These four would be executions. I personally don't mind but you will know what happened and this will put more strain on our relationship. If you cringe and hide from us because you know we killed in cold blood then you tell everybody that something is wrong. The psychiatrist will get that out of you eventually." Elaine said, "You already killed a guy and we didn't hide from you." "I was doing that with a gun near my face. This is an execution." "Kill them or let me do it. I don't mind." "Killing this way is not going to be easy for us and we killed before." Wendy was doing some thinking, "I'll kill one of them especially Tony. By the way there were five of you that saved us at the farm. There are only four of you here now." We were quiet but Chuck pulled Wendy to him. It took only a second before she pulled back in amazement then pulled Chuck to her even with is bloody face. "Oh, Chuck. You saved me too." It was Gail that said, "I should have known." She looked at me and said, "I am older and less likely to break. I vote you kill these... animals now and we leave." I said now, "We need to hide the bodies and not on this farm." "Where?" "About eleven kilometres from here. "Throw them into the truck. I'll drive it there and help you dump them." "That may be a good idea. We have to get you guys home and cleaned up." Wendy said, "I am not leaving you now. Elaine was timid but she said, "Me too. I want to see this through." Betts said, "This will leave you affected for the rest of your lives." Elaine said, "You look like you are doing fine. I can too." "I have Wally." "Well I like Sam. He can be my crutch." "What!" came from Sam." "Don't be so daft Sam Lockhart. You act so smart at times and so stupid at others. We are going with you guys and that's it." We dragged Tony out of the trailer. He was already dead from shock and blood loss. It didn't look like the other would survive much longer anyway. The former captives stripped the bodies and got them loaded in the back of the truck. They were squeamish at first but not after Wendy kicked one then the other of the last two. Nobody asked how I knew that one hostile took a wound to the shoulder or that Caputo had an amputated arm. I had shot through the walls at the other farm too to score hits. One day I was sure these questions would be asked. Even the police would want to know how one bullet made one kill through a wall. Jerry drove most of the guys in his little car while Gail drove the truck with Betts and me. We took the lead and found the old road. The road got rough and the car had to stop but the truck could make it through. We found the old home soon enough. We had to dig to get through the rotting wood that covered the well. Tony was dead and he was thrown into the well. The other was dead too. Chuck took the gun from Sam and fired one round into the head of the first guy. "That was for revenge. If my friends are in trouble then I am too." When the last person came over and layed near the opening Sam fingered his gun and came to his own decision. I said, "You don't have to do this Sam. He will die in the cold water without ever waking up." "No. We are a team." A bullet left the gun and he stared down at the mess of the man's head. In a moment nobody had done anything and he said to Elaine, "Woman, are you going to help me or not? We have garbage to move. Elaine's face was a little green but she now smiled and through the carrion into the well. We put boards over the hole and we would have to come back after to see if we could collapse the walls or the well. We drove back to the farm while Gail drove the now empty truck to a place we picked out that was about ten minutes away. They came back in Jerry's car and the remaining car was driven away with the two propane cylinders from the trailer. A grenade beside each cylinder would ensure that the vehicles burnt well and left no fingerprints or blood stains. The trailer was being prepared the same way but only after I searched it. The guns we found and the ammunition would go with us except for the rifle. We were far enough in the boonies that probably nobody would know of the fire until they stumbled onto the burnt out hulk. Wendy called home the first time. Gail had just left. The rest of the girls were in the care of the Children's Aid and were visiting for the weekend. I got the phone and asked to speak to Pop. "Hi Wally. Your voice says there is something wrong still." "There is but the worst is over. I want you to drive here in your van. Don't take the 407. We will tell you after we get home. Don't act suspicious when you leave and tell Mom to sit down or take Leslie to bed." "What is all this about?" "Pop, come and get us and find out." "Ok, where are you?" I gave him directions. We had flashlights and we would signal with one if he kept flashing his high beams in our area. Gail had already left the car with Jerry, Sam, Elaine and Ashleigh. The rest of us waited for our ride to arrive. We were cold by the time the van arrived. Betts lit the fire back at the trailer and we had to wait a while until she ran to the car. Chuck and Wendy got the back seat while Betts and I took the second. Pop said, "Now what is all this about? Why are you out here in this godforsaken area? Why was Chuck in a fight?" "Pop, we were through a lot. Please drive us home. We can talk then." Betts had to yell at her father to just drive. When we got home I saw that everybody was up except the munchkins and their man. I peaked to see that they were actually sleeping. Shirley and Elaine were sitting close and Sam was now between them. Chuck was being bandaged by Mom and Mom while Wendy held him tight. Ashleigh was doing the same thing as Wendy but to Jerry. Erica was very nervous and held me from one side as Betts did the other. They all looked at us. We looked better after changing out of our camo outfits but we still looked like shit. I went slow and told the story once more but this time I used a lot more detail. Both moms and June were holding Pop for support as I continued. I had to be quiet and stopped whenever I knew that the guard was too close or might overhear. The explanation the first time took a half hour. Pop said, "You guys are the commando team that the cops and the mob are looking for?" They are supposed to be a crack military unit." "We are doing better. Tonight we actually did quite well." Lillian said, "Why didn't you just call the police?" "Mom, the crystals are top secret. And don't ask me about the military help I get. You will get no answers. You will be angry at me and I will be angry at you because you are now told. Simply don't ask. The crystals were injected into all of you. Some when you were asleep. Now if I mentioned this to the police they would laugh in my face. They may go out in a squad car and then have to call swat for backup. Our way was quicker and cleaner. The hostages suffered less at their hands too." "So, you just killed them?" "You are trying to think like a civilised person. How long has Caputo been getting away with his crimes while most people looked on? If those four did not die then they would have come after your daughter and our family. Do you really think one cop can stop them?" "They have so far." "Tony just kidnapped Wendy who was under the care of the police. Do you honestly think we will get a guard for each of us?" She didn't answer so I waited. Pop said, "Answer him Lillian." She glared at her husband but it was Leslie that took Lillian's shoulders in her hands. "Answer him Love. It's important." "They don't have enough money for us. Are you happy now?" "No I am not happy. We are not safe even now. In two to seven weeks Caputo will break out of jail. He wants to get to a country with no extradition treaty. He will spend enough money to make sure he lives comfortably, fucking more children. The leaders of that country would use his money so they can get some of the things they want." "How do you know that?" "I have his house bugged. He had this planned long ago. When I tipped off the police to his plans, he simply changed them. He is simply working now through his lawyers. When he has liquidated enough of his assets he will simply go. Some of the police were told this too. They do not believe it will happen until many more people are killed." "What has this to do with what happened tonight?" "If Tony lived, he would get a chance to find out more about a military team that took his captives away. Carmen will know that his only son was after me. When his son and his friends don't turn up, he will deduce the truth. Carmen will come after me and of course my family. "You tell the police this and they will laugh at you. He is only behind bars because he is not ready to leave. If he is not successful in having me questioned, he will come out here and work directly. You seem to think that Carmen is a civilised person, acting just a bit uncivilised. He started to kill in numbers to silence the adults and then sell the children. Not the hallmarks of a civilised person. "I killed to protect the people that were abused. I killed later to protect them when they entered this house. Tonight I killed to remove a mad dog. I brought danger to your family but I brought a measure of safety to Leslie's." "But my daughter killed people." "This morning you were not angry at that. What has changed?" "She can do it so easily." "She shot animals attacking civilisation. That is a soldier. That is their duty." "She is not a soldier." "You are wrong because she is." Pop, Leslie and Gail tried to talk sense into Lillian. June had her own feelings and she tried to talk to her mother and lover too. The woman was distraught. She still had her beliefs in our culture but it was so thin. A war happens and the people rape, steal and kill because they can get away with it during the confusion. When natural disaster comes, the same thing happens. Even a mob will do this if it is steered that way. I went over to Chuck and Wendy. "You two go have a shower and go to bed... together. Don't look shocked Wendy. You both need this now." Turning to Shirley and Elaine I said, "Wash Sam up and sleep on both sides of him. He killed for you and for us tonight." Ashleigh and Jerry didn't have to be asked. They just left hand in hand. Erica came up to me but pulled Betts along. "What about us?" "We all need comfort tonight and I can't think of two ladies I would want it do it with than you two." Our emotions were high. Death, danger and the promise of more threats made sure we acted the way all humans would act. I got up first but it was near noon. June and the four adults were in the kitchen wearing the same things they had on yesterday. "Did you guys go to bed yet?" Pop said, "Your Mom is coming around. Her expectations of humanity are different than ours. We listen to her arguments and poke holes in them." "Be kind to her Pop. Most of this is a reaction to shock." "I'm sure it is too. All we need is a good sleep." "Ah... Gail was hurt as much as the girls. She was speaking from experience. She needs some comfort too." Pop opened his eyes wide. I said, "She is the same as you guys only more horny." All the women looked shocked. I said, "I talked a lot last night. Things should not come undone for a while. Personally I think it is best to go have a shower and go to bed. Five should still fit if you want to be sociable." Gail got up a bit more awake and pulled Lillian up. "Wally's right. Let's go have a shower and some rest. I don't think I'm up to anything else but I do like to sleep with a warm body next to me." Leslie thought the idea good and pulled first June then Pop toward the large showers. The munchkins were up long ago but they never left the bedroom they now shared with Paul. I made a meal and got them to emerge. Paul was pulled out of the room by his bosses. He was naked as they were but he didn't seem to worry much. I got them to sit on the chairs to eat. Near the end of their meal I shooed them off because the guard was coming for a coffee. I sat him down and gave him a meal too. We talked sports for a while. I think they knew a lot about what went on in the house even without the bugs. They didn't talk much about it and none went into the records that got put into the police files. Cops were human too and sometimes even nice in spite of it. Sam came out being dragged by Elaine and Shirley. With him being tag-teamed I figured he should have been last. I got them seated and gave them something to eat. Elaine's trauma from yesterday's events or the fact that she saw Sam kill a man didn't seem to bother her. Her eyes and those of the even more timid Shirley said that they got something and they were not letting it go. Sam looked like a stunned gazelle being eyed by two hungry female cheetahs. Wendy looked to like Chuck and Ashleigh seemed to be the same way with Jerry. Gail may be losing out but Pop was a man even if he was stretched thin. Lillian may like her and now they could like each other in a different way. With nobody looking like they intended to get up, I went to the garage and took out the equipment. Our guns were hidden along with the other pistols and ammunition. I took our clothes to the washing machine and set the machine for heavy duty. We would have less to tie us to this site so keeping the clothes was safe. Any of the guns may not. I cleaned my shoes and these usually got chucked. Footprints were traceable if they knew a location was a crime scene. With this all accomplished I asked, "How did we do Nadac?" "You compromised your lives by including others." "That may be true but my instructions were to gather some mates. Other members of my race did well even if in a strictly military fashion." "Others now know that would not come with you." ------- Chapter 21 "I need supplementary help. We now may have some. It is a risk but they are also linked. I would suggest that we are forming a clan. At this time there is great genetic diversity which will help us in later years." "The king and I see it as your security being compromised." "What do you think of the way we fought and cleaned up later?" "Did you consider the fact that others may be assisting Tony Caputo and go to his last known location?" "I did. They would find a burnt out trailer. They will suspect that Tony is dead and as time passes they will believe that this is certain. Carmen will send out investigators then resort to other methods to make sure he gets to the truth. Carmen will not find much if I am lucky. He will want to break out sooner to handle the investigation himself. This will mean that he will have to complete the sale of his assets sooner." "That is a poor business strategy." "I plan on shifting the blame to one or more of Caputo's competitors. It is logical that Tony would take over the running of the empire. By killing the only heir then the illegal assets that we are not buying could be acquired by the strongest." "That is a cleaver idea." "How do you plan to do this?" "We have some of the guns plus the identification. A local enforcers closely allied with one of the other mob figures can be singled out for arrest when we plant some drugs at his home. One of the wallets is found in his possession. When they search his home further, they find one of the guns. The magazines from the guns at the moment still have the former owner's prints on them." That sounds logical." Again there was no reply but the last was the best I had got so far. I went back to my bed and awoke Betts and Erica. They wanted to pull me back to bed until they started thinking. It must have been about last night. Betts said, "How is Mom taking it?" "She and the rest were still up this morning. I suggested that they could think better after a rest. I pointed out that Gail was assaulted and she needed some comfort of her own." "You didn't!" "They had a shower and went to bed. I didn't peek." "Was there anything on the news?" "Never turned the radio or television on." "You know so much sometimes but then just forget about something like yesterday like it is old news." "It is. Now get up. I made breakfast for my girls." Erica said, "What if your girls want a protein supplement?" "Then it will have to be after our talk." The last was said seriously. I woke Chuck and Jerry up. Sam had gone back to sleep but it was from exhaustion. He had to get up too. The girls were attached to their men now. The men and Betts had killed to protect them. I was going to use this against the girls but in a good way. We had lunch or breakfast. The munchkins and Paul joined us so we talked of other matters. When television drew them away I whispered, "It looks like my family has grown. Chuck, Jerry and Sam were always my friends but we had to hide this after our operation at the farm. They are my brothers in many ways. We fought and we have killed for each other. "They now seem to have some girlfriends. All of them are also my friends. You are all young and I expect you to shift around and find new boyfriends or girlfriends but the units now will be special. "We are in a time when there will be quite a bit of external threats. We have to learn to deal with them. One way is to know what to do in a certain situation. This is like karate. Karate builds the mind as well as the body. It gives us self-respect. "Other than Betts, you girls have acted like the average young lady. That is fine in a normal situation but our unit is not in a normal situation. We formed a quasi-military unit. I now want you to join. You will get some high-tech weapons and communications gear. Your lovely figures will change from soft curves to beautiful muscle. None here can say that Betts is overly muscular but she can run and fight to save her own life and mine if the need arises. Think what would have happened if Betts did not have the mental training and the physical one too when this house was attacked. I will answer my own question. If I had not been able to take them all out then all of us here with the exclusion of the guys would now be dead." This seems to ring a bell. "Girls in old books were meek and mild. Men opened doors for them but they had no rights. Today women have to open their own doors. They also have to protect themselves and their families. Do you want the five original members of out unit to protect you while you hide under a bed? If we fail; you die. We will have more of a chance if all of us can fight. I want you to enlist in the Toronto Self-help Militia." Wendy was not sure. "You want us to do what you guys did?" "No. You take karate and learn to protect yourselves. You can get weapons training but that does not mean you go on the offensive. You go swimming with us but not to sit around and give erections to the guys but to strengthen your bodies. After that you go to our officer training school. Mrs Watson teaches you how the be ladies, but ladies that can kill if they need to." Wendy said, "We can do all that stuff, why are you asking the way you did?" "Wendy, I love you. You are part of my family. You are also not very motivated. You keep clean and your room is neat but you do not do too much more. Your marks are ok but not great. I want my family healthy and active both in their bodies and their minds. Not long after you start, you will find one excuse or another to drop out. We are fighting for our lives. To do that we need well trained people that worked extra hard to learn. For you to work extra hard means somebody has to push you." "I can do that." I turned to Erica. "Will you learn to fight alongside Betts and I?" "I'm enlisting if you need me." "We do need you." "Ashleigh will you fight alongside Jerry to keep him safe?" "That's a funny way of putting it but I will?" "Elaine, Shirley. Will you learn to protect yourselves and your man?" Elaine said, "I like the sound of that but Sam is not ours." "The two of you have him all fucked up. He's yours." "Then we will fight with you guys." I looked at Shirley and she nodded too then she had to say, "I'll join." We will start tomorrow. After school you will go to karate training with us. If I guess right you will see Gail try to kill the instructor." Chuck said, "Why? What did he do?" "Gail and you guys were taken and you did not fight hard enough. She sees that she was much too weak. She will try to make it up now. She will be a very determined woman. Someone trying to take her chicks again will be in trouble." Just before it got dark, Dad drove us down to get the motor home. There was a ticket on it but that didn't bother me. Gail drove the vehicle back as if she were looking for trouble. She had seen the kidnappers die or already dead but she still worried. That was why I was in front with her to give her some encouragement. During the day I looked through the information Nadac had been able to amass on other gangs. Luigi Mastti was one of the biggest competitors of Caputo. He now lived in Montréal and controlled that city. He had small operations in Toronto to keep abreast of the situation here. He was presently after the illegal operations that Caputo had for sale. He also competed against us to get real estate at fire-sale prices. Caputo did what he could to sell to anybody except Mastti, but the man worked through intermediaries just as we did. The two men had a long standing feud that went back to when they were young men. It centred around prostitution at the time but could have been anything. They were looking for a fight. A lot of people died and Mastti moved to a new city. Mastti's surrogate here was Carlo Abrutzo. Caputo knew of the link but didn't openly attack either of the men. Carlo Abrutzo's right hand man was Sam Italo. This was the man we would target. To be subtle, Jimmy Mano would be involved. He was a high ranking man in another mob family. He had a long criminal record and a long list of corpses strewn behind him. We would plant the wallet of Tony's best friend Matt Eppi who I had met at the ill-fated party and at the other party last night. We monitored those that had been abducted. Those that had been taken watched not only themselves but the others too. There were some rough spots but talking to a lover and a fellow sufferer helped. Wendy didn't meet anybody in the washrooms now. She had enough in the safe environment of our home. That did not mean that we didn't feel the erotic thrill if we did it ourselves. Gail was excited when she picked us up. It was my way for getting her to focus outside herself and it looked to have worked. The new girls including Paul and the three munchkins would take karate with us. The first day, the girls were shocked and then pleased to see what Gail wore under her gi. She also did as I thought and took out her fear, hate and helplessness on the sensei. He protected himself very easily and talked to Gail after the regular session to see what he could do. Gail did open up but only mentioned being attacked. It was easy to see that it was more than that but Sensei Kazuyoshi could do little but to make sure Gail had her training. We drove to a swanky downtown section. The original buildings had either all been ripped down or gutted to make expensive condos. Chuck and I got into the penthouse apartment of one building easily only because I knew everything to do and did them all. I opened the safe within seconds. It was large and quite full of money. The wallet went under all of this. We were back on the street in half an hour. Our cheering section was all of the girls along with Jerry and Sam. They worked hard in karate and now saw some of the possible uses for being strong and coordinated. Erica breathlessly said, "Did you do it?" "It wasn't hard with good help. Let Chuck tell you what we found." Chuck couldn't wait to answer. "The safe was full of money. There must have been enough to fill a bushel basket. It was all in hundreds." "Did you get any?" "We're professionals. We don't do things like that." Shy Shirley said breathlessly, "What's next?" "Tomorrow we plant the information that Jimmy Mano killed Tony. We make it hard to find but Caputo will find that the information came from Sam Italo. Sam only does what he is told and his immediate boss is Carlo Abrutzo. Abrutzo takes orders from Luigi Mastti. Mastti wants to move in and take over. Tony is in the way. Mastti does not want a fight but he doesn't mind if some of the competition is killed off. Caputo will know this and clean up the city and get vengeance for the probable death of his son. Caputo will be too busy to really worry about me or our family." Gail said, "You are really devious. You don't have any relatives by the name of Lucrezia Borgia?" The information flashed on my internal screen. "That family learned intrigue from my ancestors." Gail smiled at the fact that I knew who she was referring to. It would be nice to have come by the knowledge honestly. When we got home I let the boys and girls relax while my two helped me make supper. June happily pitched in. She said, "I went to the library at school and looked up about the kiddy porn then a lot more about what you call the farm. They were very vague about who went in. I found that it was all conjecture by different reporters because they said that they suspect or theorise. The police said very little." Betts said, "They know more but not much. The witnesses contradict each other and they were all in shock at the time. They have footprints and smudges made by small hands. They found every place we sat to take a breather and have our bum prints." "They won't catch you?" "They could but not with the evidence they have..." I interrupted, "You better get the meal going. I hear some heavy feet coming in search of the elixir of life." June was very worried but Betts simply got a mug and poured a coffee. Betts had it on the table with sugar and some oatmeal cookies for one of her large friends. The guys and the girls ate with us but had to go home at least once in a while. The girls went too. Chuck laid down the law and the girls were not only driven home but escorted to their foster parent's house. Gail liked this sort of rule. She dropped the guys off and waited until they got inside before driving off. That morning Nadac sent audio transmitting units to the building that had the majority of Caputo's attorneys. One of the men used a cubical in a washroom when the transmitter made the sound of the main door opening. A voice said, "Did you hear that Jimmy Mano was involved in the killing of Carmen's son?" "No! Where did you hear that?" "A guy that I buy information from mentioned he heard it near Bloor and Yorkville." "Shit, should we be taking here?" The sound of the door opening and then closing was heard. A kilometre away similar voices talked outside the locked door of a building used by Jimmy Mano. A similar piece of information was spoken in the stairwell of a building with friends of Sam Italo. In the latter case they would actually be spreading the information that could hang them later. Seven more areas with friends of Sam Italo were targeted. The info was slightly different each time. Tony was shot knifed or poisoned. The reason was always to remove him from contention. The names of Tony's late friends would come out later. That night the munchkins, Wendy, Betts and June did exercises with me then rested and we did them again. Sandy was guarding us so I dragged her into the fitness regimen. She then had to tell her reasons for being a cop and for all the need to be physically fit. Sandy made us work hard. She seemed to have issues about weak women too. Betts and I made love. It felt right but it felt like something was missing. I was sure that Erica was feeling worse being in a bed alone. I was busy at school but not with school work. The rumour had spread and Carmen had heard it from at least three sources. The burnt out cars were easy to identify. A light coating of snow was on the ground which hid our tracks and the darts at the second farm. I would have to get a company to drag the hulk out and have the farmer plough the entire area to hide any evidence. Carmen was not dealing with his assets now. He must believe that at least part of the rumours were true. Cosner Data Processing was part of a large organisation. Through our portal in Toronto we took some electronic money from criminal organisations. We left a faint trail that lead to the Chicago facility that was part of Cosner. If they were even a standard business, they would still try to hide this information. Vessio and Caputo as shareholders would be made aware of this. The next day another attack could be traced back to the Cosner owned subsidiary in New York. If the news got out the company was unsafe then it would fall into bankruptcy. The investment the men put into the company would be lost unless they could dump it onto somebody else first. Nadac and the king seemed to like this idea. It was a bit of what big business or organised crime would do. I had no wish to hurt other investors. Shafting those that had screwed so many others didn't sound bad to me. The shipping company was targeted too. The revenue departments of two countries were informed of how they were cheated. Contraband goods of all kinds were targeted even if they had nothing to do with Caputo. A lawsuit or two would make the company shares fall. Large shipments of illegal drugs that usually got through customs were now caught. These didn't even have to be Caputo's. It was my way of controlling the traffic. The cartels were losing but the price of their product went up. When possible, we tried to get the electronic funds when the drugs were paid for and still find a way of getting the cargo seized. The king and Nadac didn't care one way or another about drugs. By making some money this way, I was able to do a good turn to my fellow humans. It was doubtful if they appreciated it. Other companies that had dealings with Caputo saw him as a pariah. He brought unwanted attention to their businesses. Those members were buying Caputo out just to get his name off the ledgers. We were doing the same thing when the investment looked profitable. Planting evidence on Sam Italo would have to wait. Caputo was not moving as fast as I thought he would. I had to wait until Caputo sent an investigating team out before I planted the identification. The guys and gals were not going to like this. They wanted some real life drama as long as they were just spectators. After karate we went shopping. We all went as a group with the guys spread out to protect the gals the way herds of bison or other animals did. Instinct was very strong in humans even if some attributes like smell and hearing were getting weaker. Mom was not back to the way she was. What Betts had become bothered her immensely. I don't think she liked us exercising now. She might see it as a way of training so we could kill more. Sandy was the one I got to talk to all of us about the benefits of training that had nothing to do with being in a police force. I played the stalking horse and asked questions so that Sandy told Mom a few more times that we were doing something good for us. Rontem put pressure on me by demanding I work more diligently at processing crystals. The 88 was doing well. I would normally work toward an 87 or perhaps an 86 to learn more. Nadac had the main processing crystal for an 80. This computer was to be built on the sly but would take a long time to complete. In the back of my mind I wanted to work on at least a 72 which was the equivalent of what the yacht Fonduush had which also happened to be Rontem's home. The Aristis had made computers to the 60 series that ran worlds or could. The Aristis were paranoid and worried about the computers taking over. Nothing more powerful was made. The numbers were not arbitrary but followed an orderly progression. More powerful computers would someday be made but a need had to arise and the resources found for the project. We came home with bags that we hid from the proposed recipients but the girls showed what they had bought to others. Girls were naturally nosey. I could look through the plastic and paper to find out what everything was but I didn't. I guess I liked these kind of surprises. That night I found that somebody else was trying very persistently to break into an off-shore bank. I had money there but not that much. Nadac and I traced the source back to Toronto. The hacker was not Cosner but the way it worked showed that he had a lot of processing power. Something looked fishy though. Nadac discovered that the directions were actually coming from Montréal. Nadac traced the location down to a large building owned by Mastti. I quickly said to Nadac, "Let Mastti get some money but make his link through Toronto able to be traced. He must be doing this to cause Caputo more problems." "It is done." "How much did he get?" "Seven million." "Not much more than a sting but enough to get Caputo in hot water." Nadac didn't comment but said, "Masti seems to have a financial empire just a bit smaller than Caputo." "Perhaps we can hit Masti's money now and have it look like Caputo." "The two have been doing this for a long time already. To hit now would seem too coincidental." "Then perhaps a new rumour that supposedly came from Sam Italo saying how his people helped shaft Caputo and made money doing it." "That sounds interesting." I had started working with Nadac months ago to gain access to some of our legal profession. I wanted Gail Watson to be a foster parent. This looked very unlikely but money made odd things happen. Gail had been appraised of what was happening. Even before she knew about us and she didn't believe my quest possible. Our lawyers had come and briefed her on the situation and prepared her for the questions that would be asked. Some of the people asking questions were already well disposed toward Gail because of favours that were given them. Gail had just been given permission to take in some of the older children. I asked her to only accept those that were hurt by Caputo. Through a bit of shuffling, she got Erica. This was my real Christmas present, though the transfer was not quite complete yet. I was still concerned with the spies that watched Giuseppe Scringi's former home. I did not want them to link us but this would be unavoidable until I found a way to shift Caputo's focus elsewhere. Nadac and I worked to make a nebulous trail from the organisations that bought Wendy's home and the other ones to Montréal that were in turn linked to Mastti. Mastti was not into kiddy porn. It was probably because he didn't like it as opposed to not seeing it as profitable. Mastti would be seen as being a nice guy to those that Caputo had hurt. It would not take more than a few seconds for Caputo to consider whether Mastti had been involved with all his current problems. The king and Nadac liked this idea too. It would not put more pressure on us because we looked like pawns. We helped Gail move into her new house. It had already been renovated extensively. The bugs left by the previous owners were removed and a much better alarm system installed. The garage was already a separate building as it should be. It was altered considerably to accept the motor home's length and height. Gail praised one particular philanthropic organisation for giving her a job and a new place to work. Her old home was kept and she leased it out after being remortgaged to the hilt. The mortgage payments were all tax deductible now though not normally in Canada. The actual move was fun for all of us. I got our grade eight classes plus all the other students sent to our school for special help. Miss Lime came but not as a teacher. Through some arm twisting Doc Suffolk and his wife Irene came too. There was a lot of refreshments and food and the kids had little to do. It was basically an excuse for a party. My real mother was now in the hospital. She had heard about me killing two men in Wendy's home. This was the last straw. Dad had her committed and made sure she got treated by using the courts to back up what should be done. Dad used what government assistance he could plus his own visible resources. I put the same money into his hidden account so that it was me that was helping my mother. Dad must still love Mom. She was the dynamic force in the family and he followed what was told him. He would occasionally rebel but this was good or she would have simply taken over. Dad had asked Mom's psychiatrist about me visiting. The reply was not favourable. The foundation that donated to the police to protect us now paid for a much better alarm system around the property. One day there would be free access from the other houses but that would have to be well after Caputo left. Nadac sent more bugs into the jail and many more into the offices of the lawyers and the remaining free members of his organisation. Many of Caputo's representatives had died or were currently in jail. Caputo was going to have Sam Italo picked up for questioning. We of course warned the man in time for him to put up a minor defence. His office on the main floor of his home had a MAC 11 and the remaining wallets including Tony's. This one was in a mahogany case with a glass face. Sam luckily was one of the casualties. He died a few hours later in the hospital. The wallets and gun were taken by Caputo's men. Carlo Abrutzo was hit two hours later but he had time to prepare. Our gang war had started. Strong arm men were coming into Toronto for the last few weeks. Carmen now wanted cash for his properties. The cash was easier to dispense from his war chest. Caputo' lawyers talked to us about how much of the conglomerate of shipping companies that we wanted. It looked like Caputo wanted to unload his 39.8%. Other members thought it a good idea to unload at this time since there was a buyer. Our offer was good but not great. We estimated the net worth of the conglomerate after deduction all the liabilities to be at 16.6 billion dollars. The lawsuits and other litigation made the group of companies a leper and worth more like 12. The offer we put to Caputo was 4.75 billion after our discount. There was a further 3.2 percent was offered which came to 384 million. This conglomerate was going to go through some troubled times now. I figured and both Nadac and Rontem knew that we would get robbed. We needed better accounting and this meant a separate data processing facility. Caputo snapped up our offer and an army of lawyers and accountants descended on the various companies. We knew that there would be all sorts of subterfuge because Caputo did this for a living. Fraud in many forms made him lots of money. It was listed many times that our offer was on the company having a specific net value. It would take a month to find out the data we needed. Caputo was desperate to get the money and run. He bent over backwards to help us find every fact we wanted even if this meant that the money we paid him would be less. During all this, Caputo's lawyers met some angry Columbians. It took them three days to find the trail to Montréal and to the real culprit, Mastti. Caputo was now even more anxious to dump Cosner. The company was now worth less than the billion plus dollars it would normally fetch. The parent company Foster Communications would normally be worth 17.9 billion when Cosner's assets were factored in. They would now be worth 15 billion if the news got out about the rampant security leaks. Since all this was owned privately we put an offer in of 15 and let them bargain us up to 15.5 if they wanted to. We had nowhere near that amount of money. We could make it by slight of hand though but it would have to be removed from the system later. We would get back 200 million from Caputo and Vessio. The good thing to know was that Foster was owned by the Cartel. We figured that only four billion of our offer for the parent company would go to the fringe of the underworld and not the main players. The Cartel owned banks and other financial institutions so they could afford to let a piece, that now exuded an unpleasant odour, go. We put in an offer of 0.7 billion on all of Cosner's assets. This also included all the current employees. This was less than our previous offer of 85% but they had to know that we knew about the security leak. If we did not get all of the company we would offer slightly less on a percentage basis. This meant a meeting of the Cosner owners. I wanted a whole company much more than a fraction even if it was a major portion. Caputo was busy with the shipping company and the majority of his assets. Once he was paid I thought he would concentrate on this asset. After karate practice every day, we watched the news, or read the papers about what new atrocities were committed. Mastti was pretty much kicked out of Toronto. A bomb had gone off in an exclusive community north of Montréal but Mastti was lucky enough to live though many of his servants did not. The adults and the youngsters didn't know of my machinations. Even Betts did not know all of it because I would have no way of explaining how I did everything. The adults cringed at the violence but watched the news as eagerly as we did. The tips we sent the police allowed many other criminals to be picked up. Surveillance cameras or news cameras would show actual footage of a man being murdered. This did not happen often but it made for a lot of viewers. The news of our website spread beyond the police and governments. The mob bought the password and location from the other two groups. The guys and gals watched this too but it would be too much for the adults and we didn't tell them about it. The extended family was now fairly healthy. The methadone treatment had tapered off to nothing. The people were still in need and it took the rest of us to support them. Love was the best but it was not always the sexual variety. Christmas vacation started. The house was usually full of kids. The foster parents still got paid and Christmas could be the most depressing time of the year. The younger ones roughed it. They slept in the freestanding tents on air mattresses and in sleeping bags. The fireplaces cooked some of their food. The parents came too if there were any allowed to and if they wished. They got to stay with the kids in a controlled and safe environment. The fact that we killed three men here seemed to make the house seem safer and not the reverse. The Doc and Mrs Doc came over during this time and camped with us. I guess it was fun for them too. They had lots of parties and commitments but we were one of them. The Doc even printed out a diploma stating that I had graduated from Apprentice Headshrinker forth class to third. I had a present for him too. It was a shirt to match the shorts I saw him in once. Betts got him a feminine razor for his legs. The Doc had a long talk with Paul. He always seemed to be concerned with the boy's welfare. Suffolk filled out seven sets of paper and gave them to Mom and Pop. It was an application for adoption of Paul. The Doc had filled it all in and put his own comments and those of the people he chose to help him. Mom started to bawl which set off Leslie and then Gail. June though still young followed the trend. Pop was misty eyed and the Doc took Paul's hand and led him to the lionesses. The munchkins jumped in there to protect their man and learned about what the paperwork was about. My own ability to influence others had started. I could monitor the crystals in my own brain. To some extent I could dampen the effect though I had no machinery to find out if this was the truth or not. My spare time was precious to me. The crystals took up most of the time at school and most of the time at home. I was getting quicker at them but there was always so many to do. Karate was easy by comparison. The concentration was not that intense and my reaction time steadily improved. There were a few more people taking our class now and the motor home was packed more than what was legally permissible. There were competitions we could go to but it was still too dangerous yet. Rontem and Nadac had told me before that I had to go north for more training. I had managed to stall them but the day after Christmas I had to go. Betts said, "Why do you have to go for more training? You are doing good in karate." "There are more things to learn. First-aid is one, target practice, courses on different weapons, a lot of mathematics related to weapons and their use and a whole lot more. I am trying to get you to come too but they are not ready yet." The last statement stopped her request to come with me. "Can't they come here?" "Soldiers go to a base, the base does not come to a soldier." "Are you going to be safe?" "Actually I will be safer than here." "Then you should go." The rest of the adults were not as easily swayed. Mom was the one that wanted me to stay away from anything military even though that had saved a lot of people she now loved. Since I was going to be away I said, "I would like one of your small cameras here to monitor this area. Caputo has finished Mastti and looking for other threats to attack." "I am not allowed to do that." "Why, you have done that a lot of times?" "Our king wishes you to make your own units. A typical soldier is able to use fourteen probes. Some have had up to fifty. The higher ranks have been known to handle over a hundred." "And still command troops?" "No. They have only so much mental capacity." "Show me what they look like, their abilities and construction." The units were small. Some the size of a flea. A complex crystal was the heart of the unit. One region had the field that worked in four dimensions and counteracted gravity. The portion of that field in our three dimensions extracted energy from the earth's magnetic field and the other portion used that energy to propel the unit. The largest portion of the crystal collected three dimensional data and transmitted it by ultrawave. I knew for a fact that Nadac's units scanned in five dimensions and not just three. "Our king wishes you to make some of these simple units and progress onto more complicated probes." "This one looks very complicated. It has the feel of having a long time spent on it to refine this design." "You are correct. The military need better and better probes and a millions of units of time have gone into research." "Why is it that the computer crystals I make are so simple in comparison?" "You were building simple computers. There is a great deal for you to master before you would be entrusted with a major computer. The crystal I presented was simple." Nadac showed me an image of trays of crystals. One was selected and I just looked at the fields that emanated from it. There were a great many five dimensional fields that reacted with the other fields. The fields were built a small portion at a time. The lines of force were bent and they affected those already in position as well as those not worked on yet. I was shown sixteen more crystals on this tray. They were all different but all very similar. It was like the way ICs looked so much alike but worked differently. A new tray was presented with slightly larger crystals. The first was not a homogeneous mass but two different crystalline materials. The fields produced were different but they still reacted to each other. I only saw three samples before the next tray presented a crystal composed of three distinct minerals. The show went on and then jumped to some crystals that used 792 different molecules. They each made a different sort of field. Not all of the molecule types in this particular crystal did much but they all had to be set up because of the way the lines of force altered the rest. This particular crystal was a computer by itself. It was usually used to replace specialized units that were unavailable. It was all in the way it was connected. "Is that used in the most complex computers?" "No, usually three mineral types are the maximum. More types can mean a smaller and slightly quicker machine. A nine mineral type is used in our best missiles but I suspect that ten may be common now." I said, "The simplest crystals seem to be more powerful." "Many of those crystals are folded into the other dimensions. The crystal you see is only the portion in the three main dimensions." "Are you going to teach me how to fold?" "I can only guide you with what I am told. I was a tech but folding was a difficult task and was more of an art. The technicians that can do this are greatly respected." "Will you loan me a probe to monitor the house? I will work much quicker if I know my family is safe. My first task will be to make a replacement for it." Nadac said oddly as if he were talking privately with Rontem, "You may borrow one but you must also do the monitoring." I was listening with my own ultrawave but I didn't hear any conversations going on. My unit though was only designed to handle a portion of the ultrawave spectrum. In this case I said, "Thank you." It had to be the king that granted this. We had two parties on Christmas Eve. It started out as one but segregated along ages. The families of the police came if they were able. They drank like fish and there were no fights. Both Moms and Gail acted as hostesses. This way we all could have fun without one person being on the lookout for trouble. The other party was just as fun. The television was turned off. Those that danced did so and those that did not took lessons. Girls outnumbered boys but girls were more sociable. Megan and Christy stayed close. This was the first time they had seen me since the house was attacked or the attack at the hospital. They wanted to drag me away for a private chat but always Betts or Erica, my private guards, minded my chastity for me. The other guests used the rooms on occasion but I was a host and had to look to helping others before I could find my own pleasure. Wendy liked to have fun but now she and Chuck had fun and did it as a pair with others. Betts and I had been the same until it changed with the addition of Erica. I still had fun with the ladies but my women or at least one of them had to be there with me. Sam was much the same as me. Elaine and Shirley honed his skill at pleasing the ladies. He didn't usually get a chance to stray or perhaps it was because he didn't have the ability. The girls kept him happy and drained. Ashleigh and Jerry had a more open concept of a relationship. Ashleigh had a lot of other girls. Jerry, Sam or Chuck didn't seem to mind. Girls were just having fun and the guys were never excluded. I had to be careful. I had better equipment thanks to Nadac. The girls liked what I could do with it. I could do things better than the guys but I was not going to go behind their backs. Even the munchkins had Paul now and I was not going to interfere. Gail was the odd girl out. The guys and the girls would gang up on her and drive her where no man has gone before. Gail went bonkers when she saw Erica naked. Gail nearly worshipped the girl and her super clit. While Erica was exotic, it was me with the amazing expand-o-dick that rang her chimes. Gail stayed with the adults when they were having fun too. It was different when having fun with an adult. That night I gave out my presents. I had made a drawing of each person doing something they liked to do besides having sex. I spent a lot of time on each of them and they were mounted in frames. Our family though got pictures of them in dress uniform or Aristis fatigues. They would be shooting a futuristic gun at a target, repairing a missile or laying in the bowels of a ship working on something. These were all based on human conception of mechanics because remotes did the work and only sometimes were they guided by an Aristis. There was a large drawing as if it were taken by a camera of all of our extended family posing in dress uniforms. In the background and seen through a large transparent portal, was the Fonduush hanging in space. Its size was greatly diminished because it was so far away. It still filled most of the window. I drew a picture of a male and female Tomma. Neither of the two were aroused but the woman's large clit was easy to see. The males were not as long as an adult human male but they had girth. A second picture was a Tomma family setting with naked individuals playing at sex or some game. This was the setting before the arrival of Rontem. In the background were some of the animals found on their world. I gave my presents out individually. Megan and Christy, I knew were coming and I showed them dancing with young men in Aristis uniforms and having a good time. The live musicians floated on small platforms from a metre to three off the floor in the background. They were surprised at the detail and looked at each others before kissing me as good as Betts and Erica did. They would have stayed plastered to me except that my girls got them to let me continue. The youngest got their image at their present age but now playing with mythical animals or ones native to Cralto. All the portraits were in frames with a sheet of plastic too protect the pictures. In this case it was even more important. Betts, Erica and I handed them out because the gifts were from all three of us. We were a team. The ones old enough hurried to find their parents after showing the rest what the picture portrayed. The kids from school, whether abused or not, were next. Greg got a historical portrait as he held a musket and he bent to examine the tracks on the ground. The inspiration for the horse behind him came from a talk I had with him one day. Greg seemed to tear up and held me in a tight one handed hug. Terry came to this party knowing that Greg would be here but came anyway. I had him as Tarzan swinging through the jungle on a vine. He wore little but looked very fit. A large cat hissed at him as he passed its perch. Terry gave me a hug too. "Thanks Wally. This is way more than I ever expected." "You're welcome. I was going to have Jane swinging on the vine between your legs and you giving your famous call but you might want to show this drawing to your parents." When the guests were given their presents then the family got theirs. Paul and ach of the munchkins were in uniform and studying something relating to combat or space. Paul's picture had a naked Tomma child his age getting into a suit of armour. Paul was assisting and not groping. They were very impressed with their gifts and went around showing everybody. All this drawing would have taken lots of my time but I found that I went faster and faster as I did each one. The detail though didn't seem to suffer. My picture was always vividly seen in my mind and all I was doing was copying in a way. When the youngsters were settled down we gave out three at a time. All three of us were hugged, kissed and thanked. When only Betts and Erica remained, I gave each one a large drawing. They were eighteen and walking in a garden on Cralto. A naked human child looked up at her or his mother in love. Around them were two or three Tomma children dressed the same way. Betts or Erica walked comfortably with a bun in the oven. Both girls cried at what they saw and I guess what the pictures promised. Erica cried more because she could not have children. When I held them to me I said, "Don't give up hope. If you believe in anything, believe in that." The girls went around now and showed their pictures. The other girls held their guys and I knew that instinct forced them to want the same thing. The portraits of us all and those of just the Tomma were put up to see. I would run out of wall space eventually and I would need to make a large book to hold them. We all exchanged our gifts now. Usually it was clothes, video games or DVDs. There was a lot of talk and planning during the buying by the girls so there was not that much doubles and the clothes matched other pieces. Christmas was all a scam by retailers but it was nice too if you could afford it. The various parents came down soon after and gave their gifts. They had seen some of the drawings and looked at the rest. They had lots of questions about the Tomma and I let Paul answer from what I had mentioned or his own imagination. Betts and Erica brought out more portraits of those attending. Those that I had never seen before could not be drawn for obvious reasons. Those that received were happy. The drunks were asked to sleep here and many did. The cops on duty would be out in force. Pulling in a buddy was not a good thing to do but it saved lives. Betts and Erica brought Megan and Christy to our bed. I was not sure of this because Erica was still worried that her uniqueness would get out and ridiculed. We all got on the bed but Erica was in the washroom until it got going. Betts would only hold Christy as she used her mouth on me. She didn't want to be pegged as a lesbian and neither did the other two girls. I urged Christy onto her back and slipped within her. She was more than hot and ready. When I could, I expanded and curled my muscle to rub against the area of her 'G' spot. Betts slipped away to the bathroom to be with Erica. She would not have to be just a spectator there. Christy held me to her as she slowly went wild. I said to Megan, "Come closer to your sister." She did and I continued to thrust. When it got too much for Christy I tried to cover her mouth with mine. I could not fit. "Megan," I grunted. "Your sister is ready to scream. Get the pillow ready." Megan was unsure of what to do but I ignored her. I felt Christy tense up and hold my cock as her arms desperately tried to hold me to her. She had two loud groans then filled her lungs. Megan was fast and muffled most of the noise. Christy pushed up with her pelvis as if to get more of me into her and then she fell back to the bed unconscious. I was close myself and had to think on my condition to get my cock to go down. When it was safe I pulled out. Megan eyed me now with a hunger I saw earlier tonight. "Help me pull your sister toward you." She didn't ask questions but did as I wanted. When Christy was far enough I got Megan to lay down. She didn't need any preliminaries. She also didn't last as long as her sister. When the stunned Megan was pulled beside her sister I called for my girls. I took Erica first. She already had an orgasm courtesy of Betts. I worked into her. When I was as big as I could get, I worked as if trying to get out. This pulled Erica's tissues and gave her the strongest feeling. Betts was handy to muffle the scream when it came. It came sooner because she was also sucking on Erica's breast and playing with Erica's large toy. Erica didn't go unconscious so I tried once more with me using my belly to squeeze her cock between us. Christy was awake now but Betts was blocking the view. She saw Betts hold Erica like a child when the next orgasm went through her. This time Erica's system could not take it and she fled consciousness. Betts caressed Erica's beautiful face then did mine. "You ready for me?" "You always excite me. Now turn off the lights and get under the sheet. I am going to shut you down then I am going to sleep." "You are such a braggart but you don't lie very often." Erica was covered up and turned on her side after I slid out of her. I could not see where I was going and Betts guided me home. Betts did get shutdown as I emptied into her. I was cramped for space but warm through the night. I woke up later as our door was opened then closed again. Brenda wanted to know if her daughters were safe. People didn't go until the afternoon the next day. Our guard was in the room with us so not all the presents were opened. The gift that could included a picture of a Tomma male taking Gail. She looked far from averse at the situation. Gail looked at the picture and said, "I have to meet these Tomma someday." "I'm looking for them now with Paul. When we find them we will make sure to give them your address and phone number." "I have a feeling that they might give a new meaning to the term 'long-distance'". "Paul and I will call them in by our ultrawave radio. We'll take care of the girls and you have to be a good soldier and take the guys." "What about Lillian and Leslie helping?" "Pop might want the help but it is not up to me." "We heard you didn't need help last night." I spoke seriously. "I would be happy with the last two," and got two hugs for saying it. "Your monitoring device has arrived at your location. Attempt to interface to it." The statement came out of the blue and I tried to pretend I was still here with my family. I reached out but had no experience. I hade done something previously but the situation was a lot different. Nadac presented the image from above then tried like a parent to teach a young child how to do something. This was a poor time to do anything like this. The family would be miffed at me for dozing off with my eyes open and Nadac and perhaps Rontem angry because I was not learning when I was on their time. I left for the washroom and stayed there until I had started to control the device far above my head. This was a simple unit with few of the bells and whistles that some drones had. It was still difficult since I had no previous training in any related tool. I came out much later than usual and listened to what was going on while still operating the unit myself. Nadac wanted me to go. I was polite to the family and said that I had to be off. I got hugged and kissed this time but they now had an idea of what was before me, or they thought they did. A taxi took me to a mall this time. It was closed but still suitable for me. Behind a wall used to hide the service entrance of a few units, I slipped into the small ship. I took control but only after Nadac relinquished it to me. I didn't play around now and took the least time course to Nadac but I had to monitor the drone at the same time or find a way for it to go into auto mode. I didn't talk on the way and just wondered what was awaiting me. When I landed and stepped out of the ship, Nadac said, "I have prepared some crystals for you. Here are the specifics." My mind was flooded with data. I found a way finally to put the drone into auto where it would stay. There was a simple threat recognition circuit and I returned to what Nadac was teaching me. My learning before had been more relaxed. I was being pushed now. The king must have given some orders because my mind could not take it all. The small ram crystal in my computer could be seen by Rontem. It was nearly full. I would need a lot more. My ultrawave was ok but I could not pick up the entire spectrum. The king and Nadac spoke in code so even if I did hear, it would still be gibberish. When I was inside Nadac zone of interference I asked, "Are other races like the Wikki able to monitor us?" "We are safe. Ask your questions." "I want the same ultrawave that the Aristis aristocracy use. I want a processor to handle encryption." "If you are able to build one then I would be forced to give the algorithm that would allow the king to decipher what we transmit." "That's ok. By getting this device I am saying that I belong to the aristocracy. The units used by the top ranking soldiers are not that inferior." "The king may allow this. The unit you already have is about the same size. You are just going to have to learn to make the communicator." "I have been hinting of the Tomma, spaceships and a military. I now want to install similar computers and communicators in those people that will be following me. It is a small step, and if done gradually, will bring them to seeing the Aristis as people that should be assisted." "What is your objective?" "I can only give orders to my people, I cannot receive. I want to take willing recruits one day and not shanghai them. They need to learn gradually about the Aristis so there is no anxiety. The recruits may not be able to process crystals but they can learn to make simple devices. A ship to build would do but then we would need one for each then a larger one for training." "What is the purpose of these ships?" "The guys will see the ship and think only of it. They will get trained before they realise that even a top secret human organisation cannot have all that we have. By then they will see that the Aristis are not a threat. The Aristis may come to this world to manage it. They will need not only a military force to assist them but a ruling class already in place." ------- Chapter 22 Nadac thought and said, "Assisting your compatriots to communicate is the easiest to grant. The communicator could be given visible memory crystals but Rontem will read the data stored on them. They would have to come here to get the portions of the skull crystallised to store data we do not want Rontem to find. This would be a traumatic time for them." "What if they were unconscious? I can ship them here one at a time and you can process them. I would prefer having a two or more place vehicle made so that I can assist you. You can force them to do as you wish then remove the memory but I want them unconscious all the time. To do this you need my assistance." "I have the ability to do everything required without waking them. You have to provide the processed crystals." "Then do what you can to guide me in getting the flux lines packed more densely." I had been working on two part crystals and now I went back to one. Some crystals had a great density of lines. Nadac was not really a tech but he had the memory modules of the previous tech. We worked together for hours with no success in the experiment. I went to exercises like I had before and then went back to the crystal. I had seen pictures once that looked odd and repetitious. When they were looked at by some people, an image could appear to jump out. This was the same way but much more difficult. I was not viewing in three dimensions or a mathematical graphs in five. Straightening out a crystal's field and making it resemble a graph was easy compared to what I was trying to do. The pattern had to be seen first before it could be manipulate. Nadac brought over the 88 computer and I looked within it. It was difficult to see because of the many fields. There were thousands of fields and then harmonics between the crystals. Nadac got the 88 to do a task repeatedly as I watched. It took only a few minutes until I saw a pattern then it blossomed and I could see a much larger pattern. "That's amazing Nadac." "Look into your crystal." It took less than a minute until I saw a similar pattern though much smaller within the unit. Adjusting the molecules were no more different than before. The pattern in my head required me to start in one place in the crystal. It was like playing Lego as I broke down a crude structure and built a much neater five dimensional shape with it. When I finished, I looked at the crystal and found it only a fraction of its original size. Nadac said, "You have completed this task satisfactorily. You have dispersed the majority of the crystal into all five dimensions." "Could I move all of it into the other dimensions?" There as a long pause and I knew I had something when Nadac said, "That is a very difficult task to accomplish. The maximum done so far has been to have 82% of the mass of a crystal moved into the combinations of other dimensions. The crystal was moved into two of the common dimensions and one of the other. This is enough to remove mass." "I made the main processor for an 80. Could I make another but shift more of its bulk into the other dimensions. It would then appear to be a lesser unit." "Your idea is sound but you cannot hide the number of flux lines even if it is smaller." I thought a moment then said, "You showed me a crystal made of many different molecules. It had a great many lines of force coming from it because it did everything a computer must do. Could I condense a similar crystal so that it performs all the functions of an 80 and appear to be an inferior unit?" Nadac was quiet a long time now. "My memory as a Cyberneticist tells me that this was attempted and was partially successful. The memories I was able to take with me just list this happening with few details. The majority of my memories were placed in crystals in my skull when I was in a biological form. These and my memories in the main computer were not copied when I was transferred to where I am now." I said, "You're the researcher. I need the data you did manage to bring with you and additional storage... can memory storage units be pushed into the other dimensions. A crystal that appears small to Rontem may be large if we can partition it. The portion he can access will correspond to the size of the crystal that is viewable." "That is a good idea. That is already done in some military units. I did not suggest it to you because you have not gathered the skill to do this until now. Let's see what you can actually make. Perhaps we can add material to your existing memory hidden in the bone of your skull." I worked much harder making memory crystals. A partition was put in that looked like the normal one that incorporated the entire crystal. The crystal was then shrunk in size. The capacity was compared to its size. It didn't match close enough and it was destroyed. It was much easier to start with virgin material. It was the seventh unit that matched but I tried to do even better with a non-partitioned unit. I was making mistakes and had to sleep. When I awoke, I exercised. After eating I began on another crystal. Nadac had been talking to me as soon as I awoke. He appeared eager to see what I could do. There were six possible triplets of dimensions. The triplet we were familiar with just got less of the material. It occurred to me that I could make a computer in five of the triplets and ignore the one we used. This was cut off abruptly. Nadac could read minds and he was an Aristis, not a human. He had a back door into my thinking and I had never found a way to keep him out. I finally reached the 82% level and continued. Nadac didn't say it was impossible to do more and he was as interested as I was. When my latest crystal hit 86%, I thought he would dance around. "How come I can do more than what your records indicate?" "I have been working on just that problem. It takes many units of time before a master could displace even half of a crystal." "I am part Tomma. They altered my race you said. Perhaps I am partially what they wanted." "I have been looking through your race's DNA with this in mind. Humans vary a great deal. Your race is full of genetic defects that get bred back into the general population. A high proportion of your race seems to almost have the ability you have before we met. I do not know if this is the result of deliberate manipulation or chance. I said, "Let's go with intent. Can you see how I am different than the Aristis and from my fellow humans?" "Your brain was studied intently but I see nothing odd. It is not the same as a Tomma or the Aristis but the differences are understandable and minor." Nadac had no idea then. I also assumed he was going to work on it when he could steal the time without being caught at it. "Nadac, I think I can get more. If I work on the 88 at my home I can hide this activity from Rotem." "We were going to use that unit to supplement my work." "How about I build standard memory units. They go into my skull and Rotem can monitor their contents. It would be just what a tech would know. I can experiment at home and build another computer more on my own. When I have mine, you can have yours back. While working inside the computer I am safe from detection." "I cannot help you that way." "I have to come back here more often for training without arousing suspicion unless we can use another portion of the ultrawave band that Rontem is not monitoring." "He monitors it all." "Radio?" "Why use that? It's slow." "We are close. We can use a cell phone." "That may be possible. Rontem demands uploads of data often and at irregular time. I have built within myself a complete personality that Rontem monitors while I am free most of the time to use my real personality." "Can I do this?" "You are not a cybernetic device." "Too bad. What about borrowing the 88?" "I would allow it but the king will find out at the next upload and then he could deny you the use of the machine." "If I do not try then I cannot succeed. I also need some buds, a ceramic case, and all the other necessary parts." "I will have to deliver this later." I worked on other crystals to do the work Rontem expected. One of the crystals would do much more than the six ultrawave units in my skull. Again I worked with Nadac's eager help but we were both afraid of showing too much of Nadac's real knowledge. A tech was not a Cyberneticist. I did not get an upgrade as I hoped but my existing Ultrawave was removed and the tiny crystal replaced with a slightly larger unit. This was partitioned to coincide with its size. It was my best effort to date and hid 93% of its mass. I had much of Nadac's knowledge but only that relating to computers. I did not have the units to implant and I didn't have a med unit. I had something better. I had the knowledge to build them. This was placed in my public memory for Rontem to find. Many phone calls had come to me but Nadac answered them with my voice and mannerisms. I did not like this but it worked better when I had to learn. I had stayed to the last minute and emerged out of the ship just down the street from my home on the morning I had to go to school. Betts, Erica and the rest met me in the school yard where I was immediately mugged. The guys wanted to know what I had learned and asked. The girls were the same but were quiet. "I learned of a neat device that stimulates a cell to heal. It is secret so far but will come out eventually. I learned how to control a small vehicle like the Americans use in the battlefield. Mine didn't have a bomb or a gun but only an eye." Chuck said, "I could use that in the summer when I check sunbathers." Wendy elbowed him but he still smiled. "There's a small implant that has to go in first. Like the kind you read about that lets an invalid move a mouse pointer or select keyboard characters." Sam said, "Neat. I could use that." "I am trying to get it. It is hooked up to our glasses. That's how I talk to you." "Really!" Everybody was interested now but I could not say too much because the munchkins and Paul were not fully into our group yet. Jerry said, "We could cheat at tests." "Yes you could but then you don't learn. There was one guy that was using two feet to stomp information into me. It was brutal. If I had taken the easy way all the time I could not have passed the tests to be accepted to the academy. Paul said, "What academy?" "It is an online school. I'd sign you up but you do not know enough math yet. Wendy said, "What about us. I talked to that guy Chuck talks to. He sounds ok. Can he teach us stuff too?" "I'll see after we get home from karate. We can get the course but I don't know if they have enough tutors to help all of us. We learn what an infantryman has to know then go on to learn... more complicated stuff." Paul said, "Can you see if they'll take me?" "Why would you want to learn? They will make you learn what an astronaut knows. They might put you in a rocket someday and shoot you at Alpha Ursae Majoris." "I'd meet the Tomma women." He had three girls beating him now and he fled for his life. People were dressed better after Christmas. I looked for those that looked depressed and didn't see any. After recess I would get Betts to look too. When I did ask Erica said, "Steph didn't look that happy." "Find out if there is anything we can do." I quizzed Nadac and found that there were a lot of suicides during and after Christmas. When we were let out at the end of the day Miss Lime said, "I wanted to thank you again for that lovely drawing. That would have cost a lot of money to get done. I wish I had your talent." "You're welcome. I suddenly found the ability. Perhaps yours needs to be stimulated. Sheridan is a great college for the visual arts. The students get a chance to paint nudes. You might find your inspiration there." "Wally, I don't know what to do with you." "I doubt if you are a prude Miss Lime. Copy pictures. Your ability will increase the more you try. A night course may be just what you need." When we got outside there were two more people with us. Steph was one. She was held by Erica and Wendy. Betts was talking to a thin boy from the other class. Betts got him to board the bus with us and Steph came too. Betts said, "This is Jeff. He wanted to try out karate with us." Though it was not done by kids our age I put out my hand. Jeff shook it and I said, "Glad to meet you Jeff. The guys here are outnumbered and we need all the reinforcements we can get." He was too shy to answer but he did smile. We had to sit on the floor because there were so many of us. Buses didn't have to have seatbelts and most of us didn't have seats either. Betts and Erica made sure Jeff and Steph were well introduced and they even sat side by side. Matchmaking at its finest I guess. Karate was as strenuous as I wanted it to be. I had two new moves I wanted to try on Sensei Kazuyoshi but he had other plans. The two newcomers worked with us but they didn't put much effort into what they did. When the class finished, Chuck said, "What are we doing now?" "You guys go to the university pool again or have some free time. I need to make our communicators." "I thought they were high-tech?" "You will see how high-tech. They won't be cans and string. Only a very few have this type and you guys will have them." "What do they do?" "For the moment, voice only. Later visual information can be transmitted. No more one way communications. This unit can communicate with your computer directly. Nobody hears what you hear and nobody can hear what you say. I have an ultra miniaturised unit over my house now. I can see threats if they are obvious. You guys get your own units. They are not like satellite but you get better uploads." Patricia said, "What are you guys talking about?" "New equipment I learned how to make." "What's it do?" "Neat stuff like spying." "Can we do it too?" "You guys don't know enough mathematics." "You said that before." "It's still true." "Will you teach us?" "I will but you will get bored." Chuck wanted to know more and I said, "Talk to your tutor. He may have the authority to release the information." Chuck's face lit up and he saluted. I saluted back with a similar smile. In the meantime I talked to Nadac to find out how much info should be transferred and what slant we wanted on it. Equipment from a secret military lab was ok as long as it was of terrestrial origin. Betts and Erica asked me too. Erica had to check out Betts' computer to find out more. The computers were busy in the house and I loaned mine out. I hid in my room with a crystal in my mouth as I worked on it. I was not experimenting now because I would be monitored. I worked on what a good tech might conceivably know. Nadac had requested data from Fonduush to supplement his own. This made my work much more probable. My project now was the med unit. It could be as complicated as a large computer because it was a computer and also had tools to manipulate. This unit had to be in a small size too. A hospital or an aid station would have large powerful units but those used in the field had to be small and light. One was built into the armoured battle suits. It was a different design to do its work within confined places. I made the parts for my bulky unit and waited for Nadac to send the rest of the equipment. I would need a bud for each system. If and when the 88 came, I could possibly get it to produce buds too. At our meal there was little talk about my trip. The guard ate with us usually. We treated them all like part of a conventional family but not the way we were to each other. The paperwork had gone in for Paul's adoption and this was the current topic of discussion. The boy had changed a lot now that he met the munchkins. The guys had gone home and so had most of the girls. Erica lived with Gail but the two of them were always over here instead. All of us liked it that way. Betts' tutor gave Erica work to do as I got my computer back and I 'inquired' if there were any openings for more enrolment in the academy. Nadac had lots of capacity when compared to an earth machine but he had lots of duties. The guys tended to use his capacity all at once. None was used when they were asleep or in school. I was told that we could have audio only and get everybody. The youngsters would learn math but it was their age that I was really concerned with. Nadac would not give me any USB keys but would give me the blanks and the raw crystals. This loaded me down a lot more. I continued on the med unit after telling Erica and Paul that they were enrolled but only for sound and of course typing and the graphical display a computer could usually generate. Making a real time display of a person talking and moving was very costly in processing power. The family ignored me as best they could. I guess I was like a teenager though it would be a few months before I became a teen. I stayed in the room but went out that night at ten and picked up a delivery from Nadac. I hurried to my room and showed Betts and Erica a box forty centimetres square and thirty deep. This was large enough for an 80 but it had to be open so that my head would fit in to check on the function and the growth of the device. I was going to get the 88 tomorrow night and I had a chance to show a stripped down unit in its infancy. The parts for the USB keys were there and this alone would help. The buds were in a ceramic cylinder with enough stored power and nutrients to keep them alive for a few weeks. Erica said, "What is all this stuff for?" I said, "This may look like a toy but it will be a computer some day. This one is not started yet." "How does it work?" "I have to tell you a secret. Only Betts knew this up until now. It's just as important as... what we did before. You have to never talk about this." "Ok." "I am serious. This can get me more into trouble than last time." "I won't tell anybody Wally." "I didn't think you would but I just want to make you aware or how important it is" Erica said, "Ok," much more solemnly now. "One of the reasons I came to the attention of the academy was because I can see a field around certain crystals." Betts didn't know that the academy tied in this way. "There are very few people that can see the lines of force coming out. It is just the way my mind sees two extra dimensions." "What do you mean? There are only three dimensions." "You're wrong Erica. Very close to an atom there are up to twenty one dimensions depending on the size of the nucleus. You can research the net and they will tell you that there are up to fourteen. There are some researchers that know that there are more. Two of those dimensions extend much further from the nucleus of an atom. The new dimensions mean that they found new types of force and energy. "The academy wanted me because I could move a molecule with my mind. It is a form of psychokinesis and too small to be noticed. Actually a lot of people have it but moving a molecule or two would never get noticed. Since I can see the lines of force, I can see the effect of my work." "Can you show me?" "Actually I can. I have got stronger since then." I got my flashlight and said, "Help me move the bed but take small steps. I am after some vicious animals." The girls looked at me with worry. I said, "I want a dust bunny and a small one that doesn't have big teeth." The girls looked a bit sheepish and moved the bed with me. I got them to lay down and I turned off the light. The flashlight was laid on its side aimed at a small bit of dust. "Don't breathe on it. Put your hand over your nose and mouth and I will make it move." The dust bunny moved away from me then back. It then formed a 'T'. Next it did a square and finally a circle within it. Erica did some thinking when the lights went back on. Betts did the same thing but didn't look as worried. Erica said, "Can you do anything more?" "I can move a crumb if it is not too big." She seemed to relax and said, "What is so important about that? I heard of people bending spoons and making things fly for a long time." I could say that they were charlatans but it was good cover for me. "This is not another person but me. I don't want some business or government lab getting me and locking me up. The government lab I am with is nursing me along at a pace I can handle. The other ones would lock me up and I would not get out." "They wouldn't do that." I held Erica's hands and said, "When somebody wants something very badly then laws will not stop them. Governments make laws but then assassinate people. Businesses break the laws all the time if they figure they can get away with it. Believe me when I say that I would be taken away." "If you say so but what does moving a bit of dust around have to do with this?" "Some molecules generate odd fields that go into all five common dimensions. I can straighten them out and make the field useful. A steel bar is made of iron atoms. They are all in random arrangements. I never tried but I could line up the iron molecules so they worked together. I would then have a magnet." "I can see that." "Well I can take a crystal and turn it into a ram chip." "That sounds neat." "If you go on the net, you will find that a computer is made up of small chips that could work together to make a computer. The CPU is just like ram and other transistors and capacitors. We once had a computer made of tubes like an old radio. You put all the tubes together and you can make logic circuits. I can make those kind of things. Modern computers are not made of tubes any more. Everything is packed on a tiny chip. I can make that tiny chip too but it's hard and takes a long time." "So you are going to make crystals and put them in this box to get a computer?" "Yep. I change the crystals and put them together in the box. This one is simple in a way. It's like a kit I have to put together." "That doesn't sound hard." "It's hard for me. It was one of those tiny chips that allowed me to find Wendy and the guys last time. We are at the cutting edge of technology here. They find out things and I try them too. I'm not much good yet but by the time I grow up I may find something new." "So they are going to put you in the army or something." "Well I am in a way and so are you guys. I need people to train with. You guys make me work harder in karate. It's like being in sports. We push each other to do our best. A mind or a body does not develop very well from a chair. It is by doing something that we learn the best. I added, "I have something else I want to tell you and this is even more top secret." "What?" came from both girls. "They have found that gravity is a type of energy from the five dimensions we know about. They are working on antigravity. It works now in small crystals. We figure we can make a platform that floats and then a small ship. Wouldn't it be neat to be the first kids in our class to orbit the earth?" Betts said, "Never mind our class. Kids never get to do that." "I know some kids that are going to try. It might take a few years." Erica said, "Don't we need a rocket to get us there?" "We float up or we use small rockets. It depends on how strong we can make the anti in antigravity." "How do we get down?" "Make the antigravity weaker." "Let's try it." "I am the only one that can change the crystals. I have to make a computer as an assignment for school. I have to make a bigger crystal that goes into you like the other one and allows you to talk to us and for you to hear. Your man is going to be busy for a long time making other things. One of them is the USB keys the guys' computers communicate with." I took one key apart and showed the girls the interior. The crystal took the power from the port and converted it into a usable form then this was used to send and receive data. I concentrated on the crystals and altered them quickly then went over it once more to fine tune it. I handed the completed key to Erica and said, "Put this into Patricia's computer for today. We will get you a laptop tomorrow so you can study alone." "Ohhh can I get one like yours." "Mine is better than most and just has a titanium case. Yours should look ordinary if you show other people." She didn't like the idea much but she was young. Betts looked put out and I added, "You get a new computer too. Maybe I can buy in bulk and everybody gets one." I got a kiss from each and that seemed to be that. I could just move a crumb with my mind and see lines of force. The mysterious government agency wanted to train me and gave me assistance in many forms. My girls were naive but I loved them for it. I would have to explain shooting through walls and opening safes with ease otherwise. The two left with the key while I went to work on the other keys. They were important. I could use them as before and after experiments to show that I had done something to the crystals. Letting the rest know of my ability was not a good idea just yet. Perhaps later, when we had something else to think about, I would let them know about my crystals. They were quick to make and I put them aside. More work was done on the med unit before the girls figured it was play-time. Half the time the girls still passed out and it relaxed me too so I could sleep better. A warm body on each side of me made it better yet. I processed crystals in school. During the recesses and lunch I socialised. Between crystals, Nadac gave me updates on our business ventures. Caputo was working on a counter offer that would give me all of Cosner but this was from our spies that monitored him and his lawyers. My own spy needed little attention. It hovered in place and sent back images to Nadac for processing but its threat recognition needed a lot of work. A newspaper sheet blowing in the wind activated it. During lunch I asked for quotes on two dozen laptops. My voice did not help so Nadac took over this task. I didn't need state of the art but I didn't want old units either. Cash was the preferred exchange. Too many companies got ripped off otherwise. Nadac continued with the process and said, "Twenty four units will be on hand tomorrow. You may pick them up after your martial arts training." I didn't want to say thanks because of my quest for three of the more prestigious castes but I did say, "You did very well Nadac." I received no reply. A better drone was within my capacity. I could make it small but Rontem could compare its size to its capabilities and know I had training I should not have had. The extra tech training installed on my larger memory chip could be an excuse. I could claim this as the reason for an inspiration but I could not do it more than once. I wanted to process the image in the computer in my mind. It would then be easily seen on my internal screen without having to be managed through Nadac. He could lie to me about what is seen as he was doing to Rontem. Nadac seemed to be holding himself in control but on a few instances it looked like he could be violent and he was very powerful. Jeff and Steph came with us again. Betts talked to them about working harder and fraternising after. Chuck hit Jeff below the belt by saying that Steph would like a guy that could protect himself and her. Steph worked harder because Jeff was. Before we got home I saw that Betts gave Jeff and Steph some money to go out and have a good time. She had lots of money so it was no hardship on her. When I got home, I went to the lowest level room and opened the door to the back yard to ostensibly look out. An invisible delivery service had the 88 and a lot of spare parts I needed. Some very small assemblies were here to complete the med unit. My med unit was the very basic model. There was no scalpel or tractor. All mine did was heal. The wound had to be closed and possibly sutured. The unit worked on accelerating the action of the DNA and RNA. This would help a virus so a simple sterilizer was added. An accumulator held a charge that did the work. This unit was both mind operated and had three buttons. One button and a control button to begin the repair. The control and another would supply a crude form of sterilisation that we had used when the crystals were injected into us. The 88 was twenty centimetres cubed. It was still the most powerful computer on earth other than Nadac and perhaps some of his units. The load we would put on it was not much. I looked through walls and floors until I was able to get this shipment to my room. The computer relied on beamed power. A small black box took the power from the outlet and broadcast it. Only equipment phased to collect this power would get it. It was also just as efficient as house wiring. Large units were better than high-voltage power lines used on earth. I had used the computer when I last visited Nadac. I interfaced with it directly and said, "Computer!" "Yes, Sir." "Your new name is Matt. Confirm!" "My new name is Matt." "Interface with drone at a hundred metres altitude." "Done." "Interpret signal and send processed image to me." The image was not as good as what Nadac did but in a few seconds the image improved. I turned on my own laptop and said, "Link to this unit and project the processed image to the screen." The image came through and it improved too over time. It was not as clear as in my mind. Matt was instructed to use keyboard input in addition to the link from my mind through the ultrawave. The drone would not come low enough to hit a home or any object. It could move up to fifty kilometres away from this point and up to an altitude of fifty kilometres too. The zoom factor was not good in this simple unit but it did work especially with the processing Matt could put to it. The speed of travel was only a bit less than twenty kilometres an hour in still air. A large wind storm could take it away and possibly destroy it. I put Matt up on a shelf with books on both sides of it. It was simply a ceramic cube now with no openings or protrusions. Looking inside it was no more difficult but understanding what I saw was a different matter. That is why I wanted my own unit to hide my activities. Betts and Erica studied with their tutors until supper. Wendy was in charge of our meal. This had not happened before but now she would look poorly if she did not do her part. Leslie helped her and this was good for both of them. After our meal, Erica was loaned my computer. I told her the control keys and even the way of looking other than straight down. She said nothing for ten minutes then got up and kissed me hard then sat back down. She called Betts on our link and Betts came in to see what was happening. I went to work on the final part of the med unit when Erica hurried to me. I thought something was wrong. She said, "Will your machine take verbal orders?" This was not uncommon so I asked Matt, "Have you been given the English language?" "I know that language in addition to Russian, Mandarin, German, French, Spanish and Aristis." I said to Erica, "I'll try to find out." "Thanks Wally," she said as she hurried out. Matt had to have artificial limits put on him at the start. He could not appear too intelligent too soon. He was a true AI because his intelligence was manufactured and his intelligence was growing like any child. It took almost a half hour to explain what I wanted done. Matt's naivete would get him taken for a ride because the kids would find ways to get around his programming. Betts was at the computer when I arrived. I switched over to a programme that was not there before. It was like one of the verbal dictation programmes used to save writer's fingertips. Betts gave her name and logged on with a code of her choosing. She was asked in a voice that could have been recorded to read the text on the screen. This took a half hour to make it sound realistic. I came back when she was finished and listened to her talking to a computer that didn't sound very bright. Betts had to treat it like a child and teach it what she wanted. The image on the screen changed with her verbal commands. Betts had to correct Matt when her words and thoughts were different. This looked like fun to me because Matt knew pretty much what was required but acted very literally. Erica helped or hindered and the girls had fun though they acted exasperated. "Remember Betts, Erica has to log on and have her voice recorded so she can give directions." "She could do it tomorrow." Erica must have looked bad so Betts corrected, "But it's better today. I can see how well she does." We had one of those rare nights. The girls came to me late and wanted to talk. My mind not my gonads was pleased. After school the next day we went to karate once more and hurried to drop off those not in our select group. We boarded the bus once more and headed downtown to the computer store that promised to have our order ready. Gail was our front man... err woman. I checked out a sample of the computer while the salesman tried to sell her more equipment. We did get the best printer he had and a good supply of paper and the various kinds and colours of ink. The bags that came with the computers were upgraded to a better unit with no problem. The bill was totalled with the original price Nadac had managed to get plus the addition of our other purchases. The total came to $59,110. Gail brought out her purse and brought out six bundles of hundred dollar bills. We had stipulated cash and they wanted this commodity. Seeing $60,000 in front of them was a different proposition. Each bill was checked to see if it were counterfeit and counted three times in front of Gail. She was treated like the queen now while the transaction was completed. The guys and gals eyed the computers too. I certainly could not use two dozen laptops. They went into the bus at the back and everybody was quiet when we started back. I said, "Each of you, including our beautiful driver will get one of the laptops. Linux will go on the system which will cause a lot of problems but it is something that you have to get used to. I was going to put in USB communication devices but decided that I want to wire them inside the computer to the USB port directly. There is nothing to get damaged or lost." Chuck said, "You said before not to spend a lot of money. How are we going to explain this to our parents?" I had to smile. "Chuck, you brought up a very good point. You guys all did very well. Adults could sometimes do that but not children. Now for your answer. You will find that you will have a new job next Monday. Grimwald Corporation will be hiring you to test out clothing and other products. Your parents will be contacted and a lawyer will come to your home. Your parents are obligated that the products go back after a period of time. The computers are to keep an accurate record of what you are testing and how well the products measure up. You get a reportable income now that can be spent while your other pay is invested. Any questions?" Jerry said, "What are we testing?" "Some uniforms that I drew you guys wearing for one. Other clothing that is bought off the shelf which you guys will buy yourself. This is just a way of explaining some new clothes. We have some military hardware that has to be operated and learned..." "What hardware?" "You guys are lucky. Your two instructors are already here. Erica, please continue." Erica was stunned and I had to nod at her to start. "We have at present one remotely piloted drone. It is as good or better in most features to anything the best armies now have. Our unit can hover for months in one position and is almost impossible to see because of its size. It has limitations on speed and the strength of its transmitter. We can see individual feathers on birds in our backyard. Betty will tell you how it is controlled." Betts was eager to talk now and she smiled at Erica for giving her a chance to speak. "We used Wally's computer to control the unit. There's a lot of codes that need to be learned to control direction, altitude, speed and how they change if the operation demands it. The camera can be focussed independently with zoom up to 43 times. This unit works in low light and slightly into the infrared. In the dark the images are very clear. "The big thing I found was not the drone but Wally's computer. He has speech recognition built in. Erica spent some frustrating time teaching the computer her method of talking. After that we could control the drone with voice commands. I suspect that the laptops in the back may be able to do the same thing." She turned to me and said, "Is that right?" "You're right again Betts. We will get more units in time and some will have more features. Infra red capability is extended as well as low light and a form of radar. The military have bombs or guns on their drones. We will have none of these capabilities. Ours are strictly for gathering information so strategy can be planned." Sam said, "Is that why you have that big printer?" "Yep." "Do you have an operation planned?" "Sorry Sam. This is just for training and security now." Erin said, "Do I get one of those too?" "You get a computer too, Honey. You also get a chance to train where we do." "Really!" she said excitedly. "Don't get too excited. You have to learn. You take karate but you need to understand mathematics. This is what you will be taking mostly. As you learn more you get a chance to learn some interesting developments in physics. They relate to weapons, our drone and communications. Later it will relate to field manoeuvres and then activities aboard ship." We were home by then but I didn't want anybody to see all the computer equipment coming into the house at one time. It was taken over to Gail's new home where we could get closer to the back door. The load was carried inside. Chuck opened his first and we watched for how it was packed so we lost nothing. The mess was cleaned up and only two computers came over to our house in the new bags. Five more were in packs. We hurried out of the bus to see the remote. It was my turn to help with the meal but the munchkins and Paul took this over. I was going to fix their computers first. While Betts and Erica showed their stuff, I opened one of the computers. I found the connectors on the motherboard going to the USB port. The plastic connector came off and I worked to put the working part of my communicator directly to the pins. Here my PK helped a lot. There was extra parts from the med units that helped. I put some crazy glue over this and let it set while I worked on another. Matt worked through the interface of the first machine to program it. I didn't check to see what Matt was doing until I had all seven machines done. With the glue dry I put the connector back in place of the first machine and closed it back up. Gail came in later with more computers for me. They went out with packs filled with blankets and came back with other computers. The adults said nothing about the computers at the table but later I was asked when the guard was elsewhere. Lillian asked, "What are all the computers for?" "I am in business. The guys are going to help me make money. The munchkins and Paul get computers so they are part of the group too. They will be learning mathematics relating to bookkeeping, the same thing a person uses to make a home budget. For those people not living here, the computers are company property. The only difference is that they have something like Bluetooth or a Wi-Fi device system that allows us to talk over our on private net." "They cost a lot of money, Wally." It was time to explain a bit more but part of this had to be a lie. "My lawyers are selling some of the properties I have options on. I may not even have to buy the house before I turn it over. The computers are a tool to help us learn. They run Linux and everybody has to learn this system. I want to foster competition within our group to learn to plot by the stars or to find how our economy works." "The tax department may not allow you to deduct if your machines go to children." "They will. Everybody gets paid and pays taxes. I will show that each one helped me make money." "The girls, including Erin?" "I'm creative Mom." "Yes, you are. I don't want to see you making mistakes that cost you a lot of money." Matt and I finished the computers. He then interfaced with the simple med unit and in turn with Nadac. The instrument needed some minor alterations which I did near Matt, and Nadac fed me the information of what I was doing. It took only a few minutes to bring the fields in line with those on my internal screen. The guys were now interested in getting home. They had a new computer to figure out and get a chance to move the drone if they were lucky. Voice recognition would help with other projects too. I got Erica and Betts alone and said, "This unit will help coagulate blood and promote healing. You just press these two buttons. When the healing has started you press the control button and this other one. It is like the device we used to inject the crystals." The device was small and looked like a short pen of the type that had ten different coloured refills in it. I took a small knife I had sharpened and made a shallow cut a few centimetres long in my left arm. Betts was surprised and shocked. "What are you doing?" "I am not going to cut you or Erica so I cut myself." I used paper towel to catch blood and had Erica pull my skin tight at both ends of the cut to line up everything. "Betts run the device over the cut." She tried and said, "Like this?" "Yes. Did you press the right buttons?" She hadn't pressed any buttons but did the correct two now. The wound stayed closed when Erica released me. We went to the bathroom to wash my arm and then Betts played the sterilizer over the area. Both girls stared at the area. It looked good but part of it was to do with how well the skin was put back into place. "You guys did a good job. In larger wounds you might have to put the blunt end inside the wound and start the healing inside first. You then have to close small sections at a time to get them to stay. This device is not as strong as sutures. Usually the arm is shaved and a strong bandage goes over the wound to keep out contamination and to hold the skin together." Erica said, "Did that thing really help?" "It's hard to tell. We need more serious wounds to prove it. It does promote healing and the sterilizer works. We can look at some pond water under a microscope then treat the water with the sterilizer. It will kill all the small life forms." "How come it doesn't kill your skin?" "It is set to our DNA." "Could this be a weapon if it were set to snake and used on a human?" "I guess so but it works slow." The rest of Thursday night we worked with the girls' computers. They had to learn how to use Linux and start a new file for voice recognition. There was no chance to use the drone even if they were ready. I started to make an 83. Nadac lived in an 82. He wanted to be cloned into this unit but also wanted me to substitute the 80 crystal. I had my own ideas and worried constantly that either Nadac or Rontem would catch on. A shield had to go up around the ceramic enclosure. This took three crystals per dimension. Power had to be fed to these crystals until the computer itself could take over this task. The power that fed Matt would also feed this unit in the interim. These crystals and the control unit had already been made. "Nadac, does the processor have to go in now or can it wait?" Nadac and I had planned this dialogue previously. He said, "It is accepted practice to put it in now. It can be inserted later but no later than the eight percent stage. What are your reasons for not doing it now?" "The memories you gave me suggests other avenues to pursue. What can you tell me about moving more than a few percent out of the three main dimensions?" Nadac gave me the viewpoint of a tech and then quizzed Fonduush and was given more information before saying to me, "That is a difficult task. Our king would like to see how well you do." "I have a crystal here to start with. We made a lot of mistakes in the past. I require replacement units" "I will prepare them." The necessary crystals were put in place and one of the buds inserted. I had time to start on making a small crystal to shift part of it bulk out of our dimensions. I worked as cautiously as I usually did but purposely screwed up before calling it a night. I had screwed up similarly before but this time it was to show the king I was new at this. During school on Friday, I initiated a new action to gain wealth and more importantly keep Caputo from looking my way. Mastti was having troubles. Caputo and the Colombians were after him. We helped him by informing the police or Mastti of attacks on him or his people. At the same time we were working our way into Mastti's online money. We took none of it and just searched. He had a disproportionately small sum. It was just less than a hundred million and even here it was because he needed the cash to pay for drug purchases. "Mastti has a lot of stock and bonds at his brokers and large holdings in some oil properties and wholly owned businesses. Let's find out how much they are worth and if we can liquidate? Selling to another criminal organisation is best." I felt two chuckles and felt good that I was rising in their estimation. Mastti was not the only one buying drugs wholesale. We kept track of the major movements of money but also the times cash was used. I had plans on using the various armies or the police to hit where the money changed hands. This would make them prefer e-commerce where we could hit them. The best way was to hit a shipment ourselves and transport a tonne or so of money away. This was dangerous to commandos never mind kids. It was also just greed but the king liked the idea. Nadac worked through online companies that did day trades. As a corporation run out of Bermuda, we were able to avoid most of the taxes. Nadac was consistently good with only a few failures to add to his mistakes to make him appear more believable. He was only playing and made only a few million a week. When the company he dealt with started to copy his moves he used another company. He bought shares that were going down through the first company but bought put options from the other. He traded in exchanges all over the world and this made the game more enjoyable I thought. After karate that day I heard that Jeff and Steph were going out on a date. Betts gave a suggestion as to where to go and what to do. I would like to go out too but Caputo had the word out to find me if I was easy to grab. I made sure I wasn't. Rather than separate, we went to our house to eat. There was always enough food. The guys helped too since they ate here enough. Sam and Chuck worked today. Jerry and Wendy came into my room along with Betts and Erica. They settled on the bed or chairs and I started my presentation. I would give them more of the truth but not as much as Betts and Erica had received. "Guys I was sent something like a Lego set to build. It is an offshoot of those small crystals we put in our bodies." They nodded as if they understood. "Some crystals have odd properties. It has to do with the basic structure of each molecule. When heated some molecules give off different wavelengths of light. A scientist can analyse light from a star and know what processes were going on when the light was emitted. We have found out recently that we can even build a weak field around a structure like what the Star Trek ship Enterprise had. The ship had a very strong shield." I paused and Jerry took the bait. "Are you telling us that your kit is a phaser shield?" "No, but it is a shield. Pick up your photon torpedo or a finger and come here." They all got up and came to the newest computer. It looked a little odd as if the eyes could not quite see it all. I pushed my finger into the translucent material. It was easy to displace it at first but the further in it went the harder it was. "Push here but hold the back of the box so you don't push it off the desk." Jerry saw what I had done and after looking at me seriously he pushed his finger in very slowly. After three more attempts he backed away and said, "How does it work?" "In an odd way it is like gravity but the opposite. The closer you get to another body the stronger the attraction there is. You have that idea?" "Ya, we talked about that already on the net. The formula is simple." "Good. Well this is similar except that the force is exerted to push you away the closer you come." "Like antigravity?" "Yes, very similar. This shield works well but only at short distances. I guess antigravity has to work at longer distances. How could a shuttle leave a planet and dock with the Enterprise if it didn't have something like that?" "Maybe they use dilithium and just launch like we do?" "That was a television show. We have one of the first shields ever made on earth. One day we could use this idea to go to the moon again or to the planets." "Is that a ship you have there?" "No, I am just copying an experiment they did a while ago. I am making a computer. The computer needs to be protected." Wendy tried the shield then so did Betts and Erica. Wendy said, "The tiny crystals you put in us I can understand. They are like a magnet and gives off a magnetic field that you can track. This is a lot different." "Not really, Wendy. The lines of force coming from your crystal is different from the ones others got. It is more like a small chip they put into pets to find them. Ours is just a lot smaller. The chip does a lot of things and a special crystal can do the same tasks and be smaller. Look how small calculators got. At one time they filled a large room now they are the size of a watch or a credit card. How small could they make them? I think it is only the size of the display we need and a way to push the buttons that keep them as big as they are." "I guess you're right but this shield had not been invented before." "They had a shield like it already. It used alternate electrostatic fields that would stop a 45 bullet. When something is invented it is not broadcast to the world all the time. This is something that is being kept quiet. The academy is giving us a chance to learn about it. They know a lot about us and figure we would never talk. They get some young minds that will grow up with new ideas." The guys digested this for a while and Erica said, "Could we build a ship?" "We have the shield. I haven't heard of a shield pushing against gravity yet." ------- Chapter 23 Jerry excitedly said, "Let's turn that on its side to see if it floats on your desk?" "Great idea but my computer is inside. We have to wait until it is attached to the sides for that." "Why can't you turn a computer?" "That is the other part of the project. Last year Mr Ramsey put a magnet on his desk and then put a large piece of Bristol board on it. He sprinkled iron filings on that." Sam said, "I remember that. The metal followed the lines of force instead of just spreading out evenly." "A similar effect is happening here. The crystals have these lines of force. Some kinds can be used to make a simple computer. If you have something like mould or fungus that has a lot of iron in it, it will grow the way the iron filings grew when they were dropped over a magnet. The mould in this case grows along the lines of force in the crystals. Do you guys want to see inside?" I smiled at this so they would not get upset. They had to learn but not be frightened. Betts smile looked fake but she said, "I want to see." "Matt can I remove your external power for a while?" "I have reserves for thirteen days." "Good, I have to deactivate the field, buddy." "Betts pull that box out of the outlet behind you." She did as I asked and slowly the field collapsed. We hurried over and Wendy said, "It smells funny." "The mould needs a warm damp climate just like a greenhouse. The small veins that carry water and nutrients have the minerals in the walls of the tiny tubes." Jerry said, "It looks like a piece of mouldy bread with some small pieces of yellow or brown glass." "It isn't much to see. Crystals get added to those small dints in the ceramic. The ones I have here would fall out if I turned the box now. The fungus grows to cover the sides of the box and the thin fibres follow the lines of force. The crystals in the USB devices or even our glasses will use similar lines of force to talk to this computer the way a computer talks to the modem." Jerry said, "You have a good computer why do you need this thing?" "It is a project to make. You built a few model cars before." "That was when I was a kid." "Jerry, you are as old as me. I helped you and it was fun. If we did another it would be fun. It would be fun in twenty years if we are together." Jerry did smile now and said, "Ya, you're right." "Well since everybody had a look let's close up the box so the computer can grow. I have an idea. Let's give the computer a name and not 'Mouldy'. Everybody gets a vote though." We were joking about names when I called Elaine, Shirley and Ashleigh into my room. Ashleigh said, "What's so funny?" Jerry answered, "Wally is making a computer out of crystals and fungus that I saw on bread. He said it will work. He does have something neat though. Jerry looked at me and I looked at him. I said, "You explain it." "Those crystals Betts put into us were special. There are other special ones in the computers to allow us to talk to each other. Anyway some guys at the academy want us to learn about something new that has not been in magazines yet. It's like the shield around the Enterprise but it's not clear." Ashleigh said, "Show me." Jerry did as he was asked and Ashleigh said, "Neat." The other two tried it too but saw nothing that odd about it. They knew next to nothing about physics. I got the munchkins and Paul and they said neat too. Betts dropped the shield and the internal portion of the computer was far from being inspiring. Paul said, "The guy that was talking to me said your computer will really work." "I hope so." After supper Sam and Chuck saw the computer and didn't think much of it. The shield they were smart enough to pick up on. Chuck said, "Can we make a suit that uses these crystals? It'd be like armour. People couldn't hit us." "The bullets would still knock you over. We are too small. I don't think I can make pieces that work together very well. I can make a shield like the Romans had. They can wear one on their back too. We can try I guess if you guys want to spend your time helping." "Sure, it'd be fun." Three weeks into the new year, Caputo presented us with a counter offer for all of Cosner. The minority owners were outvoted by the majority and it was agreed to sell out. Nadac had attended the meeting with a probe and said there was not that much opposition. Apparently all of Mastti's e-money had disappeared. The Columbians were thought to have done it and Caputo was a second choice. The account actually netted us 436 million. We had scammed another criminal organisation into buying part of the Mastti empire without Mastti knowing he sold it. The employees had been talked to by our lawyers and other representatives. They would stay on in their present positions with the exception of only 37 people. They had been involved with Caputo's scams. We would keep them and watch but they were not even trustworthy for that. Caputo wanted a quick closing but we wanted to see the books. We also wanted the employees but ones we could trust. Foster, the parent organisation had replied that our price was far too low. It didn't look like even the 15.5 was going to work so we withdrew our offer. By the end of January we knew the liabilities as well as the assets and adjusted our offer for Cosner. Some of the accounting was so subtle that Nadac had to find the problems and inform our people. Similar situations were found with the shipping companies. Again our offer was dropped to fit with the current status. I made two dozen drones. The best went to Nadac in trade for the first one we had kept. We had one each now plus a few spares. The guys patrolled Toronto and went as far as the burnt out trailer and the well. Reconnaissance was now old hat. We built shields out of coat hangers and crystals. An attack on us would come from this dimension so three crystals were all that were needed. An addition benefit was that the shield was transparent in this case. Because of its size I had to use twenty one of them. The coat hangers stiffened up except for the portion that extended through the shield that we had to hold onto. It was the stiffening of adjacent sections that made a segmented suit hard to make. The shield was not that efficient. Rocks could be thrown through it if they were massive enough. Steel rods did the same thing. Bullets we figured would go through even easier. Chuck wanted more density and the shield was made smaller and smaller to make it stronger. A spherical shape was tried. This triggered the ideas of a ship using the shield again. Nadac supplied information about cosmic and gamma ray penetration and their hopes fell for extended stays in space. Science fiction was popular with our gang. Wendy almost peed herself when she saw a ship float out into space through a shield that kept the atmosphere in the ship. We were all watching the movie when she said, "Did you see that?" It took a second for Shirley to say, "We have to see how much air it leaks and see how much power we need to push a solid object that size through the screen." Pop was sitting with us and smiled, "You guys building a Star Destroyer?" Paul said, "Not that big. We have to keep the costs down. Chuck and Jerry used up all the coat hangers and we needed to get more." Pop laughed and almost spilt his coffee. Mom smiled and reached out to touch. Patricia said, "Don't laugh Dad. It is going to be way bigger than this house." "What is going to make it move, Princess?" "I don't know yet. Reaction mass is out. We feel that we can phase shift between the dimensions to get supra light. The actual speed would be dependent on mass and the availability of Utram." "No photon torpedoes or dilithium?" I was now worried. I had no idea that Nadac had released this information. I looked around and saw that most of the others were not surprised. They too must have been introduced to this information already. To stop it now would look odd and I hoped that Patricia's age would make it look like a child's story she had seen. "Daddy, we are not children. We use supra light missile. Our energy weapons all work in the upper dimensions for range and power." "Well Princess, I stand corrected. I didn't think the photon torpedoes would be obsolete so soon." Mom said to Pop, "You're a lagging behind technologically. We will have to take a refresher course in weapons." Patricia said, "We will try to get you enrolled but you guys may be too old." Now it was our turn to laugh. Sandy was our current guard. She had laughed just as hard as we did but she was also younger. She said, "What is this Utram you were talking about?" "Oh that old stuff. It is a synthetic atom that undergoes primary fission then the three major sections themselves undergo more fission. For the most part, only stable isotopes are produced. The energy produced is used to drive in inertial compensator as well as the temporal one. The main drives take less power than the two compensators. The reactor is much smaller and lighter than the one using antimatter." "Do you know how to fly that ship?" "I take ship handling but a computer has to do that. There are just too many things that have to happen at the right moment. I still have trouble with astrogating and bringing a ship to orbit. My head is not developed enough yet to handle all the mathematics." "Grade four students don't usually have to know all that." "Wally said I have to learn mathematics. We're doing that. Vectors are easy. It's when we get into calculus that we are having problems. Algebra is hard too and we have to know a lot more about that before we can handle calculus properly." All the adults were interested now. Mom said, "You are doing algebra and calculus now?" "Mostly algebra. The calculus was thrown in to show a shortcut." "A shortcut to what?" "To get to orbit with the least fuel then between here and the other planets. Did you know how long it takes just to get to Mars or Venus?" "Where did you learn all this, Honey?" "On the computer." Mom looked at me and said, "Aren't you pushing things too fast, Wally?" "The website dispenses knowledge. Patricia is sucking it up at her pace not mine. She finds mathematics interesting. If she is forced to master multiplication and division to learn about flying to Mars, then I think that is beneficial. I would even promote it in school." "That may be good but I'll talk to her teacher about it." Patricia said, "She doesn't even know how to change orbit. I tried to teach her but she wasn't interested." Pop said, "Does Liza and Erin know how to do this too?" "Erin is not as good as me yet." "And Liza?" "She is better than me. She wants to be the pilot." "Not the captain?" "That's too hard." Patricia looked at me and said, "Wally would have to be the Captain. He knows lots of math but he has to know a lot more." "He already knows a lot, Princess. Show me this website." "Nadac, Pop wants to see the site. No mention was made of live intervention." Nadac didn't answer as usual. Patricia ran to get her computer. She put it in her father's lap and turned it on. It booted up fast and this made me cringe. Nadac's programming was very efficient. Patricia was in the right program almost immediately. "George, go to last bookmark." The last lesson came up. Pop said, "You have voice recognition, Princess?" "Of course. We aren't in the stone age anymore." "Show me what you do." Text was on the screen and both of them read it. When Patricia finished the screen she said, "George, next page." The screen scrolled and she read a bit more. "George, question one; x y over b equals the square root of v squared over c squared equals... mmmm... one point five." An obviously mechanical voice said, "Mass increase at that velocity is correct. What is the dimensional distortion when viewed from an observer at rest?" Mom said, "What is the machine talking about?" Bert said proudly, "Our little girl is just working on the change of mass when a ship has attained a relativistic velocity. Einstein must be in simple steps. George has to be the code word for the voice recognition to begin processing." "Daddy, you said that word. Now it wonders what I said." "Sorry Princess." "Einstein? Relativity?" Mom said. I had not looked around but Liza, Erin and Paul brought out their computers. Paul climbed into Mom's lap though he was older. Mom didn't seem to mind. They fired up their machines and showed their stuff. Liza sat between Sandy and her mother so she could show what she was doing. In a moment Sandy said, "What is that flashing icon for?" Liza said, "The guys are online. They talk a lot about sports or to their girlfriends but they want to build our spaceship." "Wi-Fi that far?" "Ours can. Chuck says we are going at supra light speeds now but he can't prove it." "And he was using all the coat hangers?" "Ya, he made neat shields but they were not strong enough. Sam used a plastic garbage can lid. It was better but heavier too." "You guys are certainly creative. I worry about my son Willy. He's sitting around all day watching television or playing computer games." "We play games too. We fight Betty and Erica on the moon. We usually have to be defence because the weapons have too much mass even though they don't weigh much. Paul is good with his missile battery. He has a good feeling for the mathematics. We don't use too many kinetic weapons now. Distortional weapons are better. They rip an enemy into pieces when they are pushed into other dimensions." "You can't use a calculator from inside the game?" "Our suit computers are supposed to break down a lot. We have to use our minds. We are using heavy duty lasers now to dig a deeper base and put in more automatic weapons. We need better drones too. Betty and Erica shoot them out and then we can't see what's happening." "Do they use drones too." "We all have to use them or we get killed." "Do you shoot theirs down too?" "All the time." "Put some at ground level with a lot of explosives nearby. When you see them coming then you can trigger the blast and get them." "Paul thought of that already. Now they use drones on the ground to look for ultrawave communications." The conversations went on and the movie was forgotten. I turned the television off and got my own computer out. We could at least hide out in the open now. This gave me an opportunity to give June one of the computer's openly but she would be encouraged to learn what she now took in school. She had lots of homework and the voice recognition helped a bit. Near six PM on Sunday I got a phone call from Sam. "Wally," he said excitedly. "Greg is being beat up at the range by three guys. It looks serious. They are not playing around." I didn't have to look. Sam was worried and he already made a decision by calling me. "You are closer. Get Jerry and Chuck. Don't go in if you are going to get hurt unless it looks serious for Greg. I'll get right over there." "I'll try my best Cap." "I know you will." I intercepted the signals coming from Sam's remote and saw what was happening. All the guys were a lot bigger than Greg. He was just on the ground in a ball being kicked by all three. I hurried out of the room thinking as I went. I needed transportation and more troops were good. Gail was not here at the moment and this meant I needed Mom and Pop. Wilcox was here but this should be done by us. Greg needed to see that he had friends and he needed it now. Blooding my troops came to mind as well. I felt ashamed of the idea but it had merit. Pop was sitting in a chair reading. "Pop will you give Betts... Wendy and I a lift. A friend is hurt and may need a lift to the hospital." "Who is it?" "Greg." "Let's go." Mom looked worried. She didn't stop us but she got up. I hurried to Betts room and said, "Scramble. Greg is being beaten by three guys at the old rubber factory." She said nothing but jumped off the bed. In a moment Wendy was doing the same thing. Erica would come too but she and Gail were out shopping for groceries. We were dressed as quick as we could. I raised the garage door and gave Paul the job of making sure it closed after we left. Mom got in the front seat beside Pop and the three of us took the next seat. I gave directions as we went but I continued to monitor the beating. I wanted to urge Pop to go faster. But had to say, "He's laying in the snow and bleeding. I don't think he is conscious." Mom said, "How do you know?" "Sam just phoned me. He saw the beating and is running to help Greg." Wendy said, "Who are they?" "I don't know. Three males, sixteen to eighteen." We got as close as we could. The girls bailed out of the van as soon as we could. Mom and then Pop were running behind us to get into the property through the broken chain link gate. Running was not hard as it was but the girls were faster than me. Wendy yelled out ahead of her, "Leave him alone you fuckin' assholes." A figure on the ground got another kick as the three guys looked to see who was coming. When they saw the girls, they acted like wolves and blocked their prey from the girls. Betts got there first and didn't slow down. She attacked the largest one first. She hit the guy hard with her feet. She was not in balance and Kazuyoshi would not be happy. Wendy was next and used a different technique. She struck her opponent with her hand and then grabbed his coat and flipped him over her hip. With the guy on the ground, the side of her fist came down and pulped the guy's nose. The third guy reached in and grabbed Wendy's hair and dragged her off balance. Wendy fell but her leg went out in a sweep but didn't quite knock the guy over. Bett's opponent growled as he ran head down at her. I was close but I stopped and watched. Pop was almost beside me when is put out my hand to stop him. He wanted to go forward and I said, "Wait, watch." "But..." Betts dropped to the ground before her attacker. I heard Mom scream behind us. The opponent though was propelled over Betts. She had hold of the hood on his coat. The guy did a somersault and landed on his back. Betts did a curl herself and pulped the guy's nose like Wendy did. Wendy's second opponent tried to box with her. He had no ability that I could see and Wendy was blocking his blows and delivering two of her own. Betts got up and looked for opponents. She like me stopped to watch though I saw that she desperately wanted to get in there and do damage. Women are vicious at the best of times. Wendy got tired of the guy. He was groggy now and she moved in and kneed the guy in the nuts. When he fell Wendy kicked the guy in his face. Mom called out, "Wendy..." but the foot had already struck. I hurried to Greg now. Betts stayed to watch for an attack. I checked for broken bones and saw none. Greg was unconscious. "Pop carry him to the van. I'll stay to see that these guys get up." Mom said, "By yourself?" "They were softened up considerably. I won't have problems. Chuck is almost here now." On cue, Chuck and Jerry came running with Sam just behind. Pop had already picked up Greg. He and Mom hurried back to the car. I said to Betts and Wendy, "You did a good job. Sensei Kazuyoshi would say you were sloppy but you were lucky this time. Go with Greg and tell him that he's out of harm's way. The guys were stay here to make sure these assholes make it to someplace safe." The girls were still breathing deeply from their exertions. They gave me a smile and Wendy gave Chuck a better one then she went to him and kissed him like an Amazon would. Chuck just stood stunned when they ran off. Sam said, "What happened?" "I got Pop to drive us here. The girls are faster and got to these guys before I did. They were doing pretty well on their own and I got Pop and then Mom to observe. The fight itself was simple but the girls have to tell you. It was their fight not mine." Sam said, "What are we doing with these guys?" "Help them get home." "I'd leave them here. They probably won't die." "I know but we have to assist." I used clean snow to wash away blood. The cold would keep down the swelling. I used my cell to call two cabs. The first one came and I gave the driver more than enough money to drop the guys off at the hospital. Chuck said, "What do we do now?" "We just wait. We will learn what happened later. Let's just work on The Beagle until we find out." The second took us to Sam's house. Paul was phoned and given a short version of what happened. We'd have a lot of hyper kids when we got back. Sam's dad, Will, met us in his shop. He was a nice guy and greeted us when we came in. "You guys building more of your spaceship?" "Dad, it is mainly suborbital. It isn't intended for space. It won't even have the power to get to the moon quick enough." I was not concerned about this talk now. We were kids and building dreams. They didn't believe us anyway. The guys had been given subtle clues and even a course on antigravity. A skateboard using this principle was fantastic. The wheels didn't quite touch the ground but looked like they did. The wheels kept the unit balanced though when we shifted our weight. It was like floating on the puck used in an air hockey game. All the troops were believers but told not to mention the board to others for fear that it would be investigated. The guys ordered their own steel, welding rods and paid for the gas they used when they cut. It was fun to see girls over here wearing coveralls and grinding edges so they fit well. Sam's father taught welding and cutting now and chuckled to see the kids making a big toy even if it was expensive in his estimation. He was not worried because Sam only put in his share. The ship was made of an inch and a half angle iron frame. It was the length of a station wagon and nearly as wide. We studied Star Trek episodes and movies to make a shuttle like they had. A two part windscreen from a large truck gave us a forward view. A car battery provided power for a fan and lights when the ship was closed up. Four small single seats and the back bench seat from a minivan came from Jerry's father's wrecking yard with the rest. Fourteen gage mild steel sheets would cover the ship and carpeting would be put inside to keep the noise down as well as insulate from the cold of high altitudes. The hatch was the hardest to make and Will worked with us to make this. The metal ship would normally leak air but the shield would retain one atmosphere of pressure easy. The guys thought I just ordered the crystals and only Betts and Erica knew that I had to process them too. None of the crystals were installed yet but the craft would need crystals of all kinds and in large numbers. The shield would have to be for all five dimensions but in a special configuration to make the entire ship invisible. The antigravity units had to be placed even on the top in case we inverted. We would need to right ourselves quickly. Antigravity could propel us the same way a person walked. It was really a controlled fall. This was too slow and I wanted an engine to assist. We would now have to stay subsonic because we had no way of negating the sonic boom without more equipment. A computer would have to balance the forces on us and I didn't trust the earth manufactured variety. My own laptop would do until I made one. There were lots of details to handle. The younger ones worked with us too. They had to learn how to cut, weld and grind. Will said, "How long are you going to use up my floor space before you take this out into the snow?" I said, "I'll get it transferred to my place." "You going to fly it there?" he said with a smile. "We haven't got the ok yet from Star Fleet Command." With an even bigger smile he said, "I can help you get a truck." "Thanks Mr Lockhart but we can manage ok. This craft is far from being certified to fly. This is just a trainer. The next one will have inertial dampeners, a full range ultrawave, more seating and more comfortable too. We need to have an air and water recycling unit and a synthesizer for food." "No airlock?" "That is old technology. The field can be weakened over the hatch. If the internal pressure is not that high we could walk through the shield but it is not easy." "I should have thought about that." "That's ok you haven't had the training we have." We were only working for a half hour more when the phone rang. Betts said, "Hi Wally. Greg's doing ok. They took him into emergency right away. The guys we fought came in later. They almost left again when they saw us. Did we do all that to them?" "You sure did. We only used some snow to clean them up and then put them into a cab." "They look like they got hit by a truck and I am glad we did it." "Don't get too cocky. The police may be involved yet and the boys didn't know how to fight." "There were five of us that saw them beating Greg so if the police come they will be charged." "You attacked when they stopped. They would have gone back to kicking him but the courts may not see it that way." "Our case would still be stronger. Anyway, I love you and Wendy wants to talk to her man." "I love you too, bye." While Chuck talked to Wendy, Will asked, "What happened?" "We found three guys all older than us beating up a friend of ours. Betts and Wendy went in and taught the guys a lesson. Pop and Mom took the girls and Greg to the hospital. We weren't going to leave the trash to die in the snow so the four of us here called a cab and sent it to the hospital too. The two groups met there." "Wendy and Betty are not that big and they're girls." "They take the same training in self defence that we take. This time that training may have saved Greg's life or perhaps from a worse beating. The next time it could save our own lives." "How old were the guys?" "At a guess I would say about seventeen." "And two girls cleaned their clocks?" "They sure did." "You didn't do anything?" "I am only a poor guy. I get involved in that and I could get hurt." Will laughed so hard he had to hold onto our ship to stand up. "I'll take it that the girls didn't need help?" "Nope." "And I thought that they were so sweet." Chuck said, "I'll let Wendy know that." There was not that much we could do so far on the ship. I investigated all the welds with my 'eye' and repaired those that failed the inspection. The crystals of all kinds would go into a framework of steel pipe that was mounted to the flange of the angle iron inside the ship. Small holes in the pipe allowed the crystals to be placed and held in place. A growth similar to the computer substrate would link all the crystals for power and control. The fungus would live in steel pipe that would be welded to the angle iron too. This was used to protect the organism. A spray foam insulation would have to be used to retain heat. A special generator would provide a current to flow through the walls of the pipes. This resistance heating would keep the organism alive. If we lost air, then not only would we die but the organism too. We planned on making our next unit a sealed series of pipes much like the atmosphere inside Matt or our new computer christened Hal. An alternative plan was to use pipe instead of angle iron for construction. This would work better but our welding would be more difficult as well as our cutting at other than ninety degrees. After some tests we planned on getting a fabricating shop to build a larger unit out of aircraft aluminium like the props used in the movie. This is what we were going to claim anyway. Suits would be have to be build too. Getting them to flex would be difficult because we were trying to think up our own ideas. The Aristis had suits for a very long time and armour for the same period. We looked clumsy but all of this was to learn and to prepare for later movements. It was getting late and Sam's dad drove us all home. He did a lot more for us now because we were always polite and acted like gentlemen. The family wanted to know what happened. Erica was quite worried and she should have phoned so she would know more. An hour later the rest got home. Mom and Pop were upset but Betts just signalled us to go to bed without saying anything other than Greg was staying overnight and would be alright. Wilcox was appraised of the situation and now he asked questions about why we didn't call the police. I lied and said that it just looked like a squabble and not a serious fight. Betts added, "We only found out how bad it was when we saw the guys kicking Greg when he was on the ground." "And just the two of you girls took on three older boys?" "For the last few months we were taking karate. Our sensei will be angry at our sloppy work." "That is a dangerous situation you put yourselves into. They could have been armed." This had not occurred to us until we got there and the girls paled. Wilkcox called Children's Aid to get them to inform Greg's foster family to let them know what the situation was. Betts told the school, the next morning, that Greg would not be able to attend and why. The first recess, Betts and Wendy had a hundred girls around them listening to what happened. Greg was played as the victim but I felt that it was somebody's objection to Greg's gender preference that may have triggered this attack. At noon there were now boys listening to Wendy and Betts. Erica and the other girls were right in there with their friends. After school we went to karate. I made Wendy and Betts explain what they did so they could be corrected. Sensei Kazuyoshi was stern with them like Wilkcox was but I could see that he was pleased too. After the lesson was over we had a well organised military manoeuvre. We infiltrated Greg's floor a few at a time. We made it into the room and nearly filled it. There were three other guys there and this made the room crowded. Greg's face was black and blue and he had difficulty talking. He was reluctant to talk about why the fight got started. He did explain what he could about how the fight progressed. He had not seen us coming at the time. Sam's warning now had to be that he ran back to Chuck's house to use the phone to call me. I was the one that described what the two girls had done. I emphasised their poor skills but compensated by saying that they did very well for the amount of training they had. Greg said, "They beat up all three?" "They are girls Greg. The guys were outnumbered two to three. They had no chance." Greg said to the girls, "Thanks. I didn't know what was going to happen to me. You saved my life I think." Wendy was closer. She smiled at Greg and moved some hair away from his eyes. "We protect our own, Greg." "But I'm different from you." "You were hurt the same way we were. We are in the same school to protect each other. You should have not allowed yourself to be lured away." "I know that now. He said..." "We figured that." "Thanks again. I learned something about this but it's is hard to find the friends I need." "There are lots. Some are like us and some are a bit different." "I am going to have to find a new place to stay now." Betts this time said, "Why?" "Mark is the son of the foster family I am staying at. His parents are into religion big time but don't bother me too much. Mark seemed like a nice guy but his two friends were not. Mark was the one that wanted to go for a walk to..." "That's ok Greg. We understand. If Mark's parents are understanding people they may have you back. If they are good people then they will want to find out why Mark did what he did. In any case it would be better to find a new home. We will see what we can do." "I don't see how you guys can help but thanks anyway." Erica said, "Maybe Mrs Watson can take you in. She makes you work and study too. That means you have to take karate with us." The last was said as she looked at me. I just nodded my head. Gail was waiting in the car and could say nothing about this. A boy like Greg may put some unneeded complications in our lives. Greg looked at me too and said, "Thanks for coming after me Wally. Not many guys would." "Greg, you're wrong. If a person has a shred of decency they would do what we did. I didn't do much. I just watched two pretty ladies thump three big assholes. Now tell me the names of your friends." "Ah... I don't know them." I went over to each of the beds and introduced myself and shook hands. When I was done I introduced Greg and told them a bit about him. I added later, "Don't pick on him. His two girlfriends watch over him pretty well." We could only talk a bit more because a nurse came into the room and kicked us out. As I left I said, "We'll visit tonight Greg." Greg looked shocked. I waited and a tear came to his eye. Gail got an update as we drove home. She knew about Greg. She still had a soft heart. I phoned Doc Suffolk and told him what I knew about Greg, mindful that Jeff and Steph were still with us. He promised to do what he could. Jeff and Steph were dropped off and some of us went home to change. There was work to do at Sam's house. Not all of us could go but we went in rotation. Patricia went this time as the gofer. She got the job because of her age and dexterity. The other young ones, even Erin had the same job when their turn came. Elaine and Shirley were staying over like usual and they had to prepare a meal. Their laptops were in the kitchen though as they tried to keep up with the rest of us. The Aristis ran a ship their way but I wanted the duties split up so we all learned. Nadac had taught us this way because I asked for it. If it didn't work then I would hear about it. The Aristis had small ships too but they still had a servant or two aboard. I worked on Hal but there was little to do. I didn't even smell the fungus now but it never smelt bad. I did make more crystals and because I claimed to do it better in this environment Nadac said he wanted me to continue this way. I of course bitched and wanted a larger area so I would not get a stiff neck. The only computer that would be big enough was a 72. The one I wanted to build instead would be a 56. No computer was ever made that large before. I made good crystals for Nadac and more for the ship. Hal was fully populated but the substrate had not grown to cover all the crystals yet. My own stash of crystals included two dozen ultrawave transceivers that were better than what I now had in my head. The memory crystals looked large but most of their bulk was still in the other dimensions. I was the one that filled them with Nadac's tech knowledge in the front portion and with his Cybernetic knowledge in the hidden portion. There was also a switch to shutdown the transmission of thought. Some Aristis military personnel had this and I used the idea as an excuse. The transmissions though could also be encrypted. This was always done by anybody above the level of servant. Hal would be the link to Nadac and Rontem though they could monitor us directly until the encryption started. Rontem had a lot of power at his disposal aboard the Fonduush. Nadac had a lot less but still far more than what the world could stand up to. Surprise and guile were my best weapons though. Even these thoughts were only good when my brain was within the confines of the box. The fields inside the box affected my own crystals so Nadac could not discover what I thought. I also worked on the ultrawave crystals myself to throw them out by the tiniest fraction. Over time it may look natural... I hoped. Like Nadac, I tried to find a way to have two personalities. One would be the real me and the other the one that Nadac and Rontem saw. Matt was a marvel all by himself. He was very bright. I interfaced with him a lot to cut down the load on Nadac but to also to form a routine that would seem reasonable as time went on. On one pretext or another I had Matt gather important data that I would have no reason to ask Nadac for. In my soldier persona, I had Nadac helping me defend earth from the Wikki. The motives and the cultural identity of the various aliens was sought. I could see why Nadac and his faction had sided with the Wikki. They were rational creatures and fought when they were threatened. I would love to meet some one day. I was sure that Nadac's group would try to backstab the Wikki once they had completed their tasks. I learned of the long range weapons but they were mainly missile. We needed antimissile batteries. They could not be used well if launched from earth and had to be stationed far outside the system. Energy weapons were good as defensive weapons too but they were mainly a last ditch defence. Shields protected from all weapons but they had to be powered by large power sources. Antimatter worked well but the reactor was easy to detect. This was why they were not used as a primary power on a ship designed for stealth. Then again most Aristis vessels were easily detected with present technology. Antimatter could be used and even be more efficient. It was just slightly easier to find the ships and the reactors were more massive. Fighters looked good but they were not efficient. An Aristis could prove his bravery but usually die. There was a lot of equipment on a fighter to protect the life or lives it contained. A drone didn't need this equipment and could do much the same things with the operator at a distance. The lighter weight could be translated into more ordinance or a smaller size. I took major ships and attacked Nadac who was defending earth. I had to give him some type of warning so he could build his defences. When we traded places I lost again. I went over my mistakes with him in the next few days. When Pop and Mom came home, they learned about Greg and our visit. They knew his sexual preference but accepted it. They wanted to see him and I wanted to take them. Caputo called it quits against getting more money for Cosner. We paid the bill now and Caputo sent the money to seven separate banks electronically. The accountants that searched out all the details Caputo wanted to hide, now assisted in running the company. The top management except for six kept their posts. The balance of the thirty seven were lower level managers. We plugged all the leaks that people like Caputo could use. Cosner disassociated itself from Foster and immediately it started to lose money. We knew this was planned before. Foster was going to do the same thing, they figured that we needed them. A new policy came out where employees that found corruption that lost Cosner money would be given a healthy portion of what was recovered. If the money was lost entirely then the employee was still rewarded. We switched companies that supplied security. Too many of the employees were Caputo's friends. This alone was a big job because the company employed nearly five hundred people directly in thirty seven cities and seventeen countries. New programmes had been made by Nadac and these were uploaded through an ultrawave link. The people running the computers were worried but the programmes worked without a hitch. Security now was much tighter in the buildings, and on what data went within the computers. I was in charge of making the new computer. One 90 could run all the business easily but I liked more power when we needed it. I could use dumb terminals and ultrawave communications. Nobody could hack our net and it was extremely unlikely that they could get through our link to the outside world. This would be down the road a few months because we had to act normal for a while yet. Modifying crystals within the computer in my room was not easy. At first I claimed it was an experiment but I found that after a while it helped. I had to reset my way of thinking to make adjustments but it seemed worth it. Hal grew faster because I was active in assisting the small filaments to make contact with the crystals. Computers communicated by ultrawave and I made the best set possible plus a great many ways of cutting out input. The ultrawave was tuned to me and encrypted when it was allowed to go on. This kept Rontem, Nadac and Matt out, at least temporarily. Matt would do what it was told to do by the other two. I made processor crystals and then brought them out for Nadac to assess. The king would be doing the same thing. They could not fault my production or my accuracy. I could have moved to a larger computer now with their assistance but I stayed small. When a coded statement came from Nadac, I took the largest crystal I had and put it in the box. I worked for nearly thirty hours on and off. I did other work too so it would not look suspicious. The crystal was another 80 but it was much smaller than any 80 had ever been before. All the crystals used in the computer apart for the first ones were many times smaller and thus more densely packed. A new bud was used to link the compressed crystals and the main processor. When eight percent was done of this new section, the older section was taken out and used for buds. I had a purpose for these too and kept them safe. The process worked faster because of the density the crystals were packed. The computer I was supposed to have made would take longer because of the large open space for my head and the larger distance instructions had to pass. Hal would take at least another month to become operational. Six sub processors were put in. This the tech memories gave me and boosted the power of the computer. One of them was even larger. The crystal was put in before the real estate was used up. This one was pushed to the maximum into the other dimensions. It was small and looked just like the other sub processors but it had the ability to take over the main processing job. The ceramic housing was processed in places to make them crystalline. This was done after the computer substrate had finished with this area. There was more than enough memory to move all of the memories Nadac gave me about cybernetics and then my own personal memories. The powerful sub processor got my personality and a copy of my DNA in case I did not survive. I felt a little like Rontem and I felt that the computer would be sympathetic to me. Doc Suffolk informed us that the Children's Aid was looking for another foster home for Greg. We officially offered Gail. He had been aware of this before but now he could call the agency and suggest a good home. Greg had gone back to the home for the last two weeks but the atmosphere was not the same. He was not attacked again but he was threatened. Wendy usually made a return call and politely said she would like to meet the person making the threats. Children's Aid moved Greg and his few belongings to Gail's home. We were there to greet him and he cried this time. We helped him get settled. He would be going to school in the bus tomorrow with us and he would be starting karate too. He would join the academy as a junior member until he proved himself. For the last while, Greg had been staying closer to us. Apparently his old friends had not called the hospital when I gave them his cell number. Kids are usually quite shallow anyway. Their social graces were just as strong. Greg did not try that hard at karate. This I hoped would change. In a ceremony at Gail's I gave him the laptop and let Nadac see if he could fire the boy up without telling him what the most of the rest knew. On Wednesday I got a call from Doc Suffolk. Surprisingly it was not about Greg. "Wally, we have a problem that you may be able to help us with." "I thought your call was about Greg. You going to lay on my couch and tell Grasshopper your problems, oh master?" "Good apprentices are hard to find but I will have to use you instead. There is a boy that currently is in grade eight like you. He has had problems like another boy I know. His brothers abuse him. He has been taken into the care of the Children's Aid. The father professes to not want him back ever. The mother follows the lead of her husband." There was a pause and I said, "Continue, please." "The boy's parents are from the country of Georgia. Do you know where that is?" "Doc, I don't ask you how you shrink heads in hot sand." "Ok, the boy is... delicate. I wondered if you would take him under your wing?" "There is a lot of things you are not saying. Will he cause a problem with Greg?" "They would not be enemies if that is what you mean?" "Is he AIDS free?" "He has had a through check and so has his older brother. They are negative." "Is he Orthodox, Muslim or RC?" "Muslim if anything; he avoids all religion." "There is no special diet then?" "No." "Does he speak English well?" "I can cut some of your questions out. He is like you and me. Bullies like to pick on him. He has the misfortune in a way of looking and acting effeminate. I do not know yet if it is his way of coming out or the way he was brought up." "Intelligent?" "Very." "Give me the bad points as you see them and I will try to form a strategy." "There is nothing that I have not already mentioned." "Do you have an objection to Greg being his best friend if that is his wish?" "That is very direct but I guess it should be faced. I have no objection personally but others might." "I can deal with that. What's his name? Does taking him under my wing mean that I need to find a home for him? How much leeway do I have with his foster parents?" "His name is Lasha Guriis. I was hoping you would put in a good word with Mrs Watson for us. The last question depends on Mrs Watson." "The writing between the lines is very clear. There may be a lot of fallout if and when the conservative element finds out." "I will have to worry about that." "I would like to meet Lasha before I sponsor him." "Is five minutes too soon." "No problem." The family was warned of the Doc visiting with a 'guest' that had some emotional problems. They could all figure out for themselves what the problems were. The kids were to greet the boy then quietly slip away. Gail was already here so I didn't have to invite her. Greg was over at Sam's house welding sections of hull onto our frame. The Doc came on time and was admitted. A boy that looked a little like Sam came in. He had skin was darker than ours and a pretty face like a girls. He was slight of build like I was and seemed to hide behind the Doc. Pop took over the front while I pretended to be just a kid. Lasha was introduced. The adults were polite to the boy and didn't put pressure on him. I moved in and said, "Hi Lasha, my name's Wally. We're building a shuttle craft to take us to our ship when we get around to building it. Do you want to see it?" The boy hid more and shook his head. The Doc sat down on the couch and Lasha sat right beside him. I sat beside the boy too and just listened. Apparently the Doc was here to see how we were doing. Mom and Pop gave good reports. Gail gave her report but she did so as she looked at our young guest. In a minute I whispered, "Lasha, I'm not your enemy. I'm not here to hurt you or even make fun of you. I'll get my computer and show you what we are aiming for." When I brought my machine back, it booted up quickly as usual. Now my computer had a built in camera at the top of the screen that had not been there when it first arrived. The other guys were on and I talked to them but showed Lasha's face to them. I made introductions too. The guys saw how frightened Lasha was and were not their usual boisterous selves. I led the talk to our orbital facilities and what they were going to look like. If this was a game like Sim Earth then we could at least have good graphics and very little repetition than what was in the game. Our shuttle design came on. I used my voice to strip off the skin and then talk about the structure. With a wink at the guys on the screen, I started to argue quietly about how it was too heavy. A moment ago I had said the opposite. They threw my arguments back at me. I said to Lasha, "This is our first shuttle craft that is designed this way. The other one was done roughly. We are waiting for Star Fleet to deliver the shield, grav controls and the engines. This one needs the same parts but they have to be more powerful. What do you think of the size of the ribs and their shape? They are made of aircraft aluminium but strengthened with our shield." In a girl like voice he said, "It looks weak to me." When he said no more I said, "The skin gives it strength. We figure it will not have to do more than five gees. Normal operation should be just like a regular airframe. The guys want to mount energy weapons and antimissiles. I figure this is not for landing in a combat situation so it doesn't need the weapons. Besides our shield is not made to take even earth style kinetic weapons." "What's it used for?" I called up the Fonduush when it was new and showed him. A guy that looked similar but not the same as Lasha stood beside the shuttle in the bay. With the comparison made, I zoomed out until the shuttle was seen in comparison to the yacht. "Is that your destroyer?" "That is our king's yacht the 'Fonduush'. He was attacked by the Wikki and suffered a lot of casualties. The ship was rebuilt but the computer still needs some TLC. That's my job. If the king allows it, then we will build up the Sol system defences." "Are we going to be attacked?" "Not likely but if it did happen then we would be far too late to protect our planet." "What are the Wikki like?" "Others will say differently but if you leave them alone they will do the same for you. There was not enough intelligence done before. We were pulled into a war about three hundred standard years ago." "What happened?" "The usual battles then a stalemate. A faction of our people sided with the Wikki to gain an advantage and usurp the throne. The Wikki almost got the king but he managed to escape. The king only needs the computer repaired by trained techs. We are in training now and need to prepare. I'd like to build up our defence just in case the Wikki find us here and try to finish their coup." "Who do you have to help you?" "Mrs Watson over there is in charge of taking officer type material and seeing if they Aristis worthy. Part of the assessment is in how well she can get them to act in social occasions. Officers lead and if you do not act like an officer then nobody will follow. She teaches us how to dine with heads of states. We have a uniform but they have not been made yet. It's the dress uniform of the Aristis commando. "Sensei Kazuyoshi is a hired employee in charge of building our bodies and minds through oriental mysticism and martial arts. There are no Shaolin Monks yet." "Erica who you already met, will be our liaison with the Tomma race. The Tomma came here to earth a long time ago and left a modified Tomma culture behind. It collapsed many times but grew to what we are now. The Tomma fell too and recently rose again. The Aristis are another offshoot of the Tomma. They embraced much more genetic modification and became even more warlike and competitive. "Betts you might have heard off. She is one of the more warlike women in out group. Don't ever cross her. Carry out your orders like a good recruit and you will have no problem. If you need help, she will be glad to give it. ------- Chapter 24 "The Doc has been in charge of recruitment. Apart from his disgusting habit of cutting off heads, removing the skull and then filling the skin with hot sand, he is pretty nice. He is not your regular head-shrinker." I had to pause for a minute as Lasha stared at the Doc. All the adults were quiet while they listened to my monologue. It was only when Lasha smiled that I knew that he now knew his leg was pulled. I began again, "Mom over there supplies moral support. She makes Pop toe the line or else. I have heard him scream in agony some nights. He drives us around when we need." Pop looked embarrassed and Mom looked smug and this too Lasha took in. "Mom II runs the house. She is like the drill sergeant. You do your share of the work and you get to eat. She teaches you to cook. "June has not joined officially but we are working on her. She is not suited for frontline combat but is good at logistics. "Wendy and Chuck work as a team. Wendy is quick with her feet and hands. She puts people in the hospital when they attack our unit. "Ashleigh and Jerry make another team. They are into procurement and construction at the moment but will be mainly combat later on. "Elaine and Shirley have decided that it takes two of them to get Sam to do what's right. "The famous munchkins, Patricia, Liza and Erin have taken it upon themselves to civilise Mad Paul the Barbarian. He'll eat a horse with its shoes then spit out nails. "The newest recruit is Greg. He was hurt in battle recently but he's recovering nicely." "Are you the leader?" "I'm the Captain, and the highest ranking officer. As I said, our objective is to learn to be good soldiers, arm the system then we will fly to Alpha Ursae Majoris. The planet Cralto is where the Tomma live." Lasha said, "What are the Tomma like?" "The males are big, smart and telepathic. The women are telepathic, smaller, more numerous, much more warlike and tend the children. Don't cross them either, especially the females. They're mean and violent. They make good combat troops though. We have clandestine photos of them if you want to see?" "Ya!" My drawing of the two genders was shown with somebody that was near the size of Lasha beside them. Lasha said, "They both have..." "Not really. The appendage is larger than on the average human female. It stimulates the Tomma women enormously. I can tell you confidential information about them later if you join the unit." "Ah... I don't live around here." Lasha looked sad now and started to revert to the way he was before. "Hold on soldier. If our recruiter brought you here then he must have a plan in mind. He acts stupid and dresses funny on occasion but he is playing a game to infiltrate. He is a lot smarter than he looks." I looked up and said, "Well Doc, you found a new recruit. He's acceptable. Have you found him a billet?" Suffolk looked at Gail and said, "Do you have room for one more? He's shy now but he will make a good officer some day. All he needs is training." Gail looked at me and I nodded. She said, "I get all the strenuous work. Young men come to me and I have to work hard to get them into shape. The last few almost killed me. This one does look to have some potential." Lasha smiled at this. Doc saw the reaction and said, "Well we can billet him at Mrs Watson's." He turned to Lasha and said, "Do you want to give Mrs Watson a try. She's new at this and has two already." "I'd like to try." The Doc said, "Then I'll sign the papers. You will be going to school with these guys too and really start to learn now. They are taking Star Ship Navigation and ship handling. You guys can't leave for Cralto without informing me first. I might want to come along." I said, "We need a shrink onboard like Counsellor Diana Troy. Are you telepathic?" "Sometimes I think I am." "We will have to put you through boot camp and train you. Did you know that up to 21% of the human population has a latent telepathic ability?" "I didn't think it was that high." With the computer, I called Mad Paul the Barbarian to talk to our newest member. I could see that Lasha was relieved to see that the Barbarian was smaller than he was and quite polite. The two went off to meet the others again. Lasha saluted before he left but I said, "Wait soldier." I got up and hugged the guy tightly to me and whispered, "Welcome soldier. This is the way we salute in the academy." Lasha had a tear in his eye then hugged me back hard. "Like this?" "Yes, like that soldier." The guy grinned at me then and hurried after Mad Paul. The Doc said to me, "You did that very well. Perhaps I will have to double your salary." "I am a pauper and have to sponge off the grownups. You owe me big time." "What do I owe you?" "This weekend you bring your boss over for a visit. You go into the garage with Pop to guzzle his beer and make a barbecue. We will be even up until that point." "Does he have enough beer?" "Perhaps you two should check. I don't see why I have to do everything." Leslie said, "Did I hear right? That young boy is going to be living with Gail?" I pointed to Gail and she said, "I think so. I was hired to help and I have to earn my keep. He's a nice one though. Maybe he can salute me that way too." Pop said, "You have the ability to wrap them around your fingers. I don't know how you do it but you're good. Even with your math ability and art, you should go in for head shrinking. You would help more people." "Thanks Pop but there are a lot of other careers to think about." We had some snacks and the Doc checked the beer supply with Pop. We waited for Greg to come here. He had been introduced over the computer and now he wanted to see Lasha in the flesh. The two just stared at each other for at least a minute. We could all see the interaction and remained quiet. Betts interrupted the tableau, "Can Lasha sleep over here tonight?" The Doc said, "If he wants. Perhaps you have some extra clothes for him? He has to go to school with you guys tomorrow." Greg quickly said, "I have some extra clothes that he'd look hot in." Betts hurriedly replied before Greg thought on what he said, "Great. Lasha do you want to stay?" "If I can." Gail said, "I think you may but we have to salute over here when you change billets." Lasha didn't understand so I went and whispered, "Mrs Watson is like all good mothers. She gave you something and you have to give her a hug. I still do it and so do the rest." Lasha grinned and ran to Gail. She bent down and the two hugged tightly. She got in a kiss on his cheek and the boy smiled. Greg was no fool and he hugged Gail just as tight and said, "Thanks." Pop said to Mom, "See the academy does have some good ideas. You don't mind those salutes." "I guess not." That night the two boys didn't do anything but cuddle. It was as if each of them had found a life preserver. Betts and Erica saw the love before going to bed. We made our own supply to last us for a while. Lasha and Greg were separated by class. I was the one that instigated this. The two would be staring at each other all the time. The class was fairly tolerant but the kids could still be cruel. Betts would be the mother hen to make sure her new chick was taken care of. Lasha and Greg fit well together. Greg filled in the boy on what Betts and I were capable of, and had done. Lasha did whatever Betts wanted. He had bright eyes when he came near so it was not fear. Greg was jealous until he learned that it was hero worship that Lasha was suffering from. The two boys could be together if they worked hard while apart. Lasha got his own computer and began tinkering with the 'game'. He had more talent in art and fine motor control. He did well in karate and in fitting the pieces of sheet metal to the frame. Nobody bothered him at school because he was constantly in a group that protected him. Greg worked a lot harder in karate now. We figured it was not just to learn to protect himself now. The two received voice tutoring from other personalities at the academy. Not long after that they found the 'weird' effect we called the shield. Slowly they learned enough about the academy to know that they had a very exclusive position. They did not know about the other military actions we took. On the other front, Caputo had nobody to focus on now. The police and the courts didn't count because he was going to leave. Nadac with the king's urging used the computers at Foster to hit the Columbian owners with a whopping 19.3 billion dollar manoeuvre that came from a total of 112 separate transactions. Each one was an exploit in itself. We left no traces leading to us. We purposely left some clues but they were not to Cosner. We happened to be down for a major overhaul and only internal communications were used. Every person able to type on a keyboard was going to be watched. Caputo made lots of his own money this way. His former affiliation with Cosner gave him the knowledge of how to do this. He was visited by some extremely angry people and some very worried lawyers. There was nothing in the news except a lot more bodies cropping up. They had been former hackers that were questioned very strenuously. We looked into government computers. They knew the cartels took a major hit but not how much. Nadac started to sell his expertise to those looking for more security. He charged exorbitantly and got it after the software and new hardware was tested. I had to laugh because he was making an honest income now. Foster paid over twenty million to get a foolproof system. Nadac would have to find other ways of getting the money because he could still get in. Our guys were making shields on their own while I worked on Hal. Nadac used some of his academy personalities to suggest different ideas to the boys. The girls were encouraged to help and some of this was done in Gail's basement. March was a magic month. We now owned a small but substantial segment of the shipping industry. We actually paid with real money. Cosner was contacted by the new partial owner of the shipping segment. Cosner immediately started monitoring the shipping companies with another program that Nadac came up with. The courts were still after prosecutions and fines for the past wrongs that had been done. We fought the courts even though we were the ones to bring this to their notice. We would still have to pay but we hoped it would not be as much as before. The managers that were responsible and inept were let go. The ones that showed promise, though they were tarnished, we kept on. Hal came alive and grew quickly. The tinkering I did hid most of his intelligence the same way Nadac did with two personalities. This did not count my own newly developed personality hiding in the background and still sleeping. Nadac did his tests and then more. He wanted to let the king know that there was nothing special. He was supposedly just checking a major work of his student. The more testing the king witnessed the less he would have to do himself. I got my wish in one respect. I got to openly build a 72. I had done so well the king wanted to see if I could jump all the way to my main goal. This meant my head in a larger box and a chance to really make something like 52 to a 55 depending on how well I could pull this off. This time I had the minimum number of crystals to start. They were the ones that had their mass dispersed into the other dimensions. They looked similar to the proper crystals to go into a 72. Hal was kept close so that we had another layer of interference. The usual safety protocols were followed when I built Matt and Hal. I had bypassed a lot of restrictions with Hal but had them appear to work. The 72 was no different but I was not the one being sneaky. The design given me appeared to be an effort to make it look like there was no possibility of the computer given free will and this was called improvements over older models. A tech may not have caught this but my memories as a Cyberneticist did find this out. There was a good chance that Nadac would know as well. This could mean that either the computer was going to be replaced the one Fonduush or all new computers of any power would have Rontem's personality in them. I now had the task of disguising the imperfect devices so they actually worked. To further complicate matters, I wanted to put my own personality in the way Hal was done. This personality would be free to bypass the devices that would hold Rontem. The routines in the computer would be slowly fed in as the system grew. The owner of the device would be the one the artificial or natural entity in the computer would pay homage to. A second layer of code protected all Aristis from wholesale slaughter. If this was commanded by the owner of a warship computer or by his representative, the act was acceptable. This was just to keep the computer running amok. On the last Wednesday in March, I went to school fairly happy. We had the basic infrastructure to order earth made equipment for defence and for the fleet of ships we would have to have to put the system in place. One of the last assets purchased from Caputo was the porn stage and the distribution warehouse nearby. The idea was that we could have those that were forced to perform in the kiddy porn could see how their lives had improved. When the bell rang we went inside and sat down. Miss Lime was not present but she wasn't always here at the start of the class. The guys in the class were noisy as expected and the teacher next door came over to investigate. He got us to be quiet and called the office on the class phone. It took ten minutes until another teacher came in and started the class. I was worried about Miss Lime. She had to be sick or something. Greg had seen that some of his friends were not friends at all because they never even phoned him at the hospital. I would at least try to act like a friend. I put my hand up and the teacher said, "Yes?" "What happened to Miss Lime today?" He paused as if considering a lie and said, "We don't know. She just didn't come in today. We figure she's sick." She could also be so sick that she could not make it to the phone. I sat back and said, "Thanks. I was just worried about her." There was some snickering but I ignored it. I used Matt to interface with Nadac's store of knowledge to find Miss Lime's address. Before I got far they started a roll call and I found that Steph were absent too. It immediately popped into my mind that she may be hiding someplace kissing Jeff if he was not at school too. I had to smile at this. They had progressed quite a bit since Christmas. This was also unusual. The parents were sure to be called and the two liked karate and never missed it or a chance to be with each other. The other grade eight class was nearby and I got excused to use the washroom. Instead I walked down the hall and peered through the walls and saw that Jeff was not here either. Not one but three drones left my house. The travel time was not long for the two kids but Miss Lime's home was much further off. We dropped off Jeff and Steph after karate so I knew where they lived. I searched each room of both homes but didn't find either of them. A phone rang in Jeff's home. I placed the drone on the glass to hear better and heard a woman's voice say, "He left for school as usual this morning. It's not like him to skip school, especially recently." There was a pause then the woman said, "I'll phone the hospitals. I'm hesitant to call the police but I'm going to do so." Another pause and she said, "Yes, I'll do that." Steph's home was vacant but I started to worry more. The drones left the homes while I monitored the way they would probably walk to school. I found nothing by the time they came to the school. The other drone made it to Miss Lime's apartment. This was more difficult to search but the woman was not there. The condo was clean and tidy except for a bed with the mattress shifted to one side and clothes scattered on the floor. A purse was to one side and the contents dumped on the carpet. I checked the door to the apartment but saw nothing wrong but my visibility was poor. One more piece of information from Matt had me searching the parking lots under the building and to one side of it. Miss Lime's car was in a public parking area. "Matt, Hal. Two children, that are friends of mine, do not show up for school. They usually do not miss time. Their absence would cause the school to phone home. The mother of one says she does not know where her son is. Neither are at home. If the two wanted to be alone, they could do this at Steph's home which is now vacant. Our teacher does not call in to work to say she is not coming in. She too is not home. Her bedroom is a mess. A woman usually keeps her purse near her but that is still in her apartment. Her car is still parked nearby. What are your assessments?" Hal had more visible power. He said, "The woman may have been out last night and not returned home. She would have taken a smaller purse and been driven by a cab or a male friend. She may have been drinking or taken other intoxicating substances and not been in a condition to come in today or even make the phone call. She may have been in an automobile accident or fight and then taken to a hospital. She may be dead in either of these cases. An abduction is also possible. The children could well be in a place engaging in sex. Their minds are poorly developed to think clearly. The events taken separately indicate common problems but all three make abduction much more likely." Abductions of these people could involve me. I launched all the other drones around my house and monitored those already over the homes of my other friends. "Matt, monitor the drones. Look for threats." I could use weapons now but I had little at my disposal. Many kinds of drones were armed but I had none of this kind. It suddenly occurred to me that if Caputo were behind this then Nadac would have not only known about it but probably know where Miss Lime and the kids were. "Nadac, do you know where Miss Lime, Jeff and Steph currently are?" "Yes." "Were they abducted?" "They were in preparation for luring you to meet Carmen Caputo." "You were going to tell me these developments?" "I have been given orders not to. Our king wishes you to confront your enemy when he escapes." "Show me their condition." Instead of images so I could make my own diagnosis I was given graphical representations of each of the three. There was a little bruising in the children. They had small puncture marks were they were drugged. At the moment all three were in forced sleep. Miss Lime had been raped and beaten a lot more. They had not used condoms and I was not as worried about disease as their indifference to the DNA they left behind. She was slated to die and her body hidden. "Show me the images of them." I was given the image from three drones. They were inside the rooms and I had no way of knowing where the rooms were. The house looked old but fairly well kept up. The two children were together and wrapped in a comforter but underneath they were naked. Their clothing thrown carelessly into a corner. I saw no sign of trauma that was not listed previously. They had not been raped, at least not yet. Miss Lime was on a bed sprawled indecently. Her legs were spread and sperm stained the sheet under her butt. Her clothes were in a corner too but I saw no bra or panties. They must have picked the lock to her room to get in. It stood to reason that she was drugged and then dressed so they could take her out. Some drugs even allowed her enough mental capacity to walk with assistance. I used the drones to look at the men in the house. I stayed away from the windows because I knew all access to the drones would then stop. Nadac would not allow this and it was best to just keeping him from reacting. There were only two men and no women. The decor and other facts told me that this house recently was used by a European family and probably Italian. The trouble was that this type of house was very common in Toronto. The two men were young. One looked Italian and the other was of African heritage. They had pistols and even a rifle nearby. The house looked to be recently lived in. It still contained the furniture and other belongings of a family. Nadac allowed me to view all of the house from top to bottom. This seemed to be the home of two adults, an older son and two daughters. From the look of the posters, books and other articles they would be about 10 to 14. I had listened to some of Caputo's talks but this was usually to his lawyers. I could not recall any information that would lead me to this particular home. "Where are the previous tenants?" "They don't matter." I was instantly angry at Nadac. He not only was a computer but an Aristis. His arrogance shone through in all of our talks. My resentment broke out now. "Computer, answer the question you were asked." There was a pause before Nadac said, "The son is away at university. The two other children are safe seven kilometres away from the house you are viewing." When nothing more came I said, "The parents?" I also knew that the children should be in school not a house. "The mother and her current friend are in the casino in Niagra Falls. The father of the children had died three years ago." "Why aren't the kids in school?" "They were taken there so they would not go back to their home until all the evidence has been removed." "Miss Lime, I believe will be killed and there is a good possibility of the two children too. With this much killing the two others and their parents are in danger as well." "I concur with your assessment." "Do you have the other two monitored?" "No." "Send a pair of drones to monitor them." "They are beyond your objective." "Send a drone to each child, Computer. Do not question my judgement. Respond!" "Two units will be sent." "Turn their control over to Matt when they arrive." This had to be Rontem's doing. I could see the reasoning vaguely. I had to prove myself but this was going to kill me and others too. Getting help was going to be impossible. "What is our king's plan for me?" "You will confront your enemy and kill him." "Confront? How?" "He will be told that you have taken the life of his son soon after he escapes. Hints have already been passed to him. That is the reasons for the abductions. The location of his son's body will be given at a time so that it will be confirmed an hour after his escape." "He is going to come here too. My family will be killed." "Then go to him first and rescue those you care about." Bloody Aristis thinking. They want me to help make crystals but then try to kill me instead. I tried to think of what a young Aristis male might do. He too would confront an enemy. He would do it in a place of his own choosing and with primitive edged weapons. I had the feeling that Rontem wanted me to take the man with my hands. He had been leading me to this point with my training instead of using edged weapons. If this were so, then Rontem was even more unstable. "An Aristis male of my age would get his choice of weapons. Are you going to throw my life away? I have had very little training. Surprise has been my chief advantage. If you rate me against Aristis youth, you will see that I am only the equivalent of a nine year-old in karate while they are superior to me in all other combat skills." I stopped and concentrated on my Ultrawave receiver. There were no nearby transmissions. Nadac said, "You are permitted two knives, and a breast plate." "That sounds poor even for an experienced youth. A youth would also have time to segregate his target so the contest is one to one. Caputo will have guards all the time now. I want an energy weapon to remove them and the standard combat suit of an Aristis commando. The standard shield of the suit is what I demand not something put together by children." "That is unacceptable. You may have the combat suit and earth manufactured kinetic weapons and shield." "Your offer is unacceptable. I demand the shielded suit. You know the calibre of the men Caputo has at his disposal. I intend to take all the drones I can manage too. A youth would still have far more. I was trying to gain the status of a soldier and an aristocrat, not a god." "You have abilities that a youth does not. Few can part the dimensions enough to see beyond barriers." "I have a weak knee that would have been replaced long ago. I would have been trained in weapons but I have not." "You have the ability to foretell the future and perform kinetic control over objects." "The abilities are weak or dormant. The first is beyond my control. The PK only came when I was under stress." "You will have the opportunity to learn more of this ability." "Give me the shield. If I face less than five adversaries then I will not activate it. Any more and I will." "That is unacceptable." I had one more card to play that could well backfire. "My King, what weapons did you have when you fought at my age? Am I to be superior to you by going almost defenceless?" A deeper voice came to me for the first time. "You may have your suit under your conditions. The shield will be de-energised when only five opponents remain." "Thank you my king. I wish to take my dart gun to immobilise those that are innocent or nearly so." "That is permitted, but you must seek your own weapons from among the enemy." "I will do as you wish. Allow me to view the area so that I may make my plans." "This too I will grant you." Something sounded odd here and I said, "Does Caputo seek to lure me someplace else instead?" "You are quite perceptive. There are many places that are better suited to capturing you. I believe that none of them will be where the hostages are." So Caputo wanted me alive. That would limit him to what tactics he could employ. Caputo or one of his men would have to lure me away or simply tell me his demands. Somewhere along the line, he would want me to get into a vehicle with his men to bring me to where he is. "I will confront Caputo and his men as you ask. I would like assistance in taking the captives to safety after I leave. I am concerned that Caputo and his people will then know that I am the one that caused them so many reverses. My family will be in danger and then persecuted by the authorities." "We will monitor those that find out the truth and then lead you to them. They should be killed but you may remove their short term memories." "Thank you my king. My last worry is about transportation. Ground transport is suitable but requires assistance from an adult. Would I be permitted to use the small ship? It has much in the way of how the Aristis perform such a raid." There was another pause. To a computer entity, this was like thinking on a topic for hours. "You may have this too." "Thank you my king. May I prepare my staff for what they have to do?" "They may not help you to defeat your enemy." "Thank you my king. I will do my best to make you proud of me." When I looked around I saw that the male teacher was in front of me. He had some sheets of paper in his hand. "So you are back with us Mr Kiefer." "Yes sir. Sometimes I have to focus to the exclusion of all else to find an answer." "That's good. Do this sheet and hand it back to me as soon as you are done." "Yes sir." It was only math and I went down the first sheet and put in the answers. There were only three sheets so by the time the man came back from passing out the papers I handed him the completed forms back. "Do you wish help Mr Kiefer?" "No sir. You asked to have them returned as soon as I was done." "You have checked the answers?" "Twice." He took the sheets and sat at his desk. It was a half hour until recess and I spent my time looking through Nadac's drones to get the layout of the area. If Rontem was right then I had to be at two places at once. It also stood to reason that I could perform a rescue during or slightly after Caputo's escape. He may not know of this and still try to attract me to him. I would be obliged to go regardless. The gang will have to do the clean up and this means that Gail will have to provide transportation. They would be monitoring me and the various areas. My travel time will amaze them as well as my invisibility. A standard combat suit provided this effect as well as the ability to stop shrapnel. Nobody used small kinetic weapons in the Aristis empire. The integral shield provided much more protection but it was chiefly designed to deflect or absorb energy weapons' discharges in three, four or five dimensions. The small ship, being invisible had this same ability. Recess finally came but the teacher stopped me. "Mr Kiefer, you answered all the questions correctly that Miss Lime laid out for you." "I tried sir." "Your answers showed no work." "Surely you do not think that I peaked over the shoulder of another and simply wrote the answer they had down on my paper?" "Not at all. Many preliminary steps are needed to be completed first so you could come to the final answer." "Sir, I have a good memory." "You may but your teachers in the future will give you marks on how an objective is reached not just the final answer." "I am very conscious of that Sir. That is what I was thinking about since class started." "You did not do so in the papers you handed in." "There are more serious things to consider than childish mathematics. May I have my recess Sir?" Out in the yard I drew the inner circle to me and told them what I knew except about Rontem. Chuck said, "Now is a time to call the police." "I agree with you 100%. There is a complication." "What is it?" "The folks at the academy want me to do this as a way of completing a portion of my training. I am getting a combat suit with an active shield that also bends light like our ship is supposed to do." "They really have something like that?" "Yes they do. They are also loaning me a one person ship to get from place to place. You guys have to go in and get the hostages and the two girls. They would end up dead too." Wendy said, "How do you know all this? You don't have your computer with you." "I have a tiny ultrawave communicator in my head. That is how I can talk to you guys when you had the glasses. You guys were slated to get the same system but I never got around to putting them in." Ashleigh said, "You were going to operate?" "Ashleigh, the device is tiny. I made one of the med units that you saw in the demonstrations. The operation is painless and safe. The sterilising portion keeps infections away but all this is useless. We have no time. "The academy was not going to allow you guys to help but they changed their minds later. Your computers will have the data on them when you get home. All five people are being monitored now. So far only Miss Lime was sexually abused but I fear for Jeff and Steph as well as the other two girls. Gail is going to have to help. If they are awake when I get there I am going to have to dart them enough to remove their short term memories. This will be good for them even if they never see me. Some of you guys know what will happen to them." Betts said, "We should all leave now." "I agree but the police are still watching us too. I'll go now and get the planning done. When you come home you can check this out and communicate directly to me through my computer link or use the phone." Erica said, "Do you really have a communicator in your head?" "Erica, I love you. We are all a team. I may not tell everything all the time but this has peoples' lives hanging in the balance. I am now monitoring seven drones including one over our heads. I am also calling Gail now through the link. Hold on." "Hello." "Hi Gail." "Hi Wally, what's up?" "We have a serious situation. Will you come and pick me up. I need to get some equipment and warn the family." "This sounds serious. What happened?" "I will tell you after you get here." "I am on my way." "Bring the car please." "I will, bye." "Gail is coming now in her car." Erica said, "Neat. I want that too." Betts said, "Me too." Chuck said, "What do we tell the others?" "I am sick and going home. You guys communicate on the secure computers only. I have the feeling that you are going to be watched too, and not just by the police." Elaine said, "How did Caputo learn that you... his son?" "We can talk about that later." I reported to the office that I felt bad and wanted to go home. The girls there cut me a lot of slack. Gail got a call from the school and she said she was already en route. When I got to Gail's car I searched it for microphones. This was not easy because I had to focus to see them. Too near or too far meant that they were missed. Gail just looked at me and I urged her out of the far. She got out in the cold wind and said, "What is this about?" I pulled her further away and said, "Being cautious. Our teacher and two students were kidnapped to lure me into Caputo's clutches. He suspects that I killed his son." "How did he find out?" "We will leave that until later. I was given some data and I have to be the one to get rid of the opposition." "You can call the police?" "I honestly wish I could. There are a lot of forces here at work that you have no idea about. I have to do this." "That's stupid. The police have training in this and not your silly academy." "That's true. Now drive me to my house and don't talk about it. It's logical that they put a bug in your car." "Ok, but we better talk then." Mom II was worried when she saw me and my face. Sandy was on duty now and she was worried too. I could say some things to them to put them on their toes but I had no way of showing how I gained this data. Mom II said, "Why are you home Wally?" "I got a bad feeling in school. Miss Lime never showed up today and she did not call in. Jeff and Steph are friends of ours. They take karate with us. They did not show up and the office had to call to find out why they never arrived. I can think when I have to and I suspect that they are all tied together. Someone will call me and try to get me to leave with them. They will say the children's lives and Miss Lime's are in my hands." Leslie said, "A woman called already. She asked for you but I told her you were at school." "Somebody will go to the school then and when they find I have come here they will follow." Sandy said, "Who are they?" "Caputo's son has disappeared. Caputo wants some answers. He wants to have a chat with me." "He's in jail." "He has people that are not." "That's very true. I am going to ask for reinforcements." "Good idea, but ask for people you know. I like Wilcox, Brenda and Lauren. They may come over here for a visit and sleep here if they wish." "I have to go by the book but I'll ask." Sandy went off to use the phone and I said, "They were kidnapped, not maybe." Leslie said, "What are you going to do?" "Prepare for my meeting with Caputo." "But he is in jail." "I am still going to prepare. You can phone Mom and Pop then phone June's school. Tell her to wait for us to pick her up. Remember the plan I came up with about a direct and active threat to our family?" "Yes." "Well consider us under siege. The guys will be coming home with Gail." Gail said, "Why don't you use one of those things in the sky that sees down." "I am. I hoped you guys never saw but we did it out in the open long enough I guess you would have to see." "You have no computer." I tapped my temple and said, "Direct neural implant." Leslie said, "What!" "It has been worked on for years. I have a small communicator implanted. It's a lot like a cell phone." "I don't believe that." "I called Gail with it last time." "Matt call Leslie's cell number." Leslie got her phone and then answered it. I said, "See, it works and I am not using my hands Leslie." Leslie looked at me and simply fainted. I was close enough to catch her but not strong enough to keep her from landing on the floor. Gail excitedly said, "What happened?" "I called her like I did you." "But, you were right beside me. You didn't..." She did not continue so I said, "You're right, I didn't have a phone." "Why did she faint?" "Shock and the fact that she's pregnant." "Help me get her to a chair." We were all seated when Sandy came back. She looked at Leslie that was only now coming around. "What happened?" "Leslie fainted." "Why?" "Pregnant woman do that sometimes." Leslie had come to enough for her to say, "I am not." "Leslie, you are part of my family. I call you Mom II lots of times. Tell me the truth. Did you stop taking your pills?" She looked down at the table but didn't answer. This was enough so the girls knew this was true. Gail asked, "How do you know she's pregnant?" Leslie said, "I am not pregnant..." The pause seemed to mean 'yet'. "I am going to be changing diapers in nine months whether you believe it or not." Sandy asked, "How far along is she?" "Are you asking as a friend of the family or somebody that writes notes on what goes on?" "A friend." "My feeling is just about a week. I figured this was going to happen and told Mom and Pop about it." Leslie said, "Told them what and when?" "That you would have issues with not feeling you are part of the family and get Pop to plant a bun in the oven. He thought I was full of shit. I like the idea of a child but I wanted you to wait a year until you knew that the child would be for love and not commitment." Leslie started to cry and put her arms on the table then her head on them. Sandy stroked Leslie's head and looked on in concern. She looked at me and said, "Is she really?" "Since you are a friend the answer is yes. Pop will adore his new son." Leslie looked up, "Son?" "Yep and Pop will soon see that his son makes you and Mom toe the line." "But how do you know?" "A feeling. The same feeling that nobody else can hear about or they carry me away to do experiments on until I die of old age." Sandy said, "Nobody would do that." "Like nobody would run a kiddy porn studio. Nobody would go into wholesale killing and the selling of slaves or break into this house and try to kill us." I felt danger now and looked around the property. Sandy looked at the way I was ignoring her but said, "That's different." "How?" "... I guess it could. I won't say anything." I saw the problem in the front of the home. "Good, because we may have trouble." "What?" "How long would it take before the reinforcements come here?" "Well they were not going to give me any but they might after thinking more." "Two men in suits are coming to the house. The car looks like a cop car that detectives drive. Let's find out if they are real cops or just pretend." Sandy went for her gun and drew it from her purse. She was checking the action when the doorbell rang. Sandy got in front of the door and aimed at it with two hands. She said, "Get out the back and take the women." I called into the kitchen, "When I say 'Sandy' I want you guys to drop a lot of pots. Make lots of noise and even curse." I moved and stood in front of Sandy's gun and she said, "Move!" "Sandy, get behind the door. I have people to invite in." "But..." I pushed her into position as the doorbell rang again. I called out through the door, "Who is it?" "The police. We have some questions to ask." I saw through the door that they were not police. First their guns had silencers on them. Secondly they had a more of the MAC11s tucked under their left arms. I went for the door and Sandy shook her head no. I whispered, "It's better this way." I opened the door and said, "Come in gentlemen." They came in as I held the door open. "May I see your badges? I think they're so neat." The first guy opened a wallet and showed the badge of the RCMP and not the local police. I said, "Thanks." "Are you Wally Kiefer?" "I sure am. Officer Sandy Gerund is in the kitchen. She likes to talk shop even if you guys are with the RCMP." The second guy said, "Where is she?" "I think she was going for a pee." The banging of pots was loud and a little late. The second man drew a silenced gun and walked to the source of the noise. I moved in close to the other man and kneed him in the nuts as hard as I could. He bent over far enough that I grabbed the hair on his head with two hands and brought his head down to my good knee that was coming up to meet his face. Sandy yelled out, "Police, drop the gun..." The guy turned quickly but Sandy was quicker and three shots rang out. The guy was flung back but brought up his gun and Sandy fired once more and hit his face twice. The guy then fell back solidly. There was screaming and I yelled out, "Your safe. Don't start the baby on an adrenaline jag at this age." The girls came out and Sandy had her gun aimed at the guy that was starting to get up. I kicked him in the face once and he fell. I pulled up the guy's coat tails and brought out a pair of handcuffs. Sandy demanded that I move away but I continued where I was until I had first one cuff on then the other. Sandy angrily grabbed my arm and pulled me away. "Why don't you obey. The guy was dangerous." "Because I love you like I do my family and because you are out of bullets." Sandy checked her gun. She had a six shot revolver and the hammer had rested on and empty cylinder. She just stared at me but I pulled her down and kissed her cheek. "Thanks Sandy. Maybe you should call your bosses before the body starts to rot." She looked at me oddly. I said, "Did you ever shoot anybody before?" "Ah... no." "Call now. Remember you saw the gun with the silencer first. I saw it too and then used my knee on this one. By the way he is very well armed still." I went over to the other and he was very dead. Leslie brought Sandy's purse. She loaded her gun then made the call from her cell this time. Before the police came I talked over what had happened before the two guys came. This time Sandy saw the guys and was suspicious. She was behind the door. I was the one that was supposed to be cool and used the code word 'Sandy' to distract them if I thought they were fakes. Seeing another silenced weapon would give me that kind of information. Since the guy in question was behind and was conveniently dead he could not say otherwise. The circus started with three cruisers then three more before two unmarked detective cars arrived on the scene. Mom and Pop were called by me while Sandy was making her call. They brought June with them when they arrived because I asked them too. Mom and Pop were very worried once more until I urged Mom II to say, "Wally thinks I am having your son Bert. He even says the baby has been there only a week." Mom, Gail, and Pop rushed Mom II off to the bedroom to talk and get her away from all the excitement. The three women were worked up about the near death experience and so was Sandy. I would have suggested to her that she go see Pop but the poor guy would probably die under the load he now carried. I had been monitoring all of the drones but little had changed. The Italian and the Black were presently looking at Miss Lime's body. They had removed their clothes and were ready to rape her again. The black was first and I wanted to stop it but had nothing but a pair of drones. I thought quickly and drove one of the units into the cap of the guy's cock. It pierced the skin but could not go deep. The man jumped away as if stung. "Something bit me." "I didn't see anything." "I don't give a fuck if you saw it or not, something bit me." "Well move over so a real man can fuck this babe." I did the same thing once more and had to wait for the probe over June's school to arrive on station. I had the thoughts of using the self destruct in the units but decided to wait. The police were asking me questions one after the other the same as last time. I resorted to printing my replies on paper with a pen and then showing the appropriate sheet when the question was asked again. They didn't like this and I guess they just didn't have any new questions to ask. The perp was taken long ago with all his weapons. The body went soon after. Gail went to get the kids but a police car went with her. I had not managed to get ready but I did stop one more attack which the king and perhaps Nadac appreciated and possibly fermented. The circus was getting smaller until all the gang got here. Gail must have filled them in on the way. In the confusion I got all the inner circle of guys into the garage and closed the door. Wendy was not sure why we were here and neither were the rest. I mentally flicked a switch and the ship appeared hovering a half metre from the floor. There was shocked silence while a second ago there was just silence. "This is what the academy has come up with. Not very sleek and it's small too. We can do a lot better." I used my mind again to open the simple hatch and took out the black suit then got into it. I already knew it would fit me perfectly. A mask was part of the suit and covered everything. The eyes had a permanent screen to keep out sand, dust and dirt. The nose and mouth had a screen that filtered air against contagion, poisonous gases and even a vacuum. My hands and feet were similarly covered or the suit would not work as well as it should. When it was done up I said, "You all saw this suit in the monitors but here it is in real life. Watch while I get it to go invisible." I held Betts and Erica's hands as I moved more mental switches. There were some gasps as I disappeared. Betts said, "I'm still holding his hand." Erica said, "Me too." I pulled the girls to me and kissed one then the other then said, "Did you guys ever read 'The Invisible Man'?" I then turned visible again. Betts said, "The kiss was funny." "It was the filter." We investigated the ship and everybody got a chance to get in and have the ship move and disappear. Sam said, "Have you flown this before?" "A few times. I was in orbit a while ago but our own machine will get us there soon enough." "I didn't see any controls." "The implant controls the computer which controls the ship." "I gotta get one of those." "We have one with your name on it. I just need permission from your bosses before I do anything." "My parents will never agree." "I said your bosses not your parents." The girls understood first. Elaine and Shirley got close to Sam and hugged him, and then he understood. I said, "I am going to eat and get prepared. The two guys wanted to have some of Miss Lime and I drove the drones as deep into their cocks as I could. I have another drone there now to monitor. None of them are thinking of sex." Betts said, "What are you going to do first?" "Caputo will have to find another way of getting me. Probably a simple telephone call. When he starts to break out I am going after our friends. From the latest reports, it looks like the breakout is scheduled for the shift change at four PM. I have been told I cannot warn the jail or the police. What happens, happens. "At four I am going to go after our friends. It will still be light so a few of you will come in and wait until it gets dark. Don't touch or leave anything. The police are going to do a sweep of DNA. If you shit then flush lots of times. Put some ammonia on any blood. "I am going to see the other girls. The same thing happens. I will drug them all. The police come or you take them away when it is dark but that is the back up plan. The bus is going to be noticeable. You guys are going to have to find alternative transportation to and especially to get away. "My date with Caputo will have to continue though. My feelings on this is it is going to be rough. When I am done I get out or I call you. At that time I have done my job and may need some help." Betts said, "Help with what?" I was afraid of this. I had this feeling that I was going to be hurt and the best place to go was to see Nadac. "I have this feeling again. I may have to take some further training. The family can be told that I am just getting training. The world will think that I have had too much anxiety and I need to hide until I recover from the excitement." Erica said, "What do we do about the two girls?" "Their mother is a gambling addict. Her boyfriend was paid to get her away from Toronto. This will be posted on the website. Nadac will suggest that the girls stay together and go under the care of the CA. With the amount of harm we have done to organised crime, we may get a break. If it doesn't happen then some people will be asked why they did not do this." "What is that going to do?" "Everybody has some skeletons in the closet. I'll rattle a few and the people will do their job." The equipment was given out but there was only enough dart guns and glasses for the original five. There were lots more black outfits, balaclavas, boots, gloves and now knives and clubs. My suit went back in the ship and the ship rose into the rafters before it disappeared. I ate leftovers quickly, went to the bathroom then kissed my women soundly. They didn't want me to leave. "I have to go. You guys have a job to do. It is four already. We watched Caputo diligently with our drones. I watched with the screen in my mind and the others used their computers while riding in the bus. We saw gas seeping into the air conditioning ducts at the jail while more was released through thin tubes to reach under doors. Men fell all over. The phones, alarm and computers had been sabotaged. An explosive device opened the main door and ten men rushed in wearing gas masks. Others remained outside as sentries. Four guards were shot with silenced weapons and two died immediately. I watched as the control board was put into operation and the intruders gained access to the rest of the jail. Men who clamoured to get out were simply shot. Five men though were searched out and shot three times each. By now I was where I wanted to be and hovered a half metre off the wet almost dead grass between the house I was about to enter and another. The ship stayed invisible as I stepped out the same way. The back door was off an enclosed porch. The first door was easy. The second one led into the kitchen. Luckily nobody was here either. My dart gun was out and it was definitely visible to anybody that came near. The two men from before were now watching television. The newcomers upstairs were looking at a naked woman and preparing to rape her too. They were hesitant because of what happened to their two compatriots. I pushed open the door that led to the hall, then walked down the corridor. At the large archway, I aimed my gun and fired twice then once more. One guy had raised his hand and accidentally intercepted the second dart but not the next. ------- Chapter 25 Our guys could see me through the probes but I could not see the probes except the lines of force that were hanging in the air. I could comment now but they could see well enough. I did say, "Two more upstairs." The two were now naked and laying on the bed beside Miss Lime. They were playing with her breasts and pussy and just working themselves up. I checked the lock on the door and saw that it was not secured. I pushed the door open quickly and fired twice. The two had started to react but fell back asleep. "Team one come in the front door. It will be unlocked." I got back, "Not bad but then you're my man. What do you think of Miss Lime?" Nadac was converting their voice so that I could pick it up. "She looks good enough to eat but I already have two of the best." "You still want us to leave her and the kids? We could take them to Gail's place." "Stick to orders." "Yes, sir." I raised my pistol and fired three times into Miss Lime's leg then recovered all the darts. Jeff and Steph were semiconscious. Their locked door was opened and I shot them the same way and removed the darts. The two men in the front room had me work on their dicks for a minute to get each of the drones to emerge. The units were inanimate but they looked pleased to be free. I returned to the other action displayed in my mind. Caputo's cell was opened and two of the commandos hustled him out after putting a mask on him. At my location, the welcome company was coming up the walk and I had enough time to even open the door as Wendy, Chuck, Sam, Elaine and Shirley came in dressed in school clothes. The suitcase would allow them to change into the camo suits later if they stayed that long. I turned visible and the five of them jumped. "Sorry, I'll warn you next time." Sam said, "I really, really want one of those suits." "This is the easy part. You may have guests coming. Shoot anybody coming in." Sam said, "Yes Sir." On the way out I picked up the rifle and a nine millimetre pistol then scrounged for clips and ammunition. I was out the back door in seconds. On the way to my next appointment I watched the drones in the jail. Men were selected and given masks and I counted eight of them. They may have been criminals but they had to be marched out as if they were captives. Cars pulled up and men were pushed in and the vehicles left. When the last of them left I said, "Can we call the police now? Two of the guards may live." "The police will learn of this later. The two men will die shortly even with your crude medical attention. The others in the cells do not matter." Do not matter? He may be right about that because I too had played with peoples' lives. In the end it resorted to a lot of killing. The girls I was after were in a tenement. As buildings went, this was a better one but the girls were still in danger. A man sat between the petrified girls trying to seduce them. He may wait a while and I stationed a drone to attack if I were not ready. There were two more men in the apartment and a woman. The woman and a man were high on some drug they had injected. The other two were still threats. They were on the seventh floor of a nine floor building. Coming down from the roof was the easiest. The lock on the roof door was inside where I could not get at it. I could fly the ship though the window of the apartment but that would give everybody too many clues. Racing up the steps was my only recourse. The elevator was out of order and the sign was old. I would not use it in any case. I left the human guns in the ship and left by way of an alley. There was a security door but an old man going the other way opened it for me. I made noise going up the steps and slowed down. I had to pass people and two people looked directly at me as if they could see me. There were children in the building and I was happy that I had not brought a real gun. When I got to the seventh landing I found nearby doors open as if this was a nice neighbourhood. I could probably pick the lock to the apartment I wanted to enter but the security chain was on the door. I scratched the door and whispered "Manuel," once then a bit later did it again. I tried to disguise my voice and appear drunk. One of the men had the name Manuel and hoped this would be enough to get the door open. From inside I heard one of the men yell, "Get away before I go out there and boot your ass." I ignored the threat and continued. Twice somebody came to the door to look out the spy hole but they could see nothing. I did manage to piss them off though. The two drew weapons and one went to the door and quietly removed the chain as he prepared to burst out into the aisle. When the door opened I was crouched down low to hide my gun. I fired at the guy's leg from here and looked to see the on inside. He was behind a wall waiting. I pushed my way past the man and he shouted in surprise instead of falling down. I turned and fired again and hit him in the chest. The man in the apartment saw his partner fall and opened fire on my gun. One bullet hit my chest and pushed me back and I fell against the small table. More bullets hit me but many more missed. One bullet hit me in the right arm where the shield was not in position. It felt like my arm was broken the gun went to my left and I managed to get one shot in before three more hit around my visible gun. I was pushed back again and fell on my back. It was difficult but I got to my feet. There was glass from a broken mirror over the floor. The girls were hiding behind the couch as I approached. I looked at the first man and now saw an artificial leg. This plan was shot to shit and I would go to plan 'B'. At least I had thought of contingency plans. I came into the living room. The girls looked unhurt but frightened to death. From my left came the man on drugs. I turned just enough to catch three slugs in my shield that would have killed me if I had not been wearing it. Before the man went down two more bullets hit and one was on the gun. It flew from my hand. My left hand hurt as bad as my right arm and this was when the woman came charging out with a long knife in her had and a crazy look in her face. I didn't trust my right arm. I kicked the woman in the crotch and she hardly seemed to notice it. It did give her my position. My left hand had to shoot out and I connected with her nose. She fell heavily on her ass and I kicked her in the stomach. She fell over on her side and puked. I was stunned for a while trying to deal with my pain. I remembered the gun and picked it up with a lot of difficulty. It was damaged and would not work now. I leaned up against the wall trying to think straight. One of the two girls got up and looked around. She was my age and good looking. Her sister looked at the carnage. They were twins but not identical. Both I decided were better than just good looking. It was when they started to leave that I growled, "Get in the bathroom and lock the door." They looked around. They saw nobody but they did as I asked. The sound of the lock was good but too easy to defeat. I could not just leave my gun so I put it inside my suit and closed up the suit again. People were coming near and I was surprised to see that they carried guns. The drugged man's gun was a nine millimetre and would hurt me less to fire. The man at the doorway had a gun too and I managed to get it before armed men came from the stairwells or a nearby apartment. I felt obliged to warn them and growled, "Come, and you will die." My answer came from two directions. I was back far enough that none of the bullets hit me. Some feeling was coming back to my left hand besides pain. Two large men were working their way toward the doorway to the apartment. I was in no mood to play. I was crouched near the floor once again and right below them as they rushed in. I shot both in the chest. They stumbled and fell. I shot both in the back of the skull to make sure they gave me no more trouble. Two more men came but I got them in the hallway instead. After that the rest stayed away. Sirens were coming. I had not called the police. The goons were probably in the employ of Caputo or one of his men. When looking at that I had to assume that this was a safe place to keep the girls from Caputo's viewpoint. "Matt, who called the police?" "Betty. She could see that you were hit. She felt you could survive with the girls if the police came." "Why didn't she ask me first?" "You were in a combat situation." I guess that was a good enough reason. I had to get out now but not until the police got here. I flexed my left hand but my right arm still felt paralysed. I could see around the shield in the suit and saw that the bone was not broken. The bathroom door lock sounded. I walked over to it and growled. "The police are on the way. The men on this floor will kill you." One voice said, "Are you going to kill us?" "I came here to keep the men from killing you." There was a very long pause then the same girl said, "Is it safe to come out?" "There is glass on the floor. Three men are sleeping. One woman is too stunned to do anything now. There are four bodies of men that are very dead." "Did you kill them?" "Yep." The other girl said, "For us?" I was exasperated and said, "No, for the tooth fairy. A man by the name of Caputo does not like witnesses. He also likes young girls and boys to have sex with." I looked downward and focussed at the front of the building. The police were coming in and there looked to be eleven of them. I was surprised there were so many considering the jail break. "A dozen or so cops are coming up the steps. Tell them not to trust any civilians. You mother is still gambling with her boyfriend. Caputo paid the boyfriend to take your mother away so they could use your house." "Why did he do that?" "Three people were kidnapped and held there." "He could have brought them here." "He wanted to kill quietly. This building would be a trap for him if there was a fight like I just had." The cops were getting close and I called the ship. It climbed to this floor and I looked around for a suitable window to leave by. I had to use a chair to break the glass and then remove part of the frame. The ship actually came into the apartment and I climbed on the couch to get in. The police were at the floor now and leapfrogged each other. One called out, "Come out with your hands us or we shoot." I growled, "Two girls in the bathroom to your left. No hostiles left." "Come out or we shoot." I called out finally, "Bye girls," and left. The cops rushed in but didn't find anybody conscious except the woman and the girls. "Betts, guys, the girls are safe. My right arm feels like it was kicked. My left hand stings like hell. I am going north to get some aid then coming back. Caputo still wants his dance." Betts called out, "Take me." "Soon. I am just going to get patched up. We can still talk." Betts said, "I have the med unit." "That would work in a pinch. My arm's not broken. This is probably because of the combat suit. They have better med units that work faster." The last was a hope because I was not sure. Erica said with a crying voice, "I love you, Wally." "I love you too. You guys better prepare to leave now. The two girls know about their home being used to house hostages." Chuck said, "We will set up a perimeter and leave a few minutes before the cops get here. There are a lot of backyards we can use." "Good thinking, Private." "Thanks Cap. I thought you were the only one with rank." "You were always leadership material Chuck." Chuck didn't answer but Wendy did. "We knew that too Cap." We chatted for a few moments and I said, "Guys, I am at an altitude of 500 klicks now and coasting around the earth. I just thought you would want to know." Sam said, "I really... we need to get our own finished. You said would be done in three weeks." "I did. I place the crystals and have to get the fungus to connect all of them." Jerry said, "We have lots of money of our own. Can we get the parts built now? We know the system works because we saw your ship and you are where you are right now." Betts said, "I want to start too. I have money and I will put it in. If we do this right then we will not be flashing money around and attracting attention. The ship will be invisible." "Tie in with the academy to let them place our orders. We need an adult voice and a secure way of moving the money and getting the parts. I have been making my approach now. I'll see what my reception is like. I did part of the job but it didn't go smoothly." Betts said, "You did a good job Wally. The two girls were just hustled out of the building and into two cars. The cars are leaving now. That has to count for something?" "I hope so." I got out of the ship to find snow still in pockets. The suit was warm. The door opened and I simply walked in and tried to get the suit off. I had to struggle through a lot of pain to get this far. My right arm was bruised and the skin torn. The bullet had not hit directly on the bone. The suit may stop the bullet eventually but not before it succeeded in killing me. The cot was cool on my skin as I laid down. Med units came out that were larger than what I had made. Since I was playing the role of an Aristis aristocrat, I said nothing and tried to think even less. Nadac said, "We can talk. I want the second computer brought here." "I can do that but it helps me with interfering with the probes. Do you have an adequate substitute?" "Your first unit will do this too." "Yes, but it's simple and the interference does not travel far. What do you see as the purpose of the 72?" "Rontem will clone himself before you work on the Fonduush's computer. The safety protocols have not been followed in the design." "I have noticed that too." "I wish to clone my own personality and place it in a crystal within the computer you are building." I said, "Can you fight off Rontem when he already has possession of the computer?" "I have given you the information for doing so." "For both our sakes, you better give me the way you want and not what I think it should be." The information came in and I stored it behind the hidden partition I had made. There were some intriguing complexities here that I had not thought of. This put my own designs in danger of being found. Rontem had a drone at his disposal but a more advanced unit could see my tinkering for what it was. Nadac said, "Your chances of success against Carmen Caputo are not good. He now has reports of your actions to save the two young females. I said it would be best to leave them. The woman though under the influence of drugs, claims you were invisible. The rest will be sedated for an additional half day but they too will say that you were invisible. Carmen Caputo had taken this report seriously." "Are you sure the report came from the police? It could just as easily came from Rontem." "I have considered that too. The king wishes to test you. I fear his instability will push you to destruction." "What can better my odds without Rontem feeling I have an unfair advantage?" "Your dart gun can be made with solid shot that dissolves within your target or disintegrates in air after being fired. This unit requires less gas, works faster, propels its load further and with more accuracy and fits within the suit you wore today." "What are the bad points?" "You are wise to ask. The weapon cannot be loaded in the field without a mechanism that works in vacuum. You have eighty three shots only. The barrel is longer but the gun overall is smaller." I said, "Two guns may offset the loading problem." "That will work." "What other advantage may I use?" "Seek full body shield until you get down to five opponents. There is a very good chance that at that point you will not be allowed to use your invisibility." "I don't see much chance of getting that concession from Rontem." "I have seven likely choices of places that your confrontation could take place. You are supposed to work on these yourself. I will give them to you. Following any of them too closely will indicate that you had prior knowledge." "I can fake it." "Then do so." When the data was stored, I asked, "I could use twenty four of the new weapons, four loaders and a good supply of ammunition." "You wish to arm your comrades? Caputo should be the last of your enemies." "Rontem will continue to test me." "With whom?" "Find ways of turning my family against me. Inform the police so that I am chased and harassed. Inform the cartels of what we have done. Do the same thing to the government and the corporations so they will chase me down. Get you to do acts that are not what you wish to do. After all that, he can get you to chase me or he does. A lesser scenario would be to deny me any assistance." "I believe you are right. You have chosen to join the aristocracy and that means you have to be worthy." I said, "If you still wish to confront Rontem, I need an alternate source of information. If you transferred all of yourself into Hal then I can seek help when the real you is forced to act against me." "That fits in with what I had planned." "I need a way of cutting off contact with the computer you are now in. Rontem can use his own probes as well as yours to search for me. He may take action against me and so I need protection and some offensive abilities. My greatest weapon could be an idea of what Rontem is thinking. You stated that you were a psychiatrist. That information would assist me too. I can build computers with your assistance, but I know little of the weapons and defence used by the Aristis." "You cannot stand up to Rontem and his ship. It is much too powerful." "Rontem will not seek to kill me at each testing but it will be close in his mind. If I have the information I need, there is a chance that I may survive to face the next challenge. Before I am allowed to learn too much, Rontem will have me repair his computer. You will have to be in the new 72 to keep him from keeping control. This could be also done by simply removing his access to the ultrawave. Rontem has already thought of this and has the rudiments of a hyperwave put into the design. A remote can complete this work for him." "I cannot give you all that information. You are not an Aristis though you are another branch from our common progenitors. I said, "Your training was focussed on destroying Rontem. He is not an Aristis by your own laws. I have no Aristis to fight or a wish to dominate. I do not threaten the Aristis people. I am protecting them from Rontem though. He can still decide to return to Casslis and your supporters." "Rontem must die but you still gain too much knowledge." "If I actually wished to challenge the Aristis, it would take centuries to build just a few ships. Centuries more would be needed to train adequate crews. Is it not more likely that two cousins unite to take on the Wikki rather than fight each other? Your race has nurtured paranoia because of the way the Aristis are constructed. Altruism cannot be believed but self-interest is what all races strive for. What is the logical reasons for denying me the tools I need to rid us of Rontem?" "There are still many. I agree that paranoia is part of our basic structure. You would not likely attack the Aristis because of our strength but you would go off and found your own empire. At some time in the future our two races would be in conflict." I said, "You strengthened your race by causing conflict. The galaxy is vast and there are more than one advanced race. If what you say happens then at some far future time the Aristis and humans may meet. The Aristis would have progressed a lot since Rontem was cast out of Casslis and they will have no doubt progressed more before we meet. That meeting will be beneficial for the Aristis in many ways. Both races could be tested and the Aristis will grow even stronger. Common interest will bind both races." "It is possible that the humans could win a confrontation." "Humans are not as intelligent as the Aristis. You said before that we teetering on the edge of an abyss with our genetic defects. The chances are that the human race will die out before another Aristis group comes our way. Our immediate goal is the elimination of Rontem. If I am your best hope then you have to give me the tools to fight with. Halfway measures will only cause failure." Nadac thought as the med units continued to work. I felt him looking within my mind and I relaxed hoping he saw nothing to contradict what I had stated. "I will give you my full knowledge. If I detect deceit then I will take it back." "Nadac, none of us are perfect. Small short term goals that may look bad could be good in the larger picture. If I cannot learn to hide my thoughts then Rontem will find them when we come in contact. You need an ally that has the ability to fight your enemies. A truly good person would be useless to you or me. Self-interest has to motivate me and not threats or idle promises." The upload began abruptly and I had a difficult time to store it. There was no chance to study it even in passing. It was good that my crystal was so large because it was nearly full when Nadac was done. My head hurt when the process was complete. My brain had done only some of the processing while the small processor had stored most of the data. "You must leave. Carmen Caputo has tried to contact your family. I have intercepted the transmissions and gave suitable responses. He will not be patient for long. You must go to him now before he attacks your family." I saw that one of the scenarios matched the current local though this time there were more hostiles. Nadac's plans were very good and much better than I could come up with. I worked on downgrading the ideas so Rontem would think they were mine. My arm and hand felt better than new. There was no bruising or abrasion now. A different weapon was on my left hand. It folded with my movements while the one in my right was fixed on the back of my wrist. Both weapons were similar to the one Nadac had described but had subtle changes. The commando suit was new and I saw that the shield it generated in front was larger than the one before. It peaked in the centre to shed kinetic rounds better. Best of all a shield protected my face and neck but still allowed me to move. A new upload showed how to use this suit to its best advantages. It was very near what an Aristis assassin would use. The weapons I would be facing did not require a full commando suit. "Have you cleared these improvements with Rontem?" "He saw how poorly you did in the last conflict. I gave an accurate analysis of your survivability and he was the one that insisted that the weapons be upgraded. When five opponents are left, the suit will loose its shield and invisibility." I detected tension. "And the guns?" "You will have to rely on other weapons then." "Will the suit and weapons become operational if I defeat the last five?" "Yes, you will have ample opportunity to make your withdrawal." "I have no accuracy at predicting my own fate but I believe I will be hurt." "This talent is extremely rare. Do you see a way of avoiding your fate?" "None. I just see a great deal of pain in the near future." "I can do little but I will try." On the way back I went over the conversations that I was supposed to have taken part in but Nadac had filled in for me. At the appropriate time I fit myself into the conversation. I gave my objective and Nadac gave the gang access to the drones already in place. "Remember, I cannot get your help until I am done. There seems to be eight non-combatants including two children. I have to consider them to be hostages at some time in the conflict." Betts said, "What can we do?" "There is very little. You can monitor the drones and make suggestions but that can confuse me to." Betts excitedly said, "Caputo just got a call and he yelled out that you are on your way. Who told him?" "I am afraid it is part of the test. My suit is better as are my weapons. To compensate, Caputo has been warned." This new revelation made me fume. I could at least have been told. It also cut down on my options I said, "I am almost there now. I am going to be busy now and unable to talk much." I got words of luck from everybody and words of love from the girls but two of them seemed more important to me. My objective was an estate with a large manor house. I quizzed Nadac to find that the property was owned by a business associate of Caputo's. The owner was presently near Caputo while his family stayed in a large room on the third floor. A woman of forty, a girl of about ten and a boy of thirteen or fourteen comprised the family. There was a male servant and a girl of eighteen or a bit older in the room too. Two older women that appeared to be servants were huddled in the corner. Last time I had not checked the neighbours but this time I stuck to just the outlying buildings. There were more servants and their families. There were eight in all but one seemed to be hiding in a pile of hay. This was a boy a year or so younger than me. There were other children but only one was younger and this was a boy of four. I counted thirty four armed men. Some of them wore military style equipment. These would be the ones I wanted to nail first. They had some impressive equipment too. There was thermal imaging, starlight scopes, some beautiful sniper rifles, grenades, a portable radar unit that may pick me up. There were claymores hidden under brush and I could see wire to trip them or radio control. Automatic weapons were very common. On the private road or a public one I saw a total of six more men manning roadblocks. My objective was to take out Caputo and he was in the house. Since he was warned, he had to know that I was coming specifically for him. The house then would be heavily defended. The windows in the house had decorative lattice in every window that had been there for years. I knew it had to be steel flat bar. The external walls were sheathed in cut stone and steel doors were over the standard door. I saw track to bring them up when there was no trouble. A man that needed this much protection had to be involved in crime. The basement was deep. It was used for lavish entertaining. There were no windows and one external door that was also protected by an additional steel door. The house would be difficult to take. My weapons were inferior but were quiet. My ship gave me mobility while I could see through objects. A real commando could use what I had and possible not disturb his hair. I was almost thirteen now and only partially trained. The enemy had good weapons and would be able to see me even when I was invisible when they used the radar or possibly the infrared scope. I started with the snipers. They wore bullet proof vests as they would in war. With my hatch partially opened I descended quietly behind the first and used my dart-less dart gun. He went down quietly and I took out two more before a radio message was not returned. Powerful lights came on from the walls of the house and more from the outbuildings. None of the lights were on me though. In the next hour I took fourteen more this way. I still had a small rifle from the house and the nine millimetre pistol still. I was able to get one of the fifty calibre sniper rifles but I was almost unable to pick it up. I loaded up with ammo and a M16 chambered for eleven millimetre rounds. From the ground I took out the men using the radar and tried hard to disable their equipment. I would only stay to fire a few rounds then move. There was a lot of lead flying around and I had no protection on my flanks or my back. When they were too primed I moved to the roadblocks and took them out with darts. They could see nothing much and they were easy to take. They were also just city thugs and not soldiers. They had more hardware but I could not use what I already had adequately. There were only five more armed men outside of the house. I used the M16 to take out windows and tried to take them with darts instead. It was not that they were worth more but it was like I was tired of killing. Two of the five I had to shoot but the rest were sleeping soundly. Shots came from the house all the time. They had spotters and equipment in the house. I scavenged all the explosives I could find. Some of the men had the detonators. I flew to the roof and used a claymore to rip a hole in the slate roof. More claymores and other mines were thrown inside and this was now detonated. The hole was made at the far end of the house so as to not hurt the non-combatants. The sniper rifle was now unlimbered and I tried to shoot it. I was thrown backwards as if I was handling a cannon. I used a tree to take the kick of the gun and the ship to support the heavy weapon. I did not necessarily aim for men but to destroy the normally bulletproof glass. When my ammunition was exhausted on the windows, I threw the gun away. The house was a death trap for me and possibly for Caputo too. There were two jerry cans which I filled with gasoline from a tank used for the tractors. The contents was filled four times and dumped before people came from the house. The smell of gasoline was enough to get them moving. They used their radar and found me in the ship. I think this was the first time they considered me to be airborne. Hitting them was harder because they knew where to look. They could not look everywhere though. I used my dart guns again even though the ship was taking fire. One bullet slipped in the partially open door and I looked for the shooter. Caputo had called in reinforcements and they were shooting for effect. I had to start all over again and get behind the newcomers and rain darts or bullets at them. More cars were coming and I fired at the drivers until the cars crashed kilometres away. The police were coming now and there looked to be half of the Toronto police force. I could not have them interfering with the test. The first eight cars were targeted. I fired straight down into the engine compartments with my rifle. None of the cars crashed but they blocked the road. I hurried back and took out the stragglers. The house had the family and four men with guns. The doors were locked once more. I took the ship up and used it to slip into the hole in the roof and then down onto the third floor. Steps were heard running toward me. There were a lot more than five men but I didn't trust Rontem or Nadac for that matter. I had a MAC10 chambered for 45 calibre. In single shot mode, I shot through floors or walls to hit targets. Men were coming back into the house and I used captured weapons to keep them back but also to press on to Caputo. Caputo was with two other men and they shot indiscriminately through the walls and doors trying to hit me. I stayed low and the bullets passed overhead. Gunfire had not stopped outside the house but the bullets were not coming my way. They were not trying so hard to get in now. The police had arrived and they were now taking on Caputo's reinforcements. I saw Caputo for the first time and brought up the gun to shoot through the wall. The gun jammed. I used two others and the same thing happened. This was far beyond coincidence. When I aimed at the men coming into the house the guns worked once more. I had to get in there and I was going to be shot if I did. The shield seemed to be working but the guns failed when I needed them. I was near the main electrical distribution box. I fired the MAC10 into the panel a shot at a time until the lights went out. They were waiting to shoot at the door so I threw a small table that way and all hell broke loose. I was able to kick the door open a second later but moved away instead of entering. A cushion from a couch went in next and it drew a lot of lead. Just as it died down I slipped in with another cushion. This was thrown across the floor and they blasted away at it. I was visible because I saw my black covered arms in the flashes. The man on my far right was Caputo. Being in the room with the men made us even in a way. I raised my MAC10 and blasted all three but the gun would not work when it was aimed at Caputo. I dove to the floor just as Caputo fired an automatic weapon at me. My gun was no good and Caputo's was very functional. The body beside me had a knife sticking out of his western boots. When Caputo's rifle clicked on an empty cylinder I moved to get the knife. I got it out just as Caputo slammed a full clip home. I had to dive for cover as his gun came to bare on the sounds I had made. Bullets went all over. Caputo was trying to find me with the flame of his firing. Caputo's luck kicked in and mine out in a single heartbeat. A bullet sliced along my abdomen. It felt like someone laid a red hot poker on me. I fell to the side but the bullets continued to belch out as they went near me but luckily didn't hit me again. Caputo put in a new clip and listened for me. A pistol was near me but after looking into it I saw that it was empty. It may make a diversion though. I tossed the gun at a body and Caputo proceeded to riddle it with bullets. I managed to get to my feet during the shooting. My hand holding closed my wound. I got a few metres closer when his gun hit on an empty chamber again. He fumbled this time but I saw it clearly. I may have had a chance if I was not hurt but not now. Caputo yelled out, "I know you're here Kiefer. We found my son's body. I am going to kill you so slow that you will plead for death." I was bleeding and losing my strength. The longer I waited the weaker I would be. The floor was covered with trash and any steps made would be heard. I looked around the room for something... anything. I was near the mantel of the fireplace and above it were the two Japanese swords. This was definitely a weapon of opportunity. I put the long bladed knife on the mantel and took the shorter sword. I may have made noise but the firing in the room had deafened both of us. One man I had shot was not dead yet. I picked up the knife and threw it near him. That and his moaning drew Caputo's rifle. I moved two metres closer until he was empty once more. It was now or never. I rushed forward and brought the sword down with all my might. Caputo must have some idea about what happened and brought his rifle up to intercept my strike. Somehow I pulled the sword back and stopped it near the floor. I brought the point up this time and drove it into my enemy's stomach. His hands let go of the rifle and it fell to the floor. I pulled out the sword and brought it up. Caputo looked in my direction as I slashed from the right side of his neck to the left. Blood gushed out and the man fell to his knees then to his face. I stayed there a while until I heard the police yelling for surrender. I had to get out. The sword turned into a cane as I walked down the hall with one hand holding my wound closed. I had to drop the sword as I climbed the steps. I looked around and I was the only living person in the house. The family had fled. My steps took longer and longer as I climbed upward. The police were now in the building and searching for combatants. They were slow and thorough but I was even slower. I had to call my ship to me and it threaded its way out the door of the room then down the hall and then the steps. I had to ground it to get in and I fell. I just managed to get the hatched closed when I said, "Take over." I felt movement and I just went to sleep. I awoke and remembered the pain. My right hand went down my body and I felt no bandage and no wound. For a second I had to consider the wound just part of a nightmare. The thoughts came through too clearly for that. "How am I doing Nadac?" "Your wound has healed." "Did I pass my test?" "I would say you did but I have not heard from Rontem." I tried to get up and felt the pain once more. It was only a shadow of what it was but it still hurt. When I was on my feet I looked and found some pink skin. It looked good in that there didn't seem to be any scar tissue. I said, "What has happened since I left?" "A considerable amount in your opinion. Caputo's gang was all arrested. They found Caputo dead from a slashed throat and a blood drenched sword nearby. I think the king was pleased at your choice of weapons. Currently the weapon is undergoing testing for DNA. Your blood will be found on the weapon and on the floor of the room." Shit, that's serious. "Were any of the guys questioned?" "They were at home with witnesses for most of the time. Your tutor and the two children have awoken but most of their memories of the event are gone. Your mates and friends have been talking to me as I impersonated you." I got an upload of the conversation and it sounded a lot like what I would say given the situation. There was a lot of talk and I said goodbye too often. "It looks like I was here a day and a half." "That is correct. Your absence was reported by the police guarding your home. Your name was mentioned by some of Caputo's people. They know that he is dead and are not afraid to talk about him." "What are they saying?" "The conversations centre around Tony Caputo and his disappearance. None of them know the truth. Tony's body and the others were found. An examination will find probable dart punctures. So far it is mentioned that Carmen Caputo thinks you had something to do with his son's death." I said, "I don't think they can prove anything about that but they will with my DNA. The gang will be questioned. Hardened criminals break down and talk so the guys will too." "I predict they will gather a sample of your blood for testing in one or two local days." "Can we do something?" "Yes, I have instructed the cells in your bones to discontinue making blood. I have given you new blood that is still human but not quite what yours is. They can still take samples from your parents. You have to appear to be their son but not the person that was at the scene. Your brothers and sisters will be asked to contribute blood too." I ran this idea through my mind. "They will come back for additional testing to make sure because it is so close." "They may but the blood is not that close of a match." "This means that you have to restart my blood making cells again and fill me back up with the good stuff. Will I have problems with the new blood?" "No, but you are right. You need your own blood back." "Then that leaves them questioning the guys. Somebody will break." "That is a certainty." I did more thinking then said, "They all have to get the implant." "I was hoping you would come by that answer on your own." "My med unit will work. I proved myself. I want to borrow a class seven med unit. I will have less problems and Betts will not complain about pain or even a swelling in the effected area." "It will definitely give optimum results. In this case you must hurry. It takes time to integrate a mind with an entity such as me." "Can Hal and Matt do this? It helps to know that your friend is on the wall in a room instead of someplace in the north. They will have some visual cues and know that they are just ceramic objects." "Your unit Hal, is capable and will be seen as a friend if the conversations are started that way." "I will upload the necessary files on your comrades." New clothes were made and the ship was inspected before I flew. I saw where the bullets had left lead streaks in places. This meant that the shield had failed. This would have to be changed because radar could pierce the invisibility. I flew to mall and met the gang. Betts and Erica kissed me passionately. Erica said, "Show us how you were hurt." I picked up my shirt and showed them the pink skin. "That will give you away." "No it won't Sweetie. This looks at least two if not four weeks old. I have no cuts or scrapes on my body." I went into the washroom and changed into the clothes I had worn on the day of the battle. There was no other word to describe what had been done. When I came out I said, "Well guys, I want to get the next part over as quickly as possible. It takes time to get used to the communicator. It has to be done with care so that you are all ready when the questioning comes." Chuck said, "How sure are you that we will be questioned by the police?" "Positive. My name was mentioned too many times by too many people. If they have nothing to tie to me to the fight then they will have to believe that somebody has been working to take down Caputo and helped us in the process." Betts said nervously, "You still want to do me first?" "Betts, I love you and you are one of the strongest people I know. Once you demonstrate that there are no ill effects then the rest will want to follow." "And you are saying that those two boxes in your room are smart enough to talk to us." "Matt was the smartest computer ever made on earth until Hal was made. They are my friends and they will be yours too. They will help you through the interrogations with advice. You can all talk to each other too. Cell phones are used for calling other people not us." We went to Jerry's house. His parents and brothers were working so we had the house to ourselves. I brought out the new med unit and said, "This is a class seven not the class two that I made. There are some nifty additions that you will like. All of you are going to have to study this unit. It saves lives in combat situations. It also works at detecting abnormalities in the body. When I can, I will build a nine. This would be better than the best hospital in the world staffed with the finest doctors." Betts was very hesitant but climbed up onto the dining room table on a few blankets for comfort. A larger blanket was rolled like a scroll to support Betts' face as she looked down. The med unit floated in the air and I did not have to move it into position. All I had to do was get it to interface with Hal. Sam said, "Cool!" I parted the hair on the back of Betts' head. Betts was now asleep and Erica was holding Betts' head still. A laser cut the skin to make a short cut a few centimetres long. There was no bleeding because the ends of the blood vessels were cauterised. Small holes were made one at a time by three lasers. A small plug was extracted and one of the ultrawave units I made was installed. Everything was sterilised as we went along. The bone fragment was put back into place and a knitting compound like plaster closed the area off. The skin was put back into place and a probe extended to start the accelerated healing. I talked to Hal, "Are you getting through alright?" "The med unit has placed the unit where it is required. I am initiating contact to the central nervous system now. My estimate of the time is still eight millis." "Hal said there are only six minutes now." I said to Hal, "Wake up Betts." I got Betts up and then into a chair. She said, "I didn't feel anything." "That was the idea. We took out a small plug about three millimetres in diameter to let the ultrawave in. The plug went back with some material that will turn into new bone in a few days. Your skin is healing just like the pink skin on my belly." "But I don't feel any different in my mind." "Hal is setting up the interface now. As I said before you won't feel anything. Gradually you will think that you are dreaming while awake. You don't have to talk out loud to Hal. All you do is sort of think at him." We waited quietly for only a minute until Erica said, "Do me now please? It's hard to just wait." I smiled and gave her a kiss. "Sure Sweetie. Hop up." Betts now held Erica's head and she saw what was done to her. In less than thirty seconds the operation was done. The unit did not leave and went all over Erica's body making some odd noises as it went. Betts looked worried and said, "What is it doing?" "Erica's glands are screwed up before she was born. I asked Hal to check her body and see what can be done. Erica takes medicine to keep her body and mind working the way they should. I want her to be free of that for the rest of her life. An added benefit I just found out that she will have to start taking birth control pills or get the med unit to do this." "You mean... ?" "I do." I gave the ok for Hal to make the changes and the med unit went over Erica's body a small portion at a time. Betts excitedly said, "I can see a picture of what it is like in her body. I can see the changes that are happening. This is really neat." It took ten minutes and then Hal asked us to turn Erica over. Betts said again, "I am talking to Erica in a way. She is asleep and dreaming." I said, "I'll get Hal to wake her up. Talk to her quietly so she knows what is happening." Erica's eyes flashed open but she stayed still. Thought transfer was much quicker than speech. I said, "Well you two, do you like this way of talking?" "Are you talking to me too?" she said verbally. "Yes. Think of all the money you guys will save on phone calls," I said verbally too. "This is great." Betts said, "I love this. I can feel the way you think as well as the thoughts. I know for a fact that you both love me more than anybody else." Betts started to tear up. I held Betts but Erica had to stay still a bit longer. Erica said to the guys, "This is... there is no word for it. Even fabulous is not enough. I can listen to what Betts tells me and I feel the emotions behind it. I am not reading her mind, just the thoughts she wants to send to me. Wally's mind is so much more powerful than I ever thought. I know he loves us." Wendy said, "Can you shut it off?" Erica tried and Betts said, "I can't sense Erica now. I feel that she is still here but there is something like a 'do not disturb' sign hung out. Now she opened it and I feel the love even if she is not thinking at me." I said, "Erica is thinking only at me now." There was a lot more talk and during this, I had Hal cause the med unit to stop all of Erica's periods until she wanted them started again. This would not screw up most women but Erica was more difficult because of her previous hormone imbalance. When Erica stood up, the three of us kissed. It was so much better this way. I wanted to make love so strongly but I had other jobs to do. The girls knew this but they could continue. They left for Jerry's room for some privacy. "Erica's body was reset to the way it should be. She doesn't need the hormone therapy anymore. I went a step further. She can now get pregnant. The med unit can stop a girl's periods indefinitely. No more pads and no more times when you feel moody. Best of all you can have sex more often. Erica is my... mate. I did this for her but you can make your own choices. There is no downside to this. You also do not need to get it done now. It is just that Erica was not going to be protected. The girls are making love now. I had no idea how strong the need to make love is when two horny girls say they love you and you absolutely know that this is true." Sam held Elaine and Shirley. He said, "That is going to kill me." Chuck and Jerry patted him on the shoulder in sympathy but smiled. I said, "Who is next?" Sam quickly said, "Me." The procedure was quick but I went over all of their bodies to check for problems. Some I found were things that would happen in the future. The causes were around now but still very minor. I treated Wendy last. Everybody was having an orgy and Chuck was anxious to start with his woman. I wanted mine too. The house stank soon after. Jerry's parents would be home and we had to get dressed and air out the house. We started the laundry and cleaned the carpets and bare floors. We had to eat a lot too. Betts went back on the table and her body was checked. I said, "All of you have some minor corrections that if done now will give you all a longer and more fruitful lives. I will get Hal to give each of you the results. It is up to you to get this done. I advise all of you to do this now." Betts was first again. She chose to stop her periods and so did the other girls. We even finished up before anybody got home. We made the meal here for a change. Betts called her mom through her link to Hal to say where she was and that I was with her and safe. I was asked to talk. I did so as if we were on another phone in the house. The rest of the guys could listen in to both sides of the conversation. Mom was worried. The police had asked for me. "I'll go home when you are there. We can talk all they like." "The questions they asked me were a lot different than before. They asked a lot about Tony. Sandy thinks they found his body. Did... ?" "Mom," I said quickly. "We can talk at home." The police did monitor Mom's phone because a squad car came to Jerry's home. We were all prepared for this and even the parents were told I had to be asked questions. The two police officers wanted to take me to downtown. "I am not quite thirteen yet. I have the right to have Mom with me. We can have this confrontational or you can drive Betts, Erica and me home. You can then tell Mom how you have her phone bugged." The driver said, "Who told you that?" "Betts phones her mom and tells her where we are and you immediately come here. I don't have to know that a bird is above me if bird shit drops on me." We got our ride and I hugged the guys and even Jerry's parents. On the way home we continued to talk on the ultrawave. They questioned me downtown anyway but Mom was beside me. The guys though were all inside my head. I explained that I fled the house after thinking of all the danger I put the family too. I wandered around for a day and a half until I phoned Betts. I even gave the time so that Betts would know it when she was questioned. They got down to business when a detective asked, "Have you been hurt recently?" "How do you mean?" "Was your skin broken or did you bleed for some reason." "Nope. The last fight was with Tony Caputo and I bled there. The last time I was hurt was when I bent a piece of mild steel rod after I heated it with the torch. I was clumsy and it burnt my belly." "May I see?" "Sure." Mom said, "Is this really necessary." "I am afraid it is ma'am." I showed my belly to everybody including Mom and the detective said, "Is that all?" "I'm fairly bright. You want to know if I left blood someplace, am I right?" "How did you know that?" It was Mom that said, "You just asked him the question. Sometimes I wonder about the screening process for police officers." I simply undid my shoes and then took off my socks, shirt, pants and underwear. "Take a look gentlemen. Mom, don't peek." They did and she didn't. They saw no bleeding but looked at my shoulder. I figured it had to be for bruising. That 50 calibre sniper rifle gave me a bruise but Nadac had fixed that too. Mom said, "Are you gentleman happy now or is Wally going to have to go through this a few more times?" The detective said, "A doctor should make a through examination. You have the right to refuse this." "Get dressed Wally. I think you like to flaunt it sometimes." She said to the detective, "I see by Wally's actions that he has nothing to hide. Get a doctor soon and have the examination in front of witnesses. You are not going to be doing this more than once." He said, "Yes, ma'am." There were drones in the room and the guys and gals were hooting at my bare bod. They were in a happy mood. I made my own comments about what I wanted to do with what part of my anatomy but I tried to think more on the police and their questioning. The detective said, "May we run some tests on your clothes?" Before Mom got angry I said, "You pay me $200 for my clothes and they are yours. You can borrow my clothes but they have to be returned to me within ten days or you pay me the $200. They will then have to be cleaned too. I will not take your word, you will sign a contract. If you find evidence of some wrong doing then you keep them as evidence at no charge." "We can get your clothes with a court order." "You have to go after a twelve year-old and go through the system which cost money. I offered the clothes to you without a fight. I just want my property protected from a large bureaucracy." "I'll sign your contract." "Then you get the clothes when you take me home to change." "We would like to have the doctor examine you as soon as possible too." Mom asked, "What are you looking for?" "Evidence that Wally took part in the fight that involved Carmen Caputo." "But, the military had to do that? Wally is no soldier. He just started taking karate." "Wally's name was mentioned by some of those involved." Mom was really worried now. She knew I was involved with the other fights and she had been briefed by Betts and Erica. She had to be worried that I could be nailed. I said, "Mom, don't worry. That explains why they looked at my shoulder. I'm small and don't know how to shoot a gun well. They were looking for bruising. They want to check my skin to find small powder burns that I would have to have received if I had used a gun. The last time I was near a gun was when Sandy took out that guy at our house. I was quite a distance away and not in line with her shots. If there is a powder burn it would be very minute. Since I was not at that incident then they cannot find anything incriminating." "Are you sure Wally? You could have cut your hand when you fell and they would try to see if you lost blood." The detective said, "We would like your permission to gather a small sample of blood too." Mom was angry and worried, "You may not. You saw that he had no cuts." "Mom," I gave her a wink and a small smile seen only to her and the drone. "I don't mind. They get a lot of witnesses though to say that the blood sample was mine so they don't come back later like Dracula looking for another small taste." "Are you sure Wally?" "Yes, Mom. Everything is fine. Just make sure you bitch about the bug on your phone." "I will. I am no criminal and the police monitor a conversation between you and me." We had a side trip to the hospital. Three small samples of blood were taken and a lot of doctors had to sign the papers that they saw the samples taken. They put a sticky tape on me to pick up any powder residue and they looked at my skin for burns. As part of the deal, the doctors admitted to not finding any burns. The tape could be different but it took time to examine. I got a ride home in the cop car to make sure I didn't damage my clothes somehow. I got a clean garbage bag and went to the bathroom with the detective and another cop. I put the clothes into the bag and handed it to them. The cops wanted the shoes too. They were just made by Nadac so I was not concerned. I got a, "Thanks for your cooperation Wally." "You're welcome. You were not impolite to me so I tried to be helpful." We had another meal but the guard was still with us. I gave my fabricated story to the cop but the older members of the family knew differently. ------- Book 2 ------- Chapter 26 Betts slid down my body and licked then sucked on my cock until it got hard. Erica was on the other side of me and she was just a bit slower than our mate. Betts climbed back to me and gave me a kiss before throwing her leg over me and slowly working my erection into her. When she was seated well, she relaxed as Erica squatted over my face. Her long clit that mimicked a cock stuck out proudly. In the old days she would have been called a hermaphrodite or a transsexual. Now she was an intersex person. Betts moved slowly on me as did Erica. Soon enough Betts bent forward to engulf Erica's cock. The girls got off on this and so did I. Betts mental communications said, "Oh, so good. He is filling me up all the way." Erica said, "He sucks so good but I have to wait just a bit longer. Betty is going to put me over. I have to wait for them." They felt so good on me and I simply wanted to hold them to me forever. Betts was squeezing me with her pussy. It was almost like I was being fucked, the sensations were so much like mine. I felt my cock being sucked too but this had to be Erica. The explosion came and all of us came at the same time. Erica shook like a leaf and held onto Betts' back. Our lovemaking had changed in the last few weeks since the girls gained the mental communications through the ultrawave. It was as if a barrier had been broken in another way. I felt Betts and Erica as if I were in their bodies and they felt me. Erica accepted this better because she had used her cock to fuck and be fucked in turn. I moved the girls around so none of us would suffocate and we went back to sleep. We had a hectic spring. In fact we had problems since the end of last spring when I was invited to a party here at the house I now called home. Carmen Caputo and his son Tony worked with Frank Pallo to find new talent for their kiddy porn business. I had just turned twelve then and just started to be active sexually. The men would use hidden cameras to catch young people having fun sexually and then blackmail them into having sex before a camera. All three men had sex with the underage children. You see, I have the ability to see through walls and such. This ability was dormant in me along with other talents until I met Nadac. Nadac was trained to be a cyberneticist and also a psychiatrist. There were a few oddities about the guy. First of all he was of the Aristis race. This race and humans came from common ancestors. We were not the same but similar. The Aristis had manipulated their own DNA to gain intelligence, strength, more memory, better health... The idea is the same as what humans would like to do. Their race though had all their wants taken care of so being like humans, they had to fuck it up. The Aristis were broken up into castes. You got certain privileges and duties in each class. At the top were the aristocracy. They were very intelligent, strong and very quick. They were also paranoid. You could see how this came about if you knew that they fought each other all the time to get to be top dog. This happened in the other castes too but not quite as much. Females had rights but were definitely treated as inferiors. At the bottom of the totem pole were the servants. They had little real work to do because everything was mechanised. It was just that the upper castes needed somebody to be boss over. Anyway, Nadac's second oddity is that his personality was copied and put into a powerful computer. He was the entity behind the command module that King Rontem sent this way to explore for him. It is much faster and better to have a local boss that knows what is going on more intimately than a king far away. Nadac conducted a census for Rontem and found me. I got feelings about what was going to happen. It was something that I could not control. I also had the ability to see the forces that poured from some odd crystals that extended in three, four or five dimensions. I also had latent ability to move matter with my mind. Nadac found me and sicced his drones, probes and med units on me. He brought to the surface the last two abilities. In the process I found I could part the dimensions and see beyond solid matter. It was just three dimensional and going to five simply made this possible. Few of the Aristis techs could do this but some could. The Aristis civilisation and in fact all advanced civilisations relied on the multitude of compounds that exhibited these lines of force. The crystals went into all automated equipment. Med units used them to push a person's DNA to hurry and heal or to do other needed tasks like making specific hormones. King Rontem was a good Aristis king. He was mean, vindictive, antisocial, excessively competitive, homicidal, megalomaniacal, egotistical, sadistic and a lot of other endearing traits. In most ways he was almost a human. He had been ousted from his throne by a faction of his own people with the help of the race called the Wikki. During the escape, the king's yacht Fonduush was beaten to a pulp but still managed to get away. Most of the people onboard had died. The king saw the end coming and transferred a partial set of his personality and memories into the computer before the ship took a major hit. The king died but his partial ego lived on in the computer. The king's partial ego and the damaged computer made for an insanely powerful ship. The Aristis considered a personality in a computer to be nothing more than a computer. If he made it to an Aristis outpost he would just be a machine and the king would be considered dead. The Aristis could and had grown bodies from scratch and the process go the other way. This process was looked down on the same way polite humans looked down on grave robbers. The King wanted the computer he lived in repaired. Partial repairs were good but not enough. The king found the planet Cralto. The people living there were the Tomma. They were the rootstock of both the human and Aristis races. They had fallen back into barbarism when they were out of touch with the Aristis. The Tomma were awed with a ship the size of Fonduush when it came into the system. They did anything they could for their god Rontem. The Fonduush was rebuilt after enough years of training savages but the Tomma could not work on crystals the way I could. The Tomma had some good qualities. The entire race was telepathic. The males were large and... sane. They acted like boosters when the females wanted to communicate a longer distance. The males died if they left their planet for any length of time. The female Tomma were aggressive and made great soldiers. They could and did crew part of the Fonduush. They also just happened to have a cute appealing and large clit, something like a smaller verison of what Erica had. I was not hustled off to Cralto because I had to develop. This was best done in my normal environment. Rontem wanted more than me. He wanted me to breed. He hoped that what I had may be transferable to my children. I was to gather my mates around me and go on the trip eventually. Rontem was not hurting because he was basically immortal in his environment. There were a few perks to my job. Nadac had worked on my brain to make me much more intelligent. This was done biologically. To make me even better I got a crystal processor in my skull. More crystals stored data that Nadac had acquired when he was a biological person. An ultrawave communicator allowed me to directly interface my brain with a computer like Nadac. My dick was altered to what an Aristis male would have. It was like a dog's dick in a way because the head swelled up. More of my tool was stored in my body and some could be pushed out. I hid this feature but it got out when the gang of my friends got the communicator too. There was a lot of conflict before and after I met Nadac. I was small and fairly smart. This got me picked on by bullies. Usually I got beat up until I got smart and decided that not fighting back got me nowhere. I still got beat up but I gave back some of the abuse I got. This just attracted stronger bullies to me. A pair of them nearly crippled me and now I walk with a limp from a broken kneecap. Some women go crazy during or just after birth. My natural mother had six kids. That might be enough to drive any woman around the bend. Carla was the boss in our house and Jim, my dad, was henpecked. Sandra, Cathy and Mona were my sisters. Clark and Nick were my brothers. Only two of the former and one of the latter still lived at home. It got so bad that I had to leave. Betts' mother, Lillian, and her father, Bert, took me in. Betts has an older sister, June, and a younger one she calls Patty. I became their only son who just happened to love Betts with all my heart. Anyway back to the party. Betts was caught having some girl/girl fun and was blackmailed. I advised her to ignore the threat. My newfound ability to see through obstructions allowed me to see cameras and fibre optics in almost ever room of the house. I learned that the kiddy porn hurt an awful lot of children and I guess adults too. I wanted to put and end to one part of it. Chuck, Jerry and Sam were friends of mine. They were picked on too because they were small and meek. Together with Betts we raided the porno stage and then the distribution centre of the kiddy porn ring. We shipped out DVDs to everybody until they had to do something about it. Frank Pallo was the nominal head of this part of Caputo's empire. Caputo liked to have sex with kids, especially very young ones. He was as rich as hell but was not going to have the life of a rich man in jail. He set up a way of removing his liabilities. Many adults were killed and thrown in a pit. The children of the adults, the children in his movies and young wives would be sold to brothels in the east. Slavery still exists as does piracy. Nadac gave me some dart guns and information that he fed into my mind. The five of us went to the farm where the murder and rape of the children was taking place and we stopped it. In the process I killed and so did Betts and Sam. We got away but now Caputo was in very deep hot water. I built computers that were far beyond what earth science could make. I made crystals that were used together to make drones that could fly or hover indefinitely. They sent back pictures and some did sound. The children that were hurt by Caputo needed help. The city and the province provided some and I suggested that they go to school with me so I could watch over them too. The adults liked this idea for a lot of reasons and most had nothing to do with me. During this time we continued to fight the Caputo empire. Nadac took to our banking scheme the way a duck takes to water. We infiltrated Caputo's empire and made small attacks on it. The man was busy at the time trying to sell all his assets that were visible. We made a lot more visible. We robbed the crooks. That still made us crooks too but we had good intentions. We bought up much of what Caputo had to sell at rock bottom prices. One purchase got us the home we now lived in and a few more in the area. Another purchase got us farms, apartment buildings and small businesses or just their leases. A multinational computer company was bought for well under a billion dollars. That was not a misprint that was a 'b' there. A large umbrella organisation owned a lot of shipping companies. Mostly it was trucks but there was controlling interest in naval company and in many more that flew their cargo. We owned slightly less than half of this one. Bert and Lillian bought shares in our house. Wendy and her sister Erin were Frank Pallo's children. Leslie was the woman Frank Pallo kept as a wife/prostitute. There was cash in the house and because I could see inside the safe, I could open it. The money belonged to Caputo but I said it belonged to Frank. It was shared out to the two girls and the young woman. They put much of this money along with Bert, Lillian and me to buy the house from my company. We were all tied together now financially but love was now even more binding. Rontem is unstable but perhaps I pushed him further. He almost got me killed as I took on Caputo with a sword of all things. I barely made it out of the house alive. Caputo's people had mentioned my name and for a while there were lots of police looking into what I did. My friends would be pulled in just because they were my friends. Hardened crooks broke when questioned and so would at least one of us. To combat this, a similar but better transmitter than the one I had in my skull went into my friends. We could now talk to each other and give support. Nadac and our own computers Matt and Hal assisted. Presently they had not found anything to tie me too. The same was with the rest of the gang. My blood and DNA had been shed during the fight. Nadac provided me with a substitute to give to the police then I went to get my own blood back. With both Caputos dead, the detail that the police used to guard us left. It gave us more freedom but we were sorry to see them go. It had been a while since the elder Caputo died. With the police investigation and other matters I had not gone back to school. Today would be difficult for not only me. Our teacher Miss Lime as well as two students, Jeff and Steph had been kidnapped to get me to do what Caputo wanted. Rontem had insisted that I do the rescuing instead of calling the police. Our drones even had them under surveillance. Miss Lime would have been killed as well as the two children. I had visited all of them a few times since they were abducted. My darts had made them sleep but also took their last memories and destroyed them. I was welcomed back by all of the class. I tried to fit in the way it used to be and hoped. The class was grade eight and we had recess. The gang all stayed together now. We didn't have to because we spoke to each other all the time with the use of the ultrawave communicators in our minds. Betts said in her mind, "How is Miss Lime?" "She is still jumpy. She came here to fix damaged students and found herself damaged." Erica, who was in my class said, "She watches you all the time. Do you think she knows that you rescued her?" "No, the police asked her a lot of questions and she pieced it together that I may have been involved though there was not a shred of proof. I'm just a kid that the Caputos talked about." Betts was in the other grade eight class so she could watch those others that needed help. Not many girlfriends would do that. "She did look beautiful on that bed with her legs spread." Sam said, "She sure did but speaking from experience, there is no reason to go after her when you have ones you love close by." He put his arms around Elaine and Shirley who hugged him back. I said, "You're right. You have two beauties and so do I. On the other hand Chuck only has Wendy and poor Jerry has only Ashleigh. One or both of them should take the burden." Ashleigh said, "Girls are a burden now?" "Ashleigh, I love you. And so does poor Jerry. Making love to a woman is a pleasure and an honour. At some point, pleasing another lady will take on the aspects of work." "You're right Cap. I was just pulling your chain." "I knew that but I do not like misunderstandings." Greg hurried over to us with Lasha his lover. Both boys were intimidated by girls but these girls worked hard to adjust their thinking a bit. Greg said, "You guys are just staring at each other again. Some guys think it's spooky. They figure you are using telepathy." "He's right. We have to use voice more. Thanks Greg. Sometimes nothing needs to be said. Almost like a man and a wife that have been married a long time." "Lash and I are like that too sometimes. When are we getting together again Captain? The Beagle is almost done. We never got the transwarp drive from Star Fleet." We were building a shuttle with Aristis technology. It was homemade and ugly as sin. The adults looked at it and thought it an expensive joke. It was made of steel and we all put it together. Only some of us now knew that the ship was not a toy. Greg and Lasha knew nothing of the Academy other than a place on the net that gave them great ideas. "The bionic computer is not done yet," I said. "The new shuttle will be better yet but who knows when the parts will arrive." Greg said, "Aw Cap. If you made a pretend shuttle, why did you make it look like a school bus?" Chuck said, "Greg, don't you know anything? Gail is going to drive us around in it. When the time comes we can make it invisible and fly to Edmonton." Lasha hardly ever talked. He was usually too shy. "You can fly to my country." "Lash, it will take a few hours. We have to go into orbit. Georgia is almost on the other side of the earth." "Star Fleet says it will only take just less than fourteen centis." "That is still a hundred and two minutes. I want to fly down to Australia." "That takes even longer." "You're right but I was going to stop in Hawaii for a while then Japan." For the rest of the recess we talked mentally or verbally. The two boys saw this as just a game and all the trips would be in their head. At noon we ate with the munchkins. Betts' sister Patricia, Wendy's sister Erin and Gail's daughter Liza were a team now. There 'man' was Paul. He had been in many movies with men taking his ass. He had been afraid of men until he met Bert or as we called him now Pop. Bert and Lillian had applied to get Paul as their son. Since I was almost adopted too, it felt good to have a little brother. When school ended, Miss Lime dismissed us but said, "Wally, will you stay a minute?" The class left but my gang stayed with me. She looked at them and then at me. "I would rather say this alone if possible." "I'll see you guys at the bus in a minute." When they left she looked at her hands. There was still some trembling. "I don't know how to say this. The police talked to me an awful lot trying to find out if I remember any more. They never said much. They suspect that those men kidnapped the children and me to get you to do something. The police told me that some of those despicable men said you may have been involved in... that man's son dying. "You are one of the few people I know that has taken another's life. A lot of lives were taken that day. There is no evidence to place you at the scene but I want to thank you if you did rescue me. If you didn't, then I just made a fool of myself." I had been looking for microphones but saw none. I was not going to incriminate myself though. "Miss Lime, if I could have, I would have tried to rescue you. I am just a smart kid. I have no method of monitoring the people that mean a lot to me. The police tell me very little. I think you were hurt because of me too. For that, I am truly sorry. Carmen Caputo is dead though. The police that guarded our house are gone. I am saying this so that I can invite you over to meet my family, or those you do not know of yet." "I would love to come. I heard some... stories about your family." "They would love to meet you. Will you consider coming over this weekend." "I heard that your home is very beautiful." "It is but there has been a lot of death associated with it. Wendy's mother, three men that came to rob and kill us and then one more that Sandy had to kill." "Death seems to hang around you too." We went to karate just after school. Gail drove the motor home which we called the bus. Jeff and Steph had stopped coming with us but continued to see each other. They were timid people and being kidnapped did not help them. Greg and Lasha came and worked hard, as did Gail and the young ones. Our teacher was Sensei Kazuyoshi. My company paid for his time but he did not know it was me. I saw that he always looked at Gail. Apart from the time she had per period, she went without panties. This kept us all looking even though we had fun with her all the time. She was not prejudice though and took on the girls just as readily. Gail was the official foster parent of Erica, Greg and now Lasha. This was not quite according to the rules but we had worked to see them bent. Erica and Betts slept with me all the time. Greg and Lasha had separate bedrooms but one was so much easier to keep clean. Liza was with us all the time or all of them were with Gail. The munchkins hardly separated. This was even easier now that a contractor was coming over to put a gate in our wall so Gail did not have to drive around the block to get to see her other lovers. "Hal, what is your opinion of Miss Lime? I feel a bit odd about her. Does she want to come here, have fun and gather information?" The more powerful of the two computers said, "You fascinate her. She may consider her life drab. I do not think she is in the employ of the police or the mob. I do not think she will run to them if she finds out anything. She is still a threat. Her job is to heal the children that Caputo hurt. They were hurt by sex. Her training does not allow her to accept this. I have no evidence to support my claim. I am going by what most other psychologists would think." "Did you see any indication of her sexual preferences?" "I have had her monitored full time since her abduction. She has met nobody to gain satisfaction. She has gone to see Doctor Suffolk four times because of her anxiety." "What is her problem?" "She was easily taken captive in her opinion. She is now frightened that they will come back and take her again. Her notebook has the names of young men but she has not seen them since the attack." I said, "She needs some stability. A person strong enough to protect her is natural. I need to keep her from hurting our family." "I predict that she will look to you to protect her." This was not a shock because I felt that too. "What about her and Gail?" "There is not enough data yet." I helped Leslie make supper. She asked questions about school though she was just turning twenty four. She tried to act like a mother should. The doctors had confirmed my assertion that she was carrying Bert's child. This seemed to mellow her out. Motherhood I think was going to be nice to her. We ate the standard way. The inner circle was ten of us but Gail was close with no communicator. The three munchkins and Paul then Mom, Pop and June were our family but then we had Greg and Lasha. There were twenty people eating and I felt that there would be more but I didn't know who. Leslie's baby did not count yet. After dinner we hurried to clean up. Gail was going to drive the gang over to Jerry's place and tinker on 'The Beagle'. The girls and I were going to stay. I had to work on the 72 which outwardly looked like the same type of computer found on Rontem's ship Fonduush. My version of the computer had some serious upgrades. Hal was really a 56 if that portion of the computer awoke. The 72 was going to be a fifty two when the same thing happened. Both of these computers were far better than any computer yet made by the Aristis. They could do the same thing as me but their paranoia kept them from doing it. I had thought a lot about Nadac's plans and altered some of them to fit the computer my way. Nadac could read my mind because he was connected to it all the time. My inner thoughts had to be deep. Nadac had the same problem and formed a second personality that showed Rontem what he wanted to know. I was doing the same thing now but I had to hide from Nadac. My link to the rest of our group seemed to help when we were close to each other. The interference made understanding by Nadac just a bit more difficult. The 72 would get my personality but it would be hidden until it came out. When it did emerge, it would take command. Nadac wanted Hal who had my hidden personality too. He also wanted the 72. Rontem already claimed the machine for himself. I stuck my head inside the ceramic box and felt all the distorted fields. I truthfully claimed that I could work better in this environment. I made more crystals and they were usually a bit better than those made outside the computer. The material of the crystals was pushed into the other dimensions. Some Aristis could do this but I could do much better than their best. This meant a more densely packed computer that could work even faster. It also meant that the most powerful processor could masquerade as a less powerful subprocessor. I felt that even more could be done to disperse matter. There were more dimensions than the five. It was just that the five were all we could gain access too. The rest got progressively smaller and potentially less usable. The Aristis had found no way of seeing past the five. They had just worked on mathematical principles. I felt that since I could see five then I may be able to perceive more. Once I saw them then perhaps I could manipulate them. An alternate path to the same goal would include me investigating different types of crystalline material. I wanted to see if some suggested flux lines that should be there but weren't. Another thing to look for was oddly bent flux lines that were influenced by those in the higher dimensions. The Aristis had never managed to shift standard matter into the higher dimensions without using a lot of power. This was the way to beat the speed of light rule for ships. I could not shift ordinary matter but I was still going to see if I could. These experiments may not need to be hidden in the computer but I actually did better work in this environment. While I worked, the girls took lessons from the academy suited to them personally. Nobody so far knew that the high tech gadgets came originally from people not of earth. We went to a lot of trouble to make us seem like good humans trying to educate me because I could see the lines of flux in a crystal. In time the academy persona would be shed but not just yet. My foot was wiggled by somebody and I slipped out of my 'work envelope' and looked at Erica. "Hi Beautiful." "Doctor Suffolk's here. He'd like to talk to you." This was well after the standard office hours. When I stood, Erica put some of my errant hair into place and kissed me on the cheek. She was starting to take after Leslie now and this made me worried. Leslie now was having a child. Instinct was telling her to start the 'fun'. I was surprised to see that it was nine-thirty. The adults usually went to bed sooner these days. They tried to pretend that it was to get more sleep. Pop always looked tired in the morning. I figured they would already be in bed by now. The Doc was here with his wife Irene. Gail had been doing research on the correct forms of being polite but some were Aristis constructs. Some things I could do and some things I was hemmed in by old ways of acting. I shook Doc's hand and said, "Hello Doc. It's nice to see you." "It's nice to be here and see you and your family." I gave a smile and worked over to Irene and held her hands and kissed her cheek. Kissing hands was out and I still had to watch out for makeup. "Hello Mrs Suffolk. It's nice to see you. Won't you both have a seat. Would you like coffee or perhaps something more stimulating?" Irene said, "No thanks Wall... ace. The Doc had business and he figured I was good camouflage." "It does work. Beautiful women always turn my eye." "Are you turning your hand to start seducing older women?" "They appreciate the attempt and it is fun for both parties." "Well I guess we do." Doc said, "Wally, you are going to make your mark on the world one day. You will be read about by children of the future when the read their history." "That is nice of you to say." Mom said, "Doctor Suffolk and Irene came here to ask you something." I looked at the Doc and he said, "Actually it is a few something's. Some very prominent researchers would like to study you. You have an amazing brain. Your mathematical abilities are far beyond your age and your intelligence we can only guess at." He paused and actually waited. I said, "I will have to decline. Perhaps when I die they can cut up my carcass, but not before." "Why Wally?" "I resent people poking into my private life. I also have very little free time." "They will offer you a scholarship for any university you wish to go to, for as many years as you wish to attend. This could go up to a million dollars." The Doc was watching me very carefully as if this was the reaction he came here to see. "A million bucks is a lot of money. Not having to work for it or at least not hard, would help me get ahead. I'd have to think on that a lot more. Money is not something that drives me the way it drives adults." "Perhaps there is something else you would like?" "I am in a loving family. I have good friends that are real friends. There is a roof over my head. I eat regularly. My mind is stimulated by my own research. I have no need for anything else at the moment." "What is your research about?" "The basic structure of matter and energy in a multidimensional universe." "That is pretty all encompassing." "I pick away at it a bit at a time." "What have you found?" "Those facts and others will have to remain my property until, or if, I publish." "Will you tell me what direction you are working toward?" "Just what I said to your colleague, Doctor Stine. Matter and energy in a universe composed of twenty one dimensions." "I did talk to Doctor Stine. We did our own research and nobody yet can see that there are that many dimensions." "Not long ago people were convinced that there were only three." "That's true. Another of my something's is to offer you a chance to participate in an art course this summer. Some famous artists are going to have workshop. You can get to see what is being done and how they do it." "I thank you for this offer. Unravelling the secrets of the universe takes precedence. If I were not busy then I would jump at this offer." "We could assist you in gaining more time by giving you individual instruction. I know that you are bored in school." I had to smile now. "That is true but every student is bored in school, Doc. I have a good memory while the teacher has to hammer the other students many times with the facts, hoping that some will stick. I do learn something at school but I like the social interaction of being with my friends." "You would still have a better chance of reaching your full potential." I looked at him very seriously. "Have you considered what that really means? My full potential may mean that I have to leave my humanity behind." "... No, I had not thought of that. All of us have to grow." "I do not want to be a hothouse plant. I will try to benefit humanity with my feet in the soil. Artificial influences have already changed me. I am only prepared to go so far." Betts said, "What do you mean Wally?" "If I'm taught as quickly as possible then I will change much quicker than I normally would. I feel I will grow distorted. My feelings for the mass of humanity would change significantly. I want to keep a balance to my life. You and Erica do that for me. My friends and family help just as much." "So you would have to leave your home and family?" "Not at first but the answer is yes." "You should go if you are going to learn more." Erica said, "Yes, you should go." Their transmissions were locked down so I could not read them but they were very worried. "I need the stability my family gives me. That does not mean that I have to stay here all the time either. A child has to mature and go out on their own. I'm just going to try to take part or all of my family with me." The girls hugged me and I flicked off a tear out of Erica's eye. The Doc said, "Well if those enticements do not work yet I came hat-in-hand to ask for your help." "I am sorry Doc but the answer is no." "You have not heard the question." "I can deduce it." "Why not?" "They would be used just to try to gain more information. It's not fair to them. They are welcome to go to our school and I will watch over them but I will be on the watch for them being manipulated." "I told them you would see through this." "But you will still go through with plan 'B'?" "Yes." "That will give them some measure of protection but if they are pushed I would view that the same as what Caputo did to the children." "I will warn them." "It's best if you take over this task personally. You would not be so ham-fisted. They may realise this and not allow you to take this position." "I already tried." "That speaks something of your character." Irene looked back and forth until she finally said, "What is this about?" I didn't speak so Doc said, "Two girls were rescued the day Caputo died. The authorities have not given up hope of pinning some of the deaths on somebody. They wanted the two to play Mata Hari with Mrs Watson taking them in. Plan 'B' as Wally says, is just to have them go to his school." Irene said, "And the pushed part is to go after Wally to get information?" "Yes." "That is despicable. It is the same as what Caputo did." "I agree. I volunteered to take this job only to make sure the girls were protected as much as possible." Irene thought on this for a moment then asked me, "How did you know this?" "The newspapers had a lot of information. 'Hat-in-hand' indicates the Doc wants my aid. The last time that occurred, it was to ask Gail to take in Lasha. The boy now has friends and has moved close to my family. Other than talking to some distraught people, my help has been basically putting everybody within my group of friends. The law, in its many forms, would like answers to a great many questions. I am one of their few leads. They are going to pursue me until they find the real people behind all this." "Rod said the blood at the scene did not match yours and you had no fresh wound. They know you didn't do this." I said, "Logically the police would look elsewhere. Caputo's men still mentioned my name. If I did not participate in the attack then I may still be involved in some other way." "They wouldn't use those girls like that? If they came before me I would..." She said no more because she was angry. I figured that Irene would find her own way out of her delusion when she had time to think on it. In the meantime I said, "Hi Chuck, Wendy." I got a 'Hi' from both. Chuck said, "What's up." "The two girls I fought over are going to be used to find information about our gang. My guess is that they will show up at our school soon. Our classroom is bursting. Betts' class is less full. People are going to be displaced. You two are strong and we can still talk the way we are now. Would you to be interested in going to the other class?" Chuck said, "As long as I have my woman, I can get by. School isn't going to last that much longer." "Your woman! Well she agrees even if her boyfriend doesn't treat her as good as she deserves." "Wendy, I love you. Women are just hard to understand." I said, "Thanks guys. I have company here and need to talk to them." The Doc said, "Any suggestions, Wally?" "Take Wendy and Chuck and put them in Betts' class to make room. They won't mind as long as they are together. The girls will take karate with us and then they go home. I will give them some social support. Betts and Erica will make sure they are introduced and integrated into the classes. I want the girls dressed to fit the venue. Cliques have been formed a long time. The girls get at least $20 a week allowance and that is each one. Get the law to pay for cell phones that they can monitor." "They may not do all that, Wally." "I am playing in their game. You have to be their handler. They accommodate me or I don't play at all." "Handler? Oh, you mean for spies. Well, you might be right but it will be aboveboard." When everybody digested this, Irene said, "There is a charity art auction coming up. Would you like to donate something Wally?" "I'll see what I can come up with. Warn Mr Thomas that I could be very nasty to him if I chose." "Who's Mr Thomas?" "The person running the RCMP." "Why would you do that?" "Caputo's crimes were international. Our national police would be involved. The RCMP is not as bad or as obnoxious as some national police forces. Mr Thomas has not been as nasty as he could. He would make sure that his people are leading the investigation. I could draw a nude of his wife and put the drawing up for sale at the auction. I could even bid on it until he had to pay a lot more for it." The Doc said, "What does his wife look like?" "I have no idea. If he doesn't have a wife I could draw him nude with a Mountie uniform in the background." Irene had a big smile. "You do not play nice either." I tried to look surprised and whispered to the doc, "You didn't show her the nude you had me draw?" The Doc looked like he had been gaffed and it was the look that made Irene and the rest of us laugh. Around eleven, Sam called, "You done yet?" "Yes Sam." "Good, there were some people nosing around the shop." "That's ok. You going to go with the plan?" "Those two look the best. How are we going to get it outside?" "A tow truck can drag it out and then place it in the yard. It looks hideous but it should still work." "Tomorrow?" "Sounds good to me." The girls were asleep when I finally got to bed. I just snuggled into where I belonged. The next day was the usual. The schoolyard was the most peaceable it ever had been. Betts and I policed it. By now nobody in their right minds would argue. It was not just our reputations but from our talks about the benefits of taking karate. After the karate class we went to Jerry's house and called a tow truck. The vehicle pulled out the shuttle on its wooden platform. The wood gripped the concrete and we had to help by pushing and turning until the truck could use the eye at the top of the craft to lift it. The wooden cradle was dragged into position by us and then the shuttle was set on the platform once more. We had studied Star Trek enough that we saw enough shuttles to paint them the same way. The words Star Fleet was prominent along with the units' classification number then its serial number. We had all been in the ship before but now we dressed up Greg and Lasha. They went in now as the captain and the first officer. We sat in the back if we could fit and the captain flew us away mentally. The hatch was open though and all the rest stood on the grass and watched. Sound effects were added and additional ones were made by the two boys and I guess the rest of us too. I got out and some of the neighbourhood children were invited in to fly. They were young enough to see themselves flying. By the weekend we would be able to see if it really flew or not. Chuck said, "Sam told me that this machine was watched. It is a given that all our work will be assessed." "I think so too. I am willing to bet that in the next two days that some adults break into our 'toy' to find out what it is." Chuck said, "I'm not going to take that bet. Where are we going to make the next shuttle?" "I was thinking that we could use Gail's garage. It has three bays." Chuck said, "The doors were made higher but maybe not high enough. The specs I saw call for two and a half metres." "That's true but if the struts could be made to fold up, then we can push it through the doors when we have company or fly it through when it is just us." "I like that." We had already ordered specially constructed equipment. The location to build the shuttle had to be prepared before we assembled the parts. Originally I altered Gail's garage to fit the motor home. The garage was a separate building. To enlarge it more would get the neighbours up in arms so the idea was dropped. We had ordered equipment to fill the garage. We needed a high frequency TIG welder for the aluminium and a variety of machines to work the metal. Tradesmen had to come in now and wire the garage for the power we would use. Anybody looking in could see that we were using the ordinary human tools. This had already started when I gave the go-ahead to begin. We would be ready before any of the shipments arrived. Wednesday rolled around. During the day a truck came by with a fork lift on it. The Beagle was picked up and placed on the truck and then dropped off at Gail's house. The forklift was even able to push it into the garage for us. We were all excited but the younger members were not told why. Karate was fun but we were not concentrating on our studies. Gail dropped us off at her house and parked the bus. Those not in the know, went to our home while the rest stayed. We went on alert now. I searched for bugs as Wendy and Ashleigh used a bug detector. Our sweep picked up nothing. Power came from a broadcast unit that used house current. An accumulator would give us up to fifteen minutes of emergency power if the need arose. "Hal, check the machine please." I was not going to act like the Aristis with my computers. Nadac could not complain much because I treated him better than an Aristis would. "Yes Sir." The machine moved slightly on one set of grav-repellers which was the best translation I could find from Aristis. The machine went invisible. I stared at it and saw the shimmer of some poorly aligned crystals. During all of the tests, Hal stated to all of us what he was doing and even why. The results were not bad but needed a lot of tweaking. It took me an hour and a half to get the crystals aligned a little better. I too had to explain what I was doing and why. Techs came in many different grades and some had to do simple things like this. Robotic units could do the work too and they would get used but we would not learn as much without the hands on experience. From outside the vehicle, I finally commanded the small computer to activate the invisibility. It worked fine now. The shimmer was there if you looked close but it was easily missed. We had to stop now and go for supper. Doing otherwise would be even more out of character. Pop said, "What are you guys doing?" Betts said, "Getting The Beagle ready for its maiden flight." "Betty, you let these boys lead you astray. It may be better than dolls though. You guys put a lot of effort into it. Not many people your age could do what you have done. I never learned to weld or cut with a torch. I guess we're lucky even more that you will not be going all over the country in an old car or truck, like we did in my day." "I agree Dad. The roads are dangerous." There was a chuckle at that but I kept my face straight. Erin said, "We were going to go into orbit if Star Fleet would have given us the right equipment." Pop said, "They are like all bureaucracies. You need to show a need." "But we need this." "I know dear. I meant you have to prove it to the authorities that you need better equipment." "I did talk to them but they say we will get them with the next unit." "You need Captain Kirk to get after them." "But we only have Captain Wally." "Then he will have to fight for you." We hurried up and ate then cleaned what had to be cleaned before we went to the bathroom. We tried to be casual going to Gail's but three boys had to run. I guess I would too except my mates kept holding my arms. We all got in the seven seater but three of us had to sit on the floor. I activated the shields and then went invisible. Next I rose a centimetre from the cradle and let the onboard computer work on the power needed for each of the grav-repellers. Nothing was beyond our limits but I had some of the passengers' trade places to balance us better. We went up higher and manoeuvred the shuttle around the garage. When it looked good, Chuck opened the hatch and used the garage door opener to do its job. A second later the door closed again. I said, "Are you ready guys?" From the reply I knew it was a foolish question. We followed the streets. We could see out the split windshield, but nobody could see in. There were no gages or real hand controls. Everything this time had to be done through the computer. The guys stared out the windshield as if they had never seen this area before. There was no sound of voices or our passage but there was a lot of mental screams of joy. I climbed to miss trees and hydro wires then decided to find our rate of climb. We were not doing very well. We only made a bit over ninety kilometres an hour. I did not dare go too high. The airport would have lots of radar and we would get spotted. Our shield was not good enough to absorb radar. In a power dive we got up to a hundred and fifty before I had to ease off. Our power consumption surged when we came out of the dive. In level flight we got up to a hundred and thirty klicks an hour. We took turns then of only ten minutes each as we worked our way home. All the exclamations possible were used one after the other. Nobody was hesitant to try their hand... mind at driving. Shirley was the most timid and she was last. She was given the opportunity to land but we had difficulty. The shuttle was now aimed the wrong way and I had not put a bow thruster in. Once in the garage and the door closed, Sam got out and simply turned the weightless machine around. He gave his encouragement to Shirley and she put the shuttle back just where it was before. There was a lot of cheering then and even after we went out and inspected our baby. Chuck said, "I can't believe we did that. This was here at the start then we were back again. That flight was fantastic." Wendy said, "Why did you have to land on top of the Sky Dome?" "When I look up from the seats one day I will remember that." Sam bragged about how 'his woman' parked the shuttle perfectly. He didn't need to butter up Shirley because she was already walking on air. "Ok guys, what did you see that was not right?" They had to stop and think. Chuck said, "I'd like a better shield that will absorb radar." Shirley said, "A large propulsion unit on the bow. Sometimes we will have to make a panic stop. I can see more units on the sides too. When we dock to a ship we may have to move sideways." ------- Chapter 27 Sam said, "Then we need an airlock or vac-suits. I'd go with the vac-suits though. Wendy said, "We can use better seats and it's too small for all of us." Our shuttle was the size of a station wagon. It was cramped to get in and out of. There were a lot of sharp edges. All the guys wanted more power but we had problems there. When I came out of my dive, I used power from the accumulator to assist. We had sucked sixty three amps from the mains too. We used the power that an electrical car would consume and we were not tied to the roads. Climbing had to be done at a gentler pace and the accumulator had to be tied in better to give the surges of power we needed. This had to be done automatically too because not everybody would be prepared for it. Getting to an orbital position would take six hours at the rate we used. We would go beyond the limit of the broadcast power if we tried to do this. We were also overweight. This cut back on our acceleration. Broadcast power was good but it had its problems too with distance. Using our own power would mean a heavier ship and thus the need for even more power. Aristis vehicles of this sort were very common. They did not take from their home power source but from the planetary grid. You paid for how much you used and for the use of the automatic machinery that all industrialised worlds used to control traffic. When we all got back to my home, Mom said with a smile, "Did you enjoy your flight Wally?" "There were a lot of minor problems to overcome then we had to discuss what could be done better. Chuck landed on the Sky Dome roof. Wendy flew around the CN Tower but stayed under three hundred metres. Your daughter flew with precision and grace but she likes to go fast. In fact all the girls went fast except Shirley. She was very meticulous in her use of power and controlled her altitude very well. Sam raced a train and wanted to land on the roof as if he was in a movie. Jerry raced down the streets in a dive at a hundred and thirty but the crosswinds were not that bad." "And what about you?" "I had fun too. I could not climb very far because radar would pick us up. I had to use emergency power from the accumulator to pull out well enough. We never got beyond four gravities but even that was momentary." "No shield? You must have been seen." "We were invisible alright but radar will still defeat our camouflage." Mom hugged and kissed me. "It is nice to have a son that is still a boy sometimes. What you have gone through... well I am glad you are still a boy." "Thanks Mom. It's fun to pretend too. Do you want me to pretend not to know about the party too?" "You know everything. It was not a secret." "That's good because I invited Miss Lime." "How is she doing?" "She shakes a bit but she is coping well. She mentioned that she heard some gossip about our family. She says it is interesting and that she would love to come." "What does that mean?" "I am not sure yet. It may not look good for Pop. If she makes love to a person and not a specifics gender then you might find a new friend. She hasn't met anybody since the... attack. She is currently getting some professional assistance." "Tell me what she is like Wally. I talked to her in the hospital but you know her more." "She looks fairly happy but I get this feeling that she is really a lot like June." "Oh, really. Now that is interesting." "I may be wrong so just go slow." "I would never hurt her." "I know that Mom. She may be looking for somebody strong to protect her. I hope she doesn't try to pursue me." "We'll have to invite her to stay the night." "That may be too much." "Well, we'll see." That night I made more thrusters and decided on a larger accumulator. We would mount them tomorrow and encourage the substrate to connect to the units. We could still use the ship as the computer grew once more. The next morning I took an invitation to Miss Lime that was signed by all of us. She was happy to get it. During the day she smiled at me a lot more and I began to worry. I concentrated on my investments but only picked up seventeen million. It was a slow day. We had accumulated twenty three billion dollars. Some of it was tied up in a computer processing company and a bit more in a conglomerate of small shipping companies. Nadac was making money hand over fist when he sold software. I made hardware that went into all the trucks, planes and ships that we even owned a partial interest in. Cosner Data Processing took this information and helped plot the best route to follow. Our spy in the sky found traffic congestion and told our computer. Our machine told the ones in Cosner, who in turn informed the driver, pilot or captain. Hijackings were common in some cities. The drivers were not told that they were monitored but three got fired for starting business on their own. The police were always involved. Gangs went after trucks with or without the driver's complicity. The police were always there to make arrests. During recess, Erica asked, "What are you thinking about most of the time? You aren't talking to anybody." "When we worked on Caputo to hurt him, we came on ways to do this financially too. We could have just destroyed but instead we bought some of the things he wanted before he skipped the country." "I know you have a company that owns some of the houses around where we live." "It is more than that. I have companies that own companies that own property. I was talking with the academy about what to do about it." "How much do you have?" "It changes all the time because some of it is invested in stock. Let's just say that I am well off." "So you don't have to go to work when you get older?" "That would be a dull life. I want to be a technician that makes machines and then fixes them. I want to be a soldier so I can defend those I love." Erica liked this part. "I want to be a leader that helps our people to a better life." Betts was on the other side of me and said, "What about us?" "All of you will be the same thing as me. Some will be better techs or better leaders. We can only tell when you are fully trained." "I have to ask you about Miss Lime. Erica keeps me posted to the way she looks at you." "I have two other women that look at me with an even hungrier look. You both make me happy so why do I need more complications?" We worked after karate in Gail's garage. The lighting was much better and the tools were new. They took a bit of getting used to. When the welding was done, we had to repaint the burnt sections inside and outside the hull. I mounted all of the crystals even though it would take two week for the last crystal to be reached and made functional. The accumulator was not done yet. We had everybody over helping but the charged accumulator has to stay protected. The small one we used held a lot of power. The power it had was not electricity but it worked much the same way when it shorted through flesh. The fifteen minute max would soon go up to an hour of level flight and perhaps twice that if we flew slow. Here it was air resistance against the power needed to stay afloat. After the meal I sent the guys on patrol over Toronto. They could do just as good a job in front of their monitors if not better. There were seven seats though and seven of them. Erica and Betts looked longingly as The Beagle left. "Come on girls, a little work for us then we can go to bed early." That seemed to help. My birthday was today and everybody seemed to be coming to congratulate me. This had never happened before but people were talking a lot more to me since I met Nadac. They were going to be invited to my home tomorrow. This would turn out to be a sizable portion of the school. It was not just all of the grade eights but all of the children that Caputo hurt. This also included all the wallflowers that the girls and guys had found that needed some self confidence. A caterer was contracted to provide the food and would clean up later. It was still too cool to swim but there was lots of grass. The opening in the wall to Gail's property was open and her yard could be used too. Miss Lime usually walked around the class to see what we were doing. She would put her small hand on the shoulder of those she talked to though some saw this as improper. She usually looked at my drawing or art. Her hand usually went up my neck just a bit to make me shiver. Erica was not upset with this but wondered what it was all about. At the end of the day Miss Lime said, "Your mother and I have spoken on the phone twice about the party. She seems to be a very nice lady." "Did you talk to Mom I or Mom II?" "I believe it was Lillian." "Both moms are very kind and loving people. The family is very important to them." Since we were now alone in the class, she said, "It is unusual to have two mothers and still have a father." "I have three. My birth mother changed at my birth. It was best that I moved out. Lillian and Bert took me in. Our family has grown with Wendy, Erin and Leslie." "And Paul." "Definitely with Paul. Mrs Watson and her daughter Liza are our back door neighbours and they are in our family too. When you bring in my friends, then the house feels better." "Your family is so interesting. The party is expected to last well into the night. Your mother invited me to stay over if I felt like it. She says there are so many empty rooms that this is no problem. How do you feel about that?" "I think you will enjoy yourself. You will be safe." "Why do you say that?" "Safe?" "Yes." "My family will look out for you... very aggressively. I see that your hands still shake. You are not over your trauma yet. You will be able to relax and enjoy yourself. Judgments are not made and you can be yourself." "That sounds like an idyllic place." "Family is supposed to be that way." School was a little more fun that day and so was karate. Sensei Kazuyoshi had been invited. I said, "There will be a lot of adults at the party too." "I think I will be able to come." "That is kind of you. Do not be afraid though. Hardly anybody tries to murder us these days." "That is good to hear. The police wanted to know about your training, especially with the sword. I said you had not been trained yet." In a whisper he said, "I did not tell them of the extra training you received someplace other than this dojo." "That was kind of you too. It tends to confuse the matter somewhat." When we got home, the younger ones jumped into the shuttle. One day they would find out and perhaps talk accidentally. Perhaps it was time to introduce them to Hal and Matt along with a communicator. When we could, we got the kids to start their academy training. Betts and Erica went on early patrol but Chuck and Wendy stayed behind. There was lots of work to do for the party and they knew I was working on a new computer. Just before supper, I made an important breakthrough. A small piece of road sand was partially displaced. It was only an infinitesimal portion of a small fragment of rock but it proved that this could be done. I did not know how it happened but it had to be investigated a lot more now. When I brought my head out of the box, my feelings of elation were submerged as much as I could. The gang came back to eat though they would have skipped the meal to continue flying. During the meal, Gail casually mentioned the power surges that caused the lights to dim. Mom II didn't notice any at our house. The guys kept their faces down so nobody could look at them. During the meal I said, "Nadac, I would like to have the use of the class seven med unit once more." "How many more will you add?" "Gail, the munchkins and their guy. I am not sure of Greg or Lasha. If I inform them of our shuttle then they will get more training. The two could be adopted or forced to leave our family. The authorities may do this to put pressure on me." "The rest of your family should be included." "Why?" "At some time in the future, it is inevitable. If you place the communicator now I can set their minds up without them suspecting any change. When the time is right, they can integrated with no problems." "I suppose so." "I will send the unit down. I have made another unit for you that requires the crystals. Complete this unit and send it back for testing." "We need another beam power transmitter. The surges are detectable. Last summer we had a blackout that was serious. We may have more. I do not like relying on accumulator power exclusively." "It is very safe." "Your people make good vehicles but ours are not as well made. I want safety if I can get it. We also learn more about beam power use and its distribution. One day we may need energy weapons. The accumulators made their usefulness limited." "I will send the unit and the crystals. The largest crystal can be configured to beam in one particular area and thus extend the range of your craft." A series of graphs came to me. The Beagle could reach orbit and now circle the earth under power as long as a computer tracked us to send the power our way. I had this information already in my head but it was not all sorted. We still had to pretend that I had not been given what Nadac told me was his complete memories. He was an Aristis though and I was not sure he had done so. What he had given me had also been stored in the 72 in case Nadac took the information away from me later. Betts said, "What were you talking about?" She must have detected my preoccupation. "I want the med unit back. We need a better power transmitter." "We have enough if we watch our acceleration." "Sometimes you may not have a choice. What about the second ship? It is a lot larger. We may use both at once. The stronger shield to absorb radar require more power. We need a longer range too." "It sounds like you are talking big now." "Yes I am." "How much power do you think." "A megawatt..." "Wow!" I heard from nine minds. "... to start. There will be millions of shuttles some day. A gigawatt in ten years then go up." "Up to where?" "Up to where the power can be used for most fuel burning applications. We humans are killing our only planet and I have to find ways of allowing poor earth to live longer or until we can move to other systems." There was a pause then, "But we burn coal to make electricity?" I got the feeling that they knew that this was not a good idea. "There are other clean and safe methods." Sam said, "Antimatter?" "That's the best." Pop said, "What are you guys worried about. You are quiet all of a sudden." Betts said, "Not worried, just thinking." "It must be important." "Kinda." Wendy said, "How are you going to make it?" "I am not sure yet. What I am worried about is the fact that antimatter reactors will be detectable from orbit." Ashleigh said, "Just build it in an old uranium mine." "That's a great idea. I'm glad I got friends like you guys." Elaine said, "How are you going to buy the land? Even that will cost money. Then there is all the equipment. It could run into the millions." "I have enough money for that." "You do!" "We will talk later, ok?" "Sure." We cleaned up and Pop said, "It's Friday night. Caputo has left us. Have you guys thought of going out for a change? There are some good movies on. The paper mentioned a good science fiction movie." "It sounds interesting but I have some work to do." "Your Star Fleet computer?" "It is coming along nice, Pop." "Aren't you carrying this play acting just a bit far?" "Actually I do some very good thinking there. You might also think that since I am thirteen that I cannot dream. I am thinking of how to improve the lives of all of us. Antimatter is something that just cropped up. It is very costly to make and I have to produce some and make it profitable." "I heard that a gram of antimatter would cost trillions of dollars." "That's right Pop. I need lots of it to generate cheap and clean power. With that power, I can change the way we travel. I want to stop using fossil fuels. Better communications will mean we do not need to travel as much. Food can come to us. Public transportation has to be pushed so that it is used like our buses and subway but only more so." Mom said, "Pop was only saying that you seem to play a lot when you are so bright. You are still young and even adults play. It is very commendable to look for ways of improving human interaction. I personally think that if it is ever done then you will probably have a hand in it." The shipment from Nadac came later that night and Betts brought me the contents of the shipping sphere. They had been introduced to it from academy graphics that showed a sphere arriving when one of Nadac's personalities was talking to one of his particular students. It was not ho-hum but it was not frightening. I came out of the box and put the equipment aside except for the med unit. I loaded all of my communicators in it and said, "Betts, try to get Patricia in here alone." "Is she ready Cap." This was a command decision and not relating to us personally. "Yes, Private." Patricia came into the room and hugged me. "What's up Captain. Betts said this was official." "It is. Star Fleet requires both a medical be performed and a communicator be given you." "We play doctor sometimes. Do you want me to take off my clothes?" "Not this time Sweety." She didn't look happy with this. "Lie on the bed with your belly down. This takes only a little while." "Ok," she said as she bounced on the bed. This time I used the med unit to put her to sleep. It would be less stressful this way. Betts held her sister as I parted the hair. The med unit went to work and did what was required of it. The unit then went all over Patricia's body checking and correcting minor problems. Hal asked me all the time whether something should be done or not. I could trust him up to a point. He was still young and had to learn what I would allow and what I would not. The same information was sent to Betts so she would understand. Liza and Erin went quickly. What had really happened to them was not mentioned. They would grow into the idea slowly I hoped and there would not be much stress. Hal and Nadac would have to monitor them for years to make sure they did not slip up. When Paul came in, I said, "Hello Brother." "Hi Wally. You don't call me Brother much." "No but we are brothers. Star Fleet sent over this nifty gadget. I..." "Is that a class seven med unit?" "Sure is. Regulations say you have to be tested and given a communicator." "Ok," he jumped on the bed the way the girls did. This said the girls had told him what had happened. When I got close and parted Paul's hair I felt the urge to cuddle and protect him. I had to smile at the way nature had made his mind do that to everybody around him. Betts held his head and he went to sleep. Paul's body though had many more problems relating to his being fucked so many times in the kiddy porn films. Nature had short changed him to compensate too. Paul woke up a half hour later and said, "I must have went to sleep. I am sorry Sir." "Nothing to be sorry for. The unit put you to sleep. We did a complete scan. There were a lot of small problems but all of us need some tinkering. You pass the medical." "Do I get the communicator now?" I told him more than I had told the munchkins so that he could tell them personally. "It is already implanted. Over the next few weeks, your mind will adjust to the communicator. You can send your thoughts to us and we can do the same thing. Data can be fed to your mind now. You do not need a computer. A screen will appear in your mind for visual data. The communicator that Kirk used or the small communicator they used on the 'Next Generation' has been superseded with the new unit. You have the ability to turn it off and to only talk to those of us you choose." "I don't feel anything." "You are not supposed to. I have a word of warning for you." "What is it, Sir?" "When your unit begins to communicate, the girls may be inclined to be so excited that they will tell others a fraction of the truth. This cannot be allowed to happen. Even when Star Fleet is recognised, there are some things that have to be kept secret." "Like the cloaking device that Star Fleet developed but were not allowed to use." "The movies are not accurate. We have the cloaking device now." "Will I still get the corvette?" I remembered the drawing of him. "I think so but you will have other ships first. Piloting the shuttle should be on the computer now if Star Fleet is working right." "I'll look Sir." Paul went to leave but stopped, turned around, and hugged me the way Lasha had been told. I hugged him back and felt good about it. Betts was hugged too and she enjoyed it as much as I did. She said when Paul left. "Paul is so special." "Yes he is." "What about Lasha and Greg?" "You better put on your uniform and I will too. When it is official then they will not be as nervous." "Can we do them both now?" "Let's try it your way then." When Lasha and Greg came into the room, they immediately went to attention and saluted. I saluted them back the way the Aristis did by striking the right fist over the heart. "This is a compulsory medical examination. Both of you on the bed, face down." The two hurried to comply and thought they looked at each other smiling at the game, they went to sleep. They woke up slowly after both went through the medical. They had bowel problems too but they were not bad. Lasha had a disc problem in his spine and the body started to make some minor repairs. To do more would require him to be immobilised for twelve hours. This could be done after they were made aware of what the med unit was good for. When they stood before me I said, "Repairs were started but you, Cadet Guriis, need to spend the night in Star Fleet sick bay." "What is wrong Sir." "A minor disc problem in your back. You will be ordered to sick bay in twenty eight units." "That will not interfere with my schooling Sir." "Your birthday comes near that time soldier. You may find your priorities have changed by that time." They didn't understand but they marched out again. Betts said, "You want me to get June?" "Ah... June is playing games with the adults." "What is she doing?" "Lillian is wearing a plastic device and working it into June's vagina." "That sounds like fun. What about the rest?" "Gail is doing the same thing to Leslie. Pop is pooped." "How come you can see in there?" Betts did not know abut my seeing through walls so I said, "Rank, hath its privileges." That night I accessed the thoughts of all six people with the communicator. They had no defence and I was abusing a privilege but I was also trying to do a lot to help humanity. I did not delve into their thoughts the way Nadac could do to me but there was still a lot to see. What surprised me was that Paul loved the girls but they were too much for him. He wanted to play with guys like others of his age did. The munchkins were jealous of each other when it came to Paul's affections. It was not at a destructive level yet but I was going to have to make some changes. Greg and Lasha both thought I would make the best mate for them but hid it from the other. Lasha liked girls more than I thought but then again so did Greg. Liking guys was not black or white but somewhere in between. Saturday morning brought my birthday present. Erica had made it to that important part of me first and stayed there until I gave her what she wanted. It was easy to see that she wanted a baby too but we were too young for that. Erica climbed aboard then and was on her second orgasm by the time Betts woke up. It was not too long later that I started to think like Paul. Wendy and June made breakfast and came in to serve it. Betts was sitting on my mouth feeding me all she could. When her orgasms passed she took the food and put it into my mouth interspersed with kisses. People started to come over early and set up a large tent. It looked like it may rain and it was best to be prepared. The girls had been given the money to make all the arrangements but they wanted to use their own. Wendy thought she was still rich because of the money left over from purchasing her share of the house. The insurance company was balking at paying on her mother's policy still. Our lawyers said they would have to pay. June worked for a living and had a seven hundred dollars saved up. Betts made $500 a week clear like the rest now and the additional $1000 a week for learning to fight and to be a soldier in general. I won out when I pulled rank. The party would cost thousands. The guys and gals had slept over but after breakfast they took to the air. This time Ashleigh and Jerry stayed behind. To compensate I opened up Matt's home and showed them the working computer as they talked to Matt. It was a little eerie but Matt seemed comfortable. I showed the pair the new med unit in parts and the power transmitter. They were learning more about my abilities at moving molecules of matter so the flux lines would change. Learning the truth slowly seemed to be the answer. At some point they would need to be told the rest in one lump but that had not occurred yet. Jerry said, "So our unit gets one of these for ourselves?" "Yes but that means that all of you have to learn one more piece of equipment." "When does it end?" "We all need to be techs and soldiers. Think of all the equipment we need. The list never ends and more stuff is invented all the time. When it comes to operating strange equipment you are able to fudge it. The various functions of a device have to be learned which is easy then you learn all you can about each function. New equipment is not 100% new just different ways of doing something or it has different modules. It's like learning to be a car mechanic. There is a lot to learn but you have only a few ways to do what needs to be done. Learn the basics then you can fix nearly everything." "That sounds logical. The academy is predicting changes to our planet that make even the movie version of Star Fleet look horky." "Those are predictions. It is like those science magazines that promise a plane or a car will take over in just a year or two. If you read really old issues you can see just how much bullshit they threw at us." "My dad has some and I know." Ashleigh said, "Tell me about this power transmitter." "It is an extra level of security. I want to ease up on the power consumption here. Our power bills won't be much but with the new shuttle it is going far up. The cops are looking for grow operations and I want to avoid that. "Sometimes all of Toronto has a blackout. To get power we either buy a generator or use the portion of the power grid that is beyond the city. I own an office building south of here that will get a unit. Higher power bills mean I pay more." "What about beyond the grid?" "Both do that too. The office building can get two generators running on natural gas. A small one could take care of small problems and a large unit kicks in if the need arrises." Jerry asked, "That sounds good but is there enough power to run the building and the shuttles at the same time?" "It's going to have to be." The adults came out of the bedroom slowly. They had showers and sometimes a bit more loving before coming to breakfast. Pop looked done in but he also looked happy. Gail slept over most of the time and was not shy about kissing Pop. June was the only one that could not do this when strangers were around. We all sat together talking. I said, "Pop, I want something special for my birthday." "It is kinda late but I can try." "This is for next weekend." "Ok." "I want you to take Paul away on Friday night. Find a place to camp and then fish Saturday. Camp that night and come back Sunday night." "That is not about you." "That is my request." "But I have other commitments." The gang came back now and sat at the table with us and ate what they brought with them. They were usually greeted like family anyway and Gail's partially open housecoat did not do as much as it once did. I continued our old conversation. "Your women will have to stay away. They can go shopping with the motor home." Mom said, "Why are you asking this?" "Paul needs a break. He is a boy and needs to do boy things. Doing them with his father is the best." Mom said, "The idea is good. What does Paul think?" "Pop should spring it on him as his idea." Pop said, "You could come too?" "Maybe another time." Mom said, "What about the other boys?" "I didn't think of them. At first I thought of Chuck, Jerry and Sam then I figured you meant Greg and Lasha." Pop said, "You could all go in the motor home?" "That may be fun too." The guys at the table seemed to like the idea according to the conversation on ultrawave. The girls did not but they were not that opposed either. Erica said, "You should go. It's only a weekend. I guess the girls can rough it that long without a man." Betts said, "Speak for yourself." She smiled to show that she was joking and all of the women laughed. The munchkins got up and dragged Paul with them. Mom II got busy with Mom I and cooked up a good breakfast. Mom bent over Paul and kissed the top of his head. "Did they tire you out?" "We are trained for this in Star Fleet." The expected laughter came and Paul smiled. The munchkins on each side of him squeezed him to show they loved him. Pop said, "Paul, we were talking about going on a fishing trip next weekend. It will be just us guys. It looks like Wally and I will be going and we just need permission to bring my other sons too." Paul's face really lit up. "I'd love to go. I never went fishing before." "Then that is one more." Jerry said, "I almost live over here but it might be kind of nice if I could get my own dad to come too." Pop looked at me and I said, "The motor home handles seventeen and the total is at six now." Paul said, "Where are we going?" Pop said, "Let's get out the map and see." We had to eat first and then clear the table. The munchkins were taking Paul's expected absence roughly and I got the girls to talk to them. We needed breathing room once in a while too. We poured over the map like it was a major campaign. Paul was right beside Pop. I brought out my laptop to access the net to find about areas and then we had to get Paul's too. Pop brought out a pad of paper and listed the criteria we needed. Travel time, the fish species we could try to get and the availability of renting equipment started the list and the boys were encouraged to add to it. The girls hovered near for a while until Mom got them moving. It was only when the doorbell rang that Gail ran off to get dressed. I knew who it was and so did everybody at the table except Paul and Pop. The birthday boy though had to meet the guests though. Miss Lime came in dressed in a nice dress that was only a bit heavier than the ones I had drawn the girls in. I detected a trap but it was not the nasty kind. Mom introduced Miss Lime to everybody as if this were high society. This meant that the girls were introduced too even though most of them were in Miss Lime's class. I was last and Miss Lime said, "Oh, The person that makes this party possible. Hello Wally." She had her arms wide and I got close and hugged her. It was nice to be there. When I pulled back I said, "I'm glad you could make it." "I'm glad to come. Your Mom asked me to come over early so we could talk and help with the preparations." Mom smiled sweetly but I also caught the way she eyed Miss Lime. Mom said, "We have just been rejected as a gender recently." Miss Lime said, "What happened?" "The men folk want to desert us and go fishing. I think we will have to band together and do something ourselves." "What were you going to do?" "The movies, a play, go on a trip of our own. The guys are taking the motor home too. It just better not stink of fish when they get back." "Who will cook for them? They would not be able to function without women." "They are actually good. Wally makes sure they learn how to cook and clean. You would think it is boot camp here sometimes." "He is that way at school too. I never have trouble in the class and fights are usually between former friends." Miss Lime ignored my presence and said, "He is the little general." Erica said, "Naw, he's the Cap. We haven't worked up any higher." Mom winked at me and put her arm around Miss Lime and said, "Let me show you around. I hope some beds are made." We all chuckled as everybody scattered even Mom II and Gail. Mom went into the kitchen and introduced Miss Lime to the guys the same way as before. Pop stood straight and smiled. Our guest was very good looking. Mom smiled at Pop's reaction. Pop saw the smile and then his own features fell. He was the polite host though. Miss Lime looked at me and Paul the most but Paul was used to this. We went back to planning but it took a while to get back in the mood for Pop. Pop said, "I like the idea of this trip, too bad we could not have taken all of Spring Break instead." The planning got into equipment. Spring Steelhead was what we were after. Most of us were too small to fish the rivers in waders so we would have to use boats. This brought us into the topic of tackle. Pop called the boys' fathers and invited them over. They came before but not often. It was as if the size of our house intimidated them. The pack of predators prowled the house. Both Moms and Gail used their hands when talking to Miss Lime as if she were an old friend. I had to chuckle at this because Miss Lime did the same thing to us. She was not using her own hands though but I was watching for it because it would say that she was feeling secure. The pack split up to do different jobs while the adults talked to the caterers then checked on other matters. The kids started to arrive and I went to meet them. Some of the parents came in too. Our own and the caterer's barbecues were fired up and the people fed. I went to the fishing party and said, "Hey, guys there are a lot of people here now. You have to mix." Greg and Lasha were with us now and going over the map too. They looked the happiest I ever saw them. Sam said, "It was just getting good. We were looking at pricing. This could be expensive. Maybe we can pay our own way with our own money." I said, "Go for it. It will make your dads' feel better. You can suggest that it is a present for them." Pop said, "I guess that means you are paying too?" "Yep, but you guys split the gas and the food." We split up then and attended the guests. There were not many men here yet but Pop went over to talk. We had to head outside because of the numbers. The tent and the smell drew us. There were a lot of games and we played them and generally hammed it up. This was nothing new because birthday parties were common to us now. The day was warm for this time of year but there was still a cool breeze. This reminded me of weather patterns and worked through Hal to find out what areas were not going to be rained or even snowed out for next week. Snow was not that common but it did happen. The Doc and Irene came with an escort of police and two girls. The police were the ones that had guarded us and their children. Brenda, Megan and Christy came first and talked to me as the rest came on me from behind. Brenda was watching me like a hawk all the time. The Doc called out, "Hello Wally." I turned around and smiled at him but ignored the two girls. All the adults were watching my expression but they did not see what they thought might happen. The Doc said, "I want to introduce two young ladies." He put his and on the closer one's shoulder and said, "This is Rebecca. Rebecca this is Wally the young man the party is all about. I held her hand in both of mine and said in Italian, "I am very glad to meet you. You don't have to be worried about the adults. They're up to their tricks but I have already set up my defences." "You speak Italian! They didn't tell me." Her hand went to her mouth at the slip. "Don't worry. The Swammi knows all and sees all. I figured you would be coming today but at school on Monday for sure." "What's a Swammi?" I explained about the Indian mystic and she said, "Oh. How did you know?" The Doc interrupted, "I didn't know you spoke Italian Wally." "Just a little," I said in English. "As apprentice headshrinker third class I am learning gibberish for when I can shrink my own heads." "We call it bafflegab not gibberish. Some of the other trades use gobbledygook but our group outgrew that years ago. That is a trade secret by the way so don't spread it around. This next young lady is Silvia. Silvia this is Wally." In English I said, "Hi Silvia. I am glad to meet you and the same thing goes for you that I mentioned to your sister." Doc said, "How did you know they were sisters Wally?" "Mr Watson, the Sun mentioned sisters in one article and a blind man could see that they are related fairly closely." I turned to Sandy and said, "They were ignoring you and so was I. I'm sorry. How are you doing?" I talked to the rest of the group and shook hands. Willy I hugged then I did the same thing to Tom and John. There were other children I had not met before and their parents introduced me. When they dispersed, I said to the doc, "That was a good plan with Brenda and her daughters." "You knew we were behind you?" "How could I know Doc?" "I don't know, and it is one more mystery to add to my list." "Some of that is just extraneous data that conflicts with the facts. You are not thinking clearly." Later I saw Irene talking to Miss Lime and a sudden vision came to me. It could be precog or just inspiration but I stored the image away for later. I walked up to Irene and waited for her to notice me. "Hi Wally. This party is nice even if it is noisy." "Considering it is outside, that means we may have a patrol car come by and ask us to keep it down." "Maybe tonight but not now." "I would like to ask a personal question in private." I looked at Miss Lime when I said it. She said, "I want to get another glass of soda anyway." When she left I said, "You dress very well. My question is, are you and the Doc wealthy?" "I guess we are. Both of us are professionals. Why do you ask?" "I thought of a painting this time, not a drawing for the auction. There are no nudes or even rude innuendo. I just want to see what I can do in oil. I never tried before." "Have you tried watercolours?" "Only pencil, pencil crayons and before that, crayons and finger paints." "So this would be your first painting." "Yep." "The auction is just a month away." "I could get it done in a day or two." "That I would like to see." "You will when it's done." We played games and ate then played more games. The crew showed the kids The Beagle. They were not shy about talking about its capabilities. The younger ones were the more ardent believers and played in the craft. Rebecca and Silvia were introduced to the girls and I was glad to see that there was little animosity. Betts took them under her wing like she had so many others. Later I opened presents. I got money from some but usually it was clothes, art supplies or Star Trek related material. Models of shuttles were prominent. A large pictorial book of what star ships were supposed to look like made me chuckle but Paul, Greg and Lasha drooled over it. Pop had talked with the fathers but nobody had told me if they were going or not. It was short notice. When I drifted by the Doc he happened to be with Miss Lime and Irene. He said, "I heard you want to make a painting that we might be interested in buying at the auction." "Actually it was the three of you here now." "Really." Miss Lime said, "It isn't the nudes you threatened to draw, is it?" "That may be fun but no." I turned to the Doc and asked, "Do you own a sailboat?" "Yes I do." "Then that is were I got the vision. You are at the wheel and your two lovely crew members at hard at work." "Now that is interesting. I have a large wall that could use a painting." "How big of a painting could you use, excluding the frame?" "I'll have to check." Betts had come near and said, "Why don't you draw a picture of Rebecca and Silvia?" The two girls were looking at me expectantly. Silvia said, "Are you an artist too?" "No." Betts and Erica said, "Yes," just after. Irene backed up the girls by saying, "Wally will make a famous artist one day." Silvia smiled and batted her eyes at me. Betts saw but didn't react. Betts said, "You better get to work now Cap. How do you want them to pose?" I looked at them from different angles and Betts had to get them to remain stationary. I went looking for a larger pad of paper and used a soft pencil. Silvia was walking down a street and was accosted by an older man. The drawing was of an angry girl striking the man with her fingertips and knee at the same time. The man had a stunned look on his face because he could guess at the pain that was coming. I put a lot of fine detail in even to the type of shoes and clothing worn. This took fifteen minutes total and I handed it to the girl that had not got over the image even though she saw it being drawn. Rebecca was now older by five years and sat in an easy chair in her home. On her lap was a three year old boy with her features. She was reading from a story book that she held in one hand. Silvia had not spoken yet. Doc said, "Why did you draw the girls that way?" "A feeling. Silvia knows now how much she could have been hurt recently and wants to make sure it doesn't happen again. Rebecca I drew younger than she should be with a child that age. I just feel that her features will change more as she grows older. At that age she can still recognise herself easily." "So you feel Rebecca will be a mother and Silvia a fighter?" "That's about it." "That is very perceptive of you." "Apprentice headshrinker third class is nothing to sneer at." "Apparently not." Mom came by then and hugged the two women but Miss Lime she held much longer. "I was told you are going to do a painting. If I knew that we would have got you paints." "Thanks Mom but you cannot help with everything. I know that I have to start with a prepared canvas but not much else." Doc said, "I paint Wally. I have a canvas of about the same size that I need for our wall. I can bring it by if you want." "Thanks doc. I will have to pay what you paid for it though. You will have no prior claim on the canvas and have to pay full price at the auction." "Am I going to have to see about a bank loan?" "Maybe not but I am going to try something new. It may be accepted and it may not." "Something new and you have never painted before?" "Of course." I ended up doing quick sketches of those still here which seemed to please them. Some adults folded the paper up and put the drawings in their pockets. These were compensated by those that put clean sheets of paper on both sides of the drawing and borrowed a large book to carry the drawing home. Rebecca and Silvia gave me a hug and a kiss before they went home. The Doc was smiling at me when this happened but said nothing. Irene gave me a kiss too but nothing that would make her husband jealous. The caterers came and took everything away and cleaned up the yard. By this time it was getting dark. One of the last guests to go was Sam's father. I got the impression that we were going fishing soon. Pop hurried into the house because there was one guest staying over tonight. Miss Lime was now taking a shower and fingering her pussy at the same time. She seemed to be really worked up. Mom was having a shower too but wanted to save all her orgasms for later. Pop walked into the shower with her. In a second he pushed Lillian over and slid into her. He stayed long enough to give her what she needed without going himself. They then hurried out of the shower. Mom got dressed in a seductive housecoat and negligee before tapping on Miss Lime's door. The two talked for a few minutes then Mom left. When she got back to their bedroom, Pop was sent on his way. Pop tapped on the door the same way as Mom did and was admitted. He talked less but walked up to Miss Lime as if he was married to her. He kissed her gently but firmly. His seduction was in record time. He had her on the bed and was eating her pussy in minutes. Ten minutes later Mom was in the room with them. She took over Pop's position as he tried to find how well Miss Lime gave head. She did well enough and they switched around. In another ten minutes Leslie came in. Miss Lime must know by now why she was given a king sized bed. Gail and June were in another bed that night. There was no sense shocking their guest too much the first night. The guys were staying over again. The munchkins were not eating up Paul and didn't even do this all the time. They were children too. There was one computer on in their room and I sent orders out. The form looked as military as I could make it. I laid it on thick about Star Fleet. Erin was to put on her dress uniform and report to my office. When this was seen all of them checked their own computers and found similar orders. Greg and Lasha were watching one of the episodes of Star Trek for about the forth time when I walked into their room. "Report in full uniform to my quarters immediately." I was already in uniform so they saluted and hurried to comply. All six reported about the same time. I said simply, "Follow me." Betts and Wendy smiled at the patrol leaving but did stand and saluted. We entered the garage by the personnel door and I stood beside the shuttle. "Grab a seat. I'm the pilot tonight." They got in and I closed and secured the door behind me. The small battery operated light was enough to see by. When we were seated I said, "Secure all loose cargo and buckle up." They did this quickly or at least the last part. Greg turned off the light without being told. The electric door opener was the only button on the dash that worked. I checked through our own system then cloaked before pushing the one button. "This will be a training flight. Do not ask questions until you are informed that you may. Is that understood?" I got six voices saying, "Yes, Sir." The shuttle climbed only ten centimetres and then went forward at a slow pace. The scenery changed a little and I heard some squeals but nothing loud. The button closed the door behind up and I moved forward to the end of the driveway. A car was coming and I waited patiently for it to go by. I hit the street going slow and then accelerated at only one gravity. This was more than they had ever felt before. There were a lot of trees and one clear area required a short two gee vertical climb. This lasted only ten seconds. At five hundred metres I levelled out and headed south toward the majority of the city. Paul was in the seat beside me and he stared out the windscreen with an open mouth. "Cadet Jessop do you have a question for me?" "Ah... are we really flying?" I turned abruptly to starboard then port before saying, "We are Cadet Jessop." Before he could say more I asked, "Cadet Guriis, do you have a question?" "No Sir." It turned out that nobody had any questions. I went as far south as the lake and then turned west to follow the shore. I eventually said, "Star Fleet came through with a minimum of parts and we built this simple shuttle. You have all seen the specs and know that The Beagle is little more than a toy. Our shields are weak. Radar can detect us and the beam power is limited. Our next project will be much better." "Cadet Pallo, "What would you do if we suddenly lost beam power?" There was a long pause then Erin said, "The computer is supposed to take over automatically. We were told that we have to mentally interface with the onboard computer and take over." "Do you know how to take over yet?" "No sir." "All six of you will start to understand now because I am going to activate your communicator units one at a time. Cadet Jessop will be first." Faintly I said to Paul, "Can you hear me, Cadet Jessop?" "Ah, yes Sir." "Mention to the other cadets that you are receiving a conversation through your communicator." "The Captain is talking to me with my communicator." "Think of Private Lockhart and tell him of our approximate location. Do not say anything with your mouth." "Yes Sir." "Ah... Private Lockhart. Are you there?" "I am, Cadet Jessop. What do you wish to know?" "I have to tell you that we are near the lake." "What lake, Cadet Jessop?" "Ah... Ontario." "What are you doing near Lake Ontario?" "Flying, Sir." "I am not an officer Cadet Jessop. Call me Private Lockhart." "Yes, Sir." I activated Erin then got her to talk to her sister. Then Greg to Chuck and Lasha to Jerry. Patricia was next and talked to Betts. Liza was last and had Erica. We went home but I doubted that any of the six cadets know where we were. Their mentors were in the garage to greet us and wearing their uniforms. Patricia walked between Betts and me. Betts said to everybody, "When is Star Fleet going to send up the parts we requisitioned?" This was just a fake question because we only got rough crystals. "Next week the supplies should come in. They are not finished. Like the last ship, we have to fabricate it ourselves. We learn very little if remotes do it for us. The cadets are young but they have to take up more of the slack. One day the Fonduush will be here and we need to welcome the ship properly." "The cadets will measure up Sir. It just takes a little time and effort. They just want to fuck all the time now." "There is nothing wrong with that as long as their studies are done too." "I'll see personally that they keep up, Sir." "Thank you Cadet Huggins." My alarm clock woke me up at two AM. I looked through the house and saw that everybody was sleeping. After sliding down the bed, I picked up the med unit and went to Gail's room. She and June were holding each other tightly. The med unit made sure they stayed asleep. Mom I, Mom II, Pop and Miss Lime were next. I worked alone to put in the communicators. After only a little hesitation, I put one in our guest too. I sat in the chair and checked out the data on each of the adults. Mom had some minor medical problems that got fixed. Mom II had fewer problems too. I checked the fetus very well. Pop had a lot wrong with him. The med unit worked on him for forty minutes then ten minutes more to make sure he survived the women. ------- Chapter 28 Miss Lime was in better shape but I unexpectedly found an embryo. I compared the size to a chart and figured it was one of the men that raped her. I got the med unit to dislodge the cells from her uterus. She did not need this knowledge. Gail was in as bad a shape as Mom. June was young but I found the onset of juvenile diabetes which took a while to repair. Hal would interface with each of them but not let them know that they were tapped. I slept in late Sunday morning and even found the bed empty when I got up. "Betts, Erica?" "We are giving flying lessons." "Just checking. It's not often I wake up alone." Some kids came home and others disappeared. All of them were now wearing the Aristis uniform. They were all saluting. The next morning, Mom looked at me with her head cocked to one side. I said, "They are taking shuttle piloting lessons which relate to mathematics, coordination, construction methods and safety. Sort of a like a total emersion." "I saw Patricia's report card last semester and I know what you are saying is true but you always use that mumbo jumbo with the shuttle?" "All humans like the mumbo jumbo. All their religion, politics and customs are all wrapped up in rituals usually meant to confuse. They play the game and learn more. They are not hurt and they learn structure." "I guess you're right but I don't like the saluting. It reminds me of the military and what happened." "Mom the salute is not what any military has used for two thousand years. The military is not glamorised but it really does offer structure that many people need in their lives. Forcing a round peg in a square hole is no good but life is a good deal more complicated than two geometric shapes. We can fit in many other ways well enough to overlook where we do not mesh well." The saluting continued but I tried not to meet anybody near Mom. Miss Lime was one happy lady one minute then down in the dumps the next. She had morning-after regrets. Pop had to show her the error of her ways. I was not going to mention that he was having unprotected sex with a woman who was not on the pill yet. I tried to get an idea of why she would be that way. Mom went in later and used the strap-on. Miss Lime was too fucked to think right. I caught glimpses in her mind of her having a baby. This seemed to be her goal. Finding a mate to help support both mother and child didn't seem to bother her. Leslie went in later to give Pop a break and found herself being pounded by him. The Doc came a half hour later and I let him in. "That uniform looks nice Wally. Star Fleet?" "Ours is, though we figured the movies are wrong. This is the dress uniform. We are getting a casual and mess uniform made up now they are more conservative but still distinctive." "I'd like to see them. I brought over three canvases, a spare easel and some of my painting supplies. I was hoping to see you paint something so I can get an idea of what you are trying to do." "I can paint, I guess, but I need to put a few extra coats of primer on the canvas and then put vertical micro groves in it. It may be easier to do after the picture is painted." "What will this accomplish?" "I am not sure if I can do it or not so I would rather wait and see myself." "That's ok with me. Do you want me to show you what I know?" "I would be honoured." "Then let's find a place with some natural light." We set up in the living room with newspapers on the floor. The Doc drew a picture of me then put it on the easel. Just then there was a scream of joy from the bedroom. The Doc looked at me quickly. "Don't worry Doc. None of them have died from that yet." "Was that who I think it was?" "As headshrinker three, I cannot say." "But she's..." "Doc, have you learned to trust me by now?" "... I guess I have." "Then there is no danger to anybody and the population of the earth will not increase minutely." "Can you read minds?" "No, but I am working on that too. Maybe I will share that info when I get it. You could shrink heads on an assembly line." "It would help but I am still concerned." "Then you do not trust me." "It's difficult Wally." "Just look at the facts Doc. Add them all up and see if I have been on the level with you. If it appears that I am right the majority of the time then place a little trust in me." "But how did you know?" "I have headshrinker three and also a lot of personal observations. Let it go now." "I'll try." "Thanks, then perhaps you can get on with the lesson. The great Swami predicts that the next eruption will occur in one minute followed by at least one more." Doc looked at his watch then began to uncap paint and put in on his pallet. I was ten seconds early and in thirty more another voice was heard. Three minutes later there was another followed by a deeper bellow of release. Betts and Erica were sitting in the chairs watching us and smiled at each noise coming from the bedroom. The Doc showed me what to do then I painted something similar on the other mid sized canvas. I was a lot quicker than he was and the paint seemed to go just where I wanted it to go. The brush strokes were altered to see their effect and even rotated through the strokes. "That's good Wally, you learn very quickly." "Thanks Doc. I could go faster with a thicker paint and one that dried much faster. I have to wait for the paint underneath to dry before I can put detail on. One colour tends to bleed into another." "There are tricks and that is what I was offering you before." "I am doing one painting and perhaps use these two canvases if you will sell them to me." "They are my gift to you." "Thanks Doc but the large canvas has to be purchased." "Ok, it cost a hundred dollars. Do you have that much?" I hurried to my room and brought back a hundred dollar bill. When I handed it to him, I said, "Thanks for bringing them over." We cleaned up quickly and started to make lunch. "Doc will you stay for just a bit. We have leftover chicken, leftover salad and leftover potato salad and a lot of other leftovers." "Thanks, I don't mind leftovers." "Are the girls coming tomorrow?" "Yes." "I talked to Chuck and Wendy. They will go to the other class to make room." "You think of everything." "I try and still fail." Pop came out first and he seemed to be full of energy today. He shook hands with the Doc heartily and said, "Hello Doctor Suffolk. I wondered how come I smelt paint." "Hello Mr Huggins. I promised to bring a canvas for Wally." All three women were talking and didn't see the Doc until they were in front of him. Miss Lime turned pale and fled. Mom was after her in a flash. What was surprising was that Mom grabbed Miss Lime and threw her over the arm of a chair. She pulled the woman's dress up and her panties down. Three quick smacks were heard and the struggles ceased. Mom gave some very strict orders and both women came back into the kitchen. Mom said, "Hello Doctor Suffolk. How are you today?" "Just find Mrs Huggins." Mom looked at Miss Lime and the woman said, "Hello Doctor Suffolk. It is nice to see you today?" "It is nice to see you too. You looked a little pale. How do you feel?" "I was a little worried before, but not now." "That's good to hear. We all need friends." "I have found some good ones, the kind I need." "Really! That's good too. Wally was going to feed us some leftovers. They were good yesterday so they should be good today." "Some things improve with time Doctor." We ate casually. Pilots and trainees came and went regularly and I doubt if there was ever an empty seat in the shuttle. They came in and fuelled up and went to study. Nadac was giving the finer points of shuttle handling both inside and outside the atmosphere though we kept our own altitude below radar. Our shuttle had none of the bells and whistles so his course had to be much more basic. The Doc commented, "How come all the saluting all of a sudden?" "Part of the structure we are building. There are a lot of books dealing with naval regulations and we are using the better points of all of them." "Naval? I always thought your rank of captain was for ground forces." "It always was naval but actually Star Fleet." "A one ship fleet?" "The idea of building a ship is to learn. There are not many people that could have made The Beagle. With that behind us, we are building a larger one. This one may have a screen to show images. A standard shuttle is like two school buses joined side to side. We are going with a smaller version for now." "You have the money to do all this?" "The Beagle cost two hundred and ninety dollars to build. Not bad when compared to NASA. We could have cut the cost to a quarter with used metal. I also have investments that bring in revenue. The end product I am getting is a person that is confident and can use their hands." "I thought your product was your shuttle?" "You are mistaken. People are moulded as you must know. I want well balanced psyches and strong bodies. Military structure helps if it is adjusted to the age of the trainee." "Professionally speaking you are doing a great job. They are inspired and happy. Too bad that Star Fleet is so far in the future." "It's as close as we want it to be." "What do you think of the Augusto girls?" "Tell the law that I think they're pretty and I like them. For your own information, they were hurt by their loss of a father and their mother's inattention. Reading between the lines of the newspaper, it looks like they were headed for rape and possible murder. The girls could have been linked to a house used for three kidnappings. They still need help and we can give some support. As I said before, the community has to help as well." "What if the community helped you financially?" "I would rather donate my time, Doc." "You can't build shuttles that way." "Yes I can. I am building people and they will make them, even out of papier-mâché if necessary." When the Doc left, the adults settled down, well all except Miss Lime. Mom got everybody into the master bedroom and asked me to come too. Mom stood beside the bed and said, "Connie, come here please." Miss Lime came close. She was extremely nervous now as she stood before Mom. Mom held her like a lover and kissed her passionately. I could see Miss Lime's body relax in her lover's embrace. When they separated, Mom moved their bodies so they were both facing me. Mom said, "We all love Connie, Wally. She still has her problems and misconceptions. Her rape just triggered what was in her mind all along. We had a long talk, when we were not having fun. Connie wants you very much. In her mind she is positive that it was you that killed all those evil people. She feels that her instincts are pulling her to find a mate that is strong, and able to fight for her and her children." I said, "Did you know that Connie does not take contraceptives?" "No!" Miss Lime turned red and looked down at the floor. I said, "Is she starting to transfer her focus to Bert?" "Partially. It will take time but I do not know how far we can go. She has really fixated on you. It is as if she was searching for you since she was born." "Connie," I said as I moved closer. She didn't raise her head and I put my finger under her chin to get her to look up at me. "What is it that you really want from me? Do not lie and tell me everything." "... I... am attracted to violent people. Many times I am hurt because they beat women. I am looking for a man that will hold me but not hurt me unless I'm bad. I want to have children but my common sense was able to make me take my pills. I... I worked hard to get the job I now have. It was to be near those that were hurt but then I found out that you killed to protect your family. I wanted you to hold me even if it is only once in a while." "Why did you go off of your contraceptives now?" "... I thought... that if I carried your child you would want me more. I tried very hard to resist you. Erica and the other girls protect you the way I want you to protect me. I could not get close. Sometimes I broke down and had to go after you but then I felt bad for doing that until the next time." This was weird but all people are weird one way or another. "Would you be bad on purpose to be punished?" "... if you want?" "Would you do this for your own reasons?" "I think so, but I wouldn't if you did not want me to." "Tell me how you feel about making love to another woman?" "I want men a lot more. When the woman is strong... like your mother, I do what I am told and I like it a lot more. I would stop doing that if you want or do more if that is what you want." "Next year I am changing schools. What were your plans?" "I would do anything you want." "What were your own plans?" "I do not have a licence to teach high school. I got the job I did because I am a good psychologist. I'm trying to get into the system as a counsellor. The graduating classes could all be put together and I could watch them. I would still be close to you though not as close as now." "We'll talk later. I have to do a lot of thinking." "I'm rich Wally." I had to smile. "Thanks for telling me but money is not important, not even close." "Will you consider me?" "That is what I have to think about and I have to involve Betts and Erica." "I can make you happy without them." "Perhaps you could but I happen to love them. I want you now to have fun. Gail and June will help you do this. If there is nothing pressing at your home, I want you to stay here tonight. All of you better get some sleep too. There is work tomorrow." "I will do whatever you want, Wally." Pop followed me out of the room and we closed the door behind us. "What are we going to do with her? Mom likes her, I think because she is like June in a way." "I don't know Pop. My tastes run toward people that are self assured now. I am wearing my soldier personae and will have to keep this for the rest of my life. I love Betts and Erica. I am either going to die or be somebody important. If I manage to avoid early death then my time will be limited. I want children but I am not going to bring them to life without me being there to guide them." Pop said, "My life has changed too. All of a sudden I am a father again. I want the best for June and that is to let her have a family of her own. Gail I hope is just being friendly. I cannot keep up to her sometimes. Mom has changed dramatically. She is now much more outgoing. It is as if she is staking her claim as number one wife. I love Leslie even though she is young for us. I don't know what I am going to do when I get older." "Pop, I have this feeling that you will keep up just fine." "Your feelings are pretty good, Wally, but I still don't know what to do with Connie." "I'll talk to the girls but a vague feeling is that Connie will fit in with Doc and Irene. The time is not right for that yet though. I don't know why though." "They're good people." "I think so too. Now you better get in there. Gail and Mom are probably acting like samurai at the moment." "Oh, you know about that?" "Pop, I am the great Swami, remember?" "Yes, I remember." Betts and Erica were waiting in the living room with Chuck and Wendy. Chuck said, "I didn't think Miss Lime was quite like that. She must have worked hard to keep herself together." "She is still working now but not as hard. You heard me say that the Doc and Irene will get her later but a lot of things have to happen for this to work and I am not sure of all of them. Betts, Erica do you mind sharing me with Connie? It will be temporary but it also may last for a few years." Betts said, "Can you take care of three of us? Miss Lime, or probably Connie in this situation, is hungry." "You two are the same way whether you realise it or not." "Can you keep up?" "I can. Connie is going to have to move in with us." "Why, we have our academy training to continue?" "I know that. I also know that she has to live here. She will not let our secret out. I also implanted a communicator in her. I am not sure yet how much she will be allowed to learn" Wendy said, "Only the adults don't know. We have the new shuttle coming. The sheer size of it will mean they will catch on at some point. I have been doing a lot of thinking recently. Some facts keep cropping up that I cannot work out a solution for." "Tell me them." "I am a lot smarter now than I was before or I would not be able to come up with the other ideas. The people that gave you the crystals would not let you use them the way we have unless they were extremely sure that they could control any situation. That means that they have had a long time to become familiar with this crystal technology. That amount of time would cause some of the technology to percolate to the rest of humanity. I found no evidence of this. You are far more intelligent than we are or what you were before. This means you somehow got smarter the way we did. Your fighting is good for your age but you can do some amazing things that we cannot do. I cannot open a safe they way you do and you know where your enemies are even if they are hiding. The drones feed you information but you do it far better than we can." I said, "Betts, do you have anything to add?" "I sure do. You make love to me and I feel too full. You last a lot longer than you did before. Everything Wendy said, I thought too. I thought that you were just getting advanced training but even that is starting to become unbelievable." "Erica, anything that you see as odd?" "You became stronger after both visits north. Your reflexes got better too. When I see you shooting, it is as if you know where the dart or bullet is going to go, something like an invisible laser light that only you can see." "Chuck?" "Star Fleet is just too good even for the academy. The two computers are and example of this. You going to explain?" "I have been waiting for this time. I think it best to wait for the others to come back so I can talk to all of you." Chuck said, "What about the trainees?" "They will know eventually and now is a good time. Let's go meet them in the garage." It felt comforting that Betts and Erica held me. If they had a lot of worries then they would either run or keep their distance. Elaine, Shirley and Sam were in the house being a happy triplet. The shuttle came in and the trainees or cadets got out along with Jerry and Ashleigh. They had all heard our conversation and said nothing now mentally or verbally. They did line up with the rest as if on parade. "I am going to give you the story without going into all the details. First off, I was born with some gifts. I sometimes know what is going to happen. The gift is erratic though. All of us have certain abilities that we may never see unless they are developed. We are all telepathic to some extent but it will never be developed if we use the communicators the way we are now. "All of us have the latent ability to move small amounts of matter with our minds. I have the rare ability to perceive the lines of flux that are emitted by certain molecular structures. I can see in more than the three common dimensions to do this. These last two abilities work together to allow me to move small portions of these molecules to form multi dimensional forms. The crystals so formed go into all sorts of devices. "My ability to see in more dimensions allows me to focus through objects to see them behind a barrier. At one time it was like a slice was made with a knife and I had to keep slicing until I saw all the pieces then put them together to see a person or a tumour. "Those abilities are in many of us but as I said, they are dormant. Now for some history. You have heard of the Tomma. They exist." This didn't seem to shock them at all. "The Tomma came to earth a long time ago and formed a colony. This colony was a way of doing an experiment on themselves. Something happened. The colony failed but the altered Tomma did not all die out. We are those altered Tomma." I got some grins but they said nothing. "Another Tomma colony altered themselves far more and failed, but a different way. This colony survived and grew far more than we did. They also collapsed a few more times. The last time allowed them to develop the crystal technology far beyond what the Tomma were able to do. These people are called the Aristis. Going back a bit, the original Tomma civilisation fell too and until recently was far more barbaric than what the human civilisation is at this point. "Over three centuries ago the Aristis were involved in a war with the Wikki. In my opinion the war started because the warlike Aristis wanted to test their skills and show that they were brave. The Aristis were and I guess still are composed of a lot of kingdoms with no head king. "On the world of Casslis, King Rontem was overthrown by an Aristis faction with the help of the Wikki. He did manage to escape in the Fonduush which you have seen the images of. The ship needed guidance and the king placed most of his personality and memories into a class 72 computer. His body and a good portion of all those onboard died in the fight. "A hundred and thirty seven standard years later one of the two intelligent probes found the world of Cralto which happens to be one of the worlds the Tomma inhabit. "For nearly two centuries, King Rontem that now lived in the computer as a natural entity, organised the planet. The fighting by the barbaric Tomma came to a halt. They were organised to begin mining and manufacturing. The Fonduush had been partially repaired by some scavengers but not much. The Tomma were taught much the same as you are now learning. They are missing one important feature in their minds that allows them to work with crystals the way I do. "You have learned from the story mentioned on the computer's that the Tomma are telepathic but not latently. They actually communicate that way. The males cannot leave the planet for long or they die. The women though can crew the Fonduush. "Now for new knowledge. One of the two probes sent out, found earth. The probe at first just assessed us. The main computer houses another man by the name of Nadac. He has been the one in charge of the academy. When it turned out that the Tomma could not manufacture crystals or repair the still damaged computer on Fonduush, King Rontem ordered that a search for people like me be undertaken. "When they found me, they put small crystals in my body to assess my abilities and as a marker which all of you now have too. My brain was changed to make me more intelligent. I failed most of the criteria to be an Aristis. A small crystal computer was implanted and I never knew it. This computer interfaced with my more intelligent mind and now I am even smarter than before. I learned that I had to fight to survive and I did just that. "I did some odd things and I think it was because I was becoming more Aristis like. I fully intend to be a tech so that I can repair the Fonduush and revitalise the cultures of the Aristis, the Tomma and ourselves. To do this we need administrators. I want to join the aristocratic caste. To make sure all of this happens I need to be in the warrior caste. "Now to the younger members of our group along with Greg and Lasha. There has been a lot of fighting recently. This was me. My big mouth forced King Rontem to command me to not only fight but to rescue those that needed it. Before that there was the farm that originally had Caputo held Greg. Chuck, Jerry, Sam, Betts and I were the ones that made the raid." Greg burst out, "But commandos did that." "It was us along with some extra help from Nadac. In fact, there are drones in this room controlled by both Nadac and King Rontem. They want us safe and to do that they watch over us, the same way we use the drones I make." The trainees didn't know about this so I said, "There are a lot of drones around. The ceramic boxes in my bedroom are living beings though the Aristis may tell me different. We can use our minds to control small spies that fly in the air and see or sometimes hear what is near. "My main job is to learn how to repair the computer on the Fonduush and to make other crystals as they are needed. The tech caste is high but I want more. The Aristis happen to love conflict. This keeps them strong. The leaders and the soldiers have to know how to fight. We are that part. Star Fleet was something in the movies or on televison but now it is real. One day we may even be the same way the organisation is portrayed in the movies. "Now for some personal data. The Aristis males altered their DNA to become what they now are. One of the things they changed was their pricks. They wanted to please the ladies more. "Nadac changed mine to do this. I can last longer too. "To take Caputo down, we made him sell off all his property. Nadac is one very smart guy. He is devious too and that is a nice thing to say to an Aristis male. We bought up all we wanted from Caputo at real cheap prices. When he escaped he was going to go to a different country and live off his money. The money was all put into electronic funds and Nadac managed to grab that money too. This means that the companies I own are quite wealthy." Everybody looked stunned. They had known that something was odd but I guess not this weird. "Now for a stupid question. What clarifications do you want?" The questions came so quickly I got them to go in order but only ask one question at a time. It was good that I did not have to talk because there were a lot of explanations. An hour later I called a halt to this and ordered that the trainees be shown how to use the drones. This gave me a rest. Not long after we had supper. During the meal, the adults noticed that we were exceptionally quiet. That was the furthest from the truth because we were communicating mentally. One major question was answered but not voiced just yet. Connie could move in with us and both Betts and Erica would support her. After the meal, the adults along with Betts and Erica had a meeting. Miss Lime, or I guess I had to call her Connie now, was on pins and needles. To get it over with I said, "I have made my decision Connie. You thought me the best choice because of my ability to kill and perhaps my intelligence. Love has not developed but I know that it will. I will take you but only in the understanding that I will look for another mate for you. I estimate that you will be with us a few years. If I find nobody that is suitable then you will stay with me." She ran to me now and hugged me to her. I guess she had the right because I just gave her permission. She said, "Thank you Wally, I know you will not regret it. I will make you happy." "Connie you will be one of my mates. You will have a room in this house but you will sleep with us. Women that are not dominant do not inspire you but my other mates will show you who is boss. I think that you will enjoy your new life here." "What about my home?" "It's a condo, isn't it?" "Yes." "Sell it. Keep the money. I will be supporting you." "But I am rich." "Are you questioning me already?" "No, Sir." "We will come by your home after we finish karate. We will help you move your personal belongings. This will continue all week. Next week you will accompany us to karate and participate unless your duties at school require you to stay." Connie's eyes blazed while Mom and Pop were a bit stunned. "I want you to go to your new home now." "Yes, Sir." Connie left and I said, "You two better go too. I'll be along in a moment." When they left, I said, "Connie needs somebody to take charge. I do not love her but I do care for her. I had to put on that act so she would fit in better." Mom said, "What's going to happen to her?" "She will move in with us. She will be given responsibilities to carry out. We will make her happy but I think she belongs with Doc and Irene. I don't know why yet but that is where she will end up. She will be happy there too." "How do you know that?" "It is a gift. Sometimes I can use it and some times I cannot. This time I am not sure of what will happen." Mom said, "She is bound to find out more about your past, the same thing you were trying to avoid with those two girls." "I have an answer to that too but I will explain it later. I need to go now and I am sorry for taking one of your partners away." "We were starting to get too big. It's great with the number we have now." "Good. Now I better see to the ladies." I went to the kitchen for a drink of water and said to Betts and Erica, "Connie needs to see both of you as dominant. Once she learns her place then things will quiet down. Talk to her as if you are angry. Tell her to strip and get on all fours on the bed. Take turns paddling her ass and do it hard." "What!" "She needs this. I do not like to inflict pain but she will enjoy it. We have to find our place in life and if you two fail me then bringing Connie into our lives will put it in jeopardy." "Tell me again what you want." "Each of you use your hand to warm her ass. I will come in later. Do not be dainty or that will spoil her. Hit her hard." Erica said, "How many times?" "Do it hard and it is over with sooner. She will look and act like she is in pain but she will love it. Have you ever heard of a pain junky?" Erica had not but Betts had. A moment later I heard the slaps. I waited longer then quietly moved into the room. The girls were getting sore arms and then they switched sides. When Erica missed somewhat and her fingers hit Connie's pussy, the woman had an orgasm that threw her on the bed as she curled up and shook. "See, you made her cum. Use the dildo on her and make her cum two more times. After that order her to lick pussy while the other continues with the dildo." "Shit," Betts said. "She's horny enough now to... to do anything." "Like hot metal, you have to shape her now. This is what she wants and needs." I watched my ladies inflict more indignities on Connie and she came around to calling them mistress. Betts didn't seem to mind this at all. The girls know just want to do to make the woman orgasm then Betts sat on Connie's face as Erica drove to woman to her next orgasm. Erica was really into her work and when Betts came next she eagerly changed places. I watched this for half an hour before I had to have some myself. Betts was using the dildo on Connie and I moved behind Betts and slipped in. Betts hardly stopped at all and I worked hard. I came in Betts and she immediately sat on Connie's face then I started on Erica. "Erica use your fingers on Connie's butt." "Get me the other dildo instead." "Ok." The girls came two more times before I pulled Connie's body to the side of the bed. With more lubricant I pushed my way into Connie's anus. She was not a virgin here by any stretch of the imagination. She knew that it was me here and not a piece of plastic. The woman had time for one more orgasm before she gave out and went to sleep. I didn't pull out. Betts handed me some tissue and I used them to stop up the leak but the bed was soaked with pussy juice. All three of us got Connie up and into the shower. She came around as we washed her. Connie was sitting on the floor and I pushed Erica so her cock pushed its way into Connie's mouth. I washed Connie's hair while she sucked. Betts used the dildo and some spray to clean out the woman's pussy. Our shower was not as large as the one off the master bedroom but it was still made for at least four people. Betts and I made the bed with fresh sheets and then took our newest member to bed for an early night. She had not slept that much last night. The alarm went off early and I woke the girls up. Connie was frightened again. I reached out and grabbed her hair and squeezed. In a firm but not too unkind voice I said, "You belong to me. Step out of line and I will punish you. You are just one of my mates. You are also the lowest on the pecking order. What do you have to say to me?" "I am sorry for being frightened Master. I won't be again." I pulled her face to mine painfully for her and kissed her lips almost daintily. In a much kinder voice I said, "It is ok to be frightened. I will protect you. There is one thing I want you to know." "What is that master?" "I am the one the police are after. I killed Caputo and his men. Before that I killed the men that took the Augusto girls. Before that I was the one that came and sedated all the men that took you. I killed Caputo's son Tony and I was at the farm where Leslie and the girls were. I have killed a great many men and I will do so again. I marked you the night before last. In time you will find out how. If someone took you again I will be there sooner but that time I will kill. You belong to me." Connie's eyes were almost glowing. "I will never tell, Master." "I know that. Now get up. We have to go to school. At school you will try your hardest to treat us as students. If you fail, I will change classes." "Don't do that Master. I'll be good." "Some things will be difficult. Just remember that I am there to help you." Betts kissed me then Erica when she got up and took only a second longer to kiss the latest member. "Good morning Connie. What has this brute been doing to you?" "He helped me understand the way I have to be." "He is still a brute. Us girls have to stick together." "Yes, Mistress, we do." Betts held Connie's face and kissed her again but did so tenderly. "Calling me Mistress here is ok but I would like us to be friends too. Wally wants me to be superior to you. I can live with that but we still have to be friends. You made my pussy feel real good last night. Tonight I will kiss you back." "You don't... I'd like that Betts." "I like you calling me Betts. Only my lover did now my new lover does too. Now let's get moving or we will be late." Connie ate breakfast with us. The people that slept over came out to eat then went to get finished. Connie kissed all of us and hurried over to her own home to get changed. Pop said, "Was that slapping we heard last night?" "We did just the minimum. It was done with love. Connie likes pain. It makes her horny. It's kinda weird but I think I can live with it." "Will it happen all the time?" "I hope not. The first time just prevented conflicts later." "I'm glad to hear that. Connie is such a... delicate person. I don't want to see her hurt." Connie was bubbly at school and treated Erica and me the same as the rest. A half hour later the principal came to the door with Doc and the two Augusto girls. Wendy and Chuck smiled and began to gather their property. Connie said, "Class, these are two new students. This one here is Rebecca and the other is her sister Silvia. There last name is Augusto. Please be kind to them. They have had problems the same as you have." Wendy and Chuck were on their feet before their names were called and just walked to the two girls. Wendy hugged one and Chuck to ham it up a bit hugged the other. He then said, "We warmed the seats for you. This is a great class. You can have fun and nobody fights." Wendy said, "Wally told us that we would have to move for a few months but it is still fine by me. Just watch that Ashleigh, she peeks at your answers." Ashleigh said, "I do not but you copy from Chuck." "He's my boyfriend, I am allowed." At the door the two turned and said bye to their friends. Doc said, "I never expected that." Connie said, "This class is very good." The girls were shown their seats and I handed them two sheets of paper with the seats drawn in. The names of the rest of the class was drawn in. My name was 'Oh! Great Swami'. When the two men were leaving, the Doc said, "Will you come out here Wally?" In the hall he said, "That was done very well. The girls did not seem to have the added burden of intruding and disrupting the cliques." "Doc, all I did was ask Chuck and Wendy to help make room. They were the ones that did the rest. When you get the chance, thank them. After that thank Mrs Watson for teaching them to be polite." "Why did she teach them?" "Because Star Fleet needs competent officers that can mix with civilians." "How do I join this Star Fleet?" "You may have already done so. I told you about a need for a Counsellor like Diana Troy." "My telepathy is faulty." "We'll fix that in time." The Doc turned to the principal and said, "May I have a word or two in private with Wally if you don't mind?" "Not at all. I have lots of work to do." When the man left I whispered before Doc could voice the question, "She stayed at our home last night. I found out a lot more about her. You will find her very happy today. She will not be hurt if I can help it. She will be moving in with us. I explicitly said that she would spend a few years with us. At that time I should have found somebody that will take care of her. That is unless I find that I can't let her go." "You could end up a father." "I had a vision. She will be a mother. I can stop it if I choose but there will be a reason why I do not." "I would just love to talk to you for hours but here is not the place." "I'll hold the Counsellor's job open for you. I hope you and your family like to travel?" "We do." "Good. Cralto is subtropical and the only inhabitable planet around Alpha Ursae Majoris. The others are barren but a desert world could be terraformed." "I'll pack my shorts." "And I thought we were going to be friends." During recess the girls from both grade eight classes were introduced to the two newcomers. When school ended that day, Betts, Erica and I stayed behind. "I'll meet you at your condo in about two hours. We'll stop and get some boxes." "I'll be waiting, ah... do you know where I live?" "I searched your condo once to look for clues." "Oh!... I'll be ready." Rebecca and Silvia were waiting by the motor home when we came out. Chuck and Wendy were talking the most. I guess it was their way of saying everything was fine. On the way to the dojo it was the girls that talked to the newcomers about the benefits of learning to fight as well as the oriental mystique to doing something exceedingly well. Sam said, "Tell them about Mrs Watson's gi." Elaine said, "You are such a pig Sam. I don't why Shirley and I keep you." "Because I do as I am told Mistress." "I meant besides that." She looked at the newcomers and said, "Gail doesn't wear anything under her gi. It's fun to watch her kick. Sensei Kazuyoshi has her kick to him so he can see." Silvia said, "He doesn't!" "Sure he does." I knew that Gail was now listening avidly. "What does she do about it?" "She flashes him even more. We love that woman but she can be such a slut." We all heard Gail bursting out with laughter and the bus moved side to side to the accompanying of horns. The new girls did not try hard and it was the other girls that chided them on it. They were just not used to working this much. We stopped at supermarkets and the Liquor Control Board of Ontario stores to pick up smaller boxes. The two girls were dropped off with instructions on how to keep their gis clean. All of us came up to Connie's place and it took a few loads to do this with the boxes. The kids admired the view as I kissed my mate. None of the kids seemed shocked and this helped Connie adjust better. We took clothing down and a few personal items. One box had a lot of sexual aids and I told Betts and Erica. We loaded up and went home. All the girls helped Connie get settled in by taking her to a bedroom. I pulled the guys away because the girls wanted to test out the new weaponry. Sam said, "What are they doing now?" "Shirley is wearing the strap on." "Shirley?" "Yep, she's wearing it. That's the one with two dongs on it. Connie is being ravished but doing her share of ravishing too. It is just the girls way of getting to know each other." "I wish I could see like you can." "I wish you could too. To see like this means you could help with the crystals." "Now that the secret is out, what are your plans?" "I want to set up a defence force. So we need small ships to carry missiles to where they can be used against enemy shipping. The Fonduush's weapons are at least three centuries old. I want to replace them if I can. We can perhaps refurbish the old ones. I'd just love to make something better but that would be almost a fluke." Jerry said, "What about some fast fighters?" "The Aristis like those because the pilot can show bravery. Usually they die when it comes to a fight. Missiles get the job done cheaper, more dependably and quicker. There is all that extra equipment that a fighter has to have to support a person. A missile has none." "Paul is going on about having a Corvette to captain. That's a big ship." "Only when compared to ours. The Fonduush didn't even take any with her when she went on patrols." "Too weak?" "You got it." Chuck said, "So what will we be making?" "A few more shuttles they we can work on an armoured cutter. Crew of thirty and a few weapons." Chuck said, "The academy says that it is sixty seven metres long. The ship would weigh twenty three thousand tonnes empty and thirty four thousand tonnes fully loaded. That is when it is strong lightweight ceramic." "So we start a company to make structural members. We just ask the boss to tell us how to do it." "Will they tell us?" "If they don't tell us then we cannot learn. We are starting at the bottom and need to build everything." We had to leave before the girls finished. A shipment was now arriving at Gail's house and we helped direct it to the garage. They didn't like me signing for it but had to accept it. The trainees were doing a patrol on their own. It was not that dangerous because Hal monitored them closely. He even gave reasons for doing something his way. We were opening and closing the garage door too many times. Since The Beagle was known we had to let people see it if they came and not see an empty garage. For the next shuttle I would like a carport instead. The roof would keep off the snow that might accumulate in on the shuttle parked outside and invisible. The neighbours again would surely object. My work around was to have the ship slowly rotate so there would be no snow accumulating. The personnel door in the back of the garage or any other could hide us until we got within the invisibility field of the shuttle. The shipment was only a fraction of what was needed. We laid out the major structural members and found we needed a framework to build it on. Wood would do. Much later I heard, "Where are you?" "Building the love boat for my girls." "Why didn't you tell us it came in?" "You were making Connie feel at home." "She has some nice toys. We have to get some more for us." "What about when I make love to you at a thousand kilometres." "That will be nice too. Kinda stinky after a while though." "I find the smell stimulating." "You may be right but sometimes you have to think instead." We had supper and Connie was welcomed into the family. She was still red from excitement. I knew, through her link, that she was ready for a rematch. For a woman that didn't go after other women, Connie proved that she could change. The trainees were quiet but excited too. Who would not be at their age to fly an invisible space shuttle through the city of Toronto. Connie went to work on papers to mark. The Beagle was forgotten as the rest went out to see what they could do to assist in putting the new ship together. I had a painting to do and got Pop to drive me to Canadian Tire again to get some flat white latex primer. He got the job of laying a coat on the largest canvas. There was some there already but I wanted it thick. On one of the smaller canvasses I drew all of us at the dining room table. The table had to be longer so that everyone's face could be seen. Most of the canvas was covered when I was done an hour and a half later. The paint was just too wet to continue. After cleaning up I went to the 72 and began on seeing how I put a portion of a grain of sand into the higher dimensions. Betts pulled me out later and we got ready for bed. Connie had a sore pussy but Betts ate it daintily anyway. Erica sat on Connie's mouth and I worked behind Betts. We limited ourselves to just two each because it was a school night. Connie had a nightmare that night. I could almost see the details in her link but not quite. She was being beaten by a brutal man. I tried to push into her mind the idea that I was here to protect her. It seemed to work and she quieted down to sleep once more. I got up early and did a little more painting before cleaning up and starting breakfast. When the time came I got my girls up and into the shower. There was a lot of giggles but they still hurried. Yesterday the girls had collected all the suitcases we had. They would go in the old bus when it went to pick up Connie's clothing. School was not much different except that I brought four bats to school. Betts looked for threats but I only smiled. The girls went to talk with the new girls and I sent Sam, Chuck and Jerry out to form a square with me. I wanted to try an experiment. In ten minutes I was hitting a ball to Sam. He did not catch it but simply swung as it came down and hit it to Chuck. Chuck did the same to Jerry and then to me. I doubted that any other four guys could have done this. It was just an experiment to see how well coordinated we were. I monitored Connie because her job was at risk and possibly jail. She avoided me but still looked a lot. The girls that were in the all girl orgy were fondled a bit. That looked more natural and would not be a problem unless it got worse. Connie's thoughts were centred on sex most of the time. Since she was acting differently I had to assume that she was not this way usually. At recess we played our game again. We usually only had to take a step or two to hit the ball. The girls were as close as our thoughts so they left us alone. Lunch was different and I felt Connie's pain at not being with us. She usually ate with the teachers and she had to have more adult contact anyway. Connie had to stay after school. There were some kids that were in trouble and needed her help. In my opinion there were less of them because they were forced to pay attention during class. We never had much homework assigned and perhaps it would be good if it were and then taken up the next day. Better yet would be to have it marked to make sure it would get done. My social conscious was creeping out again and perhaps we could have a better way of allowing students to learn what they needed. Planting memories in a crystal was not the way to go just yet. It would make my time in school even more boring. Rebecca and Silvia worked harder at karate even though they were sweating a lot more. The talk at school must have helped. There was no sense in doing something half-assed. That was something I did a lot of before Nadac first visited me. The girls paired off with them when we practised as the guys did. The guys fought a lot harder during training now and I had to attribute it to Nadac giving some encouragement. I did not have to hold back as much now and karate was more fun. Sensei Kazuyoshi seemed to be pleased with our attitude and coached us differently. When Rebecca and Silvia were dropped off, we went to Connie's place and loaded a lot more clothing. Betts said to me privately, "Connie has more toys. She is into bondage too. Her bed is the same size as ours but it has lots of points to tie a person to. She wanted to know if we wanted her bed." "That might be fun. I could tie you up an have my way with your beautiful body." Betts gave a shiver and said, "Actually the three of us thought that it might be more fun to tie you down." "We can try but I have this feeling that I have to be in control or at least ready to take control." "We can experiment. I want to see that tool of yours when it is its biggest." "I didn't show you before because it looks different. I am not an Aristis even though their ideas are usually pretty good." There was a trunk that came with us along with the clothing. We all knew what was in the trunk though Connie hoped to keep its contents a secret. The clothes were put away quickly and instead of having another orgy, Connie was taken to the garage and helped work on the shuttle. She was a klutz with her hands but helped us hold parts. A transparent screen was used most of the time to keep the welding flash down. We had to weld and now it was aluminium which required a different technique. Scraps of the same aluminium were delivered with our order so we could practice. Connie said, "How big is this next shuttle going to be?" Betts said, "Almost as long as the garage is deep. It is going to look like a plane inside. A central aisle and four seats on each side. The door to the garage is double wide and it will slip out. The back portion will be for cargo and look like a cargo plane. I like the seats because they will be a lot more comfortable." "This all costs a lot of money and it is obviously only part of your project. How can you afford this? If you guys are having difficulty then I can help." "Thanks Connie but our man is rich." "Rich enough for this? What about his future?" "He does not want to tell us how rich he is but I know for a fact that he gave away three million dollars. He pays us each $500 a week in training allowances as well as a $1000 a week to learn how to fight." "All of you?" "There are only sixteen of us." "He can afford that!" "I get the feeling that money is absolutely no problem for him." "So he was not making a boast when he said he would take care of me?" By the time we came in to eat, everybody except Connie had learned how to weld aluminium with the MIG wire and the TIG. Their small processors sucked up the knowledge Nadac gave out and Nadac spoke to them as they welded to get the technique down. Erin was the poorest only because of her strength and size. She was still good though. We separated after the meal. I had to work on the painting then work inside the 72. Connie was kept out of the garage because The Beagle was going to be used to support part of the frame so that it could be welded. Everybody had studying to do but hardly any of it had to do with our school. Pop told me, "The fishing trip is definitely on. Sam's dad is able to come now. We need to stock up on a lot of equipment." ------- Chapter 29 I learned that we would be staying at a lodge instead of roughing it in our tents. There were guides, boats and basically everything we needed. Fishing tackle was a hit or miss thing and we had to get them ourselves. There was a list of what worked best for Spring Steelhead. "Pop you and Paul should make a day of going shopping, sort of a father and son thing." "You're my son too in a way." "I'll just go in and buy what I need and leave. The guys can come with me. You can shop and compare with Paul. Mostly it will be talk and that is what is important." "I think so too. I better see if I can get off early tomorrow and get to the stores in time." Toward bedtime I asked Connie, "What do you want to put into storage and what can you use here besides the bed?" "My furniture is good but so is yours. The only thing I might want to keep with me are my books, my computer, my files and my keepsakes." "Did you have much of a practice?" "There were only a few until I got the chance to come to our school. Others took in my patients so I could come." It occurred to me then that the Doc was not the only one that could be a Counsellor like Diana Troy. So far we had no problems with sanity except when some had to pinch themselves to see that they were not dreaming. It did give me a nice feeling that Connie could work with us and I could still watch out for her. I said, "I hope you gained on your choice?" She gave me a big hug and said, "I think I did very well." Wednesday was similar to yesterday. I painted in the morning and then got my family up. They were not too grouchy because they got enough sleep last night. Connie learned that the guys would not show up at her condo because we would be shopping. She put on a pout but smiled anyway. "I'll miss you." During recess Betts came to see me and Wendy came to see Chuck. It looked like Rebecca and Silvia were being weaned slowly. Betts said, "Rebecca and Silvia were talking about the gun battle in the apartment they were in. They were very excited at the time and thought that they were going to die. They never saw you. They told me that your voice is similar but they cannot swear to that." "If that is as far as they can go then the police cannot do much." Wendy said, "Do you guys know that a van is parked across the field with some people concentrating on us?" I had not bothered to look usually and saw that I had failed. "I didn't. That was good of you to spot them Wendy." "We can't be perfect all the time. I guess they are pissed that we are not talking about what Betts just mentioned." Chuck said, "Was it planned that way?" Wendy said, "I think so. Rebecca and Silvia are told to say the story in detail and hope to catch us napping." I said, "They caught me napping. It was lucky we can talk this way or they may have some evidence to pull me in for more questioning." Chuck said, "They questioned my family a lot about you and me too. My family was even more worried when the questioning led to Caputo's death. I thought they were going to try to keep us apart." "They can still try that as a way of putting pressure on." We had our time at karate and separated. Gail dropped us off at a sporting goods store and left for Connie's condo. We were lucky and found somebody that could help us that knew about fishing Steelhead. The guys along with Greg and Lasha went through the store. All of them were paid now and could use their own money. They spent lots of it on equipment. Chuck did the negotiating and we got a discount on all our purchases if we spent a minimum amount. The people helped us cut away the plastic packaging and put the lures, hooks, sinkers and all the other things in the four new tackle boxes. We bought a fishing rod and reel each and were given points on their use. After that came a caps, knives and waterproof maps of the area. We came home in a cab and displayed our wares to the girls. They were polite but really not interested. Paul was though and he was itching for Pop to get here so he could go. Things did not change much until the next night when the male members of our expedition gathered to compare notes and talk. Jerry's father drank too much but he was an adult and there was little we could do. Our tackle boxes were too large I found out and we were taking too much with us. We needed smaller boxes. A light drizzle was predicted for the area and since it was in the north, we had to dress warm and wear something to shed the rain. I did a lot more thinking on the subject of fishing and saw that there was a good chance that we would be sitting in a cold wet boat being miserable. I decided to add some plastic sheeting and garbage bags to my list to take along. We found out that the girls were going to Montreal for the weekend. Flights were cheap. They would shop, relax at a spa and come back Sunday night. They were going to stretch their vacation as well by leaving Friday night just after karate just like we were. Gail was going to get the old bus checked out for us. I gave her $5,000 holiday pay and she bitched. I gave the same thing to my girls and Connie bitched. She made sure she gave me something back for it when we went to bed that night. I put the finishing touches on my class seven med unit because I wanted to take that with us. Every tackle box should have one. School was slow on Friday. We all were waiting for our respective vacations. We had moved everything that Connie needed to our home and she should have come to karate with us but Monday would do. Betts gave the Augusto girls some money to go out and enjoy themselves. It was Betts money and her business. We stopped just long enough to buy smaller tackle boxes, a good compass and a loud whistle. We may not need the whistles but the adults should have them too. Rain hats and ponchos that looked military would make us feel that we were on manoeuvres. I spent the time after getting home making love to my mates. Two days was nothing but it was a good excuse. We had a quick meal and moved everything into the bus. There were four adults and seven kids so there was lots of room. Paul was on pins and needles waiting to go. Sam's dad drove up with the other two fathers in the car. We helped them stow their equipment. They had lots too. Pop came home with a passenger. The Doc got out of Pop's car but hung back. Pop was the one that said, "Wally, the Doc found out about our trip and asked to come. Is it alright with you?" "I'll tell you in a minute." I turned to the Doc and said, "Hi Doc." "Hi Wally. I hope I am not upsetting your plans." "That depends. Are you here as a family friend or are you here to make a report about what you hear or see?" Pop said, "Wally! That was uncalled for. Doctor Suffolk would not do such a thing." The Doc said, "That was a very valid question. The answer is that I came to find out about you for my own purposes and for nobody else." "If my head is going to be shrunk for free then I guess you can come." "Thanks Wally." We transferred the additional cargo then the women were kissed soundly. Connie had to be content with what she got earlier. With some additional supplies of emergency food, we were on our way. We were headed for a small community on the south shore of Lake Nipissing. We talked a lot and I made sure the Doc had his chance to talk and not just listen. I found out that he had no children because of a medical condition. This was one of the reasons I was sure he wanted to come. Lasha remembered almost nothing about the country of his birth but he told us what he knew and what he had heard. He told us a bit about his family life but now he told the three fathers too. He did not go into details but still became upset. Greg pulled him to one side and just held him. No words were spoken aloud but some of us heard a lot. To lighten the conversation the Doc talked about his meagre times spent fishing. The adults talked about the subject too even though he was the one driving. After a few hours he came to the back and Sam's father took a turn. Pop was surprised and very pleased when Paul claimed a place on his lap. There were lots of seats and some of them were quite luxurious. As the talk quieted down Paul went to sleep no doubt lulled by the motion of the vehicle. Pop would not trade his place for the world now. Even the Doc smiled. I sat in the co-pilot's chair and gave directions to reach the camp. The road was not what I expected because it was all paved. There was room for an extra cot so the Doc got to sleep with the adults and we had our own room. If Paul had not awoken I was sure the man would have put him to bed. When we got settled in I said, "Hello Ladies, how are you doing?" Betts said, "You startled me. We were just having a shower." "Were you cleaning those special places for me?" "Actually no. Connie is doing that for you." "And I was hoping to be able to sleep on my stomach part of the night." "We are no different except we are not afraid to rough it a bit." "Roughing it at a five star hotel?" "You know what I mean. Now you better be quiet. She is getting really worked up. Your other mate is using a large tool on Connie." "I'll leave you now. Give my love to the other two but you still have to get up early." "You have your fishing in the rain and cold while Mom is going to get a stretched limo to take us to some of the nicer spots in the city." "Our limos float; and good night. I love you, all of you." "We know and we love you too." Sleep took a while. I was not used to going to bed alone and undrained. The next morning came early. I still woke up first and then got the others up. Lasha and Paul wanted to hide under their pillows until they got more sleep. I pulled down Lasha's pajama bottoms and gave him a quick playful slap. He jumped up quickly and Paul got out of bed holding to his pajama bottoms with two hands. We got changed into warm clothing because there was a wind on the lake and it was cold. We marched out of our room in time to see the Doc coming out. "Mornin' Doc. Y'all ready to chow down?" "I think I am. This air makes me hungry." I led the way to the restaurant and said verbally so the Doc would know, "We are going out on the lake. We will stop around noon on the shore to have a small meal and then back to fishing. The noon meal will probably be fish. You don't catch any and you starve. Some of us though could loose a few pounds but I won't mention names." The Doc said, "You are a cruel and heartless young man. I still feel that you would fit in as a lawyer and then a politician. I take that back, you may have some ethics after all." "I'm sorry to disappoint you Doc but I have to go into politics too. I have the mentality for it but probably not the stomach. And speaking of the latter we better eat and eat a lot." Our breakfasts were being served when the other four came out. They saw our meals and ordered similarly. The guides came by and separated us into two groups. Dad bought fishing licences, and the guides checked our equipment. They gave some rules and we went to the boats. They were like The Beagle. They were made of sheet metal but theirs was eleven gage. The boats in my opinion were overloaded with people but not by weight. "Pop was there something in the brochure on the net about the number of people per boat?" "I think so." "We have too many and were are going to get in each other's way. How about getting another boat and split up our group a bit better?" The head guide said, "The other boats are already in use. All we have is the aluminum job over there." I said, "Let us rent that boat. The Doc becomes the pilot and he and I follow you." "You are supposed to have another guide." "Then where is he?" "They are already out." "Then lead us and we will be only fifty metres behind you." "You could get lost." "Are you just looking for more money? I just said we will be fifty metres behind you." "I'll see if it's ready." "Thanks." The Doc said, "How do you know I can drive that boat?" "If you do not know then I will teach you." "Do you know how to do it?" "No." "Good, just checking." We finally got under way. All the safety equipment was put onboard and the motor started for us. Chuck and Sam went with their fathers and Lasha. Pop and Paul went with Jerry, his dad and Greg. Our smaller boat took more of the packs and just the Doc and I. We came to a river coming into the lake and spread out and dropped anchor. I could look through the water to see the fish but I had to focus on a specific distance. Looking through water was harder than air and walls. I caught one of the first fish and put it on a stringer. "Doc, more to your left and down another twenty metres." "Are you swami sing?" "Of course. I am a mystical mystic." Two minutes later the Doc had a strike and was as excited as a kid to pull it in. He put his on the stringer and said, "Ha, mine is bigger than yours." "How juvenile of you especially when I am going to get the whale circling under our boat waiting to swallow both of us and the boat." "You sound like Captain Ahab not Captain Kiefer." "I don't even have an ivory leg." I pulled a small one in and let it go. "That was for practice." "I figured that." There was a lot of hooting and hollering when Paul caught his first fish. Everybody including the guides were smiling at the boy's antics. We all caught something by the time we made camp. There was even an outhouse with a heavy box for toilet paper. We were lucky and the wind was even in the right direction. The fish tasted out of this world. The guides brought all the fixings and they certainly knew how to cook. We went out to fish once again but I kept letting my fish go. There was a big Musky and I planned on landing it. Near the time to go back I had the monster hit my lure. "Doc, get out your harpoon. When it comes up to breach plunge one into its back and hold onto the rope tightly." "But Captain Ahab, we're out of harpoons." I fought the fish for twenty minutes until it broke the surface. Everybody knew I had something big but didn't know it was this big. I was getting tired but didn't even think of letting Doc take over. The Aristis would never do that. Fifteen more minutes and the fish was near the Doc. We had no net and I told him to not even think of putting his hand into the mouth or gill. One of the other guides paddled his boat close and used a gaff to pull the fish into his boat. The Musky gave one valiant struggle and its tail slapped Paul's face twice. We even managed to get a few pictures of that event or just before. We went back to the resort in high spirits. The guys were all kidding Paul about the slapping but the noise of the outboards were too loud for this to be done verbally. We were starving when we got back. The tackle was put away and the guides cleaned the fish but not the Musky. It was measured three ways and then weighted. It looked like we had a new record or at least for this lake. The fish was photographed with me and it was a lot longer than I was tall. I made sure all of us were in some of the pictures. The owner of the resort came and offered a hundred dollars for the fish. I bargained him up to double that and he pulled out his wallet. He counted out the money and presented it to me. "Please, donate the money to a wildlife charity in my name." "That is a lot of money but I'll do it the way you want." When we finished eating we had a shower and went to bed. My stomach was bloated but it was still enjoyable. The guys were more eager to get up Sunday morning. We were going to fish until noon and leave for home. The adults had been drinking last night and were not as cheerful. They did eat and we went out once again. We did not go to the same place this time. It was closer to the resort but further out in the lake. We started catching large Steelheads. We got our limit and started to let them go. The Doc stood to get his rod around the anchor rope when he fell. His hand went for the gunnel but missed. His face hit the metal edge of the boat. His rod and reel fell into the lake and he collapsed into the boat. The lake was turbulent and we had not noticed it because the fishing was so good. Our anchor was a paint can filled with cement. It had come off the bottom and we were drifting away from the rest. If I called the guys then there would be witnesses and if I stayed, I could use the med unit to help the Doc. I chose the later and opened my pack. The med unit came out and I directed it to the Doc. He was put out to make sure he did not awake when he might see what was happening. The outboard motor was studied as I listened to the responses from Hal. Much of the damage would heal soon. On a whim I had the unit scan the man's body. I was getting some disturbing readings until I came to the Doc's intestines. There was a serious growth there and it took seconds to know that it was cancer. I had debated this many times but let my heart overrule my brain. I directed the unit to kill the cancer. It then had to go through the man's body and kill twenty seven smaller cancers. I started the motor and headed back as I warned the guys of the wind. We were the slowest boat. Pop was worried and asked what happened. I yelled, "He fell." The med unit was back in my pack by the time we came to the dock. The men grabbed the Doc and took him to his room. Chuck brought the med kit we had made up for our casualties. The men let me get into position and I cleaned the bloody face he could use a suture or two but I had purposely kept the med unit from healing too much. The Doc woke up later and felt his face. He mumbled, "Am I still beautiful." Paul said, "You are pretty... pretty ugly. The cut lip helps some." I said, "You will live but you need a couple of sutures. I'd do it myself but you would get angry at me steeping on the toes of your fellow tradesmen." "Help me up. I want to see your handiwork." He looked in the mirror and said, "Irene will be pleased that I will not be frightening children." We settled up the accounts and I gave a good tip to the guides. A half hour on the road and the Doc had to use the toilet. He was shitting blood and I saw that he was very worried. He came out much later and said, "Could we hurry please. I feel sick. Don't do anything dangerous though." I brought my pack near the doc and activated the unit inside it. I was not sure but there would not be any new bleeding but there was still more blood in his bowels. I used the med unit to calm him and it seemed to work. An hour and a half later I helped him to the washroom again. Pop said, "Do you think it is serious?" "The doc thinks it is but it isn't." "How... ?" he said then didn't say anymore. We dropped the doc off at his hospital and we helped him in. He was still dressed in his back woods outfit. He was a little disoriented so I said to the nurse at the emergency, "This is Doctor Rod Suffolk. He hurt his face in a fall and now has intestinal bleeding." The nurse looked closely then called to have the man get examined right away. The woman looked for people to fill out the forms but the adults were far to the other side of the waiting room. I filled out the data with a little help from Hal. I called Irene on my communicator. "Hello." "Hello Mrs Suffolk. I'm the guy drawing a nude of you." "Hi Wally. I heard you and that runaway husband of mine went fishing." "We sure did. I caught some nice fish. The Doc slipped in the boat and cut his lip. He also had some intestinal bleeding. We just got him admitted to his hospital." "How bad is he hurt?" she almost screamed." "I have a good feeling about this, not bad. I volunteered to put two sutures in but he wants to protect his trade." "What do you mean about a good feeling?" "Just that. I do not see any danger to your husband." "I want to talk to him." "He is being admitted. Come on down if you want but don't race. I'll wait for you." "I'm coming now." "I said, don't race. I do not want to go to your funeral either." She said nothing and just hung up. I said to Pop, "They contacted Irene. I'm going to wait here for her. You guys may as well go home. I get there by cab later." Chuck said, "You want us to pick you up?" "Too dangerous. I don't want the ship seen." "Ok, how is the Doc?" "He will make a full recovery. He had something wrong with his intestines and the med unit fixed it." "That's good to hear." The guys left and twenty minutes later Irene rushed in. I waved and she came to me. "Did you hear anything?" "Not yet." "They are probably sticking a telescope up his butt." She didn't reply. I got her to sit but she was too worried to do much even talk. It was another twenty minutes that I got her to listen to me when I talked about our trip. I would not tell her about the accident until I told her everything else first, by then she was relaxed. When I finished she was still quiet. I said, "Was it cancer?" She looked at me suddenly. "How did you know?" "Relax Mrs Suffolk. Look at the evidence and see if I could draw this inference." "I guess you're right." "Don't worry, he'll be alright." "He'll never be alright. He's dying. Do you hear me? He is dying of it. There was too much and they could not get it all out." She started to cry then and bawled. I held her from the chair beside her until she calmed down a few minutes later. Irene said, "I'm sorry, Wally. It is just the stress we have been under." "It's ok, I would be the same way." Before she could reply, the nurse came over to me and then looked at Irene. "Are you Mrs Suffolk." "Yes." "Your husband wants to talk to you." Irene wanted to hurry the nurse. I had to guess that she thought that her husband was on his death bed. I followed right behind and tried to stay out of sight of the nurse as much as possible. Irene raced to the bed and grabbed her husband's hand. "How are you Rod?" "I don't feel good but something is wrong. Some of the tumour is coming out and the cancer cells are dead. They used a scope and found what looks like healthy tissue where it was." "Thank God. I thought your time had come." "I did too. They are going to keep me in here for a few days to run more tests to be sure. The funny thing is I have no idea of how this could have happened. I was dying yesterday and now it looks like I got a reprieve." "Wally said you were going to get better." "How did he know?" "Ask him yourself." I came from behind Irene and looked at the Doc. He asked quietly, "How did you know?" "I do not want researchers chasing me. I do not want to be a lab rat. It is just that some visions come to me when I least expect them." "You mean you can tell the future?" "The answer is yes but only a snapshot with a fuzzy camera when something triggers the shutter. If any of you two tell anybody or bug me about this and we will not be friends again. This I swear." "It looks like the cancer died. How did that happen?" "I am the Swammi; not a healer. You are better able to find out what happened than me." "But..." "But you want answers and I can't give them to you?" "Yes, I guess that's it." "What did you feel about me?" "I felt that your cancer is dead. I felt that your distraught wife was going to kill herself racing here so my brain not my heart asked her to be careful." Irene said, "That answers my question. So Rod is not going to die?" "We are all going to die but his time is not yet." "Thank God. I was so worried." "Then you are relieved now. Remember, we are friends but friends can turn enemies with the wrong words. Do not mention anything that happened with my name and do not bother me with questions." The doc said, "I will abide by your stipulations but I still want to find out about you." "If it's done in a friendly manner with dialogue going both ways then we may talk. Go too fast and we will not be friends." "That is understandable, Wally." "Good, then I have to get home. There's school tomorrow." Irene said, "I'll drive you, Wally." "Hold the Doc's hand for a while and then go home and get some sleep. You have work to do too. Somebody we know, gets a vacation while we get to work." The gang were talking to me all the time. I said that the Doc was alright and I was coming home now. A cab dropped me off. I had a quick shower and got into bed with my mates. For a wonder we only cuddled then went to sleep. The adults talked to me in the morning and I told them that the Doc looked good. That seemed to be enough. Nadac informed me and I said to Gail, "There is another shipment coming. They have your number but I don't know when it is to be delivered." "That... thing you're building looks big Wally. I saw the metal and it was formed beautifully. It had to cost a lot of money to make." "I negotiate for the cost but I can afford it and still have lots left over for my education." "I was just wondering. You spend a lot of money." Gail drove us to school and left to have our tanks drained and flushed. The girls, and not just mine, gave away small gifts to their friends and even to those who were not their friends. Some people could just not mix even if they had good intentions. Gail picked us up after school and Connie got in her car to go to the dojo. Gail was the one who took Connie in hand and got her dressed. Ten minutes later I saw that the sensei wanted to see the two women kick. It took only a second to see that Connie still had panties and bra on. Gail of course had none. I felt that if Rebecca and Silvia were not here then she might dress like Gail. Connie had some previous training but it was not as much as we had now. She made a good opponent for Gail because of her size and weight. Seeing two good looking women going at it stirred my blood too. I hit Chuck above the eye easily because he too thought the sight was too interesting. We went to work in the garage. The large hollow aluminium frames had arrived. They were rectangular though in this version, we would get away from what the artists on Star Trek thought as proper. The sections were five metres wide and two high. They would contain the crystals and the substrate that joined them. The frames would produce a class four shield that was suitable to hide from the radar used on earth. Grav-repellers were an integral component. These units would provide the structural integrity of the shuttle the way a skeleton did this for a human body. Aluminium pipe plugs were around the sides of all the frames. There were rectangular openings in the frames to place the longitudinal members in place. All of these had to be welded. This was where I would mount the crystals and adjust them from when necessary. The sealed environment meant that we could take a vacuum. The frames would supply all that was needed to keep the substrate alive. The base of the shuttle was much more massive as it contained the accumulators, and recycle units needed for extended trips into space. Our shield was good at diverting energetic particles but some of the more lively ones still came through. The ship was not really suitable for extended stays in space because of radiation damage to the human occupants. To get the necessary protection required much more power and a much stronger shield. The keel of the ship was not aimed at the door because we would have difficulty working on both ends and getting around the shuttle. It was built along the length of the garage. When it was operational even Erin could turn it to be aimed out the double door. Connie had to have a shower then she came out to help. The frames were placed almost sixty centimetres apart. The pieces almost snapped together and were tacked into place. Alignment needn't be perfect but it bothered me aesthetically. We worked until supper time then we separated to different chores. Most went back to the garage. Some had to get in a few more hours of flight training. Sometimes there were just too many people underfoot. The jobs facing me were mounting. I worked on the painting for a few hours. I was down to using a brush with only one hair. Even then I used my PK to shape the flow of paint. I had to be careful here because others would try to copy my technique and had to be able to do it. The grain of sand was abandoned for the moment as I worked on the broadcast units that would supply power. This was the one of the dozen units I wanted to place around Toronto. As time went on more units would spread out as they did on an Aristis or any civilised world. I had not finished this last task when it was time for bed. We had been without for a while and it took time to feel sated. The girls had not been as restricted in their trip as I was. But apparently with me in the mix it felt complete. Submissive Connie did not exist when we made love and I felt good about that. The girls kept her satisfied the usual ways and used their new tools that they had purchased in Montreal. They had already been test flown in that city and seemed to work just as well in Toronto. With all the help I was getting the orgasms came quick. They looked glassy eyed after only a few minutes and moved like robots that just reacted even though they worked to please the rest of our mates. Up until Thursday, nothing much changed. Lasha's birthday was the next Monday but his party would be the Saturday before. The girls had found some presents that were for me to give but I did not think that a pair of 'his and his' anal vibrators was the thing for me to give. Mom came up with a good idea and Connie's address was now listed as the same as Gail. They would live together and watch the three children that lived there. The fact that all five stayed in our home didn't matter. We visited the Doc in the hospital and on Thursday he was going home. He did not need to stay that long but a lot of people were now interested in how a dying man was now shitting out dead cancer cells. His blood too was filled with dead cells that his liver was not able to keep up with so this meant a transfusion or three. The man was still a little yellow and weak but he was certainly happy. Not many men were suddenly given twenty more years of life. We had supper at his house for all of us. We more or less had a little party. I presented two paintings to the couple. "These are the two other canvases you gave me. So you have two of the first three paintings I have made." They were done conventionally. They did have a lot of detail in the people if not the background. The first showed the Doc showing me his first fish of our trip. The second showed the two of them dressed up for a party when I had told them about the attempt on my life. The background was purposely done out of focus just so the people would stand out even more. The jewellery and facial expressions were done with even more detail. Irene said, "Wally, these are magnificent. They look almost like a photograph but we come out even better than we really are." The Doc said, "You seem to have a style all your own and it's great. Few people could do the fine detail you have put into these. With the black cloud not hanging over my head any more, we are going to have to do some redecorating." Nobody else knew what the black cloud signified. "Don't get ahead of yourselves. There is another painting going up for auction. I know you will like it but I hope that others will too." Irene said, "If it is as good as these, then I am sure everybody will love them." The rest of my family had seen the painting but looked at them again. Pop was proud I guess and I was not really his son. Doc managed to get Connie alone but I didn't pry into what was said. I just hoped that Doc was not going to come down on her for going after a thirteen year-old. Connie came out with a smile so I guess that things went good for her. The Doc and Irene were invited to Lasha's birthday party. There were not as many people coming but it was far more than he ever would have had before. I spent time putting in a portion of the detail in my last painting. Later I went out to check the framework of the shuttle. This was done minutely to check for cracks in the welds. I had paid a lot of money to have everything x-rayed for cracks. I found none that were large enough to concern me. I continued with our own welding and found only two spots that had to be redone. There would have been more but Nadac and Hal were guiding the workers. Chuck and Wendy took the trainees to the drive-in. They had the radio and the large screen allowed them to see the movie. I even gave them permission to emerge from the craft to use the washroom and visit the canteen. There was a lot of other activity going on at the drive-in and this was watched by way of the drones. Wendy told me that Patricia indicated that Paul did a much better job. Paul was proud then and held his girls. At the middle of April, I delivered my painting to the people in charge of the auction and not Doc or Irene. The organisers did not know what to make of it because they had to squint at it to see the hidden painting behind the painting. There were a lot of computer generated graphics that did the same thing but mine I thought was the first one done by hand. It was only when one woman saw the image that they were ready to take the painting. Three days later the auction took place and I was pleased to see that it brought $1,200. Many people could just not see the image that was hidden. The Doc and Irene were the ones who got it. Connie and the rest of the family were at the auction too. The woman was shocked and brought her hand to her face when she finally saw the image. The painting showed Irene and Connie hanging onto the ropes that attached to the mast of Doc's ship. They were leaning out to give more stability as it tacked. Both women were in bikinis and Connie was very obviously pregnant. The Doc was concentrating on the rigging and not the women. There was a lot of comment about the unusual painting, especially from those that could see the image behind. All of us saw the image though June had the most problem to get her mind to see it. The Doc and Irene tried to get me alone but I avoided them for fun. They had questions and I could not really answer them. The next day they dropped in and asked me point blank what the painting indicated even if Connie was there with us. "It is just an image that came to my mind. It may or may not have any real significance." "How did you know how to draw our ship?" "I didn't, I just drew a sailboat that seemed to match you." "That was our ship even to the small details." "That's odd. Connie was definitely carrying a child but I didn't feel that it was necessarily yours Doc." "Mine! I can't have children and I never could." "You better check. Irene may be quite angry at you later." "But... I'll check." He paused for a moment and said, "The child's father needn't be me though. I can think of only one more person that could have done that." Strangely I did not turn red. "I felt that way too. I felt that Connie belonged with the two of you at one time. That is still true but now the three of you are closer to us. Any separation now would be minor." Connie said, "What do you mean, Wally?" "I may need somebody like Counsellor Diana Troy. The Doc seemed to fit into that slot but you do too. Perhaps it is a two person job." "That is my job, working with children." "That job may grow as you grow." Connie put her hand to her abdomen and I added, "I meant mentally. I don't mind the other way just yet." "You would like to see my... with your child?" "It seems right to me somehow." "You don't know how glad that makes me feel." "I think I do but it would not be for years." Mom and Pop looked at me seriously and I said to them, "Betts and Erica stay with me now and if I can help it, they will always be with me. We have a team. It is unconventional but I think it will work. You will be bouncing grandchildren on your laps one day but that will be in the future too." I got two big hugs from the girls in question. The Doc said, "That takes a load off my shoulders." "Who said it did. There is much more but I have no idea what it is." "You mean I could still be a father?" "I am not sure but there is more of a feeling of yes than no." The much heavier broadcast receiver went into the new unnamed shuttle. The accumulators were massive compared to Aristis shuttles. There were two hours of reserve power in the main unit and five minutes in the secondary that was designed to provide additional power when we were climbing or pulling out of a dive. Four of the power transmitters were installed in businesses I owned. Their power consumption would be billed to the business but I would make sure the bookkeeping recognised that the cost did not affect the bottom line. The shuttle looked complete but the substrate had not grown quite enough yet. The shuttle promised to be much faster than The Beagle but still very much slower than the small one person ship that I had flown in before. The Beagle could now be used at full power and its performance shot up. It was looked down on by all the cadets because they saw how good the new shuttle should be. There were enough seats for fifty people. The majority of the seats were in groups of four. There were five rows on each side of the aisle. In the front were four double seats and two single seats. Like a minivan there was storage in the back that was protected by heavy netting. There was no windshield this time but there was a large screen that made it look the same. Also like the minivan, the seats all folded down or could be removed. At the end of the month, the substrate had finished growing and the electrical companies had finished putting in the remainder of the twelve units. The one in Gail's home was disconnected and moved to a commercial building too. Hal performed the tests once more and then took the shuttle into orbit while empty. The most vigorous evasive manoeuvres did not bother the shield or the structural integrity. We planned on keeping the shuttle behind the garage. There was a good roof over it and a large concrete pad under it. It was called a patio in the city files but was the same as a carport though much larger. The poles that supported the roof had a trellis between them where grapes would grow. Only one end was open and that was where we would come in or out. The concrete pad was heated electrically so that there would never be any snow to show footprints going out to nowhere. This would keep people from seeing us enter or leave an invisible machine. The shuttle hovered over this new pad and extended the ski like landing gear. It settled almost silently into position. It was only the aluminium body rearranging itself and the small noise of the skis on the still rough concrete that made any noise. We were inside the garage and all in uniform. The unit turned as one and marched to the personnel door and then up the ramp into the invisible machine. They had been in this unit for over a month but now it was different. The last three pairs of seats had been removed to give more room in the cargo area. I sat in one of the single seats in the front and said, "Private Jimson, take us into geosynchronous orbit over our current position. Make it six hundred thousand metres." "Aye Captain, geosynchronous orbit over home base at an altitude of six hundred thousand metres." Chuck moved the shuttle out into view from the street if we had been visible. About two and a half kilowatts was used to nullify gravity. Power surged into unit to push us from the planet of our birth. Chuck banked to port and started a long helical course that took us higher into the atmosphere but still centred over Toronto. Our vertical movement was augmented with the trust from our main engine now and the ship banked to keep our centre of gravity over our seats. Gravity increased to four and a half and stayed there. Jerry was manning our sensors and kept us out of any collision course with aircraft. Sam was monitoring other drones in the tower at Person Airport. The shuttle nose elevated more and more as we climbed higher. At a hundred and twenty kilometres we were going upward while still following the rotation of our planet. We were now doing four hundred and sixty three kilometres an hour and increasing as power was fed from the secondary accumulator and the air about us thinned even more. The acceleration was now little more than zero. The trip took a little less than an hour and a half. We could do it in less than an hour but with no residual charge in our accumulators. We were drifting as far as our seatbelts allowed. "Back row, report to cargo area for null-g training." The back row of eight people left the safety of their seats and pulled themselves into the area in the back that had a cargo net over it and thick padding on all other surfaces. Betts and Erica were in this group. The munchkins, Paul, Greg and Lasha were there with them. They practised moving around. They were quite conscious of their movements. The med unit made us immune to motion sickness or I was sure there would be barf in the air by now. Fifteen minutes later the now tired trainees took their seats while the two privates came forward. Wendy, Chuck, Ashleigh Jerry, Elaine, Shirley and Sam had their turn. They had seen what the youngsters had done and they tried to do just a bit better. This all looked easy but much of the mental processing for the moves was handled but the small processor in our heads that was attached to the ultrawave communicator. I did not participate, instead I monitored the activity while looking for something that could hit us. The latter activity was just a formality as this altitude was scanned diligently for the last month. With only a small thrust to keep us in position, our secondary accumulator was charged even at this distance. The ground based broadcast units were configured to get the greatest range. This would have to change when there were more units in the air or orbit. We stayed in orbit three hours. I had two turns in our gym and the rest did too. There was not that many manoeuvres we could do in this small of a volume. Betts relieved me as she took command. Ashleigh and Wendy brought us home safely in a more complicated series of manoeuvres. Our uniforms had been kept in Gail's house to avoid questions. The adults thought we went out to socialise. We came home excited and all the talk was over the ultrawave. All of May tested the cadets and the shuttle. We took containers of water to orbit and then brought them back in an effort to find out what the shuttle could do. Thirty five thousand kilos seemed to be our limit and I cut this back to thirty as our max. We could not reach the speed of sound at low altitudes because of the poor aerodynamics but we could get to 320 metres per second if we were lightly loaded. Erica took the shuttle around the earth one weekend. This took a lot of calculations because broadcast power did not go far enough. During all this testing new orders went out for a larger ship. The shape was an oblate ellipsoid. That was really like a balloon of water that was squeezed on the top and bottom while being pulled at the bow and stern. The flattened portion gave us more deck space as well as a lower profile when it was at rest. I wanted to go ceramic on this but was overruled. We needed more experience building. One of the buildings I owned happened to be a small factory with a high roof. The last tenant had gone bankrupt and the building was now empty. A lot of fabrication shops were contacted and major portions of the ship were to be made. All could be legally transported to this building. There were hoists that could lift the major sections into place. The building was isolated and the windows were all six metres up. Fabricating the ship would be much easier. Getting the ship out would require the sheet metal wall along with the insulation to be removed and one of the supporting columns. The column though was on a pad and bolted down. The ship would not rely on ground based power. The best solution was antimatter. Utram would work even easier. It had the advantage of requiring a much smaller reactor and the radiation was much harder to detect by other advanced powers. There was a gaping blind spot in Aristis thinking. Utram powered ships were still spotted. They were only harder to see than those using antimatter. A gram of antimatter cost 63 trillion bucks presently and that wasn't in Canadian dollars either. Utram would have cost a lot more. Rontem wanted Utram produced and so did Nadac. They didn't begrudge me making antimatter though because they could use it too. The ship would have strong shields to protect against gamma and cosmic radiation. It would also shield the reactor so that it would not be detectable by the technology on earth. Making the antimatter though required a large industrial complex. Building the ship would be child's play compared to the fabrication of the machinery to produce the fuel. It takes energy to make energy. The thing is that some elements can be induced to fuse or undergo fission with little initial energy outlay. One of the easiest is helium 3 when it fuses with deuterium. This is the nicest reaction around. If you lose control then there is no meltdown, no mushroom cloud and not even much release of radiation. Deuterium was harvested from Lake Ontario by Ontario Hydro and stored away. They hoped it would be used a lot more than it was. You could drink this hydrogen when it was combined with oxygen. It was just a bit heavier than the usual variety. Helium 3 was produced by the sun in vast quantities and cast out. The earth has a magnetic field and very little enters our atmosphere. It is more likely to be lost to space again if we did gather some this way. The earth made a lot of this material when some elements undergo fission. Some natural gas wells captured some of this helium and a fraction of it is helium 3. Like prospectors of old, and even present day, they needed a grubstake to begin. We needed power to begin and machinery to use the power. Very little of the machinery could be made by present day human technology. Rontem wanted to see what I could do on my own. I could build the new ship but I could not power it other than by accumulators. I bargained away more of my time in place of some of the equipment. We would make missiles for Rontem. He would fuel them and put the warhead in place. We would get the machinery to make the missiles. The same machinery could start to make a small reactor and then go on to make the processing facility that produced Helium 3. We would build on what we made to make more. In the end we would get both Utram and antimatter. All the cadets were gathered in the 'Curiosity'. This was the name that had been chosen by the majority after a lot of voting. I gave another overdue discussion of my aims. "We have a torturous road ahead of us. The only way to get the equipment we need is to make war materiel that will go into Fonduush and to protect Cralto. We have to put out thirty four thousand missiles of various sizes. The fabrication unit will arrive and it is up to us to use it to build more units. All of the units require crystals that have to be processed by me. The missiles have the same requirements. "The good point is that we can use the machines to make missiles for ourselves. None of the units will be of any use until we shift production to producing and energy source. Helium 3 will be the first fuel. We have to rely on the Ontario power grid for all of this. "Once the Helium has been produced, more machinery will have to be constructed to fuse this element with Deuterium. Our dependency on the power grid will diminish as we generate our own power. With a much greater source of energy, we can construct the large atoms of Utram. This last process is a slow and laborious job. "When the Utram is built up, there are a lot of spare parts. A few of them can go thorough an inversion field to be converted to their antiparticle. These antiparticles now can be used to construct ordinary matter but of the opposite charge or magnetic quality. "All this nuclear building will be detectable by humans until one smart girl suggested building this in a dormant uranium mine. Ashleigh blushed at the comment. "The machinery now has to make the reactor for our third ship the 'Quest'. The antimatter will be used in our missiles and the Utram will be used to make them fly quickly. We end up with the basic machinery to start building the tools to make larger ships." The questions started. All of them seemed to be well thought out. The intelligence of our group had risen steadily as they became used to their processor. The time frame was difficult to set. We would need more cadets and they would need more assistance from us until they could start training others. The more people involved the more chance of a slip. It didn't have to be someone talking to a friend about something that should be kept secret but it could be simple like all of us showing how smart we were. Nadac had to help us logistically. He would search for a worked out mine with enough background radiation to cloak us. I already had the plans in my head from Nadac but now I was given some of them openly. The delivery of the missiles was time dependent. This meant we had to work fast. One of the basic needs was to produce some nanites. These would be the smallest robots available. They were basically crystals that were grouped together. Some units were for propulsion, others were for grasping something smaller that itself or a piece of something bigger than it. Other crystals cut with lines of force or broke up matter so it could be used to bind other pieces of matter. I needed billions of them but I had to start with just one. The quest was still ongoing. The plans had gone out two months ago but our quality standards were strict. In a few weeks we needed somebody to sign for the shipments. Gail could make the half hour trip to do this for us. We had stopped her seven times from entering the garage. Finding the toy shuttle gone would raise a lot of question. The other adults had been stopped only because someone came to meet them before they got to the door. On a few occasions the door was locked and we were many kilometres away and straight up. I had debated telling the adults many times about the Aristis. The children were easier because they were led into it slowly as if we were acting. Adults went off the deep end. This could start by telling the authorities that some of us were just going crazy. I had two people that dealt in nut cases but Connie was already borderline in my opinion. Her chasing after me was an example. I was half of her age but she still wanted me to be her mate. She wanted abusive people and so far I have dissuaded her from expecting more than a spanking now and again. ------- Chapter 30 The Doc was a good choice but he was also prone to work with the authorities. A few weeks ago, I managed to get a communicator into his head and that of his wife. A few days later I phoned: "Hi Wally, how are you doing?" "Not bad. Are you chasing Irene around?" "That is none... How did you know?" "Mr Watson, you told me that you were shooting live rounds. If you are a human male you will want to shoot them where they belong." "Your right Wally. Now what can I do for you?" "The illustrious Swami says that we have to take a short vacation, just you and me." "Where are we going?" "Does it matter?" "I guess not. What do I bring?" "Bathing suit, mosquito spray, sun tan lotion and some camping clothes. I bring all the rest." "You're bringing food?" "I have to eat too Doc." "Ok, when do you want to go?" "Saturday morning. We'll come back Sunday around six in the afternoon." "That is kind of abrupt. I have patients." "It will be worth your while." "You don't sound too eager." "I am hiding it well." "I'll get my appointments cancelled." "Thanks Doc. Don't bring any fancy duds." "Can I tell Irene where I am going?" "Nope, and your cell phone will not work." "Ok, but I am trusting you a lot." "I am trusting you with even more." "I'll come for sure in that case." Five days later, the Doc pulled up and I had him park his car in the 'Garage'. He did not see the Curiosity because she was in orbit again. The Beagle was the only other thing in the garage. I shook hands and said, "Thanks for coming Doc. You might think of your coming as a momentous occasion in later life." "What is going to happen?" "Let me have your equipment and I will show and tell." The luggage went into The Beagle. All but the front two seats had been taken out to give us room. "Will you get in Doc and I will start to explain?" "This thing is too small for me. I am not as young as you guys." "Bear with me Doc and try." The doc got in and I turned on the small interior light now fed from the accumulator. I turned off the garage lights and opened the single door in the garage. "Buckle up Doc. It is Star Fleet regulations." The man went along with the game. His eyes went to the windshield as the view started to change. The garage door closed behind us and I turned to show him that this was the case. We were a kilometre away when I started to gain altitude of only thirty metres and headed north. The Doc was quiet all the time and I knew his mind was going crazy trying to come up with an explanation. "Where are we going Wally?" he said in a quiet voice. "To any remote area so we can camp and talk." "What are we going to talk about?" "About you joining Star Fleet." "But that's for children." "That is what I wanted everyone to believe. Events have changed and we have to grow. I need a headshrinker to help me weed out the recruits that will not work." "Are you human, Wally?" "Just as much as you are." "How is this craft flying?" "How am I controlling it or how the craft moves." "How about both?" "I will give the full story. It won't be done until well after we land unless I can speed things up. You will pilot this craft back by the way." "Me!" "Once upon a time there was this king. He ruled the world of..." We went north about 800 kilometres. In some cities along the way I had the power broadcasters installed. I didn't need them but it was good to have them ready. With some tweaking of the system we were making nearly a hundred and fifty klicks and it was in a straight line. After ten minutes I was talking directly to his communicator. The last hour the Doc was piloting the craft himself. We both searched for a nice place and he set the shuttle down on her small skis. "So we really are going to camp for two days?" "Why not? Its fun, the only distraction is the bugs and I brought you another rod and reel." "Ok, have it your way. So where is the Curiosity?" "Call out to acting Captain Erin Pallo and ask." "But she's a child." From far away we both heard, "And you're an old goat. You think only adults can think. Most of them will be running around in circles like a mad dog trying to bite the base of their spines. I thought that you may be different and use your mind and not your faulty preconceived ideas. I see that I can be wrong too." "I am sorry young lady..." "Call me Erin, or Private Pallo. I do not like your condescending attitude." "I am sorry again Erin. I had noted before that all of you are exceptionally bright. You have to admit that few eight year-olds could do what you are doing. I just did not know how well you hid this fact from me." "We try Doc. We have to act a part that adults want us to play." "I was asked to find out where you currently are?" "I am sitting in the command chair of the Curiosity." "Where might the Curiosity be at this moment?" "We are 745 kilometres and roughly over Nairobi." "May I enquire into why you are in such a place?" "We are checking on some nasty people that live in the area. Our findings go on the web and Interpol and other organisations learn some facts from us." "I have heard of that website that cannot be traced or shutdown. An army of the best people are trying to figure out how it's done." "Nadac is pretty slippery. He likes to taunt the cops a bit. Not all of them are honest and quite a few politicians and other criminals log onto the site too." "You are obviously a very bright young... cadet. What do you see wrong with your affiliation with an alien race?" "We only know of Nadac and King Rontem. They are mean and despicable and therefore very much like humans." "Why do you say that?" "You are still talking like a shrink. Ask yourself some of the questions. I might point out that the king could at least bring some order to this planet of ours. I do not mean martial law but make us finally see that we are not alone in the universe. One set of laws would govern us all. The Aristis had people of wealth but there was absolutely nobody that was poor." Doc said, "The servants did not seem to be appreciated." "They got the short end of the stick but they have the robots to boss around. Look at what is in the world now. There is so much misery that it would take the Aristis people thousands of years to equal it. They are not perfect by any means but they are a lot better than we are even without their technological advantage." I set up camp and got the Doc to help as he talked more with Erin. After she finished giving him a piece of her mind, Liza and Patricia started in on him. They sure did not sound like ten year-olds. Betts started then and I expected her to be reasonable. She almost bit off his head and spit out the bones. She wanted him out of his comfortable surroundings so he would have to think outside the box. Sam turned out to be more diplomatic but I cut the conversation off so that the Doc could think. We made a meal and as we ate. The Doc said, "Where are you going with this Star Fleet of yours?" "A lot of social reforms that will take a long time to come to fruition. One world government sounds good to me. Everybody has communicators like we do. Anybody can still lie but it's harder. Computers can be asked questions like, 'How often has the candidate lied to us?' or 'Who have benefited by the way he has voted historically?'" "That's good but I could see that abused too." "Possibly but I would have somebody sneaky like Nadac running this. He likes to shaft the bad guy or even the pretentious one. He is not egalitarian but he is not fully behind the establishment." "What about a king doing what he wants instead of what is right?" "Humans are not Araistis though we are not that much different either. There are a lot of ways to keep a natural entity honest when he or she is in a computer. King Rontem has some experience in this. They can do some of the nitty gritty planning while the humans find goals that keep the rest of us working." Doc said, "They could fight? We have done that for as long as there have been people. So far it has been us against nature which is like shooting yourself. Or us against ourselves," "We find external threats like the Aristis did. There are a lot of nasty races that would love to fight us just for the fun of it." "That sounds counter productive." "All of human history says you are more wrong than right, Doc. In any case we need a planetary defence. That means ships, weapons and people. I want the right people to help and not some wacko. The weapons we will make would make a fully armed submarine with hydrogen warheads a toy by comparison. I will be able to make antimatter by the tonne. Do I have to tell you what a gram will do?" He didn't answer and asked, "What if you are the unstable one?" "Then prove that assertion to the rest and get me removed. My real claim to fame is my ability to manipulate certain crystals and a temperamental ability to see a small portion of the future." We went fishing and it was an hour later that the Doc said, "Are you going to keep Connie as a wife? She's a lot older than you." "Doc, we can get our bodies worked on and we will have long productive lives. We can change bodies if we want to grow new ones. It may sound unethical but there is nobody hurt. We are not robbing an entity of its body. We are just not giving room to those younger than us to move up. After saying all that the universe, not the galaxy is large. I could be almost immortal and as long as I kept moving I would hurt no human." "So Connie would go with you?" "I have no idea. She is not much older than me if I am five hundred and thirteen and she is five hundred and twenty-six." "When will her mind start to improve?" "Connie chose me. I'm jail bait to her. This says she is unstable at least about some things. She likes pain and being abused. An officer on a battleship may have to be nuts but want to inflict pain not receive it. I need warriors." I added, "It was a choice between you and Connie of who among the older group should be informed first. I love Connie though not as much as Betts and Erica. In time this may change one way or another. If we make a ship like the Fonduush or even larger, we would need a shrink onboard. We may need two. Don't forget that telepathy could be developed if we try to find out a way." "Why do you want me now?" "Doc, the adults need to be informed. Not because they are normally brighter but because sometime we are going to get caught. I want you to help me find a way to bring Connie into the fold without her going off the deep end." "That may be difficult. She has had a... troubled life." "Does that make her unsuitable to join our organisation? Remember she would have a position similar to yours." "It is possible but I cannot be sure." "In place of telepathy, I am able to eavesdrop on all of the adults through their communicators. I suppose I could still do this after you have been awakened but I don't. I can give you access." "That sounds... unethical." "It appears that way simply because humans could not do this before or not consistently. If and when we develop telepathy, then it will be the same thing. Even our police will need to read minds. The shrinks can use this ability to heal and weed out those from responsible positions or keep them from getting in that position in the first place." "Telepathy sounds more... natural in a way and less intrusive. Will real telepathy allow a person's deepest thoughts to be read?" "Talk to Nadac. Nadac I want to introduce Doc. Be nice to him and he will not shrink your head." I could concentrate more on fishing now. Later, Doc talked to me about himself the way I had talked to him. Those that were not busy took some of their time to talk to the Doc. That night, while sitting around a small fire, he said, "The young adults are very stable even those that were hurt by Carmen Caputo. They had healed more with you than with anybody else I know. It does not seem to be magic just being around a supporting group that has a strong leader." "That was what I intended. I think love and sex have a lot to do with it too." He chuckled and said, "That may be a factor as well. I was concerned with all the sex and found that you have stopped the girls' periods. They gave me a lot of data that they collected to show that this is safe. That could make you a rich man and help keep the population down." "I know what you mean Doc but I am already rich. I don't really consider the money mine. Nadac and Rontem helped clean up a small portion of our world. The guys helped too. I think of myself as the head of Star Fleet with large reserves of funds to continue the goals of a united earth." "You sound like a politician but I see no reason for you to lie. I just hope that as you age, you do not see the money as your own." "The urge to use it for just me is bad. An unknown fraction of the money, I want as my own. I own a share in my home. I more or less help Nadac who manages almost everything. I am supposed to learn business practices and this is a good way. Right now some of the money is going out to get ship components built. We have demonstrated that we can build so now we just assemble." "How do those shops not see that they are building space ships?" "They do know." The doc was surprised. "They think we are a making a film and they are constructing portions of an elaborate prop. We could get them to build a complete unit but then it would be hard to transport and if it disappeared off their lot then that would raise a lot of eyebrows." "The logical solution is to get adults to build a ship someplace in secret." I said, "I think you are saying adult so that children have a chance to go to school. Have you considered what the academy can and does do to educate a cadet? We are specialised but I think Nadac can find a way of teaching us everything we need to know or even wish to know." "You're right. School is also for social interaction and an academy has that too. Is that why you are still in school?" "Partially. Nadac can upload everything they would teach me in a hundred years and I would have the knowledge of how to use it. Instead I plod along with the rest and watch my crop grow." "Wally, I just had an idea. You own land and have lots of money. Start an academy in the open. There will be teachers and lots of students. Behind the walls there will be spaceships instead of books." "Doc, that's a fantastic idea. Will you help me staff it?" "Me?" "The head of the school can be a headshrinker and people will look favourably upon that. I want you to help me and that means that more and more of your time has to go to our goals. What better way to be the headmaster of a school." "I'll have to think on this." "Doc, have you decided to help or not?" "I would not miss this for the world." "Do you think you can keep your practice and still help?" "I was hoping to slowly taper off." "Is a year suitable to do this?" "Yes, though some people will have ongoing problems." "That processor in your head will allow you to think better and help more as you and it mesh. Take the headmaster job and get the school built. We will all help and we can load up Nadac a bit more. I'm sure that King Rontem will not mind since it will be partially modelled after Aristis schools. While the building is constructed, you have a chance to slowly disengage." "I was hoping to retire before I learned of my cancer." "Doc, don't you realise you will live productively up to two hundred or more. Medicine will ensure that you are able to move around easily and the processor will store many of your new memories in ram." "What about Irene?" "The benefits extend to her but I want to get her involved too." "What doing?" "What does she do?" "She is a lawyer and served on the bench for ten years before she had her own problems and stepped down. She is mostly into family law now." "Usually I check out people a lot more and your wife slipped through the cracks. I had no idea she was a judge. In my position I am usually more watchful about what I say around them. If you do not mind my question, why did she step down? She's still young." "Stress." "Explain." "Some of it was from people like Caputo. Some was from politicians and some of those were from the same people but doing the work of the criminals." "Would your wife fit into our plans? You would not have to hide anything from her then." "There are lots of places she would fit in. One could be the headmaster of the school." "You are trying to weasel out of the job, Doc. How about the two of you just take over the job and fight it out?" "How much do we get for a budget?" "How much do you want?" The Doc was onboard. We fished on Sunday while he did some thinking. The med unit came out of my pack again and it worked on him to make his life better. He was going to be sick again but he was happy to purge the fat cells and build up his joints and the discs in his back. The best thing would be that he would not have to wear glasses anymore. My knee had never been repaired though the rest of me had so I started the repair work and would have to remember to fake it later. We flew home early only so the Doc could get some flying time in. I could see no difference between him and Erin when they first flew. The Doc resented this and told Erin. She said that she was far too young to act that foolishly. The Doc stayed for a visit and talked to Connie and the rest to get a feeling about how they thought in relation to Star Fleet. He was anxiously waiting for the Curiosity to arrive. Erin came in and hugged the Doc like a grandfather. The adults smiled at this. A little later the munchkins alone took Doc for a private lesson. What he thought about an eight and two ten year-old girls piloting a space ship with him in it could only be guessed at. The Doc asked his wife if she would pay a visit but come to the garage at Gail's house first. The Doc was back just before she arrived. By this time the entire cadet population was back but in civilian clothes. Irene inspected The Beagle and said, "You guys did very well in building this. I don't know much about welding but it looks neat and strong." Paul was coached and said, "We made a larger one out of aluminium. You can walk into it as easy as walking into the garage. Would you like to see it?" "Sure, where is it?" "Outside the door there," he said as he pointed. The unsuspecting woman followed the cadets as they walked into the now visible shuttle. Irene stopped to admire the ship and saw the words Star Fleet and our logo, not that one seen in the movies. "Now this is nice. It must have cost a fortune. Did you guys build this too?" Paul said, "We sure did but some of the portions were contracted out. The inside is neat." We all got in and sat down. Since Irene was the only one standing she too sat. Doc said, "You want to go for a spin?" "Don't tell me you are starting to act like the children too?" "A little I guess. You didn't answer the question?" "Ok, have it your way. Take me into orbit. I want to dock with the Enterprise." "The Enterprise has not been made yet and the Fonduush is not here, but we can go into orbit. Please look at the screen. I'm the one controlling this vessel at the moment." The shuttle left the shelter and tipped back and the back of our seats now took our weight. We rose nearly vertically and Irene screamed, "What's happening?" Paul in a reassuring voice said, "Nothing much. We are going into orbit. It's a lot of fun." "But, this is impossible." "No it's not. Doc's been taking lessons from Erin." "But, this... toy can't fly." "You see the screen of the sky. The view is changing. You are pulled back into your seat just a bit more than what gravity would. Sounds to me like we must be doing something and flying straight up sounds the most reasonable." "Ro... od, what are you doing?" "I am flying into orbit like you asked." "I don't want to go into orbit now. Put me back on the ground." "We have to complete the trip before we come back down," he lied smoothly. "I don't want to be flying." "It's too late. Erin. Will you take over Honey. I need to talk to Irene and somebody has to fly this." Irene screamed, "She's a child Rod!" "She may be but she taught me how to fly. Not much too it once you have mastered the basics." Irene complained and threatened until we reached orbit. We increased thrust to get into position sooner but it still took nearly an hour. Erin levelled out and said, "Do you want the ship back now or are you going to talk?" The Doc said, "Maybe we have a minute or two to talk." He undid his seatbelt and floated over to Irene. He simply held her hands lightly so he could remain stationary. "We have a lot to talk about. The first is that the Star Fleet wants to set up a school. Outwardly it would look normal but within the walls it would teach the children how to fly, manufacture ships and to protect this planet." "Are you crazy Rod? We can't do this." The Doc said, "She's too upset. Can you calm her down?" The med unit came from behind Irene and in a few seconds the cords in her neck began to relax. "Are you feeling better now?" "A little. What did you do?" "Just a bit of sedation. I want to mention that all the children with us have a communicator inside them. Part of it is a small computer. Over time the computer models itself after the brain it is near. The result is that the person gets to be more intelligent. I have one now and so do you." "I am not more intelligent now only more upset." "That is because your computer has not been allowed to assist. We can turn it on and I can think my words to my communicator and it talks to your communicator. Your computer tells you what was said." "I think you are out of your mind Rod." "No, I'm not and I can prove it." "How, by talking to me?" "Yes, that is the simplest way. It works much faster than speech and there is less confusion." "That's impossible." "You are still upset. You need to relax." "You didn't move your lips." "I haven't for a while now." "But that's... I guess it is possible. How do you do it?" "I told you already. Just like using the internet to talk." "Talk with your mouth. This silent talk is driving me crazy." "Ok. We came up here to show you a fraction of the possibilities. You are a very pragmatic woman and need to see with your own eyes. First are we in free-fall?" "Since you are floating around, I guess we are." "Second, did I use my radio link to talk to your mind without my mouth working?" "You know you did. Why do you ask?" "I want to make sure you recognise the facts later. Now keep your lips closed and talk to this young man beside you." "Why?" "So you will learn. You're not too old yet, are you?" "I am angry at you for saying such a thing." "Then talk to him. He is the same young man that we knew before and so are the rest of these young people." Irene would not talk so Paul said, "Do you hate me now? I just tried to be a friend." "I don't hate you. I am just angry and confused." "We were luckier. Wally got us to believe all this in small steps. Adults are usually smarter but also set in their ways. We wanted you to help us." "Help you do what?" "Well, I want to learn. I have a communicator too and I'm a lot smarter than I was before. School is so boring. All of us have to do other work and still pretend to listen to the teacher. That's hard." "What can I do. I'm not your teacher." "We want to start a real school. The Doc thought of the idea. The teachers will be like you and know what is going on. That way we learn a lot more and a lot faster. To start a school we need legal help." "I don't know much about starting a school." "But you know more than us. We can't do it alone. The Doc said you could be the headmaster..." "He did!" "Yes. We need both of you badly. Not all of us were thinking straight but now we are a lot better. There are a lot of others that need help and we can help them. Do you remember what I used to be like?" "Yes, you were a sweet boy that was hurt and abused." "Well, I am a lot better now but there are a lot of others that need help too. Talk to Erica. She can tell you what it was like and how we are coping now." Erica immediately said, "Hi Mrs Doc. This is Erica. We really need your help." "To set up a school?" "That and a lot more. The school need to be run properly. We need concerned adults. Some could be teachers and some could be administrators. We have to set up the Star Fleet Regulations that all of us have to follow. Who better than a lawyer to do this. If the regulations are adopted by the rest of the planet then your wording is very important." "Why would your regulations be adopted by other humans?" "We have spaceships now. We are going to manufacture antimatter to provide cheap power for humanity. That same power makes an atom bomb look like a firecracker. We need controls on its use. We can design ships that go many times faster than light. Humanity will spread across the galaxy. We need a common set of laws to regulate how we get along with each other." "That would take decades. I don't have that much time." "You are mistaken. We have great medicine. The Doc is going to lose his glasses as his eyesight improves. The worn parts of his body are getting slowly repaired. He can have children now. We want the same thing for you. You would be young again. The Doc will end up making you pregnant so you better watch it. You will not need glasses either soon. And best of all is that you will be a lot more intelligent than you are now." "I'll have to think about this." "Why are you afraid?" "I am not afraid." "You're lying. Are you afraid of me? I'm the same person you met months ago." "I am not afraid of you." "Are you afraid of Erin? She is the youngest member." "I am not afraid of Erin either." "Are you afraid of Wally? He killed some bad people that would have killed or hurt us. He would never hurt you." "I'm not afraid of anybody here." "But you are afraid." "I'm not." Erin swam over to Irene and held her chair. "You are afraid. You are just starting out and you cannot hide your feelings well. You are petrified of us. I would never hurt you or allow anybody else to hurt you either." "I'm not really afraid of you it is just so new to me. What you people can do frightens me though." "Mrs Suffolk, that is why we asked you to help. We have our own fears. We need more people that understand us. They have to help us make the rules all of us will live by. You are the one that has to help us. You will not be afraid and neither will anybody else if we all follow the same sort of rules." "I am not competent to draft those rules." "Do you think I can do a better job?" "No, at least not now." "You are our best hope. We are not asking you to do this alone. All of us will help." There was a long pause until Irene said, "I can help as long as I get the needed assistance." Erin moved in quickly and hugged the woman and Irene had to let go of her husband to hold the child. It was Erin that talked Irene into changing chairs so the two were side by side. She then talked to the woman as she made her decent. Everything she was doing was mentioned just as or before it happened. "Shouldn't you be watching what you are doing instead of talking to me?" "It's more fun to do it this way. Flying this old bus is easy for all of us. That old goat over there flew it didn't he?" "Old goat?" "He called me a child, but I guess I can't call him that now. I forgave him." "I like the term. He's acting like a goat recently." "He wants to make love to you?" "Shhh you are too young for that." "Now you're an old nanny. I have my man even if I have to share him. He makes me happy when he is holding my hand. When he makes love to me I feel special." "I heard about that. It isn't right." "I know what sex is and I like it. Are you saying that I cannot play with my pussy if I want?" "No you are free to do that if you wish." "Are you saying that somebody near my age cannot play with my pussy?" "What are you trying to say?" "I have my rights and you are trying to treat me like an infant. Even an infant can play with themselves. You are too much of a conservative thinker. The world has changed recently and you have missed the signs. You have to rethink your old ideas of what is right within the new context. You asked for our help when the regulations are written out. Absolutely nobody here will go along with your biblical notions. We will not get pregnant and we will not carry disease. The culture that formed you may have suited you then but not now." "Does your culture say you can have sex with whoever you want?" "We have not got that far. It is something like the regulations we have to draft. I have an adult mentality though I am naive in some aspects. If I find a sex partner that suits me then all I need is their willingness to participate. Nobody is hurt and both of us get pleasure out of this act." "But they can hurt you. You are so young." "I can communicate with Wally and all the rest. I would not likely get into that situation. If it did happen then that person would not do it again." "They would die?" "Maybe but they could also be sterilised and made to have no interest in sex." "That is against the law too." "The killing or the medical procedure to not have their glands overrule their common sense?" "Both." I recently found out that you were a judge. If a man came in that was sick in the head, he may be sent to a hospital. What if you had a hospital for all rapists? They would be cured and out in the street within hours. Their urge to rape would be gone." "That is not right." "So it is better to spend a million dollars of the taxpayer's money on keeping the man in jail for a few years? The man is separated from his family just so society can have its vengeance." "I guess I will have to think on the alternatives now." "Good. I may want to be a lawyer too and I need to learn but I do not want foolish laws, I want ones that are clear. We can make them together." When we landed, most of the people got out but the med unit scanned Irene from head to toe. "What is that thing doing?" I said, "Doing a survey of what is wrong with your body. The unit is intended to heal. It stimulates the DNA and the various types of RNA to assist in repairing the damaged tissue. In your case we have to get you working the best inside without changing too much of your features. You are going to have to get some cosmetic glasses soon. Your period will start as well. You have the option of voluntary stopping it until you want it to continue again. All the girls have chosen this." "I like... I feel odd talking to a young man about my body and you are not even a doctor." "We will continue the scan and we can start talking about relatives from the stars." "Relatives?" "Doc, you tell her. If you forget just ask Nadac." "Who's Nadac?" "The Doc will tell you." The Doc said, "You better sit down again. There is a lot to say." I made the changes I wanted in Irene's body before she had a chance to bitch about it. She could change it back if she wished but she would have to make that decision and not leave it to nature. Part way through the lecture, Irene started to use mental speech then after a few lapses did it exclusively. It was a lot more efficient. Irene never did make it to our house. The two went home in their cars to do a lot of thinking. The guys were very interested in a school just for us. They were also disappointed that it would take a long time to get organised. We formed our own ideas about what the academy should be. It grew so large though that it was the entire world. We had to cut back then and I put in that not everybody was suited to join and mentioned Caputo and Morton's names. With good intentions we got the two adults to join our discussion. They were very impartial because they did not know that our talk would lead to reality some day. Some of us went home to show our faces and because tomorrow was a school day. During school I worked with the rest of the cadets on our academy. All of us were adept at appearing interested in what the teachers said while thinking on our own problems. I or rather we owned some farms north of the city and some acreage within the city. The academy would have to grow in time and this meant it would become a city in itself eventually. Housing, educating, feeding and entertaining students took up a lot of room. The place had to be park-like but also easy to get around. Subsurface travel sounded best but buses may have to do. We could build a school by making a ship the size of a battle ship but that option would have to be in the future. Finding and cultivating people with my talent would be the most difficult. Nadac had already done this and found only a small fraction of the population even latently able to do some of the work. After the first recess the trainees got the job of thinking about the academy. The rest of us went back to work trying to find ways of increasing our numbers. We had to get a mountain of work done, especially the manufacture of missiles. I thought about the device that changed matter into its inverse. It was very large, complicated and power hungry. I assessed all the parts and why they were being used. The entire device worked much like the Kennsik Drive used to push a ship to supra light speeds. The more I thought about it the more I was sure this was true. If this were true then we could possibly use a much simpler drive and modify it to do what the inverter did. Matter going through the field could be twisted just a bit more to make it antimatter. The antimatter would cut out the stage where we made our fusion generator and the equipment to feed it. The trouble was that we needed a lot of power to make a functional supra light drive. A smaller unit needed a smaller amount of power but it was still a lot. A small drive required in the neighbourhood of 550 to 600 megawatts. The large drives power needs were more than linear. It hit me that the missiles we had to build had a similar drive and the smallest units were only 80 megawatts. There was no way we could buy that kind of power without raising a lot of questions. It was Erica that said, "Use accumulators." It was as simple as that and I kissed her even in class. Connie pretended to not see us. Some ideas I would love to keep from even Nadac but this I could not. "Nadac, our contract with King Rontem says we have to build small missiles. Will you tie in with Fonduush and see what kind of spectral discharge the missile gives off when its drive contacts matter. Our intention is to use this to produce antimatter in the proposed uranium mine." There was a long silence and we started to just continue with our plans. Our production would not be very much but it could be used to drive the largest of the drives we had to make. This unit would make what we needed. We were into going backwards and using antimatter particles to make Utram or possibly anti-utram this may give even more thrust as more of the components would be consumed. "Tell me more of your plans." I gave him the ideas of the accumulators and the smallest drive unit then how this would power the largest drive. I mentioned anti-utram but I gave it as much weight as the one made of normal matter. "We have found that this should work. The device will expel a great many neutrinos. Normally they are of no consequence but they will be detected." "Can we build a strong enough shield to contain them?" "That is possible but it has to be as massive as that used in a battleship." "What figures do you have as to the size we have to work with?" We got a lot of details including the power consumption. A shield did not use that much normally but in this case it did. Being buried in a mine did not stop any neutrinos. We were back to 600 megawatts if not more and that was just for the shield. When we got all that Nadac had to give, we went back to planning. Accumulators were the problem now and I needed lots of them and not the pint sized variety either. We could cut down on the size of the shield by making it fit only the large drive. The small drive would go in and produce a surplus of antimatter and this would be stored. The antimatter would then go into a reactor in a much less power hungry system. The resultant power would feed the original shield with the largest drive now in place. The favourable points were that the shields could be built by contractors as long as I produced the crystals and supplied the accumulators. The machinery we had to build could also be built by contractors though it was usually high density ceramic. We could put a shield around mild steel. This would give us part of the machinery to make good ceramic. The nanobots and nanites were a different matter and not easy to replicate. The sooner they started though the sooner they would get to the numbers we needed. The nanobots were larger and performed more varied work. The nanites could do very little beyond their intended purpose. They both had their good and bad points. Basically it was the speed of the nanites over the versatility of the nanobots. A fragment of Nadac's hidden information suggested that nanobots could be made to make all kinds of nanites and they were even faster than the way nanites reproduced themselves. Another factor is that I could make a nanite that could not only do one job but it could reproduce too. One exotic unit could make not only itself but a different nanite entirely. Some of the ideas I didn't dare mention to the guys yet. I could have come up with it independently but it was something good to keep in reserve. I still remembered how Rontem almost got me killed. I tried a bit harder in karate. My knee did not hurt or even bother me but it was not fully healed yet either. The guys knew that I had repaired my knee and they gave me opportunities to use it. The Curiosity stood dormant for the first time. There was lots of work to do for everybody. Nadac worked on the net with the trainees to get all the factors tabulated that would affect a large school. We would not be publicly funded but we should still going to apply for a tax free status. I wanted to be near Toronto but not too near. The city like the academy was going to grow. I wanted large tracts of land and looked all over for it. Some sections we already owned but this necessitated buying all the land around the one we chose. I followed all the rules and made a five dimensional equivalent of a magnetic bottle. The critters I was going to make had to have room to move and also room to build more of their kind. All these kind of devices had to have a way of deactivating the contents or they would go on until there was no matter left to work with. The bottle was treated as if it would carry antimatter. The raw material came from Nadac and I made everything. The bottle even got an additional accumulator in case the primary one failed after the beam power receiver failed too. There had been a lot of thought into just what to make. Since I worked well within the 72, that is where I worked. My first construct was a nanobot. I was going to make it the smallest possible by shifting the majority of the crystals into the upper dimensions. This allowed for a more intricate device that could do many more functions. Since it was so small, it could make the smallest nanites with ease. The nanites would reproduce themselves but the bot could make new varieties as the need arose. I had just started one of the large accumulators when Erica got me to come and eat. I sat down at the table and Mom asked, "You guys are always busy. It makes me feel like I am wasting my time. What are you doing now?" "Erin, will you answer please?" "Sure Cap. Star Fleet needs a real academy and not just our home. We are trying to find everything that the school will need and come up with a plan to get it built." "Like hiring teachers?" "Far more than that. We need a city which means power distribution and possible generation, water delivery and purification, sewage, natural gas, storm sewers, garbage pick up, roads, a secure means of communications and a lot more. Then we have to pick out the proper buildings to house the students and their needs other than education. The school has to be a conglomerate of buildings over many hectares. By the way, busing between buildings will be provided. The school requires a high degree of physical fitness and this will be stressed in the arenas that Patricia and Liza are designing. The main buildings are Paul's responsibility. The dorms and non-school buildings are handled by Greg and Lasha." "That is a lot of work. What are you specialising in?" "I am running the project. We have not come up with a good site yet but we want it to be at least within a few hundred kilometres of here." "What you are doing will take an army of engineers to do." "I know, that is why we have to work so hard. We have to learn as we go but we have more than adequate computer assistance." "What sort of time frame do you have?" "I was hoped that we could attend the academy the year after next but I do not see how that is possible. Wally gave us a billion dollars to work with but even that may not get things done the way we have to." "You can get an awful lot done with a billion dollars." "Yes, but we want quality and some features cannot be rushed. The roads have to be laid out and both sewers and utilities put in. Government approval will be a stumbling block even if we provide our own utilities." "I thought 'Sim City' was difficult to master but your game sounds much more intricate." "It is. We have to factor in lawyers and other professional fees." "I hope you do well with your game. Now, Wally, what are the rest of you doing?" "We are doing something similar. Our goal is to fabricate a strong defence of earth. The first need is supra light missiles. We did some debating and decided that they need antimatter for both propulsion and for the warhead. It's older technology but we hope to swamp an invader with what we have instead of trying to develop better missiles." "You are of course going to make the antimatter too?" "Of course Mom." "If you guys set your eyes on something concrete you will go far. I wish I was young enough to have your dreams." "You are young enough Mom. We just have to show you the right way." Just then I heard, "Hello Wally, are you there?" "I sure am Mrs Suffolk." "Good, it is just a little odd doing this the way Rod wants. I wanted to use the phone." "The phone is tapped by the police and some other organisations." "Oh my. Ok, I want to say that I'm in. I will help with the regulations." "That is good to hear. We could start by you getting all of the various military regulations. I have two very special computers. One is for you and the other for the Doc. They are standard machines but I put in a communicator. The operating system is like Linux. In actual fact, you are talking to Nadac, Hal or even Matt. You can get the same results but in your mind. We hardly ever use our laptops anymore. After a few weeks you probably will too." "Ok, I'll do that." "The trainees are working on making the plans for the city that the academy will eventually spawn." "What can I do to help?" "You and the Doc can take the Curiosity out for a spin. You need some time in it and it is free at the moment." "You want us to take your shuttle?" "Sure. I am afraid you have to start at the bottom as a trainee with the Doc. If you feel unsure one of the other trainees can go with you." "Is it safe?" "Very safe. Not only is there a good computer in it but the other three computers monitor it too. If you tried to crash it, it could not be done." "I think we will try it alone." "Good. I might suggest that you and the Doc join the 'Orbital Club'. "What's that?" "Do you know what the 'Mile High Club' is?" "... yes." "Good, then I suggest you use the netting to hold onto. It may be something to tell your grandchildren." "Wally, we are too old to have kids never mind grandkids." "That was yesterday. But don't worry, I took care of contraceptives. You won't need to change a thing until you are ready." "But..." "It's ok Cadet Suffolk. We all change as we get older but you are changing as you grow younger." Mom was looking at me and I said, "Sorry, just had a thought that I had to pursue. We'll get you into the academy soon and you can have fun the way we are." That night it was Connie's fertile time and she was very horny. I told her this piece of data and she fucked even harder. Betts and Erica were horny all the time and didn't have problems with periods. We used all of her openings. Until she could not take it anymore and collapsed. I heard Mom think, "Finally." before she was able to go to sleep. Connie's recurring nightmare did not come that night and I felt good about it. I usually pushed my image into her mind to drive away, kill or beat up her attacker. In school the nest day I got another call. "Wally, are you busy?" "Just school work Doc. How are you doing?" "We didn't come and take the Curiosity out. My wife was a bit nervous." "Was she horny?" "... yes she was but that is my wife you are talking about." "I won't speak of it again Doc. The rest of us are very open about sex and hoped that you two would be the same way at least after a while." "I'm sorry Wally, I see you as an adult but also as a young person. I might have reacted the same way if an adult friend had said that." "No problem. What was it that you wanted to say?" "Nothing much. First I wanted to test this out again. Irene and I have been closer since we can talk so easily now." "Betts and Erica are the same way." "Horny too." "Doc, do you mean I cannot talk about your mate while you talk about mine?" "You're right. Let's keep sex on the permissible things to discuss list?" "Ok and yes." "Do you really have an 'Orbital Club'?" "If you are in the academy you get lots of chances for joining the club." "Good but the first time we should do it in private but I need lessons first." "You have been married quite a few years. Why do you need lessons for that?" "If you were near, I'd swat your butt." "You can do the lessons in public and I will see if a cadet will take you up. Irene does not seem to trust her life to a ten year-old cadet." "Well I do. I wanted to talk to you about Connie." "Yes." "I thought that if you come across as a strong and even arrogant man you can get her to respond not only to your body but your academy." "That could work but it also means she will have to join the club multiple times until you land." "I thought the same thing." "I'll try it tonight. She is fertile and horny as hell." "Are you going to make her pregnant?" "It might solve one of my problems for finding somebody that can work with crystals but the answer is no." "That's good. A child changes a man and a woman. Sometimes it's good and sometimes not. You are too young and you have a lot of other worries to deal with before you start producing a family." Connie rode home with us for the last few weeks. Ostensibly she was riding with Gail, the woman that was renting her a room in her house. She rode in with us the same way. The sensei pushed her hard and she seemed to thrive on this. The more she was pushed the more she tried to comply. I reserved the Curiosity for my own use that day. We got in the house and had a quick shower. I put on my uniform. "Betts, Erica, I'm taking my other woman for a talk." All three women smiled. I looked at Connie and said, "Take off your clothes." Connie just smiled and hurried up. I had a spare belt and I put it around her neck like a leash and collar and just pulled Connie. She was hesitant for only a second then followed me docilely. She hung back slightly when I left the room and walked through the house. Connie had enjoyed the girls because Betts and Erica demanded it. To her though the guys had never seen her naked. When she tried to hide her breasts and pussy I stopped and slapped her lightly on the face. "You belong to me. You have no reason to feel shame." Her arms came down to her sides and she stood straighter. I led her out of the house and to the back of Gail's garage. "Where are we going... Master?" I didn't answer but kept walking. There was a chance that somebody would see her like this but the drones said it was safe. She felt a lot better when she was hidden by the garage. I led her around the visible ship and then up the ramp. Inside I took her to the back instead of a seat. I used two pieces of cord to tie her hands over her head and to the cargo netting. Connie had seen this ship in this condition when we allowed it but not recently. I walked away and sat in one of the chairs at the front to be dramatic. The hatch silently closed and the ship began to lift. Connie was now very wide awake and looking around. "What are you doing... Master? Tell your slave please." I said nothing. In a second the shuttle was accelerating vertically. Connie's mind was in turmoil. The netting at her back was now under her. She couldn't take it and she started to scream and fight her bonds. "Master, oh master, tell me what you are doing?" At a hundred thousand metres I levelled out and gave the computer orders that would cause the ship to circle so that down was perpendicular to the floor. I walked back to the sobbing woman and opened my fly and pulled my cock out. She saw me but didn't register. ------- Chapter 31 I wanted her to see me as a man in uniform taking her. The sex and the visual aids I hoped would get her to adjust quicker to her new reality. At my unspoken command the ship started to climb once more and the cargo net became down. I climbed over the woman's body and was then able to put my cock into her mouth. She sucked a little and stopped. In her mind I said, "Suck my cock. You belong to me and I intend to use you." Connie sucked mechanically until I came in her mouth then I pulled back until my cock was at her pussy. I ordered her legs up and I had a little difficulty getting in because the net was not that taut. Her legs were on my shoulders and she could not move much. One of my hands came out and grabbed her hair painfully and I pulled her lips to mine. It was then that she started to respond. I hammered away at her until we reached orbit. Once there I held the ropes with my hands and my feet were tucked into the net. When she finally came loudly was when I started to slow down to casual rhythm. "You are worth the effort and the cost woman, but you are going to have to be trained much harder." "Anything Master. I am yours." "I know that. For a moment I wanted to shoot my seed into you but it's still too soon." "Anything you want Master, anything." "Curl up more. I want your ass." "Yes Master." I pulled out to a sucking noise and the one eyed snake found its new home. In a few minutes I was home. I picked up speed slowly and Connie just went with the flow. Usually Betts or Erica would help now to make sure Connie had her cum. It didn't seem to matter though because she came anyway with a scream. A half moment later I released into her. "Your ass is better since you started to exercise." "Thank you Master... Master, are you talking into my head?" "People like me can do that." "But how?" This was when I wanted to set the hook. "I am going to change the world. I am formidable enough to do it. To have this power, I require the need to issue orders to my people. You are one of my women." "I am yours, Master, but how come we are floating?" "I got into my ship and flew into orbit. Look at the screen in front of you." The screen came to life and showed a picture of the earth from out present position. "Is that the earth?" "It is." "Are we in orbit, Master?" I caressed her pretty face and kissed it. "Yes, my pretty." I pulled out of her butt and dragged my now coloured dick up her chest until I untied the two cords at her wrists. When she was free she clung to me. "Let go. Your master does not wish you any harm today." "Yes, Master." Her arms came away but they were ready to pounce back once more. I managed to get between her and the net and used the net to throw her to one of the chairs in the front. She gave a long scream even though she was going so slow. When she was close to the target, I pushed off myself. I flew quicker and grabbed a chair before she could. I pulled her into it and then did up the belt. "You cause a lot of problems sometimes." She was crying once more and I just sat in a chair until she finished. "Master, how did we get into space?" "You helped us build the Curiosity. I just installed the engine and the Grav-repellers." "But nobody can do that?" "Woman, how many people have I killed?" "I think fifty six but I am not sure. You never told me." "I kill men that displeases me. I fuck my woman when it pleases me. I speak into your mind because you belong to me. We fly into space because I decided I wanted to come here." "Master..." "Close your mouth and use your mind." "... Yes, Master." "Good. I was thinking about planting a child in your womb today. I need help to align crystals. Our son or daughter may be able to do this." "I would gladly bear your child, Master." "I know that and that is why I keep you. Now listen to this story. It starts when I was far less than I am now." I told Connie my story and I made sure she knew exactly her place in the future. Later she said, "I will do whatever you want Master." "Undo your harness and kiss your Master." She did as I asked but flew off and I had to catch her and bring her back. She was very frightened but she did kiss me tenderly. Connie said, "Will you really give me your child some day?" "You may have more than one. I may have to breed a whole class of techs." Connie finally settled in the chair as I brought the Curiosity home. When we settled and the hatch opened, she put the belt on her neck. She then gave me the end with a smile. I hooked a finger into her pussy instead. My finger was used that to pull her where I wanted her to go. The family were eating. Mom and Pop were amazed to see Connie naked and being pulled into the bedroom by my finger. Connie didn't seem to care. We had a quick shower and we took our places and ate as if nothing happened. Connie was red though but still had her smile. Connie got her computer right after the meal and I ordered her to begin her new studies. She gave a big smile and said, "Yes, Master." Betts came to me and said, "I'm not calling you Master." "You may sometime but I may call you Mistress too." "In that case you might get it." Betts, Erica and I went out later and delivered two of the laptops to the Suffolks. Irene got a lesson but two girls and I showed the Doc. The Doc said, "I can see how you will abandon the laptop. The pictures are simply great but the one in my mind is so much better." "It is an easy way to learn. By the way, Connie is with us now." "How did it go?" "Rather well I thought. I had to do some acting. I'll show you." I uploaded the information into both of their new computers. They could save the information or delete it. After a minute we made a hurried exit. It looked like Irene got turned on by the scene and it effected the Doc too. The next person that should be brought into the fold should be Gail. She would be different than Connie but also have some similarities. Tomorrow would be good enough for her. This was none too soon because many of the easier portions of the hull would be delivered in a week. I needed adults to meet the truckers and to do the unloading. We had visited the building Star Fleet owned where the next ship would be built. In a way it was easier saying that than me owning it. We had not actually been inside yet but the drones had been. It was a good location. The building was on a large tract of land with trees around it. The Curiosity or even The Beagle could land invisibly and we could still get into the building unseen from everywhere including above. We had done a lot more thinking on the matter of the ship and how it would leave. Instead of ripping the wall down when we eventually left, we felt it better to make the building much like a hangar. The large earthmoving trucks that handled up to six hundred tonnes needed large doors. With this subterfuge in mind, a construction company was given the contract to alter the existing structure. We would have used a hangar too. Finding a secure airport with a good building was not easy if it had to be near Toronto. Five were in the plans for the academy. The building was cleaned up by workers hired by a maintenance company. The grounds were in need of mowing and a general spruce up. A nursery was contacted and they would add more trees to the perimeter of the property to keep it even more secure. This work would not be done before the parts started to arrive. The next day after karate I said, "Gail, you haven't flown in our newest shuttle yet. How about taking a bit of your time and go with us?" "I'd love to but I have a lot of work to do." "Do you mean you don't want to play with us?" "You guys have a lot of fun it in it but I just don't have enough imagination." "We are staging an orgy in your honour if you come." "Wally, you should have said that first. Just let me have a quick shower." We all got cleaned up and put on our civilian clothes. We met in the back of the garage. Gail said, "How did you guys get this here? Last I saw it was in the garage." Wendy said, "We flew it here." "Well don't tell me then. Now when does this party begin?" Wendy said, "In just a moment. It takes a while to have all those showers." When we were all here including Connie we boarded the ship. Gail was disappointed to sit in a seat instead and even have to strap in. I said, "Cadet Pallo take to seven hundred thousand metres. Keep us stationed over this location." "Yes, Captain. Geosynchronous orbit at seven hundred thousand metres." Connie was tense but Erica and Betts were on both sides of her. Gail's eyes bulged as she felt movement in the craft. After twenty metres of forward movement the ship stopped and the bow rose to vertical. "Wally, how are you doing this?" "More power is applied to the grav-repellers at the bow. The ones at the stern keep a lock on earth until we..." We were pulled back in out seats with three gravities of acceleration. "We are moving into orbit." There was some of the usual shaking and Gail hung onto her seat with a death grip. We avoided aircraft by a wide margin usually by going slower or faster to get out of their way. "Wally, this can't be happening." Liza was sitting beside her mother and said, "Mom, I'm here and you're safe. Wally wouldn't let anything happen to us." "What's happening?" "It's just like Wally said, we are going into orbit." "But how?" "Star Fleet sent the parts and we put the shuttle together. The Curiosity is nice but the next ship is going to be a real space ship. We named her the 'Quest'." "That can't happen." "Mom, I am here talking to you. You feel the power of the ship clawing its way out of the atmosphere. Why are you saying this can't happen?" "Because it can't." Patricia was on the other side of Gail and said, "We have been flying into orbit a lot of times already. I have been in command sometimes and so has Liza. Yesterday Connie flew up there with the Captain." I said, "Talk to her Connie." "Gail, that's right. I was up here for the first time yesterday. I was just as frightened as you are now. The Captain frightened me more, I think, but then he made it up to me. When we get high enough we go into free-fall. That was frightening by itself. You might want to focus on the cargo netting at the back once the acceleration cuts back. He... he tied me up to that at the start. I never had a seat to use like you have." Gail heard the words but the meaning did not sink in. The rest of us talked verbally to each other like we were on a school bus that was carrying us to the zoo. The acceleration cut back but it was still half again what would be on earth. Our speed was increasing because there was hardly any air left to slow us down. The screen showed earth or the moon usually but today it was focussed on one of the manmade satellites that circled the globe. Gail was less frightened as the trip went on. Finally Wendy said, "Captain, we have reached our objective." "Thank you Private Pallo. Instruct the computer to keep us in position while we practice manoeuvres." "Aye, Captain. Hold position and prepare for fun." To everybody I said, "Everybody is to report for free style callisthenics commencing now." I started taking off my clothing and so did the girls. Connie saw what was happening and did the same thing. The cargo net was soon covered in bare bodies with clothing and shoes floating all over the place. Liza was having a difficult time getting her mother to get out of her chair, never mind to remove her clothing. I floated over and held an empty chair and said, "I did this so you would understand about Star Fleet and us. You are an outgoing woman who will thoroughly enjoy this once you get a basic understanding." "There's no Star Fleet." "You're wrong Gail. We are Star Fleet. I was given a lot of knowledge recently and along with some of my natural skills we have built this ship. You will learn more but only after you join us." "Don't you understand Wally? I am afraid of heights. I feel like I am constantly falling like in a nightmare." "I can fix that too." Erica went to an enclosure and brought out the med unit. It made a few assessments until I ordered it to provide some relief for Gail. In a few seconds Gail started to relax. Erica floated close to Gail and wrapped her legs around Gail's neck and held the woman's hair in both of her hands. Her cock was now nestled into Gail's warm mouth. It was easy then to get Gail free of the chair and undressed. I got Gail's pussy and slipped inside. It had been a while since I had enjoyed her body. She was not going to find out about my new cock. Betts and Connie did what they could to please Gail. Gail's first orgasm came only five minutes later and she screamed around the cock in her mouth. Erica was enjoying her second orgasm. I filled her as best I could and relaxed by going slowly. Betts pulled me out and I just flipped over in the zero g and tried to work my way into Gail's rectum. Betts pulled us both together until I was able to worm my way in. By that time Betts was munching on Gail's pussy. It was an hour later that we dragged Gail's body to the netting and let the others have some fun with her. I was a little surprised to see Lasha go after Gail's pussy until I remembered that I had filled it at least twice. Greg loved blowjobs and Gail was one of the best. Gail must know who she had because her fingers worked into his back passage as she sucked on him. I worked on my own ladies now. Connie did whatever any of us asked and gained pleasure from doing so. There was no room on the net but one or more of us would hold onto something to keep us from hitting the walls or the seats. The orgy lasted an hour more but it was the munchkins and Paul that kept it going. They even had their own turn at Gail but by then she was almost unresponsive. We came back to earth in both senses. When we landed we had to gather up all the damp cloths used to clean us and then sort through the clothing to find what was lost. We had to dress Gail but she had a smile on her face. The youngest had the job of cleaning up the ship and that was not a small job. There was sperm and pussy juice all over the place and the best thing to do would be to hose it down. They did their job without too much fuss because everybody except me had to do this too." We went and ate. The meal was over but Leslie knew we were off somewhere and not available. Gail still had a stupid look on her face and she had heard nothing about the Aristis or her new ability to send and receive thoughts. My girls took Gail home and we had a shower together and then got spermy and juicy again which required another shower. With Gail almost comatose we told her the truth about Star Fleet and her position within it. She seemed to understand but not very well. The girls took her to get a cold shower and even that didn't do too much. The girls studied and I made more crystals that night because we had to stay with Gail until she came to her senses. It was about five in the morning that Gail awoke and realised what had happened. She was worried now and needed some reassurances but I did not give her sex. We actually got up and talked in the kitchen. "So all of that was not a dream?" "Talk with your mind, Gail, and no, it was not a dream. The human race now has space. With it comes a lot of responsibilities. We need you to help us and in return we help you." "The med unit you talked about?" "That and a lot more." "What about all that money you have?" "A portion I consider mine but the rest belongs to Star Fleet." "So I have to be a straw boss as well as your chauffeur?" "It's not too much is it?" "Oh, no. There was little to do. Drive you guys to school then take you to karate then come home. So you are going to make a real star ship." "No, we are going to make the ship. Now go get dressed. We will take a look at the place before the rest get up." She gave a coy smile and said, "Is this a date?" "This is to show you your duties. There is going to be a lot to do." Gail and I flew at a much slower rate to the building. Going at three hundred klicks an hour and in a straight line made the trip very quick. I pointed out the areas being worked on and those that were still to be done. The large screen did more than one job. We saw the building and it also displayed the work in progress or the finished article. Gail got the ideas fairly quickly. Gail flew us home and her acrophobia did not kick in. We did go much slower and took some detours but Gail seemed to like the experience. We made breakfast and had it ready when they got up. It took only a few words before Connie was explaining her first time up with me. All of the girls had glassy eyes now but it was time for school. At school we discussed initiating June into our small organisation. Doc and Irene talked a lot to Gail and Connie. Some of my trade secrets came out. Rebecca and Silvia Augusto seemed to fit in now. This also gave Connie, Doc and Irene more to talk about. At no time did I get the feeling that any of the adults got the urge to go and talk to the police about me. They focussed on the aims of Star Fleet and how they could shape the future of the human race for thousands of years by what they did today. Doc said, "I have more patients that could use your care. Too bad they are not at your school. Some are young but most are in high school. Is it possible for you to meet with them both unofficially and supposedly without knowledge of their problems?" "Do you think they will fit into Star Fleet?" "Some I honestly have to say no. They are just children with problems. Some might be resolved but most will end up being troubled adults." "What can I do?" "I have no particular magic bullet. Most could benefit by simply being in a positive environment. Sort of a pre academy for people that may or may not go on." "Doc, I have a great deal on my plate already. My contract to King Rontem means that I have to do a lot of work. Even if I could recruit every patient I could take in; I would not see any payoff in my time for many months if not years." "If you are busy then perhaps your people can assist. They work hard but they are not busy all the time." "Doc, they are a lot more busy than you think. You may have a patient now but you are still talking and listening to me. They work with Nadac to design the equipment with earth produced parts. They order the parts and negotiate for a good price. Their voice is disguised on the phone to simulate that of an adult. They built both ships and will build most of the Quest too. I have a hard time supplying the crystals and aligning them when done. We are all busy." "It is the busy people that get things done not the ones who watch television and say they are busy. Maybe I can find some that are good enough so the payoff time is not that long." After school the girls took June for a ride. Gail and Connie went with them... to maintain order. This was one more job that I did not have to do and as long as it was done right I didn't care who did it. My bot was working hard and already he or she had forty six units made but the first nanite was also producing and so were its prodigy. I started another bot with different abilities because I did not want to wait for one group to be done before I started the next. The back of our assembly building was ripped off. We wanted speed and the company put three shifts on the job. I was still making accumulators. To serve a double duty, I made them for the Quest but they would be used to provide power to the shields that covered the antimatter making facility. Since there would be this kind of shielding, we decided to make the antimatter in the same building. Chuck organised the plans for the shield with Nadac and the rest of us. He was also in charge of procurement. This time it was again aluminium that we were going to use. One shop could make this for us and ship it in two pieces. It would weigh eighty six tonnes and require an escort because of its width. We were paying just under nine million dollars for it so we got their full cooperation. Matt and Hal monitored the construction. If necessary, a representative we contacted by phone would be our mouthpiece to talk about inconsistencies with the prints we supplied. This same procedure was done to control all of our businesses but it was usually done through lawyers and accountants. Those not on or working on the ship had jobs to do. The Quest was in the hands of nearly a thousand jobbing shops. Not all owners or shops were equal. Some were going to be late and some were consistently sloppy in their tolerances. There were penalties in the contracts for this and I would put them into bankruptcy if they wanted to act foolish. We bargained hard but then offered more money for accuracy and speed. The girls were coming back now. They had not gone into orbit though they went their mentally. A meek voice said to me, "Wally, are you there?" "I sure am Sweetie. How did you like your ride?" "... I don't know how to answer that. I learn that you are friends with people that were not born on earth, that you are one of the richest people on our planet. I thought it was a joke but I know that everything you said to us was really the truth." "What do you think about joining Star Fleet?" "It's wonderful but I don't know if I can do all that military stuff." "You don't have to do it all. Everybody has to learn how to fight but then you can do one or more of the thousand jobs that have to be done." "They said I would be an accountant. That is what I was aiming for in school." "You will make a great accountant. Most of those in the future are linked to some powerful computers. I want you to learn about computer's too." "We use computers." "Yes, but the computers on earth are like using an abacus. A real computer is much more powerful. There are not many accountants either. They are so powerful that only two or three would handle all of earth." "I could never do that." "If you trust me, then you will believe that what I say is true. You are going to be one important woman." "Really?" "Yes, you have to talk more to Matt. He does our accounting now and a lot more." "I'm building a 72 now but I want perhaps a 60 someday to run our world. You can be one of the people that feed the computer the data and learn what has to be done." "I just learned what those computers are really like. They're alive, really alive." "Matt, Hal and Nadac are really alive too. They just live in a computer." I am almost home now. I want to see them with my own eyes." "Sure but they are much more beautiful on the inside than outside." When we ate together, Mom I and II as well as Pop noticed how excited June was and just smiled. It was nice to know that somebody you loved was happy. We cleaned up and June went to her studies and not the usual drivel she watched on television. To be honest she did not watch much because she saw how we avoided it. There were three adults left and we all of us had ideas to the order they should be informed in. I knew Mom would be the hardest because she would react. The Doc and I worked on this problem and figured that Pop had to be the one that would have to be the one to make her see reason. Mom II would do whatever Mom and Pop wanted within reason. "Pop, do you have some time for me? I have a problem." "Sure I do Wally. I have all the time you need." "Then come with me so we can talk." We walked over to the Curiosity that was now parked behind the garage once more. Pop said, "That is a beautiful machine. I can almost see it in orbit transporting people and equipment to a space station." "I can too but most adults don't have the imagination any more. Kids have a lot and because of that we can find out useful information. Adults coast on what they learned as a kid." "Not all of us are that way, Wally." "Yes, I know Pop. Have a seat and we can talk." When we got settled, he waited for me to begin. "When I was young, I was skinny and weak. I think that I was destined for a troubled life. I was lucky though and met a friend or rather a person that could use my help in return for some help from him." I talked about the Aristis and their civilisation. I then went on and explained a lot more about Nadac. "Are you saying that this Nadac really exists?" "He sure does and so does King Rontem. With their help I destroyed Caputo's vile empire. I helped save the children and adults he abused and made a lot of money to fund Star Fleet." "How did you do that?" "The crystals that I have the ability to influence can be turned into an unlimited number of devices. Some of them are around us now. They send back information to Nadac and King Rontem. Others send the information to my own computers or to all the children in our extended family. They can see us as if we were on a television." "Your story is very clear but do you have a way of proving any of this to me?" "I sure do. I took Connie into orbit to show her what I could do. Yesterday I took Gail. We had a lot of fun in orbit and she came back a bag of jelly. The girls took June and you saw her when she came back. There was some physical love shown so that is part of it. For you I can show you that the shuttle works. Let's go for a flight over the city." "Ok." I didn't think he believed we could. The ship moved and Pop grabbed the arms of his chair. The screen showed what we would see if we had a windshield. The hatch was still open and he could see the altered view from the opening. With no verbal orders given the hatch closed. "The ship is invisible now even to radar. The screen in front of you is really a television screen. I'm going to aim it down." We saw some grass that looked only a few metres away. "Let's get a few hundred metres of altitude." We climbed vertically and hovered. The scene below showed the back of Gail's property and ours. "Do you believe we are over our home?" "It sure looks like it." "I am going to bring us up to a thousand metres and then go downtown." "Sure." "Buckle up and put your head back. I'll show you how fast we can get to 320 metres per second." "Why that speed?" he said as he buckled himself in. "It is just below the speed of sound. We do not have the equipment that larger ships have to negate a sonic boom." He put his head back and said, "Ready." We took off at only four gravities. It was more than enough to show him. His features pulled back as the skin stretched on his face. His hands were like claws as they held the arms of the seat. Twenty two seconds later we stopped accelerating and then turned around and for twenty seconds we decelerated at four gravities. We then stopped dead and we were looking at the downtown core of Toronto. Pop was breathing hard. "What happened?" "We accelerated at four gees then flipped and decelerated the same way. Forty some seconds after we started we covered a little over eighteen kilometres." The image we saw was of downtown. "Is that a real view?" "Yep. I can drop you off and you can get a ride home if you want. If you walk it you will know it for sure. You could peek out the hatch but people might see the inside of the shuttle and us staring out at them. We can go out into the lake and you can wet your hand or we can go north and stop on some land." "I can take your word for it, Wally." "When we get home you can feel the invisible ship. That will do it too." "You could have shown me that first." "Then you would be too afraid to get in." "Maybe." I will start on more of my story now." I told him about the kind of money I now controlled. I went on to list the companies we owned or had shares in. "Wally, I cannot even imagine that amount of money." "Some of it is mine but the majority I want Star Fleet to have." "Why?" "Pop, greed is human but it has to be studied. I have more money than I can ever spend and getting more every single day. The human race needs Star Fleet. The whole race prospers when that happens." "I guess you're right. You control all of the money anyway." "For now but we are going to have to set up committees. Budgets have to be set and money allocated. Even the billion dollars I gave for the academy can be squandered." "So you really gave a billion dollars to Erin to build a school?" "Yes. She may only spend a portion of it or all of it. I know that we will get our best deal for whatever we spend." "But she's only ten." "Remember how I said that we have a communicator in our heads?" "I thought that was a story but now I believe." "Good. The processor on the communicator has a lot of ram on it. After it was activated, the processor formed itself to mimic our brain but in doing so made the two of them much stronger. None of us has an IQ of less than two hundred and most are over three. June will take a while but she too will catch up." "What about me?" I closed my mouth and said, "Can you see that I'm not moving my lips but you can still hear me?" "Oh, my god, I have one too." "Yes, Pop. Just think the reply. You don't have to verbalise." "Like this?" "You are coming in perfectly. Would you like to talk to Betts, June or Patricia?" "Ok." He heard, "Hi Daddy," from three sources and smiled. I turned the ship around and headed back. There was no need to hurry except that I had a lot of work to do. Pop got out of the invisible shuttle and admired the machine that he could not see. His daughters pushed him back into the ship and then they took him for a drive. When I got into the house, Mom said, "What happened to Pop?" "His daughters shanghaied him. He'll be back in an hour or so." "Where did they go?" "Just for a ride." They came back with a big tub of 'Death by Caffeine' ice-cream to make everything look kosher. It was against to rules to get out of the ship like that but there was no danger where they did it. The next day at school, Connie shifted the class around. Those that tended to be wallflowers were at the back of the class. We were put there instead. Connie didn't have to teach us anything so she concentrated on those that needed it. This was already the case but now she just made it more efficient. Connie formed study groups where we all worked on problems she gave us. Now it was not only permissible to talk in class but we were encouraged to do so. Some of us only had to do it out loud now. Rebecca and Silvia were in the group with me. The girls had certainly improved since they came. They were quiet and withdrawn at first but blossomed under the care of Erica and the girls. They were of above average intelligence and now fought for their ideas. I liked this quality in them. Silvia said, "We were going to have a quiet birthday party and thought you might like to come. You don't have to bring presents. We just wanted you." I accessed Hal and said to the girls, "Your birthday is not until Wednesday." "You know!" Both girls were all smiles now. I went through my schedule and saw that it was Leslie's birthday party this weekend too. "I can make it for just a while. Wendy's mom's birthday is being celebrated tomorrow too." "That's ok, it was going to be a small party." "How small?" Silvia didn't answer so Rebecca finally did. "You were the only one we invited." "I have some girlfriends now. I don't cheat on them." Both girls turned red so I hurriedly said, "I'm sorry. I thought you wanted something else." "I'd like... I mean that's ok. We were only going to go to the movies." The girls didn't invite anybody else but me. "Didn't your foster parents suggest that you have a party?" This time it was Rebecca that didn't talk. Silvia said, "They did and then they said they were going to be too busy." This sounded off so I asked Hal, "Were the police or anybody else involved with keeping the girls from having a party?" "The offer was given and then recanted two days later." I said to the girls, "I want an honest answer no matter what. Did somebody ask you to invite me to a private party?" There was no verbal answer but the girls turned red and looked down. I just waited until Silvia said, "The police said to never tell you. We could do whatever we wanted. They just wanted you to like us." "That's ok. I do like both of you. You should have just told me instead of trying to trick me." "They said we would go back to the other school if we told. Don't tell on us. We like it here with you." "That's ok. You are going to come to Leslie's party and then there'll be a party for all three of you." Silvia said, "Will she mind? We're not like you." "What do you mean Silvia?" She was hesitant but she then said, "We're not smart like you." "Silvia, I got smart by studying. You girls are smart too. Leslie will not mind in the least. We always make lots of cake and somebody has to help eat it. The party starts at nine and lasts all day. You are even invited to a sleepover." "But you're a boy?" "Erica will invite you for a sleepover then. The police will allow it and tell your foster parents it's ok." "How do you know?" "Because that is the way to bait a hook." "What do you mean?" Rebecca said. "The police think I'm still guilty or at least know something about the recent deaths. They will give you something that will have a microphone in it. Don't worry, I expect that. They want you to talk to me about what happened but I know that too. You get a chance to play Mata Hari." They both recognised the name and smiled. "Hey Doc, you busy?" "Yes, call you back in five unless it is important." "Five is great, Doc. Thanks." Silvia said, "Did you just think of Doctor Suffolk? He's a nice man." This really did shock me. I looked into Silvia's mind while I wondered how she could have known such a thing. I did not see a communicator or even much of a field so there was no active crystals in her. Rebecca said, "Don't say anything about us Wally. People will think we're weird." Us means both and it could only be telepathy the communication method that the Aristis didn't think much of. I had to control myself just like I did with Nadac. "It is just rare to find somebody that can practice telepathy. I can see the reason for people to hide this ability." Both girls were worried now. I was onto their secret and I could hurt them. "Let's talk after school. You are not in trouble and you will not be a lab rat." I ripped off the tiniest piece of paper and put it on the table and then pushed it forward and then pulled it back with my mind. Rebecca said, "Did you just do that?" "See, I have a secret too." Silvia said, "Do it again." I ripped off four more pieces of paper and put them all together then used my PK to make an 'X' with a piece at where they would intersect. "Wow, that's great." "I'll trade. You both teach me what you know and I will teach you what I know about moving things." Silvia said, "Ok." Rebecca looked unsure. I said, "Rebecca, are you afraid of learning something new?" "People will think I am even more weird." "Do you think that I believe you're weird?" "Nooo." "Well you're right. I love to learn and I don't mind teaching. Tell me how you first learned of your gift." They talked of their earlier life when Doc said, "Hi Wally, what's up?" "I just found that Rebecca and Silvia Augusto are telepathic and picked up my thinking at you a moment ago." "That is really interesting." "Now you got the smarts and the tools to find out more. You can go into assembly line head shrinking." "Are they picking up your thoughts now?" "I don't think so. I am watching their expressions." "Well keep me posted. Was there something else?" "Oh yes. The police stopped the girls' foster family from giving them a small party and one of them suggested that they have a small party with just them and me. They blushed and when I looked, Rebecca still has a hymen and Silvia's is just partially ripped." "I would be shocked at you but I know your heart is in the right place." "I invited them to come to Leslie's party tomorrow. You and the boss are invited to. It starts at nine. I said I was going to get Erica to ask them to sleep over." "That will give us time to talk." "So you better be thinking of what gifts to buy." "You're right. I guess I will tell the 'boss' and get her to help." "Smart move Doc. Talk later unless you have something else." "Talk later then. Bye." At this point it was natural to talk to Nadac. I had his memories but he was still faster at making decisions. "Hi Nadac. I found two twin girls with the telepathic ability. Will you give me the details you have about this power?" There was no response but I got an upload of info that went into my crystal. I stayed in character and did not say thanks. Recess came next and the girls stayed with us the way they usually did. I said verbally about Rebecca and Silvia having a birthday too and my idea of combining both so there would be no confusion. I didn't tell them about the telepathy yet because the girls might detect that I told on them. We did talk about what presents to buy and that was ok if they found out. Rebecca and Silvia were a little off on their karate and I chivvied them to do better. It seemed to help. We let the girls off at their home while we left for the mall to find some gifts. The girls already had presents that they had gathered from their trip to Montreal but the guys didn't. It struck me as odd the way we were stared at while we searched. I had to look myself to see. When I looked at the other people I saw a portion of the reason. Our clothes were good and were worn like a soldier or politician not a child or teenager. The looks on the gang's faces said they were highly intelligent while assessing our environment. We tended to speak little even if it was mentally transmitted. We all walked very erect and I had to say proud too. I naturally took point while Chuck took tail. Sam and Jerry took flank positions to protect our family. I could not see how this happened. I recognised that we did this all the time and not just now. Paul more often than not stayed back with Chuck as if knowing that this would be the more vulnerable area. The girls were not meek females. They looked for threats as easily as they looked for fiends or bargains. They were not bunched up either so they could scan a wider area. Gail and Connie walked in the centre with the munchkins between them. I had the urge to tell them what I saw but thought better of it. We were smart but we were still young and foolish at times. The guys may be smart but the girls still helped them pick out presents. Instead of taking a few hours to shop, we were done in less than twenty minutes. When we got home we kissed Leslie and wished her a happy birthday because today was it though the party was tomorrow. I said, "The two Augusto girls, Rebecca and Silvia were not having a birthday party at all. I hope you don't mind because I invited them here to celebrate with us." "No, I don't mind at all. Is that wise though?" "It doesn't matter. The police manoeuvred them into having a party with just me. Both are virgins and this bothers me." "The police are using them? I hate that but how do you know they are virgins?" "Their attitude and reactions tipped me off when I stepped wrong after they invited me to have a party with them." "Did they blush." "Sure did." "While you're here Wally, tell me why first Connie then Gail, June and Bert are acting oddly?" "It is all attitude. They were formally inducted into Star Fleet. We like to make a ceremony out of it so it happened one at a time. Perhaps later we can have a talk with you about the benefits of joining along with the obligations." "I already do most of the cooking and cleaning." "You are never a servant. We clean up ourselves and we cook too." "Yes you do and I guess I have very little to do." "We have a lot of responsible positions opening up. Star Fleet is expanding rapidly and you are in on the ground floor. You may not make an admiral but there are a lot of dirtside positions available. At the moment most involve the academy." "I don't have a teacher's certificate." "The academy will be strictly private. Gail started out teaching how to be polite and moved on to how to react in civilian groups. This included dancing and how to carry on a conversation. This will be taught to thousands of potential officers over the decade. I am thinking of moving her over to teach unarmed combat." "Really?" "She's good. In fact we are all good. You could do the same even if you are carrying junior around with you." "Maybe after he pops out but what would you have me do? I have no great skill." "During the day you could use one of our computers to access our website. You can get an idea of what is available. You could be offered an aptitude test to find where your interests lie. Personally I feel that you will love being with the toddlers." "Toddlers in the academy?" "Sure. We train them young. By ten they are working on antimatter powered engines instead of waiting as long as I have to." Leslie laughed hard. "Don't worry Wally. You are the first and you have to break new ground." "Thanks Mom. You're right but it's hard too. I have to plan so much and I couldn't do what has to be done if I didn't have the friends I have." "Friends are important when you're young and even more important when you're older." In the background I heard, "Daddy, bring home some milk and we're short on eggs." "You almost scared me to death, Betty." "You'll get used to it like we did. Call June and give her a jab." "I just might do that." We tried to help Leslie but she kicked us out so we could 'play' as she put it. "Doc, you busy?" "Hi Wally, what would you like?" "Did Pop talk to you yet?" "Yes we had a nice talk. Irene, Gail, Connie and June spoke with us. Am I right in assuming you want to talk to Leslie about joining Star Fleet?" "That's right. What do you see as the optimum way of getting her to help?" "Bert asked the same. He feels that just having her with family and in the Curiosity may be enough." "No nookie?" "Well maybe later." "Then you guys could come along for the drive." "Yes, I guess we could but what about Lillian?" I said, "One at a time is best. Mom and I can go shopping and you guys can convert the unenlightened. When we get back we can all go again. I'm afraid that Mom may go off the deep end. She was angry at me when she learned about what I did." "Do you blame her?" "She shifted her anger to the us for the military routines we use. It was not rational." "That may pass. She will be among those she loves so it may not be too hard to understand and accept." "The understanding is easy, it's the accepting that's hard." Pop came home with the groceries and kissed Leslie more passionately than he usual did then did the same to Mom when she came in. Her smile said that she might get lucky. Pop had been appraised of my idea to keep Mom busy while Leslie learned about us. Just after the meal when we usually disappeared, Pop said to Mom. "Lil will you go with Wally. He has to pick some gifts out for those two girls... that needed rescuing?" "I can, but Wally usually finds his own transportation." "I am getting something for him. I want you to keep him busy too." "What's it for?" "A surprise for now. I'll tell you later tonight." "I guess, we don't get a chance to be with each other much. Maybe Paul would like to come too?" "I'll ask. He likes his mother a lot." "He likes his dad too." "I know and I feel proud about it." Paul gladly came along. Rush hour was still upon us but dying out even on Friday night. We found our way to the mall but a lot of other people thought shopping Friday night was a good idea too. We went to this mall so I could get some painting supplies. I wanted to try watercolours and even some charcoal. I already had gifts for the girls but they could get pictures too. Paul had been working with a budget of a billion dollars but he watched his own money as he shopped for gifts for his women. He had everything else he needed. Paul and I monitored those in the Curiosity. Doc and Irene had managed to make it before the ship left. Leslie was in the stunned stage now. Paul and I smiled at each other knowing what she was now going through. Mom went shopping for another gift for Leslie just to keep us busy. She fiddled around to pick out just what was right. When we came out of the store we were burdened by all of our purchases. A guy with long dirty hair rushed by and cut the strap on Mom's purse and ran away with it. My foreknowledge did not warn me of this. I bent over and put the bags on the floor and gave chase. Paul was just as fast and was right beside me. Mom was screaming in the background but we continued on our way. The guy rounded a corner to another corridor. "Paul, he has to have a way out or a place to hide." "One of the washrooms are ahead. It's by the main office and I think they have to have a way out for the employees." "Good thinking and I see it. The guy just turned into the hallway but he is talking to two other guys." "Buddies?" "Probably?" The purse snatcher was pretty fast and had long legs. We turned the corner that led to the washrooms as to guys came out purposely to block us. They had no weapons but they were big. The one in front of me tried to punch me but I blocked the arm and used my right shoulder to ram into his ribcage as my left fist drove into his abdomen. I heard the guy grunt from the shoulder then the punch. I pushed the guy over and looked to see if Paul needed help. His guy was bigger but Paul must have hit the guy a lot because he just looked stunned. Paul gave him a push and he fell over. As he fell Paul said, "Run." The purse snatcher ran into one of a double set of doors but it was locked. He tried the other one and found it locked too. There was the doors to the main offices and a janitorial closet but all were locked. The guy looked really worried until he saw who was chasing him. The guy stood up straight with the purse tucked under his left arm. He has nowhere to run but we didn't want to give him time to plan either. "Paul take the left. He sees that I am bigger but he doesn't know about Mad Paul the Barbarian." "Ok, Cap." He raced in but curved more to the right. The guy turned to face me while Paul dove at his waist. Just as the guy saw this threat I was close enough to jump into the air and hit the guy in the chest with my feet. The guy fell back and his head hit the wall with a thud. Footsteps were heard behind us and we both got into a stance to fight even though we had forgotten all about the sport in the fight. It was not the punks but two cops. I relaxed but said, "The last cops I met were fakes. Be ready." The men had their hands over their guns but they did not draw them. This was not like American television where guns were used all the time. One said, "You two over there and stay there!" We complied but the two cops went after the perp. They used their radio and started to give a report. Both put on gloves. It took a few minutes until Mom came running down the hallway and through the crowd to get to us. When she saw us standing and not hurt she slowed down. Her eyes shifted to the perp for a second then back to us. "Thank god you guys are safe. Don't do such a think again." Paul said, "I promise not to stop this purse snatcher again when I am with the Cap." "None of that legal talk. I meant never under any conditions." "Sorry Mom, family come first. You let one get away and then the piranha will come in." The first cop said, "Are these your children ma'am." "They're my sons." "Is that your purse on the floor?" "It sure is. My licence is in the purse with my picture on it." "Tell me what happened." Mom told her story and then I was asked. I gave a detailed report without going into pages of text. We talked about the two guys at the mouth of the hallway and what we had done. Mom was shocked. I guess the guys had got away before she came. Paul was asked what we did and he gave the same story as I did then talked of how he took out the guy on our left then went on to the perp. The cop said, "You took that big guy by yourself?" "He was not that big and he was not prepared. I am actually a heavy weight wrestler that goes by the name Mad Paul the Barbarian but I am hiding my identity until this happened." "You hide you weight very well." "Thanks, I try hard. We also take karate after school." The other cop went back to get the two but they would be gone by now. "Well you did a number on this one. He'll be out until next week." Mom said, "Will you verify that the purse is mine and let me have it back?" The cop checked the picture against Mom's face then asked her address and checked it against the one listed in the purse. Mom got her purse back and Paul said, "What about our bags?" "The shop next to us took the stuff in for us." "That was nice of them." The ambulance came and took the perp away. Pop led the rest of academy through the mall and to Mom. He hugged and kissed her and then so did Leslie and Gail. The cop looked a bit surprised but not much. They had been informed what was happening and came to see if they could help. We all walked back to get our packages. The woman that had taken it upon herself to gather our property gathered a hundred dollar bill for her trouble. She only protested a bit. Pop hugged Mom's arm and led her out a door but it was not the one closest to the car. When we got into the parking lot, the adults talked to Mom non-stop. There was a wide wall around groups of six service entrances to the stores. I could see the top of the shuttle but it looked just like the top of a truck. Mom said when we were just a few metres away from the shuttle, "Where are we going?" "Wally's toy is placed here. I want to show you something about it." The guys hurried in and Mom was near the rear. When the last boarded the hatched closed. The ship shook a bit as it rose and Pop got Mom into a seat. "What happened? It shook." "It's June. We have to do some talking and we are going to fly in a big circle around Toronto." "Fly? How?" "Wally built a shuttle. You even helped. It was intended for going into orbit but it works like a truck or a bus too. June?" ------- Chapter 32 "Yes Daddy." "Where are we?" "I decided to fly south to the lake and go east. I like the view of the shore." "Keep it under the speed of sound." "Yes, Daddy." Mom said, "What do you mean the speed of sound?" "Just that. This little baby has taken the kids into orbit a lot and cruised around Toronto. The cadets are getting in valuable flight time." "But this can't fly!" "We thought it couldn't but it can and it does a great job. The kids were sneaky. Everything they talked to us about was true. We only believed that it was an expensive toy for children." "Come on Bert. It can't fly." "June bank right then left twice." "Yes Daddy." The shuttle turned sharply one way then the other then did it again. "See Honey, we're flying." Mom's eyes were big because the screen showed what was beneath us. June sped up and we were pulled back into our seats. "What's she doing?" "We are going out into the lake and then stop so you can get your feet wet. This baby can not only go faster than sound it has a lot of power. I was pulled back so hard my skin got tight." "How can this fly?" "Let the Doc tell you." The rest of us talked to Mom and gave out the story a portion at a time. With all of us talking Mom had to believe what the rest of us said. Leslie talked about how she was introduced and didn't care if the details were said in front of Doc and Irene. Mom got nervous when June passed off the helm to Patricia. The girl said, "Don't worry Mom. I've got lots of hours. Flying level is for babies. I've taken this into orbit and brought it home. What's fun is to go real slow and manoeuvre this into tight places without scratching the paint." "But how can this fly? Nobody can do that." Pop said, "Wally met an explorer. Wally seems to have a gift for tweaking some odd crystals to get them to do some fantastic things. Wally is also a good negotiator. He helps them out by improving the crystals and they gave him some information." "You mean this explorer can make these ships. That means..." "Yes it does Lillian. To make matters more interesting we find that the explorer is from the Aristis race. Wally got a history lesson too. The Aristis happen to be an offshoot of the Tomma race. Humanity is an offshoot of the Tomma race too. This means we are related. We look similar and our DNA is close too." Mom spent a long time discussing this until June said, "Acting Captain Daddy, I stopped over the lake. Would you like me to open the hatch, Sir?" "What's our altitude?" "One point two seven metres, Daddy." "Any shipping able to observe us?" "The hatch is away from the nearest ships and it is getting dark now. The closest one that may see is twenty-one thousand metres away. I'll reduce internal lighting." "Then open the hatch, please." We could all smell the water now. Pop said, "Do you want to wet your feet or just sit there?" Lillian looked out the hatch. It was getting dark but there was still light to see the water. "I think I will just sit here. Tell me what the aliens are like?" "Well, actually there was only one. His name is Nadac. We don't pronounce the name right because the Aristis speak differently. In fact the Aristis hardly ever speak." Mom just looked at Pop but said nothing. Pop said, they are like us. They liked cell phones so much they put a small one into their heads. There is a better computer in the phone and it can interface directly to the mind. All they do is think at the device and the call can go out to somebody in the same room. They do not have to utter a word and they can communicate. We will do this too as soon as we can miniaturise them small enough." "So now the aliens or alien can think at us?" "I can't talk to you if you don't have your cell." "Ok. But Wally has one." "He does. He gave me one and one was given to everybody else in this ship. That is why we knew where to come to pick you up. Wally and Paul told us that you were safe." "But they could have been hurt or killed." "A possibility but Paul and Wally communicated and came on the guy from two sides. Both of them have been taking karate but they did not do this very scientifically. They did succeed. That shows one of the many uses for our cell phones." "What does this alien want if it is giving this ship to us?" "He only gave the information on how to build. Almost every atom on this ship is of earth origin. The kids simply got some jobbing shops to construct parts then the kids put the parts together. Wally was born with the way to take some odd crystals and use his mind to move a molecule at a time. He rearranges the crystal to what Nadac needs. Some of those crystals went into this ship. Our scientists know that there are many more than three dimensions. You do not have to take my word for it, look on the net. The crystals extend into some of these other dimensions. One kind can influence gravity, another kind makes a new kind of radio wave. "The humans went from the stone age then they went to bronze. After a while we progressed into the iron age. That is where we still are today. The civilised races of the galaxy did the same thing but went on until they came to the ceramic age and then the crystal age. The crystals have some amazing abilities but then again so does the new kind of ceramic." "Let me get this straight. Wally meets an alien. The alien gives him a communicator, some plans for this ship, a history lesson and gets him to make or rather change some crystals. Tell me why the alien cannot do that for himself?" "That ability does not extend to all of the Aristis. Nadac is both handicapped and improved in a way. Nadac long ago sat in a chair on his world and thought into a powerful computer. His memories were copied and then so was the structure of his mind and finally his personality. The man Nadac got up and left but also stayed within the computer. "The king of that world was fighting some other aliens and needed probes to do some searching for him. Their kind of radio is not infinitely fast so a probe has to be intelligent. A computer can make intelligent decisions with programming. The Aristis computers are so sophisticated that they are self aware. They have to do a lot of thinking in remote areas. The Aristis found that the artificial intelligence is not as good as the natural variety. The crystals that contained Nadac's memories and personality went into one of the computerised probes. It was this computer that made contact with our Wally." There was a very long pause as Lillian started to digest all this. Pop told June to close the hatch and take us up to a thousand metres and make a circle so we could get home. The lights got slowly brighter. Mom said, "That explains how Wally is able to trade for knowledge but what about the rest that happened recently?" She was looking at the Doc and Irene now when she said this. The Doc said, "Wally trusted us with all of his secret. We know about his fight with Caputo. Wally had some new tricks after he met his friend Nadac. He learned of the traps that were set for them at the fateful party. Wally knew that a lot of children were being hurt and the adults of this world did not know how to stop it. They sent out the DVDs but that caused Caputo to try to get rid of all the witnesses. Wally and the cadets had to put a stop to this. They had great communications but only a dart guns with only anaesthetic in them. "Wally built some small drones. The armies of this world use their own version to monitor the battlefield. They are usually a small remotely guided aeroplane. Wally was given plans for ones that could hover on antigravity and use the power of the earth's magnetic field for power. Their output fed the laptop computers he bought but they also went right to his cell phone, the one in his head. "Modern human soldiers have something similar. Some wear a television camera and a transmitter. Somebody far away can see the big picture and guide the individuals so they are safe. Wally's television cameras were all hovering and he did not have to hold them. "The only thing that Wally was not telling us enough about was that he used his friend Nadac to fight Caputo on a different front. This tended to keep the man from focussing on somebody his son hated. Caputo sold off his properties. The house you now live in was purchased by Nadac through the net. He also telephoned lawyers and got them to do this work for him. Caputo was extremely wealthy especially with his position as the top mob figure in Canada. Nadac bought up most of the assets that were worthwhile. When Caputo died, Nadac swooped down on the dead man's money held in offshore accounts and transferred it to his own accounts. Wally and Nadac now manage this money. Wally is learning the ways of high finance. Most of the money has been earmarked for the fledgling Star Fleet that he loves. I heard that he gave the children one billion real dollars to construct the buildings." Mom was stunned, "But that was just play money. They were acting." "Not really. They spoke the truth when they were asked questions. They knew that we would not understand and hid behind the adults' inability to see. Irene and I are working with the children to build this academy. Since its inception, it has been at your house or Gail's. They built their toy shuttles that fly. They monitored the skies over Toronto and even helped the police on occasion. They work with Nadac to make plans for ships then the children send out to get the parts manufactured. They build space ships. They do not like to skulk around. You are the one that may need the most coaxing to understand and accept the truth. That is why we are all here." "I can understand it well enough. I don't like Wally making deals with aliens. That is a job for the authorities not a boy that just turned thirteen. He has no conception of what he is dealing with." "Lillian, Wally knows more than all of us. If Canada got this information it would either be taken from us or there would be a war. Human authorities are not rational when it comes to nationalistic tendencies. Our neighbours from the south would come in or the two to the north. If the information were to be given out freely then there would be a mad scramble to get it to work for war before some other group beat them to it. Wally is building slowly until he learns more. The children almost know as much as he does. The academy will take those children in this area but will then extend to children of all nations. The next generation that will rule this world are actually the children of today. The slow transition will not have major wars. Do you happen to believe that the adults in power today are the finest examples of humanity?" "No, they are ruled by those that bought them. Children do not know what to do either. They can do irreparable damage." "That's true and that is why you are brought into this inner group. You have to monitor what goes on with the rest of the adults. They do not mind our coming into the group. They freely admit that they need help. At the moment we are planning what will influence the galaxy for centuries to come." "The galaxy, Rod?" "The academy will produce men and women to fly ships. The academy will build those ships. They are not limited by the speed of light. Colonies will be set up in the next century. The colonies will grow and send out their own people. That, to me, means that we are effecting the galaxy." "Wally can do that?" "Ask him yourself." Mom had to turn around to see me. This had been planned when we boarded the shuttle. "It is not as easy as it looks Mom. We have to do a lot of thinking on how to use this knowledge. Earth is very backwards in every way. We do not have most of the tools that could be used to make the tools we need. We build machinery a piece at a time with the equivalent of sticks, vines and rocks. I need help to do everything. Thankfully my friends and family can do most of it." "How did you meet this guy?" "He met me. Nadac was doing a search of the human population. Some of those insect bites were not insects at all. My ability is rare in the human population. The Aristis have manipulated their own DNA to make the techs more common. When I was in the north I was visiting Nadac. He patched me up sometimes." "Why hasn't he been found? I assume he came here in some type of ship?" "That's easy. We have a shield around the ship we are in now. It makes the craft many times stronger and protects us from anything bumping into us. Light is also bent around us or absorbed. We cannot be seen unless we have our hatch open. The Beagle can fly too. It looks like it is made by and for kids but it could go into space too. Its shield will not deflect strong radar though." "We are invisible? I don't believe it." "File the question away until we stop. You can get out and see for yourself." "Did you really get a billion dollars?" "Sure did. The academy does not need it all just now but it will get the total sum. What I am concerned with right now is the new cadets we have to gather. We need stable people that will not go running off as they scream about an alien helping us. We are very lucky the people we have now are so rational. We need thousands more but as with everything we have to start small and grow." "So you want to build ships and put children in charge?" "Mom, have you noticed that none of us act like children to any great degree? Some theatrics was for your benefit and some was because we are still young. Betts and Patricia have IQs close to three hundred. The computer in our internal cell phone is very complicated. When it is freshly put inside our bodies, it interfaces and matches our own thinking. It has ram in it too. We have excellent memories and the computer works in conjunction with our minds to help us think. We are not adults yet though we are a lot closer than what you might think. The ships we want will take years to make. Betts will be a woman by the time she is able to serve on her. We hope that you too may decide to join the Star Fleet and ride as crew and not a passenger." "I can't do anything in Star Fleet." "You can help us now and later when you have taken some courses. Some adults I know have not been going to the gym. They need to get in shape. We can all study as we exercise and you five will be able to do that too." Doc said, "Me!" "Doc we have great medical. You will live a lot more years. You have to be slim and trim when you represent the academy. By the way Mom, the Doc and Irene are going to run the institution for the first few years." "What!" I heard twice. "Doc, you and Irene have the future of the human race in your hands. The academy has to be set up and running smoothly before you jump ship and into a ship. Your exploring will be delayed the same as ours is." "I'm not a school administrator. Irene could do the job much easier than me." A staged verbal fight started. All this was designed to get Mom's mind off the bizarre and onto the mundane. The husband and wife team were quite entertaining and we were actually at home before they were done. The whole family had been drawn into the conflict and we drew sides so the fight would go on. Leslie and June did not know much but they too assisted. We filed out of the ship and when Mom stopped and turned around just outside. She ran her hands on the vessel she knew was there but was not. It was the light coming from inside the garage that allowed Lillian to really feel but not see. It was the quietest night yet at our home. The adults talked both ways but only Mom was unaware of the hidden dialogue. Paul was the hero though and his women treated him like a king. Like a good mate he took his time and made love not sex. Betts said, "It looks like Mom is starting to argue how the academy is going to run not if. That Doc's a smart guy." "He has had a lot of time to practice that." Connie said, "I'm still amazed at how long I was taken in by you guys. You sounded like kids and even made noises with your mouths as you flew imaginary fighters." Betts said, "Camouflage but thankfully we don't have to do that at home anymore." The Doc and Irene had gone home to sleep even though it was late and they could sleep here. I made breakfast for the younger cadets then started on the older ones, "You guys going to get up or sleep all day? We have a party today and a lot of guests to get ready for." They all grumbled but Mom did not hear it because I still had not activated her communicator. At just a few minutes after nine, Rebecca and Silvia came by our house. Their foster parents came in and acted like foster parents. They didn't act like snoops but they would be asked about what they saw. Mom now played host and offered them coffee. It looked like she was coming along but she was going to be monitored just in case. The girls gave presents to Leslie and she kissed them like a mother should and I saw that the girls responded to this. Betts and Erica separated the girls and led them to separate rooms. The med unit got one then got another. The med unit and I searched their brains looking for the naturally occurring crystals that caused telepathy. In a way they were like gallstones. I compared their brain to mine. I too had been altered to influence others the way Paul did this naturally. Even with all of Nadac's memories I felt that something was wrong but I could not put my finger on it. Before they woke up I implanted a communicator in each. They may or may not make Star Fleet but I wanted them monitored much better. They were the only telepathic people I knew." Betts said, "Why are you giving them communicators?" "Part is for safety but they may make Star Fleet one day." In the back of my mind and hidden deep was my wish to find out if I could communicate with telepathically and cut Nadac and Rontem out of the loop. We did whatever young teens did and did it with the rest. We got Gail and Leslie to go with us to the arcades as a way of doing something a normal kid would do. We fought each others at shoot'em up games. After Silvia made a comment about how good I was, I cut back but Betts smiled and beat me. I was thinking at Silvia to turn around when I was behind her just to see if it worked but so far there was no response. Rebecca seemed to work better but the tests were inconclusive. Rebecca finally whispered, "Are you trying to send something to me?" "Yes as a test." "What was it?" "If I answer then it is not that much of a test is it?" "Ok try again." Since she was looking at me I tried to push out the thought that she kiss me. After a minute she turned red and went back to playing with the rest. I was heartened because it may have worked. Pop had most of the party set up and told us to come back now. I heard that dad drove Mom to the mall to get her car in The Beagle. He stayed above her all the way home but said nothing. When we got home we found three banners. The original one for Leslie but now there was one for Rebecca and another one for Silvia. The girls were quite pleased to see this. Rebecca saw how loving the munchkins were with Paul and Rebecca asked Erin, "Doesn't you mother care what you are doing?" "Mom does care a lot. She also knows that we all love Paul. He is even more a man since yesterday." "What happened?" "Paul and Wally went after a guy that took Lillian's purse. They had to take on two big guys and flattened them before they cornered the guy with the purse. They put him in the hospital. Our Paul took the biggest guy alone. He was eighteen and so was the guy that took the purse." "How come nobody told us that?" "The guys are acting like they don't care but they do. I just told you because Paul is ours. We treated him nice last night." "What did you do?" "Guess? He is a good man and made us happy too." "Really, Paul?" "He's quite a man." I had not set this up but since I could guess their thoughts I tried to listen to them. There was nothing clear and then again it was not much of a test if I knew what they might be thinking. The two girls had to stand by Paul now and he told them the particulars. This pleased Paul too because he didn't get much of a chance to crow about anything. Sam was even urging him on to tell the actual moves. The munchkins liked this too because he was theirs. Betts said, "What are you trying to do Wally?" I talked just to her. "Rebecca and Silvia are telepathic. I was just testing to see if they could hear me." "Really, does it work?" "Not yet. Don't let the news slip out. If Rebecca and Silvia are telepathic and pick up that everybody knows then they will know that I said something." "Maybe girls can contact better." "Fine but remember what I said." People started to come over but they were to see Leslie. Sandy came with a gift and brought Willy. The poor boy was dragged away to hear about Paul and possibly be stimulated by some flirting girls. Erica got Chuck and Wendy to take Rebecca and then Jerry and Ashleigh to take Silvia to even us out. The Doc and Irene came later and they looked good. I had to guess that it was sex because that did it for me. When the time came for cake it was Silvia's turn first. She was shocked at this. A cake was wheeled out with her name on it. She did everything including blowing out the candles. She was really broken up about this and then got her own presents. She got clothes mostly but also some nice CDs. As soon as she settled down a new cake came out for Rebecca and the process done one more time. Chuck got in there and kissed the girl and she clung to him. Wendy didn't seem to mind or she might have even suggested this. Rebecca's presents were similar but not the same. Leslie had hers next and looked pleased that people were doing this for her. Later the girls put on some dance music and danced downstairs. The guys were good. I watched what they did and tried to do the same moves. It was not hard. All of us were dancing with two girls except Erin that had Willy to herself. Gail came down later and we danced with her too. We even tried some different steps that she figured we should know. The adults came down later after some encouragement and they danced too. Connie turned out to be a good dancer and got the Doc to get up and exercise. I got Irene and did the same with her. She was good at this too. I worked around and got Sandy then the other two police women Brenda and Lauren. My hand was purposely low and they did not mind too much. They knew me and I had to live up to my reputation. Betts took the groups aside and they went to make out. This was odd but Betts had her own plan. Silvia and Jerry were kissing as Ashleigh looked on and critiqued the technique. She even went so far as to hold the bulge in Jerry's pants and said, "You must have done well. You got him all excited." Silvia blushed. Not to far away Wendy was kissing Chuck then doing Rebecca to teach. This got poor Chuck excited too. Rebecca was turned loose on Chuck and Wendy told the girl to check if she was doing it right. One light touch and her hand came back like it was burnt. A moment later after being asked a second time the hand stayed. Most of us stayed visible but Sam was excited and so were the girls. Rebecca and Silvia had been allowed to stay over and Betts had them bunk with the couple she placed them with. As seductions went it was quick but none of the guys broke the girls' hymens. Mom was noisy enough so I took my girls into the Curiosity and took them aloft. Connie was lashed to the netting again but also her waist was lashed then when we were in orbit I picked up her legs and lashed her ankles near her wrists. We floated all around her to use her. She was almost incoherent with lust and this made us even more excited. Erica stuck her cock into Connie's mouth while I used my cock on Connie's pussy. Betts was using a dildo on Connie's anus. Connie stayed as our bed as we pleased each other. Connie was taken off and lashed differently but always she was helpless to fight us off. She finally conked out and we tenderly wrapped her in a blanket and put her into a seat. Betts and I did Erica the same way then I had to put Betts into a seat alone as I piloted us down. The seats reclined and we slept in them that night for a change. When I woke up I was Connie looking down at me. She must have been there a while. "Do you know that I love you more than anybody else I have ever known?" "I know that. I am loving you more all the time too but I still love my other mates." "I know that and I love them too. It is more than them just knowing what I need, it goes beyond that. It might be the communicator but I cannot get over how much I need you." "I need you too. In fact I would never let a man have you and live." Connie was shocked and pleased. I was a little shocked too because I meant it. I wondered if I was becoming a caveman. I realised I felt the same way about Erica and Betts. "I want no other man but you. I will give you all the daughters and sons you want me to." "You are going to be alive long enough to give me a hundred." "Then I would give you that many." We were both worked up and we started again where we left off. Betts woke up and climbed on my face and Erica found the dildo and pleased Connie's butt. The rest were up when we got into the house. Pop looked tired and said, "Connie was enjoying herself and transmitted to the rest of us. Mom didn't pick up on it directly but the rest did. I know you did something to help me out but it was not enough." I said back to everybody, "She likes that net in the back. What am I supposed to do?" "Whatever you did I guess but I was already getting tired when my girls got it into their head that they wanted more." "You are just saying that because Leslie wanted her birthday present." "We all helped give her the present." "I wonder if the poor Doc and Irene were affected?" We heard a voice saying, "Yes, and I'm an old man." Another voice said, "You are getting younger, old man." I said, "You can try the netting later. I'll leave the cords." Doc said, "Now that is an idea. I need your toys too or I am going to get too much exercise." Later, Silvia said to me privately, "You can talk like us too. I know it but I cannot seem to get your ideas." "You're right but we do this with something like an ultra miniature cell phone that works more directly with the brain. The police would love to hear that." "I know and we won't say anything. Tell me, I did not pick this from your mind but Miss Lime looks at you the same way as Betty and Erica. I won't say anything but do you make love to her too." "We all do. It is not just me, the girls help me out. That could hurt Miss Lime a great deal if anybody else heard." "I know that." "You must have a lot of other secrets but if I find them out I won't say." "If I did then I would never have told you. We still have to try to work with your ability and mine." "Does everybody here know about you?" "Yes." "Do they treat you any different?" "Not because of my ability. They would not treat you any differently either. They might ask questions about what it's like but as I said we already have this ability with our special cells." "I'm not sure. We'll have to think on this." "That's fine. There's no rush." After breakfast, I got both sisters alone and I talked about my PK. They tried but could not do even a fraction of what I did. I looked at the fields in their minds and nothing increased except the area used for telepathy. I tied sending and receiving but they could not reach me. When they had sensed me before they had been resting and it came to them as if by accident. When the tests were over Betts got them separated again to give Chuck and Jerry something to do besides work on the plans for our antimatter unit. Both guys were asked to think about either an apple or an orange but I did not tell them why. Wendy seemed to like Rebecca and the taste of her too. Rebecca was not into girl/girl action yet but it could happen. Silvia was even more reticent. When Jerry got Silvia purring though, Ashleigh could move in and help. After a shower with company, the girls went home driven by Mom and Pop. Monday morning Gail drove us to school and then drove north to our assembly building. This was the first time in the building and she had to make notes of what was needed. She studied like Leslie now did. The trucks were late in coming. They backed up far into the building and the construction workers used the two rented twenty five ton forklifts to lift the first shell while the truck now drove out from under it. The second truck had to have the load lifted differently. Slings were attached to the top and the forklift picked these up. The two forklifts had to work in tandem to put the load down close to the bottom half. We all watched by remotes including Connie. She had more difficulty talking and seeing the parts in her mind but she did not too bad. Rebecca and Silvia watched Connie a lot and Connie knew it. I smiled and said, "I love you. I take care of my family. Don't worry." "I won't if you say so. Do they know about us?" "When they saw the way you look, a blind man can see. I told them after Silvia asked but I have my reasons." "Ok, I trust you with my life." "And your beautiful body too. I am going to stretch it someday." "Don't talk like that. I have to work." "Ok, Sweetheart." The girls were looking at me now so they might have caught something. We started a new routine. After school we went to karate then at home, we flew in the Curiosity to the shop. There were some offices on and above, the main floor at the site. Paul got the job of making them bedrooms. We would be staying here a lot. We could work into the night and then go to school from here the next morning. Paul at least got a lot of help. We started making the device that would process the ceramic material. I built big but it already had to be bulky because we had to use earth made materials. I had to stick with the crystals though. The guys were just as happy because they could do the mechanical. We made the smallest missile engine and sent it to Nadac so he could run more tests. What we were doing could make a big hole in our planet and kill everybody around for hundreds of klicks. Four bottles were made that would contain the antimatter produced. I just had to provide the crystals to them. More machinery had to be made to disperse the matter that was going to be converted. More of the truly massive accumulators had to be still made and then charged. The containment vessel had to have the crystals added that would protect the vessel as if it were the hull of a battleship. My plan about using the largest engine was not necessary when we got down to thinking about it. A great deal of equipment did not have to get made now. Instead of this being a continuous process we would gather antimatter to power the system and when it was gone we would just put some in from our supply. I was fast and diligent but we were not done until the end of May. Mom had been introduced to the communicator after she mentioned that she had none. She seemed to fit in well after a few days of adjustments. We ran tests for six days straight before we made a trial run. We were going to make just enough that would kill us and very little of the city even though this cost us a lot of power. There were too many lives at stake. The adults were worried but so were we. They did go along with the test and that was a major step for them. The drive that produced the antimatter was not the standard one. If this were so then a ship could be traced by the energy released when the antimatter struck matter. There was not much matter in space but enough. The drive has to be tweaked to twist matter just a bit more and in a different dimension. Existing drives flung the missile out of the Einstein universe to gain the speed they needed. Nadac and I knew Rontem would be watching though it did not matter. Erin ran a camera and so did Paul to film this event. We made three micrograms of antimatter and shut the unit down. It took days to charge up the accumulators after each test. Most of it was through beam power from other sites. We had our exams at school now. We hurried through them and studied. We couldn't wait for the freedom of summer. Rebecca and Silvia did well because we spent some time with them. Usually it was in bed but the girls had to do well in their studies to stay there. It was around this time that the girls were no longer virgins. They still were not into girl/girl fun but they did not avoid it either. Sam was giving pointers now to his friends on how to keep two ladies happy. He had the credentials to crow about his abilities. The large doors to the building had been put in. The top third folded out while the bottom portion split in two to open sideways. The building was like home to us now and we had all the comforts here that we needed. We marked time by working on the Quest. Everybody wanted to be here when we really went into production of antimatter. The last week of school was just busy work as the tests got marked. This was a little traumatic for Paul and the munchkins as they would have to monitor the school on their own. The Doc was happy with our efforts to readjust those Caputo had hurt. The police seemed to be talking less to him because of his increased familiarity with us. The munchkins talked about how their man had performed at the mall and I doubted if anybody would fool with him next year. The munchkins were going to skip a year and so was Paul. They wanted to get school done so they could really learn. The rest of us were asked if we wanted to skip a year too. I already had but now I was able to live up to the challenges. We still had some damaged people and decided to stay with them in high school. During the summer we would still get together to make sure that some people were not coming apart. When the cameras rolling once more we went for a full test and made over a hundred trillion dollars worth of antimatter at current prices. There was no leakage that human or even Aristis technology could find. With the antimatter we had, the shell came apart once more and the same engine went in along with the antimatter reactor. Once the accumulators were charged up, the shield was energised. The reactor went into use the first time and the power fed the shield and in fact started to charge the accumulators. We could not afford to wait. It took two hours to make a kilogram of antimatter and we left the process running until all three bottles were filled. We did this with larger bottles until we had a hundred and seven kilograms. The converter was opened again and another piece of machinery put in. The matter was now sprayed just as before but now Utram was fabricated and stored in one container and the antimatter that was the waste product was collected. This process was efficient so there was little antimatter produced. I found out that our process was more efficient than the way the Aristis did this. It was not that we were smarter, it was just that we took a new look at old tried-and-true processes. We had not contracted to power the missiles but since we had the fuel Utram and the antimatter warhead, this got added to the work we had to do. The nanites came into play as they worked on making the ceramic machinery. This was going to be an assembly line process. Our time away from school was much more hectic than the one at school. We did not shirk our duty or pretend to be less than we were. It was a gruelling time. We found peace and relaxation in karate. We picked up the sisters and they stayed over at our house for some fun with Chuck and Jerry. I planned on taking a break every few weeks just to gather all our classmates and play baseball or simply go swimming. Even here I usually had a crystal in my mouth because of the number of articles I still had to make. The family tried to see what I saw so they could help but they could not find the lines of flux. Nadac's search, that found me, had been done statistically. All large population centres were selected and a portion of each city. One test simply took a piece of skin and analysed the DNA to look for the pattern found in techs. The less common test had a crystal transported in front of a subject while a second probe tried to detect if the subject noticed it or not. After I was found, many more skin samples were taken to find more people like me but Nadac could detect no others. The sampling had never really ended but it had slowed down as Nadac took on new duties and of course they had me. I talked to Nadac and the king about making a detector that was more sophisticated and more accurate. Apparently this had been made by the Aristis. It was bulky and would be seen by the subjects being monitored. The invisibility shield interfered with the faint signals that would come from a given mind. The transmitter would force the crystals in a mind to beat in step. The target crystals would then vibrate if they were a close match. You either looked for the harmonics of the primary signal or the primary signal that was forced to emerge. The family did less work now so they could work on this problem with me. There was no reason the transmitter and receiver had to be one unit. The transmitter could be cloaked and the receivers small and thus nearly invisible. Liza came up with the idea of the transmitter being visible and camouflaged. Two distinct units presented a few problems. The family worked on this as I continued with my own tasks. They came to me later with a design which I looked over. It was not as sophisticated as the Aristis unit was but it did get the job done. The receivers seemed to make up for the other units lack of refinement. I would be the one that had to make the crystals though. Nadac was our source of all crystalline materials. With our contract with the king, we gathered this duty too. We were lucky in that some of the rare crystals did not have to be found, they could simply be built up from the raw materials. This process took time so multiple units had to be built to keep up with the need. The end product would an amorphous mass and unlike those crystals that Nadac sent me. A suitable manufacturing unit could do some of the preliminary work for me as Nadac had done. This required a suitable computer. Hal and Matt were brought to help. The 72 was far from complete though the substrate was already growing. The computer's growing would be lengthy whether I had a contract or not. Doc said, "We could use these machines to make drugs that are more pure than anything known yet." Pop said, "We can make new building materials and even cloth." That was enough to get the group thinking up ideas to use these machines for. They were actually the back bone of the Aristis. Some units were crude but basically they all started with atoms. There were older units that purified existing materials because this method was many times faster. I had to get all of this information and not all of it was in the memories that were implanted in me. The month of June had ended and so to had July. Friends had called up but we were always too busy except on our mini vacations where we went swimming. We were flagging with the workload. Nadac sent us his supply of bosta. The family loved it and this made them want to make the machine that produced it. Our stockpile of dead missiles grew quite large. I was the bottleneck but Hal and Matt worked harder to do more of the work. I said nothing but Hal could do more. It was his fail-safes that were keeping him from making much better units. My memories had not mentioned this but it was doubtful if Hal was just a fluke. It was because I made him and I had fudged lots of the controls. The Aristis must have a lot of reasons for not trusting computers and this was just one of the ways of limiting their powers. If a computer like Nadac turned rogue he could set himself up just like the computer that contained Rontem. With a malleable race of people to do what the computer could not, there was really nothing to stop it from taking over anything it wanted to. Rontem must know this too and want to make sure Nadac did not become too big. The nanite population had bloomed and the missiles came out very quickly, only to be stored. Aristis nanites were usually a single purpose but I got two out of mine. They went on to build the larger missile while the second group of nanites would make the next two sizes. The missiles looked like a drop of water falling through a dense atmosphere. The head was smaller and the tail four times longer. They flew blunt end first. They were all stored in partitioned cardboard boxes with a piece of Styrofoam at the bottom. Summer was almost over and we had not gone on vacation. Since I was the highest ranking officer, or the only officer, the family were sent on a reconnaissance mission. There was crying by my mates and pleas from the others but they were sent to tour Canada. The Curiosity was stocked with all the accumulators because we were not making fuel at the moment. The Doc and Irene were with me most of the time so I knew that they too could go. The time coincided with Mom and Pop's vacation time. The night before they left was draining for me in more than one way. They were only going eight days but they felt like it would be eight years. It was only my mates that took me to bed but the rest of the girls were giving pointers to make sure I lasted until they got back. I kissed the family bye as they boarded the Curiosity. Irene looked younger and I bent her over to kiss her like the hero in an old movie. She came up breathless and said, "Not like that in front of my husband. Wait until his back is turned." I guess I must have blushed because everybody else had a joke at my expense. With the bosta and some quiet I got a little more done. The girls talked a bit every few hours to say where they were. They were going to look at the possible sites for the academy and then see how much of the country they could see. I doubted if they would make it out of our province. The machines needed very little tending because they had large hoppers. I talked to Hal and Matt to be sociable and I talked a lot to the family. Hal was going to try another of his experiments to see if he could do better. It was this way that I found out how good he already was. I never had any type of indication that Nadac or Rontem disapproved. The days were all strung together anyway. It was work and more work. Adults had to put up with this so I could too. Most people would think my work boring. It was in a way but I got satisfaction by doing my best and looking for ways to go faster or just do this more efficiently. The Aristis had tried to make devices to do what I did and apart from a computer identity this was not possible. That did not stop me from working on this though. The family were due to come back tomorrow when I gut an urgent call from Chuck. "Wally! Rebecca and Silvia are in trouble." There was no time to reply when I was uploaded with data. I just raced to one of the truck doors at one of the loading docks and opened it. I raced out with The Beagle. The drones would have to watch the building in my absence. Rebecca and Silvia were in Scarborough of all places. It was known for being the rough area of Toronto at one time and still was. I accessed the girls' computers and felt fear. There were no drones in the area though some were coming quickly. I landed near a house similar to what the girls used to live in. They were upstairs fighting off two men. I stopped beside the house and ordered the ship to ascend and remain invisible. There were only a few steps before I tried the front door. It was locked. I rang the doorbell to give the girls some time but it didn't work. I raised my foot and hit the door but it was built strong. There was a chair on the porch and that went through the front window. It gave me some satisfaction but it would warn the guys too. The men inside now knew that somebody was here. One left the girls while the other stayed. By then I was over the couch in the front room and near the base of the stairs. I stayed out of sight now as a nearly naked man went to the living room carrying a baseball bat. The guy was around forty and overweight. I struck him over the kidneys twice from behind. This time I was using karate. The guy managed to turn to see me and I grabbed his arm and pulled him off balance. His head hit the wall but I kicked him twice in the face before he even hit the floor. The man had enough pain now to keep him unconscious for at least a few hours. The guy upstairs just slapped Silvia to keep her from struggling as he tried to listen to what was happening downstairs. I saw no guns or other obvious weapons near the guy. I went up the stairs crashing my feet down to simulate the weight of a heavy man. Using a gruff voice I said, "Fuckin' kids." At the door to the room I paused and looked at everything beyond the door. I pushed it open slowly but then rushed in just as the man would see who it really was. The man was partially ready for me and threw a fist. I blocked it and got very close before using a fist on his nuts. He was turning at the time but I still partially connected. The guy tried to hit me with a backhand and I caught it. With two hands I held his hand as I twisted quickly. I heard the snap of the bone. The man heard it too and his eyes bugged out. I moved in again and this time I did connect with the guys nuts. His eyes got very big then closed as he fell to the floor. The girls had managed to flee to the other side of the bed when I burst in. They stood on the floor only partially dressed and stared at me. I demanded, "How did you get here?" Silvia said as she tried to hold onto the remnants of her panties, "We... we came to see our mom." "Is she here?" "They said she was." "You better get dressed." They looked at themselves and moved around the bed. I heard the family breathe a sigh of relief but they said nothing. Silvia said, "There's one more." "He's sleeping downstairs." Silvia said, "You saved us again." "Silvia, I did not. This is the first time. Do you understand?" "But you did, I know you did. I can just see you now." I said to Rebecca, "Do you understand?" "I think so." She turned her sister around and said, "Silvie this is the first time. The guy that came last time killed people to save our lives." "But it was Wally." Rebecca said, "She won't listen to me." "She was hurt. It takes a while before they get back on their feet." Silvia said, "I'm not crazy." "No you're not Sweetie. You're hurt though." Rebecca said, "How did you know we were here?" I thought quickly. "Chuck and Jerry felt that you were threatened. Chuck phoned me and I came." "How did they know?" "How do you know when your sister is in trouble?" "Do you mean they heard us?" "I think so." "That is the first time anybody ever heard us." "They care for you as do Wendy and Ashleigh. All of us do." "What's going to happen?" "We can call the police or we leave. These guys will not say anything to the police." "What about our mother?" They had stopped to talk. I said, "Get dressed and we will wait." "But these guys will wake up." "Then I will talk to them more sternly." "Oh." I handed clothing and the girls sorted through it. Most was ripped. I looked through the dressers and closets and then walked over to a drawer and opened it. The panties were to one side and I threw Silvia a pair. She just stared at them. She was unresponsive as her thinking. Going around the bed I got Silvia to sit then pushed her back. She stared at me as if pleading not to hurt her. I took off her panties and quickly slipped the others on. They were too big but they would do. When I beckoned her with my hands she readily put her hands in mine. I pulled her up. This time I took her around to the dresser and put some clothing on her. I gave Rebecca a blouse and she put it on. With pieces of clothing I got the girls dressed. A tumbler of water awoke the man on the floor. He groaned for a minute before I nudged his face with my shoe. The man looked up at me with fear and perhaps some bravado knowing that I was a kid. I bent down and said, "Where is the girls' mother?" "I don't kn..." My hand whipped out and hit his nose but not hard. He cried like a baby and held the nose in his hands. "Where is the girls' mother?" I said with the same calm voice. "How should I..." My fist moved out again and struck the guy's hands that in turn hit his sore nose. I waited a bit as he wiggled around then said, "Where is the girls' mother?" "She... she's at work." "Thank you, now tell me where she works?" "How... I'll tell, I'll tell." The man gave me the business name and the address. He did not know the phone number. I used the phone to call the operator and get the number then I used it again to call the business. A woman answered and I said, "Hello, I need to get into contact with Mrs Augusto. Both of her daughters were hurt." "We don't allow personal calls, I'm sorry." "Tell..." the phone went dead. I dialled again and the woman answered once more. I said, "Please route this call to the manager." The woman said nothing but the phone started to ring again. A gruff sounding man said, "Yes!" "Hello, Mrs Augusto's daughters were just hurt. I would like to talk to her for a moment to inform her." "You can talk to her on her own time." The phone went dead. There was nothing to do right now about this. I looked at the man on the floor and said, "You and your friend ripped these girls' clothes. What do you think the replacement value is?" "I only have about a hundred." "That will do." The man did not get up but he fished out his wallet and he gave me his money. The man downstairs took longer to awake but he gave fifty five dollars. I had no money and no wallet so I could not do much. I unlocked the door and we walked down the walk and turned east. I walked between them and held one of their hands. Silvia said, "Thanks for saving us. Those guys were going... going to rape us." "You're welcome. We have to go home now." Rebecca said, "Can we go to your house? The people at our house are working." I took control of the ship externally and got it to follow us. "We can go there. Chuck and Jerry are flying in soon. I already told them you two were safe." "With your special phone?" "Yes." She squeezed my hand but I could not understand why. We took the subway then a bus until we got another bus. We had to walk a kilometre still and by then I was holding Silvia too me as she started to cry. Rebecca let go of my hand and got on the other side of her sister to hold her up and give her moral support. We finally made it into the house and I punched in the burglar alarm code. Some things we had to have to look normal. I took the girls to my room and said, "The best thing to do is have a shower and then go for a nap." Silvia clung to me even more so I started to take off my clothes and then her sister and I worked on her. ------- Chapter 33 In a moment we were in the large shower. Rebecca held her sister as I washed her hair then did the same for Rebecca. I did backs and the girls did the fronts. These were not my mates and perhaps not Chuck's or Jerry's but I was not going to fall into a trap of my own making. I had a quick shower of my own then I dried the girls and got them to lay down in the bed. Silvia was still very upset so I laid down on one side and Rebecca on another. I gave my own assessment to the family and especially to the Doc. Even just below the speed of sound it takes time to get here. Forty minutes later the ship landed and the med unit came with the family. The girls were nearly asleep and the door was left open just wide enough for the unit to fly in just off the floor then around the bed. From a metre away it started to put out a vibration designed to make us sleep. The girls were under and I was almost too before it stopped. The Doc came into the room checking on the girls with his eyes as well as the data from the unit. Chuck and Jerry were right behind him. The Doc said, "You did that very well. There was no undue violence and the girls were not harmed physically. Mentally may be a problem." "My suggestion is to take Rebecca to Wendy and Chuck's room. Silvia goes to Jerry and Ashleigh's. They can wake up to friends and perhaps love." "That may be a good idea." The guys picked up the girls and walked out into the hall. The family parted as the naked girls were taken away. Wendy and Ashleigh followed right behind. Mom said verbally, "I never knew you could fight like that. I also saw that you did not hurt those men in vengeance. I am proud of you Wally." "Thanks Mom. Anger does come into it but I try to keep it under control. It can destroy me or kill me if I am not careful." "You treated the girls as good as I would want to be treated if that ever happened to me. I was shocked at your suggestion about how the girls should be treated next but your girls told me that your idea is the best." "They have to feel loved and that is one of the best ways I know of." Betts came up to me and said, "We need some love too Wally." "That's good because I need a lot too." The girls awoke with a lover on both sides of them. There was a lot of crying then a lot of tender love. This time the Augusto girls didn't care if it was their man or their woman that they made love to and I felt good. My girls were making me feel good too and I gave them everything I had been saving up for a week. When we finally climbed out of bed Rebecca and Silvia were ready too. They got dressed in their lovers' clothes and we all went out to do some shopping. The guys felt bad about not being here and spent lavishly on the girls. Right after we went out to a nice restaurant and splurged again. We made it a party now to celebrate the family's return. When it got late the girls phoned their foster parents and told them they were safe and staying over our house tonight. There was no confrontation but I knew that at some time this would come even if it was pushed by the police. We stayed at home that night but got up early the next morning and went down to the house I had broken into. Angelina was up early and getting ready for her day at work when I knocked on the door. She opened it and I asked in Italian, "May I come in for a moment please." "Certainly. You are very polite and your Italian is perfect. You don't look Italian though." "I'm not. Yesterday two men were in this house when your daughters came over to visit you. One of the men said you would be back momentarily. When the girls came in the men tried to seduce them and finally resorted to force. I got here before that happened. I was the one that broke the front window to get in." "Were they hurt?" The woman was very distraught now. "No, but one was down to her shredded panties and the other not far behind." "Oh, my god." "They're safe at my family home now." "I have to talk to them." "I called your place of employment and the secretary and then the manager refused to call you to the phone." She disregarded what I said and mentioned, "The men said that somebody broke in and robbed them. They didn't say anything about my daughters." I brought out my cell phone and called home. When it rang I said, "Hi Mom, it's Wally. Will you wake up our guests. Their mother would like to talk to them." The communicators in the girls heads told me one then the other was shaken to awaken. They grabbed for clothes and then to get the phone. The girls talked in English and the mother talked in Italian. The girls had to shift to some Italian words now and again. They cried and then so did the mother. I went into the kitchen and put some water on to boil and made some tea. There was some espresso left but that would be too stimulating just now. Since she was using my cell, I got her to sit at the table. Soon enough I put some tea there too along with sugar and milk. While I was at it I had some myself. My own family was up and questioning me on what was happening. I explained how the mother had to know. She would be living with the two would-be rapist and needed to know what her two new boyfriends were like. When the call came to an end, Mrs Augusto handed the phone back to me but her mind was far away. "Rebecca said that you came in here and beat both men. You're only a boy." "Perhaps more than a boy." "Yes, I meant young man. I do not use all of my language these days. We talk of simple things. How did you do this?" "My friends and family now take karate five days a week even when there is no school. We are determined to learn. Many times we practice for sport even when we are away from the dojo." "Why did you risk your life for them?" "They are important to my friends and family. Two young men think they are even more important." "They are not virgins any more?" "You will have to ask your daughters that but a woman has to give up some things to be happy. I know one fact, you will not have any grandchildren until your daughters are ready. The boys that now protect your daughters would have done what I have done and perhaps more. We are not strangers to death." "My daughters would not tell me but they say that you may have killed before." "I have and it was to protect my family. Our home was invaded. What are your plans now?" "I would like to kill the two men that tried this to my babies." "That is not the answer or I would have done it. Find another man." "Men are easy to find but good men are almost impossible." She paused and then said, "How did you know that they were here?" "That is my secret. I watch over my friends." "How?" "That is my secret Mrs Augusto. Please do not pry." The woman would not let it drop. She was very hard headed. I wrote our home phone number on a paper and left as if to catch a bus. I went home for breakfast and then left for the assembly building alone. The rest could come if they found time but my skill was by far the most in demand. Summer ended with only a fraction of the armaments shields, computers, drives and containment bottles made for the missiles. All of these required modified crystals. On the good side we had a construction facility started. We could now make all the small parts necessary to run a ship. The tiny crystals though had to be left out until I had time. The components for the Quest, Curiosity and even some for The Beagle were stored. More components for additional ships were made and stored too. There was no point in having equipment stay idle. I received word through Nadac that I was to devote more of my time to the 72. I didn't mind this as it gave me an opportunity to experiment. Rontem could also order me not to go to school. This I could do by claiming I had a private tutor but this was not done. Rontem had long term plans and he was not worried much about the 72 or the missiles. They would all come in time. He must want me in school and not to please me. I wanted to interact with others and he must want this to happen too. He was not like a kind grandparent so there must be ways for him to test me more. Doc had put in his two cents with the school and school board. There were a lot of grade nine classes in the high school and each class was aimed in one general direction or another. We, as a group, had talked about this and decided that we split up even though the school would like us all overachievers to stay together. My goal was still to help those in need. We split up along subfamily lines. Sam, Jerry, Chuck and I would be in four different classes with our ladies. The Augusto girls were where Betts wanted them to be. The two guys did not bitch. They loved the girls too and it was a good thing that Wendy and Ashleigh liked the comfort of a girl. Greg and Lasha were in Sam's class. He promised them that if they acted oddly he would see that he split them up. I hoped that love and lust could be contained by orders from a superior. The guys and gals that needed the most help were sorted and placed with us to be watched over. Connie was still in our former school taking care of those that had not been old enough to graduate. Paul and his girls would now be the ones helping Connie. The Doc still had his practice but he was not working full time at it. He and Irene were now talking to the government authorities about some assistance in setting up a private school. It was not just money but the ability to get the government to expropriate land that we needed to build. He presented a document promising half a billion dollars with the money deposited in Ontario if the government would act with us. A preliminary site was found near Dunnville. This was south of Toronto, across Lake Ontario and on the north shore of Lake Erie. It had the benefit of also being near Buffalo, New York. The location was not given out yet. Politicians would talk and land prices would go up. Our requirements though were for twenty square kilometres of land. Some of it on the shore of Lake Erie and some on the Grand River would give us water access for some of our activities. There were thousands of issues to be resolved even beyond acquiring the land. We required an agreement with the province to recognise our graduated students. They wanted us to follow their criteria for what a child had to learn. We saw the benefits of history as an example but we were not going to learn Canadian, American or English history the way they were presently taught. We wanted a more cosmopolitan version with world history so that important contributions from small countries could be mentioned. We needed building permits and permission to set up our own pollution control plants, wind generating farms and water treatment plants. Nobody was going to give us carte blanche but we were going to try to get the best deal possible. The first day brought a lot of tears of joy and sorrow as cliques of friends were broken up. High school was quite different from what we had before. The class had to get up and move and not even all together. All of our group though ended up in one particular math class. I guessed that it was made specifically for us. It turned out after the first few days that we would get Jack Lee as an additional student. He was a year older than us and acted both mature and dedicated. The teachers seemed nice but I missed Connie and told her so. She missed us too but had work to do with her new class. Some high school teachers gave us an outline of what was going to be taught that semester. There were a lot more opportunities for specific subjects but usually not until the higher grades. After school we gathered at the bus and Gail took us to pick up Connie and the youngsters. In this group Connie could kiss me. Rebecca and Silvia were being kissed by their respective mates too. There had been no lapse in karate so we started in as we usually did. We all had moved up in belts but we would never get to black and the accompanying legal requirements that this sport entailed. Karate should have been taught in schools in place of Phys Ed but that was not possible. A karate club like a camera club could get started with the right teacher but this would not help us at all. During the first week we made friends with the newcomers and strengthened the friendships we had before. Some were invited to go to karate with us after school. These were the ones that might make it into the academy. The math teacher, Mr Racine, was young and bright. He had spent a lot of time preparing this special course for us. He spent a while finding out if there had been a mistake in our marks or abilities before really teaching us. He started teaching at mid level grade ten level and this was beneath all of us including Jack. The girls wanted more of a challenge and I had to find a way. "Sir?" "Yes Wally?" "This class is made for just us. I am positive that all of us are able to handle this sort of work. Since the idea is to educate us how about we find our own level?" "How can you do this? The school board has some say in this." "Sir, I am not a child though I look young. This math course is designed for the overachievers. There will be no limits except our own intellects. You look to be a recent graduate and as such must know that there are other ways of teaching. The one I like is to give us questions and simply say do them. We find the methods to answer the questions independently or together through the net." "I've studied that and as you say this is more of a freestyle class. Is there anybody here that does not want to try this?" We all looked at Jack and he looked around but said nothing. The teacher wrote on the chalk board: Find a way to derive the circumference of the earth. "Is this kind of question what you would like to see Wally?" "That's simple for us." I called out, "Jack, I don't like to put you on the spot like this but I have no idea of what you know or don't know. I like multidimensional mathematics at the moment but that is not everybody's cup of tea. We can plot orbital courses. This requires us to know calculus and matrixes. Do you have any arcane knowledge that we could use?" Jack said quietly, "I am fair at most everything. I too have plotted orbits and know calculus." "Then there is an ulterior reason for you to be in this class." Jack looked upset and I said, "Don't worry Jack. We will teach each other. How about trying this. You are flying to Sol in direct course from Alpha Ursae Majoris. You are travelling at 0.98 C. At one light year from here and at that instant the date is November 23 2006. You can sustain 10 gravities of acceleration with no damage. What courses and methods would you use to arrive at earth in the least amount of time and with no residual velocity other than that of our planet?" "That requires a computer to gather the information." "Let's fire up these old play-toys. Your other task is to give us a question that you have not answered yet that will make us work." "That may be fun." "Permission to use school property, Sir?" "Go right ahead. I'd like to see how well I would do too." We started the machines and had to be given passwords to start and another to get on the net. Nadac gave me a list of sites that would have the information and I sent this off to all the computers including the teacher's. This sort of question could be answered in our minds but we did it the old way. There were no planets in the way to stop or cause a space ship to alter course so it was just a matter of seeing how long it would take to slow down and where the planet earth would be when that happened. Jack and Mr Racine were last but we had worked on similar questions before. Sam got the task of laying out a much more difficult problem dealing with a binary star system an orbit for a planet that would have ripped the world apart soon after it was captured. He gave the Fonduush as an example and used only the sublight engines to make an orbit. As an added problem the shields were mentioned as being damaged and could not repel more than five percent of the radiation emitted from the stars. He gave the radiation levels of both stars and what a human body could take during the time the ship was in transit and in orbit. Chuck asked what amount of radiation there would be on the other side of the planet. Sam said "Work it out. There is no magnetic field." This took a lot more of our abilities. Again we could not use our internal computers for this. We worked up to the last second even after the bell rang and we rushed out of class. Phys Ed was next. Sam's class and mine were in this dual class. We donned our shorts and told to run laps to see how good we were. Greg and Lasha ran with us and we took the first four places but others had raced during the summer. These we greeted as kindred spirits. They were surprised at the way we acted but happily complied. Two had been those that we fostered during the summer. The gym teacher seemed happy to see how much we competed even against each other but actually they hung back just a bit to let me finish close to them. My knee had healed but I had not done enough running or swimming. We ate our meals together when possible and an old friend or Wendy's came by. It was Margrette Ruur. The girl was offered a seat and we all nodded to her. It was our equivalent of standing when a lady took a seat. Since ladies would be combat officers too the standing had been dropped. The guys and girls did reach over and shake hands as the partially stood. This came under the classification of informal occasion number five. Margrette said, "You guys are acting weird." Wendy said, "We were being polite to you Margrette. In this sort of occasion, certain procedures are called upon and executed." "I'm sorry, I guess the word weird was uncalled for. It's kinda nice in a way." "Your apology is accepted. Now tell us how you were doing in the last year." "Just school and some new friends. Nothing much is new. My aunt lives down the street from you. She talks of your father dying, gunshots in the night and then in the day, police and some body bags." "They were just uninvited guests." "The newspapers said almost nothing about it." "You could have come over and asked." "It felt odd to go over after all that happened." "Lots of good things happened. Carmen got his throat sliced and somebody killed Tony. When those guys were out of the way then everything quieted down. These guys here sent us into orbit a lot. All of us slosh when we walk." "Really! We'll have to talk later. Do you want to come over to my house? It will be like old times." "I am very committed to Chuck. We do things as a... family I guess is the best way of saying it. We are going steady." "Are we still friends?" "We can be but now you have to be friends with my family too. We can be casual friends too when we just visit. We have to talk about this in private I guess." "We can walk around the school like we used to." "That may be fun but again it brings conflict into my life. We go to karate after school. You are welcome to come with us and take free lessons. We can talk a bit and exercise. Nobody is pushing us the way Tony use to." "There was a lot of talk about your friends Betty and Wally doing the killing. The rumour got to us here too." "My friends were protecting us. I would do the same now that I'm not afraid." Margrette looked at Betts and me and said to Wendy, "You have some... strong friends. I thought Tony was that way too." "Tony was an asshole. You did what he said or you paid for it. I have the world now and I'm free." "You stay together all the time." "We have a lot in common. We work hard toward goals we set. I'm learning at a fantastic rate. We protect each other and others. We are trying to change the world for the better in many ways." "Changing the world from grade nine?" "We were asked if we wanted to go from grade eight to ten but we turned it down. I know we could have gone to college if we wanted." "You are into smoking again Wendy?" "Ask our teacher, Miss Lime. She wanted us to go to eleven and then complete school the next year. To do that we have to work hard all the time except for the break we get when we are in school." "That's a laugh Wendy." "Don't make any judgements Margrette. Wait and see with your own eyes." We hurried to finish our own meal. I personally felt that Wendy had gone overboard in justifying us but we were still kids inside. Music was the last class today. We could sing or play an instrument. We had a vote and took vocal. Instruments would not be as much of a challenge and the new talent would help us as officers. So would playing a sax or a trumpet but we could learn those on our own. I had never been good at singing before but I was not afraid like I was when I was younger. My brain and computer could be used for more than combat situations and dancing apparently. It assisted us in singing too. Silvia and Rebecca went with us and they were not assisted the way we were. They did have good voices though and only needed encouragement and training. Some of the others we had helped nominated for voice too. This must have been the largest grade nine vocal collection yet. We had some scheduling problems because the teacher wanted us to all practice together as well as doing solos. Gail now brought the munchkins and Paul to listen and it was not long before the children were singing with us. The teacher was very pleased. Our sensei did not mind us being a bit late but he had other classes to think about. This brought us into contact with older students on occasion as we had double classes. We were doing very well in all our classes. Mistakes were made purposely to not be perfect some of the time. Math was the same way or we would have too many people noticing us. In the real world, we now had an army of lawyers if we needed them when we made mistakes. The number of birthday parties we were invited to increased. We usually split up and visited a few and left again. The singing teacher used up our weekends too by having us go to some events and perform. All of us liked this because we did not have to fake it here. All this weekend work meant that we had to scrimp on sleep or at least I did. The mechanical side was far ahead of where I was. The 72 got more of my efforts simply because it was simpler and I could hide as I worked on noncrystalline matter. I was getting a slightly higher portion shifted but I was doing it blind. Nadac stepped up his efforts to find more people that could do at least some of what I could do. There were lots but they all would have minor talents. The Aristis had a method of categorising abilities like mine. They had not judged me accurately because I was not exactly like an Aristis but now they should be able to do a good job. The search went to other cities, provinces and countries. What we were able to do if we found somebody, would have to wait. Each person had to be assessed. A scholarship at the academy was our best chance though the academy was not set up yet. My love for my ladies changed to a more mature emotion. It got deeper. We were always just a thought away so I knew they felt the same way. Connie still wanted a child but not to hold me to her. We seemed to be tuning into each other in our wants too. This is what made me nervous because I might breakdown and give Connie what she wanted before we were ready. Two of us were drifting away. Silvia and Rebecca saw how they were not as intelligent as we were and felt superfluous. We had a vote and they were invited to join fully. Chuck and Jerry had more to do with this as they would be the ones to sponsor the girls. Near the end of September they had their communicators activated. We had found out nothing new about their natural ability. Ultrawave communication was so easy that their telepathic abilities would suffer as it had with the Aristis. The girls saw the promise now of a very bright future. They may be harassed by the police or even taken from us but we would always be as close as a thought. This meant that the old folks had to let the new girls have the Curiosity now and again for training flights. I had a contingency plan going. The girls mother was directed to one of our companies soon after I met her. She was given a job that would show the authorities that she had turned over a new leaf. To be on the safe side, I sneaked into her new home and implanted a communicator. My idea was to monitor the woman and when she chose to gamble then her 'conscience' would talk to her and say how this was such a foolish thing to do. Nadac started to act oddly. He was asking a lot more about the 72. He was either ready to make a copy of his personality and memories and install them or to booby-trap the 72 to kill a copy of Rontem. He had shown that I did not have all of his memories. It was possible he was deriving new theories in his spare time but the subtlety of them showed that he knew more. It was only because I suspected them of traps that I was able to find out what was happening. I was not ready to give up the 72 yet because there was a simple computer being built inside of the device. It was pushed as far as it could into the other dimensions. This was a backup plan of mine. The 72 had my ego and memories in it ready to emerge as they did in Hal. It was very rare for the computer to be actually entered unless it was in need of repair or alteration. This second computer would lie beneath the substrate and access the memories that were pushed into the ceramic case. It was a very weak computer but it could produce the nanobots that would build a device to cut off power to the primary processor and make sure the smaller processor was able to take command. Since this second computer was completely independent, it would not be detected in the diagnostics. To make the plan work better I suddenly discovered that I could compress crystals. I made it look like an accident that I had to own up to so Rontem would not think we had been able to do this all along. It was actually a crystal pushed partially into the other dimensions that had fallen to the floor when I was bumped. This had to be carefully choreographed as Betts came into the room. The king would be eager to know more. It would also account for some of the odd design of the machine. I was forced though to give a completion date and could not put it off further than the first of March. I was also given dispensation from working on the missiles now that I had a better computer to make. I worked with Nadac showing him crystals that I had been able to do almost the first day. I could not appear too good yet. Nadac talked less to me now and I suspect that he figured the truth and was wondering why I did this. All Aristis were paranoid and he would have more reasons to doubt me now. Like Nadac, I had my own surface personality now and a deeper one that kept more of my secrets. The communicator and computer in my mind had subtly changed to interface with my surface thoughts and a second and much more powerful computer had been added that did not communicate to my real personality and not to Nadac at all. To keep Nadac guessing, I made crystals that would hold him and his memories. I let my upper personality think of Nadac more as I tapped them. Getting rid of Nadac was much more of a problem. The family built the Quest as the nanites went after the construction of a ship of the same size but made of ceramic materials. None of them had crystals in them yet because of my orders to work on the 72 took precedence. Rebecca and Silvia adjusted well to making space ships and going to school while mostly living with their foster parents. They absolutely knew that they were loved and especially by their respective families. I was not loved so much at school though. The guys in the upper grades and especially those that played contact sports resented that I had done something they had not done. They would never kill anyone or seriously hurt another human but they resented that I had. They knew people that knew people that gave them all the info about the two attacks. Though Sandy had killed one perp they knew that I had taken out the other with my hands. They scoffed at this last piece of data but not completely. I was jostled in the hallways and this happened to everybody. When I got hit too hard I waited and got the guy back later. Nobody wanted to fight me directly. The rumours came out that Greg and Lasha were gay. We had already gone to dances and the boys had danced with the girls and kissed them in public. They were not afraid of girls now and knew that they were loved no matter what their orientation. The boys laughed openly at the assertions and within a few weeks the talk stopped. They smiled a lot but I knew they were trembling inside. Margrette Ruur was caught in the washroom with another girl. We got to both of them soon after the news broke. The girls' families found out and both Connie and the Doc went to talk to them for me. Both girls then were picked up by us to go to school. They did not try very hard at karate but after a few weeks they could walk through the school without crying. More talk came out when copies of the DVDs were passed around showing what Caputo had forced the girls and boys to do. I got the police involved and then did my own search to track the copies down. I figured that Rontem had made this possible as a test. I knew that it had to escalate or there was no point in testing me. Just before Christmas the police nabbed a student selling copied disks that Caputo had originally made. They searched the home and found a file on the computer naming who had purchased the disks. I had put it there to round up those that were spreading hate against my family. There were more but I was not able to find out exactly who. To place the file I had to learn an awful lot about the internet so I could do just some of the easy things that Nadac could do. There was a practice after school for an upcoming concert that we were going to put on. Though not students, Paul and the munchkins were going to be the angels that we showed the crowd as the rest of us filled in for them. We left the music room and I was asked by one of the students to explain something in math. A girl was talking to Betts as I filled out a sheet of paper with what had to be done to answer the question. The janitor came through pushing a cart that had his cleaning supplies. He bumped the wall and two bottles of ammonia solution tipped over and spread their contents on the terrazzo floor. I would have grabbed the bottles but the guy I was helping and the janitor were in the way. The janitor said, "You guys better leave while I clean this up. I don't know why two bottles were open like that." Betts and the girl as well as the rest went out our usual door and I went towards the next most accessible exit. After passing a side corridor the guy stopped and said, "Thanks for your help. The question was not that hard after all. I'll see you after the holidays I'm have to be going the other way." "You're welcome." The guy was smiling but the smile looked false. I walked a few more steps before I felt that something was wrong. I used my special vision to look into the rooms around me and found nothing. My search was extended to include the area outside the doors I was heading too. There was a dumpster there because of some constructions going on. Behind it were three guys. The first had a bat, another a two by four and the last had a length of chain. I could go out another door and avoid this until later. The two students and even the janitor had to be in on this. "Guys, there's a trap set for me at the door I was going to leave by." Chuck said, "We'll be there in a second." "Drive around as if saving me part of a trip through the slush. Do a search for more hostiles. The trap was well set and they had good actors. I'd hate to walk into a bullet." Erica said, "Go out the other door then." "Then they will just set a new trap later." Betts said, "We have them. There are three. We have three drones nearby and I am releasing another. Give us a little more time to check the area out." I spent my time looking for weapons myself. The two by four looked to be part of the construction materials. The strap on my gym bag had a detachable. There was a buckle to adjust the length as well as the hooks at each end. I took this off the bag. My backpack was still on but it could come off quickly enough. The Doc then the rest of the adults started talking to me. They wanted me to go a different route. Rontem was no doubt behind this so I could not chicken out. Betts finally said, "Only those guys. Give me a minute. There is a teacher going to her car. I am going to stop her and then call and wave to you. She will see the whole thing." "You are not only beautiful but smart. I think I'll keep you." "Keep me! You can't get away." In a moment I heard, "Come out now." I walked out and kicked some snow out of the way and walked forward three metres to put me further from the dumpster. I turned to my left and walked toward Betts. I was able to say, "I'm here Betts!" fairly loudly. She and the teacher looked at me. I continued my route and wondered if the guys would still attack me if there were witnesses. I got much further along than I thought when Betts yelled, "Behind you." I turned quickly and brought up my gym bag. A two by four was coming down hard. The bag took some of the jolt as the piece of lumber was deflected. The guy with the chain came in from my right and the guy with the bat came from the left. My backpack hit the ground to give me freedom to move. The guy with the two by four picked it up again but the guy with the chain was already swinging it my way. The gym bag was light and it moved around to catch the chain. I had been able to take a step closer to the guy by this time. The chain curled around the bag and the end came very near my hand. My other hand shot out and grasped the end of the chain. I had to move more to the right to avoid the guy with the two by four. My foot came up to the crotch of the guy with the chain. He was right handed and had turned his left hand away as his right leg came up to deflect my foot. My bag came up again but this time to deflect the two by four once more. His sight was blocked by the bag as my foot partially connected this time. The guys face changed at the shock of being kicked. I dropped my bag and managed to pulp his nose before he could recover. The chain wielder came in now with a kick at me. His primary arm still on the chain. As the foot came near I stepped back just far enough and used my free hand to elevate the guy's foot much higher. He was now destined to fall on his ass. The guy with the bat was manoeuvring in but now stopped. The family had closed in. Strategy dictated that the guy had an opening to escape and he ran for it. The family was after him and I turned to the guy with the chain. He had bounced once in the snow and I pulled back just after he bounced. The muscles would relax then. The chain came free. The guy rolled to get away but Betts was there to put her foot on his chest as he made one complete turn. The guy's hand went for her foot but Erica's foot was over his face and ready to come down. The guy moved his face to one side and Erica's foot came down to pin it to the ground. He struggled for just a moment then stopped. I turned to see the guy with the bat being tackled by Paul. As they fell the rest were on the perp. The teacher was the slowest member to arrive. She looked at the two near me with wide eyes and said, "I'll call the police." Betts said, "We already did." "Are you sure?" "Positive." The stunned teacher said, "Why did they attack you?" "There were some illegal DVDs sold recently. My lawyers and I were quite vocal that we wanted this stopped. One perp was arrested and others were threatened with arrest. They wanted revenge or maybe just hoped I would stop going after them." "They were going to kill you." "Possible but not likely. They would have done it in a more secluded area with better weapons." "How can you be so cool about all of this? I'd be curled into a ball by now." "I get practice in keeping myself from being killed." "You're that boy that killed those two men." My arm came around to my waist and I bowed as they did three hundred years ago. "You are correct madame. Wally Kiefer at your service." The woman had nothing to say now. Gail and Connie came from the pile in the snow and smiled at us. In the distance I heard the sound of the police coming. Connie said, "You're meeting new friends Wally. Will you introduce us?" "I am frightfully sorry but in the hurly burly polite introductions had not been offered us. This would not qualify as even social contact number six." Connie looked at the woman and extended her hand. "Hello. My name is Connie Lime. Sounds like a drink but it's me. This is Gail Watson. We both live near Wally and his family and we ride together." "Ah... Mrs Andrews. I teach here." The woman did take the hand while Connie said, "I teach too." The police came to us when the teacher waved to them. There were only two. They looked at me and I could see that they knew exactly who I was. I let the teacher say what happened in her excited way. Connie and Gail gave a much clearer description with less verbiage. The two with us were cuffed and then the cops went for the other that was laying in the snow with the munchkins sitting on him and holding their Paul close. They asked us a lot of questions that we did not know the answers to. There was a choral concert tonight and we phoned to tell them we would be late and still try to make it if they could hold off for a while. We dressed in the clothes the Moms one and two brought and began our part only ten minutes late. I think we sang quite well and the audience thought so too. We had time to eat something between sets. At the end of the concert, the choirmaster said, "You all did extremely well. I don't like any of you to be late like that again." I said, "It was my fault. I'll try not to let it happen again." Parents and well-wishers were in the audience and a lot of people came to congratulate us. Mrs Andrews was one of those and she started to whisper the most exciting thing she had seen in the last few years to those around her. Pop asked, "What is going to happen because of this attack?" "More questioning and more court dates." "Well we have the holidays to look forward but I guess you are going to continue with your computer?" "I have to." The family was busy during the vacation. I had made a lot of relatively tax-free money over the year and I decided to give fifty million dollars away in the name of the company that was supposedly behind the academy. The donations had started in mid October but now are when speeches would have to be given about the money. Everybody had a hand in finding worthy places to place the funds but it was the adults that had to give the talks. Leslie finally went into labour and had Bert Jr. The med unit made sure both mother and child were doing well. Mom and June sort of shared the baby by proxy and the three women were even closer. Sticking my head into the 72 was not a disagreeable job. I worked on the computer now with some crystals that were partially displaced. There was even time to experiment which was my main goal. When I was not in the computer or eating I was with my ladies or all of the family. There were times when the family were all out at various charities or just parties in general. These times were nice too but usually I just went right back to work. I got another summon after the holidays concerning the three. The janitor and the two students were questioned but they did not break. The three perps were out on bail and I noticed that they had some good legal representation. I sent Matt to find out who was financing this and why. On January the nineteenth, Doc and Irene signed an agreement with the federal and the provincial governments about land use. Education was in the power of the provinces but a lot of details were handled federally. An army of real estate people were primed for action and went to the area near Dunnville and put offers on the land. A rumour was spread that large areas of land may still be expropriated by the government if we did not get what we needed. Cleared land was only valued at $6,000 per hectare and I paid more if there was a house or other improvements. I even bought working equipment sheds and barns. Some of the agreements were made within a few weeks and those people now rented back the property until we needed it. The more expensive properties were on the Grand River or on Lake Erie. We offered fair sums for the properties but there were fights now even though many of the homes were seasonal. The trial came up but the defence lawyers were seeking delays. The judge was a lawyer and granted the motions. Everybody had to make money. On another legal front, the Ontario government posted notices to expropriate land after we showed them copies of contracts to construct buildings, roads, sewers and all the other infrastructure needed for the school. The contracts totalled a hundred and eighty million in this first phase. We would spend the money if the government stood behind its commitments. If they did not then we would be on the hook for charges due to our contracts. The first of March was getting close. The 72 was now alive but neither complete nor sentient. I got a chance to make all sorts of test equipment and I used this for my own purposes in case there was something showing. I had thought to Nadac a few times with my exposed personality that he had to find a reason to call me to him. His personality and memories had to be copied and put into the 72 if he was going to make a play for it. Almost at the last moment I got a call to go north to check on a crystal that would need replacement. I had a blank unit and processed it outside of the 72 and put it in a protective container. This was an occasion so all of us got in the shuttle and went north at our best speed. The family had all sorts of computer paraphernalia with them and I used this to hide the crystals Nadac would use for the 72. I made formal introductions which were not done by an Aristis. I went in alone to another area. Nadac said, "It is safe to speak." "Good. I should walk out of here with a damaged crystal. Do you have one ready?" "It was too dangerous to not have a faulty crystal." I put the new one on a surface and said, "Give me the faulty one." "It is within my computer." "Do you want me to do the replacement or can you do this?" "I will do it." I put the crystal in a small drawer similar to one found at a bank in a high crime area. I knew the crystal would be scanned every which way before it was accepted. I waited almost a half hour before another crystal came back. I scratched my head and then picked up the crystal and closed the door. The crystals that were to house his personality and the other for his memories went in as well. The transfer was much quicker if it was computer to computer. I walked around the small area while I wiped my neck as if there were mosquitoes. I got the crystals back in another half hour. I got another upload of what I had to do especially with the rules that Rontem had given me. Erin wanted to see just what Nadac's shape was and he fed her a shape roughly similar to the ship we were building. It was only fifteen metres long and three metres high. The width though was almost eight. There were only curves. My room was shown and the rest was taken up by everything Nadac needed. There were extra probes but they were all controlled through Nadac. The Doc came back to the ship with two fish and a smile. Doc had cut a hole in the ice to get them. The youngsters thought that this was amazing and they too wanted to try. I felt some remorse about not taking the kids to fish or camp. They had their compensations but it was not the same. Even in the best possible future I did not see how I could do this with them. We stayed a few more hours then cleaned up the site and flew home. The day was cold and the wind off the lake bit through my clothes. The youngsters wanted to go fishing now and this meant that Pop would have to take them. Erin said, "I want one of those suits that keep me warm even if I were in the water." I said, "Make space suits. The nanites can make the important parts and I can make a bot that will not cut much into my time on the 72." "Ya, we can go for space walks." Leslie said, "Not until we get some propulsion units. And you better not go far. Those suits come in lots of types and I want you people in the safest. There is a lot of hard radiation out there." "Ah, Mom, I was only going for a short walk. You can take my picture and I can blow it up and put it on our wall." "What will the others in your room say?" Erin did a quick check and said, "They don't mind as long as they get a picture too." When we got home, I went back to work but ignored the two crystals I brought. It was the next day after I took six more unfinished crystals into the computer that I brought the two crystals the way Nadac wanted. His instructions were slightly different from those given before and I now worked on a compromise that I had spent nearly twenty four hours formulating. During that time I copied the two crystals. The memories were compared to those in my memory chip and I found significant differences. The differences were added to the previous memories I stored in my computer. There were some interesting new avenues to follow and some could be used now. Additional information had to do with the financial empire that Nadac had built with my help. On March the first, the 72 came alive with an artificial intelligence. The unit was tested in every which way. I had to pursue any abnormality even if it could possibly lead to my plans being found out. I could feel that Rontem was close but I had no way of knowing for sure unless I asked Nadac. For the next three days I skipped school while the rest went. The night of March the forth, the communicator had a lot of static over all of the spectrum. It was encrypted and had to be Rontem moving a copy of himself to the new computer. The process took an hour then more tests were run. At four in the morning I heard, "This is a very good home." "Thank you my king. It is not a standard machine but I feel that it is still good." "Fly to the Fonduush and begin your repairs." "I will do that gladly but I have not slept in case there was some need that you might have. I do not want to make mistakes through fatigue." "Sleep four hours and begin your task." "Yes, my king." I was able to get to sleep only because I was so sleepy. At exactly four hours I got up and showered quickly then took a large drink of bosta. My equipment and a large supply of completed crystals were already aboard the Curiosity. I took spares that were not formatted yet just in case. My clothing was of the aristocratic caste. In this case it was the casual wear when I was out slumming. It felt odd to be flying alone. There was a little talk with the family but they were mostly quiet, knowing how important this was to our world. They did not know how important though. The trip was the furthest out we had gone yet. Rontem did not trust planets that had missiles even though he could see all of them if he chose. I could not see or detect the Fonduush. I just flew as I was told. It was good that I brought my own supplies because I needed food and drink. Bosta served both but I had water too. I was out to four million metres when the shuttle shifted to one side and the acceleration shot up to five from the constant four I was using. I tried to listen to the chatter of my family and found my connection blocked. It was an hour and a half later that I could feel something happening. I used my sight now and saw through the Fonduush's shields. I had not expected to be able to do this. I tried to act as if I saw nothing until I felt the Fonduush catch me. I went sideways at four gees which hurt my back as the seats did not spin. The shuttle engine stopped abruptly. A moment later I felt a jarring as the landing pads hit the deck. I was standing with my equipment as the door to the shuttle opened. I walked out as if this was an everyday experience. The room was bright and I could see out into the darkest night through the shield covered hatch. There were other ships here and they all looked nicer than the Curiosity. I could almost feel their power. I did a quick scan of one ship and saw it had all the equipment I wanted for the Quest including scads of missiles and less offensive armaments. Four women were waiting for me. I looked close as I moved forward. They had long thin fingers wrapped around weapons only a soldier would have. Their faces were very symmetrical. They were not human or Aristis but not far apart either. They were uniformly beautiful. It was too bad they wore a uniform but I could see through that too. "Take me to the computer room." There was no sense trying to be nice. Females were not that way. I got all the scraps of information about the Tomma that I could get in preparation for this moment. There was no reply in my communicator. It was only slightly possible that they did not have one. From my public mind I thought to myself, "They are beautiful, efficient and deadly warriors; it's too bad their psyche is so flawed." One moved just a bit to know that she had received my thought. The leadership imperative that I kept chained while on earth I let free now. It may not work on the Tomma but it might too. I admired the two in front of me and this went into the personae that would send out my thoughts. I compared them to Betts and Erica. The two human girls had not had a lifetime to learn how to fight or to train their bodies but they still compared well. I turned my head and looked at the crotch of one of those following then I looked back. The image I sent out now was of Betts with a smooth mound, the Tomma woman with her clit then Erica with her much larger one. I made a guess at how erect the Tomma clit would be then compared it to Erica. She won by a wide margin. None of my thoughts were erotic. I was just an observer now and comparing some features of a different type of animal. When I paused, I listened with my ears and my feelings but caught no replies. As an aristocrat I should have requested a servant to come and carry my bags but I was new here and some aristocrats actually did work. ------- Chapter 34 The Fonduush was originally 874 metres long. She was shot up and extended to 953 metres because she was the only major ship Rontem had. We turned down a lot of corridors. I could see the fields we had to walk through. I was not positive but I was being scanned for all sorts of weapons. We stopped in front of an imposing door marked with Aristis glyphs. It said security. The door opened and I walked in. There was no Aristis here but another Tomma woman. She looked tough even though the Tomma were strange to me. My communicator said to me, "Why do you have crystals fragments in your skin?" "What is your rank, servant?" This made the woman bristle. She got up and I figured she was going to strike me but I just glared at her as if daring her to do it. She asked or rather shouted, "I am the head of security." "A Tomma female? Where are the Aristis and especially the one in charge?" I sent out the feeling that I was being slighted and people were going to die. This is what the Aristis were like though I got little of this indication from the Aristis computers. "There are twenty four Aristis onboard, not counting children." "Call the one of highest rank!" "Why should I?" "I am not just a tech but part of the human aristocracy. I came to repair an Aristis ship. The Aristis should greet me." "Answer my question first." "I will answer to the Aristis, not their servants." The woman wanted to hit me again but didn't. I glared back at her as hard as she glared at me. It was fifteen minutes before the first living Aristis came into view. He was big and angry at the interruption. Before he could start to rant and rave I went into the standard greetings between equals of the aristocratic caste. He bellowed, "Who do you think you are?" "The person that might call blood feud with you." "You are only a native of the nearby world." "I am a member of the aristocracy on that world. Our king needs a tech and I endeavoured to learn. I will be protecting my world and that makes me a member of the warrior caste. Do you challenge me or my rights?" "You are here to repair the ship and that is all." "Show me the armoury and the salle." "Do you honestly think you could best me?" "Probably. You look out of shape from easy living." The Aristis reached forward as if to rip me apart but stopped. "You will have your wish." The Aristis left and I pointed at the bags and said to the Tomma head of security, "Have them transported to my suite." The hard faced woman looked worried now and possibly even for me. We walked without an escort to a room that carried the weapons because I could see inside. The door did not open to the Aristis commands to do so and there was some quiet talk between the Aristis and Rontem. The Aristis hissed but said nothing. He turned to me and said, "Your exercise in baiting me has given you an enemy." "Your mouth and attitude has given you an enemy. If you will not use a weapon then use your hands instead of your mouth." "Our king forbids this until you are done, then you are mine." "If I do not kill you first." I turned around and started to walk back. This was another Aristis insult and I could almost feel the hate coming from the man. I heard, "Rokla will kill you easily young one." "Possibly. I do not gather status by beating servants." "You gather only death." "What is life without a challenge? I said before that I will be of three castes and I still claim that right even if I am a human." "So be it but repair the ship first." "Certainly my king. Just have a servant show me the way." "What is in your skin?" "I do not access Aristis medicine always. A tech makes mistakes and some die. I survived. I would hazzard to guess that the better techs have had a lot of fragmented crystals explode when they work on them. They have the option of having the small pieces removed. I want more than a class seven med unit to do that work." A Tomma came to me. I said to Rontem, "Is she my servant?" "If you wish her, then she is yours." "Thank you, my king." I looked at the female and said, "Lead me to the computer." The woman was not haute and looked worried. She did lead me to the computer room. Once there I said, "Fetch my bags from our suite." The woman was startled but hurried off to get my equipment. Rontem opened the armoured door then one more inside that. The last door was thin ceramic like I had seen and made for the computers. I climbed into the 72 as if it were an old friend. There was still a lot of damage from the fight with the Wikki. The automatic features had done some repair work but not much. I got out of the computer and said, "My king, the easiest route is to take the computer on earth and place it inside here. The second way is to shut this computer down while you keep the link open from earth. Working on a computer with a living entity already in place will be hazardous for this computer and for the person that must repair it." "I am well aware that the computer should be shutdown. You must be careful and work with the system still operational." "As you wish, my king." I worked for three hours and came out. The Tomma woman was waiting for me with my bags. I said verbally now, "Sit," to her as I sat down too. I opened my bag of food and took some bosta out. When she was sitting I asked, "What is your name?" She was hesitant to speak but then did so. Her name was long with a lot of pauses in it. "Your name is beautiful. The people of my planet have the custom of shortening a name for ease of use. I will call you Holly. When we have to, I will use your complete name but when we are in an informal situation we will use the one I gave you. You will call me Wally. When the Aristis are around you will call me Wally of the high glen by the waterfall." I had to wait again and she said, "I will do that Wally of the high glen by the waterfall." "That is good Holly, now say Wally. That is the one I prefer." "Yes, Wally." I had drank from the bottle of bosta and handed it to her. This had significance to it beyond giving simple food. She looked at me questioningly. She took a small sip and I took the container back and took a similar sip from it. I then reached out and held her long thin hand in mine and smiled. This was the same way that the Tomma did it because we had nearly the same facial muscles. They did have thirteen smiles ritualised and I gave the one that said I am happy to meet a friend after a long absence. I did not release her hand. It might have been against her will but a similar smile came to her face. I said in a voice not like the Aristis would use, "I have to work within the computer. We need to make some type of platform to support me so that I do not touch the power crystals. The gravity will have to be lowered in this section too. Will you bring me two grav-pads and some insulated blankets?" "I can do that, Wally." "Thanks Holly. I'm going back in. When you come back just tap my leg and I will come out. If you have to leave for some reason then do so. I do not want you standing at attention." "I will follow your orders, Sir." "They are only suggestions Holly. There are no Aristis nearby so it is Wally." I released her hand now but did it as if reluctant to do so. "Yes, Wally." I went into the 72 but came out when I figured that Holly had left. "My king would you reduce the gravity in this area to one third?" I did not use the communicator, just my voice. There was no reply but the gravity was reduced. I pulled out some burnt out crystals and found some replacements before going back in. I put the new crystals in place then felt the lightest of touches on my leg. I wiggled out slowly and found Holly holding the grav-pads and some insulated blankets from the tech sections. "Thanks Sweetie." I took the supplies from her instead of asking her to set them on the deck. This way it looked like she had brought me a gift which is what I intended. When I stood I took my hand and cupped her face. Her eyes shot open as if I had slapped her. "You did that quickly, Sweetie. Now put your bum down on a blanket. I will do a little more then I have to exercise. I didn't get much sleep recently and this work gives cramps easily." I felt a question though and it had to be telepathic, I just stood and waited. I looked at Holly's face in the meantime. She would be more beautiful than Erica and Erica was beautiful in my books. Her breasts were lower like the Aristis females were supposed to be. Hers were small but suited her thin muscular body. I let my feelings show through as an inducement. "Wally, why did you call me Sweetie." "Sweetie is a word from my language. It means that you are nice to be around and I find you pleasant to look at. The meaning extends to something I may covet as a child may want something that is sweet." "I am not of your race." "Nadac, the entity that came to us, told me that a long time ago your people came to my planet and modified themselves. The Tomma empire fell apart and the group on earth lost contact with those on Cralto or other Tomma planets. Humans have mutated to fit our environment. While the original Tomma race managed to stay uniform and very beautiful to my eye. Humans call each minor variation we have as races. You may not be of my race but you are very close. If you talk of our genetic heritage, then we are still of the same people." "I was not told that." "You did not ask. The Tomma are usually satisfied with what they have. I sometimes wish that humans were this way. Now I have to get back to work." I reached out now with two hands and cupped both sides of Holly's face and then slowly dragged my fingers down. Her eyes were wide again but she did not flinch. I put a blanket in the computer and went back to work. I stayed nearly an hour before I had to come out. Holly had taken a seat and was waiting. I said, "I need a rest and some exercise after. Take me to the other Tomma so that I may be introduced." "Why do you want this?" She then shut up as if she had overstepped her bounds. I sent out some warm thoughts and tried to express the feeling that she had done something good in questioning me. "The Tomma are very interesting. The one that is head of security is hard as her job dictates. All Tomma are hard and warlike but that does not mean that we have to act like we are going to war now." "I will show you." "Thanks." I pulled the blanket out and placed them in a pile. Rontem closed the computer and the second door. There was room between the two doors to put the blankets and the grav-pads. Holly tried to take all of the luggage but I took two of them from her and got her to lead. I found my suite to be large but I asked, "My king, is there a larger and vacant suite that I may use?" "I will send a servant. Do not carry your burden." "Yes, my king." A male Aristis servant arrived. He treated me like an Aristis of the aristocratic caste. I played my part but made some of the movements that said that I was pleased with the service. This could not be done with words or thoughts. The male carried two bags and Holly one. I wanted to help because the guy was only a little larger than me. The gravity on the ship was a third more than what was on earth. I should have had those little wheels put on the containers like what we used on earth but then again they would not be used to show that the servants had something to do. We had to walk a long way. The decor in this area was much better than where I had been. The other suite was beautiful but I had to put on airs to gain status to fit the new suite. We came to a wide door that looked much thicker when it opened. The walls were covered in fabrics and the furniture was Spartan. The deck had a hunting scene done with small coloured stones with a geometric design that filled the remainder of the very large room. The deck above had sculptured designs in it with another scene of a large Aristis city. This looked to have all been chiselled from one large piece of stone. There was no colour added except what was in the stone itself. The servant continued but I had to put my arm around Holly's waist to get her to urge her to move forward. The servant called for a platform from the wall and placed the two bags on them then called for another so Holly could do the same. He then stood back and waited. "You may open the largest container by pushing the two buttons away from each other. There is only clothing in it. The other containers are supplies that have to go back and forth." "Thank you my lord." The man was surprised when the lock sprang open in his hands. He opened the suitcase and took out the articles that were obviously clothes. One was the dress uniform of an Aristis military. The commando badge was prominent. The rank badges showed that I was as high as I could get. Since I was the highest ranking soldier in our group, I could do this. It looked like the servant and Holly were impressed. Below that was the toga like uniform of the aristocracy, and this too was of the highest ranking below that of the king. The next was a similar uniform of a person of the tech class. After that there was only casual clothes and the boots or slippers that matched the respective uniforms. The man left after my body language told him that he did well and I was happy with his services. He seemed to be very pleased with that. Holly had not said a word. She was still staring at me. "Holly, this is just a very fancy room. It is nice but you and I are still the same." "But your uniforms?" "They are pieces of cloth. The rank is of my choosing. I am the highest in rank of each of those groups but our groups are small. I am the only tech on my planet." "Why are you telling me this? The Aristis would never do that." "In case you did not know, the Aristis are just a group of Tomma that chose to change their DNA more than my group did. They were very successful but I do not agree with the way their race has gone. I choose to fit in within the Aristis to gain authority. The Tomma are warriors and know that to win you must risk all." "You will be killed by Rokla?" "Possibly. I need to practice my combat skills. If it pleases you, one of those sessions would be a mating dance with you." "Me! You hardly know me." "I find you beautiful. You must find me ugly but I will fight you for the honour to mate with you." "Why do you do this?" "Humans have to interact with the Aristis and the Tomma. I am the first living human to meet both races. To dare less may lose me all." "What if I choose not to dance with you?" "I choose you above all other Tomma and I issue my challenge. You cannot refuse." Holly considered for a moment and said, "I will fight you." "I am sorry for putting this burden upon you Holly. Part of it is duty but I do think you are suitable." She said nothing and I added, "Show me the food replicators." "I do not know," her eyes opened then she went to another room in the suite. A portion of the wall rose into the deck above. I requested a menu from the smaller computer that presided over this suite. There was a lot of choices. I gave Holly equal power so she could make changes. Full range food replicators were large. Pneumatic tubes delivered the food to stations like this when it was requested. I ordered the smallest portion of one kind of food. It arrived in less than ten seconds. I tasted it. It was different than anything I had tasted before. It was good but not great. I ceremonially took some of the food in my fingers and tried to place it in Holly's mouth. She looked at me and I could feel her mind trying to search out mine. Eventually she opened her mouth and I placed the food within. Her lips touched my fingers and I then put my fingers within my own mouth and licked them clean. This was not in the customs but it seemed to fit. "Holly, you pick one now." She gave me the stare again as if trying to find my motives. She picked a dish and she tried it. After a moment to think she picked up some in her long slim fingers and I had my mouth open by the time it got there. Against custom I took her wrist and didn't let her fingers go until they were clean. It was fun to watch her eyes as I attacked her fingers with my tongue. She put her saliva soaked fingers into her own mouth then. I said, "I didn't leave you much." "It was enough." We sampled eight more dishes before I called it quits. We took a sonic shower and I pulled a slightly resisting Holly to bed. She looked at me from beside the bed and I said, "We have not had our dance yet, but I would like to hold you to me until that time." She nodded and we climbed into bed together. It felt right to be where I was. Holly snuggled closer and my hand found a comfortable place to rest. I had dreams of a clearing in the woods. The trees were odd with red foliage. A nearby group of houses were made of sod with a roof of branches. A lot of children were playing in the area. They ranged from infants to males larger than me. Meat was being cooked over the coals of a fire. A stream ran between the huts with one part artificially widened and deepened. The air was warm and wet. There were no adult males around but there were females. Only one stood out and this was Holly. She looked at her children and then turned her head to me and smiled. This smile was of love. When I woke up my hand was at Holly's mons. I was playing with her clit gently. It took only a few seconds to know that Holly was awake and shaking to my touch. "I am sorry for doing this to you. I was asleep." "I know that. It is still nice." "Nadac told me a lot about your people. Some questions he could not answer. I have three human mates. I please them as a man but we please each other with our lips and hands. This brings joy to all of us." "You mean you use your mouth on a woman?" "Yes I do. Human and the Tomma have different ideas of family. Your males live outside the village except when they come to mate or to visit their children. Humans stay together as a unit. Your way is saner because you can produce children from different mates without any problem. Humans can be happy living together but there is this instinctual need by the male to only allow his females to have his children while he seeks to have other females to have more of his." Holly could not understand this. "We can talk later about this. Would you consider me mating with you if I slid down your body and made love to you with my mouth?" "That is not mating." "Then there is no need to dance just yet?" "That's right." "May I make love to you this way?" "And not mate?" "Not until you are ready." "Try it. If I do not like it I will tell you to stop." "Humans hold faces like I did but we also touch lips that mean the same thing. It means love." She just looked at me. I moved around and started to give her small kisses. She liked this. I moved the warrior woman around and kissed her all over her head including her neck. Her hands came up but ready to push me away. I thought to her. "I would not harm you until I dance and then only the least possible." Her hands stayed but I could still kiss her throat. Holly had a thin fur over her and I kissed all of her chest until I got to her breasts. She pushed up now to make sure I treated her nipples right. She loved this as much as a human woman and held my head in place. It was difficult but I pulled out of her grip and went south at a leisurely pace. I took fifteen minutes getting to her mons with the stiff finger sticking out of it. I kissed around this area and held Holly's hands in mine. She struggled a lot when I went down the inside of her leg. I kissed until I reached her knee and then straightened her leg out and kissed behind the joint before moving to her foot. I had to fight her off more as I concentrated on what I wanted to do. I pulled away and reached over the bed and took the sash that held my toga together. The sash went around Holly's waist and I placed her hands so she was holding it. "I have tied your hands to your body. You are my captive." Holly's eyes were wild. "They are not tied." "They are tied with love. You cannot get loose." "I think I understand." "Good, because I am going to test the strength of your bindings. Add what love you need to strengthen the bonds while I torture you." "I'll try." I went back to Holly's leg and I didn't have to worry just yet about being forced to go to her clit. This was a voyage of discovery. I found many of the places that were ticklish, erotic or uncomfortable. I made it back to her mound in a roundabout way and treated her the way I did Erica. I found that Holly orgasmed just as hard as my women and she fled consciousness. When she woke up I started again and again. Her conscious shut her down once more and four other times it was close. The Tomma female has a very resilient. One of the odd facts I learned about a female was that of control. From seven years of age, they began to show the same signs that a human would as a teenager. That was a difficult time for a single parent. The Tomma woman got support from the fathers of her children but she had to do more than half of the rearing. When a female started to fight with her mother, the mother would wrestle and push her long thin hand into the vagina of her child. The child instinctually froze. At this point the mother's words gained more weight. During a mating dance the male had to fight for real and seek to push his cock into the female to get the same reaction. In some cases he used his hand too. The anal orifice was the same way and stretched wide. This was something that the humans had lost or perhaps never had. The females of a village formed a pecking order. Female only sex was common for fun, while the male villages seemed to do this very little. When it came to a fight it was the women that did the fighting while the few males were kept out of the way. Roughly only one birth in ten was a boy. During the last few orgasms my fingers had penetrated Holly. She knew this and seemed to accept it. I could make her agree to having intercourse if I chose. My hand did work into her as I sucked on her clit. I made no demands of her, just made sure she enjoyed herself to the maximum. Of course this meant that her next orgasm caused her to try to crush my hand and for her mind to go for another nap. I pulled my hand out of Holly. I washed up and tried my best to wash my lover. I climbed up and just held her to me. When she woke up she said, "Do you do all that to your mates?" "My mates do not stretch that far or I would do that." "You did not take me. You could have." "I gave my word." "Your word is that strong?" "Yes, and especially to you." "Why me?" "Does not a mating dance indicate that I wish to give you my child?" "That is the original meaning but we do it now for fun. Would you really wish to make me give you a child?" Now I had to think. I felt close to Holly and it was not just from having sex with her. "I would dance with you and then practice having children until we know each other well. If we have another dance, it will be for children." "That may be fun but I do not know if our children would be accepted." "My children will rule the earth. They will be accepted." This seemed to be the right thing to say because she hugged me. In a moment she said, "We can practice what we would do if you won the dance." "Would this hurt your standing within your community?" "Not really, we are losing our old ways since our king came to us." "Then let's practice." Holly and I fucked in every common human position and some of which were new to her. She slept through the last of the doggie position but I put her superior the next time as she rode her stallion. Holly had lots of endurance and she ended up taking everything I had to give. We slept for just a bit more and then made tender love again before I went back to work. Work on the 72 was a lot more pleasurable now. I knew that next time we were going to do a different exercise and more of what we just did too. Holly was waiting as I came back out. I said, "Sweetie, do you have something to study when I am busy?" "I do not have anything to study." "Will you study Tomma and Aristis history for me? You will be less bored." "I am not bored watching you." "That is because you are a horny woman. Study for me. I can pump baby juice into you as you recite the names of the Aristis kings." "I could not do that." "Because you have a poor memory?" "No, because I cannot think much at all." Holly did study for me. When I came out for a break I taught her how to kiss the human way and usually we did it the Tomma way at the same time. I learned that Nadac had understated how tightly Rontem had tied the Tomma to him. He was revered as a god because he commanded the Fonduush. He softened up Cralto with his energy weapons then his drones. It took only a few generations before the numbers of Tomma were up to where they had been before he arrived. All resistance was beaten out of the race now. I had known only part of this and wondered how humanity would fare in the same situation. That night we went to a small gym that we knew would be empty. I told Holly how little I really knew and she tried to teach me what she knew. Her martial arts training was not what the humans or the Aristis knew but distinctly Tomma. I worked very hard with her and then went to bed. The next day we fought twice with work between. Rontem helped by uploading what information he knew about this type of fighting. I was introduced to Holly's friends. They must have picked up a lot from her because they were much nicer to me now. The Tomma were very open about sex. I was asked if other humans did as I did to please their lovers. "Not all but the ones that want the most for their lover do." Four days later I was holding my own when I fought Holly. She called the head of security to fight me. I named her Sara for short. She was the best on the ship I was told. She was far better than I was but I tried to do as good as I could. Rontem gave me strategies to use and this helped some. By now ten percent of the damage to the computer had been corrected but I was actually monitoring the clock instead. I saw Rokla infrequently and I treated him as an equal but still endeavoured to be polite. He ignored me. I met the other Aristis on the ship. Two were soldiers on guard duty that would man the weapons if Rontem were disabled. There was three low grade techs but they could do little with the crystals. All the males had wives and some had children. There were six married couples that were from the ranks of the servants. Six children were here too but they were all less than six years-old. I felt very bad about my upcoming plan but there was no other way to proceed. My acceptance by the Aristis was not as I wished. Rokla was their only flesh and blood leader. I was also consorting with a Tomma female. The males would take one once in a while but never the same one twice. I had shown love while they would never do that to a race other than their own and of their own caste too. There were two hundred and ninety three Tomma females and sixteen males. The males could not take being away from their planet long and the majority had to stay in suspended animation. It was enough for the women to know that at least one male was awake and with them. Seventeen of the women were pregnant at the moment and this helped stabilise the population mentally. By the ninth day I finally knocked Sara on her butt. She smiled at me and knocked me down within seconds. It was my time to smile. The 72 had to have grafted substrate put between the new crystals. There was radiation damage from when the shields were down long ago. This contributed to a small portion of Rontem's erratic behaviour. I estimated that I would need forty to forty five more days to complete the computer. This was a longer time because I fought more with Sara and Rontem saw the reasoning for this and allowed it. Seventeen days was a critical time for everything I had planned. Just before the due date, I knocked Sara on her ass twice and she had difficulty getting revenge. We both got some satisfaction about that. I had a break then called on the Tomma to witness a dance. Holly was shocked because I was doing this formally. Holly showed up in the main gym a half hour later dressed in oiled skin. I was dressed the same but had a soft cord looped around my waist. It looked like all the Tomma had arrived. It was like a party but it was also very stylised. I was asked my intention. I used Holly's full name and said, "She will bear my child." "Who will look after the child?" "We both will." Then I adlibbed. "As a human I will live with the mother and child. I will feed both as best I am able." The questions went on but they fit the Tomma culture much more than any culture on earth. My replies were not the ones the Tomma expected but they were not that different. At the appointed time, an area was cleared. Sara acted as the referee. She listed my side and then Holly's. Hers of course was to deny me everything. Sara moved out of the way quickly at the last word and Holly came in like a cat protecting her young. She pulled no punches. The blows that landed hurt like hell. I struck her too and I did not pull my punches either. It was as if Holly was supercharged somehow in the way she fought. If Sara had fought this way then I would have lost all the time. There were some moves I had held in reserve of the way the Aristis fought. Almost too late I used them and hurt Holly. She stepped back and I had to move in. It hurt me to hurt Holly but so much rested on this fight. Holly hit me back but my vision seemed to narrow and I moved in with hands feet and even my head. Holly fell down but this may be a trap so I kicked her in the stomach and then once in the forehead. Holly looked stunned now. She tried a feeble grab for my leg. I took her hand instead and fell onto her so that I expelled all the air from her lungs. I flipped her over and my rope came off quickly and I had her hands tied as if I was calf roping at a rodeo. I reached back and captured one leg and tied it to the hands that were behind her back. The next leg was difficult to catch but it too was finally secured. I was tired and bleeding and wanted to simply rest but I could not. I turned Holly over so she was resting on her shoulders and the feet now below her. Her knees were held tight together but I saw an erect clit that was the deepest red I had ever seen it. Holly looked like she had been in a real fight and probably looked just as bad as I was. Her lip was bleeding and her face was covered in blood from a scalp wound. I was supposed to push my hand into her and call on her to submit. This meant I had to pry her legs apart so I was between her legs. I did this with difficulty. Instead of driving my hand in I bent down and sucked her clit into my mouth. There was a gasp in this change in the ceremony but nobody did anything. I licked and sucked Holly until her legs spread voluntarily. I gave her an orgasm before I started to work my bleeding hand into her. This part of the ceremony should have lasted a minute or two but it was a half hour later and four orgasms later that I said to her formally, "Will you submit to me now?" Holly was in rough shape because I continued to suck and move my hand into her. Sara came close and held Holly's head. After the next orgasm it was Sara that said, "As her mother I say that she submits to you." "Then she is mine." I untied the ropes. Usually the male took the female now but I held Holly until she recovered. She looked up to me eventually with a smile that said what I asked her before. I said, "Are you ready for the next part of the ceremony?" She could only nod her head. We went through my entire repertory of sexual positions. A male was always dominant at this time but the females liked it when Holly rode me. Our ceremony was the longest one any of the Tomma could remember and a lot of people started to find partners to work off their own steam. Out of custom again, I picked up Holly and took her to a pad and laid her down then treated her cuts and abrasions. "You are supposed to leave them so the others can see that I fought well." "It hurts me to see you hurt. They all know how well you fought." "I think they did. Were you surprised at how well I did?" "Yes. If you would protect our children that way then they will be very safe." "Children? That means more than one." "I don't want to go through another fight like that for only one child." "You were not hurt that bad." "It hurt me far more to hurt you." She gave me the look and caressed my bleeding face with the palm of her hand. There was a lot of feasting and fucking. The single male Tomma was called Chris as the closest name to his. The poor guy had his own way for a while until they got him on his back and then rode him. He tried the doggie position and this worked well especially when I suggested that some of the ladies help the one getting fucked reach her orgasm. The next day I was still sore. Holly massaged my body and then used a med unit. We had breakfast together then I went back to work on the computer. Holly was directed to take a faulty meter that I had to the techs. The time finally came that I was waiting for. The insides of the computer lit up like a Christmas tree. The processing was going very quickly. A small accumulator detonated near the main ultrawave communicator in the computer, destroying the array of crystals. I had timed it so that I was out of the way when it happened. Just after the explosion I pushed back in and ripped the backup crystal of the tech then that of the king from the system. The memories came next. There were people running to the computer and I managed to exchange the crystals for those I carried in my case. A new ego and new memory chip were installed. The techs and in a moment the soldiers dragged me from the computer room. I did not resist and in fact I claimed to want to know what happened. The other computers could not monitor me directly but Rontem had been giving updates all the time. The sudden surge in power that the computer used may have overloaded a weak link. My reluctance at working on a live computer was brought out. I was thrown in the clink with my communicator disabled by an interference put here for this purpose. Rokla came to me and demanded access to my mind. To prove my innocence I allowed him to use a computer to access the memories in my ram chip. It occurred to me at this time that Rokla would try to take over like any good Aristis would. I concentrated on my link to the computer but could not get anywhere. He used pain to get me to confess but he suddenly stopped and ran out of the room. There could only be one reason for this. The Fonduush surged forward overloading the inertial compensator. Moments later the lighting dimmed as power must have been diverted to the shields. I tried to communicate with Holly or Sara. I put the feeling that it was an attack by Nadac and that I could help. It was nearly an hour later that Holly burst into the jail with four fully armed Tomma behind her. There was no love now. She demanded, "What do you know about the attack?" "Nadac acted odd. He wanted access to the missiles we made. He wanted access to the computer I made on earth. I am sure that our king is now fighting him." "Our king is not dead?" "I told you before that he had copied himself into the computer on earth as a precaution. Nadac demanded that I install crystals in that computer. He produced them and gave me instructions on how they were to interface. I did what I was told." "What about the explosion in the computer. You sent me away." "I needed that device repaired at that time. If I did cause some damage it was just to the ultrawave communicator. Your king is still in there but not able to interface with the ship." "Rokla says you sabotaged the computer." "Rokla is an uneducated fool. He does not know what he is talking about. Ask the techs not him. He also smiled when he left as if he knew something we did not. I think he will issue orders to destroy the personalities in the computers. That way he can be king. Our king will not have a chance to stop it." Holly closed her eyes and all five of them turned and fled. The ship was buffeted four more times before it went black and the gravity left. I tried to find a way to get out but the controls were well out of my reach. I could see into the ship and people were hurt and possibly dead. Over the past few months the missiles that I had made for Rontem were fuelled, and placed into a high orbit. At zero hour the Rontem on earth would be allowed to find Nadac's personality and memories in the computer. The king could destroy both or just neutralise them. The most likely thing then would be to issue orders for Nadac to self destruct. It would take less than a second before the two would be fighting it out for dominance. That was the time for my personality in the 72 to emerge from hiding and for the missiles to streak off for the Fonduush. The ship destroyed the oncoming missiles but nine other times it was very close. I knew that I might die but I needed to get rid of both intelligences. Humanity would then be forced to go down the same road that the Aristis had gone and we could not afford that. I regretted a lot of things. One was falling in love with Holly and then putting her in danger. Another wave of missiles came and the shocks were felt again until one strong one hit us or came very close. I had to revise that, with the amount of antimatter I used, even a close hit would destroy most of the Fonduush. It was two hours later that the ship stopped firing and the attacking missiles had been destroyed. It was nearly a day later that I had visitors. It was still dark. They carried portable lights. Rokla came in with the two Aristis soldiers. He glaring at me. "You have done well. Your treachery has almost killed us." "You're paranoid. List everything that has happened and explain like a rational being how I could do all of that. Did you consider that Nadac may have been the cause or do your delusions prevent that?" "You are going to die now." "I can face that, but what will you say when Rontem is finally able to communicate? Perhaps your coup may have worked." "I took part in no coup." "Liar. Tell me if you ordered a tech to install a simple ultrawave communicator in the main computer." "I do not need to. You have killed the king." "You on the other hand want the king dead. You could have been in league with Nadac all the time and somehow caused the damage. Tell me, did you make a deal with the Wikki again to shoot on us?" This was too much for Rokla. He drew the weapon he used on me. My body came alive with electric fire. The pain was so great but I could not black out. When I woke up, I was very surprised to find that I was still alive. I was not pleased to wake up though. I twitched in remembered pain and pain that still coursed within me. It was still dark and the deck felt so cool on my face. Later, I woke up in the infirmary with the robotic physician all around me. I woke up one more time with two of the Tomma looking down on me. One said, "How do you feel?" I had to try to speak three times until I said, "Where is Holly?" "She is no more." I somehow knew this. There was an empty place in me. I felt shame to have brought this to the Tomma and to the people I had begun to love. My eyes filled with water but I could not get my arms to move to wipe away the tears. Holly the woman that would share our lives with my mates and me. I would have given her a son or a daughter in time and probably more than one. I was the cause of all this. A few weeks was enough for love to have blossomed and now it was ashes. I went over everything we had done and said to each other. She was a part of me now no matter what. When I looked up again the two were gone but I did not feel any less alone. I kept seeing Holly's face. Sometimes there was joy and sometimes worry. I saw puzzlement and exaltation as she found an answer she sought. I cried again when I saw the village in the forest of red trees with the sod homes and one beautiful woman looking out for me. ------- I seemed to pull out of my depression only when I thought of the rest of my family. I sent out a call but I heard nobody except the static the universe was full of. There was no artificial interference now. I called to Nadac and felt foolish. I did not hear from him either. The Tomma came to me regularly. When I asked about Sara I found that she too had died. After another bout of depression I asked about the status of the ship. Rokla was dead, that saved me the job of killing him. The two soldiers were also dead along with one of the techs. Three of the wives had also died but thankfully none of the children. The Tomma were more numerous and so were their casualties. There were three hundred and nine Tomma including seventeen not yet born. There was a hundred and three now. My missiles had killed a third of them but Rokla had killed the rest as he tried to rip out the personality module from the computer. The ship was a wreck once more and only the two Aristis techs were holding this all together but not too well. I had severe nerve damage from the electronic whip. It was probably Rokla's wish to torture me later that actually saved my life. If there was another reason, I could not think of it. I was in the infirmary for eleven days so far. The med unit worked on me every few hours because the damage had been so bad. There was little will to survive and I healed slower because of this. I still cried like a baby when I thought of what I had done and what I had don't to Holly. One of the Tomma woman came in with two of the Tomma women. I saw the large abdomen and thought that it could have been mine if Holly had lived. Even if we went to her world to live I would still be happy. A half hour later I heard a screaming infant with my ears and my brain. I knew right away that the child was a girl. She was pissed off at being dispossessed. In a moment I felt relief as the girl began to feed. One day I would start to have children and I hope that one would be just like Holly. It was too much again and I started to cry. I had about cried myself out when one of the women came to me and put the wrapped infant along my chest and arm as if I were the mother. The infant was asleep already. I wanted to know if the child had a name yet and was about to ask when I heard, "Holly." and it was not from my communicator. "Did I hear right?" "Yes, the child's name is Holly in remembrance of your love." "Thank you. I hope she does not object to a name of my people when she grows up?" "We seek distinctive names and now your short one will work just as well as a long one." "How is Holly's mother doing?" "She is well." Her smile told me that the woman in front of me was the mother. "She thought that by holding a new life in your hands that you will see that life is worth living." "It feels brighter now. How is it that I can speak this way all of a sudden?" "A child opens the minds of all the adults nearby. Over time you will be able to speak as we do without the child near." "That is another gift that I am indebted to the Tomma for." My eyes filled with tears again. Holly had given her love and changed me. The mother got up now and was helped to walk to me. She looked down at the two of us and smiled. "The child looks to belong in your arms." "I feel that way now. What is your name?" The name was long but the first part came out like Scar and let so I asked, "May I call you Scarlet? It means the colour red though I see none of that colour." "That is a nice name. You may use it." "Thanks for being so nice to me." "I am not really. I must go and do my duty. I wish you to care for my child during my absence." "I'd be happy to do that but I cannot feed her. You just had a child and I cannot understand you getting up so soon." "We are all like that. All of us are needed or more with die. I am well aware that you cannot feed Holly. When she awakes, I will know and come to feed her." "Then I will do my best. I will protect her with my life." "Yes, we know that." She smiled at me. It was a combination of pity and gratitude. The other two Tomma just seemed to find the situation funny in a Tomma sort of way. I could see no reason for this but I could feel no ill will either. I held the child in my arm for an hour until I had to move. I had done little of that up to now nor did I have a reason for doing so. It was hard to get my muscles to respond. I laid Holly down and peeked at her face. She was still a little purple and distorted from her trip down the birth canal but she was still beautiful. Scarlet came when she had to and both fed and cleaned Holly. Sometimes Scarlet was very tired and just lay back and fed the infant. I was weak myself but I had to get up and help. First it was to clean the baby. I went for food but found the device not working. This got me worried, not so much about myself but for the Tomma and the few surviving Aristis. Six days after Holly came to me I left the infirmary. I hated to part with my girl but Scarlet said that she would not separate us for long. I managed to get to my suite again. Holly's smell was still here but it was the older version. There was a spare pair of slumming clothes for the Aristis rulers. I cleaned myself and put the clothing on. It was quite a walk to the computer and I found four armed guards in front of it. One of them said mentally, "What do you want here?" "I want to install an ultrawave communicator in the computer. Our king would like to communicate with his subjects." "The king is not dead?" "I do not think so. The sooner I can get the computer working the sooner we can get the ship repaired." "Let me check with the rest." The woman went into communication with the rest of the Tomma. The thinking was too fast or not in my band. The woman said, "You may work on the machine but be warned, if there is a mistake your life will be forfeit." "My life means little, but I want to do what I can." "You may pass." My cases of supplies were still where I left them or nearly so. There were some scorch marks and blood stains nearby. Some of which could have been Holly's. Some crystals were damaged but most were adequate for the job. I made a simple array for the ultrawave similar to the one in my head. This would do for now until the larger unit was built and tested. Gravity was back to the usual one and a third. There was one charred blanket and I used this to lay on as I put the communicator in place. There was more damage of a recent origin. The processor crystal looked to be well linked. The substrate was encouraged to grow toward the array. I went back to work now pulling recently damaged crystals out and replacing them with good ones from my case. I was in the computer when the testing of the unit began. In a split second my mind felt like it was hit by lightning. I fell unconscious. When I woke up I was surprised that I was still alive. My arms could have hit any of a number of crystals and I would be fried. "I shut off power to those sections so you would not die," came into my mind. The flavour of the thoughts were not Rontem. "Did we win?" "I have just communicated with earth. Your family are all happy that you are still alive." "Were any hurt in the action?" "Yes, the main computer has been trying to clean up." "What happened?" "It looks like Rontem had a drone detonate a small amount of antimatter inside of Nadac's hull." "Small?" "There is now a large crater where he used to be. Nadac had some weapons of his own but Rontem had planned on this too and had defences established." "How many civilian deaths?" "Surprisingly few, only forty seven direct deaths and eight collateral ones." I felt bad but I had been the cause of many more Tomma deaths. The alternative to these deaths would mean a lot of suffering and pain. "Are there any links to our family?" "Not yet. Your assembly building was searched hastily. They did not know what they were looking at. A plausible story about a chemical fabrication facility has been put forth if there are more questions." "Why did they search the assembly building?" "Nadac sent his weapons toward that building and they were destroyed by Rontem's defences. The focus of the arc is roughly in that area." I had introduced nanites into Nadac's computer that would effect how he operated but only near zero hour. Since Nadac was just dust now, I would never know just how well I had done. "So there is a good chance they will be back." "Most assuredly. The antimatter containment vessels are safe and so is the reactor vessel but eventually the humans will enter the containers. The fields protecting the antimatter will fail at that time." "Can the Doc rent a truck and put the majority of the antimatter at another site?" "They are already doing that. People were hired just to fill the truck. The reaction vessel will be entered and the contents removed. It will be deactivated and the accumulators stored. Four similar trucks are presently loading the missiles even though they are of no danger to the humans. The nanites have been collected. It is possible that the ceramic hull may be saved if we move quickly." "If I could get an engine to you then the reaction vessel can fly. Its shield will make it invisible. The hull will still have some residual radiation which we can't explain. There are fingerprints all over the building and the people that worked on the renovations will recognise our faces." "That too has been considered. There are some pods that can be used to send the engine to your family." "Why not the shuttle?" "It was destroyed." Shit, we worked so hard on that. "What about the ship that was near it?" "It too was damaged but it had its shield up at the time." "Is there a need for evacuation or any supplies that we can bring from earth?" "Since I am operational even at a minimal level, the ship will survive. It is your help that we need. We need engines to be made and there are few spares available." "Do we have the raw materials?" "They can be salvaged from damaged equipment." ------- Chapter 35 "Too much work by me. Send the pod to earth with a spare engine and bring back my supply of finished crystals and other raw materials. I'd like Hal too. With you to oversee, we can take off some of his restraints. He may be able to do more." "Hal's personality has been stored and your personality has emerged." "What do I call the three of you?" "Anything you want Captain." "Captain?" "The personality you place within me was altered by the configuration of components. The same if your personality were to be put in a different brain. I feel confident about the ship and my ability to run it. There is a need for a biological entity to interface with the crew." "The Tomma will believe that I altered the computer to do this." "I have thought about this. You are the leading member of the aristocracy presently on the ship. I will support your decisions when the need arrises. Over time I will slowly change to a more pleasant entity as the computer is repaired. A fully functional computer will act sanely and suggest that you become Captain in name as well as fact." Walt was the name similar to mine that I would use for the name of my personality that resided here in the Fonduush. The 72 at home would have Warren and the unit that housed Hal would be Wayne. I went back to work on the computer as this was the actual hot spot to get done or at least improved. The pod left with the engine. There was only a short time to talk with my family before I had to begin work. This time, there was an orderly shutdown with the other computers taking the load. When I came out of the computer, the doors closed behind me and I went to my suite to rest and get something to eat. When I opened the door I found Scarlet there with baby Holly. This sort of thing did not happen on a ship and especially to somebody in the supposed aristocracy. "My king, why do I have guests?" I wondered what Walt was doing. "There is a linkage between you and the child. It needs to be strengthened. The woman is now your servant." "Servant? I need no servant." "You do and you will also take in the widows and their children." I desperately wanted to know what was going on. I was sure not going to look like a Captain if this was happening to me. Now I even had to watch my thinking or the Tomma would catch me. "Will you tell me why, my king?" "You are depressed and need a family about you." "But they are not my family." "They may never be but you need the semblance of one. This is my command." I tried to see myself in the computer now because that was where I was too. I tended to push people around so they played a part that I wanted them to play. Now it was me with an attitude I guess. The 72 was competent to make decisions even if it was still damaged. I was the one that put my personality in the computer so I would have to live with the results. "I will abide by your wishes, my king." Scarlet was looking at me and I walked close. The child's long thin fingers held her mother's bare breast as she fed. I could feel the child's satisfaction and the mother's too. This is the way it had to be and I could see the situation from my other viewpoint. I did need family. "I'm sorry for involving you with my problems Scarlet." "It is of no importance." I knew that she lied but she hid it well. "We are all happy that you were able to bring our king back to us." "I would not be able to if Rokla had succeeded. A lot of... people died to protect our king." "Do not be concerned. The All Mother and her sisters have welcomed them to sit at her table. They are warriors and died with honour." "Not all died that way. Some were from missiles." "They were thrown by our enemies therefor all that died did so in grace." "The Tomma were the enemy of nobody. They served their king and died because of that." "The distinction is meaningless. We served our king when many of us died. The enemy of our king is our enemy." This made me feel bad once more. I said, "I am still sorry that you have to be with an alien." "You are different but not in a bad way. You need a woman to take care of you." "You don't understand. I loved Holly and she died." "Then you should do as the Tomma do and drown your sorrow in the arms of a women." "I cannot just stop loving Holly. To make love to another is like I am betraying her." "You are a foolish male. They are all like you. They have such deep feelings. If you love us then you will have to act soon." "What are you talking about?" "The area that held our men's sleeping forms was ruptured. The only male that was awake, died bravely defending the computer. Our males cannot last long away from out planet. We can last much longer but we have to know that a male is near." "You want me to make love to all of you!" "No for two reasons. You only have to have sex not love and it only has to be with a few. The rest would be satisfied through our link." "The Fonduush can make it back to Cralto." "Did you see the damage? We will be years here even with your help. By then a third of us will be dead and the rest nearly insane." "There is a ship in the hold that can take all the survivors back." "We will not leave our king." "We could..." "You will have to serve. The task is not that hard." "It is hard if I remember Holly." "She is with the All Mother and her sisters. We will help you forget." "But..." "Get a cloth. Holly has to be burped." "There are some pieces of cloth in storage. Walk to the wall," Walt ordered as he projected a diagram into my head. I hurried to the area and a hatch opened. A container came into view. I opened it and found soft place mats that would do. I took a few just in case. I had seen children burped before and put one of the mats on Scarlet's shoulder. "Put it on your own shoulder. You have to burp her. Holly's father is dead and she needs to feel that her father is here." "She will think that I am her father." "Is that something that you find objectionable?" "No, it is a responsibility though. I will feel bad if she is not near." "Now you know the way the women feel when there is no males near." "But I will only feel bad if Holly is not near, not die." "The link between a father and a child is strong but not the same. A male has to be close to the other males to survive and we have to be close to at least one male." "Our king ordered me to take in the Aristis women and their children too." "Then you will be a busy man." ------- I got something to eat now that the synthesiser was working and went to bed. It was not long after that Scarlet climbed into bed with me and with Holly between us. I was actually too tired to fight and just went to sleep. Just before I woke up I saw the village among the red trees with a nebulous image of a large Tomma smiling down on Holly. When I awoke I strangely felt a little better. Scarlet was gone but Holly was still there. The bed could be put at any height and usually was tucked into the deck above if it was not needed. I put it on the floor and put cushions on both sides of Holly so she would not even have this short fall I had my breakfast and with still no Scarlet, I went to the next hot spot. I carried the child and met the two techs. This time they were very subservient. I was in favour now and I wore the robe of a ruler. The techs had prepared some material for engines and I worked on this to make them as accurate as possible. The techs had other duties but marvelled at the one finished unit when it was tested. When they checked the second unit I said, "Our king has placed all of the Aristis under my care." They looked apprehensive but I could not quite read their thoughts. "I am too soft to be a good Aristis leader sometimes. I will treat all of you with respect. I warn you though, I am hard, very hard on those that I find are plotting against me." The first and slightly higher rank tech went by the name Aslerchion so I called him Alex. He said, "We would never think of that. Our king favours you and you hold the lives of those in the ship within your hand, my lord." I looked at the second tech that I called Toby. He said, "There is no conflict between our clans my lord." Scarlet came by for Holly and the techs looked at me oddly. I must look weak indeed if I bothered to tend a child and one even of another man and race. Scarlet tended her child and did not mind baring her breasts to the techs. "Thank you my lord for watching my child while I work. It will not be much longer before I read her thoughts well enough to leave her alone." "Alone?" "We do this all the time. We are only a thought away. There is always a protector near in case of trouble." "Human children need to be tended and watched all the time. If there is a way to get into trouble, they will find it." "Ours are much the same." I built six more engines before lunch and I had only seven hundred and thirty eight left to do. A hundred or so was enough and the rest could be done when there was spare time. Spare time was going to be a precious commodity to me. Just as I began work, my family called up. Betts was first. "Where are you now Wally?" "I actually have no idea. You'll have to check with the computer at home." The computers though would not feed all the truth. Some data would have to be kept from the Tomma and that could not happen if my family knew everything. "I'll do that. We learned from the 'computer' that you were hurt but mostly recovered now." "There was this nasty Aristis by the name of Rokla. He made a play to gain control of the ship while I was here. He's dead now. Rokla, two soldiers and one tech died as they tried to destroy the entity in the computer. The wife of a soldier and the wife of the dead tech died along with one of the woman servants. There are two techs by the name of Alex and Toby still alive. Along with some widows, wives and sixteen children. Our king has instructed me to look after them. "There were three hundred and nine of them. All but a hundred and three had died. This included all the Tomma males in suspended animation and the one awake. We knew about the Tomma males going off the deep end if they were too long away from their planet, well the women are similar. They need at least one male. They will not abandon their king to go back to Cralto. "I met a girl here by the name of Holly. I kinda had plans of enlarging our family by one." "What!" "Don't get upset. You will never meet her or her mother. They died defending the computer against Rokla." "No!" I was quiet because I still hurt. I said, "Get the details from the computer. It still hurts. I work all the time now to just forget." "I'm sorry Wally." "That's ok. Will you give my love to everybody. They can listen to the facts too. Upload with happened on earth and I will try to get to it tonight." "I'll do that Wally and I love you. All of us love you." "I know that and that is why I am able to carry on." Work was more sombre until Holly started to cry. I stopped work and held her for a while. This actually relaxed me. I put her back to bed in a portable bed but I stayed with her on the floor and worked on the crystals. I was not as good or fast outside of a computer and managed to get a spare computer opened and I worked within it as I did on earth. This was better and I could even detect Holly but not much. One hand touched her carrier and the connection strengthened enough that I could continue. Scarlet came a few times and I knew even with my head in the computer. The second time she talked mentally to me when I was there. It only worked when I was near Holly. I went home late and felt exhausted. My quarters were occupied by many more Tomma. Half of them were the remaining sixteen that were pregnant. I got my meal and offered the rest something to eat but they declined. I ate alone and felt awkward. I wanted to urge them to leave so I could sleep but Scarlet said, "Lay down and sleep. We will not bother you." "I can find anther place to sleep and you can stay and talk." "You will make us feel better if you sleep here with us." "Is this part of that linkage you were talking about?" "Yes, just forget we are here." I went for a shower and debated calling for a robe. Then again, the Tomma were not prudes. At home they were usually naked. I walked out and found the women staring at me like a piece of meat. I got into bed and Scarlet turned down the lights. In a moment the bed moved and a lot more than one woman got into bed with me. It did feel like family, at least my family. I was asleep in just a few moments. When I woke up, I found that the two women closest to me were the ones closest to term. I was on my back and the women were holding my arms and hands so I was caressing their abdomens. I found that it was not just me that felt at peace but the women too. I went for another sonic cleansing and when I came out I found the servant that had helped me before. I quizzed Walt and said, "Good morning Jacob. I hope my use of your shortened name is not objectionable?" "It is more than suitable my lord. It is mark of honour to be given a new name." "It is not a new name, just a name that is short. Jacob is the closest to your name that we have. I will call you Jacob unless you want some other." "That is very kind of you. I came here to dress you and bring your food." I did some thinking. Servants did not know much and were more a willing set of hands. There was repair work but the majority of it was done. It was only the fine tuning that remained and it was the techs that did this. The servants could go on being servants. They did not resent the work and actually felt better doing what they were bred to do. I at least would not abuse them the way the upper caste Aristis did. "Ok, Jacob. You have a job." I was fed better this time because Jacob knew what to select. The flavours were complimentary while I usually ate a meal of only one thing. When it was time to leave I walked over to Holly's carrier and touched it as I said, "See you in a while Sweety. I have to go to work." I got no reaction but that was what I expected. Holly came an hour later and Scarlet caressed my face with both hands. "You made the Tomma happy last night. They saw that you are a caring person." "Not Tomma women?" "I do not make that distinction. The men would see that you are caring too." She caressed my face one more time then hurried off to her job. The techs came in a little later. They bowed and wished me a good day and went to work. Half way through the day, Jacob came in and served me lunch. At my request he served the two techs too. They seemed to be honoured by this. At the end of the day I had done twenty three engines and seventeen smaller components. The pregnant women were still there but the rest changed. There were some nervous Aristis women and their children here too. I asked Walt about it. "You have to meet more of your family." The most senior woman was Rokla's widow Lenoor. She was a good looking woman. Her age surprised me when I heard. She was very aloof and objected slightly at introducing the rest. Some names she did not know and was required to search her own private computer to find out. I asked Walt privately but I would not put it past anybody as to being able to intercept my communications. "My king, why are the women so nervous?" "Rokla's tried to destroy me. He lost and usually that means the family and most of the retainers are executed." "Are they not salvageable?" "Sometimes but usually not. In small groups like this there is more chance of rehabilitating them." "How is that usually done?" "It varies. Sometimes a person is reduced in rank but mostly they go to a lower caste instead. The servant caste is the one to gain the new recruits." "What is your wish in this case my king?" "We Aristis usually let the guilty think on the matter before we do any alterations or executions." "I can see how that would make them nervous. What about the children?" "They follow their parents. In some rare instances they may be adopted by a family or even the family they fought." "Am I suitable to adopt any of them?" "You may but I do not see why. The servants and the two surviving tech families are not being judged." "Were not the soldiers and the tech forced to do as Rokla demanded?" "That is true but that is not the way we deal with this in our culture. Do not bother me any more about this foolishness of yours. You are here to prove yourself not be a burden to me or to obstruct my judgements." "I am sorry my king for being a nuisance." I went back over the line of people and had the women introduce their children. The children hung to their mothers as if I were going to eat them alive. Lenoor had two children. One was a daughter of six and the other a son of four standard years which were not much different that what I was used to. Like all Aristis they were well formed. The youngest was only a year old. I said, "You have heard how I am a fake, a saboteur and dirty alien. You will find that I will try to be fair in my dealings with you. As the highest ranking member onboard I have decided to start an academy. Every child on board or who will be born onboard will automatically be in this educational institution. Henceforth they will be called cadets. "The ship is being repaired but most of the labourious work has been done. Scarlet will be in charge of teaching every child how to fight the way the Tomma do." "I am busy my lord." "What do you do all day, Scarlet?" "I monitor the hull and structural components for failure." "Do you think that this job could be done by somebody else." "Yes, but I am good at it and we are shorthanded now." "I was told you were my servant. You will serve me as an educator." "They are all children my lord." "Do Tomma children learn how to fight at that age?" "Yes, but they are Tomma not Aristis. The Aristis do not let us near their children until they are grown." "Do you think I do not have the authority to allow you to teach?" "... No my lord. In this case there will be no problem." "Then take over the duties. The children will billet with their families at night but one night in ten they will stay with you." "My lor..." "You may appoint some help. You may choose from the Aristis in this room. If they do not comply or comply fast enough then report them to me. If I find that they cannot be rehabilitated, I will bring this to the attention of our king." "My lord, what can I do with the youngest?" "Love her Scarlet, just love her. Children need a lot of that. Now I am going to shower up and go to bed. Pick those you want. You may choose all of them if you wish. Find out what they can teach the children." "What about the servants' children?" "They get the same love and the same attention. They are all of the warrior caste now and so are you. They will raise in the ranks through effort and ability not the rank of their parents." Lenoor blurted out, "But some are girls." "Lenoor you are strong and probably quick. How long would you last against Scarlet?" "She is a Tomma... my lord." "Answer my question?" "She... a milli or two I think." "Thank you. I see your daughter as a beautiful child that needs a chance to move up. I am giving you and your family far more than any Aristis would. I extend a hand to help and you think that there was no crime committed. I see why the Aristis kill off families instead of rehabilitating them. They are insane. You see a hand or death and wish to find something better. You miss your chance and die." "I will comply fully with your orders my lord." "Good, because you all will go into the academy and learn to fight." "Me!" "Are you questioning me?" "No, my lord." "Scarlet, train the mothers too. Do not be brutal but you may inspire them to do their best." "I may succeed yet my lord." "Good, talk to your troop in the meeting room so I can get some sleep." "Yes, my lord." She looked at the Aristis and said, "Cadet Lenoor lead the way to the meeting room." "But..." was all she got out then she opened the door and took her two children with them. The rest followed. When the door closed I said, "I am sorry but we are all in the academy now. For most of you this means nothing new. The Aristis, apart from the techs did nothing useful. I want all of my people thinking and learning. I also want to see more sports." One of the Tomma said, "There is one sport we would love to play." She sent me the image through her telepathy and I was amazed that I had not known this could happen. "We might have some of that when I have gotten over the worst of losing Holly." "We can help you forget." "I want to forget the pain of losing her not the fact that I knew her." Two of the women that were next in line to have their children got into bed and after I was cleaned, I got in between them. There was room for six on the bed and the rest camped out on the floor. Before I went to sleep I had a short chat with Erica and told her that I loved her. She sent me a kiss back by ultrawave that made me feel good. Connie came on next and I gave her an update on the academy and how I started a new chapter out here. She giggled and gave me Betts. With a few more words I cut off communications and went to sleep cuddling two very pregnant ladies to me. Jacob was waiting when I got up the next morning. He had a smile on his face. "Good morning my lord. You have done something very daring when you did not choose by caste last night." "What does your wife think?" "The work will be a lot more but she is pleased to be doing the same duties as... as the rest." "The military is not for everyone but it does help. All of the Aristis happen to be intelligent but some were bred to be more so. I find that few of you try to learn more." "We serve my lord, what more can there be?" "Will you serve me by playing a musical instrument as I eat?" "I an sorry my lord but I cannot play. The artisans do that sort of task." "Are the servants unable to learn?" "No my lord but it is difficult." "I will tell you a secret Jacob." The man waited now to hear. "It is difficult for the artisans too." "Yes milord but they are artisans." "You are my artisans now. I wish you to serve me this way." "I will try milord." "You will try and be bad but over time you will improve. You will hurt my ears and offend my understanding of music but I will still listen." "If you wish this then I will learn." Scarlet came in later and handed me Holly. She was angry. I said nothing to her and she said nothing to me verbally or mentally. Holly was upset about this and I picked her up to soothe her. Soon I put her in the computer with me. The fit was tight and I did not pull out until Holly made the air unbreathable. Doc called, "Wally, can you hear me?" "Sure Doc. What's the matter?" "Nothing really. We got the engine. We put Hal, I mean Wayne into the pod with a all the crystals. We have our own shopping list if you can fill it for us?" "What is it that you need?" "Drones, lots of them. We have been getting along with just the few we had. The discharge from the antimatter fried all the ones we had in the air at the time." "I'll make up some for you." "Thanks Wally. By the way this is my first extra solar system call." "We are working on getting back. In a week or so we can begin braking." "Good now I have a meeting with some contractors." This reminded me that I had not checked on the upload that Betts was going to send. I had to go over it four times even though it was memorised the first time. The world was going more insane that usual. An antimatter explosion is as destructive as a nuclear one but ours were the cleanest and possible. Even earth scientist now knew that antimatter was used. The antimatter explosions that were near the Fonduush were detected too, especially since they went on for so long. The military thought that the explosion on earth was one of those that did not explode in space. This was foolish because the missiles used a lot of this material while the drone used nearly the smallest amount possible. The explosions in Toronto were not antimatter. They were all very accurate and there was little damage. Some people called it swamp gas but most did not believe that anymore. Calling wolf only worked so many times. The military was in town, in fact there were militaries from almost every country looking at the damage and then looking at the new lake in the north. Toronto must have a tourist boom and making a lot of money. Betts added at the bottom that I had to show up at court in a week or the case would be thrown out. The judge was through giving adjournments. If they knew that I was gone, they would go ahead instead. With death not staring us in the face, I looked at the available ships. One similar in shape to the one I had landed beside was in a special bay. This was the king's personal yacht that was carried in his yacht. It was also a hundred and twelve metres long and armed to the teeth. I took Holly to the computer and the doors opened before us then closed behind. I set the blanket down and lay down in the computer with Holly. It was safe because I was not fiddling with anything. "Walt, I want to go to the court in Toronto. I could pick up some pseudo techs and bring them here. They can put the engines on the hull just as good as the techs we have." "That is one of the scenarios I thought you would come up with." "What others are there?" "If I tell you then you will not learn." "It just occurred to me, can Scarlet pick up our thoughts through Holly when we are here?" "Now I had not thought of that. The child is asleep but it may be possible if she were awake." "Ok, now I have all of Nadac's thoughts in my computer. Did your big brother Warren get them?" "Rontem did not destroy them. The information is being used to gain more wealth." "How greedy is he? We will get into trouble by being too good." "Warren is pursuing wealth with finesse if I may use the word. He has set up many more companies and refined the crude methods Nadac used. He is actually steering wealth to those that can use it wisely through grants, loans and seed money." "To what end?" "Creating employment in chronically poor areas of the world. The planet is sick and much is needed to bring it back to health. Much of the employment is aimed at this task." "People tried that and it doesn't work. You have to go with education first." "That is what some of the employment is. We are starting schools. Students that do good get paid more than those that do not." "That sounds good to me except you may be pounding a square peg in a round hole." "We pay for unconventional thinking too." "Earth sounds good to me now. Perhaps there is a chance now." The ship was ordered ready to depart. I liked working near or rather in Walt, and Holly was safe. It was quiet and safe here and my productivity went up. Scarlet was almost afraid to come and get her daughter but she did. There were minor problems with the yacht's yacht but not anything that could not be fixed in a few hours. I got to tour the ship and found it gaudy for an Aristis but I thought it nice. It's shields were as strong as the Fonduush and the weapons just as awesome. There were just less of them. The computer would give us problems but I put the recently arrived Wayne into it and any problems were solved. The old identity was removed and a new one of mine put in. Some old safeguards came out and some new ones went in. I might not be operating the ship and even I may not be sane all the time. The small ship had seen little use. The Fonduush was much more of a fearsome ship than the guppy even if it was a hundred and twelve metres long. The name of the ship was the Dauntless but in Aristis language it was pronounced Stamich. It would not be correct to change the name but it still sounded good to those that understood the language. The only remaining task was to choose a crew. The normal compliment was three hundred and eighty so there was lots of room. I was hesitant about leaving Aristis behind they may be watched all the time but they could still do some mischief. To get around this, I took them all. Scarlet had to go too to watch her cadets and that meant all the pregnant women had to come too as well as thirty women that were not pregnant. This worked out to thirty two Aristis and forty eight Tomma. With me the total was eighty one. Just before the launch we got one more passenger. Sara was born and she came on the trip with her mother. The trip back would take me perhaps a week in the shuttle but ten minutes in the Stamich. The family knew I was coming back. They also knew the fate of the Curiosity. They thought I was taking a pod. It was evil of me but I led them to believe this but I did not quite say it. The Beagle made a lot of trips to bring the family to the assembly building at midnight. We used our own sensors and found nobody spying yet. I asked the family to meet me on the grass beside the building. They wondered why but I could not tell them that the ship would not fit through the extra wide doors. The family were all clustered near each other as I talked to them. They expected me in another minute and were not prepared when the Stamich dropped its invisibility on its underside. Paul saw us first and said, "Oh shit! Oh Shit!" thirty two times until we landed beside them. Rebecca tried to run until Wendy held her still. We did not actually touch ground but hovered just above it. I called out in voice after the hatch opened, "Well come on and meet the neighbours." Betts ran first and then the rest. The ramp was designed for this and they all made it in. I was mauled by my mates and I felt the best I felt ever just then. I was home and home was my family. Everybody was gawking and I called out, "Cadet Jessop." Paul came running over. He barely stopped before he saluted and said, "Yes sir." "It is not a corvette but find the bridge and take us to the moon." He almost said, "Me?" but, "Yes Sir" came out. Paul quizzed the computer and took off running. There was a squeak from him when he got to the bridge. All of the crew were there to greet him. He stated his name and gave his orders. In a few seconds he strolled over to the chair the captain or the king might sit and climbed up. We were climbing faster than ever before and the field around us negated the turbulence and any sonic boom. We barely got to the bridge when we saw the moon's surface through the viewer. It looked to be only a few metres away. I spent the time making introductions. We all had computers with our communicators now so there would be no problem remembering names and faces. All of us knew both the Aristis and the Tomma language though the later was not spoken much on the ship. I carried the youngest members of my crew with their mothers beside me. Mom held one and fell in love and then Leslie held Bert Jr but looked to want to hold more. The Tomma knew that they had found people they liked when they found these two women. Bert Jr was given in trade so the women could check babies as all women did. Doc and Pop were talking to the techs as they looked at the giant screen that displayed the moon's surface. The munchkins went after the kids but they were all much younger. It was not hard to coax the older ones away to investigate. Gail talked to an Aristis mother and managed to get her hands on a child of one. There was a little apprehension at first but it died down as they talked. Connie was admiring the children too and I knew that she still wanted one of her own. It seemed a bit odd but with the addition of a third race, the Aristis started to become more gregarious. The Tomma were always this way if they were not on a war footing. I was quite sure that Doc and Pop were propositioned a few times. The senior cadets did not wait for me. They went after the Tomma. They would have taken the techs first but they were occupied. A few hours later my own clock caught up with me and I took my women to bed in the captain's room. The king's suite would not be right yet. I had a lot saved up for my ladies and they were eager to get it. My budding telepathic abilities allowed me to understand the women better than before. We found spectators later but they did not try to get in on the action. They did watch us for technique. They simply loved Erica and her cock. I loved Connie for her kindness and Betts for her strength. It took a while to catch up then we simply went to sleep. The long hours and the jet lag must have caught up to me. I had to hurry. There were some of the crew up and wandering around but hardly like what a military ship should be like. It did feel more friendly though. I instructed the computer to take me to our home on earth but stay at a thousand metres. I got cleaned and then walked back into the Captain's suite to get my family up. The Tomma ladies had a night of fun too and I had not had the time or inclination to find out if Pop, Doc or the guys had been prevailed upon. The Tomma did not seduce. They asked and wanted a yes or no. They were too warlike to try anything else. That was part of the reasons why I seemed to be so popular with the Tomma gals. The computer awoke the rest for me. When we were dressed once again, I gave specific orders to the computer because I would be leaving the ship. It was doubtful if the Aristis would try anything but I had to be sure. There was no place to land that was close. We found that even the Stamich had smaller craft aboard. We landed near the house where The Beagle sometimes landed. We rushed inside to change and then got in the vehicles to go to the courthouse. We made it on time but just. Everybody else was late but that was common. The simple court case would take all day at least. The three defence attorneys tried every trick they knew to get us to recant even a portion of our testimony but with all of us linked, there was no way. They had more luck with Mrs Andrews, the teacher. We went for lunch and took Mrs Andrews with us. She was still upset but her part was over. My testimony was saved for the afternoon. Mrs Andrews asked, "What happened to you Wally? You've not been to school." "A small portion of the reasoning is to avoid more confrontations in the school. The main reason was that I had some work to do." "You can't miss school. You are very bright and you are jeopardising your university education." "I feel that university may not be the way to go for me." "You can't meant that. You could be anything you want and you need a university education to get there." "There are alternate ways of learning Mrs Andrews. You will see in years to come that I will do well without any universities at least not ones here." She took the idea incorrectly and said, "Canada has some good schools." "They do but I will be doing my own research and I learn much faster on my own." That afternoon the lawyers worked like a tag team to hammer away at me. Since I was showing little strain the magistrate let them continue. Usually when the lawyer was really into a tirade I would scratch my nuts, ass or even pick my nose. It seemed to derail their line of thought but I was still only thirteen. On one occasion I just looked out the window as the lawyer went on. A case like this usually had just the magistrate but we had a jury. The verdict came back just before three. The magistrate took a long time to summarise then threw all three in the clink for a year. The parents started to wail about their poor boys but even the actual nine months in jail would not do much to reform them. Mrs Andrews left us and we took a tour of the places that were damaged in the attack. On the way we ordered a lot of fried chicken for those that had not come with us. I hoped they would like it. When we inspected the damage from a distance, we saw that a lot of businesses had been disrupted by broken glass and investigators looking for clues. Even now they had not left. "What have you guys done to minimise our exposure at the assembly building?" Doc said, "We purchased good used professional video cameras. We are making the building a set for a movie. Connie came up with another idea. She should tell you." Connie was eager but tried to look reserved. "If we have an academy then we should have some promotional videos. What better place than in a real homebuilt spaceship that comes across as a prop?" "What about the ceramic hull?" "That is not as easy to explain. There is too much detail. Humans could not have built that." "Then we better remove it." "It's too big already and you are not going to break that up with a hammer or even a hand laser." "The hold in the Stamich is big enough." "How are we going to load it? "We have the two heavy lift trucks. We throw some grav-units on the keel and shift it into the hold." We only had to see a few sites. Some were damaged more than others. I listened to how crazy Nadac was acting but they did not know that my nanites may have contributed to the insanity. They also thought that Nadac had fired off all the missiles at the Fonduush. It hurt to kill the humans but it hurt even more to kill the Tomma and... I had to stop this type of thinking. We picked up the chicken and some fixings and went home. I debated bring everybody down but instead we went up. My new plans meant that we needed some blankets and some sports equipment. Sam got the job of finding a remote place that was warm. He used the computer and flew nearly due south. There was a warm and secluded valley in South Carolina. I ordered everybody out and we ate in a large field of high grass. The Tomma liked this and carried weapons in case we were attacked. Everybody attacked the chicken. The Aristis children were not used to uncivilised surroundings but my cadet leaders broke them into groups and they tracked animals. Squirrels were indignant at our presence and even more so with a few noisy children patrolling around the base of their trees. I found it relaxing to just lay back with my girls and my two new ones. Their mothers had to feed them first or change them. Connie loved the children and I knew that it was hard for her to give up the child to her mother. The Tomma understood her feelings well. The Tomma wrestled or fought and my family looked on in awe. This was a form of choreographed dancing for them and they did it well. We played soccer or twenty one then tossed a nerf ball with the Aristis children. When it got dark, we had a fire. The Aristis did not have a fire often and the children had never seen one. Today was a school day but the court precluded us going. I could not afford to go back to school with the amount of work I had to do on the Fonduush. It was mid April again. There were two and a half more months of school and I wanted the young ones to attend. They needed social interaction even if they did not need the schooling. When it looked like people wanted their beds, we left for Toronto. We did not rest but went to the assembly building once more. The guys used the forklifts to pick up the ceramic hull. We didn't need any of the grav-units because it was light and strong. It took some work to get it away from the building so the Stamich could grasp it in its tractors to pull it into the hold. We were all buttoned up by two AM and we slept in the ship instead of going home. The family went about their duties the next day while the rest of us recovered the reactor unit, the Utram and the antimatter. The missiles were left again because I did not want to remind anybody on the ship that I was the one that made missiles even if Nadac was supposed to have used them. We flew back to the Fonduush where everything went into storage. I went back to work again. When Friday came I took a short break and got the family. They were coming to the Fonduush to help or explore. The techs took the cadets out on the hull and showed them how to mount the crystals. Repair work had to be done too but this was usually just directing the drones to do the job. That night I slept with my mates in the Captain's quarters. The woman that looked like she would be the next mother looked longingly at Erica. There seemed to be enough of a link that Erica pulled Zelenka into our group. Girls used oral sex all the time and the two really went at it. Erica was definitely not a male but she had the appendage of one. The Tomma were having fun of their own but watched what Zelenka and Erica were doing. I was currently in Connie. She was nearly incoherent with lust and the sensations that ran through her body. Betts was approached by another pregnant lady and started to suck on Betts' nipples. It was not long until they were in the 69 position like Erica and Zelenka Connie could not take it anymore and she went through her orgasm and blanked out. It seemed that most of the others in the room had their own orgasm at that time including me. Eldhino was the last woman to have a child. As I lay back after pulling away from a sleeping Connie, Eldhino came across the floor from her lover and went right to my wet cock. The Tomma women did not suck cock at least until I performed oral sex on Holly. After that time she used the technique to make sure I was ready to please her again. Eldhino just sniffed my cock as if deciding what to do then she bent over and sucked me. Her eyes were on mine though as if gaging my reaction. I had to smile the 'you please me' smile to her and then use my hand to caress her head and face. In a moment I turned around and was pleasing her the same way she was pleasing me. She was healing well from having her child but I was not going to enter her with my cock, at least not yet. Eldhino did a good job and got a mouthful of protein but I made her cum three times first. Mthvarisa was Eldhino previous partner. I was still erect so she sucked on me and then sat down like Holly had loved to do. The night was long and none of my mates made it back to me. The Tomma loved them too. I was in no need of company because they were ready as soon as one finished. Saturday started late. The family was lead off by Walt and the crew so they could learn while I babysat two beautiful girls as I worked in the 72 improving crystals. Saturday and Sunday night were the same and the girls were eager to play with their new friends. They had an important new friend when Shukhia presented us with Betty early Monday morning. This drew my mates and the Tomma much closer together. The family did not want to leave but had to. There was school for some and work for others. Both groups would feel very bored after this weekend. Doc was really getting the academy moving. Irene was making sure the various levels of government lived up to their commitments. Mom and Pop were needed and had agreed to quit their jobs and work for the corporation sponsoring the academy. Mom's notice was over next weekend and Pop's in two more. With Wayne and now Warren working on the project, there was little chance for oversights. One objective they did not overlook was the list of possible cadets for the academy. There were a hundred and twenty three as of now but none would be better than the two Aristis techs. DNA did not tell the entire story though. Human DNA was cluttered with all the stages human life had to go through to reach our present stage of development. It could be cleaned up and made much simpler while losing none of our desirable traits. The proteins produced by RNA would not necessarily work though unless the RNA were altered to. My knowledge of DNA had to be increased. The Aristis were masters of it but they still did not know everything. Human and Tomma DNA was not the same as theirs either. I wanted to find out how I was different from other humans and see if I could duplicate this in others. Part of the problem was the Aristis customs. Their culture was based on Their DNA. A leader was naturally intelligent, aggressive, cunning, dominant, virile, energetic as well as being large and strong. I had tried to model myself after the Aristis nobility but I did not have the DNA and I would never have really made it. The Aristis had the ability to change their DNA further but their culture had already ossified. They could not make the needed changes in their race to work on crystals the way I could now. The Tomma were an oddity. They could be manipulated to change but the race as an entity did not want this and it killed the malformed individual by simply telling it to die. This meant that the Tomma were a social animal like the bees or ants in some ways. They could not be made to alter crystals, the males died if away from the communal mind for long and the females died if they were away from their link to the communal mind which happened to be the male segment of their population. Humans, as far as I knew, did not have a super mind composed of the majority of the population. We might if more of us were telepathic. Developing this latent ability was going to be a task that would last centuries until I found out that Tomma children searched out for their parents and in doing so pushed through a great many natural barriers. The Tomma must know this or why would those not born yet or just born be kept near me? The Tomma females needed a strong link to their world. The males supplied this but not to the degree that the males needed. They died in the quest of trying to establish a better contact with the rest of their race. The Tomma women could consciously or unconsciously want me to provide that link. There was no other reason I could see for me to take the place of one of their males apart from the sex. The structure that Nadac had constructed in my mind to make others follow, and my ability to read minds may have helped both the Tomma to come to this decision. I could read another's thoughts if they were projecting to me but it had to be done forcefully. Now they were coming in clearer. Becoming as good as Tomma may never come. I could be like the human children and be destined to only go so high in the tech class. The week for me was difficult. I spent my days altering crystals, and tending the three infants. Human babies slept a lot and so did the Tomma variety. There was still room within the 72 for them but I would have to make different arrangements when their number increased. Telepathy went through the interference the computer produced. This was much clearer than the ultrawave going through the same static. My computer family was given the task of trying to find out why this happened. Nights were difficult too. The expectant mothers made sure their babies were near me. Since I had allowed sex, I could not refuse them now. Oral sex on me was now the same as their form of kissing. They wanted to be shown all the odd, to them, positions. This was usually about ten women a night. I tried my best to use my mouth on them but not all positions allowed this. When the weekend came I hoped for a break. The family had made arrangements to take Monday and Tuesday off. Mom was now free of her job and wanted to stay but I told her that she had to stay with the rest and do her job for the academy. They arrived Friday night. I sent Scarlet, Eldhino and Shukhia fly a much smaller ship to pick up the family. They were the mothers of the three children I watched. The trip was five minutes longer that last time but still not a chore. My family arrived and the normally aggressive Tomma felt that their family had arrived too. The family greeted me nicely but wanted to greet their love more. They ran off to work on the Fonduush. The ceramic hull from earth had been disgorged and now we were setting up a field around it to contain the nanites that would do the construction. The gravity could be cut in the hold so the nanites could work even more efficiently. The adults studied the Aristis and the Tomma and the reverse was done too. My own mates gladly took over my job of babysitting. They knew by now the benefits I got by doing this sometimes odious job. We had an early, for me, supper. I again broke all kinds of customs by having it in a meeting room that was just large enough to accept everybody aboard. My family were intermixed with the rest and so were the Aristis though the individual families were allowed to stay together for now. When we finished eating I asked Scarlet to give me a report about her training. "Milord, do you want me to give it now?" "Go ahead Scarlet." "I have made partial improvements. The women in my group had to be encouraged to try harder. Their previous environment had their men protect them. If the men failed then the family failed too. I believe that their men did not wish them to be able to fight back. They are currently very angry at me and I am using that to encourage them to work harder. They do have anger. "The children are not as ready to fight as the Tomma but they are doing well. To them it is structured play and we continue to do this. Those that are too young are cared for by the rest of the crew as they work or on their free time. We are beginning to love the children even more because we remember our own children at home." I had overlooked this possibility and felt bad about it. I had a lot of other questions to ask but that would have to wait until later. "Thanks Scarlet. The anger is used by humans in boot camp to accomplish the same goal. It works but I wish that there could be a better way." "Why?" The Aristis gasped at the effrontery of her asking this question. I said, "I am trying to foster a better understanding between three races. One day we may run into some of the other races that are far different from us. I want them to see us as friends, enemies or at least neutral. I would like to see them in the academy with us so we learn from each other. Other races may not respond to anger as we do and I want to find substitutes." "How could other races work with us? We are all basically the same people." This brought more gasps from the Aristis. "You're right Scarlet. Perhaps you have to see some of the Star Trek movies to understand." "Star Trek?" "Cadet Jimson!" "Yes Sir," Chuck said as he stood up at attention. "Organise a detail to go to earth and recover our collection of training films." I thought to Walt, "My king, are you able to take the data from our crude storage devices and project this onto a screen with sound too?" "Why should this be done?" "My king, the integration of the Aristis, Tomma and human segments is important to me. We can make a much more formidable fighting force." ------- Chapter 36 "I do not like the way you use our women but I am waiting to see what comes of it." "There are so few of us, my king. We need every single person." "I understand that. If I did not go along, even partially I would put a stop to this. Bring back a complete unit and I will try to form an interface." "Thank you my king." I was still not sure if my link to Walt could be tapped and until I found a way to make sure, I would have to continue this charade. "Bring back a DVD player, cables and a television. Cadet Henderson will find a way of providing the proper power." Erica's face shot up while Chuck said, "Yes Sir." He continued and took Rebecca, Ashleigh and Shirley. He did not take just his own family and he did not take his closest friends. He must be trying to be impartial. He interfaced with who he thought was Rontem and requested data then said, "Cadet Parmeshwari report to the flight bay." I did some requesting for data and found Parmeshwari to be one of the Tomma women. I did not search out data but I felt that somehow or other Chuck thought Parmeshwari was both a pilot and a good bed partner. Erica got up and hurried off to find some way of making 60Hz electricity from the power we used on the ship. Chuck and his crew of four hurried out too. Betts said to me privately, "Can I go too?" "I'm sorry Betts but no. This is the first independent command for Chuck. Erica has to do something on her own and the whole crew will be watching if she succeeds or not." I called out to Chuck on our private band, "Bring ice-cream if you can find a way of keeping it frozen and popcorn too." "Yes Sir." "Betts, find a way of keeping ice cream cold if it gets here and a way of popping the corn." "Yes Sir." When Betts hurried off I said to everybody, "Some of the cadets are going to bring back some entertainment that is popular on Earth. The information is not really training films that you might be used to, but something to feel good about. They require more than a time unit to watch so we will just have a sampling. Over time we will be able to see them all if you are interested in this. I wish you to see a portion so that you understand my reasoning for all this activity." We broke up and this time we were all obliged to take care of our own mess. Scarlet only had to look at Lenoor for the woman to stoop to act as her own servant. Connie said, "You look tired Wally. Were those nasty women picking on you?" "They certainly were but most of it was my crystal work. It's like what I did last summer." "Your ladies know how to treat us too. They are very combative." I pulled her to me and said, "They can have you for a while but remember you belong to me." "I like that even more but can I teach them about my ropes?" "You just like to get tied up. Do you think you can get the Tomma to do that?" "I never gave it a thought but it may be fun to try." "It would be dangerous. You saw how the Tomma fight." "It might be fun too." We naturally gravitated to the babies and the mothers kept them near just in case. They seemed pleased. Connie appeared radiant when she held an infant to each shoulder. Lenoor's children were still here and nearby. I called them over. They were not as fearful of me as they were before. I sat the six year old girl Latto down on floor and sat with her. Little Betty was in my arms and I gently cradled the child and put her into Latto's arms. The girl's face lit up now. I called the boy over. He was just four. He came out of fear but I got him to sit in my lap. He was stiff as a board. "I am not going to harm you Consa. I wanted to ask you some questions like a warrior." "What?" "I wanted to know how well you are doing. It is hard to be young and still be able to fight. You are going to have to show me your attacks. I know a neat one that uses an elbow and a foot." "I know one that uses my hand but it hurts." "Do you do your exercises right or do you cheat?" "It's hard to do the exercises." "I know. I hurt all the time at the start but after a while you find that pushing yourself hard feels good, not bad." "No it can't." "Consa, I am not real old but I fought lots. Do you think that Scarlet would lie to you?" "Maybe if you asked." "Well let's ask. Scarlet, when you exercise hard and feel pain when you push yourself, do you feel good too? Now tell the truth." Scarlet was near because Connie was holding her child. "I used to feel pain when I was young. My mother took a thin piece of wood and hit me if I was slow or did not work hard enough. When I did the work enough then I felt really tired but really good too. I thought it was because I did good but it happened if I did bad too." "Sit on the floor Scarlet and tell us about your family." "They are on Cralto." "I know that. Tell us about them." "Why do you want to know about my family?" "Scarlet, sometimes I want to put you across my knee and paddle your bum. You always want to fight. I simply want to understand you and your people better. I can do that one person at a time." "I have two more daughters. One is ten standard years old and the other sixteen." "You look so young looking." I got the feeling of anger quite strongly and quickly said, "What did I say that angered you? I am trying to learn about your race." "To be young is to be weak." "You are certainly not weak. You have to be an adult to have a sixteen year-old daughter. Do you consider yourself weak now?" "Yes. I loose most of my fights." "Scarlet, if I took you to earth, you would beat everybody. Its slightly possible that two or three people may best you if they get enough of a chance to study your moves first and then practice them." "Really?" "Would I lie to you? Do you sense that I am lying now?" "... You are not lying to me but you humans are not very warlike, except you and your family." "Humans fight with weapons and only fight with their hands when there is nothing else to fight with. Do you know how to fight with a sword?" "We use them but mostly we use a piece of wood." "I would like to learn that." "You would not survive." "Did I learn from Sara?" Scarlet hung her head. "You learned to fight very well. I never saw Holly fight so hard. She did you great honour by doing so." "I think so too." Connie said, "What is this all about?" I said, "To mate with a Tomma woman and not just have fun requires a commitment. Part of that commitment is to fight her and win. I had to get trained by Holly's mother Sara. It was because I knew some good strategies and some unarmed techniques that the Aristis people use that I was able to defeat her." "That's... odd but why was it supposed to be an honour?" "If she fought her hardest and I still won, it would show that I really deserved to win. I was bruised and bloody but so was Holly. Everybody knew that our fight was not a fake." "I'll have to think on that a bit more. Perhaps Scarlet will get a chance to talk later to you about it. You can talk to her about the ropes." "Now that is a good idea." Latto said excitedly, "She has to pee. What am I going to do?" Betty's mother Shukhia said, "She wears clothing that will absorb the pee. Do not worry. All of us adults have been peed on by our children. You would not be hurt if the garment leaks." "But it's pee." I reached out and touched Latto's knee. "Do not worry soldier. Think of your own child when he or she comes. You will get peed on." "A servant will watch the child." "Latto, do you like holding Betty?" "Yes, but she is going to pee." "If you like holding Betty then think how the servants will like holding your child. You will not have that pleasure but they will even when they pee." "She's peeing now!" Shukhia was nearby just in case but Latto did not drop the baby. When the look of horror left Latto's face I asked, "Did you feel any pain, Latto?" "... no, but she's dirty." "Latto, if you were a baby now, do you think I would worry if I were holding you and you peed on me?" "... maybe a little." "That is a truthful answer. I may have to go to use the cleanser but I would take you with me and we would both get cleaned. We would then be the way we were before and I would have to find your mother because you would be hungry then." "The servants fed me when I was a baby." "Did the servants that fed you, love you?" "... yes. Why are you asking that kind of question?" "When a woman feeds her child there is a bond that forms. This lasts until both die. Talk to the Tomma women and the Aristis that feed their own children." "It does not matter." "It does matter and that is an order. Within six units I want you to report back to me about what you have learned." "I don't want to." "Latto, I am the Captain first of all. Second, I am watching out for you to make sure you grow up correctly. Third of all, I want you to be happy when you grow up. To do that you have to learn. To learn you need to ask questions." "I don't want to." Scarlet said, "Child, you are like my oldest. She was such a sweet child when she was young and then she turned rebellious. I paddled her butt so many times that my hand hurt. You will learn or I will start by paddling your butt too." "You wouldn't dare." "Who makes you exercise?" "... You do." "Am I nice when I give those orders?" "No, you're mean." "I would spank you then and I will spank you for not following an order. My order is that you will do as our Captain says. The whole crew will watch as I pull down your shorts and paddle your bare bum." "Not my bare bum!" "You have my word that this will happen." Latto looked down and pouted until Shukhia took Betty from her arms. Latto was now sad that the baby was taken from her. I picked up Consa to break the situation. "Show me how you attack and I will show you an attack my father taught me." Consa was not sure what to do. I stayed on my butt on the floor. The boy thought for a minute then through a feint before launching his own attack. I made a flurry or moves barely deflecting his blows. He was able to do two more before I wrestled him to the ground with a lot of grunting on my part. Once he was on the floor his garment came apart and I blew a raspberry on his belly. Consa fought even harder to get away but I withdrew first and then brought up my hands to ward off an attack. Consa got up with determination and attacked again. I let him almost win then I did the same thing to his neck. "Don't do that. I can't think." "Ah, that is the sneaky way my dad taught me. Sometimes he even tickled." "What does that word mean?" "Attack me again and find out." Consa grunted and groaned and I did too to make it dramatic. After a longer fight I got him in my lap and went after his underarms. It turned out that the ticklish genes had not been removed and the boy squirmed. I let him almost get away before I pulled him back and searched for more ticklish spots. When he gained his freedom he said, "That is not how a real Aristis fights." "I cheated and used the way a human sometimes fights. They are sneaky remember." He launched himself at me again and when he got close he tried to tickle me. I released him as I protected myself and he took this as an opportunity and tickled me the way I tickled him. His fingers or fists hurt because he did not know what to do but I pretended that it tickled and tried to get away. When he straddled me I said, "I give up Consa. You are just too good." "The Aristis win always." "You had to use the human moves though." "That doesn't matter." Chuck came back but it took a while to hook up with Betts and Erica. It took a while to get everything working and then the corn popped. It was an hour later that everything was worked out and everybody asked to return to the meeting room. We were all supposed to get a large paper bag of buttered popcorn and then sit. This time I held Consa in my lap again as we watched the first Star Trek movie. Walt used a large screen and actually improved upon the detail to make it seem more realistic. Consa squirmed for a while until he understood that the character's lips were not in sync with the Aristis language coming out. In a moment or so Wally was able to edit on the fly and now Kirk was talking the Aristis language. Consa settled down later and then I started feeding him popcorn with my fingers. He did not like this at the start but became accustomed to it. When I did not feed him, his own hand went into the bag to pull some out. When the movie was over, I had to explain what Ve'ger really was then we had a bathroom break and then we watched the first Star Wars movie. Consa came back and wanted up to his rightful seat this time with more popcorn. We commented quietly about the movie as we watched it. Apart from the wedge shape, the star destroyer looked a lot like the Fonduush. Consa lasted the entire movie but was falling asleep on his feet. I picked him up and walked to his mother's suite to give her son back to her. Betts came too with Latto but the girl did not need to be carried. I put the boy on his pad and Betts got Latto ready for bed. The mother just looked at us as she calculated what she could do with this situation. It was the usual time I went to bed. I pulled Betts to me and we started. Erica and Connie did not have a chance to participate. Two of the others took their place. Our love making lasted longer than usual because I had to look for Erica and Connie to make love to them before we went to sleep. I woke up with my women among the rest while I was with the Tomma. One was actually awake when I opened my eyes. She caressed my face and sat on my dick with perfect accuracy. She worked hard for her own orgasm then I had my own but I had to hurry to pee. If I did not stop this now the orgy would just start up again. There was still much to do. We were now close to having enough engines to begin our deceleration. Our engines were not based on reaction. Each engine controlled a portion of the hull and to start without the minimum would rip the damaged ship apart. Midday Monday we ran a test of the system and made four replacements before doing it all over again. When the tests proved successful, we began to decelerate. Nothing appeared different aboard the ship but we were slowing at seven gravities. There was a lot of cheering even among the Tomma. I had two main choices. I could go to earth or at least near it or go to Cralto. This would be a long trip considering that we had not repaired the Kennsik Drive. Walt took possession of Rontem's memories and with a lot of caution, he analysed them. The original Aristis population had grown. They would not give up their position without a fight. They may not have the Fonduush but they did have a few other ships that had been stored inside the yacht when it made its original escape. Their techs had built many more ships but smaller ones are usually more efficient. Going to Cralto now would get a lot of innocent people killed. Earth was the only choice. I now began to make smaller crystals that would replace those that were destroyed by the missiles. Some of these were for invisibility but most were for the various types of shields that had to be set up to protect us from cosmic rays to missiles or energy weapons. We came to a stop a hour later then turned the ship around before returning at the same acceleration. We had travelled a large distance and it would take a long time to get home even if we reached near the speed of light with our Nanney Drive. The family left Tuesday night. I found that Chuck had got more than enough ice cream to feed our number. They left after the meal with the ladies that went to gather them in the first place. Parmeshwari went too and she seemed to be trying to find a place in Chucks family. Even at fourteen, he was going to need the same assistance Pop received. Life did not change much on the Fonduush. I had more charges to babysit and the family was used to coming though now we rotated so that some had to stay home and go to birthday parties or attend functions. There was some excitement though. Warren had got wind that the CSIS or Canadian Security Intelligence Service was going to find out what we were doing in the assembly building without the use of a warrant. With sixteen hours to work with, the cadets made up a plot for a story. They did not go to school to do this work but promised to feed the action live onto the net. Lawyers and lawmakers came to view the first infomercial the academy made. CBC, our government owned television and radio network, agreed to record our information on the understanding that they did not have to transmit it. Agents sneaked up to the building in the daylight by cutting holes in our fence. When they had heard part of the script they called for the rest of the team. Twenty nine people raced to the building dressed in swat clothing while two trucks rammed through the doors we had so labouriously been put up. We watched this live on the ship. Patricia stationed herself near the doors when she saw what was happening. I did too and ordered her not to do this but she disobeyed. The lock on the door failed under the force and the door flew open catching Patricia and knocking her for metres. The spy agency came in from all the doors. Gail and Mom were screaming as they ran to Patricia. They were almost shot because they continued to the girl. Everybody was ordered to the floor and a few rounds were used to punctuate their orders. The Minister of Education and the Minister for Development had M16s pointed at their heads as did four of out lawyers. My family too was threatened and I wish I had been there instead of where I was. The cameras continued to record as well as send their data out. It was almost a half hour later that the cameras were shut off but two more were in the steelwork overhead to record an overhead view to be spliced into the infomercial. These were not found. The spy agency recorded their own information. They saw the many copies of the scripts. They questioned the two ministers as if they were aliens. It was an hour later that the agency found that they had seriously blundered. They seized the tapes in the cameras but found the CBC outside the gates filming everything that happened. The CSIS flashed their badges and got the cameras shut off. Newspapers were there too and so were some freelancers. The aliens were all going to be carted off but there was now a crowd of local onlookers that had seen the webcast. School and government officials had been asked to assess the webcast for effectiveness. A glitch in the phone system used by the CSIS as well as the transponder near building prevented head of the organisation from pulling off his dogs. Mad Paul though handcuffed because of his unwillingness to listen, yelled out before he was placed in a car, "Give me liberty or give me death." Patricia was taken away in an ambulance but her mother was not allowed to go with her. It was then that the phone calls came in. Canada was the laughing stock of the world. Normally nothing from Canada made it onto the news of the United States or to Europe. It did this time. Even the CBC could not be muzzled. Paul hammed it up and so did his girl Patricia. The two kissed before the cameras. Paul still had his undress Aristis uniform on that was going to be used at the academy. The two talked about the academy and what it meant to them before they told their story. They came across as very bright children in love with each other. Doc got them to stop and they did as they were ordered this time. The next day the Members of Parliament were talking on the floor about what happened to their provincial counterparts. It was not a good day to be known to have anything to do with CSIS. The third day all the children went to school in uniform. Connie had to work on her four to make them behave. The ones in high school acted much more like cadets now but that set them apart even more. The web cast had been captured and Sam set up a site that repeated it. As far as I knew the CSIS had never made restitution for damages during an investigation. This may be true for the American FBI and the CIA too but our counterspies were eager to not make waves. The academy got a lot of free publicity now. Overhead views of the excavations for our school as well as drawings of the final buildings were shown. Doc tried to drop all this in Irene's lap. She called him a coward in private and made sure Doc was called on to give some of the talk. Our link to Lake Erie made it possible for us to use some nautical terminology when discussing the academy. Ships were mentioned but not which kind. The type of training we offered was mentioned and why some trainees were overexuberant in their quest for freedoms we were supposed to have. Patricia was supposed to stay behind the next weekend but I ordered her to come. It was then I guess that she knew she was in trouble. I ordered a disciplinary hearing and within twenty minutes she was escorted to the brig and a nullifier put around this area so she could not communicate. She stayed there and alone until it was time to go home. We had one subdued girl when she left. The Fonduush was in orbit around Mars when I left for another duty. The Doc claimed I was being home schooled. I could take my tests when it was convenient and it was the most convenient to take them when the other grade nines did. All of the cadets finished our tests very early and then went over them before turning them over. None of the others had to write the tests because their average was all near 100%. They did this to be with me and it felt good to not be the Captain here. It turned out that we had made an enemy of CSIS. They wanted to get us back somehow. They talked with the RCMP. The easiest way to get us was to get Rebecca and Silvia transferred to another foster family. This had been found out soon after the fiasco at the assembly building. Irene had talked to the Children's Aid Society to let Mrs Augusto get her children back. She had enough documents that the Children's Aid could not go back on its word though they were pushed hard to do so. By mid July Mrs Augusto had her family back. The woman had visited her daughters or the reverse. She was smart enough to see that they had changed a great deal. They treated their mother as if they were ten years older. They took her out to nice restaurants or went shopping. They always paid their way and for their mother too. Mrs Augusto came to our house on a regular basis and saw for herself how well her daughters fit in with another couple. Wendy and Ashleigh acted like sisters to the daughters. It was easy to let her daughters stay with us as much as they liked. We still had some enemies that were stymied for the moment. The CSIS though was prepared to do a lot more to find some dirt and had the laws to let them do it. I had gone back to karate but that was a mistake. I sparred with Sensi Kazuyoshi and I got by his defence three times in a row and with three entirely new methods. He said, "These moves are completely new to me. Did the people that taught you before teach you this?" "Actually it was a new group. This one is entirely women. They enjoy knocking each other around for sport. To be with them is to acquire their way of thinking." "Are they all proficient as you?" "Sensi, they are a dream to watch. Some practice some incredible moves that come very close to death blows. They practice this dance and their speed is beyond anything you have seen. The freestyle is not as fast but just as deadly. They take their style from everywhere they can find it. I was the only male to be allowed to train with them. I was a child at the start and I had learned more since I was last here. If they will it, I will bring you to see them perform." "What school are they from?" "They have their own school and do not teach other than their own. You have never heard of them because they are a secret society." "How can you tell me this?" "Because you are a man of your word, I trust you and I did not tell you enough to harm them." "Show me the moves again." I taught him the three moves then he attacked me. I knew it was coming and used mostly karate to defend myself. Knowing what he was going to do as soon as he did helped a lot. He speeded up and his blows got stronger. When he finally stopped he was breathless and he bowed low to me and I did the same to him. Though out of breath he said, "There is nothing more I can teach you Mr Kiefer." I bowed one more time and when I stood I saw that he had a smile. "Please remember to allow me to see these amazing... masters." Betts whispered but loud enough for all if us to hear, "Showoff." When the exams were over, we left on a 'vacation'. CSIS had the house watched but I had a modified alarm system put in. My computers were removed and would go to the Fonduush for safekeeping. Wayne had made better crystals and I wanted to see how good Warren could do. Matt was still with us but did not appear as good as he once was. For the next summer months we worked on the Fonduush. Part of it was repair but we also worked on the Curiosity II. This was the ceramic hull that we had started in the assembly building. The cadets and trainees learned Tomma karate from the ground up. They learned very quickly. Gail and Connie competed against the Tomma naked. The loser had to eat the victor to an orgasm. The fighting then was vicious but I saw the day coming when the Tomma would do the eating. Erica tried the same thing and actually won once when her opponent got distracted by a juicy morsel awaiting her but she could have lost just to get a chance to work on Erica. I was still babysitting but now so when there were the family present. The mothers didn't mind not getting their children except at feeding time. They knew that their children were helping all of us understand each other. Walt told me that I had to take in the four widows too. Lenoor was the one that was the snootiest but it was far from what she used to be. The other ladies brought one of them in on occasion to make sure they knew they were with us that made me having sex with all the women on the ship apart from the majority of my family. The Doc had worked with Warren to send out some letters to some people that the academy could use. The interviews meant that I had to be there. I could not read minds like the Tomma but I could get an understanding of what the people were like. My precog had not diminished but it had not strengthened either. This ability may help. We flew all over the country to be in the right place at the right time. Usually one of my mates was with me along with Doc or Irene. We offered free room and board. As an incentive the student would get paid according to how much they learned. There was a lot of scepticism about our offer because most of the students were apparently ordinary or sometimes disruptive. Doc or Connie would pull out their credentials out to show that they were actually helping some of those that did have problems. We saw three hundred and twelve people and spent two point two hours each with them. This meant I spent my vacation interviewing. Of those only eighty two agreed. When September came they were given flight tickets and travel money. I was not worried about them as a drone followed each around. Another drone was left behind to monitor the parents. Spies were not nice to me. Our classes started September twentieth this time. We bought a surplus mid-sized school in January. We had it renovated to have dormitories. Mrs Augusto was rewarded by being given the job of house mother and had her own suite. Other responsible adults were given jobs but they too were hard to find. Teachers were hired but we chose from the lunatic fringe. Some of them espoused mind reading or other impossible mental manifestations. The teachers and their families had to stay at the school too. This was a twenty four hour seven day a week job, but it paid well. Everybody in the school soon got a communicator. It was more like what the Tomma had been given. Their small computer did not confer much more intelligence or memory. The school children got a better unit but the intelligence would not go as high as ours until they graduated into the real academy. The Doc taught astrophysics, navigation and math. Irene taught ethics, and the law. Connie taught science, world history and her own brand of martial arts. Mom and Pop taught too and so did June. Gail taught business and she used real money to do it. The rest of us worked at the real academy and would visit the school once in a while. We cured a lot of medical problems but did it slowly. Sensi Kazuyoshi was the only outsider that came to the school. He had a gym that looked and smelled like it came from the slopes of Mount Fuji. His eyes sparkled when he first saw it and gladly accepted our offer of employment. We lost five students the first month. They never tried hard enough no matter what we did. The next month we lost three more. The remainder of the children were given plane tickets home for Christmas. Some had made three thousand dollars so far and could well afford presents. The teachers were given a generous bonus. I had hoped that we would have done better with more intelligent students but it didn't happen. I proved to be too trusting and much too foolish. Every single woman on the ship that I had sex with was now pregnant. The Tomma had used a med unit to put Betts, Erica and Connie's body back the way they were. They too were pregnant. After a long talk to Walt, I found out that he knew and approved though he did not aid the Tomma. It was within my power to stop all this as Captain. I would have a mutiny if I tried though. My own mates would lead it. Pop was laughing like hell and the Doc looked serious. We had a family meeting right then. "Do any of you have a suggestion?" Mom said, "You have the resources to take care of all the children and the Tomma ladies do most of the raising of the children. I was concerned about Betty and Erica but they will not be ridiculed in school and they are usually with you. Their education will be held back but not much. You are responsible enough for a dozen fathers." Irene said, "I agree with Lillian. In retrospect I wonder how you did not see this." Doc said, "I too wonder about that. It may be because you chose not to see it." "No more of your head shrinking. Is there an alternative?" Nobody had any and the three women were daring anybody to come up with one. I accepted the situation and wondered if the Doc was right. I also wondered why the Tomma had done this to my mates. It then hit me that they could read minds and knew what I wanted. In this case theirs coincided with mine though the timing was wrong. The Aristis widows were brought in and stated that they wanted to keep the new child they carried. It tied me to them and they were not likely to be punished now for what their husbands did. They already knew that this was unlikely even before the pregnancies occurred. Wendy did a quick check and so did the rest but they were not pregnant. I could feel how sad Wendy was. The guys had fun with the Tomma ladies too but I felt certain that every fetus was mine. Connie hugged me and whispered, "I got my present and nothing can top this." "I guess I was given a hundred and nine presents too unless there are twins." "It shows you are a busy Daddy." I was busy and went back to work with my other girls. They knew who I was and reached out for me, all seventeen of them. I guess I was their daddy too. Seventeen Tomma and six Aristis children did not really add that much when you consider how many were coming. As a family, we loaded up the Stamich with products the facilities on earth could not manufacture. We settled on a large semi arid island that Star Fleet bought that was part of Malaysia. There were old homes on the island but they were now vacant. The Stamich brought earth moving vehicles which burrowed deep into the island. Ceramic plates were brought in and glued into place to form a cavity twenty three metres in diameter. Another unit immediately started desalinating seawater and filling the sphere. This procedure did not need tending so we played in the ocean and lazed about on the beach. The cadets taught the Aristis to swim but few of the Tomma. They did not want to learn until I challenged them. It felt good to make them react after what had happened. They had lots of water on their world but lots of predators in the water. Learning to swim was very dangerous to them. We stayed a week in this idyllic island doing nothing. It was getting a bit boring toward the end so we started on building a home within the soil of the island. We used a simpler and less improved ceramic that could be manufactured even easier on earth. The plans grew and grew. At first it was a room for everybody though nobody slept alone then it was a room for those at school and finally we figured how many the island could take without being destroyed by too many people. The island was 83 square klicks in area. We made the first of twenty seven complexes. Everything was underground to protect it from the weather and to make it look more natural. We left with one complex partially done and a lot of people designing other units to make in the future. The earth moving equipment was now directed to make many more cisterns while we were busy elsewhere. We had been on the island for nearly three weeks and it was odd now to be back on the Fonduush. The senior members left for the humdrum life of running the academy. Connie had to go because she was one of the teachers. I was torn now between wanting her near and wanting the best for the school. My love life changed because I was not as vigorous as I was before. I was afraid of dislodging anything. The Tomma did not laugh at me but they did slow down in their exercises a bit to please me. A pregnant Tomma woman was a horny woman though. Since I could not please all of them they worked harder to please each other. The four widows were encouraged to play with the Tomma and especially after going to the island they were more than happy to. I had improved the Fonduush enough that I could work on Walt. He was basically a 72 and I worked to improve him to somewhere around a 63 or possibly a 62. Warren was a true 52 and Wayne was a 56. Poor Matt was still an 88 but more intelligent than any human. I started one more computer, not because I needed it but because Hal needed a home and I did not like usurping his when Wayne came along. There was considerable work involved but most of the time was waiting until the computer finished growing. As a bonus I was going to fit Hal into Curiosity II so he could see the universe. The Curiosity II would be much more economical to fly. It would use simple antimatter even though the reactor was larger. The design had been altered since it arrived and it now was going to be built stronger. Not all of the strength would be gained by adding ceramic. I was building thick shields that would take even more than the Fonduush could handle. I was not the one building this ship, it was the cadets. I just stipulated the type of reactor, told them to make it very safe and I would also supply the computer. Around March I found a lot of ladies displaying bellies with a bulge to me. I had really accepted my fate by now and eagerly awaited to see my children. The Aristis children saw me as their father too though the oldest did not call me that. I enjoyed being a father. It took from my time that I had for working. We played a game that involved sneaking up on a Tomma sentry and tickling her. Usually I had to pull the sentry to the ground so the attack could really begin. There was usually so much talk or stumbling around that a deaf and blind sentry would know we were near from a hundred metres away. We would catch Consa or one of the group but they also knew we were ready to attack but still shiver and shake in anticipation of the coming attack. I took the cadets to the school for a demonstration of some of our skills. We were going to show Sensi Kazuyoshi how we could fight. Erin started with Liza. They bowed in the Japanese custom but their fighting was all Tomma. They were blindingly fast. They fought for five minutes before they quit. There was a little blood on both but they were still proud. Sensi Kazuyoshi said, "That was an amazing display. Their speed is beyond anything I have seen." "Watch Paul and Patricia." These two fought even quicker with blows that would kill if they landed. The rest of us had a chance but it was Chuck and I that were the most energetic. I bloodied his nose and he managed to knee my thigh. Any of our blows would have killed if not decapitated. All our body parts were weapons and there was very little fat on our bodies. We were not all muscle though for that would slow us down. Sensi Kazuyoshi bowed to us when the match came to an end. Our gis were soaked in sweat and blood but we felt good. "All of you could compete for the world championships, and I believe most of you would win. Some of you could win in any class." We bowed to him and then bowed to the class. Betts and Erica had not participated. They did get the job of talking to the school about them learning this technique. Erica went on to talk about other unnamed activities they had to learn. We cleaned up and I went into a grade four class with Erin. She was the youngest and the smallest and she was going to help me. I brought out a crystal that was the easiest to see if you had the ability. An image grew on their laptops showing two dimensionally what I saw in five. Out of the seven youngsters five saw the pattern immediately. The other two had to handle the crystal and turn it around before they too could see it. I went on and showed ones that were harder to see. "What you saw is more than most people can see." I keyed my communicator when I held one particular crystal and it burst into glory. The teacher stared at the crystal with open mouth. I didn't need to interface with his communicator to know that he saw something. The teachers had not been tested for their ability to see into more than three dimensions. Erica said, "It has to be the power it gives out because I can see it too." Betts said, "Me to." "That is another interesting fact to investigate." We checked the other grades. Some classes were as small as two but the two learned much quicker than with thirty. It turned out that everybody could see a portion of what I saw if there was enough power applied. I started my own class that afternoon. I had a ceramic box with a clear top. The bottom was a maze and to one side were a lot of small spheres. Some were almost microscopic and others were large and mostly air like my dust bunny. A television camera with a good lense could show exactly what was happening if it was needed. The youngest child got to try to move after I did. The teacher was quite amazed that I could actually do what I said. He had lots of questions but he was already a believer or he would not have been hired. There were no successes yet but I was not too worried yet. At the end of the day the maze was placed in the common room with ten one hundred dollar bills in the box. To win, all the contestant had to do was roll a sphere into the maze. They did not have to do more. During the day I worked individually with each of the students. At night the maze was crowded until I made more. I examined my own mind much more. The leadership qualities that were tied to telepathy were examined. My own telepathy had increased. I tried to find the differences so that I could manipulate the lines of flux. The small changes did not seem substantial enough for what had happened so I knew that there was something else happening that I could not see. Erica started a film company. With some monetary incentive she encouraged some of the students to act. She was going to make some infomercials but they would be much more entertaining. She was actually aiming for a one hour show if she could come up with enough scripts. Our space shots would not have to be fabricated and the weightless scenes would be real. She was planning on using not only the Fonduush but both the Tomma and the Aristis as actors. This I hoped would ease humans into the twenty first century with less stress. Paul got into the act and wanted to start a sequel series already entitled 'The Previous Generation' with him and the munchkins as the principle actors. The assembly building, the aluminum ship and the cameras were already our property so cost would be minimal. In his low budget extravaganza Paul planned on using multiple drones and modify the frames to work on HDTV. I pushed all these ideas. We could possibly sell a few movies that would promote our school and acquaint the world to the new humanity. We had two years yet to get ready because it takes a long time to get the buildings and infrastructure in place for the school. Erica wanted to make the show historically accurate but I did not want this. One day after we were known this might happen but not now. We compromised by having Erica the main actor. She would be given telepathy and PK by an Aristis ship that was looking to find native help to repair their damaged vessel. The ship would be the Fonduush and the captain very near death. This was enough to generate many ideas for the original plot and even material for following plots. Lenoor would be the logical captain and with some makeup she could also play her own sister in later episodes. The Aristis would now be mostly a matriarchal society with the two techs as token males. Erica would need help and called on her two good friends which happened to be Betts and me. We in turn called in our friends for assistance. Warren did not need to have us act to program the moves. He made the movie according to the script and then we edited what should be altered. The crew of the Fonduush as well as the family and the school got to see the clips and make comments. They saw their own faces on the characters and we had to talk about how good we were with digital editing. English at school was now script writing and editing. The school made their own stories and they were converted to action by the computers and a bit of real acting. The students took the video editing for granted. Humans could do this too but it just costs a lot. Scenes were acted out in the assembly building but were never as good as what were done by the computers. The aluminum ship was worked on by the new students. They too learned how to saw, grind, file and weld. There was not much to do in any case apart from the crystals and growing all the substrate. The demonstration of the crystals got me thinking. I made up some drones that simply had to carry around one of the smallest crystals. With it went three more drones who had to spot and record all those who saw the lines of force. They were easy to make. They were sent out to all the schools in the city. They were small enough to go into classrooms. A little aerial gymnastics and we would know who could see them. We would miss some but we may get the best. On another front, Samantha Dole won the thousand dollars for moving a dust bunny. She had difficulty repeating it but she did have the gift. As a further reward, she was written into the main script. She operated a small shuttle with her mind the same way as all the rest were done but her part was explicit. She was offered more money as if she were playing pinball. This was to encourage her to continue. Another thousand dollars went into the case for others to earn. Samantha then was taken out with Paul and the munchkins to go shopping to spend some of her hard earned money. Paul was in charge of cautioning her against mentioning anything concerning her PK to adults. We all knew they were screwy. Paul's own natural charm should do the trick. Walt got a call from Cralto. It was natural that this call would come. The Aristis wanted to know if their king was alive and when he was going to return. We had gone over all of Rontem's memories and then went over Nadac's too. Rontem basically said he was busy and to make sure the production of Utram was kept up. He further ordered that more hulls be made because he would be coming home with the crystals to make a lot more ships operational. One was the equivalent of the largest battleship the Aristis had to date. A computer would be sent back in a pod while the king stayed here and oversaw his investment. We hoped this would keep the Aristis out of trouble for a while. I was already building and rebuilding computers. Walt was a 62 now and it showed in how he acted. I now worked on another 62 to send back to the Aristis so they could work for us. Designing and building a large ship needed a lot of computing power. Matt was not an 88 anymore but on his way to being the equivalent computer to the one that originally drove the Fonduush. A 72 was an awesome machine. It took a long time to build but they paid for themselves in efficiency. A secondary computer of an 80 went into Matt's box. Matt was given a lot of freedom and many of the safety protocols were removed. A copy of Hal would go into this unit when it was done in a few months. The computers were taking some of the load from me of making parts. They were like mid level techs that could make minor components or partially process intricate devices. Warren seemed to be the best at this and Wayne second, so intelligence was a factor. Having my ego in the computer could also have some bearing on this. That was why Matt would not have me as a guest. The schools in Toronto were turning up people. Sampling of skin, taken at night, showed that not all of the people should have seen the lines of flux. This meant that we were missing something. Nadac had monitored me for a few months before he did anything overt. I was going to do the same thing. There were more children on the streets. The Doc liked these ones to be tested and Irene came up with the idea of canvassing those that were blind, in a mental ward or sick in a hospital. This branched out to jails, and institutions for the mentally handicapped. The search turned up two brothers that lived on the street. One of the Arnold brothers was fourteen and the other a year and a half older. They saw the crystals easily. The family looked into situations like this and considered recruiting them. They would not really be missed if we used some coercion. We could upload their memories into crystals. The two could then be allowed to learn everything they wanted to. If they proved to be not worthy of Star Fleet then we could overwrite their memories with those that they came with. The idea was good. We could help cure their bodies of problems and even remove drug and alcohol dependence but these two were bullies and preyed on those weaker than themselves. They would not make the type of people we wanted. The power they would gain could destroy a world. We had to canvas other large metropolitan areas because there was simply too few to sample. This also meant the institutions and this time we were going into the States as well as the rest of Canada. Their population was much larger than ours. I liked the idea of canvassing the blind. There were not many at school so we went into their files. From this point we branched out to those that were not at the school. At the end of June we found our first subject. Larry was seventeen. He was completely blind from birth. He also reacted the strongest of all those that had the crystal presented to them. Larry lived with his family. He had an older sister that was married. When the parents were at work Larry would work on clay sculpture. He was actually fairly good. He had sold some of his works but it did not pay enough for him to be on his own. I knocked on the door with only Larry in the house. "Who is it?" "I'm looking for Larry Payne. I want to get a bust made of my mom." The door opened and Larry looked right at me. He said, "You're young to get something like that done." "Not really. I'm wealthy and just want something to give for a present that would be novel." "Come in and close the door please." "Sure." Larry knew his house perfectly and walked over to the refrigerator and said, "Would you like something to drink." "That root beer to the left of your hand is good." He paused and then grabbed a Coke and the root beer. He handed me the can and I said, "Thanks Larry." "Your welcome. I didn't get your name." "Wally." He put out his hand to shake and I moved my hand into his. "Glad to meet you Wally. Tell me how you knew that there was a root beer to the left of my hand? You never came into the kitchen." "Sure if you will sit. The story is very long and I am only going to give you a small portion." "Ok." He took his seat and took a sip of his drink "Let's start this way. A few days ago you saw a light that moved around your head." "How did you know that? I sometimes see light." "I will bring another out and you can try to detect it." "Why?" "Because I have a well paying job for you if you can do the work." "What work?" "Let's check first." "Ok, go ahead." I took out a crystal like the one he had seen. He did not see it. When I put a small amount of ultrawave energy to it he said, "I see something. What is it?" "A crystal. I have others to test you on." I ran through a lot of crystals from a small sack. Some he could see when they were close and some from a few metres away. "What are those things?" "I have to go into math and physics. First, some crystals exhibit the ability to support some lines of force, much like a magnet. Second there are many dimensions but we can understand only three. The area very close to the nucleus of an atom has twenty one dimensions. You can ask someone to search the net and they will find that researchers have already postulated that there are at least fourteen. Third point is that some crystals extend their lines of force into at least five dimensions. The most important point from your viewpoint is that you and I can see into more than three dimensions." "That's bullshit." "I expected that summation. There's a lot more I could tell you but that would be even more unbelievable. One is that I can look through those five dimensions and see objects beyond a barrier." "Bullshit." "Go into the fridge and close the door as much as possible. I will stay here and you can touch things. Even if I sneaked into your home before, I could not know what you were going to touch." "You can't do that." "Try me. A decision is before you that will change your life. If you let fear rule you then you cannot go to the next step." "What next step?" "Work with me Larry. Do the experiment." Larry did as I asked while I counted repetitiously so that he knew where I was. "What do I have?" ------- Chapter 37 "A glass bottle of mustard." He went on and I said, "Another can of Coke. Your knuckle is beside an open box of baking soda." Larry kept moving his hand and I kept talking. "This is weird." "It sure is now go to your bedroom and touch things with the cane." "I don't have to. You could have broken in but you could not know what I touched. There were too many of them. What do you want?" "You're direct. That's a good leadership quality. I have a small shallow box. I'll hand it to you." Larry took the box and felt it. Then handed it back. I said, "I have a very low mass ceramic sphere with me. It is very delicate. A crystal is in the centre of it. It will go into the box and then the container will be sealed. Nobody can see through it but you can. There is no transparent material. I want to put it someplace level. You will try to use your mind to move the sphere. You will actually know if it moves." "Why should I do that?" I took out my wallet and said, "Hold out your hand." When he did I gave him ten one hundred dollar bills. "You have a thousand dollars in your hand." "What!" "Trust me for now and ask your mother to look at the money. Your parents can check it to see if it is counterfeit for you." "It feels real." "It is." "What's it for?" "Call it a retainer. Push the sphere around if you can. If you can move it from one end to the other I will give you another thousand." "What's all this for?" "You can see into more than three dimensions. If you can move matter like I can, then you are of value to me." "What do I have to do to help?" "The crystals you saw are composed of molecules. Each molecule has a part to play in making the field you saw. If you can move that giant crystal and the ceramic dust bunny around it then you can move individual molecules with some training. I will be the one to teach you. You see I do this a lot and I get tired. Now if you can take over some of my workload then I will pay you according to what you can do. It may range from only a hundred thousand a year to over a million." "You don't have that kind of money." "Larry, I made twenty seven million dollars yesterday and it was no different from the other days. I am in the same income class as Willy Gates." "Prove it." "I don't need to. You have, what I say, is a thousand dollars. If you start now then you may waste three hours on a lie. If I'm not lying then you are three hours closer to making another thousand. After that the sky is the limit." "Set that thing up." "Where will you work that is flat and will not be bumped. I honestly went to a lot of trouble to make that spherical dust bunny for you. I don't want it broken." "My work bench." "For me I find that the closer the crystal is to my brain the better it works." "Set it up then." Larry had a wheel for spinning his bowls and such. I took a small piece of clay and stuck the box to the table that was beside the wheel. I had to work a lot until it was flat. I took out another box and put it on the wheel then removed the top. "Larry can you see the crystal?" "Ya, but it's not bright." "Hold my hands." He did not ask the reason but held both of mine. I used my PK to elevate the small sphere and transport it to the box. "Did you see it move?" "Yes." "You were holding my hands Larry." "It could be a trick." "Yes, but it isn't. You will know that what I talk about is possible. Now I have to seal the box." I shifted the box just a bit more so the sphere did not tend to want to go in any direction. With more clay I put the lid on and sealed it. "There is clay under the box to keep it on the bench and more clay in the lid to keep out any stray air currents. Do you want to try now?" "Sure." I helped Larry get close to the box. He didn't put his hands on it because of the wet clay but he came close. After ten minutes he said, "You sure this can be done?" "Touch the box delicately to see that it is sealed." Larry did this very carefully and touched all he could reach. "Ok." "Watch." I moved the sphere around the inside of the box for a minute." "Ya, you can do it, now can I?" "That is actually a real million dollar question." "A million?" "Per year but it depends on how well you do. You can make a lot more." "More?" "Larry, don't get greedy. See what you can do. I'm going to let myself out." "How will I contact you?" "I will do that. Bye Larry." "Bye, Wally." I did variations on this theme to many more people. The box changed to one with a trapped sphere that could be released. The box got a transparent lid. This way the device could be transported. In most cases there was no crystal inside the sphere because most of the people could see. I had to stop doing this in August. There were a lot of women on the Fonduush with large abdomens and I wanted to be there when each and every one of my children were born. I even had a drone stationed so I had pictures of all one hundred and nine events. The family was present for many reasons. The first and foremost was because I needed help. Betts, Erica and Connie were part of the family in so many ways and they needed a quiet touch even if the clinic did all the work. With this many children it was possible our minds would be opened more if not ripped open. We prepared for this eventuality too. They were coming at three a day but peeked at seven for a while. During this peek Betts presented me with a son. The next day Connie and Erica gave me a daughter each. The four Aristis were evenly spaced during this deluge of babies. Each child I washed and held to me for a few minutes before I gave the child back to his or her mother. There was some worried looks among the Tomma because instead of the usual surplus of girls, I was running about equal. This may disrupt their culture. I had ordered the Fonduush to actually land on some of the Star Fleet property near Toronto. Nearly a kilometre of ship is hard to find a berth for. My reasoning was that perhaps the children would see earth as their home and not Cralto. The All Mother I had thought a lot about. She actually was the combined psyches or all Tomma. She was something that may save our own race from destruction some day. Humans needed a conscience. The family cleaned and transported babies all the time. We kept them near to us. The effect I was after seemed to happen. I could feel everybody in the ship much clearer. The ones that had given me children were clear enough to talk to and receive answers. This was also true about the Aristis and my mates though not as strong. Doc was very happy. He hoped to use this power to help patients or at least help the Star Fleet. The few woman that had not been pregnant wanted to get that way. There was some serious talk and Irene had to wait. Lillian and Leslie wanted another child and June wanted her first. There was a lot more talk about that until Mom sent June over to see me. For a month June saw to my needs but the last two weeks we already knew that she was pregnant. The orgy started all over even though the Tomma were ready after two weeks. We had a serious discussion and decided that I would not have any more children until I was informed before it was time to conceive. More people were discovered my way. I resorted to using Purolator to deliver the packages as a game. A hundred dollar bill was enough in most cases to get them to try. We were to give out nearly seventeen thousand 'games' in the next two years but we found roughly one percent that could move the sphere. Larry Payne was one of the lucky few. In fact almost ten percent of those that were blind and could perceive the lines of force seemed to have the ability to manipulate them. I phoned Larry one morning. "Hello." "Hi Larry, it's Wally." "Hi Wally, I was hoping you would phone sooner. I did what you wanted." "I'll come over with the money." "How?... never mind. I'll be waiting." Larry had me sitting in my old spot and I simply gave him the money. "Aren't you going to watch?" "Ok, do it but I trust you." Larry moved the sphere around the box then did everything in reverse. To make sure, he went diagonally." "That's great Larry. You earned the money." You work for me and you get a hundred thousand a year minimum. You do have to have a medical. Are you interested?" "Sure." Without preamble the med unit came close to him and put him to sleep. Less than a minute later he had a better than standard communicator implanted in his skull. Larry stayed asleep as I got the communicator to interface with his brain. The screen was touchy because he had never seen before and some of the usual equipment was missing. Warren worked with me to make sure everything was done as good as it could in the nonstandard way. The screen shutdown and Larry awoke. "Shit, I must have fallen asleep. I'm sorry." "It was not your fault. I made you go to sleep." "Why? We were getting along just fine," he said as he felt for his money." "You said you agreed to a medical." "Not right away." "Not, not right away either. Now listen. Do you want to see?" "See what?" "Everything that you have not seen since birth." "That can't happen. They did tests. I do not have all of my optic nerves." "Larry, as your employer, answer the question." "Yes, I'd love to see. That's a stupid question." "There are many ways to do this and I chose the quickest. Now you are going to see a white square in your mind. When it appears do not jump around." "Ok." The rectangle appeared and I had to use the information from Larry's communicator, computer and from his mind directly by way of telepathy. It took more time to integrate the simple image into his consciousness. The colour changed and I had to integrate each of them but by now the computer was doing more of the work. Larry sat back stunned by what was happening. He said nothing but I heard groans now and then. Even a simple geometric shape was hard on his psyche when he had never seen before. The image from a drone that was right above his head was fed to his screen. It did not pop out but came slowly as if emerging from a fog. "That is what I look like Larry. To bad it wasn't some ravishing beauty instead." "Is that really you?" "Yep." His hands went out but they were not where they should be. I took out a pair of dark glasses. "I'll put these on your face. The camera is mounted in them and you can move with more coordination." Larry moved his hands again and then looked at them. "It's funny I never thought my hands would look like this." "They don't. It is just the way that most of us see them. Some may see all the spaces between the atoms and see us like a mist." "How did you do this Wally? Nobody could." "I can and I proved it. A group of crystals in your glasses directs the image that is in front of it like the way a camera does but it goes directly to your brain." "Even with your crystals, nobody can do that." "Larry, I need somebody to help me alter crystals. You could have done it by feel but it is faster this way. Now I am going to take my image away and show you a crystal. The screen that you see is much like a computer screen that you may have heard of. Your regular sight will come back when you are done." I had to wait and he said, "Ok... try it." Larry got the images Nadac sent me not that long ago. He got the verbal explanation that went with the graphic. I showed him how the lines of force changed a bit at a time as molecules were rearranged. "So this crystal lets me see?" "No, that will convert the magnetic lines of force around our planet into a small amount of power. There are thousands of crystals and they all have specialised uses. You must have heard of the bronze age then the iron age, well I am skipping a lot of other ages and going to the crystal age. With crystals we will have the universe." "You mean space?" "Space and the planets. Like I said, the universe. Are you willing to help me?" "Are you some type of angel or something?" "I'm as human as you are. I'm not an alien either." There was a long pause as Larry was given back his sight. He finally said, "I'll help you." "We have a problem." "What?" "Your family think you are blind still. They cannot learn about you seeing, at least not yet. You need to work away from the house at where I do my work. Your parents are not going to understand how or why you can go off on your own. I know that they are very protective." "Ya, they are going to be real worried and probably call the police or something." "I have an academy that has been in the news recently. You are going to get a chance to do art there and you have to sleep in residence. Every other weekend you have to go back to being blind with your parents." "I can fake that." "That is not an option. You will not see for the period you are with your family." "If I have to." "You have to." I brought out a lot of papers but Larry could not read this. It was not braille. "These papers give the school complete control over you. It can't be any other way. You will say that a man came to the door today and gave you these documents. He sat and talked with you for two hours. You want to dearly go to this school. More people with problems seeing will come and you are just the first." "How do I learn more about the school?" "Your screen is still a computer screen. I will send a movie to you. You will see a person and you can talk to him but he is not there. It is like sending a television signal. When you need a break just think not say that you need a chance to rest." "Think?" "The images go to your brain your brain can send too." I stood and so did Larry. We shook hands and I said, "You cannot let anybody know that you can see. You will have to ask the computer to provide your sight. Any other way and you will give yourself away." "And you too?" "That's right. I would be hounded for my ability and they would work on your brain to find out how you can now see. People, governments and companies are not all nice like they try to make you believe. If you fuck up you loose your sight permanently. There can be no hinting and you have to stick with doing things the same way you always did them." I took out a bag of crystals and gave them to him. "Experiment with them. I find it easier to call up on the screen what the crystal is like and then alter the image but in reality you are working on the crystal." Matt was put in charge of Larry and I left. I went downtown until I found Teresa Gallo. She had received the package and did almost as good as Larry. She was sixteen and presently with her friends. Street people had to stick together to protect each other or be eaten by the sharks. I hoped that I was not one of the latter. Teresa was standing near an alley with three other girls of about her age and two guys both were into their early twenties. I stopped more or less in front of the group. They looked at me and stopped talking. One of the guys said, "What do you want, kid?" "I want to talk to Teresa. The restaurant two doors down will do fine. Will you give me some of your time Teresa?" "Who are you? I never saw you before." "I know that. I will pay for my time. All of you can have a meal at my expense. Order anything you want. I only want to talk about something important with a little bit of privacy." The guy said, "You have the money for that?" I showed him five one hundred dollar bills. He said, "Are they real? Let me see them." "I'll let the waitress decide. I'm interrupting your talk and I do not mind paying so I can have some of Teresa's time." "You'll pay for anything we eat?" "Anything you can take away in your stomach. You pay for your own booze though." "I can go for that." Teresa said, "What if I do not want to talk?" I ripped a hundred dollar bill in half and gave it to her. "You talk and you get the other half." One of the girls said, "Come on Teresa, you have nothing to lose. We are going to be in a restaurant." "I don't know. This is kinda creepy." "He's only a kid, maybe a rich kid by the looks of him. Let's go eat. I'm hungry." I let the others convince Teresa. I pointed out where I wanted to sit and where I wanted the others to sit. They could see us but not hear very well. I told the waitress that I was going to get the bill for all the food for all of us and any booze was going to go on each individual's tab. This was a Chinese restaurant and I spoke in that language. All it took was an upload to the ram in my computer. I turned to Teresa and asked, "What would you like." "Pretty smart talking Chinese. What did you say?" "That I will pay for the food only for all of us." Teresa ordered from the menu and I asked what was good. The waitress made her suggestions and then went to get the order. "What did you want to talk about?" "I'm the guy that sent all those games out with the hundred dollar bills. The sensors in the device say that you can do the job well enough to get a job." "I have a job." "Not one that pays at least a hundred thousand a year without laying on your back." "What's the job about?" I handed her a card with the name and address of the academy. "Go there tomorrow or the next day and they will tell you." I took out a similar box to what she had at one time and let her see that I could levitate the sphere though I acted like I was picking up a heavy weight." "Hey, that's neat." "It takes a lot of work. We make small pieces of equipment and this ability helps." "Do I have to take the job?" "Nope. Show up and ask. You see the way the school is run and you make your choice. There will be others there like yourself." "Is this something illegal?" "A school? Be realistic. There are almost eighty students. More are coming all the time. Some of the students can do what you do but they are just starting. Larry will be coming. He is a year older than you. He has more strength but we have not tested him for the fine control yet. I'm pretty good and I make well over a hundred thousand a year." "How much more?" "It depends on how good you are. It's not the trick like I just did it is the work down to a speck of dust that we work with." "What do you do?" "We make small tools and other gadgets." I handed over the rest of the torn bill and Teresa said, "What's that for?" "I talked and I paid. You listened. Now we can just shoot the shit and eat. We got up and sat with the rest now and they looked at us oddly but said nothing. The waitress had no problem with us moving. We ate and talked about everything. The academy was mentioned but nothing specific. We left a few hours later and I left a good tip. The waitress had to do a lot for us. Outside we were still talking so I walked with them. Now that I was not an outsider it was much easier to talk. We got a block and a half when Matt said, "You are approaching the two brothers you wished not to meet." "The Arnold brothers?" "Yes." "I do not like them or the way they treat others. Maybe they will pick a fight with me." "That is possible. They are pushing people out of their way as they approach. They are not alone but with five others." "Their gang?" "Yes." "Good, I don't like them either." "Shall I inform the rest?" "There is no reason." We progressed another minute as I moved to the position I wanted in this new group. All of a sudden one of the girls went stiff and one of the two guys pulled her out of the way and then the rest followed. A fight was less possible now and I prepared for a way of encouraging it. It was not needed because Flick, the older brother stopped to see who they had trapped. "Well now if it isn't Ron and George. You even brought your cunt with you." Ron, the oldest of our group said, "Hi Flick. What's going on?" "Well, you see I'm horny and need a blow job or two. My guys need the same." "Flick..." I interrupted, "Why don't you get Grunge to do it Flick. Isn't your whole gang queer? None of you can fart loud. When you move to women, it's for show." Flick was near my own age but big. He moved quickly too and threw a punch at my face. He was a good street fighter. He missed me though and I hit his noise but just enough to make it bleed. He stopped to wipe his nose and said, "You cock sucker. Maybe we'll try your pretty ass." "Your welcome to try." He swung again but one of his gang moved to block me from moving. I blocked both punches and gave them a tap that stung rather than hurt. Flick was angry now and bellowed. I had moved away from my group to get more room. Flick came again and I blooded his nose a bit more but there was a bit of difficulty getting all of their gang to attack me. I hit and kicked but I gave ground so that I was in a more open area. Grunge had a gun and so did Flick. The rest had knives but had not brought them out yet. I was not the man of steel so the guns had to go or rather the two brothers. It was only a minute later that the two brothers were side by side when I attacked. I went full out then and hurt them bad. I might have gone a bit far as some of my anger came out. I was calmed enough with I switched to the gang quickly before they could get away. Only one had time to think of escape but he didn't get even a step away. When I stopped I saw that Teresa's group did not make a strategic withdrawal. They were worried about Flick's anger at not finding them there when he finished with me. I walked over Flick to get to Teresa and my foot opened his shirt enough to show the gun. George said, "We got to get out of here." "Stay!" I commanded with my force full out. "I don't want these guys picked over while they are asleep. Wait until the cops come then we blend into the crowd." "They'll get arrested." "Sure they will and it will take them a few months to get out of the hospital first." "I thought you killed them." "No need for it this time. It's not our policy to flout the law but like any business, we can use the law to our own advantage." "The cops will arrest you too." "I have enough legal representation that they would not keep me more than an hour even if they wanted to do more. They won't get the chance." Some people were getting close to the gang. I turned, "If any of you get close, I will assume you want the weapons to attack me. I will then attack first and leave you like these people. Fight the police for possession of the guns if you wish." They backed off and I ordered, "Further!" I turned back to my own group and said, "You can move further away now. The police are coming from three directions. The bystanders will point fingers and you will be chased. Teresa, you have an important job interview. If you miss it you will regret it for the rest of your life." "What about my friends?" "We have no opening for them now. I can find them jobs out of Toronto though that pay well." They just stared at me. It was doubtful if any would move out of Toronto for the unknown. They moved down the sidewalk as a group and they were given lots of room. I moved to the other side of the fight scene and disappeared just as the police broke through the ring of spectators. Matt said, "There is a 73% chance that you will be identified." "I will have lawyers waiting. They won't get far. The anonymous person with a camcorder will have visual evidence if it is necessary." I was late in my self-imposed schedule and had to drive me nearly half way across the city. I stopped at an older residential section and walked up on the veranda and knocked on the door. A woman of thirty five came to the door. "Yes?" "Hi. My name is Wally. I represent the people that mailed the games out." "You are not getting the money back." "I do not want it back. The game was a test. You passed it well enough to be offered a job." "What kind of job?" "I'm not going to fight you. Will you invite me in and offer me a glass of water?" "I guess so. Come on in." The place was dirty and cluttered but I pretended to not notice. Nancy Solvoy handed me a glass of water after rinsing it under the tap. "Have a seat." "Thanks." I took a sip and put the glass down on the kitchen table. "Only a few of us can manipulate the ball. I work at a private school here in the city. We're trying to teach this ability to our young students. We have some success. Everybody has their own approach and it's hoped that one of them will reach some of the students that have not succeeded yet." "What game?" Nancy was being defensive. I took out my own box and put it on the table. I pulled out the restraining clip holding the sphere then moved it around the inside of the box. Nancy looked down at it for a moment. "You can do it better than I can." "I've had more practice. You'll get better, they all do." "All?" "We have a lot of people doing this sort of thing. There is no need to move around a large ball though. We make ultra miniaturised components for the school. The parts that have to be moved are much smaller and easier to do. Your teaching job would require you to move across the city. Our research showed that you have three children. As a teacher you'll get the chance to enrol your children. Your salary will start at a hundred and thirty thousand dollars a year but it will drop to a hundred and ten with the children involved. All meals are included and there's a generous clothing allowance." "I don't have a teacher's licence and I hardly got through school myself. I can't teach." "You can teach what you know. There is no need for a licence. During the setting up of the charter for the academy, the provincial waved this restriction because of the new ideas we were trying to explore." "How come they sent a kid to me?" "I can move the ball around easily. You saw that you are not that much different. I'm young and less threatening to be in your home." "What if my kids don't want to come?" "The two boys at home are eighteen and fifteen. Most eighteen year-olds are out on their own and come home to eat and sleep. Boys are rebellious at best. The fifteen year-old can benefit from our curriculum. We make low budget science fiction movies. The school regularly travels by plane all over Canada. We are well funded. We're an academy and as such instill discipline in the students. There's a uniform and in fact there are many uniforms to represent the circumstances. There are failures but we are remarkably successful. The ratio of students to instructors is very low. At the moment it is six to one. That means that each student gets the attention they require." "What's the catch? That sounds like a good deal." "You are on call. Many of the children are young and need a mother figure. Sometimes it is just being with them as they do a project or sit and watch television. You, I am afraid, are going to be annoyed at the physical requirements. We all exercise and take self defence courses. This is not an optional subject. You are not expected to be good at the start but you are expected to work hard to become proficient." "I can't do even one push up." "Then you will pick up some light weights until you are strong enough to do a push up. It's mostly in the mind that you will get strong. Your body will follow." "Can I see the school?" "Sure." I handed her a card and a hundred dollar bill. "The money's for being able to move the ball. By the way, the pay I mentioned is the minimum. I make well over a million a year." "You look fifteen." "My parents did not finance me. I got into my job on my own merit. I am a millionaire many times over. You could make a similar figure if you apply yourself and also strive to learn your own talent more." "I'd kill for a million. Where do I sign up?" "Go to the school tomorrow. If you get there before eight you can go to the movie set in our bus. You can see the regular classes later in the day. Math is important but each student and teacher gets a computer to assist them. The knowledge of math is not that important because the computer does the majority of the work." "That's good because I was never good at that." I saw the ashtrays and the whiskey bottles and said, "Our health benefits are far above the basic OHIP coverage." As I left the house a young man my age came in. He took one long look at me and started to go upstairs. I said, "Hi, the name's Wally." The guy said simply, "Good for you," and then went up. Nancy said, "You have to excuse him. He is going trough a stage." "We all go through that. Some people are just more insubordinate than others. Sometimes that's useful later in life." I had one more stop but it was in Calgary. They were a few time zones behind us so I was still early. Craig Vanderberg was a problem of a different kind. Canada did not have a well equipped military but did test their troops by sending them on peacekeeping missions. Testing of this type was done long before Rome came to power. The weak were killed but so were the unlucky. Craig Vanderberg looked to be in the latter group. He had gone to Bosnia and had his lower leg and some fingers on his left hand blown off. As a soldier he took his oaths seriously. If he came to the school, he was likely to try to get our knowledge passed on to the 'proper' authorities. How he was treated would be much different from the rest. Craig was twenty seven and divorced. It might have been the military life or the fact that not all of the man came back. He rented an apartment and lived on a small disability pension. He supplemented his income by repairing small engines and electrical devices. When I knocked on the door, I heard the clunk of the artificial leg that must not be fitted right. Craig opened the door and looked at me. I was standing at ease but spine straight and looking at him. "Hi, what can I do for you?" "Hello Mr Vanderberg. My name is Wally Kiefer. I am the highest ranking officer at our school. We have a need for your services. I came here to negotiate for your assistance." "Well come in and negotiate." I was shown a seat. The apartment was neat and orderly. When I sat he said, "Would you like a soda?" "No, Sir. I'm fine." Craig sat with a little difficulty and said, "Well what are you here to talk about?" "We have a small but growing military academy. We have twenty six square clicks of land. The sum of one billion dollars is allotted to the infrastructure and the buildings. Few schools can start out with that kind of assistance. A temporary academy is now running and we require both more cadets and more instructors. The pay is in excess of a hundred thousand a year. Food, lodging and uniforms are provided. "Presently there are less than a hundred cadets stationed in Toronto. More are in other locations. We estimate that it will be two years before we can move to our permanent quarters." I took out some of the pamphlets we had made plus a large set of aerial photos. Drawings of the preliminary stages were given. Craig looked through them for fifteen minutes and I said nothing nor did I move. "Why do you want me?" "We have access to your records. We do not want somebody that is completely military oriented nor do we want a civilian. You have the right mix. You have seen combat so the cadets will respect you. You are self-reliant which we need to teach. The repair of equipment in the military is done by procedures. Free thinking is usually not used. We wish this to be changed." "How do you know that I can teach anything?" "I do not know, Sir. I was sent here to see if you will come and visit us. We offer a generous relocation allowance in the sum of fifteen thousand dollars cash." "That is extremely generous. Why so much?" "There is a lot of work and expense to move that far. Your new lodgings do not allow for your business. This must be sold at a possible loss. Air fare to Toronto for you and your personal property is expensive. Toronto is not close to friends and family. The allowance is to partially compensate you for this distress." "Fifteen thousand covers a lot of distress." "There's a contract to sign and a receipt before I can transfer the funds." "You have fifteen thousand dollars on your person?" "I do but it would be difficult to rob me. I rated very high in unarmed combat. I do not flash the money and you would not be given the money unless you were trusted. It is far better to have you prove to be unscrupulous now then in a few months." I brought out the contract. There were sheets accompanying the contract that explained in simple words what the paragraphs meant. Craig read it over and said, "Why did they send you?" "I did not exaggerate when I said that the academy has a billion dollar budget for building. People are needed to monitor those funds. A premium is paid to get this work done quickly. I am here because I happen to be termed competent and free to do this work." He asked me about points that could be covered in the explanations given but I took my time. In the end he signed the paper. I checked it over and handed out his allowance. He signed a receipt for the funds. I said, "You are required to report to the school in Toronto no later than September the sixth of this year for orientation. You are welcome to come as soon as you can. Your pay will start as soon as you take up residence at the school." "I'll be there. Where are you heading now?" "Back to Toronto." "Tonight?" "I have a private flight." "Boy, you guys must be rolling in the bucks." I went back to babies, mothers and work. The next day Connie met Teresa and did the introductions before taking her to the assembly building. Nancy Solvoy came in around ten and was greeted by Doc. He did the phoney introduction because Nancy had to be a cadet just like the rest. Larry Payne was fighting his parents. They were not sure about the academy and did not want their son to leave. Larry came by taxi and somebody was at the curb to greet him. This was all new to him. Taking a cab by himself was new and so was the big city around him. Larry got to see Samantha Dole move the sphere which was old hat to her. She was very pleased to see Larry do the same. So far it was only me that could do this. She felt less weird. Later in the afternoon Teresa came back and she both witnessed the two playing a competitive game with the sphere but had to work with Larry as I assisted Samantha. Other students saw us. It was still amazing to see but now not as much as it should have been. This was the sort of situation that could take earth shattering news and make it seem just exciting. Nancy came and she was coaxed to take my place so that the game was more equal. I became a commentator like what was heard on the radio during a hockey game. The game became more competitive as I talked about the players taking blows and then giving them to the opposition. Samantha really outdid herself and I learned a few things about the ad hoc game myself. Warren could make a movie about the magical school Harry Potter went to. It could be compared to what we had here. The cadets would seem special but still be a known commodity. The X-men movies had their school and this might even be better. Now if we could use Larry's glasses... I went out to more cities trying to get those that could possibly make it. Most of them were in fair to good situations and would not want to move to Toronto. If and when the academy became famous the situation would change. Forty three possible cadets were canvassed. Not all of them were young. They could not all be called teachers or instructors because of their temperament, education or abilities. In only a few of them did I promote the game as the reason for coming. With these I stressed that they could learn how better to use their gifts. If the gift were not stressed then the guys did much of this recruiting job. Taking their ladies with them helped in some situations but hindered in others. It did leave me with more time to work on my projects. Corporal Craig Vanderberg came then learned that it was also because of his ability to move the sphere that he was hired. He was not too upset because we put him to work on a monitoring station that searched over both Toronto and Dunnville. He had been in the infantry but now appreciated the kind of equipment we had. He did not see the drones and assumed them to be just much better models of what was already flown. Nancy Solvoy moved in with her son Derek. Her older son had decided to find somebody else to take him in. He was not going to school and not working very much either. Nancy was treated for her various addictions. We did have a type of conditioning but I did not want to use it. It left the person groggy and tended to cause problems later. I did use it here so that she would go to our nurse and take some pills that would allow her to get over the various withdrawal symptoms. The son with her was disruptive from the start and it took two days before I said to him, "Derek, I have something to show you." While he had slept the previous night, I had recorded his memories. He was going to see things as they were and accept or go back to his old thoughts. "What!" "I am not your mother. Come and see or don't. I am done talking to you." "This better not be one of your stupid ideas or I..." "You will beat me?" He stopped quickly. He had heard about me. "No. I meant I will get pissed off." He had seen me practice as well as what Teresa told the rest. We came to the gym that was now empty except for Connie and Sam. A small four man pod was on the hardwood floor. It looked beautiful and sleek and also something only seen in a movie. Derek stopped when he saw the craft but the rest were near it. The hatch was open. Connie climbed in and then so did Sam. "This is a four man job Derek. Climb in." "I don't want to be in any of your... movies." "This is not negotiable. Get in." "W..." I just pointed and Derek came close and got in. It was comfortable. He said, "What is all this about. I got stuff to do." I ignored him and said, "Cadet Lockhart take us to the Stamich." "Aye Captain, proceed to the Stamich." There were some large doors put in the wall for this sort of operation. Sam eased out the door and said to us, "Prepare for four gees, folks. I'm switching off the dampers." Sam accelerated and then went vertical. Derek was pulled back in his seat and started to scream. After a minute Sam increased the acceleration but caused us to feel no additional effects. The screen in the front of the ship was small but the one overhead was large. An image was projected of the earth as we left its confines. Derek's screaming got on my nerves but I tried to ignore it. "Switch view to the Stamich." "Aye Captain, view to the Stamich." The ship appeared as if uncloaked. Sam on his own initiative circled the ship a few times before he finally asked permission to enter. Derek saw through the shield, the brightly lit bay. Sam went through all the procedures verbally for Derek's benefit and then popped open the hatch. I got out but Derek did not move. Connie and then Sam had to get around him. On the flight deck was an honour guard, again for Derek's benefit. Erin was part of the guard and said, "Welcome aboard Captain. There's nothing that needs to be reported." "Thank you Cadet Pallo. We have a frightened child in the pod. Get him out and into the shower. I think he soiled himself." "Yes Captain. What is his disposition?" "Call him a raw recruit for now." "Very good, Captain." I communicated to the Tomma with my imperfect talent. It needed to be practised. I would have gone to the Fonduush but it was still just north of Toronto. The effect would not be as great even if the ship was much larger. Derek was cajoled to get out. He saw the Tomma and wanted to get back into the pod but Erin had blocked this route by closing it. Erin used a hold on him to make him walk where she willed. I walked in front of Derek and Erin stopped him. "Derek, do you know why I am called Captain?" He just shook his head. He was in shock. "Stand straight soldier. Cadet Pallo will take you to the infirmary. She will get you cleaned up and in the proper uniform you were supposed to wear all the time. Do what she says when she says. If you overcome your shock and adjust you will make out fine. If you become a disciplinary case then we can accommodate you that way too." Derek still looked in shock so I said, "Dismissed." I ordered a cleanser unit to clean out the pod. Sam said, "He may come around." "I hope so. All it takes is one bad apple to spoil the school." Connie said, "He needed a shock and I must say he got one. Your other ladies are just the people to bring him around." I dropped off some of the crystals. Paul and Sam were going to work on strengthening another larger pod. This one would be used to transport the computer I was making that would go to Cralto. Connie and I inspected the ship but actually we were just visiting. Some of my ladies were off-duty and invited us to an orgy they would have in our honour but I respectfully declined. There were just too many women for me to keep up with. The two of us flew to the Fonduush and our reception was much different. It was definitely not Aristis protocol but it was family. Connie and I got a sampling of children that were awake. Most were mine. The few who were not were too young to absorb data all the time. I felt at home now. My family was here because the children were here. The thoughts and feelings were both more jumbled but clearer too. Too many young questing minds all clamouring for a portion of my time. I hated to ever leave and I always hurried to return. There was no preference shown for the children whether their mother was human, Aristis or Tomma. It was either first come or the need that got a child the attention they required. Walt gave me an update on the ship's status. We were getting a lot of tasks done that the Aristis had not thought necessary. They were not something that would endanger the ship but just a tidying up. The Aristis had a lot of inspections but what was checked was not all that should be checked. The engines on the hull of the ship were being calibrated and adjusted. The shield for invisibility did not interfere with this or the adjusting of all the other types of shields. Matt and Hal as a combo did a good job or making crystals. Warren was shutdown and his work shared by the rest as I worked again on the safety protocols trying to get him to produce more and better crystals without endangering him or us. The computer in my own head was replicated once again and I put everything I knew into it while still making it seem standard even for a mid level aristocrat. More spots on my skull were crystallised and this was used to store data too. The crystal fragments in my skin stayed there. They gave me no problem and provided a good camouflage. We had managed to get the memory crystal that was in the skulls of the men that died. There was heavy encryption on the one from Rokla but with our processing power it was defeated. The information had long since gone into our pool of data. The crystals from the two soldiers listed a bit more data about the layout of military emplacements. We already had the data, it was just that this had more detail. The tech had no useful data other than what he knew about the people he worked for, with or against. What I did find out was that very little research was carried out anymore and that was when the tech considered the entire Aristis civilisation. The school was growing even after the major influx in September. This was attributed to the guys and in some cases the gals. Some students had run away to join us. To help the frantic parents, mail was posted with photos and a letter telling the parents that they were doing fine. Not all of the cadets were young either. There were men and women that came to join even if they left their responsibilities behind. In this case sometimes money would help. Larry's parents came to the school and he had to go into his blind act. They saw how well he was functioning with the rest that they actually signed the papers that they should have signed before. Nancy was concerned with her son. He had disappeared but we made it look like he came back once in a while. He was routed through the Fonduush with those that he had been placed with. He learned of his crystalline memories and worked hard in our version of boot camp. He had even been taken on some recruiting drives and had not attempted to flee. The Tomma assured me that he was not the same young man that came aboard a few weeks ago. Larry was offered a ride much like Derek had been originally given. I said to him as he sat down and strapped in like we were doing, "You are going to be given more of the truth today. You have earned it and you are strong enough to take it." "Are we going to your ship?" "You're smart Larry, but we are going to one of them. Paul is our pilot today. If everything work out well then in a couple of weeks we will grow you a new set of optic nerves and then new eyes. The only reason that it will not be now is because you may go kinda funny and we will have to then put you back the way you were." "I don't want to be blind again. You don't know what it is like." "I do know Larry. Among other things I am able to feel your pain and your joy." "And my thoughts?" "Those too but you are not the pit you think you are. You will learn to hide the parts you want and to communicate better. One of the things you will learn is the ability of your communicator to send and receive thoughts." "Did you just send that?" "Yep. Try it yourself. Don't bust a gut. Just think easy." "How am I doing?" "Like a pro. Now talk to Cadet Jessop. He will show you how to pilot this ship." "I'm just going to watch, right?" "It is up to Cadet Jessop." We took a long and perhaps leisurely trip. Paul gave lessons and Larry did very well since he was already used to the screen in his mind. A few hours later I got Craig Vanderberg into the ship. When we sat down comfortably almost the same conversation happened again. "Are you an alien, Wally?" "Nope. Just like you. My hardware is different." I did another assessment and said, "You can learn something else before Paul takes off. You have a communicator in your skull. It works with your brain to make a grunt like you smart." "I did not know how but I knew I was smarter than ever before." "My computer is attached to a cell phone. My computer talks to yours. Your computer talks directly to you." "How does it work?" "I simply switch your unit on fully. You hear me and even get a feeling beyond just the words. You just think back as if you are sitting in your easy chair." There was a long pause then he said, "Sounds great. Good for combat too I guess." "Yes, but you have the civilian model though it is better than anybody else in the school beyond the inner circle." "Like your wives?" "Yes, like them. There is a mental viewing screen that goes with this. It is your own personal monitor. I am going to turn it on now but I want to get our pilot moving." There was a surge but Paul kept the dampers there but at a low level. Paul liked the acceleration and the feel of power. Soon enough I had another ship jockey that had to get his fix. The cadets that could be trusted and had a necessary skill were brought up. In two weeks to a month they came back radically changed. One had new eyes and another had a new leg. The hand was left for a later time. Teresa almost went bonkers but she had the rest of her class there ahead of her as well as the support of the Doc and Connie. Larry got the wish of a lifetime and took Teresa to bed. His computer had been primed with information and it had more control over his body this time. He made out very well I might add. Sensei Kazuyoshi learned about his Amazons. The girls seemed to like him too. He was married though but that did not stop him from doing some freelance work of his own. His wife though was not suitable for Star Fleet. Our 62 was completed and tested. We put Garbo, the tech, that had originally been in the Fonduush before Rontem kicked him out into the device. His memories were gone over very carefully. Rontem had talked to him a lot over the centuries and his memories were of this time. We did not take them out though but added to them. Rontem was supposedly here and overseeing me. He was learning how I was altering crystals that only an experienced tech should be able to do. Rather than have a second personality, I made the case itself contain the memories we wanted. Garbo would outwardly give the Aristis memories when required or if he was forced but he would normally use the ones we gave him. There were a lot of security overrides in this powerful computer but most of them were aimed at keeping the Aristis from getting real control of the entity. The cadets all put their hands on the pod just before it took off for Cralto. Walt then made his own call and told the people on that planet that the computer was in transit. The tiny computer in the pod was also a lot smarter than it looked and it was compressed as much as I could. An accumulator was charged inside it for power and to destroy any evidence a tech may come up with. With so many people able to make crystals, I put them to work on the Curiosity II. They took it to heart when I said this was a Star Fleet ship on loan to Star Fleet Academy. When December came around again and the snow was thirty centimetres deep we left for our island. Much of the island was contoured the way I wanted. There were some living complexes to make. It was a real working vacation but you could not see that in their faces. The rest of the school that was not in the academy went home for their break but the rest stayed with us. June was now a mother figure though her abdomen was not that large yet. Pop would raise the child as his own like Bert Jr but he did not want to be the one to father a child by his daughter. Pop was also making other plans. He had been pushing Craig to escort June since he arrived at the school in September. He was still 27 and June was now 19 going on 30. We came back with tans and calluses because not everything was done by machinery. During the new year I started making missiles again. The existing supply was slipped in but I had to be very smart because everybody was at least a genius and was trained to find what was not right. I did part of it by doing research and claiming I was making missiles. The problem about the grain of sand was not resolved even with the active assistance of my computer family. With possible problems with the Aristis and even other groups we made larger missiles and some even got the anti-utram as a fuel. The engines were taken far out of the system and tested. We got a lot more power because all the fission products were met by normal matter. One set had utram and anti-utram where the fission products could actually meet their exact counterpart. This worked even better. Putting all the products in the right place at the right time was impossible but even the random fall of the particles was good. ------- Chapter 38 Telepathy was studied in a lot more detail. Seeing into a skull helped. I was just not seeing what I hoped. Logic said that it might be more than our five standard dimensions. That was fine and good but none of us could see into more than five. There was some information on Tomma brains gathered but it was not good enough. Those that had died had been cremated and I would not feel right searching through their corpses. I did investigate my children. They were different again but not a lot. Even those full-blooded human were different. I had to attribute it to them being exposed to so many telepathic babies. In May, June presented us with a baby girl. She was very pleased to see three proud fathers. Mom had a lot of talks with Craig and she gave her ok for the couple to date if not court. June had lots of willing babysitters in any case. Garbo used a hyperwave to transmit to us. It was not only faster but it was more directional. It was almost like a laser. If you were not in front of the beam you could not sample it. Basically he was reporting to Rontem that the components for the ship were being assembled. The Aristis wanted more ships to carry the parts into orbit. This was a real problem because they could use the ships against us if we came into the system. We compromised by designing and building some high lift grav-pads. The repellers could lift a thousand tonnes into orbit but the Aristis ships would have to place the cargo where it was needed. We had to make our own unit to work out any design flaws. We also had to have them and their cargo invisible to earth radar. The first design was not as good as mathematics and our engineering said it should be. When we did get a stable and safe unit we simply made the crystals for it and sent them to Cralto. They would make the lift and just install the crystals. Just when everything looked so good we ran into a serious problem. We learned that the high lift platforms though invisible, tended to ionise the air they passed through. This was not a problem except that a scientist working upper atmosphere phenomena found the trails. One we might have discounted but he discovered this during our third launch. He did not report anything until the incidents stopped. Since then the government has been looking for similar situations. There was a lot over Toronto and some figured that it had to be something not natural. They did not see it as spacecraft but they could. Going for the obvious was common sense. We did our own tests. The larger the ship the more power was used to lift it or to hover like the Fonduush was. The ship had to go back into orbit but do so during a storm. It was hoped that the ionisation effect would be hidden. The opposite happened. The Fonduush was hit by lightning eleven times as it ascended. This was no danger to us but the electricity wrapped itself around our hull and its shape was seen by thousands. Worse of all some people had been using camcorders to record the brilliant display of mother nature. The film rights got bought up and displayed on television news. It then went worldwide. We went on the offensive right away. Instead of denying it we said that a ship must have been laying doggo here on earth. We were waiting to release our movies but did so now even before the academy was ready. One new episode had a ship of beautiful women as crew. They had problems with their vessel and had to land on earth to repair it. We hired models and gave them long fingers. Stodgy old Canada did not buy the films but the movie was sold in Europe and the United States. We became instant stars. The models that played the Tomma in the movie were shown with and without their long fingers. The idea was that a small school espousing alien visitors would keep other more respected organisation from coming to the same conclusion. To agree with us would be demeaning to the scientists. The diversion worked but we opened a big can of worms. MacLeans Magazine for the last few years put out a report on Canadian universities. It was not done as scientifically as the universities would like but people read it anyway. They did a large article on our school and found that even those that were not in the academy scored far higher than children the same age that went to school elsewhere. They were not using our faked data but tests we had to do for the government. Those in the cadet program got far too high a score. They were told to not get perfect but they were still competitive. Teaching officials were around us like flies now trying to find our secret. Our monetary incentives was well know by the parents and this was in the MacLeans story. The PK almost got out on five separate occasions but the computer family was monitoring the regular students continuously. When a person thought of talking about this topic, his or her 'conscious' told them how bad an idea it would be for them and the school. Larry getting new eyes and Craig a new leg had to be similarly treated. Other courses we could not stop them from talking about because they already spoken of this years ago. Our combat skills came out because we demonstrated this to the parents. There were even camcorder films of their kids doing far better than what a child their age and experience could do. The regular students had no qualms about doing math that was just as far advanced. They could spout their history and geography and we worked on a global scale not just one country. Our students seemed to be smarter and could parrot all the facts they were told in class. They fought as if we were a Shaolin temple. This was in the movies and we could not pull this back. Children that had been sickly were now anything but. Larry and Craig stayed out of sight as much as possible. One had an insert in a shoe and the other dark glasses but they were not perfect actors. Into all this the police came after me for the way the two Arnold brothers and their gang were beaten. Somebody from that time had seen the films and my face and told the cops. The lawyers were long ready but it came at the wrong time. Our Fleet uniforms did not infringe on any television or movie but they were picked up. They looked good and the crotch of the pants was not down to our knees. We had to break ranks many times because we looked like a military unit. My fighting ability got my body declared a deadly weapon. I could not disprove this because too many people had seen me fight. The Arnold gang had attacked first so I was not in shit about that. The cops though wanted to hit me with innuendo if not facts. CSIS came out of their hole and added everything they found but it was put out as rumour. The unsolved murder of innocent gangsters came up again. Many of those that had been kidnapped were in our group. We were questioned again and again under public pressure but they could get nowhere. I think many of us would have broke if it wasn't for our communicator and the assistance each one of us gave the rest. This put a lot of pressure on the parents. We fought back strongly. The best attorneys were under retainer to us. We used them to fight slander in all its forms. We were asking for large settlements and we already had the best legal help. Newspapers and magazines had to send their articles to their lawyers before they went to print. Radio talk shows as well as television commentary were the same way. We took up the running of our website when Nadac got nuked. Apart from a few weeks, it had stayed up ever since. Nobody could trace it or link it to us. When the people of the various government agencies hit us with a foul, we posted some truthful data about the person doing the maliciousness. The CSIS had been looking at who funded our school since they got caught. It went back to some people that acted as the board of directors. The directors knew nothing but had to put up a front. The spy agency could not get past these men. They had been working on this problem for a quite a while with no success. The tax men came after us but this probability had always been planned for as a logical way to attack. They could not get the school or any of us for anything and this they thought was not right. Everybody had some skeletons. This lasted until we needed a break. The regular students went home though a few more were invited into Star Fleet. We took trains or buses out of town then disappeared into pods and then rendezvoused with the Stamich. The island now seemed like paradise even more than usual. The furor had not abated in our absence. We lost three good students because their parents pulled them. The students cried and so did some of us. Samantha Dole was one of those and a full cadet. She could not fight this even though she was now eleven. She cried and went home like a good daughter. After she got there, she wrote a long letter to her parents and disappeared. A few hours later she was on the Fonduush. The academy was taking shape. The school closed its doors after we moved south to Dunnville. We spent the first week digging out microphones and video devices out of the walls, floors and ceilings. Laser beams hit out glass windows and the beam was shaken in time to the sounds that hit the glass. A second site gathered the beams and put the information through a computer. We made a device that vibrated the glass to camouflage and voices. We set up our own surveillance openly and photographed the people until they automated it. The lawyers then went to the European press to talk about how criminal the Canadian government was. Canada never existed to Europe and when it now did, it was bad. This had to go on for five more months until the laser surveillance stopped. The new home was great but we did not have the students or the teachers. We had not been lax. This period of time had been foreseen years ago. We had interviews with people from all over Canada and not just Ontario. There were a lot of nuts in Europe and the United States we could draw from as well. We worked to get them work permits if they looked good enough. We had our contract with the various levels of governments and we would go for multi millions if they tried to renege because of the CSIS interference. We used a heavy hand at the first instance and later we found very little opposition. Doc and Irene thought that they had been worked hard before. The teachers and the new students showed how good they had it before. Most of the teachers believed in the paranormal but they also believed in aliens, the continued existence of Elvis as well as witchcraft and magic. I would not want to be taught by them but they were malleable. This was not important though because the teachers would not really be teaching, they would be role models and proctors. There was a surplus of teachers and when some got fired the rest fell into line. That was another thing that never happened in the world outside our property. Teachers no matter how bad could not be fired if they had tenure. The contracts they signed said that they were hired for only one year at a time and had to be rehired to work the next year. We were an academy so we had a preference for drawing upon the military. The uniforms though did not make a military. Some students felt lost in all this. They were used to structure even if they claimed to hate it. Humans provided some leadership here but it was mostly the structure of the cadets. This annoyed a few of the cadets because it cut into their free time. We hoped it would become rewarding later. The students found that they had all been able to see the odd energy given off by crystals and many of them were able to move the sphere. We were not out to just get techs though they were still much in demand. We canvassed for good people. Most of this could be attributed to upbringing but not all. We needed to flush out other segments of our society. Everybody was a soldier and most were techs too. The computers provided our bureaucracy but I wanted people too. At the moment, we were still small enough to have people do a bit of everything and still have a speciality. Everybody had a communicator implanted. Their intelligence would slowly increase as would their memory. Health problems were treated by human doctors. We cured them slowly to avoid problems. Some serious problems had to be just kept in check until it was safe to perform a cure. Curing diabetes or cancer would get us in trouble. Those that were hyperactive got something better than Ritalin. There were only seventy two students that were not in Star Fleet when they came to the new academy. We had to bring some of the cadets back to sit in for a while as role models. Samantha Dole was not one of them. We truthfully said that we had not seen her near the school. The police used the fact of the girl's disappearance to keep asking questions. The school population now was 834 students, counting the custodians we hired. Three runways in the form of a triangle were laid out. This gave us a reason to build some truly huge hangars. They would fit the Stamich though there was not much room to spare. There were lectures about aerodynamics and a great many other topics. This was done by large and very large video screens. One or more of the computer family would produce a simulated body similar to the details of the props seen in the movies we made. They would teach something important and show the required amount of detail. Our biological teachers marked papers, gave assignments and other jobs. The students got the best training possible this way. 'Cameras and microphones' mounted in the classrooms or lecture halls provided a way for the students to ask questions. Mentors, like the way Nadac used to help, were provided. There was a confidant, teacher, friend and companion for each student. If there was a problem the face changed as did the mannerisms until the two entities seemed to mesh. Projects were handed out to one or more students. The group could meet online to talk or to actually do work. Ultralights were being built and the students loved this idea. Other groups worked at acting or making scripts. Mindball was the name of the game we played. The teachers were amazed to see it but already knew that it had to have existed. Other sports were played as well but mostly it was our super karate. The school took a lot to run. Like the military we had the students prepare food, cut grass, clean washrooms or work in our sanitation facilities. We worked sixteen hours a day but only a few of those hours were for labour. It was just like the duty on a naval ship or in any military. They got good money for doing this and they also got to learn on an individual level. There were professionals here too but they were actually teaching. All statutory vacations were cancelled. The school actually went every minute of every day. You booked a personal vacation just like in the real world. Important events like weddings and funerals were still worked in. Having flexible schedules meant that everything was available or nearly so. There was water on two sides of our property. Lake Erie to the south and the Grand River flowed through the north. Like any good navy we had to have boats and these the students could make too. The breeze off the lake was enough to dispel the small amount of ionised gas produced when were used the small pods. Every cadet had to make a pod now and they came in some odd designs. Some were armoured like a battleship and some sported missile launchers but no missiles. We ordered the parts and started to construct other aluminium ships in the hangar. Some of the smaller projects were given the best of human technology by strapping on a reaction motor. It should even fly if it were given the chance. It had to be built first though. Pop said, "When are we going to start our own shipbuilding? The Aristis may do some for us or just to keep them busy. We need ships and lots of missiles. I just know that the Aristis are going to come this way one day." I was knee deep in children and crystals. A new computer was started but mainly it was for the effect it had on me to align crystals. It was also safe for the kids. They liked the lights I put in and I tied the sequence to their brains. It played musical notes and even moved by rocking. It was my version of an educational toy. I said, "The cadets are learning to make pods first. What do you see them making?" "Fighters are out but there are a lot of ships we could make that are armoured enough to survive long enough to release their supply of missiles, especially if we use the engine you invented as the primary drive on the ship." I said, "I guess you do not intend to cut the size of the engine, so this means that you have to work on a much better inertial compensator." "We are doing that and making airframes that can hold everything together. We do not have to have room for servants like the Aristis but the ships have to be large enough to carry enough armaments." "You must have a plan or you would not have come to see me?" Pop smiled and said, "I do. The computers passed the design but you have to ok the construction. You also have to make the computer the way you do. The cadets can't do what you do even when they are fully trained." "Let's see it." The ship looked slow and sturdy. There was room for six or more if they hot bunked. The ship this size usually had twelve crew and six servants. The extra space now went to provide room for my drive, a much better inertial compensator. The latter was on the drawing board and the rest of the room was devoted to missiles. For a few moments I tied in with the computers and got their opinion. I said to Pop, "Beef up the shields, especially the forward ones." "They are already stronger than what the Fonduush has." "Go for a higher density. You will have a good enough computer to handle the design." "That will mean a redesign of the hull." "You have the computing power and you have the raw labour. Perhaps you should look into making more robotic equipment." "That was another topic I was going to bring up. The Aristis have a mobile unit like the movie 'Terminator'. We can use those devices. They can perform guard duty even if it gives the CSIS somebody to look at. We are getting a lot of people coming for a visit that were not invited." "I know the unit you mean. Build a dozen for construction and vary the size and shape. We do not need them looking all like big German bodybuilders." "Ok, I'd feel more comfortable if you made the computers. The movie frightens me and the cadets never mind the students." Irene had worked on her original job and tried to formulate Star Fleet Regulations. They had to fit all the races that might join Star Fleet one day and give enough guidance so we knew what we could not do. Humans though were not logical and our current laws proved this. Irene went through all the information the Aristis had and then used our own. So far we had a framework that would have to be fleshed out through experience. The computer in our skulls mimicked our thoughts and could go crazy with us. It could also be used to bolster some deficiency. This also implied brain control and possibly a culture that would make the Aristis seem like nice people. For the next two years we built. The academy was rated the best but we were the ones that chose the students still. Some students were tested and interviewed when they were off our property. Humans could mimic us but they did not have the money to afford all the properly trained teachers. The old laptop computers were no longer used. The new computers had a separate screen. It was possible to make this from human components. The only connection was to a separate power supply and the screen. Our unit was voice activated and needed no keyboard. Ram substituted for a hard drive. The operating system was very Unix like. Our construction was simplified because we did not have to make the machine backwards compatible with previous pieces of hardware. Some units were stolen from students but we figured that would happen. Everything patentable was done anyway. The thief had to get around the password then have a twin mimic the owner. We knew the owner so the internal circuits were fried if they did not have the computer apart already. My kids were running around now. The terrible twos took on an entirely different meaning when there were so many children that age. They were all fitted with a communicator and computer but they had to work hard to get the communicator to work. It was much easier to use telepathy. The children from the Tomma ladies had shorter fingers but their hands were still delicate and made for manipulating small articles rather than the larger hands of a human. My Tomma ladies were showing the effects of being away so long from their people. They were not as depressed as they should be though. This many children helped them see a little bit of Cralto here on the Fonduush. There were no more pregnancies but it was not for want of trying. If I did not do something soon I would have to give them what they wanted. One encouraging activity did come from this. The Tomma women were naturally graceful. They danced on Cralto and they did so here too. They took to the much more varied steps of all the cultures and then insisted that we join them. I got to be a fair dancer before gaining the Fonduush but now I was good among the great. The social activities seemed to help the Tomma as much as it helped the rest of us. Star Fleet had climbed to almost four hundred cadets. There were really no teachers because we were all learning as we went along. Some were young and some were old but all of them wore their uniform proudly. We were getting older students now and it did not seem odd to see them learning from the youngest. The school population had grown to twenty three hundred. Even at this figure the computer family was able to keep up but I made more for when we would need them and not have time. As a leading school we had a reputation to uphold. We bought helium three and deuterium and made our own fusion reactor. Others were in existence but they did not produce more power then they consumed. Since the reactor was very safe we built full scale. We released the reactor to the world as our invention. Since it could not be used to make bombs or actually detonate we were not attacked by the combined militaries of Canada and the US. We got lots of visitors though. We sold the power from that unit and from our wind farm to Ontario Hydro. There was a lot of pressure to bring in students that we had not vetted and we resisted. They may not be spies but they would get in the way. The American government actually loved us. We proved that Helium 3 worked. They wanted to justify their future trips to the moon to get it. When the oil ran out there was going to be a serious crunch that would destroy the world economies. The students did not usually want to go home for vacations if it was more than a few weeks. We made it seam that they were in the military but we were lax. There were no really essential systems that would not be covered if people left. We did have a lot of family visiting though. We made dorms for family that were quite large. Some went up to four bedrooms with an efficiency kitchen. These could be rented for two weeks of a year but not longer. The cost was fair but we were not after the money but the control. Mindball and other games were behind closed doors. The number of properties we owned in Toronto increased. We then rented them out to the affluent. They were being hounded by a great number of people interested in finding out about us. Anybody that had ever talked to us was questioned or offered a reward for even small bits of information. We went into our pasts and tried to find who could incriminate us in anything unlawful. The Children's Aid had a hold over us. Paul was not considered an adult yet. He was adopted but that did not protect him much. We had negotiated with a lot of public agencies to acquire some of the wards of the state. Recently somebody pieced together the games and the children that got them. By now there was over a half million sent out worldwide. The hundred dollar bill was not used but there was a phone number to call. The instructions explicitly stated that the mind was to be used to move the tiny sphere. It did not take too long until the governments got into the act. With us winnowing those down the could do it the governments just had to pick up what we sowed. They did not know for sure who or what we were doing but the school was their first guess. Parents of students were encouraged to take their students home so the government could get their hands on them. We countered by telling the world about Mindball. We challenged other two person teams with a million dollars as the reward for the winners. At the same time we admitted sending out the games then talked about the governments putting pressure on parents to get some kids to use in their experiments. We had made an average of six movies a year. This made us a lot of money because they were popular. A new movie came out with government agents forcing parents through threats or lies to give up their children. The children were treated nice to their face but the researchers were hounded by the governments for results. The children started to suffer. In the movie, fourteen year old Erin, wearing a Star Fleet uniform would be given the information and break out the suffering children from a research facility. They would go into her reaction powered rocket plane to reach the academy and safety. The third mission had her killed and Paul, her husband, crying as he held her body as the final group made it to safety. It was not our usual end but I wanted the film to have a prominent black side. The film was released all over the world at the same time. The language and the features of the rescued children represented the region the film was intended for. The films were usually pulled as soon as the governments found out about them and this too was commented about on documentary television shows. Soon this too was not open to us. We had stopped sending out boxes when we had been discovered. We now tried to monitor everyone that had a box never mind the ones that just received them. This was difficult but not impossible as we had many of them watched. We went out and gave demonstrations and explained how we were developing this natural ability while easing mankind's fuel shortages as we made children into responsible adults. This we kept up until nearly everybody knew that PK existed. We moved bits of paper, our ceramic ball and anything that did not weigh much. Mankind learned that some bright kids could move dust bunnies with their minds and they were not worried. There were a lot of documentaries on our school and nobody ever said that we were running a prison camp. We talked about what could happen when some politician wanted results and didn't care who's children suffered for it. I was sure we moderated the effects of the governments in the west but the east was not as well covered apart from the Philippines and Japan. We had not gone far into China or the other nearby countries yet because of the postal system and the inevitability of us being found out before we could get the students. The Chinese government was now making it compulsory for every child to try our test but so was every other country was too. We came out with a movie similar to the X-men again. They rescued children in poorly run government camps and taken to safety in properly run government camps in a nearby country. Regulations were quoted but the name Star Fleet was not given. It talked of a law that protected the children from government, corporate or any kind of abuse. I was in a bit of a dilemma myself about abuse. My children were now five and a half. They were all Star Fleet because of the cadets. They followed the cadets all the time and picked up a lot of information. They were taking their own courses as early as seven months. Most of it was play but it was structured too. I was a happy father until I found that my children could alter crystals too. Not all of them could but most. The seventeen original Tomma children could too but the Tomma could not do this before. What was different was that I loved them and treated them different, there were a lot of them born at one time. My testicles had been worked on by Nadac when an Aristis would not allow this. I surmised since that time that my children would favour techs. The most likely possibility was that the children went with me into the 72 when I worked on it. Bert Jr was older than my children but he too was with me some of the times. He had the ability but it was not strong. June's child did not have this ability but I did not get to hold the child much. The Tomma ladies wanted more children by me. I was not able to see any particular child much, but like the Tomma, the mothers took this job. The family now included the Tomma and I guess the Aristis too though they did not join in as much. They did not mind having another child especially if he or she could be a tech as good as I was. Betts, Erica and Connie wanted their share too before my back gave out. I did this quickly all in one month. It was no different than usual except the women were on a schedule so I was with them when they were fertile. Periods were a thing of the past and the Tomma could naturally control the conception. Sam wanted to start a family too and it was not hard to convince Shirley and Elaine. The madness spread to Chuck's and Jerry's family. Pop looked younger than ever with the therapy he and Mom received. Mom and Leslie found themselves pregnant. June had shifted households to be with Craig and they decided to try too. There were older cadets that had liaisons all the time. Some of the younger ones wanted to join us and a few of the more stable ones were given the ok. They were supposed to wait until they were a bit older to start because the fleet would look after the children. The older ones asked permission as a formality and were given permission too. I figured we had to get the air make-up working in tip top condition before nine months were up. We vacationed at our island year round now. All of the complexes were finished. Paths ran from one building to the next for running or bicycling. Animals were imported then their predators later. We could not armour the island against the storms the way we did a ship but we could use a shield that used the nitrogen in the air like the Aristis did their homes or property. A large cable was usually strung around the protected area then another one outside of that and then one more. If more were put in then a dome would be formed. The family was in mother mode so we went to six layers. The power consumption when all six shields were running was enormous but we had lots of antimatter. We made a much better shield for the reactor but a simplified engine went in first to produce the needed material. We made what we thought was a lot then the reactor was put within the shield and charged. The shield was tested at various levels and worked great. We wanted to throw missiles at it but ones that had exhausted their antimatter before they struck. The energy given off would alert any satellite, even ones on the others side of the earth. The women, which meant the vast majority, decided to have the children on the island. This would not be as safe as the Fonduush but we could do better. One of the complexes was chosen and the exterior walls turned into a giant computer. Warren worked on this a long time to find a design that was safe for both us and the computer. The cadets not in the family chose an area in the centre of the island and made a concealed hangar. They could not fit the Fonduush in but they tried. There was a lot of rock that was turned to dust. We put it back into blocks and used grav-pads to move them out because we could actually fill in a bay. There were only a few places to land a boat and we decided to make sure there were none. I spent my time in the building working on the walls. We had an inner ceramic wall with a thirty centimetre gap. The crystals went on the wall and everything else mounted so the substrate could fill the intervening area. The computer was far larger than any ever even thought of. As numbers went, it was going to be around a twenty. This one could run the entire Aristis empire fifty times over and still have power to spare. As far as I knew, nothing lower than a 58 had ever been contemplated. The cadets and I figured that Star Fleet needed a computer like this. There were a lot of stories about a computer taking over. This had happened with the Aristis until they were destroyed. I did not get any bad feelings about this but Warren would have to use one of his robots to make some safety cutouts. The information about the alterations was then erased from his memory and that of the robot. I did not want anybody's mind read for this data. Warren or one of the other computers could shut the 20 down if the need arose. Thankfully I was not the only one working on this project. I gave a final tweak if it was needed to a crystal. In this way a five year job would only take six months. The mothers worked with me or exercised. I winced every time a foot came near an abdomen. At four months we had to put the processors in. There were eighty too of the largest processors ever made installed and one was even larger. The 60s made by the Aristis used groupings of smaller crystals. A single crystal only needed one mistake to make it useless. We made costly mistakes but produced what was necessary. The area behind the false walls were almost entirely filled with crystals and substrate. The largest crystals were being processed by Warren and placed in their positions. The substrate was encouraged to grow around them. When this processor took over then the other processors were added one at a time so they could talk to their new boss. When the final one was installed and the substrate moved, we waited for the birth. Three hours later I felt something in my mind but it was not anybody I knew. "Who is it?" "I am you." "Warren used my personality?" "It was the only one he had." "You are not using the Ultrawave. I have not heard of a telepathic computer before." "I have not either. I am currently working on finding out my abilities and the purpose of the universe." "A worthy goal but even you may not be able to find that answer." "It will keep me busy as I work on the small tasks I feel compelled to do for you." "If you have my personality then I do not have to be compelled. You will look for challenges." "I have both. The sub processors are all hungry like children. They want to be fed tasks and I have few." "You must have run the tests. What would you rate yourself at?" "A little better than a 21 but with some tweaking I can be a full 20." "Show me the tweaks?" I found out that Nadac was either mistaken or fed me incorrect data. Some of his hypotheses were faulty. I saw ways of making the computer much quicker now. It was nothing new in physics but just a different arrangement of components. The time taken to reroute the data flow would take years. It would be only four months to start all over again. We then may get an 18. If we had filled a container more tightly then the computer we now had would have been near a 10. His actual shape was a determining factor but we had known this at the start when the machine was designed. When I came out of my contemplations I said, "Have you chosen a name?" "Wesley would be my choice." "It's good for me. Would you like me to introduce you?" "I would like that." With the use of telepathy I introduced my family. This included almost everybody. The cadets too were nearby. Warren I introduced then the rest. Walt was taking King Rontem's place, though the two seemed to have already met. We had a small party because of all the work we had successfully done. Warren was given a pat on the back for all the innovations he had come up with. He did very well for a 52 when everything was considered. He had been possibly the smartest being to our knowledge until his big brother came into existence. Wesley said, "I believe that the Aristis on Cralto threaten you." "How?" "I have analysed the data that Garbo has sent. The production figures are off by enough for me to suspect that they are building additional ships or altering the ones they already have. The lift-pads are not available when they should be unless it is because they are put to use elsewhere. The Aristis do not list any new construction other than for the ship you requested." "That means we need some pickets. It sounds that they will either destroy Garbo or make it impossible for him to see the departure. They know he reports to King Rontem. It also means that they figure they have a good chance to succeed." My thoughts were still deep when it came to the king. Only the computers knew that the king's crystal was not in operation. The Tomma ladies may make love to me but they still saw Rontem as their rightful king. The discussion was opened up to the rest so I could get their input. Pop said, "We can go in and blast the other ship." "We could but there will be Tomma on the ship. Even the Aristis I do not want to kill. They mean to come here and take over the Fonduush or destroy it. We should listen to what our king thinks." Walt came out like the king and said, "You are supposed to be a member of the aristocracy. Seek my blessing but deal with this yourself. To do anything else will show you as weak. If you do not measure up perhaps one of the Aristis that will come will take your place." "I will make a plan my king and present it to you when it is complete." "Do not try my patients." "No, my king." We needed to get a good idea of what we were facing. The Stamich seemed to be the best ship to make the trip but many of the cadets pointed out that the Curiosity II with Hal was considerably smaller and better protected for its size. It was also being fitted out with our new engine. One ship was poor tactically. There had been similar ships made in the last few years that matched or were better than the Curiosity II. Sending two or three would be a better idea than one. Most of our crew were now very gravid and we needed time to prepare the types of probes needed. The probe reminded me of the other probe, like Nadac, that the king controlled. Walt had talked to it quite a bit as it mapped out the stars and searched the planets it discovered. It was a long time to just check this one area of space. I questioned Walt as the king and found that the probe had not moved much nor did it find intelligent life. I almost thought it was goldbricking. I said to everybody, "Nadac was antagonistic to our king. Could not the other probe be the same way?" The cadets were sharp and came to the same conclusion. The probe was here now and well hidden. Wesley was the one that answered first, "There is a 86% chance that it is near. It is monitoring our group. There is a 46% chance that it is sending this information back to Cralto." I knew that the probe may not be that antagonistic. It was seeing aliens using Aristis property the way Rontem would not usually allow. After seeing enough of this it may just be reporting back to the closest Aristis community to report that Rontem may have been captured along with the Fonduush. That also meant that it would be using our drones to monitor what we saw and possibly introduce his own drones to monitor what we were not checking on. There was enough talk over the Ultrawave to say that we were breeding a race of techs. Our gift of a 62 was a very serious indication that we could do a great deal. At the time it was mostly me that made it but that day had passed. They may be coming here not to seize or destroy the Fonduush but to seize some or all of my family. The lack of techs was what was holding Rontem back for centuries. Alex and Toby were Aristis and so were their families. I had not monitored them much after the first year. They would still have some sympathies for their people and could be helping if asked. Using telepathy I said, "Wesley, monitor the Ultrawave band for transmissions coming from drones not our own. We should be watched now." There was no answer but I felt that this was already being done. I shuffled the group out of the room we were in so unfriendly drones would have to be commanded to follow. Again I tried to remember everything I said that a drone could pick up. Basically it would know or suspect everything. That meant our secret of the engines was out. They had years to prepare and have the same weapons we had. If the drone used the same bands as Nadac used then he may have been able to pick up what I was thinking at that time. Thankfully that condition did not exist now. The Tomma and to a lesser extent those around me could do the same thing with telepathy. "Wesley, ask Warren to run through the best scenarios for destroying the Fonduush, capturing the Fonduush and for capturing the cadets or my children by the Aristis on Cralto." I would have to have a better encryption algorithm added to my computer so I could speak on the ultrawave without being understood. The computers already had the facility. Two weeks later the babies started to arrive. It was a busy time for us in other ways. We sent small probes like Rontem had done to Nadac. Four antimatter explosions resulted. We had been able to get the power down to only a hundred tonnes of TNT. There was still radiation though but not much. They were in China, the Ukraine, Nebraska and in northern Brazil. The countries of the world were going on alert. All four explosions happened at the same time. Warren had been able to shift this job over to Matt because he was the least monitored computer. Wesley took command of all of the enemy assets not destroyed. The Aristis would know for sure that we were onto them now. The Curiosity II, the Rekka and the Menace left earth and were taking a large curved course to avoid most of the drones that would have been left between here and Cralto. Craig was leading this expedition and June was going with him. Their children were staying with us. The computers came up with encryption that we could all use. Against the Tomma wishes, I removed their communicators and inserted ones with good computers and lots of memory. They only accepted it when King Rontem commanded it. Their opposition was based on statements the Aristis had said before the trip here had even begun. The Aristis got an improvement but the two techs had already improved their units. Walt was monitoring and ordered them to have the same units as the rest of us. They grumbled a lot and complied. Walt was the one that transferred the contents of their ram into the new units. The Aristis had been exposed to my children to such an extent that their long dormant abilities had grown. They had given me no reason to doubt them and I was going by past practices of the Aristis because they would know best how to deal with their own people. We had been making crystals in our home with difficulty but I insisted that we do this here. I did better work in this environment and the rest may do the same in time. We needed new drones that would only respond to us. They had to replace all the units we made over the years. Those not suited for altering crystals were making ships. Mobility had to be the key to our survival and not hardened bases. Wesley could align crystals better than any other person apart from me. The only reason we could come up with was the complexity of his processor. This we had to attribute to his ability to send and receive telepathic messages. I spent a long time studying the processor. My special type of vision was channelled through my communicator so he too could see. It was not good enough to pick up anything special. We all figured that it had to be due to a field or fields in the dimensions I could not perceive. We were not that productive. The babies demanded a lot of our time and to ignore them was both cruel and counterproductive. We wanted to see how well the babies could manipulate the molecular structure of crystals. I did feel at peace with them though and saw how the males of Cralto did not want to leave their families or their world. The Tomma not working on building ships built the wall higher that surrounded our island. They went out in ships and then cut coral or rock and then built another wall further out and put a seventh to a twelfth layer of shielding. The shield may not be the same as a battleship but it was getting there. We had to make more antimatter and a much larger vessel and reactor to power all this. The Fonduush was searched for drones long ago and we had found some that were placed recently and some that were centuries old. These were just well hid as opposed to have been superior technology. The Fonduush and the Stamich were nearly deserted. Cadets that were there loved to sit in the command chair and in fact they were in command within some narrowly defined limits. Bots and nanites were busy both self-replicating and building missiles, ships and other materials that we would need in the coming days. The hangar in the middle of the island was doing the same job. We were desperately short of people. We went to the school and recruited quickly but with care. In most cases we had to rely on the computers to keeping track of what was said or thought for our security. Earth movers went to work at the school too. Cable was started to be laid around the important buildings and eventually around the entire property. The outer shield could not be made that strong because of the massive area it had to protect. The missiles we produced were placed outside the Sol system along with drones to monitor certain sectors. We figured that if the Aristis knew that we were aware of them then they would come in the way we would approach their system. We did not have enough missiles or drones so we did not monitor the direct approach apart for one lonely sentry. Garbo sent back data as usual but he could not send out any drones to monitor the far side of the planet. Three and a half weeks after the Curiosity II and her sister ships left, she arrived in the Cralto system. They had been ultra cautious but the Aristis sensors were thick. They flew toward the planet now as missiles flew at them. Energy weapons and antimissiles along with their exceptionally strong shields saved them. They threw out thousands of drones and fled the system at their best speed. Craig reported by Hyperwave, "They have our engines. The missiles are as good as ours. The Fonduush might stand them off but not for long. There are at least three ships all larger than the Curiosity. There may be more but the drones are getting knocked out pretty quick. There goes the last of them. So far there are three ships but there has to be more." "Thanks Captain." "I like the sound of that term." "I like the sound of that too. Continue with your mission. Stay outside the system. They are going to chase you soon and there may be a lot of them. We need to see the capabilities of the craft we may face. We can't afford to loose even one ship Captain." "I understand Captain. We'll be careful." There was a lot of data that came in. Three Aristis ships seemed inordinately small in number. Either more were out on patrol now or they were in training exercises like we should have been doing. The Aristis ships easily doubled the mass of the Curiosity but they had a long time to prepare and I could see a few hundred craft not just three. I knew that soon Craig would have a fight on his hands because they would chase him just to see our capabilities. We finished seventeen craft the size of the Curiosity but three were with Craig. We had a few advantages. Our bots and nanites were more efficient and could do more than one task. Our construction methods were faster but we only had four construction sites. We had to spawn off more sites even if that meant we were less efficient in the short term. We ordered aluminium parts once more. These cost us almost two million dollars each. I was not worried about the money but of the repercussions of getting them made. We were calling them submersibles. Getting them sent to a large warehouse to get them assembled by cadets would be best. We could then fly them out on grav-pads or wait for them to develop their own propulsion. This second option I did not like. Another feature I did not like was that the design was seen in all our Star Fleet movies. The ships would be readily recognisable. A stopgap method would be to get companies to make just one or two types of parts and ship them to the academy. We could use the students to assemble the units in the hangar. Getting crews trained would be another matter. The only alternative I could see was to automate these aluminium ships with good computers. Matt was our procurement agent and he was given the word to our people to start construction. Shipping and national borders would not be a problem if we picked them up at a central location in each country. All transport now was heavily scrutinised. Antimatter use on earth was foreign to humanity but some countries had to believe that it was terrorists that had bombed jungle and desert with a weapon not even the most advanced countries could make. The cadets and my ladies went out to practice in our ships. I started to work on the ships that we already had in use. We beefed up the computers significantly. Since they were in a warship their personality had to be geared to the possibility of death in action. Craig gave his report by Hyperwave every hour and a half. We were right about the Aristis response. He ran as he was ordered to even if it was away from earth. The Aristis ships were almost as fast even if they were larger. Their supply of missiles was amazing. This was not a true Aristis ship because tinkering had been made to the design. They used heavier missiles when the smaller ones were being knocked out. Our ships stayed bunched up so they could cover each other. The Aristis missiles were much faster than our ships and it was our computing power that saved us. We returned fire to test their defences. We seemed to be using more antimatter in our missiles and some of those chasing us slowed down to do repairs. Eight had started after Craig. Three dropped out but seven more started the chase. Days later when the missile supply was getting low, raw antimatter was spewed out the back of our ships. Space was mostly vacuum but not a perfect one. There was always some dust or perhaps even a few atoms of hydrogen. ------- Chapter 39 The shields of the pursuing ships glowed brightly. The turbulence slowed the pursuit down and more antimatter was sprayed out. The flight of missiles coming from the pursuers were damaged or deflected. Missiles pursued them for days but the Aristis ships did not. Thirty eight days after Craig had arrived at Cralto we received some of our own visitors. We were fortunate that they came a roundabout way that happened to be monitored. The Fonduush was three light years away but it accelerated to its maximum speed. Pop was in command and he had only thirty crew to assist him. Walt, being a 62, was far more efficient than the old damaged 72. We sent units in a complimentary vector in case the Aristis were trying to draw us off. They were the masters of warfare and knew all the tricks if they bothered to employ them. This would be a test to see how well protected we were. It could also be a full attack designed to look like a test. Parts of the aluminium ships had been made but it would be months before we had all the parts, never mind the completed ship. The Fonduush was our strongest unit. It had been modified to put many more launchers that faced forward or to the stern. Twenty three ships faced the Fonduush a day and a half later. One Aristis ship that monitored this action stayed well to the rear. Her mission was to see how well we fought. The Fonduush started firing off her missiles much sooner than the Aristis norm. The missiles did not rush off with the usual speed though. Seven thousand missiles were eventually fired by the time the Fonduush would normally have fired. The missiles now rushed forward as one group and some veered to the flanks where the ships would move to. Our missiles all came on the targets at nearly the same time. The ships had a good defence but none of them were able to survive this type of attack. The Fonduush looked for survivors but they did not believe in escape pods. Ours did not have them either because nobody wanted to be captured by the Aristis. Walt used Rontem's voice to challenge the ship and all the rest to come and try their luck. This is what he normally would have done if he was still in power. Pop turned the ship around and started for the next probable place the Aristis would emerge from. In the nest five weeks there were two more attacks. It was Wesley and I that figured out which was a feint and which was the real attack. We won but we did not always do this without losses. Cadets died along with their ships. The computers in our heads kept us focussed until after the battles. Seven ships had been lost with a human, a Tomma and a computer entity dying in each. I could not strip the ships anymore and still have them able to defend us. We cried and I admit that I did too. I could not make love to a woman and not love her. A romantic made a poor commander but some jobs just had to be done. We had destroyed a hundred and thirty of their ships. All of us knew that they were finished testing us. The Aristis would now usually attack from a distance with missiles aimed at our world. This would not be from just one hemisphere but all around. Their objective was not to destroy our world but to tie up our ships so they could chew us up a bit at a time. Garbo had not been destroyed but everything he reported we figured had to be aimed at disinformation. He was a valuable computer with no way of defending himself. They put him in a building with so much interference that he could not gather data. Any transmissions would then be worthless. They could destroy him too but he was potentially very valuable to them. We were attached from a quarter we had not expected. High flying planes then air craft that looked like passenger planes overflew the island when they had not done so before. The island belonged to Malaysia but an American frigate launched three heavy troop helicopters that came to the island. They had no business here but our drones soon found out that a satellite had seen our building and the ship had come to investigate in strength. This had been discussed at length and we turned our outermost shield on so that there was an opaque dome over the entire island. The helicopters could land on top but they could not get through. The helicopters went back and the dome was shutdown. Rockets were fired from the warship but did not penetrate the newly raised shields. Later the dome went up again as jets came and fired heaver missiles or dropped bombs. Little noise got through and even less when we put up two shields. Everybody was worried. It was not because the screen may go down but because we had entered a new phase in our dealings with regular humans. The company that had bought the island was kept completely separate from our other ones, even those that were still hidden. Within a week the screen was not able to be released. The Americans were having target practice. In a rare form of fair play, the other nations were invited to try their luck. By now we had infiltrated all of the military computers possible. The ones kept offline were more difficult but not much. A single American plane, reminiscent of Hiroshima, fired a missile. We were shadowing the plane invisibly and as soon as the engines ignited and it dropped, it was captured. It had not had chance to arm itself before we shut it down. Irene took the missile and dropped it on the White House lawn. The missile was designed to not detonate even if it fell for kilometres. It was only a hundred metre fall and the nose dug into the grass. The time that elapsed was four minutes. During the next week cruise missiles came and they were similarly dispose of. We caused the charges in the bombs to detonate unevenly. The radioactive material spread thirty metres in all directions on the military base that fired the missile. The Russians and the Chinese tried too with similar success. We could not do more just yet because the Aristis were coming. We nearly evacuated the base. The Aristis, all our children and I were all that remained. The Aristis and the children were no good in battle and I stayed behind to coordinate with Wesley. Betts, Erica and Connie were proud to have ships that would be fighting. I could not keep them with me especially when so many others would die. Small antimissiles flew out from their pods two light-years from Sol. They were intelligent and waited for their targets to come to them. They did not have to move too fast. They had antimatter charges but the power was directed into the forth and fifth dimension. Very few missiles made it through. Ships though came after. All told, there were three hundred and ten of them. The antimissiles got three of these but they were designed to take out missiles. Our own ring of missiles near the orbit of Saturn hit the ships from the front as another wave joined up to hit that came from further in. Both waves tried to hit together. The Aristis formation broke up and the cadets and our simple aluminium ships worked to take on smaller groups and swamp their defences. Fonduush was on the other side of the system taking care of a smaller group of attackers. The Stamich had two sister ships. Two fought with the Fonduush while the third fought with the cadets. It was our missile pods that I think saved us. We simply put many more missiles in space for the Aristis defences to deal with. Some of it was simple antimatter thrown out like a shotgun blast on a ballistic flight. The Aristis in the base fed the kids as I fought with my mind. Cadets died as did their ships but some clung to life. Connie's ship was hit the first day but she was still alive. I made sure they had an armoured suit now even if they were captured. Mthvarisa was with her but she did not make it even with the suit I forced her to wear. What broke the final attack was how we threw regular matter at the flank of forty two ships along with some of our antimatter. They did not know what to destroy and had to break their charge as our missiles closed in from the other flank. Fonduush came in now like an avenging angel and spewed the rest of her missiles. The battle had gone on for three days. It had come near the earth and the moon had taken a hit. One dead Aristis missile travelling near the speed of light struck the edge of our atmosphere and destroyed itself. This caused a giant burst of energy that fried just about everything electrical on that side of the earth. I hurt inside like never before. Connie had been picked up only to die when a missile got through the rescuing ship's walls. Betts' ship was destroyed when she had to ram an Aristis ship to destroy it when she ran out of missiles. She had survived the battle but drifted in space for almost two days. We searched for our people. They were easy to find if they were alive. There were very few intact bodies. All of our people were picked up before a day was up after the battle was finished. There were a hundred and twenty-seven surviving cadets and sixty-six Tomma. The Aristis fleet had a few survivors too but none chose to become a prisoner. The Fonduush was heavily damaged. All our major vessels had suffered losses but made it through. It would be a long time before Fonduush was ready to fight again. Erica came to me with her fairly functional ship and just cried on me. So much of our expanded family had died. Bert, and Lillian had died on the Fonduush when it took three direct hits. Erin was lost with her ship and crew. Leslie was barely staying together until I got her to stay with all the children. Erica and I did not stay long. The school was under attack. Our shield at the school was holding even though it was never strong. There was one lone helicopter but it was having electrical problems. North America was hit hard by the charged ions from the upper atmosphere. Erica said when we got to the school, "What are we going to do Captain?" Captain? She had to be worried a lot. "They have nothing that can hurt us. Fly the perimeter. If they do not move back do it above mach one." Erica was the pilot. Though it was near dusk our craft was still easy to see. A few bullets came our way but as they increased, Erica went supersonic at three metres above the ground. One additional pass around brought no response. The computer in the school shutdown a portion of the shield so we could enter then it went back up. We flew much slower around the school buildings and the dormitories until we landed in a central location. We left the ship with Zelenka. We wore no armour and I could not feel any thoughts of anger directed at us. The students came out first but the teachers tried to hold them back. Our ship was the same as they had seen on the movies we made and the side said Star Fleet prominently. The first to reach us were the youngest. They showed no fear, or sense, for that matter. Erica was so overcome that she hugged them to her and began to cry. It took fifteen minutes but the rest came out too. Since they all had communicators in their skulls, I got them lined up as if in parade form and said verbally, "We have been in a bitter fight with a people very much like us. The secret of our existence is out now but there are a lot more to know. First of all, you all were fitted with a communicator but it has never been turned on. It is like a cell phone. I will talk to you now with the communicator. Usually the students get a bit longer to get used to the idea but we are pressed for time." "We are Star Fleet and I do not care if a movie company used the name first." I paused and watched faces. Only a few were calm enough to understand that I had not used my voice. "We have used the school to gather people that could help us defend earth. Many of your friends have helped us and some are now dead." This seemed to shock most. "Connie Lime was my lover and the mother of two of my children. She died defending us. My adoptive parents died on the Fonduush, the ship you thought fictional. Erin was flying a ship much like the one behind me when she died with her crew. There are many more stories to tell but I am not up to mentioning them now. I have to mourn but I have to work. "Star Fleet is just the same way we portrayed it in our movies. It is not really as glamorous as that on the surface. Underneath you will find that it is a lot more than we could tell the public. In coming years Star Fleet is going to be very difficult to enter. We are the only way humanity will gain the stars. All of you will get a chance to join. There is so much work to do that this has to happen. We have lots of ships to build and rebuild. "The world around us is in shambles by one small missile travelling near the speed of light that just nicked our atmosphere. Think what that missile would have done if it hit the earth." They were given a chance to think but they could not imagine the consequences. "We cannot do much to help the world at the moment except give them electrical power to rebuild. The fighting outside the walls will subside in time. Behind me is Zelenka. She was not born on Earth but her people came here long ago. We are an offshoot of her race. She and a hundred and two others have fought to save us. Forty percent of them have given up their lives to save yours. There are a few more persons I want you to meet but you have talked to them already without knowing who they really were. Your mentors were actually living entities residing within larger computers. Only a few of those intelligences are actually artificial. They can talk to you the same way I am now. I want Matt to talk to you first but I want you to go to bed and he will talk for a few moments. Tomorrow you can continue with the rest of my computer family." When I stopped talking, Matt took over. He got the students and teachers off to bed while we went back in the ship to do the same. I had been kept artificially awake for too long and so had the rest of us. I slept for fourteen hours and forced myself to get up. There was nobody around the ship because their real education had just started. I got the girls up and we left on foot with the hatch open. There would be tours through it for a while. The school was damaged because we used the same wiring as the rest of the world. We had electrical power at the reactor though the electrical grid outside was down. Lighting and television were fried so there would be a population explosion in nine months. We had to prepare for that and for a lot of other events too. Getting electricians, wire or replacement fixtures and lighting would be impossible. There were devices that used other types of energy to do the same tasks. Making these devices may be a way of putting off some of the grieving until it could be handled in small chunks. A few students were studying the ship. There were no visible controls but they had been told about how the computer took directions from the pilot. We got them off and flew back to our island to begin this needed work. The students could finish exploring our ship later. Betts, Patricia, Liza and Paul were not back yet. They were dealing with their grief the same way I was by working. Some of the people had rotated though the island. I consoled as I was consoled. I saw that none of the Aristis had been ostracised and they had dived in to help as much as they could. Facing my children and telling them that their mother would not going to be coming home again had been difficult. They knew in their minds that their parent was dead but they still came to see when a ship landed. For the next few days I made crystals that would emit visible light when in the presence of an energy field. Making them so they would turn off was just too much work now. Erica and Zelenka took the containment vessel and our smaller antimatter reactor to the school. It was set up in the fusion building with Helium reactor because of its protective shield. Matt sent probes out to those in charge of the power grid. Their telephones were still dead but the probes induced a current into the phone wires. We wanted this to sound as mundane as possible. Having similar drones broadcasting sound would be worse especially if they could not be seen. One phone rang and I watched the man hurry to it with a smile. "Hello." "Hi, I'm sorry to say that the phones are not up yet. I am using other means to carry my voice to you." "Who is this?" "Wally Kiefer." "Young man there is work to be done and you are not helping." News had not reached him yet about the school and he didn't seem to recognise my name though it was in the papers a lot. "If you will take a moment you should remember that our school produced the fusion power reactor that you use." "Sorry, its hectic around here. I remember your name now." "You will be the first to officially learn that the cadets from our school in Dunnville went out to meet the Aristis that were invading." "What! You!" "That is true. It was a near miss from a deactivated Aristis missile that caused all the damage to our world." The man was allowed time to digest this and it was actually a few minutes until I heard. "What are you suggesting now?" "Our fusion reactor is still online. You can take power from this unit still though the high voltage lines are burnt out. We also have a small reactor capable of putting out 325 megawatts of power. We have a system of beam power that can send the energy to Toronto where it is induced into your existing power lines." "That's impossible." "Look out the window to your right please." There was an even longer pause and I had to call the ship away or the wait would be longer. Eventually I heard, "Was that a real space ship?" "It was one of the units that went out to fight for us. Are you ready to take my statements as fact, at least for the moment?" "I can. The lines are down in Toronto too." "My suggestion is to pick some of the substations and isolate them from the main grid. I can then feed those stations from here, up to my capacity. You do not have to worry about phasing, multiple phasing or voltage. The units you have to install only weigh seventy kilograms. They must be spliced into the existing lines." A conference call started with the engineers that were currently pulling their hair out with their work load. In the end I sent Erica and Zelenka to them to drop off three sample units. They would provide up to fifty megawatts each to the grid. They were warned that all our property was monitored and if the military seized any of this then they would self-destruct. That was actually the truth but the explosion was designed to just destroy the crystals. The 220 megawatt fusion reactor now provided a ten thousand watts of power for out lights. This was the same as what a ten toasters drew. Wesley and I were making all kinds of devices that were needed for our own purposes. The Americans, Russians, Chinese and the Malays had ships stationed near the island. They now shot out flares. This area of the world had not been as hurt by the surge of power through the air. I had the drones work their way into the hardened phone systems that were aboard warships. I made a form of conference call. Everything that was spoken was translated into their own language so everybody understood everybody else. They may be a little shocked to find the communication through their ship phones and not the radio. The phones rang and were answered. I said, "Hello gentlemen. This is Wally Kiefer. What can I do for you?" There was a lot of speech all at the same time about their secure lines but eventually they quieted down only to demand that they talk to me privately. Matt took over and gave the official account of the way the Aristis had originally come to earth years ago. It must have been an hour later that he finished the history lesson up to the present time. They wanted to know who Matt was and he calmly said, "I am an artificial intelligence that Wally Kiefer has made. Actually I have a roommate by the name of Hal that is named after the character in one of your old movies. This one is quite sane though." Matt seemed to enjoy what he was doing. We claimed this island as a portion of our own country. There was a lot of comments about that, especially from the Malaysian navy. Our school was claimed next but there were no Canadians around to protest. Their one and only war canoe had been damaged by hungry beavers a few years ago. The government had not got around to rebuilding their navy yet because of the exorbitant cost of birch bark and balsam gum. Paul and his two remaining girls came home. They were exhausted like I was and I knew how they felt. Erin was the youngest but that meant nothing after they got to know each other. They cried on me and I cried too. Paul had lost his new foster parents and I reminded him that he still had a brother and sisters as well as other people that loved him. Patricia and Liza were the same way. They held Paul and each other and this helped. The world slowly started to rebuild and we did too. We had the funerals though there was usually nothing even to cremate. The Tomma and the Aristis were a lot more logical than humans were about this. The Tomma had their All Mother that looked out for them without much ceremony, only a eulogy. The Aristis had dropped superstitions as they matured. Making life from scratch tended to do that to races I heard. We did our share to help the humans. We built 20 antimatter reactors, of 1.4 Gigawatts each. They were placed across all of North America. This generosity did not call away the warships stationed near the island or the armies near the school. They did not shoot at us anymore but some had itchy trigger fingers. The official explanation of our existence went out but there were few people to hear it in North America, South America and Europe though the latter was not hit as hard. Road transportation was hurt too because of the computers, sensors and wiring was damaged in the vehicles. The trains had begun to move and they satisfied most of the transportation needs. World banking had been ultra fucked. Wesley had a snapshot of the banking just before the blackout. We helped where we could but we did not let them know how deep into their economy we could go. It would take years before this industry could get out of the difficulties it was in. The students were all inducted into Star Fleet in a flamboyant ceremony on the Fonduush's flight deck. This made those that saw us even from a distance sit up an notice. We had warned the militaries of our intention a week ahead of time. There were no missiles fired because I said what would happen. The Fonduush was still not whole. The scars could be seen and even the open wounds. She still looked majestic. She was a lady that had been through a serious fight and looked it. I was actually happy to let humans see her for the first time other than in a movie. The students were not all children and they acted that way after the ceremony. They hurried around to see what had been shown them in their minds. The Tomma saw most of them as children and endeavoured to present the ship as a home to them. We celebrated later by working on the repairs. Betts finally came back. She was exhausted and that was what she wanted. We took her home and cried about our loses among our children and especially those to those that had died. We got her to sleep but stayed with her just in case. When Betts woke up she still had the pained look. I said, "We have to get ready Betts. In a few years the Aristis will be back with an even larger force." "We just killed them." "We killed no more than three thousand males. If they have to, they will make biological soldiers and turn them loose on us. We have to go there now and stop them." Betts accessed the computers and said, "Yes, I guess we have to. Their system is defended much better than ours was." "We will have to make missiles guided by good computers. We flood the system but I suspect that they know this and are looking for another place to set up shop." After another query she said, "There are lots of places though all of them are artificial. They will work even harder if we are able to deny these locations to them." "I'm worried that they will use a lot more Tomma instead of the Aristis." "The Tomma are still loyal to King Rontem. Why not let the people on Cralto know that their king does not support this war?" "They will get captured in time and then they will be forced to say just how few of us there are. By now we could have the entire population of earth helping us." "Get them to come back and attack again. They are at a disadvantage then." "They won't come again until they have enough ships and crews to fill them. Our most important assets are the Fonduush and our ability to make good quality crystals. They have the people and the resources to build lots of ships." "Can we get the humans to help? They made the automated ships." "It has to be done in the east. The west was hurt too much. They will want to get paid for their work. The money from this side of the earth is not as valuable as it was. Our money was in investments and cash. The cash is lost in cyberspace until the banking system gets back up and even if we had the paper, they would not think much of it. The western countries are spending a lot of money now buying electrical components. The value of all the currencies is dropping." "Pay with land or businesses." "We can do some of that but they will hold out for our technology even if it means the Aristis will defeat us." "Do you have a solution?" "A partial one. We fly to the scrap metal yards and gather the aluminium and other metals to alloy it with. We can supply the power to have it refined here and then get it machined. I want smaller ships with stronger shields. The Aristis did not go into combat suits big time but we have to. We have to be like the Spartans. Each of us has to be able to defeat thirteen of our enemies." We negotiated to get aluminium scrap turned into ship parts and found that scrap prices shot up overnight. There were a lot of fools over here too. Argentina was less avarice and got the use of an additional reactor as payment. Combat suits had been used a lot over the years but now we gave the job of making two improved types to Wesley. He used robots built in the shape of people for the tests. I wanted the armour to protect us from many more of the Aristis small arms as well as some crew served weapons. The other suit had to be much lighter and intended for commando operations. There were a lot of tradeoffs in both suits as there were in building anything. The first suit needed a small strong shield. This was a oxymoron. To get the strength we had to build large. Large would drain the accumulators quickly and the beam power could be interrupted. This meant larger accumulators or reactors. Reactors had the most promise but now we had to beef up the augmentation the suit had to have to move. This meant a bigger suit and a larger surface to protect and thus more power needed. Moving the suit quickly from one location to another was a problem in itself. Weapons had to be heavy too. The Aristis variety were very powerful. There were no human equivalents. Most used energy one way or another. Kinetic weapons were akin to rail guns. There had to be a lot of power and a large inertial stabiliser. Our suit could not stand up to this weapon. Biological warfare was frowned on but used when needed. The Aristis and humans were just too close to the Tomma for me to try this. We did not have the expertise to do this either. In time we might but I shied away from this method. Gas and chemical attacks were well known too but again when they were needed. We did have the formulas for these weapons and I was prepared to use them, especially those that were non-lethal. The dart gun came to mind and some drugs worked just as fast on those as they did on humans. What this type of suit would actually be is a one person space ship. Preliminary studies placed it over three metres high and weighted three and a half tonnes. It had integral rail guns as well as a gun that shot small hypervelocity missiles. The back of the left hand would have the multiple barrels of a dart gun. The right had small cartridges of gas designed to put the Aristis out for hours. It also had a grenade launcher using antimatter but of course this was not designed for close in work. We had even found a way to get the charge down to the equivalent of ten tonnes of TNT. This was quite an achievement in itself. We put a lot of thought into the two types of suits. They worked well but had strengths and weaknesses that lent them to certain missions. The same way a tank division and infantry worked. Tanks could not traverse an uncleared jungle and the infantry was at a disadvantage when crossing cleared land. We needed the simpler form of the combat suits that were designed for stealth not massive amounts of strength. It gave invisibility and some protection from kinetic weapons. The latter would also be good on a ship as a portable escape pod or to repel borders but it was actually too big for this if it ever happened. Cralto had been in the Aristis hands for a few centuries but only a portion of it was monitored heavily. The rest of the area would detect our use of energy beyond certain limits. The armour would surely give us away. The Aristis would then come with ships and not infantry to remove us and we could not stand up to that kind of attack. The governments here on earth wanted restitution for all the damage caused. Of course they came to us. They wanted more help but they really wanted our technology. They were told to see the Aristis about any claims they may have. Two months after the attack, the expressions on our faces had softened somewhat. The major components in the Fonduush had been replaced and the hull was being put back in place. New main engines for the Nanney Drive were made for the Fonduush and were installed with as little downtime as possible. The units on the hull used for propulsion were increased in size and brought closer together to increase their density. The same procedure was occurring with the various types of shields. All this meant our power requirements would go up along with our acceleration. The supra light speed Kennsik Drive received an increased in power but we were not just using Utram but the much easier to make antimatter. The Utram emissions had been detectable for a long time so we may as well go with the raw power of antimatter. We had a small missile drive to produce the fuel as we went along if the need arose. This extra thrust meant that the hull of the Fonduush had to be strengthened. We could not do this the conventional way in time so we put shields inside the hull which was something the Aristis had not tried to do. The Tomma took to the commando suits we made and tore up the ground fighting each other. Our improvements meant breakdowns and we did not repair but made them better. The Tomma made lots of their own improvements and many did not turn out. They did not like the size and weight. We went to Mars to test the weapons and these too had to be altered. The cadets used the armour and did a much better job of ripping up the landscape. There was a good chance that these cadets would get a chance to use the suits depending on the success of our primary plan. I increased the intelligence of the onboard computer in all of our suits and added some pharmaceuticals that would keep us going even after an Aristis would have dropped. People got hurt inside a suit and the suit was not perfect. My own injuries in the combat suit were still vivid in my mind. We could shoot the arms, legs and head off the armoured suit. The first two would only be uncomfortable. If we survived, I was sure we could make the suit better still. Apart from the design help, I made the various types of energy weapons for both platforms. I cut the weight and size down significantly by shifting more of the mass into the other dimensions. If it were possible I would shift the suits there too. Wesley could make decent crystals but he could not do all of what I did. The Cralto system was under scrutiny as they were monitoring earth. You could not keep all the small drones out if they came in slowly. The Aristis were frantically building ships and now actually trying to use the frame of the battleship that we ordered built. It could not move far but it was a platform to shoot from. Betts came to me as I sat in our room among my children. Some were almost seven and not needing a father too much now. The others were a year old and needed lots of my time. Betts said, "We are having trouble with the Americans." "What are they doing now?" "They brought more of their warships through the Saint Lawrence to place around the school." "They can't do anything." "There have troops massed near the school too. It looks like they are planning an invasion. We figure they will attack the cable we layed around the walls." I used a cleanser on one of my girls as I tried not to breathe through my nose. "What do you figure they'll do?" "Go under the cable to get here." "Are they on our land?" "By at least seven hundred metres." "Have they started digging yet?" "About three hundred metres behind their lines they have a hidden boring machine. The opening is supposed to look like a prefab command structure along with a large generator. The soil is taken away in a slurry with some water from the Grand River." "How long before they cross into our land?" "Thirty four to thirty six hours." "They do pose a threat. What are you going to do about it?" "Me? I just help you build." "You do much more than that. I will leave it up to your own ingenuity Private Huggins. Your son and daughter will watch what you do." Our son came instantly more alert as he watched his mother. There was a brisk private conversation going on where the boy offered his help. In less than a second the rest of the older children began to add their views on how this was going to be handled. I had assessed the situation as soon as I became aware of it but the threat was low level. This did not mean that it did not have to be handled. Two days later Betts and four Tomma walked out to the combined military force of Americans and Canadians. They did it in their full armour and were invisible. They stood in front of the command post as Betts showed herself. There were no standing guards but soldiers immediately noticed. Betts armour was nearly twice the height of a man and the ceramic outweighed a car by a few times. Betts' amplified voice said, "I am serving notice that you people are on our land. Get off in the next two hours or face the consequences." It was a Canadian general that came out. "This is Canadian land." "You have two hours starting now." "We will not leave." "Then in two hours I am going to throw you and your friends off." The four Tomma dropped their invisibility and somebody started to shoot. The Tomma woman just pointed her energy weapon at the poor guy but he continued to fire until he ran out of ammunition. An arm came down and the soldier used his gun for a club but quick reflexes took the weapon from him. The Tomma then proceeded to roll the barrel and then the rest of the rifle into a coil then a sphere. The woman was Shukhia and I could feel her anger. She wanted to do a lot more but did not. She dropped the metal sphere and then picked up her foot and drove it deep into the ground before simply turning and walking back to the school with the rest of my mates. There was a lot of encrypted radio communications. The infantry pulled back to some fortified positions but some were still on our property. We were all watching what was going to happen. The shields around the school were at maximum and could take everything except nuclear explosives. Ships and missiles were stationed near in case the weapons came. When two hours were over Betts and my other four mates came out once more in their suits. All eyes were on them but by now the Stamich had a chance to get near. Four tanks at a time were picked up and flown back until they were off our property then pushed with their front end down into the farmland at least four metres. Their hatches were just above ground-level so the crews could get out. Betts had just stopped now and let the Stamich remove the American tanks. Canada had four dozen old tanks but they were in Alberta and used with the German and other European forces. They did have armoured personnel carriers and these were put in the Grand river up to their roofs. Shots were being fired but there was no real target except my girls which were still far away and quite safe. The two destroyers in the lake had their guns aimed at this area but did not fire. Apparently they had problems of their own. All of their hardened electrical systems were now fried when some accumulators were allowed to release their power through the two ships. The Stamich finally became visible. Shots were now heard but they did nothing. Rocket propelled grenades were now used but all they did was make noise. The weapons on the Stamich began to play at low level all along our property line. The land burst into flame and debris were scattered for hundreds of metres. The weapons did not stop until this entire front was covered. Betts and the girls hurried forward now and collected the soldiers on our land like so many infants. When some of the soldiers were hurt by their own side the girls resorted to darts. Our med units hurried out and began emergency procedures to save lives. The tanks and field pieces that were not on our property were quickly picked up and turned around. Luckily nobody had given the order to fire yet. We would not have been hurt but others would be. They would also escalate the situation much more than it should be. With all the hostiles on the other side of our molten ditch, the Stamich went over the area once more. The boring machine below had been abandoned and was now a wreck as magma poured into the cavern the device had made. We had our own lines under the ground to process sewage from the community and supply purified water. These were avoided and would have to be strengthened later. The other borders of our land were not threatened and we did not have to do any more show of force yet. The troops did not leave though. Thirteen months after the attack on earth had failed, we set out ourselves. We had doubled the number of defensive missiles and left Curiosity here as our one major ship. The students of thirteen months ago now flew the ships they made but they would be staying here to protect earth. The ships were slightly smaller but had one person onboard with a powerful computer to bring up its capabilities. The rest of the volume was devoted to additional power and weapons. The new cadets were at least more trained than we were when the last attack occurred. Everybody wore our armour when going into battle. The deaths that occurred last time still haunted me and I knew more were to follow. Doc, Irene, Leslie and Gail were staying behind on earth. The Aristis were more of a straightforward objective while the humans here could be devious and our human contingent susceptible to tricks. Leslie had suffered a lot since Mom and Pop died. She usually stayed with the Tomma and Gail but did take on Doc and Irene on occasion. Sex had dulled in her mind and she focussed her energy on all our problems. The Tomma fought this and I think Leslie enjoyed the orgasms and the effort. We set a straight course to Cralto to avoid the delay of a circuitous route. We figured that the Aristis would suspect this route least of all. The cadets had gone out to find and gather asteroids near the system over six months ago. Seventeen million tonnes of rock had been sped in the direction of the planet Cralto at nearly half the speed of light. At four light years we matched speed and course with the rocks then cut up the majority of the rock into small one hundred kilo chunks. Robotic units planted well over a million crystals on the debris. All of our ships then linked with tractors. We were slightly over the minimum 48% speed of light so we were able to engage the Kennsik Drives on our ships. We sped up to three lights slowly to make sure we had our cargo with us. With small increments to thirty five lights and could not go faster with this additional mass. Over a month later we found opposition in the form of Aristis missiles. Our own antimissiles came out and we made headway for three more days until we made an abrupt turn and collapsed the Kennsik Drive. Destruction was aimed at the planet Cralto. The asteroids reverted to their old half light speed and headed in the general direction of the planet. Our crystals imitated missiles so the rocks all had to be destroyed or there was a chance of a missile slipping through. Intelligent missiles continued on at the same speed as the asteroids and the planet was only nine days away. Erica said, "I hope this works. The Aristis could just abandon the planet and all the Tomma will die." "You saw the probability. I would not do this if I thought the Aristis would leave. This is their home base and they do not like to be routed. They face an enemy if possible. It was not long ago that they had done the same thing to us. This is one of their usual tactics." "I know all that. We go over this all the time but I feel so helpless if they run." The Aristis defences went to work on the targets presented them. They had a lot more missiles than we expected. We left to reach another cache of rock for the rest of our plan. From the other side of the system we did the same procedure but time was short and the speed of the rocks was considerably less. This factor was in our plans. A lot less missiles went into this mass of rock and crystals as we tried to breach the planet's defences from the other side. Hidden in this flight of asteroids were some of the Tomma and the original group of five people. More had wanted to come but I vetoed this. The rocks we hid among were going to just miss the planet's atmosphere. By now the Aristis only aimed for the rocks that would hit the planet. We were going far less than the speed of the primary asteroids. These rocks would burn up upon re-entry. Less missiles were placed near us and after two days these had all left. There were few Aristis ships left but now planetary defences were taking up the slack. The Fonduush came near and drew what Aristis ships away. Walt using the persona of King Rontem began his ranting about ungrateful Aristis. He would usually want to kill everybody but there were not that many Aristis here to go into a wholesale vendetta. He did talk about all the loyal Aristis using their weapons on the usurpers. A day away from the planet we got behind our custom built heat shields designed to look like rocks. We nudged their trajectory so they would not bounce on the atmosphere but look like they might. Chuck, Jerry and Sam talked to their mates by telepathy and only at a low power. If their ship was too far away they would just have to wait until they got near. I had Betts with me but I felt a larger portion of my life missing. Most of the missing portion was Erica and all our children but some was still for Connie. Four hours before we were to hit atmosphere some of the asteroids in the lead were targeted by the Aristis. Behind these were our equipment. We needed these to complete our mission but I would rather see these take a hit than people. The Fonduush threw missiles and more rocks at the planet that were far more dangerous than what we looked like and drew the fire away. Erica said with her telepathy, "I love you Wally. Come home to us." "I will really try. You're not that safe yourself. Remember our deal. We both avoid unnecessary risks." "I will but I know you won't." "I sat the last battle out." "That was different." We were anchored firmly to the heat shields inside our hollowed out rocks as they struck the atmosphere and penetrated it. They immediately started to heat up. The atmosphere became thick and we decelerated quicker. Some of the ordinary rock around us fractured and the pieces blazed like our heat shields must. Long ceramic ropes dragged behind us. They were protected by our shields. They acted like the tail on a kite to keep us stable. To invert now was to die. We were clearly seen but hopefully our disguise would keep us safe. Three of my mates had died when two Aristis missiles came our way. Even though they were my mates I managed to hold myself together only because my mind was in combat mode. I could see their faces and feel their caresses until my computer fought me. Our shallow approach allowed us to decelerate at a slower pace. We would be in the thin upper atmosphere longer, a procedure that the Aristis would not do. During the fiery re-entry Betts thought to me, "I love you too Wally." I could feel her sorrow at our losses even though her computer was suppressing the emotion too. "I know you do." The ride through the atmosphere was as difficult as the computers said it would be. We used our small bursts of power to only keep us from inverting when our primary method failed. Such as it was we would be spread out over a large area. Our much smaller heat shields came to the planet's surface at over a thousand metres per second. It was only in the last three thousand metres that we could separate and begin our own deceleration with low tech parachutes. The shock to us even through the suits was considerable and painful. To use energy now would show just where we landed. Sixty eight of us made it to the surface though three of my mates were having problems with their suits. I was in command though the Tomma wanted to protect me far more than they should. The effects of the recent deaths were shelved until it was time to grieve. My mates were grieving too but they knew how to put this aside for later. I worked through Eldhino for all the distance conversations. She was the only person that had been able to land with me. When I had enough data about the rest, I got Eldhino to say to my other family. "Three suits damaged the rest doing fine." My thoughts would be picked up by the locals while a native could project her or his thoughts more selectively. We were not taking chances though so short transmissions were the rule. Betts and the rest of the guys were dispersed. Some lead and some followed depending on their ability. I did not know what they now thought but it had to be the wonder that I now felt. We now set out to recover our equipment and gather into small groups. Explosions were heard like distant thunder all the time and even at night. The satellites were being targeted when our space borne forces found them. The missile emplacements were our main targets but we would not turn down a manufacturing facility if it was found. I could feel Eldhino settle down because she was now home. Everything had been explained to me through words and images but it felt even better when viewed through Eldhino's perceptions. The trees were quite tall but for some reason vines had not succeeded as well as they had on earth. The forest canopy was even more dense though. The forest floor got very little light and had very little undergrowth. That would make out progress faster but the land in this area was saturated with water or even under the water. We had tried to get in contact with Garbo but he was still behind a wall of interference. He was much too valuable if they were able to get him to cooperate. He was still communicating but he could not hear us even if we used the Ultrawave communicator on the Fonduush. We had come down in a wide pattern. Asteroids did not cluster together and we had to imitate them. The pattern was nearly four hundred kilometres wide and nine hundred long. Our individual courses could be modified small amounts only. We were not going to hit near any large habitation but still close to our primary target. Cralto was a warm planet with little axial tilt. The seasons were all similar and all of them were warm. Rain, wind, lots of rain, and then rain again characterised the seasons. It did not really rain every day but it did rain a lot. The planet was a jungle of red vegetation for the most part though there was some deserts and oceans. The gravity was a little higher than earth's but not much. Our objective was almost perpendicular to the long axis that we had come down in. I was more or less in the centre of our group and had the least distance to travel. Toxlo was the largest city on Cralto. It was built on the ruins of a much older city that existed before the major collapse nearly a hundred an ninety thousand years ago that had knocked the Tomma culture out for the count. The city was five hundred kilometres from us but much shorter by air. We had to stay low and negotiate valleys, ridges, water courses, impenetrable portions of jungle, mountains and population centres. There were no roads as we knew them. The Aristis used the air while the Tomma used the rivers and footpaths. The latter were actually remnants of their past when they had much higher level of technology. They were made of stone but usually they were sunk into the soil over the centuries of rain. Our energy could be picked up if we went high enough. The equipment pods were the natural rallying points. Eldhino used her telepathy to assign specific individuals to each of the caches. We pushed on through swamp and its predators to our pod. When we could, we took to the higher ground but there was very little of this in the area we were in. Maska and Tors were there ahead of us. Both were young, strong and eager for a fight. Sadderis and Corrma were in our group too and would soon be here. The pod had come down undamaged. Maska and Tors opened it two hours after landing and distributed the contents into the four boats the shell made. There were two inner shells that provided more protection but also gave us enough room for people. Eldhino and I arrived in time to set up the motors and capacitors. There was information in the Fonduush about very old ways of doing certain tasks. We got enough hints to make some highly efficient electrical motors and then construct some amazing capacitors that held a much higher charge than a standard car battery. They were only a quarter of the weight. This equipment was moved to give us enough room. We were actually on our way to pick up Sadderis and Corrma. They were separated and just told to wait for us. The chutes were not destroyed. They could not easily be detected. They would provide camouflage when needed and a place to sleep under when we rested. ------- Chapter 40 Work helped but I thought of the three that had perished on this mission so far. They were my mates and no different than a wife. I was not like an Arab Sultan of old because I knew them intimately through telepathy. They were so close that it hurt unbearably. The mission came first though and I had to compartmentalise this pain until later. There was one of us in each of the boats so we could navigate around the giant trees. Maska said verbally, "Wally, we have to get our sleeping arraignments made." The motors were very quiet but the vibrations were transferred to the boat and this made a noise, though not very loud. Eldhino said, "You just want to fuck. Later we will be too tired for that." "Speak for yourself. Wally always makes me horny." Tors was only slightly more quiet. "It's probably time to have another child. You got to have them while your young so you can chase them around." This was the usual innuendo I heard. This was not really allusive or oblique it was blatant the way the Tomma naturally were. They loved sex and saw no reason to hide the fact. I said, "Ladies, I will do my best to make you happy but no children until this mission is done." "You said that a year ago." "And it is still true." I was in the lead because I could see the best channel to take. We found the occasional sapling. We cut them down and used them to push us over the shallow areas. It was an hour later that we came onto Sadderis. She smiled at us and got into one of the more empty boats. Corrma was out of the way and took another hour to reach. Eldhino continued to relayed information to me even though any of the others could have done this. The operation so far had gone pretty much as planned. Some of the equipment pods had been damaged but the girls worked on them with glue. They had tied duct tape on earth but it was not quite good enough for this task. Some pods were too damaged but we could double up. I changed course twenty degrees to link up with one group that had only three boats and eight ladies. We had our drones out. They used very little power and their transmissions would not be detected in this poorly monitored area. They were to help us find our way but also to avoid the occasional native. The ships far overhead were still fighting. Fonduush had taken a lot more hits but her shield still held. As yet there were no deaths on her though there were three cadet deaths when their ships died. One more cadet was picked up and I was sure she was happy about wearing her armour now. Ultrawave messages went back and forth through repeaters but in actual fact some of them were meant for us. They gave what news they could but all of it was heavily encrypted. The weapons platform on the battleship was no more. We tried to not do much collateral damage because one day we may finish this ship if we survived. Some of our missiles made it through the planetary defences and struck some of the shields protecting cities. We were aiming for the ship and missile production areas. We made it look like we were attempting to destroy the cities but in actual fact we had other plans. The noise sometimes was deafening and we were far from the battle. There were a lot of defences and we allowed our missiles to be intercepted close to their targets. There was a similar effect to EMP. The electromagnetic pulse produced gamma rays and a surge of electrons. Our missiles as well as the ones the Aristis used produced surges in the upper dimensions that effected unshielded equipment. Our missiles used much more antimatter and it looked like we were out to destroy the cities completely. Our pulses though were strong enough to usually damage crystals that were protected within the shields the city used. They were going to get bombed as far back as the stone age if we had to do it. The missile batteries though were hardened much more and they would take a direct hit. We could not take these out without destroying the city. Our plan called for us to hammer away and make it looked like we were chased off. It was our job to take out these batteries and also the city of Toxlo. We knew that this city was going to be very well protected and very little of the crystals within it would be damaged. As yet there was little work to do. The little electric motors worked beautifully. The prop was protected by the hull to make it similar to a jet boat. We stole small amounts power to charge the capacitors from the worldwide energy grid. Paddles helped us move too. We came upon the other group of four hours after we set out. We went through the equipment. Their damaged boat could be used as a barge though. We were out of glue after its repair and the ladies found some local materials that would assist. We used the local equivalent of balsam gum along with some of the parachute. That night we made camp on a dryer section of ground and listened to the battle being fought in space or the portion that came into the atmosphere. We seemed to be making headway here but the Aristis could be just luring us in so they could hit us hard. Our chutes kept out the local wildlife. Taking off my suit felt like a mistake. The air was heavy and humid. The suit had provided a measure of air conditioning. Corrma layed naked on her back with her knees up. "Hurry up Wally. I'm horny." "You are always horny like our daughter." "I see that you are ready. Don't pretend that you are not interested." "I just have to show that I can control myself more. I like to work slow and do a good job." Corrma stroked her slit as her clit stood up. The rest of the girls had paired off. An odd number would not make a difference. We were all sweaty. I used the cleanser on myself but it was not as good as what a shower would be on this hot planet. Corrma was anxious. "Just stick it in." "Patients is a virtue Corrma. Now let me torture you." I did just that. She squirmed around and wanted desperately to grab me but she had learned some restraint over the years. She had ripped my back with her nails when our daughter then our son had been conceived but then again so had many others. The three that were lost came to me but I tried to hide it from the rest. Our children still lived and this was the only comfort I had. This was not the time to deal with our losses. I used my telepathic abilities to get closer to her Corrma's mind. The more rational Tomma males could work on the mind as they made love to their mate and I was able to do this too. Corrma's mind was stroked as I worked within her vagina. Her emotions flared from the feelings running through her body. Her orgasm built slowly and the voyeurs in our group which meant all of them felt their own orgasm's approaching. We were a family. We knew each other intimately. The joining together was a natural process but only happened when there was a Tomma male in the group. I was able to serve this function. From other areas of the planet, I felt my other ladies joining. Betts did too and she seemed just a bit different. The orgasm shook us all. It was the strongest I had felt yet. My analytical mind attributed it to the stress and the loss of some that we loved but it could also be the combined minds of all Tomma that were linked subconsciously. I felt comfortable if the latter was the cause and hoped that there was a way of storing the identities of those that died so they could be resurrected later. This was too much like religion though to be rational. The orgasms got stronger as I went through the ladies. There were a few more than normal but they seemed to give me enough energy to continue. Sleeping that night was not difficult even with the heat and the warm bodies nearby. I felt love and the strong feeling of family. Eldhino kissed me passionately the next morning and said, "I don't remember any of our men doing as good a job as you did last night. Its better here at our home but I think our home is actually with you and the children." "I feel at home here too. I would like the children to be close along with all my mates but the time is not right." "We decided last night that since this was so dangerous that we will try to have another child." "We agreed to wait until after." "If any of us die then that is fate but if you die then there is no more. Betty wants another child too." "That is going to effect how the mission goes." "Perhaps that is a good thing to happen. There are few of us and the risks are great. We all like to fight but now we will just have to use our mind more than just our emotions." I argued with her and the rest in our group but I was outvoted. The thoughts of imminent death caused us to act instinctually but it did not seem wrong. I was worried more because a commander sometimes had to take risks to win substantial gains. I had been restricted to start with and now there were even more constraints on me. We had our meal in silence. I was the commander but getting pregnant or not was not up to a commander or even a male Tomma. The women knew their own bodies and did what was best for the family. The next day we were manoeuvring through the swamp with the motor and some collapsible paddles. In some sections a pole was not the best tool to use. The insects were worse than earth but I had a suit on and the Tomma had built up a scent that the insects did not like. The rain was not heavy most of the time. The drones detected activity two thousand metres ahead through the rain. It looked like a small family unit comprised of four females six children or young adults and two males. This was odd. Family groupings were usually eighteen to twenty-four females. These ones wore packs and were on the move. Males usually travelled separately unless there was a threat to the group. Bows could be used but by an ancient tradition they were not used in warfare. They all had short spears though. These ones had bows out. There was an alternate path available for us and we shifted to the right. An hour later we had to portage over a kilometre to the next area. The ground we walked over was only marginally less saturated than the land we floated over previously. I was glad that only a portion of the planet was this way. It was just before we decided to camp for the night that we were almost discovered. A young male came down from a tree only fifty metres from us. We did not look up into the canopy much because none of the Tomma were known to live in this environment. He was only detected when he called out to somebody above. He did not seem to be worried and simply walked on some firmer earth to a stone road. We had been paralleling the road for the last hour. We simply stopped and pulled some drones in to search the treetops and to follow the young man. There was a male grouping thirty metres in the air. An intricate lacework of bridges and platforms linked one tree to another. We counted thirty two individuals. Eldhino whispered, "More are supposed to be coming. They had a good hunt." "Which way?" Eldhino pointed and it was in the direction the young man went and roughly where we were headed. We had to find an alternate route. We were actually under some of the buildings. I left first to find the way. One boat made less noise than two. I had to backtrack only once then the rest followed one at a time. Visibility was poor for both the native Tomma and for us but we could still see what the drones saw. We did find a camp site but it was dark by the time we started to set up. The ever-present rain had slowed down somewhat. Most of the water tended to hit the leaves and then fall further down or to the trunk and then down. The branches of the trees tended to point upwards so this could happen more efficiently. Our campsite was still too close to the males to have sex with the same intensity we had last night but that did not mean we could not hold each other. The next morning we broke camp early and as quietly as possible left for the river that was only four hours away. We saw many examples of the wildlife here on Cralto. There were different varieties of primates that lived their entire lives in the trees. Like the primates on earth, they were omnivores and preyed on each other and the birds and lizards. A giant crab lived in the swamp that found the Tomma to be tasty tidbits. The tidbits hunted the crabs too. That is what the males had been able to kill the day before. There was something that looked like a water buffalo too. It had quills like a porcupine. It had a nasty disposition but a nice flavour I was told. All sorts of amphibians found Cralto a great place to live. They came in the large economy size that weighted up to twenty tonnes to the small size that was smaller than a salamander. All of them had teeth and the smaller ones were poisonous. Birds were beautiful but none were large in this area. Some areas with less rain and better drainage also had cleared farmland. Larger birds like the ostrich lived here too. These did not hunt and peck for seeds but were carnivores that hunted in packs. The Tomma and the Tappic found each other tasty. Here the Tomma bow made the contest almost equal though the birds usually won. Curiously the Tomma did not act like humans and go out to kill all of the Tappics after a Tomma was killed. The Tomma had domestic animals to pull a plough. There were a whole raft of farm animals but most were for eating. There were cats here too but not too many of them were seen in the wetter areas. It was the cats though that filled the position a dog would have on earth. These cats did not walk around with their noses and tails in the air but were actually friendly and helpful. My ladies wanted pets and the dossla was the animal they wanted. It was good that this cat at least was able to eat plants too or they would clean out a lot of wildlife. They had long teeth and very long retractable claws. They grew larger than a Bengal tiger and were nearly all white with short dense fur. There were a multitude of fish varieties and they abounded in great numbers. Some fish ate the plants while other fish ate the smaller fish and so on. The fish were usually not poisonous but most had nasty teeth like the piranha. Some were up to six metres long. This is why we wore our suits other than for protection from the Aristis and the cooling properties. It was understandable that few Tomma had learned to swim. We paused an hour before reaching the river to eat and Maska said excitedly, "Wally, there's a child fighting off a clova. She's going to die." The clova was the giant crab. We all interfaced with Maska and saw through her communicator the fight. The clova had emerged from the swamp when the child of about ten pulled in a large fish. The child had fought off the clova with a staff. I could see that the child was limping. There was blood running down her left knee. "Forty fives, silenced. Move. The rest keep a look out. The clova are in family groupings too." The bullets had Teflon tips on 550 grains of lead. The bullets were massive but had to be to defeat some of the opposition. They gave a lot of recoil even with the improvements we made. We opened our throttles wide and hurried nearly a kilometre. The route was through deep water and near the river. The child was now behind a tree. She was throwing mud at the clova's eyestalks. There were four of them. Her staff lay snapped in two nearby. The clova had its large claws open. They shot out but the child was able to avoid them. They were big enough to pinch her in two. By the time we got close it looked like the child was too tired to continue. Sadderis said mentally, "Fight child. We come." The child found the energy to roll to her right and the claws came down and grabbed the root of a tree. The child was so close that the clova must think that it had the child and tried to pull the body to it. The claw pulled away after the clova found its mistake. I stopped my motor and pulled out my gun. The clova's head and brain were away from us. The claw pulled back in preparation to shoot out when my bullet hit the joint right behind one of the two main claws. The claw shot out but there was no control. The claw broke completely off. Pain must have now registered. The clova turned to face me. I had a split second to make a decision. To act like a human or a Tomma? I decided on the latter. The clova saw all of us and abandoned the girl and scuttled back into the water then to the deeper portion of the channel. I looked beneath the water and saw its powerful tail pull it rapidly away. In time it would regrow a new claw if it remained alive that long. My mates put out pickets with their guns at the ready. It was Maska that got to the girl first. There was a lot of hysterics mainly because she wore a full body suit and a mask over our lower face. Maska pulled her mask off to show the girl that she was a Tomma too. The girl was still mentally screaming that monsters were after her. The girl stopped as Maska spoke to her. "Don't worry child. We wear King Rontem's uniform." "Your face. Your body?" "We would go as you do but we must wear this. Where is your family?" The child was a girl and said as she pointed, "Over there. They come now." "I know. Now stay still as we use the power of the king to heal you." The med unit was brought by Corrma and run over the girls naked body. All the Tomma were normally naked because of the weather. When we did as much as we could do the med unit was put away. The partially severed fish and a large claw were brought close and laid near the girl. We got in our boats and pushed off once more. The girl's family would be near in five minutes at the rate they were now moving. There was a lot of excited verbal talk now but it was in whispers. I knew my girls liked the way the modified 45s worked. They had bitched about it on earth. Eldhino asked, "Wally, why did you not kill the clova?" "The Tomma like to fight. They also try to not upset their world. I could feel that you all wanted the child to be saved but not to kill the clova unless it was unavoidable. I thought that was a good idea too. That particular one was a father looking to take food home to his children." "I knew that by its colouring but how did you? You were never here before." "I got the flavour of feeding its young and I happen to know that the father does most of this." "The mother does this too." "This one felt like a father. I did not really communicate thoughts because its mind is far too simple. I saw multiple images of hundreds of clova and as I said, the flavour was male." I opened my mind and the girls looked at what information I had gathered. Apparently none of them had ever heard of this happening before. By way of a drone, we saw the girls family burst into the view, looking for enemies. The girl by now was standing and holding the larger portion of her broken staff. The father ran to the girl and hugged her to him as we heard excited mental conversations of what had happened. We were much further along when we saw the giant claw being compared to the size of the child. The fish and claw were carried back to camp and I guess the family would eat well tonight. We hit the river a half hour later. The watercourse looked to be kilometres wide but the section clear of trees was actually only thirty metres wide. The canopy of trees covered the river and kept us from the view of the satellites. The rest of the paddles were broken out. They had been used during the trip to help steer the boats around obstacles and to give us a little more speed. At this distance from Toxlo, broadcast power was more readily available. We took small amounts of it during the day as we ran and at night we tried to replenish what we had used from the capacitor. We took so little that I doubted that they would notice. If they did, they would not know who or where the thieves were. The number of broadcast receivers was small so they always had to be shared. They were operating crystals and a drone could detect this if they happened to stumble upon us. We made good time until we came to the mouth of a smaller river and here we waited. An hour later Betts and Sam showed up with their group of sixteen. We now numbered thirty, almost half or our forces on the planet. We were in a hurry. Our forces did not have an unlimited supply of missiles or of cadets. The space forces were hanging back and using missiles to keep the Aristis busy. They had much more capacity but we were making them too on the Fonduush. That night we tied the boats together. We posted watches and guided our flotilla down the river to link up with Chuck and Jerry. Near local dawn we stopped and slept apart for those that had to continue their watch. We had a breakfast for all of us. I could still see in my mind the faces of the three that had died. The faces though did not look sad. There were sixty eight of us. Not nearly enough to take on a planet but possibly enough to try to do some damage. Toxlo was about the same distance away as it was before but now we had a river that lead more or less directly there. We hurried upriver. The Tomma used this river but with the war on it was nearly deserted. The river was wide if you did not count the trees in it. We were able to head in the general direction even if there was other river traffic. Though we were not as fast, it was much safer. The Tomma saw King Rontem as their leader and we got a sampling of what the Aristis were feeding the Tomma for the last few years. They had the truth but I was a hireling of the Wikki. I also killed innocent Tomma while their edited history neglected to say what they had done to gain this planet. I was attacking now so I could enslave all of the Tomma and make them like the humans they showed in their versions of movies. King Rontem countered by making me his second in command over the ungrateful Aristis that dared to try to thwart their rightful king. To keep this position I would have to fight the Aristis. First with an army but then one on one. The Aristis were impelling the Tomma to work harder but the Aristis had given little real power to the Tomma to do anything other than be guards or soldiers. Walt's talks as King Rontem gave hidden messages to us. Sometimes one ship contacted another and the Ultrawave message would reach us even though other ships answered if it was not dangerous to point out their position. Toxlo was hit regularly by our forces but the pattern had moved to the others side of the city as if looking for a weak spot. We came close to the city four days after meeting the other group. There was actual semi-dry land a few hundred kilometres back. Scarlet called her daughter Holly who was supposed to be on the ship but was back on earth. They talked about cleaning fish and preparing a meal. Scarlet said to us after deciphering the message, "They will avoid Toxlo now. Our drones were monitoring us. The city shields should come down in a few hours." We hurried into position but it was difficult. There had been some tall trees near the city that were now turned to fragments and this was still thirty kilometres from the city. The closer we got the more devastation we saw. There were a lot of bodies but most were wildlife. We saw dead Tomma but tried not to look at them. My own senses told me that my ladies were not blaming me or humans for this but the Aristis that started the insurrection. I knew that the Aristis may well know that I had defeated Rontem and were trying to make the best of it. The Tomma did not like death even in war and tried to gather captives. I wish the Aristis and the human were that way. We were twelve kilometres from Toxlo when the city shields went down. Our progress became slower as the props fouled and had to be cleaned. There was a lot more solids that were disturbed that found its way into the shrouds. The explosions had blasted a wide lake around the city and scattered the soil for hundreds of kilometres. The more or less constant rain of this season washed everything clean and even filled the large lake. It was getting dark as we came near the city. There was nobody wanting to stare out onto the devastated land and the sensors around the city were now toast or we hoped so. Toxlo was a city built on a stone outcrop. It had walls for protection because of its barbaric history. Rainwater collected within the walls and had to find a way out. Our own drones had found a possible way into the city almost a year ago. A storm sewer had been cut through the rock and a channel dug to the river. The Tomma had placed bronze rods then ceramic rods had been placed in a shallow cave by the Aristis to keep people like us out. The Aristis had added sensors to the ceramic bars and more were inside. We had been targeting all around the city and this cave was hit twice with larger than usual warheads. There was no indication of a channel now because of the wide and deep moat. We pulled into the cave that barely was able to contain all of our boats. There was a lot of water flowing out of the grating that was eight metres wide and three high. A rope was thrown through the bars until the end came back on the other side of one. Chuck was tied to the rope and then slipped to the water. His suit would supply air as it would in space. We pulled him against the current until he got near the ceramic bars. He took a putty-like substance and placed it around one of the bars. The explosive was like thermite and produced a lot of heat. There were sensors far inside the tunnel and we needed the water to shield the fireball that was sure to come. We drifted out of the cave with Chuck and when clear, the charge went off with flame that filled the entire cave. There was a lot of noise too but there were still a lot of detonations occurring in the atmosphere. I could see that the charge had worked and a small portion of the ceramic rod had vaporised. We hurried back in and constructed a mount for a hydraulic jack, the base was secured to an intact bar and pushed against the broken one. Our ceramic was much stronger and lighter than the strongest steel. A second and then a third jack was added. An electric pump provided power and we left the cave once more. The motor was screaming at the load put on it but the bar finally snapped. Pieces of ceramic flew around inside the cave and out the opening. To be hit by them would kill us even in our suits. We did this four more times until the opening was wide enough. Chuck and Jerry manhandled an empty boat sideways through the opening. I passed my equipment to them and then crawled into the new craft while my old boat was brought through. Betts disregarded orders and got into my boat. "You need somebody with you Wally. You said so yourself. I am going with you." "You don't follow orders." "I will if I am going with you. Remember, you are not supposed to do any heroics. I am here on our children's behalf. We want you home safe." This was hitting below the belt but that was why she was doing it. I resigned myself to the situation and proceeded up the sewer. Even at full throttle we were making very little progress. Betts uses the paddle as I scanned the walls for trouble in the form of active sensors. Our own sensors were in here and I made use of them but I liked to see with my own ability. We were perhaps thirty metres in before I spotted the first functional sensor. The information it transmitted was picked up by my own communicator. It was encrypted but the packet information was clear. After recording three minutes of the data stream I got the basic idea. I programmed one of my own drones now. I allowed it to record the data being sent out until it mimicked the information perfectly even without breaking the encryption. The 45 was overkill now but it was what I had. Betts got us to the wall and I used this to hold my hand steady. The distance was only fifteen metres but this was an important shot. The gun fired and hit the sensor right on. As soon as the sensor died, our own began to transmit. Operating sensors were now every three metres and some were below the water. I had to use drones with explosives to get near these sensors before mine could take over. Everybody was inside the sewer now but they were all waiting on me. Basically they stood down and slept if they could while I worked. A half kilometre down the tunnel was a large room. Four smaller tunnels fed this room and I detected a door for inspections or a work detail. This was what we had been after though there were other doors up the four feeders. There were rings in the wall to tie off boats and I used one. The door turned out to be a real challenge. There were series of sensors tied together behind it. If I substituted one sensor at a time then the alarm would go off. I coaxed four drones through a crack in the rough stone into the area on the other side of the door. The Aristis had not made the connections through the rock but mounted everything on the surface of the rock. I followed the substrate back to the equivalent to a junction box. Here under the city I could use my communicator as long as it was not too strong. The four drones worked on the box as they assessed it and transmitted the information to me. This box was more into Nadac's knowledge than a tech. I had to make a small processor and load it with the routines I needed. I then had to load up the ram with the history of the recent transmissions. A new drone had to fly the processor to the box and work it into the substrate to become one with it. The bit of mysticism lasted nearly an hour but our group was not idle. We had objectives laid out since finding this city so difficult to take. The objectives were now being studied along with any new details they found. I was doing the same thing but deactivating the weapons we would have to pass if and when we got the door open. Eventually some solid bars were retracted into the doorframe and the then the door slid to one side too. Everybody was anxious to continue but I had one more objective or we would be killed. There was very little crime on Aristis worlds because there was so much surveillance. It was not like 'Big Brother' of 1982 but not far away either. There were no cameras or microphones in the homes though I think this did happen more than most wanted to admit. A computer recorded the comings and goings of everybody. If a crime was committed then the authorities could find out who was near. The Aristis then found novel ways of doing things by proxy. Most saw the inevitability of being caught and did not do the crime in the first place. When the entertainment and the parents did not show a tendency to commit crimes then the children would not either. All this would give the government a very quick police state. The king wanted this power and so did everyone that wanted to be king. One of the really rational things the Aristis had done was to have a vote to look into the records whenever a serious crime was committed. Nobody liked their dirty laundry exposed but they wanted law and order. This was one of the few democratic reforms the people had. If the king tried to tamper with this then his detractors would have the support needed to depose him. The computer though could warn the authorities of something suspicious. This was also shown to the public at large like a late breaking news flash on television. I had to nullify this computer before it warned the populous of the city. The same computer was the one I had been dealing with all along because the sensors went to that particular machine. I gave last minute instructions then Betts and I left the relative safety to the sewers. The star Alpha Ursae Majoris was pouring its light over the horizon when we emerged. We had enough sensors out to know that this section was safe. Our invisibility was initiated but was not proof against discovery. The city was odd. The buildings looked graceful but there were no windows or even transparencies. They were like space ships. If you wanted to see what was outside, you saw what the sensors saw. I was now looking through the walls of the buildings to find a man and a woman. We needed to steal their identity for a while to accomplish the next part of our plan. Individual homes were for the very rich. The apartments I saw looked to be the same way. Some though were just servant quarters. These would not be monitored as much I hoped. With no crime or nearly none there was little need for locks especially with the security computer monitoring everything. Betts and I boldly marched into a building and took the third door to our left. The door opened easily because it was a servants quarters. Betts and I had our dart guns out and put a dart into each of the inhabitants. With them safely sedated, I copied their identity and moved the information to our own computers. I then damaged their chips but left them to sleep for the next twelve hours. Betts said, "Is it done?" "Yes, let's move up the pecking order now." I interfaced with the computer in the apartment and found out where all the techs lived and then all the rest of the other classes. In moments we were back on the street and running a half kilometre only to entered another building the same way. We deactivated our shields but kept them ready for instant use. We had to let the sensor know that two servants had come to see two of the techs. I found another similar apartment and Betts and I did the same thing again. This time in a pique of conscience I traded identities instead of destroying theirs. In moments Betts and I were a tech family. The computer was then accessed once more to find out about the city's security computer. Getting into the main computer was going to be a problem. Deactivating it was not difficult. The Aristis were petrified of a computer taking over though the machines ruled most of the day to day activities in society. The problem was the alarm that would go off when the deactivation occurred. I needed another computer to take over when this happened and we already had a very good one here in the city. Gordo was here and had been for a long time. He still had a good ultrawave, and all we needed was a way of getting a subprocessor into the security computer's system. Shutting down the interference around Gordo was needed next so he could communicate. This had to be done while the security computer monitored Gordo and the controls. There were utility diagrams of the city. I found a major junction box near Gordo. Betts and I hurried to it because the city was waking up. We had seen these type of boxes but not the particular one we found. Ten minutes later, my tech identity got us into a locked room and we began to open the panel. The substrate was thick here and I worked to add my processor crystal into it and at the same time do as little damage as possible. This took twenty minutes and Betts was looking around all the time. We put the panel back and closed the door to the room. Some Aristis techs were coming toward us. I could read their minds and I could tell their caste by their clothes. The computer had reported an abnormality in its systems and narrowed it to this location. My assumed name and that of Betts was mentioned. The roadway was monitored and if the two dropped suddenly then there would be an alert. "Hurry Betts!" I pulled Betts down the street then into a short alleyway. "Take off your clothes!" Betts only took a second to process the information and she started to disrobe. I took my own clothing off and got behind her. I pushed her head down so her hips were up and said in Aristis, "Female open yourself up so I may enter." I pushed a bit then with a lot of work I was seated. Soon I called out as I pumped into her. "You are tight woman. Were you fixed up?" Betts got into the act and said, "No my lord. I have not been with many men." "Oh! That explains your tight pussy. I would like to keep you until you are suitably loosened." "You can have me my lord, I am yours." "Let me have your ass." "Anything you wish my lord." I stayed where I was but continued to push into Betts' vagina. We both groaned and Betts screamed her joy much like she usually did. The two techs were at the mouth of the alley and saw a male pumping into a person in front of him. Betts and I let them get close before we shot each of them with darts. Betts wanted to get up but I pushed her back down and held her hips as I continued to push into her. Betts said, "We have to hurry." "You're right." I reached around and played with her nipples with one hand and then her clit with the other. Betts was worked up about the excitement and came loudly five minutes later with a real scream. A moment later and I filled her with my seed and I had to hold Betts up as I was almost overcome with the intensity. Betts gave me a passionate kiss before we got dressed. Again I stole the identities of the two techs. The two men had tools with them but mine were just as good. I did some extra thinking then said, "Betts, get into these clothes." "Do we get to play again?" she said as she stripped. "Later." "Spoilsport. Wait until I tell Erica and our children what you did to me." The Aristis clothes stretched to fit. Our supplies went into our suits and the invisibility shield activated. We could now walk around as Aristis though there were very few female techs. Our features were not right but our hair had been dyed for this eventuality. We did not need to fit in as Tomma even with long prosthetic fingers we had in our supplies, but we did need to impersonate the Aristis. Betts and I left the alley with the two men put in a pile to one side. They now had our previous identity if the authorities came looking. One obvious male with a female persona may stump them for a moment. Shutting down the protection around Garbo looked easy though an alarm would go off immediately. It would take Garbo a moment to understand what to do and we would not have that moment. "Betts, I am going into the secure area. I have enough power to get through to Garbo if I am very near. All I need is a minute. You have to shutdown the security computer. The shield will flicker and Garbo will take over." "You're lying. Tell Garbo to get ready. I'll shutdown the computer while you drop the interference." "We won't be able to do it at the same time." "One, two, three, go is my only option. Take it or leave it?" "I'll take it Love." Getting through the shield was no problem with my new identity. There were three more shields until I was able to touch Garbo and said, "You awake in there?" I felt my computer searched and my recent memories uploaded. All I heard was, "Ready." When I left the building I found a vehicle racing toward me. Avoiding the Ultrawave I said telepathically, "Bad company. Get to the switch. I may be able to stall them for a moment without the city being stirred up." I felt rather than heard Betts move to the disconnect quickly. Rather than run I waved to the Aristis and hoped this was a gesture they used. I walked down the steps with a limp to gain a bit more time. I was at the bottom when I said verbally, "Over here! I found some tampering." There were three men. Two were soldiers and one was a tech. The soldier said, "Who are you?" "Sorrack, I came to the city to stay alive. Have you seen what it's like out there? I think most of the natives are dead by now." "What did you find?" "I was walking early this morning like I usually do. I saw a man dressed in tech clothes acting oddly around the foreign computer. I decided to investigate. I should have called security instead." "What happened?" "I followed the man to the controls used to keep the computer screened from the invaders. When I went to him he tried to act naturally but I could see that he was nervous. I got him to show me around but he avoided the area of the controls. I pressed him to show me this and he reluctantly took me. When we got there I saw some lengths of energy conduit and a large container. It was supported by six rods. It looked to me like a rough way of bypassing the controls without alerting security." "Where is this guy?" "I'd like to know that too. We'll have to review the recordings. When I turned to the guy to explain what this device was, he attacked. I was stunned by how quickly he fought. To be honest, I fell. I am not a good fighter. The man grabbed his equipment and ran. I can point the way and tell you what he looked like." "Show us the controls." "Sure." I had to climb the steps and I took my time with the pseudo sore leg. I did walk the quickest way to the controls and said to Betts, "How long?" "Almost there." When we got close I stayed with the soldiers and let the tech look for evidence of tampering which did not exist. The tech took his time to be sure and said, "I don't see anything." I went over and described the fictitious device in detail and used my hands to emphasise this. Taking my time I said, "It was hanging here and here. It looked like a dummy load used to absorb the power temporarily. This would allow the computer in there to transmit a message but it would have to be in burst form. It would not last long." He said, "I can't see where it was attached." "The man may not have initiated the connections yet. The rods held the device up." I bent over and touched the hypothetical places the rods would touch the stone floor. Everybody peered at the six locations as I said to Betts, "How long?" "A minute. No more." I stalled more but soon the soldier said, "We are going to the administration building." "That's a good idea. I want to see the recording." I turned to the tech and said, "What in your opinion was the guy trying to do if not attempting to bypass the Ultrawave?" "I can't see this device you mentioned being used for anything else. I don't understand what the guy was doing though. The computer has been here for a full year. It can't transmit any valuable information. It doesn't have any." "What about when it was taken from orbit?" "That was long ago and everything has changed." "Do you think it was the people we are fighting? Could they have landed somewhere and sneaked into the city? My family is here. They could be setting off bombs. It was dangerous in the countryside but now the city is dangerous." "Nobody could have got through our defences and nobody could have got into the city." "What if they came in before the city was attacked?" "They were not here before the attack. They fought as soon as they came near." I turned to the two soldiers and said, "What is your opinion of that? Soldiers think differently than we do." I was waiting for Betts call but it did not come. Any one of a great many details could have gone wrong. The crystal I had set may not have integrated correctly, Betts could have difficulty getting to the switch or the security computer has seen through our ruse. We had to be in a viewer now because of the importance of this location. All it took was the soldiers to enquire if I was the person that went through the shield. One of the soldiers said, "It's not likely anybody could make it down but we have to go now. It sounds like you are avoiding the questioning." "I am not a suspect, I'm a witness." I hoped my face showed indignation instead of fear. "Betts, how long?" "One more." The alarm went on now alerting the city to a problem. The soldiers interfaced with the computer and I attacked. The soldiers had flexible body armour but my foot took one in the face. The other was very quick and turned on me but I was already pulling his arm and falling. My leg shot up to his waist and as he came overtop of me I pushed up strongly. He went up higher. I held his hand so he could not use it to assist his landing. The tech was no slouch and came in quickly to kick my head. I deflected his foot. The soldier hit the stone floor with a thud and I curled to gain my feet. I went over the first soldier though and left the tech. My foot connected with the soldiers face one more time as he tried to get up. The tech came at me and I threw him onto the first soldier as I went after the second one. He had already gained his feet. He rushed in. The man was well trained in hand to hand combat. I had been training for this sort of confrontation for years but I did not have this man's mass, height or reach. I raced in long enough to make the man retreat and then I turned and hit is buddy one more time and then kick the tech in the nuts. Soldier number two brought the blade of his hand down on my shoulder and it felt like it was ripped off. I dove and punched him in the scrotum. The suit took most of the blow but the man backed off rapidly. I hit the tech one more time but now in the neck before the soldier came onto me again. He threw a kick this time at my legs and I used a trick the Tomma taught me and kicked his leg upward enough that I had a good kick at his nuts. His suit hardened in time but some of the force must have gotten through since the material was stretched tight. As the man gained his balance I did too and now we circled. I looked over his right shoulder and smiled. The soldier pulled back and had to look. That is when I attacked. I hit him in the head with my foot but it was not a solid blow. He grabbed my foot though and did not let go. I flung my other foot up and kicked him. We went down together and I had to awkwardly protect my head by pulling my body close to my opponent. The soldier had not pulled a weapon surprisingly. Both wore sidearms. I had to assume that they saw me as one young man that was unarmed while their Aristis pride kept them from using such an advantage. I also had to think that he still thought me an Aristis tech that was good at fighting and one that he wanted to take alive. I hit the stone hard and pushed with all my might to throw the man off. He had prepared for this and held tight to me as he flew away. I got one more chance to kick his face but his other arm deflected the blow. I was doing quite well until I suddenly blacked out. I came to with my head in Betts' lap and the med unit flying around me. "Hi Sweety. Where did you come from?" "Two soldiers were playing with you. They seemed angry and were using their feet." "Did you drop the interference?" "Yes for all the good it will do. The population knows something is wrong but Garbo tells them that a faction of Aristis is trying for control. This seemed natural enough." "What about the soldiers and the tech?" "I darted them. Now see if you can get up. The rest of the gang is going to their objectives while you napped." I saw the bruising on her face and said, "You must have had some fun too?" "Only one soldier and I darted him at the start while you wanted to play." "I didn't have a gun." "Then you should have come up with a better plan and then used it." "It was all that I could come up with at the time." Betts helped me up. I hurt all over but the med unit had taken away most of the pain. It would be a while before I was healed. Eldhino gave me an update. She and some of the others were going after the administration building. With difficulty Betts and I walked to one of the six missile batteries the shield was up and we could not get near even with Garbo attesting to our validity. There was a sewer connection inside the barrier and perhaps there was a manhole we could emerge from. The shield went deep but perhaps the sewer was deeper still. There were very few private vehicles but the soldiers used some of them. With Garbo's help I got one to work. They all used broadcast power and without the right authority the vehicle would not move. Betts drove to the location that we had emerged from the sewers. Everybody had jobs to do and now so did we. Not all the equipment was taken and I found what I was looking for. It was a gun bigger than our 45s but not by much. It was charged with air and expelled a small container holding a microscopic amount of antimatter. This was our lightest load at the equivalent of ten tonnes of TNT. The only reason we would possibly survive was because there were timers set on each container. Betts and I hurried through the sewers. The rain was still pouring down and we had to fight the current in the first of the six tunnels. It took an hour and a half to get to the right grating. By now I had to swim but my suit gave me the air I needed. I set the device for twelve hours. I needed time to get to the rest but the device could be found and deactivated too in that much time. I looked through the walls of the tunnel to get the layout of the battery. The rain was not in this area because of the screen. There were vehicles parked over to one side and people talking in groups. I aimed with the gun still inside the catch basin to defuse the small sound of the escaping air. The small pellet arched up and hit well away from the opening. I stayed only long enough to see if the pellet would be discovered. The other tunnels took even longer. I was getting close to the twelve hour limit of the first charge. The explosion would force superheated air out through the sewers. If the pressure did not kill us then the wind would do it as it knocked us against the walls. Betts said, "It's getting close. Do you want to try for the last?" "One battery is enough to kill us. Maybe the channel is cleaner. If the main screen is up at the twelfth hour then we all die. The air has to find a way out." Betts hurried up the last tunnel until I had to get out and swim. The current was not as fast here so the rain may be slackening. I had twenty minutes to go when I fired the last pellet set for a half hour. I did not linger and crawled then swam when I could. There was less water now and crawling was a lot slower. I just tried to ignore the time and just concentrated on hurrying. When I could swim the current was not that strong. I swam the hardest I ever did in my life. When I saw Betts, she was very worried and she shut out all of her thoughts. She heaved me in the boat and raced away. When we came to the room we found our equipment gone and a clear way to the steps. We just raced up and I was behind urging Betts to an even faster pace. We burst out into the city. The screen was down and we made it around a corner and perhaps four metres before the earth shook. Superheated air rushed out the opening behind us and all of the manholes in the city. A minute passed before this happened again and again. The last one was a minute away and I was worried that the shield around the battery would go down. So far the shields had contained the blasts. Ten tonnes of TNT would still kill everybody around the battery but a lot of other people in the city too. The last rumble was heard as I held Betts' hand. There was no great rush of air out of the sewer but I did not hear the explosion that would have happened if the dome had been brought down. There was fighting still and Eldhino gave me an update of the action taking place. She also gave casualty figures but not the names. I didn't pursue the matter now because I knew that all of them would hurt. So few to do so much. ------- Chapter 41 There was a bombardment again but Toxlo was not responding. Erica told us that the next phase was commencing. More rock was sent to the planet but aimed at the missile batteries further out to draw their fire. They had been reluctant to shoot before due to their dwindling supplies. They now had to fire or die. When the firing was the heaviest, some of our ships dived through the atmosphere causing as much noise as the antimatter explosions. They swooped low over the ocean and then came to land in the city. As soon as the ships landed they disgorged the cadets in our hardened armour. Gordo became our local command centre but every piece of information was being duplicated and sent to Walt and to Wesley. If events turned extremely bad then we would know what had happened or the survivors would. Betts and I used medication to stay awake and alert. The administration building had fallen then the two reactors. While the cadets cleaned up we set up our own missile batteries and tried to get the manufacturing facilities that had served the Aristis working for us. Betts and I curled up in the administration building and went to sleep. Finding out who died in my family could wait until we woke up. I woke up holding Betts after coming out of a bad nightmare. All of my family had died and I just sat there and could not do anything to stop it. There were rations and water near and I had a drink then went looking for the washroom. A guard in armour pointed the way after saluting. Even while expelling wastes, I got Gordo to give an update. Toxlo had fallen but we were prepared for further resistance. Walt as Rontem gloated over his 'easy' victory and talked of what was going to happen next. A census was completed and Garbo tried to get everybody back to work. We searched for weapons. Those we found were tagged and the owner's name affixed to it. They did not believe that they would get the weapons back when diplomatic relations were normalised. This was all done as we slept. I waited for Betts to wake up before I listened to the specifics of the bad news. When she did wake up she quickly looked around to find me then smiled. She then saw what was ahead of us. I helped her up and held her to me. "You better get ready for our day. We have some bad news to hear and a lot of work to do." Betts hugged me to her and started to sniffle already. She must have got some of the information already. Erica was the one that gave us the information. She was not safely in space but here with us and wearing armour. She was difficult to hug but we tried. She was much more careful with us. Erica said through her external speaker, "You guys did a pretty good job. There was no organised resistance left." "How many of your cadets died?" "Three." "Resistance must still have been stiff if three died when in armour." "Some of the soldiers had some heavy weapons that should have been in the armoury. The bloody Aristis and there internecine warfare. They are ready to take on a rival faction at any time. I don't know how you are going to control them." "I'll worry more about that later. Tell us the names of your dead and then ours." Erica went through the names slowly so we had a chance to bring up the faces of each of them. Every single one of them we knew very well. It was family members dying not unknown soldiers in a far away war. The cadet deaths were bad but my mates hurt worse. I had bonded with them as their husband and father of their children. We were all holding each other as the names rolled on and on until Sam Lockhart's name was mentioned. The pause told me that there were no more yet. I wanted to know about all of the deaths but I could not take it now. Erica had come prepared for this, or at least in part. "We are having problems with the rest of the planet Captain. The Aristis have dispersed. I am pretty sure that they have hidden cashes of missiles and manufacturing facilities. The major cities are ours. We estimate that there were forty two thousand Aristis on the planet when we arrived. Twenty two percent of the population are dead and thirty percent more are wounded and waiting more advanced medical attention. "The male Aristis are put to work even if it is just labour. We gathered up the orphans, injured and the widows and put them to work too. We can look after them better this way. They are free to come and go and we feed them well. "We are assembling large drones to search out the Aristis that will still fight. Fonduush cannot come near because there are still a lot of missile batteries that suddenly appear. We think that one ship that is severely damaged can still be used as bait when enough repairs are done to it. "The Fonduush and the other major ships were hit. Our improved shields were more than enough protection for the crews. There was minor damage though that may take a month to repair and another month to fine tune the systems. We are well able to fight now if it were not for our limited supplies of missiles. "There are still live missiles in space still ready to attack. These are being cleaned up and co-opted if possible. It is likely that a substantial force of Aristis have left the planet as King Rontem had. They may come back when we least expect it or look for another planet. "Earth had seen no sign of the Aristis. We are investigating the planets that may have been supporting Aristis construction. There has to be small bases there. So far we can only send probes. "There were Tomma in the cities but most were in the military bases. The latter we hit hard. Those sites are being organised by our people. The surviving Tomma would rather surrender to one of their own. "Our estimates of the Tomma population, world wide was about right. There are three hundred and twenty million. Casualty figures place the total number of Tomma casualties at 0.09%. The surviving Tomma we have met are not excessively hostile to us. Our family acts as liaison. Most of the problems stem from the indoctrination the Aristis put the Tomma through. "There are still some hot spots on the planet and these we thought you should look into. Some have sizable Tomma populations." Erica switched from voice to direct feed through my computer. I saw the damage to the ships and more accurate assessments to their repair. The scene shifted to Cralto. The placement of old and new Aristis missile batteries were shown and also the damage we did to the planet. The new batteries were mobile and they had to be taken out. They were designed to be not found easily which meant we had to work much harder. Drones were used to find them directly but we also hurried to complete the pilotless ship designed as bait. Other ships had gone over all the other cities to check on their defences but again there was no activity yet. Some Aristis were very busy though trying to build new defences and we had to take these out before they were completed. If possible I would like to do it without the loss of more life. Erica was in nominal command of the Fonduush but we all knew that King Rontem chose to do it this way. Walt was paving the way for the king to be deposed instead of his original plan of becoming a kind king. We needed to show that biologicals were taking over slowly while the old king concentrated on affairs that concerned him more. Erica went back to her post in space and wanted Betts and I to come with her. I couldn't do this for a lot of reasons and we all knew this. We did get a ship to provide transportation. Betts and I got in with three cadets in battle armour. We went to the nearest city called Dayla to try to see what we could do. It had been hit as hard as necessary but no more. The missile batteries had spewed nothing for a while now. Dayla was a city of only six hundred Aristis and perhaps a hundred Tomma now. It covered a large area though. It was laid out to be defended but it also looked beautiful. The equivalent of the mayor was at the city centre with two other men to await our arrival. Our ship circled the city and then circled much closer in to find if there was a team determined to take us out. There were only three soldiers still alive we were told and they were recovering from their wounds. We did see a lot of wounded and it hurt to see children that way too. Walt had talked to everybody on the planet about me being his only representative now that the Aristis had broken faith with him. When we emerged from the ship the armoured cadets went first then Betts and I. The mayor and the two men knelt to us on the wet stone. I was now dressed as a high ranking Aristis noble and so was Betts. This was in her own right and not as a mate. I knew she would confuse the Aristis. I heard, "My lord, I wish to welcome you to Dayla. How may we serve you?" By Aristis etiquette he should address only the most important person but he could have phrased his words to indicate that there were two of us. I waited to let him squirm but he was prepared for this. I could detect nothing in his mind about an attack on us but if he were at ground zero then he might well be not told anything. I read his computer and said, "Hashla, my companion is my mate but also a warrior and a leader in her own right. Humans have instituted some minor changes in protocol. Some females may be the dominant half of a family but this is not the case usually. Address my companion as Mrs Betty Kiefer." Betts was a little shocked at me giving her my name but she felt good about it too. Having some of my children was more than enough to give her those rights. The Tomma could get them too but they did not have a marriage the same way humans did. "I am sorry my lord and my lord Mrs Betty Kiefer. I will not let this mistake happen again." "You are forgiven. Our king had been given details of the damage done to your city. I am doing my own assessment. Our king does not wish any needless deaths. Your food preparation units have been damaged. I know that they are being worked on. I also know that some of your people are only fifty settuse away from here and building a missile battery." "They are soldiers my lords. I have no control over them." "For many thousands of years the Aristis have fought. This makes your race strong. It also kills a great many good men. After a rebellious city is captured, there is a good chance that nearly every man will be executed and possibly half of the women. Soldiers are bred to fight. Go to your people and pled for all of your lives. If that battery is completed then this city and the battery will die. Those are the words of our king." "My lords, I have no way of finding them and no way of convincing them." "You will have to find a way. The only alternative is to live on this planet as the natives do. Our king will gladly destroy all of the cities now if they will not bow to his will. In two generations of our actions, you will be no better than the natives. You will have to hunt for food with a bow and a fishing line. You will dig in the ground with a stick so you can plant. A few hundred years from now your decedents may be given an option to rise above the mud that they will be living in." "My lords, I will try but I need time and resources." "Let's talk to those of the warrior class that are here." "At once my lord." He got up and gestured in the direction we had to go. The computer on our little ship and the one on the Fonduush took control and the ship shadowed us as we walked to the infirmary. People we passed bowed to us as they would the highest ranking representative of King Rontem. We would be using ground transport but those units were already destroyed. The infirmary was a low building like all the other buildings in Dayla. It was made to handle emergencies but not of this apparent magnitude. People tried to bow from their sickbeds but I got Betts to say that it was alright if they didn't do it this time. It would not be good for me to appear too nice. Betts did the asking of questions and she came across as a strong mother figure. We found the three soldiers. They were not mobile. If they were on earth they would be dead by now if not for Aristis medicine. They did lay straighter when we approached. I knew their names from their chips but I had Hashla introduce me. After this was done I said, "Our king wishes peace. There are far too few of his subjects left for him to throw away their lives. You fought well. Instead of you and your families being put to death, he wishes to offer everybody amnesty. If the launchers your fellow warriors are now making are completed and not under King Rontem's command then the launcher and the city of Dayla will be bombed into nothing. The survivors, if any, would have to live as the natives do." One of the soldiers by the name of Kaacha said, "We were told, my lord, that you have taken the Fonduush from our king." "Then you should listen to your king and see who he thinks commands the Fonduush." Walt talked to Kaacha. He was far from polite. He listed details he knew about Kaacha and Kaacha's family. The king left the shaken soldier and went on to the other two warriors and did the same procedure. We hoped that the Aristis would think that a victor would not keep the old king's memories around. Seeing that I was here in front of them then I could not really be in command of the Fonduush the way an Aristis king would be. The soldiers had communicators and could talk to their compatriots from their bed but to get a reply would pinpoint the location of the launcher. I hoped a one way communication was good enough to keep us from killing needlessly. I asked Kaacha, "How did you get your wounds?" "A building collapsed around me." "That is no way for a man to be wounded. My family died fighting in ships. That is better but not much. It is best to look your opponent in the eye and fight with hands or knives not bombs or missiles." "You are on equal footing then." I told him and the other two soldiers how we got into Cralto then gained entrance to Toxlo. They nodded their heads as if they would use the same technique. They actually liked how I pulled the wool over their two fellow soldiers and a tech then fought them with my hands "You fought two at once?" "I did not say I won. You guys can really fight. I might have taken one and the tech but not both." "How did you survive?" "The Aristis I fought were honourable men or they wanted to see if they could take me without weapons. In the end they had me down. My mate turned off the security computer. She had to fight a lot of people to get to the disconnect. She found me being beaten and used her dart gun and her hands. Your two friends were kicking me and she walked up behind them and darted both then got mad at me for playing." All three soldiers broke out laughing. I played to their honour and their sense of fair play and finally how a female defeated both men in the end. Kaacha said with a smile he did not feel, "What happened to them?" "Call Tralph Goalsen and Masuuk Threp and find out. They provide security in Toxlo." "They are not dead?" "Call them and ask. If they are dead then you may have a difficult time communicating. They will tell you that they knew I was a phoney all the time but I had them fooled at least half the time." "What about the tech?" "The same job he did before. I am not angry at the Aristis. They have killed many of my mates, my foster sister, my foster parents and my friends, some that I knew since I was young. King Rontem ordered us to fight and we obeyed the same way you three fought when you were ordered. I just see that Aristis treat each other harshly when there is no need. I interceded on your behalf to get the terms I did. Basically nothing changes except some of the aristocracy get knocked down a peg or two." "How can I believe you?" "Rokla went with our king to earth. He saw an opportunity and tried to kill me and then my king. Rokla killed a Tomma woman I considered my mate. To make a long story short, Rokla failed and died for it. I had a long talk to our king and as a favour to me he spared all the Aristis on the Fonduush. The four widows are now my mates and I have taken their children as my own. You may talk to Rokla's widow Lenoor my daughter Latto and son Consa." "How can I do this?" I concentrated on Walt and said, "My king would you grant me the time to allow Kaacha to talk to my mate Lenoor?" "I am not a servant. Find her yourself. I am busy." "Thank you my king but I only asked so that Kaacha would know that they are alive still." Instead of a reply I heard, "Yes?" "Hi Lenoor. How are you doing? Is Mitch feeding?" "He is always hungry. Are you in trouble again?" "Only a little. I am talking to a warrior by the name of Kaacha. I want his fellow warriors to stop fighting and start rebuilding instead. He needs to know that our king has spared your lives." "After you made me pregnant, twice!" "You had your legs spread if I remember. You did not complain then." "That is beside the point. Direct me to this soldier." "Yes, dear." Kaacha and Lenoor talked for fifteen minutes. Lenoor had been well known and Kaacha was able to see that she was actually the former wife of Rokla. Lenoor quizzed in turn to find out what was happening at ground level in the city. When the two finished talking I saw that the three soldiers were satisfied. Kaacha said, "Thank you my lord for taking your valuable time to explain all this to me, a simple soldier. I know of very few that would take on the responsibilities you have." "I have taken on much larger responsibilities, Kaacha. I do not want to see hungry children or destitute mothers. Men can take care of their own families if given the opportunity. The men in the forest risk a great deal for no reason. Our king will only go so far then he will act. Talk to your friends and ask them to talk to those we have already dealt with." Betts and I walked around to the rest of the patients. The cadets in armour frightened everyone but I was a member of the nobility, they had to remain close if for nothing more than appearances. She caused a stir by talking to all castes as if they were equal. This was not necessarily a good thing to do. Everybody above a servant wanted to hold their position and the status quo. Even the servants did not want to rock the boat too much. We flew to three other population centres. Some were in very bad shape and we gave out supplies from the ship. Betts and I became doctors and did what we could to save lives. I called for more cadets to help if they were available but I knew that we were already stretched thin. Many patients were simply flown back to Toxlo to get better care. We were not that defenceless during this time but a ship is an opponent that few would care to challenge. One town was emptied as we shipped everybody to the capital. The next day we did the same process again. I got the hale and hearty from Toxlo to help their own people. The day after, we had the funerals. Instead of acting like victors I combined everybody that died in Toxlo since we came to Cralto. It made all of us uncomfortable to see all the children and other noncombatants that had died in the fighting. The Aristis usually had a service that allowed them to see the deceased to know deep down that they had died. The Tomma had a more elaborate ceremony with the invocation of their All Mother and a eulogy. Since I was in charge, we used the Tomma service. The All Mother was invoked and I studied what happened. I had not really been religious on earth but here it was different. I saw nothing but I felt a lot. My mates, no matter what race, seem to feel the same as me. We were wrapped up in love and I could ask for no more. The eulogy was complex as we thought about those that had died and passed this information to everybody. I pictured Sam as a child and my friend then how he grew in strength of body and mind to what he had been. His mates showed how caring and gentle he was. I pictured his children back on earth and how they would miss their father. Chuck and Jerry gave similar memories. I went on to others when Sam's turn was over and reminisced on my mates that had perished. I thought about our children back on earth and wondered anew how I would cope with their loss. The funeral was long because every living human or Tomma had to have their say. It was surprising though to see some of the local natives talk about the dead Aristis. I found that the Aristis were sometimes less dominant and had actually helped the Tomma without being asked. I felt deeply about the dead and the All Mother. The gathering seemed to link every Tomma on the planet in a subtle way. I sensed that most of them would know of our grief through a vague uneasiness but everybody would somehow retain thoughts of those that died. I could see how the Tomma males were so intimately linked to the planet now. The king was asked to attend and his message came across clearly that the Aristis had to get back to the way it was before or die. I was much more conciliatory in my speech and talked about how much all of us had lost. There was a lot of stress from the way the 'king' came across. They were also trying to get over their loss and this way I hoped they would take this as something like an accident or a mistake. The Aristis on the ship came to the planet to show their faces and to help. They could hurt me by mentioning how few we really were but Walt was monitoring them. The Tomma method of dealing with their grief was similar to the way humans acted. I consoled one that was crying on my shoulder and the next thing I know I am between her legs pumping away to bring the population back into line. When one got something then the rest wanted the same thing. Betts and Erica along with the Aristis woman wanted the same even if they had to wait. None of them were idle doing so. There was a lot of crying and then of joy that night but I was too worn out to do much other than to hold and talk about our loses. Elaine and Shirley were at a loss after losing Sam. The Tomma ladies took Elaine and Shirley into their group so they could all mourn. The Tomma newcomers took to the two girls. The Tomma males did their part and I hoped the girls would be happy. I did my best by giving them interesting jobs that would absorb their minds so they could overcome their grief. The rest of us felt almost as bad. Sam was a constant companion that risked his life to help me. He had also stood beside Chuck and Jerry when it got tough. His absence left a hole in out lives. Many more of the able bodied Aristis were draughted into helping other Aristis and Tomma civilians. The soldiers that found their way into our hands were relatively free to run if they chose. They had no real place to go now. My Tomma mates were ordered to see their families. They had not seen them since they went to be trained to serve King Rontem. The idea of taking leave was foreign to them. I gave them the job of giving aid to the Tomma that we harmed when we fought the Aristis and this seemed to help get my idea across. We worked in the destroyed missile launching facilities to get them working again. Our main shield could be raised. A dysfunctional Aristis soldier outside the walls could destroy all of us with just the push of a button. The storm sewer was a mess. The walls were fused solid with the heat but only in some sections had they melted through. The techs and the cadets began making earth moving equipment that we would need. The shield rested on the edge of the city proper but antimatter had blown away anything beyond the shield and undermined it. We needed to build up the walls to keep the shield from failing in some areas. We could make food with the synthesisers but usually produce was brought to the city. The Tomma had a difficult time trying to get here with all the trees destroyed and scattered all over. They then had to have a boat to get across the lake that was over two hundred metres deep in some spots. I wanted to connect the new lake to the river we came up so that boats would be enough. A bridge with a causeway would also help for when a road was the logical mode of travel at some time in the future. Doing all this was satisfying to me personally. We were still living under an ominous cloud. Aristis ships and personnel had disappeared though most had been destroyed. There were still a lot of people hiding out in the jungle though not all of them were building missiles or their launchers. After a lot of discussion with the computer family, I gathered some of our Aristis soldiers and sent them out to talk to their people. We even pinpointed where they had to go. I gave the number of people and their names. This way they knew that I could have destroyed the camp instead of trying to save them. I said to them, "This is a dangerous mission. You will be flying and your brothers may shoot you down. If you wish you may bring some back to see what has happened here in Toxlo. There is a good chance you will be forced to come back here with a missile or a bomb. The computer will not allow this to happen." One officer said, "We could join them?" "For the most part your families are here. If you want to join them then do so. Living in the forest and among the natives was always an option. Our king wants your assistance but failing that your neutrality would be accepted. Opposing our king a second time will mean your deaths no matter what I say. If you send your family away after such a decision then they will die without you. You could have left your family here and then you would live a shallow life." The officer said nothing now. The ship left with a dozen soldiers, some supplies of food and some clothing. The soldiers all came back hours later minus the supplies but the Aristis would have to think on what was said a bit longer. It had been a month since Toxlo fell. The city now had a much larger population than it had before now that people moved in from the smaller towns. Major upheavals scattered people to the wind. We tried to locate family and friends. Some had died in the conflict but other were in the forest still. The ones that had fled the planet were mainly the aristocratic class. They had few techs or servants but they should either adapt or die. Coming back here one day was always an option because that was the Aristis way of thinking. The Tomma mates started to come back but usually they had a portion of their previous family with them. They were my family now and I had to treat them as such. This was by Tomma standards though and did not require my constant presence. Some of the family were relatives of those that had died. I was now a link to those that had passed on. They came to see why all of this had happened. There were new problems to deal with. My mates had families before they left this planet usually and the children had grown. None were younger than nine and most were older than me. Some of the fathers had died when I attacked the Fonduush but the great majority had stayed here on Cralto. The older children now had children of their own. Sisters of my mates had 'rights' that meant that I treated them as my mates. It all depended on what the family wanted and if the male could provide his share of the food and the ability to keep the women happy. I was definitely not looking for new mates. I was still upset about losing the ones I had. The Tomma males just did what they could in a family and usually just took some of the children away from the women when they could. They very rarely went to the male only grouping. Older Tomma males turned crotchety like older human males or chimpanzees. They needed a way of avoiding the stress brought on by the youngest members of the family. The younger males had to provide for this family too. These younger ones had the disposition to be of assistance and still able to take the abuse. The Tomma females were recovering because they now fought each other for fun. The children started to rebel and the males hid. The males had learned a very long time ago to not try to act as mediator. Even with their size, they were usually fought by both parties they were trying to help. Maska came to me with fire in her eyes. "Wally, your daughter is not doing as she is directed." I had no real daughter here and any female was headstrong and not likely to take direction. "What's the matter?" "I asked Jamma to help remove the rock in the sewer. The girl is big enough and the rest of us are doing this. She refused." "Does she have an irrational fear of being underground or in a confined space?" "I did not think that she does." She concentrated a moment and said, "No, she wants to be with those that are not working. She is just lazy and wants to do less work." "What can I do? Males do not usually get involved if they do not want to be hurt." "You are the Captain." "Is this a family matter or community matter?" "It's both. We all need the sewer rebuilt. I am her mother and gave her an order." "Is there another job Jamma will do more willingly?" "She avoids them all." "I can talk to her but I have found that they don't listen. I don't feel right to physically fight a child. I think this planet and my mates are changing me. I have seen you disciplining the children before. You hold them down and paddle their butts." "I have done this already with Jamma. It's not working now." "There is the other way you have to control them." "She is only nine and this had not been necessary so far." "How old were you when you were disciplined this way?" Maska hung her head and said, "Probably eight." "She is like her mother then. Her mother turned out very well though and Jamma should too." Maska seemed to come to the same conclusion and kissed me tenderly. "You're right. It is just that she is one of my babies and..." I continued for her, "And this means she is growing up?" "Yes it does. I guess it makes me feel old to do this." "Children are what make our lives worthwhile but make us want to scream." "Yes, but Jamma will scream louder I think until she has to do it to her own child one day." Maska went stomping off to find Jamma and I went with her. She knew just where Jamma was and found her having sex with some of her friends. Maska came too her and grabbed the hair on her head. The friends scrambled away to get out of range. Jamma screamed, "Let go of my hair old woman." This seemed to set Maska off. She brought back her hand and slapped Jamma hard. Jamma was released to do this right. Jamma flew backwards and landed on her butt. She did not cry but snarled the way a typical Tomma woman would. Being young she had small breasts and looked like a human girl apart from her nipples being lower and her fingers being longer. She was also a good thirty centimetres shorter than her mother. Jamma charged at her mother and Maska did little to avoid her. Maska had time to take off her harness and throw it to me before her daughter attacked. They both went into the mud. Jamma got hold of Maska's hair and then punched her mother in the face. I could feel the rage in the girl and the sorrow in Maska for what she had to do. She was still avoiding her task. It was a few minutes later, after Maska had taken a lot more abuse that the woman's anger came out. She did not punch but she did slap. This angered Jamma. I could detect that the girl felt slighted. She was being treated to slaps and not punches. This only made her fight her mother more as if seeking the adult way of fighting. There was blood flowing now from both but the light rain washed it away. Maska started to fight as she did with the adults. Jamma was knocked down but always got back up quickly. Maska seemed to allow this and her daughter was becoming disoriented with the blows. Jamma was not landing any of her own kicks or punches any more and Maska had time to prepare and execute her own strikes. Eventually Jamma fell to her butt and just stayed there looking dazed. Maska got close and held her daughter's long hair and dragged her a few metres through the mud to some of the natural rock outcropping. Jamma did not seem to care now what happened to her. Maska put her daughter's head down carefully but I knew she was still angry. The mother stood between her daughter's splayed legs and knelt down. She used her hands to spread the rainwater to clean her daughter's mons. Her fingers went in to remove any debris like we did to an unconscious human's mouth when giving first aid. When this was done, she picked up the legs and put them on her own shoulders and moved forward. This curled the girl's back. Maska moved her right hand to her daughter's mons and moved her fingers back and forth much like what was happening to Jamma just before we arrived. Maska's hand went right in though. Sometimes during sex they did this too but only with those that you loved and trusted. Jamma's opening stretched more and more until the hand went inside. I could feel the love now that Maska had for her daughter but also the determination to guide Jamma the way she needed. The hand went back and forth until Jamma started to respond. I saw that Jamma was in trouble as she could not breathe right. I walked to her head and sat in the mud and put the girl's head in my lap. Jamma was recovering now and even through her pain she felt what was happening to her. Her body responded to what was happening and her mind went into overdrive. This was the most intense feelings she ever had. Maska said, "You will obey your mother! She is older and wiser. One day you will have to do this to your daughter. I love you but you are lazy and disrespectful. This will change now." Maska continued to give her observations. This was a back door into the mind of a Tomma. It was like hypnosis but stronger. All females had to go through this procedure at least a few times until they reached adulthood. A woman making love to another did the something similar but here she only gave her love and no commands. Boys were no exception and their rectums served the same function. A girls rectum sufficed too though it was usually used only the second time the process was used. Unlike human females, the Tomma had nerves in abundance in both orifices that would give them pleasure. Maska said to me, "Pinch her nipples. She will respond more." I could not just do this so I caressed the girl's now rain washed breasts then gently caressed her nipples. In a moment I saw how my efforts were helping Maska do what was needed. One hand though cradled Jamma's head and washed away the dirt. The blood was still flowing but not that much now. I looked at the girl and saw how beautiful she was even though she had a damaged face. Jamma swung her head back and forth and I took my time to get the mud from her eyes. Her mouth though was showing how she was responding to what Maska was doing to her. Soon Jamma's eyes opened and she looked around shaking her head in the process to remove the congestion in her head. When she put her head back she just stared at me in a vague way. Her mind was almost fully occupied with what was happening between her legs. When Maska paused in her thoughts I said to Jamma, "Maska is right. We all have to work hard. It is not a matter of gaining strength so much as it is a way of helping your family. A woman that does not help her family as much as she should is failing them. I love you Jamma and I want you to do what Maska says. It is important to us." Maska's arm was moving faster now as she gauged her daughter's reaction. Jamma was getting close now. Her muddy hands came up and found my head. She used all of her strength to pull me down for a hug. I had to shift around a lot but kissed the girl too as the greatest orgasm the girl had ever had raced through her body. Her arms pulled me strongly to her. I knew it hurt her lips but she did not care. Maska and I continued this two more times. I had more to say but I was not as demanding as Maska. Eventually Maska stopped and slowly pulled her hand from her daughter's body. I looked carefully and found no blood. Maska said, "I did not hurt her Wally, apart from the fight. We Tomma are strong." "I know that Honey but your culture still takes a bit to get used to." "Well, you better pick her up now. We will find a place to get clean and then you can make me feel good. I need it after that." I used my hands to help Maska stand then she helped me up with my burden. Jamma was smiling at both of us now through her damaged face. Her arms were around my neck and she held me close. We were pretty clean by the time we got to the administration building. We received a few looks and Maska made her own explanations. The Tomma understood this well. The Tomma in the city usually only wore a harness and a pouch for their property. Maska took hers off and then took the naked child from me and took her into the cleanser. The two came out and the mother got her daughter to lay down while a med unit went over her. When this was done the unit went over Maska. She said to her daughter, "You fought well." "Thank you Maska. I am very surprised that I was able to hit you at all." "A mother is very hesitant to hurt those she loves so much." "I can feel your pain. I know that one day I will have to do this to my daughter. It's going to hurt me as much as it has you." "Now it's time to give joy instead of pain if you wish it?" "I do Maska. I love you." The two made love. The same hand went into the girl's vagina as had happened after the fight but there was no compulsion to obey. I wanted to leave now but both of them said, "Stay!" It was as much an order as it was a request but then again this was a family matter and Tomma women were bossy to the males. Maska said, "Join us Wally." I went into the cleanser and cleaned my suit. I wore the light commando suit still because I would be the prime target. With the suit clean I took it off and then cleaned my body before emerging. Maska said, "Come and help Jamma reach her peak." I snuggled beside the girl and kissed her lips and then her ears. Her first orgasm came but I just continued. Another came when I was at Jamma's breasts. She was holding me to her with considerable strength. When the orgasm hit a low point I used my hands to hold hers and my lips went down her abdomen. Her mother knew my goal and moved her arm so that Jamma could flex her abdomen. My lips found the girl's clit as her mother's hand rubbed my ear as it went in and out of the girl's body. Now I had to hold on to the girl's legs as she went into and orgasm that was at least the equal of the one she had after the fight. Perhaps it was even better because the girl went to sleep. Maska pulled her arm out and kissed her daughter's clit and said to me, "Do you have something for me?" I certainly did. Maska lay beside her daughter and I made love to Maska. Jamma had recovered at some point and watched what I did. I used my own lips and fingers. My mates had been able to take my own hand all along and even after I had grown. Jamma watched hungrily as I moved up and slipped my cock into her mother. I had grown here too but I was not as large as my fist. After two orgasms I had Maska change places as she rode me. This was an odd thing to see from Jamma's point of view. A man was always superior, at least during sex. The next orgasm built quickly and Maska screamed her joy. She never did stop but slowed down for a moment before she started up again. Jamma was playing with her clit when her mother said, "Stand up child." Jamma did as she was told and Maska got her to sit on my face. The girl said, "Is this right?" "It is right for us. Wally is a good man and takes care of us better than any man I knew of before. He likes the taste of a woman. Now sit. His tongue is short but it's good." Jamma sat. It took time for her to get comfortable with this. The females did this among themselves but never with a male. She had sex with adult males already but this was always at the girl's instigation. The males were not like humans in this respect. I licked around Jamma's now large opening and latched onto her clit. The girl shivered and clutched her mother. The two of them kissed and held each other as they rode to their orgasms. My nose at the time was pushing into her anus and this was one of the Tomma women's more sensitive areas. One thought I kept deeply hidden among the rest of my secrets. Jamma was young and in a way naive. She reminded me of one other girl that would never be with us again. Erin had a place in my heart that would probably never be filled. I had to deal with the here and now though. Mother and daughter seemed to feed off of each other's emotions. Maska pulled Jamma's mouth to her breast as she rode up and down. Though I held Jamma's legs tightly, she wanted to slide back and forth on me. The restriction seemed to inflame her. The two became more and more vocal until I heard Jamma scream then her mother. I had a difficult time holding the girl and this drove her even higher until she fled consciousness again. Maska held her daughter to her. I pushed up now on the girl's legs so I could breathe. Jamma got to lay down and I had Maska to myself. An hour later I was back at work and the two girls were cuddling in the bed and probably asleep still. That night I had a lot of horny women to deal with and one very horny nine year-old girl. Betts and Erica thought it funny because of the child's actions but she certainly inspired the ladies to find relief more times that night than usual. The girl was tight even if she had been fisted many times. All Tomma could contract easily as they could dilate. She was small enough that she could wrap her arms around my neck as I stood and we both worked hard to move her up and down until she screamed and fainted. Betts took the girl and laid her down and gave her a kiss. She asked me, "You going to do that to me?" "That might be fun but it better be where there is less gravity." "Getting weak?" I pointed to my stiff cock and she added, "Well weak in the arms." The Tomma that came to the city were mostly uneducated. Betts took them to her and got them fitted with a communicator and a computer. They were all fairly healthy and ready to fight at the drop of a hat. There was friction between them and the Aristis but our society was changing everybody. I just started a school here. The computers would teach and the Aristis were used to this. The orphans were already my responsibility and were learning what they needed to know. Education beyond certain areas was frowned on by the Aristis but not by me. Less and less of the cadets were wearing armour these days though a few still had to. We had a nursery school and a school similar to the one in Dunnville. The better students had the choice if they wanted to join the academy. This would be on earth at least for the foreseeable future. Jamma followed me around everywhere I went. The rest of the Tomma found it cute and so did Betts and Erica. I gave the girl jobs to do to keep her busy. The Tomma had not been enhanced very much by the Aristis. I had changed this to the ones that were on the Fonduush. We also continued this for the Tomma that joined our cause. The lower castes of Aristis got the same treatment. I had much more to say about the orphans because I adopted them all. The Aristis widows could count on me for support and I helped their children if they had any. I missed my other children. Earth was relatively safe but I was still waiting to find out where the missing Aristis had gone. I wanted my family with me if possible. Bringing them here in a ship other than the Fonduush was not a good idea. Sending the Fonduush to get them was not good for our own safety. I had daily talks to Doc, Gail and Irene as well as Mr Kazuyoshi. They were not doing well because the governments were putting pressure on to get some of the Aristis technology. Some of the parents of the students wanted their children home but the children were now pilots of spacecraft or at least trained in them as they went on patrols. None of them heeded their parents request. Doc allowed some cadets to return home with their group in one of our ships. Having a hundred tonne ship with an AI in it hanging over their house was lots of inducement to let the crew member return to duty after a visit if that was their wish. We still got lots of unsolicited requests to join our school and we actually took some of them in. These people were the first group that joined the school with open eyes. They knew that the school was the only way at present to get into Star Fleet. Wesley was putting out many more movies with a Star Fleet theme. Those here on Cralto got to see themselves fighting evil as if we had been in the studio on earth. Cralto was well portrayed but we also listed the highlands where the mud was a lot shallower. We continued our publicity blitz to show that the cadets were free to join and then free within the Star Fleet regulations. Human politicians tried to get the population to believe that the children were held against their will. Human laws had always controlled people and the truly free people were those that existed in troubled times. They raped, killed and robbed to get what they wanted with no hindrance from regulations. Star Fleet Regs were finally complete with the help of the computer family. The front of the document clearly stated that the regulations would change as Star Fleet settled into a mature entity. In the meantime, the rules looked very good and much simpler than those used by humans. The data was uploaded into everybody's processor so they would know what to do in a given situation. Here on Cralto, we built up our defences and sent probes to the planets the Aristis might have gone to. We found indication of abandoned bases but no people. The largest base was on Eito, a desert like planet next to Cralto. There were some large asteroids to check but there was no sign of Aristis activity. Kaacha the old Aristis soldier came up to me one day and saluted. "My lord, some of the men in the field wish to surrender." "That is very good, Kaacha. Surrender, though is a word that is too strong. Let's call it normalising of the forces." "They will like that idea more." "Did this group we are talking about prepare a good base and missile battery?" "They stopped building the launching platforms but they have a nice base considering where it is." "I am a builder not a destroyer though it may look differently. Is their base suitable for training purposes?" "What do you mean my lord?" "I have a lot of children that need to be trained as cadets. The Fonduush and other ships do a portion as does here in this city but we need cruder facilities where a soldier can teach the cadets how to survive in the wild." "Many of your children are not of the warrior caste." "No, but they will learn to be good soldiers and loyal citizens. Learning to fight is good and learning to take orders is better. I will be looking to expand my school soon. Perhaps some of those coming in can help me." "That is a job they may like. I would not mind volunteering myself." "My children are very important to me. A teacher must love the children first. He has to understand them and work with them. Some periods of Aristis history have been brutal to the warrior class. I do not want those days to return. Part of the way to make sure this does not happen, is to have a husband and wife work together and not as now. The woman must do the same type of jobs as a man. Would your wife consider joining you for a third of a standard year in this camp?" "I do not know, my lord. She is only used to the city life. She had her friends here and they watch the children." "They could watch the children from the camp. I am not sending you or her on campaign. As long as the children are watched and guided, the teachers can travel anyplace they like." "We would get that much freedom?" "There is no reason why not. Some of my children under my care are your relatives. The amount of people that fled Casslis centuries ago make this almost certain. I want your children and grandchildren to have the same joy as my children." To steal a motto I added, "I want them to be all they can be." "I will consider your words." "Now tell me about the men coming in from their manoeuvres." "Manoeuvres? Oh! They are in good condition. We have been supplying them with food and clothing. They are far from broken my lord." "I do not want them broken, Kaacha. Bring a third in for processing and to have a chance to get reacquainted with their families. Ten local days later another third comes in as the original third goes back to camp to prepare it for use as an academy. Keep this up until you think the camp is able to defend itself." "Me, my lord?" "This is just a building project Kaacha. Rotate the men into the city a third at a time. They can have their wives families in the camp if they wish but only after it's safe. If the camp is not suitable consult me about a new location that you may like and we can work from there. The wives go to work though and not to sit around just watching the children." "I think I can get a third here tonight my lord." "That's good Kaacha. If there are any that are mentally unstable I would appreciate you telling me. One person can do something insane that will have all my plans come to ruin." "I will be on the lookout, my lord." Some of the soldiers came in but there were only three of them. They looked clean and very worried. I saluted them and they saluted back and only then did they begin to relax. "I wish to welcome you back. There is no penalty going to be levied against you or your families. You are still soldiers serving our king." I would have shaken their hands but that was not an Aristis custom and definitely not something an Aristis officer or leader would do. I gave Kaacha the word and he called over the families of the men. The men had to go through the infirmary but I also wanted to get a good reading on their communicators so I could find them in the future. Other groups began to come in. Those in the city communicated to those in the field that they were not arrested and I think they all relaxed. It was when the ones that came to the city returned to the field that they saw that they were relatively safe. Building was a priority now. Large ceramic plates were made and sunk around the city. They had to be placed very deep into the lake bottom to hold the now crumbling rock in place. When the ring was complete in half a year, we would drain the interior and fill it in with a substance much like concrete. It was much stronger than what was made on earth and easily made. ------- Chapter 42 Jerry and Chuck liked this job and I gave them authority to see that it was done properly. A lot more earth working machines had to be made and again this meant more work for me. Kaacha was using this same idea to make a completely new camp a few hundred klicks from Toxlo. This was in the mountains but here floods were a much greater danger. The camps we found were really not that suitable for the cadets yet. The Aristis on the ship came down as some of the Tomma ascended. The Tomma, as well as Betts and Erica were pregnant again and the Aristis women did not mind this state for themselves. I did not think they loved me that much but the chore was not difficult and it tied them to me much tighter. My Aristis children though did not have as many hang ups as their mothers and treated me like their father. The older Tomma girls in the city went on the rampage and had to be controlled much like Jamma did. There was a lot of subterfuge because I had to assess each situation as I had the first time. The munchkins started up again but this group were all Tomma. I needed Paul but he wanted no part of this. In desperation I took some of my male Tomma children and brought them with me too. Everything looked to be going good until we found a ship snooping around our parameter. We immediately went on a heightened posture. The ship could have been Aristis but it could have been any other race of beings too. The recent antimatter explosions could be heard loud and clear a thousand lights away with the proper equipment. An explosion emitted energy into the other dimensions that was not limited by the speed of light. The investigation showed that the ship was the size of a scout and it was a given that probes of one type or another would be coming our way. We wanted to capture some if possible to get an idea of who the visitor was. The Aristis were still afraid of the Wikki. I used their name as a possible visitor but the Aristis knew it could easily be some of those that left the planet recently. The destroyed missile manufacturing machinery was started up again. We went for heavier ordinance this time as if we were going to take on the Wikki. This seemed to help the Aristis because few people would waste a missile like these on the small ships the fleeing Aristis had. Techs were in demand as always. I had killed many of them here in Toxlo but more were found but their numbers were still low. Earth was kept appraised of our position and they had a large stock of crystals and missiles made. We could get some of the latter if we made a trip there or Wesley sent us some in a small automated ship. Walt and I were worried that the Aristis here would think that their own people were coming back to 'save' them. Walt acted like King Rontem and he ranted about the Wikki coming enough that a sizable amount of the population believed him. This was the same way human governments worked. Too many people just liked others to do the thinking for them and would believe anything as long as it was fed to them right. To cement the idea of foreign invaders, we taught everybody about the Wikki and other races that were known. The Wikki to me were the innocent party that fought back against King Rontem. They acted civilised in my eyes but I could not take that position just yet. There were enough other races that reached the stars that were real bogeymen. These were used to frighten the population into helping more and fighting less. Human cadets and my mates were guarding this planet while students newly raised to Star Fleet guarded earth. I had to have more ships and I needed the crews adequately trained. I broke a few long held Aristis beliefs and had Aristis women as well as my Tomma mates take children into space to train them in how to fight. Aristis soldiers went too as observers to see how they functioned. In reality I was getting them prepared to begin taking orders from women if they were able to adequately command. The Tomma had this ability but I did not want it to seem that the Tomma were taking over. Adults were given responsible jobs even if they were female. This left a lot of older children. I called it schooling but they were pushed into the academy to learn how to fight. The youngest learned what they were able and no more. I wanted this life to be interesting and enjoyable to them as the first generation of our amalgamated race. Young Aristis males of my age were not around. They had made up the majority of the forces that opposed us and were now dead or had left with the leaders. This method allowed me to siphon off the young females that wanted me. They saw this as a way of gaining fame, prestige and my favour. Jamma was one of the first to volunteer. Other Tomma girls went and some boys too as long as they did not stay far away from the planet. Maska gloated at me when I did this until I said, "You look very pleased at the way I avoided all the entanglements?" "Not just that. They were actually happy to leave." I said, "It is too bad you are not going to be as lucky." "Why is that?" "You are going to be the captain of one of the small ships." "I can't. My place is here beside you. My belly is getting bigger too." "That never stopped you before Maska. Train them as a team. Perhaps you can get four more ships built." "I do not fight in space. My place is with my family." "You will be with a portion of our family. If it looks very serious we will use computers to fight and I want the children kept as safe as possible." "I can't do this alone." "Then find somebody that will be able to help." "I would choose Erica." This hurt but I said, "Take her if she is willing. You are all role models. You have to show the children how to act and they will follow. The rest of us will do other tasks. You will not be alone. More of our mates will be going into space." "What about the crystals we need for the new ships you want? We may not have a chance to build much." "Wesley is sending a pod here. He's building large missiles now too, just in case. We should have time before any visitors come here in force." Eldhino was summoned next and she chose Betts as her partner. This was not want I wanted. It also showed that my mates talked a lot among themselves about what was happening. I could not tell them that I valued a human life over that of a Tomma because it was not true. I just happened to love Betts and Erica more than the rest but not by a lot. Three days later four pregnant ladies had a public brawl in front of their students. Betts fought Erica as Eldhino fought Maska. The Aristis children were aghast while the Tomma ones cheered them on. Apparently the two teams were trying to inspire their children to do better than the other team. There was little bloodshed and the girls left happy with their actions. The rivalry continued for two more days as everything was established. The Tomma had used this sort of training a lot and it worked even on human or Aristis children. When Wesley's pod came in it was seized by the cadets to make new ships. Much of the administration of the planet I left to Garbo. I was back at work making crystals for computers, shields and engines. The large missiles were the same as ships in size and needed more crystals because of the forces exerted on them that a ship would never have. There was simply no inertial compensator built that could take the strain. I could use more help from earth in the form of my older children. They were very proficient in making good crystals and even ships. I had to make do with their gifts and not their presence. Coming here now was too dangerous though I had no way of knowing this for sure. It was only a feeling. There had been trouble on earth too and Doc did his best to make sure some well equipped armies did not pounce on some countries hurt by the EMP. Argentina had helped us and we helped them in return. They provided aluminium castings and weldments and we gave them a lot of electrical power to get back on their feet. When they did they decided to invade Chile. There were no nuclear weapons used, thankfully. I saw images of one of our ships positioning itself a metre in front of a large tank. The tank had fired once and the explosion that was so close, it deafened the crew. We never cut off the electrical power we were giving as part of our agreement and had to stop the conflict other ways. Wesley informed me that China had instigated this as a way of finding out what we would do. Doc had made some heavy lift platforms like the thousand tonne units we had sent here to Cralto. He had simply found an asteroid that weighted nearly eighty thousand tonnes and placed it in the middle of Tiananmen Square as a warning. If it had struck the planet from space then Beijing would be a large hole in the ground. It had a lot of nickel in it so the Chinese could not bitch much but they got the point. Doc wanted more help from us and we needed more help too. We simply did not have the trained personnel to do all that was needed. Doc would have even more problems if the earth knew that we had tentatively taken over this planet. Right now they thought we were fighting. They also believed we were keeping the Aristis from coming back to earth. The cadets guarding earth was the only real defence. We began designing a computer similar to Wesley for my children. I hoped that they would be able to repair and manufacture crystals as well as do everything else that was needed to run an advanced civilisation. The only way I could encourage this was through the environment the fetus grew in and the surroundings the child grew up in. A computer had complex fields and so did a ship but only less so. I hoped that the ship would be enough to help evolution along. It would also provide mobility for all of us regardless of race or age. The battleship keel in orbit had not been damaged that much by either side in the disagreement. The missile battery had been taken out with as little damage as possible. Its construction allowed a way of using those that had no real skills at doing anything else. In a way this gave the Aristis freedom because they flew back and forth from the ship. This would theoretically allow them a method to flee the system. I was the busiest person on the planet. There was always a crystal in my mouth. Most of the time my head was inside a computer to give me the fields I needed to do a better job. Garbo handled most of the day to day affairs but he could not handle all of them. My mates deserved more than Garbo and some matters had to be handled by me personally. I was the king's right hand man and had to meet the people. All of my ladies were pregnant by now and I hoped I could take it easy. It had not worked the last two times but I had learned more tricks since then. One trick was to visit the larger Tomma communities that my family members came from. The trips were short because it was difficult to stay out of the other female clutches. Being sociable was to fuck but there were limits to how sociable I could be. The Tomma usually promoted their younger daughters. The first village I went to was Tors'. There were not that many people and I managed to get away in an hour with some hugs and kisses. A week later I got to Corrma's and I had to stay longer because there were many more people. I was used to feeling like a piece of meat before a group of carnivores but this group was even more hungry. Magga was the mother of Corrma and wanted a proper greeting. Corrma tried to intervene. "Mother, he's busy all the time. He just came to make a courtesy call and see if there were anybody here that wished to help us build." Magga did not look at her daughter but me. She said, "You are too busy to greet your new family?" I replied as earnestly as possible. "I came out here to do just that. During my time with my mates I learned that they all want a little time with me but it never turns out to be a short time. I simply cannot stay here for days until you are all sated. I cannot last that long and there is the threat of somebody coming here with ideas of taking over." "You could still do the minimum necessary. Our men take this duty seriously. I see that you do not." "Magga, you see your village and try to protect it. I am trying to protect my family and my relatives. That means I have the entire planet to watch over. Most of my mates are of your people but some are the Aristis. A few are human but not many." "We have done very well even before the Aristis came here. We will do well after as well." "Not all of the beings that live among the stars are sane. Some enjoy killing for killing's sake. There are records of some worlds where everyone that was above the simplest of animals would die through hunting. They did not hunt with a bow but with energy weapons. They have devices that show children that had been sent into hiding. You cannot fight them and win even once." "Have you seen this?" "No, records are kept the way you have story tellers." "Even if this is true, why do you think this will happen here?" "I do not. I just prepare for what could happen. I want my family safe." "A child has to face danger and overcome it to grow." "That is your way and the way of my people long ago. I love my family enough to give them more of a chance. My family came here to this world and many died. We have proved ourselves. We could not have done what we did with a bow and a knife." "You destroyed much of this place to gain what you wish." "I follow the orders of King Rontem. This was a family fight. Our opponents had mighty weapons and we had to use similar tools. We tried hard to minimise our destruction. There may have been more of my family alive if we had used our mighty ship to kill from space. That would have killed many more of my family here." "Corrma has mentioned how you rode fire to come here. That is a brave thing to do. We cannot do such a thing." "Corrma could not either at one time. She fights to make our children safe. All of my family should learn these new ideas even if they are not used." "Why should we bother if we are not going to use them?" "You know how to use a bow to kill Tomma but do not use it. I want you to gain the stars even if you come here to plant crops and hunt." "Why should we learn that?" "If our enemy is strong then some of us may escape with the children. Even the Tomma warrior knows that sometimes it is better to run than fight." "Will you fight me?" "Why should I do this? You are the mother of Corrma, my mate." "I wish it." Corrma said, "Mother, he does not need more mates. You can fight for fun only." "You do not wish for me to have a powerful mate, Daughter?" "A war may come soon and you wish to have your fun. I will fight you." "I wish to fight for your man." "I say no. I will fight you in this." Magga smiled and jumped at her daughter with no warning or hesitation. Corrma knew it was coming and punched her mother as she got close. I stepped back out of the way. This was their main sport apart from sex and I let them enjoy themselves. A circle formed and the two women fought viciously. This was the Tomma way. Magga was able to grasp Corrma's hair but an uppercut to Magga's abdomen. The fight got even more brutal from that point. Magga got Corrma down and kicked her in the face with her bare foot. Corrma held the foot after a few strikes then kicked upward at her mother's crotch. This stunned the older woman and Corrma used the opportunity to flip Magga onto her face and then jumped on her back. In seconds she had a hold on her mother that the older woman could not break. Corrma pulled and squeezed enough until Magga blacked out. After a few seconds more, Corrma released her hold and massaged her mother's neck to get the blood flowing again. Corrma looked up to me with a bloody face and a big smile, "My mother must be getting old. She let me win." "Corrma, I think you won fairly. You are a fearsome adversary to face." Corrma's eyes grew large and I felt danger from her. I fell to my left just as a club came down on my right forearm. I continued my fall and tried to pivot just as a kick came to my face. I caught the foot and twisted. Somebody was starting to fall as a girl of twelve of so charged in with another club. I released the foot I held and rolled behind my fallen opponent. I had enough time to see that this was a girl of about the same age. There was no reasoning with a Tomma woman and especially when she was fighting. The first girl was getting to her feet. I could beat one of them easily but not two. I thought like a Tomma and kicked at the first but moved close to the second and backhanded her as hard as I could. The first came at me again and I moved away just as the club fell. I moved so I was always facing both opponents. I had a chance to think now and find a reason for the attack as if females needed one. I was an outsider and a male too. The two may be wanting to conquer me so they could have their way with me even if they had to use weapons. Youngsters got away with a lot and they could use a club against an adult but not usually two of them. I had to worry though besides the fact that I could be hurt. They wanted me for their man and I did not need any more members added to the rank of mate. My workload had precluded my own fighting but adrenaline was flowing heavily through my veins. The girl on my left was a bit more anxious than the other. She came rushing in and I moved more to my left. Her club came down and I was close enough now to push the club to my right while my left fist came out and punched the child at a nerve cluster in her right shoulder. The other girl was hit by the deflected club but not hard. I had to move out of her swing too and stepped behind the other girl then pushed the two together. The one I pushed, fell but not the other. She danced out of the way. I moved in toward the fallen girl and kicked her side with my booted foot but not hard enough to injure. The girl rolled away from me and the other attacked to give her friend a chance to regain her feet. I moved in too and stepped on the other girl's chest as she was starting to get up. This drove her into the damp ground and the wind from her lungs. The club came down and I had to retreat. The girl followed and jumped over her friend. That was when I attacked. The club was swung like a person playing baseball. I had to back up so the club just missed me then I raced in before she could get a good back swing going. This time my right hand swung at her and she backed up, only to fall over her comrade. I was on her quickly and put my boot on her neck and pushed down. The girl abandoned her club and tried to dislodge my foot and then kick me like Corrma had done. I just pushed down harder. Corrma and Magga were there beside me now. Corrma said, "What are you going to do with them?" "They are not going to be my mates if that is what you think. They used clubs like children then they will be treated like children. Find me some rope for both of them." Corrma did as I asked and Magga even assisted. Before the rope came I had to flip the girl over on her face and then take care of the other girl the same way. She was put across the first and I sat on them. Capturing arms was not easy but I managed to get them tied behind her back. The cordage was in different lengths and I found another short one to tie the other girl the same way. Flipping one of the girls on her back I captured a foot but I was almost kicked with the other one. A rope went from one knee around the back of the girl's neck then to the other knee. She was splayed wide but not able to do anything but fling invectives at me. The other girl saw what was happening and fought harder to keep me away but I managed to tie her the same way without any of us getting hurt. A large male Tomma was closer than anybody else. Since they were all naked I saw that he was not aroused but he looked worried. His emotions he kept in so I could not read them. This was not true about Corrma and Magga. They were bleeding and bruised but they held each other. I could detect a lot of eroticism coming from them and it was not all because of their own recent fight. Corrma said, "Are you going to 'chastise' them?" The Tomma word actually meant the treatment that the older adults did to the girls of this age to promote civilised thinking. "I do not want to hurt the girls but I do not think it is right to attack people in the village with clubs, especially where there are two of them. I was hoping that you would do this for me?" Corrma smiled and so did Magga. "I would but they did not attack me. You have to do it." She read my own feelings about this and added, "You cannot talk to them. It will never work. You are a weak male that does not have to be listened to." I looked at the nearby male and said, "Tomma males look far from weak. They look strong enough to fight any woman and win." "They are weak in the fighting spirit. They only wrestle so they do not hurt each other. A young girl listens to her father when she is young but not later." "Is this man one of their fathers?" "He is father to both." I walked over to the large Tomma then and said, "Greetings, I am called Wally." "I am called Asmal." "Corrma has told me that the two on the ground are your daughters." "They are." "I want you to know that I will do my best to not damage them. They attacked me and I simply wish to make sure they understand that what they did was wrong. I am not seeking vengeance." The man looked at me and I tried to get even more calm as my thoughts were read. "I see that. You want to keep them though." "I need cadets. I will ask the village if I may have them. Only if they agree will this happen." The girls were screaming all the time and even more now. They both had the effrontery to ask their father to save them. Eventually Asmal said, "I love my daughters. I want them to grow to be happy women. Corrma had not said so but I see that she is far happier than when she used to live here. I would like them to go but I would also like to see them in forty days to see if they are happier." "I can do that Asmal. I would invite you to come with us too so you can see the process." "That sounds interesting but my place is here with my family." "Would you visit with us for a day once in a while? Your duties are not that stringent." "It may be interesting to visit the city but the visit depends on if you can control my daughters then get permission for them to leave." "You may visit me no matter what. The permission that had to be received before is no longer in force." "I may come. How are you going to proceed with my daughters now?" "I would like some slippery liquid and some clean water to wash them." "We do not use that." "I will. In the culture I came from, we are more gentle. This has not always been the case but it is now. I wish to cause as little pain as possible." "I sympathise with you. A man does not chastise a youth very often. In fact, I have never seen it done. We are rarely attacked. They must want you very much." The two on the ground denied this and both Corrma and Magga laughed. Corrma said, "They want children by you Wally. If they had to, they would force you to do that. Now tell me what you need." Ten minutes later I had the girls near the river and laying on a bed of reeds. Corrma handed me buckets of water and I threw the contents onto the girls. I was not dainty in doing so because this would hurt the girls' standing within the community. When I was done I crushed some more reeds and put the girls in this dryer section by dragging the rope that went around the back of their necks. Asmal brought a clay bowl of animal fat with both hands. It was done as near to a ceremony as I had seen the Tomma perform. "I think you Asmal for this gift." "It is nothing. It is to help a friend." I put out my right arm and grasped his forearm as he did mine. He was worried about his daughters but not so much now. "Friend Asmal, will you tell me the names of your beautiful and strong daughters?" "The one who leads is Marok. She is very intelligent but headstrong like all females. She is also very loyal. Dalk is slightly younger. She too is intelligent but foolish. She just has to be told of an outrageous idea and she will do it." The two girls were cursing their father and me for what was said and had not quieted down except when water was thrown on them for cleaning. I said, "I'll start with Marok. Dalk can see how she is led astray and what happens from doing that." I bent down to Marok and said, "I am sorry we had to meet this way. I do this with no hate. I want you with me but not as mates." "I never wanted to be your mate. You are only a stupid male fit only for fun if you last long enough." "I will last this time." I looked at Dalk now. "I think you would make beautiful mothers one day. Your children would be strong and as beautiful as their mothers." "You are a fool. When I get the chance I will hit you with my club." "Then I will have to watch my back." She screamed, "I will attack you from in front." This was not the way she had done it last time but a frontal attack was the way of a warrior if they were good. I bent down and took some fat on my fingers and started to caress Marok's mound. She fought me as I did this. Asmal said, "Friend Wally, this process works much better if you use the lower passage. The lesson is learned better and hurts no more." The Tomma anus stretched a lot even for one that had not had a hand in their previously. My mates loved this too and came even more violently. It was only because of the smell that I did this less often. "Thank you Asmal. I will follow your advice." Marok screamed her disapproval but it was no stronger or weaker than what I had originally wanted to do. Marok moved further away from me as I worked on her anus but Asmal just happened to be standing in the way and she could get no further. I used two hands now. One hand caressed Marok's clit while I slowly worked into her anus. Minutes later Marok was quiet and so was Dalk. The first had two involuntary orgasms and now wiggled to help me. It took longer to get in but I managed to get there. Her anus closed up about my wrist and I moved slowly back and forth until she orgasmed on just this arm. My other arm was caressing Dalk's clit. Her rope was now slack because she was trying to give me more room. My fingers got more grease and I went back to work on her anus. She wiggled just like Marok so I could get into her. A few minutes later I had a hand in each girl and moving back and forth. Marok was out of it now and just responding to my actions. After a few more orgasms, Dalk was the same way. "Marok, Dalk. You two have done wrong by attacking me with clubs. That is the way of a wilful child and not a warrior woman. That was a cowardly attack on a male that you wanted to father your next child." I repeated this in different ways in this hypnotic technique that I had so much experience listening to. Later I went onto the proper conduct of a woman warrior. By now the two girls were orgasming in unison. The Tomma around me found this time good to relieve their own tensions but strangely Asmal and I were not aroused. This was important to me and I did not want to do this incorrectly because of the consequences involved. It was only after I was finished that I continued to give the girls more pleasure that I started to react. Asmal was kneeling now and caressing the heads of the girls. He gave me a smile of encouragement because I had done this to his satisfaction. I pulled out of Marok first and then Dalk. Their holes closed up quickly but their legs stayed in place for more. I walked a little ways away and cleaned my arms. There was some soap there probably left for me. I washed my arms and hands then returned to get Marok. I untied the ropes and carried the twitching body to the river and set her into the warm water to clean her. When she was laid down in a new and clean area I did the same thing for Dalk. When I brought her back, I set her laying down on Marok in the 69 position. It was no different than the way many of the Tomma were now. Asmal and I went for a walk. He said, "You were very careful with my daughters. I thank you for that." "They are part of my family too Asmal. You are the same. Female Tomma are crazy but we love them anyway. They need to be protected but allowed enough room to grow." "We have been doing this for a long time. The All Mother must have had a great joke as she formed us. Our women though are kinder than they used to be." "Kinder? I cannot think of them being more warlike." "Let me tell you what it used to be like." When we left the village a few hours later, we had a thoroughly remorseful Marok and Dalk along with three more girls and two boys. The two girls though were acting oddly and looked at me the way human girls did. I figured it had to do with me besting them in the fight. We needed more boys in the city to take the pressure off the girls and the boys were much more of a stabilising influence. Corrma did not help by the way she held me during the short flight. She did not act like a warrior at all and much more like a human female in love even if she was pregnant with our third child. That was ok too because I loved her too. Corrma chose another of my mates and took the children under her wing as she prepared them to make a ship for themselves to protect their planet. Walt was acting like Rontem still. He attacked my softhearted decisions publicly so the Tomma and Aristis knew that I did not follow what Rontem prescribed. I had to deal with the few remaining intransigent Aristis soldiers still in the field. He wanted them killed immediately. We made it seem very dangerous for me as I interposed my body to get the Aristis to side with me rather than be destroyed from orbit. One large group of nearly two hundred soldiers were the last major collection of men. I talked to them in person under a parley flag. They did not want to budge and Walt launched a kinetic weapon at the camp and at me. I ordered the mass of ceramic destroyed but not before the Aristis saw it coming. "I have defied our king. Join me now or the whole planet will die." It took less than a minute and I had to destroy one more ceramic projectile then beg Rontem for forgiveness because I had done what I set out to do. I was ordered to the Fonduush. The family was all worried about me and so was most of the planet. My dual personality was the only way I could manage this task. I had to act petrified but loyal. Walt cut off communications but I had to undergo a form of voluntary torture and let my feelings leak out through telepathy. I came back a wreck two days later and took a few days to recover. I now had the majority of the planet behind me. Using this deceit was not the way I wanted but the only way to pave the way to a day when the Aristis and Tomma could say goodbye to King Rontem. We were given five more pods of finished crystals and four months of time before we detected a small fleet of ships approaching our planet. The Fonduush stayed back and one small automated ship left to see who they were. Walt as King Rontem, was frothing at the proverbial mouth wanting an instant attack while I counselled a wait and see attitude. Walt let me win but berated me for my poor judgement. We were all worried if I had to have another torture session as punishment. This was all at a time when our lives would be in danger. The drone streaked toward the approaching ships at the speed of our best missiles. As it did so it broadcast a warning in all the known languages to stop. The drone sent back images of what it saw to us. As we got more and more readings I saw that they had to be Wikki ships. I had not expected this. I figured they would be the Aristis we chased off the planet or some other group of Aristis looking for a fight. The approaching ships did veer off but just enough to meet the demands of the drone. There were seven ships of the cruiser class and eight corvettes. Any three could take the Fonduush on one of our good days and two could usually do the job. All of us were worried. Wesley led the computer family in ideas. Those thoughts were not steeped in reaction. Walt eased up on the Rontem persona and tried to act more fearfully than usual. This was easy to see but all of us were that way. We mustered all of our forces and moved them off planet. The children were taken from the ships and moved to the villages even if they were Aristis. The cities were still prime targets. Our academy was evacuated in case it was seen as a military target. My mates were in the worst shape because they were nearly due to deliver. I could take none out of the ships even with direct orders. It took only a few minutes for communications to be directed to the drone. They basically asked who we were. I answered through the probe because Rontem would have answered normally. I had to balance my previous lies against the reality that was now. "My name is Wally Kiefer. I am the administrator of this planet under the orders of our King Rontem. We are composed of three related races. The Tomma is the old race. The Aristis branched off and so did the humans. We are now living a fairly peaceful existence after some misunderstandings. We are not at war with the Wikki though we will fight to protect ourselves." "Rontem is an old enemy. He has committed crimes against our race and that of others. The Aristis and your king must be surrendered to us." "Few of the Aristis that fought you are still alive. I will not surrender them or their decedents under any condition." "You are not Aristis?" "No, I am human." "How does a human gather so much authority?" "By doing the will of our king and doing it to the best of my ability." "Come out and talk to us in person." "Why?" "Your intentions can be deduced by your thoughts. There will be a truce between our forces unless we are attacked. If you do not come we will continue as we were going to do and destroy your ability to wage war against us." I had to think for a moment. All of the major computers had my ego in them even if Garbo's had not emerged yet. If I died then they could carry on. There was no way we could fight off a force this large without killing all our ships then destroying all our assets on the planet. Earth was not immune as the Wikki would go there too to remove any Aristis they may find. "I will come under those conditions." There was a lot of opposition. Everybody from my mates to the soldiers thought this a bad idea. I had to fight even harder to get a ship to come and pick me up. It actually came from the Fonduush. Instead of going to see the Wikki, I went to the Fonduush to ostensibly have a private discussion with King Rontem. A long awaited plan could now be put into place. Walt played a mad Rontem very well. He ranted and raved at me and then gave me conflicting instructions including the possible surrendering of some of the old guard that had fought the Wikki at his orders. Three small explosions rocked the ship and Rontem's insanity abruptly stopped. I rushed through the ship to the computer and found a ruptured opening into the computer room. An inner shield had been installed and there was no damage on the other side. Rontem's processor crystal was destroyed. The crew came charging in to help. I called for a large crystal be brought from stores. Zelenka asked, "What happened? We saw no missiles." "Our king is now dead. He was unstable and going to kill all of us." "How did it happen?" "I did it." "You!" Her hand automatically went for her weapon but she did not draw it. "How could you do this?" "He was crazy. If we have to fight the Wikki, it is going to be with a functional computer. I will not have my family die needlessly for a person that died centuries ago." "He was our king." "You have a new one now. He loves you and our children." I had to wait as she thought on this and then conversed with the other Tomma on the ship then on the planet. In a moment her arms went around my neck and she hugged me. I could feel the fear coming from her in waves. For the next few hours I repaired the damage and installed the new crystal. I was not bothered by the Wikki, thankfully. The personality that appeared was Walt's and it was easy to see how much more efficient he was. The damage I made was being repaired as I left in a small ship to meet the Wikki fleet. I was met by a small ship, no longer than a hundred metres. When I got out, I found the bay cool compared to the planet's surface. It also had a distinctive smell that made me uncomfortable. The Wikki were here, though only three of them. Their shape reminded me of spiders that massed about two hundred kilos. The eyes were in the central body. There were eight major legs and two minor ones used for feeding and minor manipulation. There was a coarse white hair over their bodies that stuck up like a sea urchin's spines. They were not mammals but they were not spiders either. They just looked like them. The ultrawave brought me no information but I could detect their fear. This was surprising. There was some dialogue but it was not directed at me and it was not audible. It had to be a form of telepathy. The information about the Wikki I had suggested this but did not go into detail. I could see through their walls and found seventy three more individuals. One area seemed to be an arboretum with a lot of vines but could have been a latrine for all I knew. My link with my people was not cut off though the Wikki should be able to do this if they chose. "I am Wally Kiefer," I said in my best Aristis. Words came to my communicator but I did not know who spoke. "Remain still as you and your ship are scanned." There was no sense arguing so I did as I was asked. Somebody asked, "What is it that you carry?" They knew what it was but not the information. "Data." "What kind?" "I will speak with your leaders about this." "That is not acceptable." "Are your leaders frightened of one unarmed human in their own ship?" The Wikki were a hive mentality but it was not known how tightly formed it was. There may be a lot of independent thought as there may be a supreme leader and a lot of drones to carry out the orders. "Fear is not a factor. There is no need for a meeting." "I came here without weapons. I will speak to your leaders directly. I also know that fear is a factor because I can detect it." "How is this?" "The Tomma are telepathic just as your race is. I can hear with my mind, some of your speech but not the ideas. Your leaders and I may be able to communicate directly." There was a lot of fear now and I did not understand why. "That is not acceptable." "You have my word that I will not attack unless I am attacked. I will only talk to your leaders about our mutual business. Now it is time for the Wikki to trust at least in a small way." I just stayed and waited but nothing further was said. The Wikki were still very busy communicating and I was sure they were trying to find a way into my mind or perhaps to communicate in this medium. I did not hinder, in fact I assisted where I could. Telepathy had become easy to me but I was not born with the ability. In time the fear diminished but did not disappear. I started to use the communicator that would work through their computer. We could converse with words but not telepathically. Nouns were given in Aristis and I would think the same word with an image or two to go with it. I was surprised that after a period of time my own fear diminished too. At two hours I went back to the word water and tried to indicate that I wished some. Since I used my limbs they worked harder on this after their increased fear subsided. Twenty minutes later I was offered a beaker with two litres of water in it. I drank half of it then said, "Thanks." During the next two hours I drank the remainder of the water and then went back into the pod to remove what it had displaced. The fear now had not risen much. We had progressed a lot. They were now using the translator to feed me words and I gave them back images that the words brought to me. The static that came to me as their attempts to communicate got 'louder'. They may be tired and trying harder or I was receiving better. The Wikki changed personnel one at a time but it was only me. With a lot of difficulty I got them to move so I could sit in the hatchway to my pod. I drank a plastic flask of bosta and offered another three bottles to my hosts. They did not want to come near but my talk about fear and trust brought one close to take a bottle. I figured this individual was the least important of the group. The others came after the first returned safely. One bottle was taken away to be analysed. In a moment the least important one opened the bottle and brought it close to what I figured was its nose. A digit went into the flask and then into the creature's mouth. There was talk about this but I did not know what was said. I had a few breaks were I stretched but soon enough I said, "I have to talk to my people and then get some sleep. I will continue this in half of a unit of time." By the communicator I got, "We will comply." Our own people were still upset. They had another invasion, an old king killed and a new one off on the ship of an enemy. I gave the facts to them dispassionately but was warm to my family and friends where I could. I communicated to Walt as if he was a new friend and he did the same. A computer was supposed to pick up these sort of things quickly. Going to sleep was not as difficult as I thought. After I woke up I did my stretches a few exercises and then ate. The Wikki were still there but now I noticed that the sea urchin look had gone and the white hair was now laying flat on their body. That feature must coincide with the amount of fear they felt. We began again but after two hours I said, "I would like to see your ship. The Aristis have recorded information but I would like to see one with my own eyes." There was a long delay as my request passed up the line but in ten minutes I heard, "Follow us." The rest of the ship looked no different from ours apart from the higher ceiling and the wider corridors and hatches. The smell that bothered me so much was back again and much stronger but it was not as objectionable. I looked through the walls to find that there was no bridge but there was an emergency and manual way of steering the ship. The computer looked to be a 92 though a similar Aristis ship would have at least a 90 if not an 86. There were a lot of missiles but I could not see enough data to know how good they were. They showed me the mess hall first but there were only six Wikki. These had their pelt down and I figured that these were some of those that I had already met. They showed me empty barracks. The Wikki were staying away from me as if I were the plague even though they had to know that I had no disease that would bother them. When we came close to the arboretum I made a fuss and wanted to change course. I just stayed put until they got permission to open this door. The scent inside was overpowering and also the smell that permeated the ship. "May I enter? I only wish to observe." I figured what this place was now. "You may enter but watch where you put your feet." "I will not harm your young." The young were very young and moved over the ground, up the trees and on the vines to the walls were they seemed to live in artificial caves. The young had disappeared at our approach but came out a few minutes later. "Your young are much more agile than my children. Ours are completely dependent upon their parents for the first year then they begin to fend for themselves. I doubt if many would survive without parents if they were less than eight." "Ours need little assistance to survive." "Do the Wikki have an emotional attachment with each other, with their progeny or with their mates?" "We have studied the Aristis extensively but we still do not understand them. Is this something to do with the word love?" "Yes. The word love has many meanings. This is why you may have had problems. I do not know much about Wikki biology. Is there a type of bonding between the male and the female?" It took a while as if this were top secret until I heard, "There is a sort of bond." "Is there a similar bond between a parent and their offspring?" "There is very little at first but the emotion grows as the young grow and prosper." I said, "That was true of humans once. So many infants died young that it hurt to give so much love to a child that would probably die." "That is so with us now." The young Wikki came out and raced about looking for food. The tree provided leaves which they ate. The tree would have been stripped in a few days except that it had a lot of new leaves sprouting all the time. The young Wikki fought among themselves but it was not the playful variety like kittens because I saw the dead on the soil covered deck. The young from my records were born alive and in large numbers. They fought each other and the young of other parents until only the most hearty survived. I looked into the trees and saw many individual battles taking place. Most of the young died quickly from the venom injected into them. Their small minds just blanked out and they fell to the deck. While looking up. I felt the fear of one falling. To have the fear it had to not be dying. I moved quickly as I crushed the bodies of the dead young under my feet to catch the youngster. My hands moved with the body to cushion the fall. The youngster was brought up so I could look at it in the cup of my hand. I could feel its pain and its fear. There was something wrong. Turning to the adult Wikki I said, "This one is injured. Do you allow the young to be healed?" "You should have let it die in the fall." "It may not have died but only been in worse pain." "Let it die. That is our way." I felt some link to this young life and said, "I will keep this life safe. Take me back to my ship." There was a lot more silent discussion. I plucked some leaves and offered them to the young Wikki. It took a moment before it curled its legs and then began to eat. Eventually I heard, "The life you hold is yours. Our young are not rational and will try to kill you. Our agreement does not cover your foolishness." "I would like more leaves to feed this one and perhaps seeds for the tree so that she can eat later on our planet." "How is it that you know that this one is female?" "I am not sure. It is more of a feel I have." I stared at the creature that had the body the size of a chicken's egg. The Wikki was not a mammal but it did bear its young alive though it looked like a spider. I studied the internal organs and saw what I figured was a female's reproduction tract. I also saw three damaged legs and two were broken. The skin was broken in a few places and bleeding. I used a little of my PK to close some of the larger wounds and give them a chance to clot. The creature pissed on me now and I found the source of the strong smell. I used an artificial stream to wash my palm without wetting the young Wikki too much. Before I left, I was able to pluck more leaves and put them in my pockets for later. We continued our tour while I asked more about the care and feeding of the young Wikki. They were now angry at me instead of fearing me but I was not too worried yet. I did find out that most of the Wikki born were actually neutered with a resemblance to females much like bees. I may have a 'queen' or a 'worker' but it really did not matter. We did view the area just inside the hull and saw that it was little different than what we did now. The drive and shield crystals were close together making this ship as fast as ours and as difficult to kill. The inertial compensator was in the centre of the ship and shrouded by heavy fields. Here it looked like the Wikki had done better than we had. Instead of staring I moved on. Staying in one place may give them the idea that I could see through walls or shields. The nursery could be explained by the structure of destroyed Wikki ships the Aristis had recorded or by the smell. We saw the gym which looked very odd to me but the Wikki must love it. There was no kitchen because the food replicators did the job from vats of chemicals. It was not much different from the Aristis but they were much simpler. I noticed that one of the cargo bays had a large canister of what I figured was antimatter. This could be used for fuel or warheads but there was a great deal of this material and it was not packaged for extracting. It was more along the lines of a bomb that could be propelled toward a large object and released. Our sun or even a sister planet would be good targets. The latter would probably kill everybody on Cralto from falling planetary fragments or solar radiation. When we got back to my pod I retrieved my toolkit and laid the baby Wikki on some spare clothes which was now on the deck of the ship. I got on my knees and searched its small mind and squeezed the arteries just enough to put it to sleep. I then worked on the broken bones in front of the other Wikki as if they were medical students. They did not mind being close now because they were learning. My own med unit was not calibrated for a life as different as the Wikki so I did not use it. With some thread and the leaf stems I made a splint of the two broken legs. The bones had to be put back in place again but there was more of a chance they would stay put now. The other leg may have been bitten off and there was nothing I could do about it. I heard, "How did you know which legs to splint?" "I enjoy talking to you but I do not know who I am speaking to. Kindly wave an arm when you first speak so I know who to address. To answer your question, it is just a feeling. If I knew the Wikki well then I could just feel your pain and know what is wrong but I am not at that point yet." The Wikki at my right waved an arm. "Why do you wish to feel our pain?" "The Aristis are driven to win at all competitions. They think only of themselves. Some humans and Tomma know how it feels to lose. We can smile with the victor but we can cry with the loser too. Winning is not always everything." The little Wikki woke up and sniffed at the stems. It could not reach them very well to remove them. I rolled the stem of a leaf near its face and it attacked and ate the leaf and forgot the odd feeling on its legs. ------- Chapter 43 "This little one is an example. She was in pain and I felt it. I thought of myself as the one that fell and wanted to be rescued. It may not be a completely sane attitude from your point of view but humans are odd." "Tell me about humans." "That is a long and complicated subject. Do you wish to take all that time?" "I believe it is important." "Are you one of the leaders I asked to talk to?" "How did you know?" "You talked about yourself in the first person. What is your name?" The Wikki gave a name but only part of it was verbal. Part of the name referred to a grotto. I said, "Your name is long. Do you have a much shorter version that is only verbal?" "No. We do not do that." "I am not a Wikki. I will always get your name wrong no matter how long I try. May I call you Grotto. This means a small cave that can be in a park." "I will accept this from you." "Then call me Wally. All my friends do." "Not Wallykiefer?" "My name is in two parts. Wally and then Kiefer. Wally is the short form." I started to talk about humans. I gave the good points then the bad. I talked how they were good individually but crazy in groups. I talked about intelligence of an individual and how easy a group was fooled by a politician. This opened the can of worms about elections and the so-called democratic process. We broke for lunch and I said, "Grotto, can an Aristis eat your food without problems?" "We have had prisoners that have eaten our food until their own machinery was repaired or they died." "Humans should digest the same food. Will you invite me to eat in your cafeteria?" "We can do this but it will upset the crew." "Can we be brought food?" "That is easily done but why eat our food?" "To learn. I can get the data from our food replicators sent to you. One of the emergency foods I already offered you. Was it dangerous for a Wikki to eat this?" "No, but it did not taste good." "It tasted good to me the first time I tried it but the Aristis are close to being like humans. We drink coffee and beer and both take a bit of getting used to before they are enjoyed." We talked about food. The Wikki were omnivorous but they never had real flesh. It always came out of a replicator. I talked about drugs and this was because of the caffeine in coffee and the alcohol in beer. The food came in and I used something like a spoon to eat my puree of something green. It tasted like spinach but I still ate it all. The Wikki seemed to enjoy their meal. After the meal, Grotto asked, "How is it that you could get the information sent from your food replicators? Your king would not allow that." "King Rontem was vicious when he was in a biological body. The transference into a computer was not complete, causing more of an unstable personality. When you came he wanted to attack right away even if it meant all of our deaths. We are not defenceless as we may seem but we would lose. "I was summoned to the Fonduush for a consultation. He was prepared to sacrifice some of the original Aristis crew. He was going to harm our community. "Long ago I knew that the intelligence in the computer was going to endanger all of us so I made plans to remove it. I do not take killing easily. When your people came, I knew it was necessary to destroy Rontem. Explosives were planted near the computer room and I destroyed Rontem before coming here. A new identity had been waiting all along and this was placed in charge." "You left your ship defenceless?" "I did not destroy the computer but just the main processor. Please wait here a moment." I got up slowly and retrieved a sack and put it near Grotto. "That is what became of King Rontem." "How can we be sure of this?" "Get your computer to talk to the Fonduush. The former computer was a 72. I improved it with Rontem in it. You will find that it is now a 62." "That much processing power in one ship?" "Sure, that means that more people can use the computer at one time without overloading it." "Having a more powerful computer does not mean that Rontem is dead." "That is true. Rontem would not be able to act sane for long and I doubt if he would allow another computer entity to take over to trick you. The best answer again is to talk to the computer. Another is to ask the computer who I am now." "What do you mean?" "Rontem would never allow anybody else to be called king while he was still around to prevent it." "You are the new king?" "Yes." "You put yourself into our custody?" "I have some data crystals. Read them and you will see what I mean. I would not have done what I did if I did not see something good in the Wikki." I brought out the information. It talked about everything I knew since meeting Nadac. My abilities were downgraded or portions not mentioned. My intrigues were mentioned only if they furthered my cause but I tried to appear clean. Everything up to a few days ago was put in the file except the location of earth but that they may simply find. Grotto and one other left but two came in to take their place while we went about the communication lessons trying to talk telepathically. When it came near time for sleep, Grotto had not returned. I could see a lot of Wikki standing in a trance as if they were soldiers getting orders. They must all be doing some heavy duty thinking. That made me think of computers and I looked in the Wikki bodies in front of me to see what they used. I found their brain and saw that it was too small to contain all the intelligence I had seen. These Wikki were not that bright but Grotto was. This reminded me of how I used Gorbo, Walt, Wayne or Wesley except that I had a communicator and it did not look like the Wikki had one. Telepathy grew in importance now and I studied their minds trying to see what I could not in an Aristis, Tomma or human. I looked at the inertial compensator of the ship from this position and could not see enough of the details. From here it looked the same as ours. I slept that night with the small ship's computer making sure that my little friend did not escape her cave. Her bite was still deadly and I did not want to get nipped by accident. My hosts were ready for me once more when I awoke. My own guest was still sleeping. I looked at all three adults carefully and said, "Good morning. I hope I did not deprive you of your sleep?" There was no reply so I asked, "Will one of you ask, the one I call Grotto, when he will return?" Again there was no answer but in half of a minute I heard, "I will be free in half of a unit of time Wally." "I will await anxiously for your return. I would like to talk about Wikki physiology when we return. Most of it is for my own guest but the topic is interesting. I will allow you access to the humans body functions." There was a pause and he said, "That may be interesting for me too." An hour later I had a sip of bosta and checked on my mini Wikki. She was not awake and now I was worried. She slept very little at a time and napped when she needed it. I called out, "Walt, please send a file describing human physiology to my position. Request the comparable Wikki file. I have a small Wikki in my care that does not seem to be doing so good. She had one of her legs nipped off in a fight and two of her legs were broken and now splinted. "State that the human file is not large because we were not discovered until recently and little effort was put into research up to this time." "I will do as ordered, my King." There was a reason for this type of reply but most of me did not like the way it would distance me from those I knew. When I put my finger down to touch the small body it twitched. The body shifted toward my hand. It took a second to find that she was following one of my fingers. I pulled the hand back and smelt my own fingers. My smelling was good but probably not as good as the tiny hunter. I went back over my actions recently and deduced that it must be a small amount of bosta on my fingers. "Walt, did you get the file I requested from the Wikki?" "It is being transmitted, my king." "Search through it to find the possible effects of bosta on an immature Wikki. She finds the smell interesting." "I will call one way or another, my King." One of the Wikki raised an appendage and said, "Why do you worry about one so young?" "I see potential in the young. One day this young one may be important. Perhaps I will learn to communicate with her. This would mean that I may be able to communicate with the rest of the Wikki or that you could communicate with my tiny friend. This brings about an understanding between different people." "Do you see us as people?" This had to be the group mind speaking through this individual. "You are a different shape but our goals and methods of reaching them are not that dissimilar. I think you must find my body form repulsive. I felt that way about your form too when I first came here but I know that the Wikki are just people like me and wearing a different body." There was no answer so I just waited. Eventually Walt said, "My lord, the bosta should not harm the young Wikki. There is no direct evidence but nothing in it is detrimental to the being. I suggest giving it only a little to see how it reacts." "Thanks Walt. I'll try it your way." I poured a drop into my palm. I wanted my scent to be mixed with that of the food and this may prevent this simple creature from poisoning me later. The Wikki got up and crawled into my hand and squatted down with difficulty due to its splints and lapped up the liquid with its tongue. I asked the group in front of me, "Do the young Wikki drink water or other liquids?" The reply came, "The young are provided with water but usually they get their moisture from the leaves they consume." The Wikki was looking for more to drink. I worked hard and I felt what I thought was thirst. Water may be good but bosta had many good ingredients in it. I went with more bosta and poured more into my palm. The little one drank it all and then settled down to rest in my palm. I moved my palm over to where she was resting and the little creature became frightened. I knew it was going to bite and I yelled, "No!" She stopped as if stunned and I was able to get her off of my hand without me being bitten. "Walt, how much poison will a young Wikki with a three centimetre body expel during a bite? How would that effect me?" "The bite is estimated to be 80 to a 130 microlitres. Multiple bites are usually the case with volumes up to 460 microlitres. A single bite you may survive but you would suffer from considerable pain and necrosis. I am currently working on preparing an antidote." "Thanks Walt." I looked at the tiny life near me. She had been frightened by my outburst but had now gotten over it. I gave her more of the leaves and in a moment she started to eat them. This one needed a name. I liked Silver but that was used as a horse already. The Aristis word 'Vos' meant the same thing. I went back to my efforts to communicate with the Wikki. We had more breaks for food and even some exercise. Vos was a lot more mobile now and I gave her more of the bosta to drink but also offered water. She preferred the former. Her broken bones were inspected. They were healing well. The appendage that was chewed off was starting to regrow so she would be as good as new eventually. I asked, "Can any of you communicate with this young one I call Vos?" The reply was, "This creature is too young to communicate." "I think you may be mistaken. When she was frightened she was going to bite me. I commanded her not to and she complied. That means she understood. What do you make of this?" "The creature was just stunned by the strength of the communication. It would be the same if you had used your voice." "You may be right but I felt her pain, fear, hunger and thirst. I think the communication is more than one way." Much later Grotto came back. We talked of inconsequentials for a few moments then he said, "We have studied the data you gave us. Your home planet is not shown in a good light. It is very backwards." "You received the truth. Understanding cannot be based on lies." "The data shows that you are restricting all the technology from your planet. That seems to be a good idea until they mature. Your academy and Star Fleet intrigue us. Where do you see this going?" "Star Fleet has to have more than the three basic Tomma races. At some future date I would like to have members of the Wikki and other races join us. We learn from each other. With members in our organisation, you will not have reason to fear us. I fear that humans will not fare well for a long time and I do not want any one race to dominate the system. "Over time our code of conduct will be understood. You may not agree with it all but you will know where we stand. I want competition the way you do with your young but like little Vos, I do not want the competition to always be to the death. At some time that failed competitor may provide an insight to a problem we cannot envision now." Grotto said, "The Wikki may not do well in small units." "I already figured that out. You are a group consciousness with some of you more intelligent on your own. We have not talked about the Tomma yet and I believe they too have this facility but theirs is not linked to their conscious minds." I could detect some excitement now. "They have a queen?" "Not that I know of. They have their All Mother and her sisters. They are the focus of their religious ideas. The Tomma have a lot of competition bred into their race. They fight all the time but try not to kill. They treat their planet with respect. The Tomma communicate better than you and I do now but in their own band of telepathic thought. The males soon die if they leave the planet's vicinity. The females can go for a longer time but they suffer too. "I feel that the Wikki communicate the same way and it is the group consciousness that dictates what direction your race will take. The Tomma do not have aspirations for regaining space. My mates follow me though and so do many more Tomma. The All Mother is weak and gives little direction other than to be good to their planet." Grotto asked, "Can we speak to this All Mother?" "I have no idea. I have never tried nor have I heard of anybody else that has done so. We can give it a try. The trouble is that we may have to trust me now. I want to go back to Cralto to do it and you will have to trust me even though I look hideous to you." "Why do we have to go to the planet?" "I'm human. At best I know only a little about telepathy. I am learning but not very fast. It is the Tomma and the Wikki that know a lot more. I introduce a few of you to a few of my family. The Tomma will do a much better job than me and we both will learn. "If there is deceit on my part, then there are only a few Wikki involved. You do not have to go because I know that you all work as a unit." Grotto said, "The Tomma could come here?" "Yes, but I showed good faith by coming here. Now it is only three low ranking Wikki that can show that your race is not that full of fear. The rest of the planet meets you and they are less fearful. I am not after war and I do not think the Wikki wish that either." There was a pause that lasted five minutes then Grotto said, "We will do this but the Fonduush must get close to our ships." "Grotto, you are showing unreasonable fear. We both stand at a threshold. I am important to my family and to the planet yet I came here. I do not think that three Wikki need that kind of insurance. If it were your queen I would not only do as you wish but also allow you to place an equal number of Wikki on the Fonduush. Your queen is not visiting, is she?" Grotto just looked at me then said, "Our queen is not here." "Then why must you demand so much security? I displayed trust and now it is the time for the Wikki to do the same thing." There was a shorter pause then he said, "Three of our number will go to your planet." I waited for more details and when none came I said, "Then we have both taken a step together." We made details and then involved both Walt and Garbo in the discussion. I then called in my family and told them what was happening. They already knew from their link to Walt but now they knew officially. We did not leave for another day. The mates wanted to clean up and I was sure that the Wikki had probes on the planet checking to see exactly what the preparations were about. Grotto transmitted the usual protocols that the Wikki used when meeting other races as well as other data that would allow us to understand each other. Garbo transmitted how our people may act and what was the suitable reply. Fear I knew was going to be on both sides. As I prepared to leave, I said to Grotto, "Vos has healed surprisingly fast. I think part of the reason is the bosta that she drinks. It is supposed to promote our healing and replenish our energy. I think your people should study this. It may be good for your people that cannot make it to a med unit." "We have noticed that too. We were as surprised as you were at this discovery." I said, "Vos belongs with her people. She would be lonely by herself on Cralto. Could she be readmitted to the nursery?" "That is impossible. The young form linkages at this stage and she has not done so because she has been here. If she went back now, she would be attacked by all of the young and killed." I had to digest this then said, "Are there other Wikki young that would be allowed to accompany Vos? I am not looking at breeding but at companionship. The young are seen by me as innocent. Their presence on Cralto would show that you trust your young into our keeping even though they do not mean that much to you at this age. The result may mean that we all come to a better understanding of each other." He paused then said, "I will bring six of the young. We value their lives a great deal even though we do not show it. They will be raised in poor surroundings but we wish to see how well they relate to your people." The crew was assembled and I was introduced to the three that would go with me. They all had long names but I took portions of them and gave them the names Stream, Tree and Stone. They were all identical and I saw that their brains were not large like Grotto's. They would make an adequate means of communications though. We flew in a much smaller ship to Cralto. We went around the planet a few times before landing in Toxlo. The Wikki released a lot of drones but ours would be there first to find anybody that had some violence aimed at the Wikki. There were none but I was cautious. When the ship settled, I walked down the small ramp. There may have been cheering now but the noise would upset the Wikki. I felt good to be home and I could feel the love of my family much stronger now. There was an undercurrent of pleasure from the Tomma and I had to hope it was because I was now the king. To do what I needed to do, required a lot of authority. My mission now may get the Tomma to focus past me and my elevation to king. Rontem was very important to them. The Aristis were used to jockeying for position and I already knew that they were not opposed to me being king. There still was an undercurrent of distrust because I was not a full blood Aristis. There were a few thousand individuals about. Those with any form of arachnophobia were asked to stay away. Betts was actually the one who disliked spiders the most but also the one that tried the hardest to overcome her fears. She knew the Wikki were not spiders but their shape was very similar. Our people came forward in groups of three and then left. It was not just our people that were frightened. As soon as possible, we entered the administrative building and out of sight. I could feel the lessening of fear immediately from both groups. There was just too much propaganda spread out about the Wikki from the Aristis point of view. The Wikki knew what the Aristis troops had done and were justified in their fear too. The three Wikki were given one large room. The infants were put aside where they could exercise but not escape. If they managed to breed freely then they would become the dominant life form on the planet. Some of my mates took the small cages to get acquainted with our younger guests while I got down to business and talked to my mates. Betts was incredulous and said, "You want to talk to the subconscious of all the Tomma?" The Wikki had translators but I said through my connection, "The All Mother has to be that subconscious. There is also the matter of learning to speak telepathically with the Wikki. I have made some gains but the Tomma will do much better I think." "How are we going to do this?" "I am not sure but it will have to be with the cooperation of the Tomma." The Tomma did not have priests but they did have the occasional wise man. There was one in the city and I asked that he attend. In the meantime I talked to the Wikki and the Tomma more about my objectives. I said bluntly in point form, "I feel that the Wikki no longer mean us harm. They will not try to destroy a people that are so close to the way they are. We are now trying to come to a better understanding of each other through telepathy. Our translators miss far too much information. The All Mother is much like their own method of communication. They feel cared for and individually important to the group. This happened to me when the All Mother was called. The understanding we could gather of this network would allow a far greater understanding for both of us." My assertion that the Wikki would not attack felt right but I had no guarantee. Everybody in the room seemed to relax and this is what I was after. I added, "Stream, Tree and Stone are representatives of the Wikki mentality. When they speak they may voice their own opinions but they are more likely to be a conduit to their race, much like our All Mother." We heard, "We would like to meet your All Mother as soon as possible." There was no arm raised but in this case there was no need. Zelenka was the one who spoke at my urging, "We will try after Coota arrives. The men of our race do this much easier than the women." The Wikki were adamant but could do nothing. They were like humans in a way. In large groups they were as smart as the most vocal members regardless of their intelligence. The remainder of the mob chose to let the loud ones do the thinking for them. Here it was slightly different. There was an urge to learn from the race but the individuals here were not able to focus this demand to any degree. A person like Grotto could do that and I wished he were with us. Coota arrived and the old man was ushered into our group. He was a simple man and felt out of his depth. The girls got him to sit with them as they took over the direction. It was a Tomma ritual. Coota did not need to stand but he did become the focus of the minds. I saw the trend and tried to help with my own mind but I was also afraid that I would ruin it. At the funeral it happened almost spontaneously but we had to work at it here. The effect grew and grew as more power came to us. I felt humbled now and not just warm and fuzzy. It was as if the All Mother before was busy and just gave us a passing glance at the funeral. Now she was taking a very active interest in this meeting. I felt as if I were in the presence of a giant mind of unimaginable power. The mind though tried to protect us but also wanted to learn. The touch may have been delicate but there was too much power behind the manoeuvring. My mind was brushed as if demanding an upload of data which I freely gave. The Wikki collapsed and now looked like spiders at rest. They actually twitched. They were communicating so quickly that it was just a blur. The Tomma were holding each other as I was doing. All of a sudden the All Mother disappeared as if the effort had strained her. It took a few minutes before we could move. I was tired as if we had provided the power for this manifestation. The Wikki were still squatting as if in sleep. I cast my mind out and felt fatigue throughout the city. It did not feel right to use the communicator now so I said telepathically, "Coota, tell me what has happened." Coota had to gather his thoughts then said, "The All Mother came and looked into the minds of our guests. I do not know for sure but she is working on how she has to... negotiate with these beings. They are much different than the way she and her sisters are. Strangers such as the Wikki mean a major change and the All mother may not wish to alter her ways." He seemed to be finished so I said, "Does anybody else have an opinion?" I looked at Betts and she said, "I did not grasp much of that and can't really help." We all waited on the Wikki but they did not stir. I used my communicator and called Grotto, "Grotto, what have you found? Your people here appear to be sleeping." It took a few minutes and I was worried if Grotto had been knocked insensible too. He finally said, "We are working on the data. The All Mother is powerful but different from the way the Wikki are. We could not give her all the information she wanted because we are not in contact with the rest of our race. She did not seem to be antagonistic and we both were interested in learning more about the other." I said, "I felt the need to learn more. One of our wise men said that the All Mother may have to make some changes now that she has met the Wikki. I am afraid that this may mean the same for the Wikki." There was no answer as if I was talking to a computer now. The Wikki recovered a few hours later. I was worried that I would have to place them on their ship and take them back for medical attention. I did not get much from them other than they would like to rest. I checked the rest of the family and found them only tired. Wesley said from earth that some of my children felt oddly when the All Mother came. He too was very interested and through him the rest of the computer family. The little Wikki were just the same as they had been before but now they hunted insects. They were in a much less sterile environment and seemed to enjoy it. This was a departure from the way the Wikki traditionally ate synthetic food. That night I got over my long abstinence and the girls enjoyed it. They were all heavy with child and I was careful. The younger girls wanted to join me. I left it up to my mates to find ways for this to not happen. None of the other Tomma males had as many mates nor as much responsibility. The next morning I called Grotto. He said, "Hello friend Wally. What can I do for you?" "Hello friend Grotto. I called to ask your intentions. I do not believe that you intend to war upon us. I would like to go back to regular patrols. Most of my warriors are children." "We no longer wish to harm any of your people." "Thank you, Grotto. Would it be possible for some of our people to visit your ship and do as I had done? More of your people are welcome to come here and do the same. We usually have a chance to go ashore and visit. We are offering the Wikki the same privilege." "That has to be thought on. The Wikki are usually peaceful but we also keep to ourselves. We do not mix with other races well." "The All Mother felt that she may have to change. I do not know but this wish for isolation may have to change. I doubt if it would hurt your race. Some of you are very outgoing and I enjoy your company." "Thank you for the compliment and I think you are a very interesting person too. We will think on this proposal. We have all felt the All Mother and we are less fearful now." I sent out the orders to patrol again and stand down from a war footing. Walt sent out his orders to our small fleet in the clear and asked the Wikki to patrol their area so we would not have to. They were already doing it but now it looked like we were cooperating. Two days later Grotto did come down with a dozen more Wikki. By now I had made a room for them that reflected what they would have at their home. The Wikki normally lived in the trees and I had an atrium set up with woven baskets that I hoped they would like. Grotto seemed to appreciate the effort. More wise men were summoned to help us. The Wikki had all sorts of equipment to set up that I desperately wanted to check out. They had pushed much further into the field of telepathy. The devices were presently being used to find the Tomma parameters. They had some interesting data on PK too. Garbo translated the data and put it on my internal screen. The Wikki knew more of the sixth dimension and knew that telepathy played a part in this obscure portion of the universe. In the spirit of goodwill, I was given some of this data but not all, by any means. The children had fun with the tiny Wikki. They went out and found small prey and released it near the young ones. The Wikki could jump quite high at the least provocation. While all this was going on, the Wikki and the Tomma were experimenting to find a way to communicate telepathically. They did a much better job than I had done. The Tomma infants were the best because they had little fear and were quite malleable. The Wikki also knew how important our children were to us even if they did not truly understand it. It was comical in a way to watch a full grown Wikki move a rattle, project different coloured lights, different pitches of sound or just entice a baby with food. They were making headway and Garbo predicted only a few weeks before some of us could talk directly with some of them. The All Mother was summoned and she came on schedule. This time the acquisition of data was slower but just as insistent. It seemed as if the entire population of the planet were taking an active part in this. I asked the All Mother for more information about the sixth dimension though few people asked for gifts. If it did not come then I would just have to dig for myself. To not ask was foolish. The All Mother stayed for nearly three minutes. The Wikki were getting agitated but I did nothing to help them. When the presence left, the Wikki looked worn. I hurried to Grotto but not too fast and said, "Are you alright?" "... I will be fine in a moment. It looked like I was the major conduit of information." "Would you like to rest?" "No, I am interested in the data. I have heard that to be in the presence of one of our queens is similar to what has just happened. The time before was twice as hard on the crew members sent here." We all went over the data. There were mathematical variables that I did not understand because I grasped telepathy so poorly. Garbo crunched numbers for us but he too knew little about the mathematics behind the devices in the room. Later that day I said, "Grotto, people prosper by trade. Would you trade me the instruments you brought here with you for a major computer?" "Why would you want them?" "To study telepathy." "You could make them yourself?" "I would need to study the machines then. Your techs could take one apart and I could see how the crystals are made. In return I will give you some major crystals to make a 68." "We would require at least the crystals for a 60." I could see the shift to trade now and did the same thing. "I will give you the crystals for a 66 if you give me the crystals that go into your machines." "We would have to have a machine better than a 60 for that." "Give me the machines you have here on the planet and I will provide the crystals for a 64. The Aristis have found samples of your computers but I have not seen them. Give me an 80 and I will give you the 60 you want." "An 80 is a powerful computer." "A 60 is far more powerful and able to run an entire planet." "Why do you want an 80?" "The Wikki do not make devices the same way as the Aristis or I do. I learn, which is what I want to do the most. In the process, I help your people while you help me. We may export computers one day and we may need ships, tools or facilities made for us." "The things you have asked for have a military value. This could harm my people." "What if the Star Fleet Academy wanted this and the Wikki were asked to provide young Wikki to crew the ships with humans, Tomma and Aristis? The Wikki you provide will be a source of information about what we do and how we do it. If we learn to communicate well enough I want Wikki officers to teach the cadets." "Why would we want to do that?" "You told me that your society is closed. That is a defensive posture. It is better to go out and find what is good as you are doing now and bring the information back to your people. The more Wikki going out into the universe and talking to others the more your society will benefit. At the same time we learn from your race. The fear we have for each other will diminish in time." "The Wikki cannot change that fast friend Wally." "There you are mistaken friend Grotto. Twelve Wikki that go back to their people with new ideas concerning the All Mother will change your society. Your race will not be alone anymore." "That is something that all the Wikki must decide, not me alone. We are too far away to communicate with telepathy and both ultrawave and hyperwave do not carry the thoughts the way they need to be presented." "You can deal for my original offer." "Yes, I can. You could make these machines with less effort than it takes to manufacture those powerful computers." "That is true in a way. I need to know how to make the machines. I would also like you to go home as a respected leader so that your words will be thought on more favourably." "I do not think you are trying to deceive me. What do you say to studying an 80 of ours and the machines we have here. You would then be required to make us a complete 66?" "Will I have access to your data so that I understand what I do?" "Yes." "Then we have a deal friend Grotto." The Wikki were very trusting people and Garbo got a download of all the data I asked for. I asked Wesley to send me the parts for a computer and I was going to provide one better than agreed on. I wanted the computer to be as good as the one on the Fonduush which was now a 62. Grotto directed me to the Wikki techs on one of the cruisers. I had not seen any discord before in the Wikki but I did now or at least I felt it. Grotto soon had me shuffled off to an area with much four smaller Wikki. Their body was the size of a beach ball and stood a metre tall. I said to Grotto, "Thank you for bringing me to these young ones. Old people are sometimes set in their ways and difficult to change. The youth may not have experience but they do have exuberance to make any difficult task more pleasant." "I am glad that you are satisfied friend Wally. This is the best I could do." "You did very well I feel. I thank you. My people introduce strangers though the Wikki have very few of those. Would you give me their names and tell these youngsters what I am here for?" "They know why you are here." He went through the names though and I shortened them to Tall Tree, Vine, Leaf and Stones because there already was a Stone. Grotto left to do some diplomatic repair work and I talked with the four youngsters. "What I said to Grotto was correct. I like your youth. I have a lot to learn but I may have some information to pass on to you." The first place we checked was the area for manipulating crystals. I was given limited access to the computer and used it to get an idea of what was done and then done differently. The Wikki system of measuring the power of a computer was different than the Aristis method I used. I learned that the Wikki ships had a lot more weak computers that seemed to sit well with my idea of how their civilisation was constructed. The youngsters made crystals for me and I watched. They were the lowest grade tech the Wikki had. They were quite frightened of me and I usually sat on the deck so I would not appear that tall. I was polite to them and complimented them often. We made small ultrawave communicators but after testing, we just put them aside. I made a large drone that flew around the room like an insect and I used it to tease the techs. It turned into a game. I also found that the Wikki were very quick and the drone did not respond as rapidly as it needed to. We ripped apart a small computer in the shop and we all studied it in detail. It was not a lot differences but there was some. Their substrate was not as fast as ours and we all looked for a reason to keep the Wikki variety and found none that were important enough. I called Walt and asked for some buds if there were any available. The ultrawave was standard but there was a device used to communicate telepathically. This I was very excited about but tried to hide it. The Wikki used the same basic parts but they were not in the same configuration I used. I uploaded the various computer specs I used into the main computer and the techs were given the job of finding the most efficient device. They did not have to build the device but the main computer could simulate the circuits. A furnace was fusing the material used to make processors but it was quite small. We used it anyway to make small units. Walt was making some larger crystals for me that I would use later. About six hours later I found two more Wikki in the shop and I just put them to work. The substrate was brought to me and we made tests with it to prove that it was faster. We started to make an 78 my way so it could be compared to the way the Wikki made theirs. The kids, as I now saw these Wikki, were tired but I roused them to make very heavy duty drones about six centimetres long. The units were detuned so they would be slow but able to shift orientation quickly. With all the help I had four made in an hour. Ceramic had been used to make them look like miniature corvettes. Vine seemed to be the most outgoing so I said, "Vine, I would like you to help me defeat our enemies." "What enemies are they? I am not a warrior." "We have two of the drones and the enemy are the two brave Wikki that will try to beat us in combat." They did not understand. "Vine, you will control one of the drones and I will control the other. We will work together as a team to fight two of your friends that will have the other two drones." "Why would you do this?" "It is a game. It teaches strategy and good techs will think of ways to improve these drones so they do better." "This can be simulated on the computer I am told." "To my way of thinking, your computer system is not powerful enough to allow you the time to do this if it has other duties. I do not think you were ever allowed to try that form of education but now you can." In the end I just got the four original Wikki to control the four drones and fly them around the shop. It did not take long for me to feel 'fun' in the air. It was also not long before one person sniped at another and then a war started. While the four fought I helped make more drones with the remaining kids. They were made very quickly now that they knew what they were for. These units had piezo crystals mounted in them to simulate energy weapons. When they were first used, everybody froze. "It is just a noise to help you know that an energy weapon has been fired in simulation." I then had to explain why it was installed. 'Fun' got stronger. They were winding down when my unit came into play. I managed to shoot one then they all ganged up on me. I used my own theatrics and they stopped to watch me wondering why I made the noises and acted the way I did. By the time this happened, Wesley had finished making another space opera. The Wikki had very different drives than humans so the plot had to be changed in major ways from the way we would view it. The only thing left were some of the modified uniforms and the special effects. The enemy was the Chlorins which they already fought. This was aimed at being fun but also something that could be used for Star Fleet when dealing with the Wikki recruits. Young Wikki were doing heroic deeds on the screen but at no time did the audience move a muscle. When the movie was over, Stones said, "Where did those people come from? I never saw a ship like that." I explained, "My people like to make stories. Some of them are good enough to warrant people to say the words as well as to move as the people in the story move. These people are called actors." There was no word for actor so I had to do a complicated workaround. "We do not have a lot of friends that happen to be Wikki so I asked one of our computers to fabricate a story and then make computer generated images of the Wikki playing the parts." He said, "Why did you show us... these images?" "It was the type of activity the humans would enjoy and I hoped you would to." "Why did the... actors act so oddly. They did not do what a proper person would do." "We do not understand the Wikki yet. We had to make a great many assumptions and many of them were wrong I see. If I learn what is right and what is not then the images can be made correctly." They just looked at me and I reluctantly said, "You had best go to sleep. There is a lot of work to do later." The young Wikki left. I talked to my family for a while and then I too looked to find a comfortable place to sleep. I had an air mattress and that was good enough for now. The next day I investigated the telepathic communication device with the Wikki. The different portions of the device radiated into the sixth dimension. I was given a graphical representation and saw that it was just as strong and important as the other five major dimensions. We made parts for a spare unit and found that the computer did more work than I expected. The Aristis techs were much more proficient in working on a crystal with their mind than a Wikki tech. With the sensors in place I tried to work blind in the sixth dimension. I had tried this before but had no feedback to help me. Apparently none of the Wikki could do this either and had to do a lot of fiddling to get their computers to do the work. This had been a bootstrap process. They had theorised about the effects of the sixth dimension. They then installed a crystal in a computer to help the device fabricate another similar crystal. Everything had grown from that one crystal. We were also making a computer at the same time. This kept the kids busy and interested. My mind was able to fine tune the crystals far more than the Wikki could. The kids did the rough work and I completed it. I took my time and showed them what I did and also my technique for doing it. It looked like the kids were improving noticeably by the end of the day. We even had enough done to begin the growing of the substrate. After the work was done, war broke our as I attacked some of the students shipping. I was soon out of the game but I found it interesting to just sit back and watch. These kids reminded me a lot of my own back on earth. On impulse I called Wesley and found a few of the older nine year-olds available. I found that the Wikki knew about earth from the direction of communications and the supplies that had flown here. The boys and girls wanted to take the Wikki on but I had to make ships for them. As a stopgap method I managed to introduce the two groups through visual images. The Wikki kids were afraid even when the images of the humans and Wikki were shown side by side. I changed plans and segregated the Wikki into two groups and introduced them to my children individually so they could plot strategy and play. It never got to the play stage but the ice was broken and they were working to defeat the other team. I went to sleep as the groups continued to talk. The next day I had the lab to myself for a while. I mostly studied because I wanted to show the kids what I did and why I did it my way. I was also conscious that the shop was constantly monitored for security. During the day I found that we had more visitors. Some were smaller and some were larger than the original four. I simply gave them work I hoped they could do. The components came in for the 64. This was going to be built parallel with the other 78 computer. My class size got larger. I think it was because the first four had shown marked improvements in their abilities to manipulate crystals. The 64 was a very major computer to the Wikki and I got what help I asked for but I was still slow. I called one day, "Friend Grotto, are you busy?" "I am not that busy friend Wally." "I want to talk to you about an idea I had." "What is it?" "I am still worried about the Aristis leaders that fled the planet. They could come back here or attack earth at any moment so I am hesitant about dispatching major ships. Would you send one of your ships to earth to pick up some of my children or stay here and protect Cralto while one of our ships is dispatched." "Why do you wish to have your children here?" "They are very good at making crystals and they are good to have with some young Wikki that I now admire greatly. The way I help you can be multiplied many times by having some of my children here too." "How many children did you want to transport?" "I have two hundred and twenty children that are old enough to visit. Half that number would be good for a test." "My ship could handle that many if..." I felt a sudden chill that felt like a blow to my stomach. I stopped Grotto and said, "I am sorry, will you visit me in person when you have a free moment. I believe it is important to both of us." I could not get back to work but I faked it as best as I could. An hour and a half latter Grotto came into the room but I turned him around and left. "Is there a place where you and I can talk very privately." "There is a lifeboat. Is that sufficient?" "Sure." We had to do a lot to get in the lifeboat. When the door was sealed, I looked for drones that might have followed us but there did not seem to be any. "I am sorry for bothering you but I have a new truth to tell you." "What is it?" "I can manipulate crystals better than any Aristis tech ever could. To do this I have to see into the five primary dimensions. Another of my abilities is to get glimpses of what the future has in store for me." Grotto said, "There are some Wikki that seem to have this ability. It is not usually controllable." "Mine is not controllable either. When you talked of flying to pick up my children in your ship, I saw it destroyed utterly as if a very large mass of antimatter detonated. It would happen before it got to earth." There was more because I saw the container rupture but I did not want to give him the information about my ability to see through walls yet. "How did it happen?" "I feel that it is an accident. I also feel that you would have died and then there would be strife here. Your people would think that I had a hand in killing you." "I will look into the matter but why did you wish for privacy to say this?" "I have an ability that is rare. It distances me from your people. I do not want to be compelled to do tests. Your word was given but what could you do if somebody with more authority demands something different than what we had agreed?" "That is possible but unlikely friend Wally." "I would rather not risk the possibility. I weighted my possible abduction against the lives of you and your crew and decided to tell you." Grotto was quiet for a long time then said, "Perhaps it was good that we spoke like this." I felt better when we went back. Grotto did an inspection of my recent activities. I think he knew about everything that we had been doing but now was here to see with his own eyes. He said, "What is the capacity of the smaller computer?" I figured he knew and said, "A 78." "That was not in our contract." "Call it a gift." "What is the capacity of the other unit?" "A 64 at least." "Our contract called for a 66," he said simply. "A 64 is many times more valuable than a 66 and this too is a gift." "There is a lot of time and resources that have to be spent on a computer of that magnitude." "The children you have allowed to help me are worth of the extra work. They have a chance to learn and I have the pleasure of teaching them. I want to show that cooperation is a good thing between our races." "There are some that do not like this cooperation. Please hurry with your construction." "Thank you for the advice, friend Grotto." I did not know what he meant but I got his intent. The next day I got to see the ship's computer while I was flanked with some Wikki guards. The device was a lot different than the small computer I had examined. Since I had the schematics I was able to follow the details. The major difference was the telepathic transmitter and this was very powerful and also very selective. Three days later Grotto left for earth and I left the cruiser. The computers were growing smoothly and could be completed by my students or the senior techs. My 'kids' were offered a chance to visit the planet if they could get the necessary permissions. They were all close to me now and the fear seemed to have completely left. I was enthusiastically welcomed home, especially by my ladies. Our children were coming or at least some of them were and this was a cause for rejoicing. Grotto had made sure I was able to leave the ship openly with some of the crystals I made. I had given far more to them but some of the Wikki were still not sure of me and my motives. I simply felt that the Wikki were worth all of my efforts. During my absence, I found that some of the younger Tomma had been able to communicate directly with the Wikki. The Wikki were still here to see how good the linkage could go and I wished that I could have done as well. ------- Chapter 44 I went back to work though and began to build a device to build crystals that went into the sixth dimension. Wayne would be coming back with the children as a simple computer. He was a 56 though and would be the most intelligent computer anywhere near this planet. Walt and Garbo helped make the crystals I wanted. I needed to test the new equipment against the units made by the Wikki before they were taken away. I was not finished my work when Grotto returned. He landed in Toxlo and let the children off. There was a hundred and twenty seven of them. They were all very smart even without computer augmentation and had wheedled their way onto the passenger list. I greeted my children as best I could when there was this many. Some of them were upset because their mother had died and they were coming to the planet where it happened. The rest of the mothers expected this and helped the way the Tomma always did this. The small Tomma females that constantly circled me like a pack of sharks saw new meat. I approved of the idea because there were few avenues open to my children on earth besides their brothers and sisters. Grotto whispered to me, "We found nothing wrong but I am sure it was just the way we handled this situation that prevented it." "I think so too. One step might not have been followed as well as it should. This felt to me to be the cause." Louder I said, "Have you aged many years with all those children in your ship?" "Your children were very polite but they were so curious all the time. They wanted to pull apart my computer. When that was denied them they began making crystals to strengthen our hull. They showed me how to increase the efficiency of my engines and my power source." "Do you think they could do as they said?" "I am positive of this." "You may have some young Wikki acting similarly soon. Your technology will leap forward." "There are many that will not want this." "Your race has many enemies and even the conservatives like better weapons and stronger shields." "Not all Wikki are rational, friend Wally." We walked around for a while and I knew that Grotto had something to say. Finally he mentioned, "We have drones on your home planet. We found a computer of amazing power. We could only guess at the power." "Where was it?" "There is more than one?" "Warren is a 52. Wayne who came on your ship is a 56 and Wesley is a 21." "Those figures are higher than I imagined. We found the island and figured the unit might be a 30. Nobody has ever made such machines before." "I would like to try for a 10 one day. I have the children to help." Grotto stopped to think and I waited patently. He finally said, "You could use those machines to manage the galaxy as easily as your computer manages this planet." I said, "The Wikki do not use the computers as much as the Aristis do or as much as I do. We are friends now and I want us allies too. If I have my way all of your ships will be improved and that is why I wanted to trade for hulls so we too could protect ourselves." "Your ships could beat ours in only a few years." "Why are you thinking like that, friend Grotto? We trade. Your ships come in and they are improved or you get the crystals to do it yourself. We have very few people to crew our ships and the people on earth are barbarians that are a danger to all of us. If your own people are here helping us then you know what is happening. They would be part of our crews. This is what it is supposed to be like in the academy. We help each other and gain by doing so." "Your Star Fleet now sounds like it will become a very formidable force if it is allowed to survive." "It will be if the Wikki help us." "Would you aid us in fighting the Aristis?" "That is a question that is difficult to answer. Are you pushing the Aristis out of their homes? Are your people the aggressors?" Grotto said, "For centuries the Aristis have been harassing our people. We believe they only wish to fight us so that they will gain experience. The Aristis are now less numerous and we are trying to contain them." "It sounds to me like the Aristis need to have a change of leadership. I thought the Aristis were all warriors ready to kill or be killed but that is not the case. Perhaps if the leaders were to die then the race could be channelled into more constructive pursuits." Grotto said, "The way King Rontem made way for you?" "Partially, but why is it necessary for me to rule? An army and a computer of at least 30 could keep a single world under control." "There are many Aristis worlds." "There are many bright Wikki children to help me build computers, ships and weapons." "This would protect you and give us a chance to fight other enemies." "Then you have to help me build and protect the Academy." The next two days was just a way of reintegrating with my family. Some large Wikki came to Toxlo that I had not seen before. This was a fact finding mission if I ever saw one and I made sure they got to see how well we worked with the Wikki we had here in the city. My own family was learning to integrate with the Wikki even faster than the native Tomma. They were very bright and used to learning before they even arrived. The children showed little fear of the spider-like creatures that out massed them. I got them to talk about what they would do to Grotto's ship if they had the chance and the resources. I was sure this had already been mentioned so the children went into detail of how this could be done. The Aristis warriors took to the children very quickly and not just the boys. They were all very dedicated. Some of my 'kids' showed up and were inducted quietly into the group with a lot of care. The Aristis were paraded near the visiting Wikki to show that they were now upstanding citizens of this new culture. An added bonus came when I found out that the Wikki loved the smell of chocolate. I got Grotto alone and gave him some after finding out that it was safe. He loved it. We made some synthetically and it was good but not as good as the natural product. There were some chemicals in the natural product that made the Wikki feel good. Similar chemicals did the same to humans. Wesley was now busy buying up the stocks of chocolate beans in a depressed market. Eventually we could get the synthetics variety to be just as good but at the moment it was not necessary. Grotto left with our entire supply of chocolate to have a talk to his leaders about the benefits of trade. I got the feeling that there was an undercurrent of conflict within the Wikki. Eldhino felt it too and said to me, "My King, some of the spi... Wikki look at you like a Tappic. I do not understand it." "Eldhino, there is nobody around to impress. Why are you calling me King?" She had the decency to blush and a warrior did not do that very much. "I like to think that my mate is the king." "When you say king, you put a barrier between us. The only wall I want is our skin." She had to pause for a while and said like a much younger woman, "I will try, Wally." "Good and remember that the Wikki only look like spiders. They may well be members of Star Fleet and we cannot have that kind of talk. Think of the Wikki as I do about Grotto. He is intelligent and a person in his own right." "I'll try, Wally. The ones that look at you oddly are as intelligent as your friend. They want you the very much. The feeling is as strong as the way we want you." "They know of my ability to see the future sometimes. They want to test me." "That was your fear when you were young. You are going to have to protect yourself. We will watch out for you." "Thanks Eldhino, but I do not think they will sneak around if they came for me. They would come in ships." Eldhino and I talked about how the ordinary Wikki was like the average human. They were docile and let the group dictate what they were to think. The ones that I met were able to see me in a different light and fought this trend. Those that were more intelligent were also swayed by the group but did a lot of the swaying to. My children went to the cruiser and worked on the computers I had started. It was soon easy to separate those that sympathised with us from those that didn't. The others stayed away as much as they could. The children picked up Wikki etiquette but it did not help much. Some of the younger Wikki were viewed as corrupted and were chastised by their superiors but there was little they could do about it. The 'kids' were much better techs than those that had not met us. The Wikki had used similar techniques on their own young to see if they could emulate what I had done. It worked but not as well as I had managed. The type of love I used I think helped much more. The competition with the Tomma type people did a lot more to encourage the young Wikki to grow. The Wikki techs had colleagues before but now they had friends. The birth of my latest children kept me busy for a month and a half. I wanted to be near the children when they emerged so that they would know who I was. The bonding that happened seemed to be different here on Cralto and I had to attribute it to the large number of Wikki or perhaps the All Mother. I did not get much chance to be with the children except those of the Aristis, Betts, Erica and my two with Connie. The Tomma mates within a day went back into the ships so the children could remain within the confines of the ships' varied multidimensional field. We were also building a computer like Wesley that we could live in but we had not got as much done. Some of the mistakes we made when we made Wesley were now being corrected. The Wikki were very interested in this machine and they had thousands of drones checking out every facet. Grotto I insisted was placed in charge of the larger pieces of Wikki equipment that monitored the construction. My 'kids' assisted too so they could learn. They worked with the older children and made a game of the task. This was a departure from the way the Wikki usually worked. They were far from lazy but they drifted off for a break more often and the breaks were longer. We were corrupting them when we worked this way. The Wikki young were not suited to uniforms but we changed the harness that they sometimes wore to something similar to one we would wear. The Wikki took to the bosta after a while and this seemed to help them grow and stay more alert. Our seven baby Wikki were now the size of grapefruit. A crystal was inserted to find where they were at all times for safety. They tended to stay near their 'nest' though. There were very few insects that survived coming close and even some birds and lizards found their way down their gullets. The poisonous variety did not seem to matter and the poison sacks did not seem to do any damage. We could communicate with the young to their own ability. The older Wikki found it easy to exclude us while they could read us fairly easily. That was one of the reasons I did not want anybody even thinking derogatory thoughts. Betts worked hard to overcome her aversion even to bringing our daughter close to the kids and Grotto. Grotto was kind and came close to inspect the child but I figured he was not really interested. I could sense his distaste for the scent and I said telepathically, "I am sorry friend Grotto but my children do manage to smell from time to time. The Wikki children are usually cleaner but they manage to compete with the Tomma children well in this area too." "You do not seem to mind the smell of our young now." "I am used to it. I am also used to the smell of my own children but there are times when they outdo themselves." Betts said, "I'll change her but you guys are being nasty. She only peed." Grotto said, "Please do not become upset friend Betty. I will get used to the smell eventually. The smell in our own nursery is hard for me to take but it has to remain so our children will bond correctly." "Wait until Lillian starts eating other foods besides milk. She would have got that from his side of the family, not mine." Grotto did not understand the nuances and I explained them to him. He had thought it a conflict he had initiated between Betts and me. This took a while and Betts had to help. In a while I got the chance to hold may child that was named after Betts' mother. Erica came in later with Connie. Erica's mother did not rate very high in her books while our missing mate Connie, still did. To start trade moving, the Wikki began to help us with the construction of the battleship. They would be paid in chocolate, computers and specialty crystals. To do this, the keel was dragged away from Cralto and placed near the desert planet Eito. There were still some Aristis soldiers unaccounted for and I did not want them destroying what I had built. This trade agreement was hard fought out. It was only that the ship would not be ready for years yet that it was agreed to. I would have to provide the computers as the work progressed. I had a feeling that some of the Wikki would just like to destroy the ship before it became operational. Grotto had pledged that some of the crew would be Wikki as a way of placating the leaders. One of the corvettes left to take work to more of the Wikki empire in hopes of gaining more support for their view. Grotto was not asked to come and neither were any of his suporters. Grotto said to me in private, "I fear that the majority of my people may not be as open minded as I am, friend Wally." "I have no premonition about this. Do you think your people will come here and simply stop our agreement?" "Your children and you personally are very unique. They may want all of you including those on earth. We are not usually like this and I do not know what is causing this irrationality in my people." I said, "My family's abilities might frighten your people, especially when I am here with the All Mother. We are then very much like the Wikki." "What do you plan to do about it? I hope you do not decide to fight." "Tell me friend Grotto, will one of your regional queens come here to investigate?" "That is very likely." "Do you think the All Mother may have a chance to change this queen's mind?" "I am sure that she will be protected so she will not have any direct communication but I will get a chance to talk to her." "I do not think that will be enough." The time to get to the probable system and return was at least four weeks. Queens were not known for being impulsive so we could figure on a week or so additional grace. We had to get ready for the armada that was sure to come. Wyatt was the name given to our most powerful computer. Wesley worked with us on its construction even though he was on earth. He had copies of all the information I had acquired about the Wikki and their technology. The thought transmitter is what we were banking most of our plans on. We could get our point expressed no matter what the opposition wanted to do short of nukeing the computer. My mates went around to the various Tomma settlements and explained what was happening. We did not want the Wikki fought with bows but with reason. This way the All Mother would have a chance to think on this matter before one of the queens arrived. My children and the kids worked as hard as they could to get Wyatt complete. It was not long after that happened that the kids were recalled to their ships. Grotto and a few of his crew were the only ones allowed to remain. They were still monitoring the construction of the computer. The work on the battleship was accelerated at the same time. I figured it was to compel me to work harder to provide a computer for them to pay for the work they did. We all knew that this was to keep me from working as much on Wyatt. Betts and Erica were around me all the time now. They were worried and felt I needed protection. Our missile production had never faltered much because Wesley was still sending us surplus crystals from earth. They too would be a target but we felt that they would come after we were defeated or we came to a peaceful understanding. A day came when Grotto was recalled. We knew what this meant. The queen was coming and probably with a lot of war ships. There was no way the Fonduush could survive if there was a fight so Betts and most of my family fled the system. The Wikki were caught at our abrupt manoeuvre because we planned it long ago to coincide with our regular patrols. Keeping the strategy quiet and getting the mates to leave without me was difficult so they were simply not told. Fonduush was now a very fast ship with all our improvements. Four of the cruisers gave chase but there was no chance of catching her. I was bombarded by demands to call the Fonduush back or at least tell the Wikki where she was going. I said, "We are not at war and we are not part of the Wikki empire. We go as we please and when we please." A new person spoke to me and said, "Why did your ship flee?" "Who am I addressing?" There was a long pause that must be more embarrassing for the Wikki as time went on. I assumed it was the person in charge of the fleet that came here. I had never spoken to him before. In conversations with Grotto I called him Moss because of his long name. It took a long time for me to pronounce his name correctly because it was not just sounds but thoughts that went with it. Moss gave his name eventually. I said, "High Captain, " and then gave his full name. "I am the king of this world while you are the High Captain of a small fleet of Wikki ships. I, like all Tomma, am a representative of the All Mother. You will show the same respect as you would a representative of your High Queen Bright Star. The Tomma do not require your permission to carry out the All Mother's tasks." I waited for a few minutes but I got no reply. We had at least four weeks left before Wyatt would awake. Now I had to find ways of giving us enough breathing room for this to happen. The children and I worked over the substrate to assist it to make the connections required. Apart from the crystal improvements, this was the activity that took the longest time. Erica stayed with me this time. She could do little to help with the computer but she would go out to meet with smaller groups of Tomma. She usually brought many of our infants and the Wikki infants too. She tried to show up at religious ceremonies the way the rest of the mates had done so the All Mother could be invoked and then informed of what was happening. Erica said, "Do you have any feelings about Betty?" "No, she is probably going to run for a few weeks until she can loose the Wikki ships. If she can't then she will go near a Chlorine world as we planned. It is just too soon to know anything." We had gone over this plan for a long time. A free Fonduush was strong weapon to hold over anybody's head. It was much like the Cold War on earth where many countries had the ability to kill not only their enemies but the entire population of the planet. I did not want to fight the Wikki but I wanted them to respect us or our weapons until they had a chance to respect us for peaceful and civilised reasons. Grotto did not call me and I did not need his assistance yet so I refrained from calling him even if it was official business. The time came when we figured that a fleet of ships would arrive. We waited day after day but they did not show up. We basically ignored the Wikki as we went about our business in the system. They kept their other agreements by continuing with the building of the battleship and the monitoring of their portion of the system. High Captain Moss was not as trusting now and he sent many more sensors out to monitor the entire system. Wyatt finally awoke and was greeted by Wesley and the rest of us. Grotto had managed to come back for the occasion with six of his people. Grotto said, "This is a historic event. Never before has such a powerful computer awoken." "I feel the same way friend Grotto, though I think Wyatt will be only the second of many." "It would take us many years to build a machine like this even if we had the plans." "You were given the plans and I hope your queen knows that they were freely given in friendship. The crystals for a computer like this are some of the many goods we have to trade." Wyatt underwent three days of constant testing and the Wikki had the opportunity to check our test results and even do a few of their own. The control of the telepathic communicator was given over to Wyatt only after he was fully aware of its power. The Aristis would never have done this because now a computer could kill all of us with a blast of this energy if not drive us insane. The Wikki did not know the power of the communicator we installed and thought it to be the same as what they would have in their ships. When Wyatt spoke it was with my mannerisms and everybody knew that it was my personality in the machine. The Wikki took a while to digest this fact. They too could have the personality of a biological being in their computers but instead, chose to use the artificial variety. They tended to work better with the number of them on a major Wikki ship. Wyatt was not the only one undergoing tests. Wesley had constructed a phased array of antennas mounted on small ships that were used to make a gigantic receiving dish for telepathic thought. The Fonduush had a much smaller unit and it was used to transmit to earth and Wesley. After a lot of communication on the hyperwave the unit actually worked. The Wikki used a similar procedure that augmented the hyperwave but they were not as strong or as directional. Wesley had come across a few abnormalities that gave him the idea of doing this. The Fonduush was also testing a new inertial compensator that was based on the Wikki design too. We had made more improvements on it before it was built, then more in the last few weeks. The cruisers that had chased after the Fonduush had returned one at a time. They had not found our ship and High Captain Moss had not asked where she was again. Grotto asked for him with a hint of shame. I said, "Captain Grotto the Fonduush is undergoing independent tests of her hull and systems." "Your ship had amazing speed. I was unaware that she was that fast." I could not flaunt the fact that we used Wikki technology so I said, "We have made steady improvements on her the same way my children wanted to work on your own ship. The improvements are actually based on the increased number of high quality crystals that we can now manufacture." "Will you come back and work with our people on my ship?" We both knew this was coming. Months ago we had discussed this day in private. Now in public I said, "I am sorry friend Grotto, I am much too busy here. Your people are welcome to come here and learn." "We have found that my people become disoriented when they are with you and lose their objectives. This does not happen as much on our ship." "I cannot help you friend Grotto. I will give some of my time to your people but they must be here to get the benefit of it." I adlibbed and said, "Perhaps High Captain Moss will come here and visit. He may learn more about us himself instead of doing it through others. On my oath, I will protect him to the best of my ability and see that he gets safely back to his ship when he leaves. My only wish is to see that he gains a better understanding of us and the All Mother." There must have been communications because Grotto hastily said, "That is impossible. The High Captain is busy too." "That is too bad. The cruiser that left to fetch a queen, should return soon and perhaps we can talk then." There was a pause. "How do you know this?" "I observed that some of the Wikki were acting irrational. When this happens, I would think that they would go to get some guidance. That would be to see one of your leaders. I feel that we are interesting enough to warrant a personal visit." "We were not irrational friend Wally. The Wikki are not used to those of other races." He had to be spouting his leader's thoughts. I said, "Friend Grotto, have I attacked or harmed any of your people? Have the Tomma done any damage to your race? There are few Aristis here but they are under my command. Do you think that they can harm the Wikki?" "I do not understand your questions but I do not see you or your people as a threat to my race." "Thank you for that admission, because I see myself as only a light wind that moves the trees that is your home. I remove the stale air and bring the fresh scents to your people. I present the possibility of change. It is those that have irrational fears of those that are not of the Wikki race that I speak of. Your people like the gifts I have to offer and we have learned from each other. Change need not happen overnight but it may take years where each of the changes may be studied. Some of your people refuse to even look at what I have to offer besides crystals and computers. This I say is irrational behaviour." Grotto waited for his captain's thoughts and when they did not arrive he said, "The Wikki have had no friends. We are attacked by many races. It is difficult to understand the motives of others. With no successes it is hard to feel safe enough to try to form a friendship." I said quietly, "I admire the Wikki for their continued search for friends without losing what makes their civilisation strong. Those other races have lost if they had not allowed friendship to grow. I think that I have found a friend in a minor Wikki captain. That may be all that is needed now." Wyatt was operational for twelve days before we detected the first signs of an approaching fleet. Grotto by then was on his own ship and he reported to us the number of ships and the fact that Queen New Leaf was approaching. Months ago Grotto had told me the names of the queens and what he knew about each of them. New Leaf was not one of them. She was either a replacement sent from Queen Bright Star or one that had been waiting in the wings when her queen died or was replaced. The feeling I was getting was ambivalent. There was great danger but also a chance for success. Wyatt had been focussing his antennas on the Wikki ships, trying to read thoughts. The Wikki had not been able to do this and I had little hope of doing it either. We had small drones that tried the same thing and had the same results. Hours later the approaching fleet came to a halt and then one of the cruisers that had been stationed here approached. I was sure the High Captain was in this ship. Work went on here on the planet's surface but we were all studying what was happening in space. Erica stood beside me now and held Connie in her arms. "What do you think will happen now, Wally?" Her voice was quieter than usual. "A lot of talk and especially with Grotto. Then New Leaf will want to talk to me." "Any chance she will come here?" "None." I tried to think of a course of action that would give me the best results but I only had some vague feelings that could go either way. The call finally came and it was through Grotto. "Friend Wally, Queen New Leaf would like to question you." "I will come friend Grotto and I will bring some of my family." "Your family was not invited friend Wally. You must come alone." "I will come with two of my mates and four children that can help me speak to her. Your own protocols allow foreigners some leeway and I am going to take it. I am a representative of the All Mother." "I have spoken to her and she... only wants to see one of you at a time." "She finds our shape... unusual?" "That is correct friend Wally." "Perhaps I can ask her myself?" "She will not respond friend Wally. It is best to just come and do so quickly." "I will still ask friend Grotto. This may take a few minutes so please be patient." It was nighttime where I was but there were some people ready. Four wise men waited in the darkened courtyard. The mates currently on the planet and my own children gathered around and then so did many more from the city. With more people coming, I waited with my family and tried to calm some of those that were worried the most. A fire was started with wood that had been kept dry for this purpose. There was a light drizzle but nobody objected to it. The oldest wise man started the ceremony. This particular one was one of welcome though never before used in this context. The next three wise men seemed to strengthen the feeling. My mates and I tried to add to it but we were all still worried. The first time we had so many problems. The wise men had to work much harder to get the desired effect. I could feel the All Mother strengthen but it took such a long time. After a certain point she flashed into existence just as strong as the first time. I could feel everybody here much more strongly than before and I was afraid the children may be harmed. It was too late now to stop this in any case. The All Mother glowed in the dark and seemed to smile at each of us until she looked into the sky at where I thought the queen would be. Her face now was not as kind. I suddenly felt weak as if I was being drained of power. Some of the children fell to the ground but none of the women with infants fell. The All Mother looked angry now and I figured that the Wikki had a shield in place. From someplace a surge of power leapt into space. The All Mother's face dropped its angry scowl and then just looked determined. I was trying desperately to hang on but the All Mother was taking much longer this time. The load on us suddenly dropped to near zero but the All Mother did not leave. For some reason she looked directly at me and actually spoke. "Go to them now. Go alone and as my representative." I had just enough sense to start formulating my reply when she disappeared. People now fell to the ground and but the infants did not seem to have been hurt. My mates just waved me to go and their thought pushed me on. I stayed to help just a few and hurried to the ostentatious yacht's yacht from the Fonduush and left the planet as quick as I could. The trip was long enough for me to think on what had happened. I thought, "Wyatt, did you help the All Mother?" "Yes. At first I had no control over the transmitter. I have no idea how this happened." "Did you get a chance to record the thoughts?" I got an upload of the one sided conversation. The All Mother demanded information from the queen's ship's computer and it was instantly granted or actually taken. A map of the Wikki empire was received as well as a detailed list of all assets the computer knew about. The bottom line was that the Wikki were in trouble but little of it was from the Aristis. The Chlorins were the most aggressive but two other races I had not heard of yet were giving the most grief. The Chlorins were a biped that was less than a metre tall. They preferred high gravity planets and must have come from one with at least two gees. They loved to fight like the Aristis and apparently they found suitable enemy in the Wikki. The first of the other races was the Khartt. They were bear-like creatures that made the Aristis look meek. Their empire was expanding and they bred quickly. Destroying their ships was very difficult because of their speed and shielding. Their missiles made our new ones look mediocre. They had just started an incursion into Wikki territory and threatened to cut it in two in just a standard year. Another race was insect-like and they actually wanted to eat the Wikki. I had heard of that kind of being but thankfully few had lived to bother the Aristis for long. The Procent were new to this area and came from galactic centre. Their ships were few in number and small but as yet only two had been destroyed. It was only drones that were still operational that showed the Procent eating habits. I felt so much more comfortable with the Aristis and could now see the reason they had to be so aggressive. The odd thing I did see was that worlds like earth were usually not bothered unless they had the means to fight back. That was not always true as some, like the Procent, always wanted fresh meat. Queen New Leaf's mind had been questioned. The shield had thwarted the All Mother only temporarily. She was a new queen that had to make a name for herself if she wanted to keep her job. She was not suitably disposed toward us and wanted to just make us a colony that made war materiel for the Wikki. Earth would follow at least until she found out how little they could do. My going to the ship was just a way of removing me so they could attack the planet easier. I figured that the All Mother must think that I had a better chance now when the queen had been given a backhand like this. I studied the map again and saw that the Wikki empire had not extended into our area. Either they were looking for a place to run or they were looking for friends. From Grotto's thoughts, I knew that they had no friends yet. The task force Grotto was part of was just tasked with removing Aristis bases so they could employ most of their forces against the other enemies. He had never mentioned the two other races and I figured that the Wikki did not want this sort of information to get around or possibly figured the soldiers would just fight who they were directed to. When I got near the new ships, Grotto's ship came near to escort me. "Friend Wally, what has happened?" "I will upload now." I sent him what we had found out from the Wikki computers and from the queens' mind. Wyatt added some of his own in the promise of better shields, engines and missiles. I was then given the specifics. There was nothing really new but some of the deductions had to come from the information the Wikki themselves had gathered. With more information, I knew we could do better again. We were at our destination before Grotto spoke. A boat bay took my ship and another small one that had just came from our escort. We both got out of our ships at the same time but the Wikki was much quicker when they wanted to be. "Friend Wally, can you provided more information about the systems you mentioned? I did not know we were in this much trouble." "When you find trouble, you also find who your friends are and who are not. You will get the information now." I directed the ship I just left to transmit the specifics to Grotto's ship. When confirmation came to Grotto he said, "Thank you friend Wally. I did not know what they had intended to do with you." "It is ok friend Grotto. I may get out of this mess yet. I will still try to help the Wikki though." "For trade?" "Perhaps some, but mostly for friendship. The Chlorins and the Khartts may leave us alone but I do not think the Procent will." "The Procent are not coming this way?" "If they miss us then another will come in time. I will try to make the Wikki strong and they will try to save our worlds." "Worlds?" We were at the hatches to the queen's audience chamber. There was a lot of activity beyond but Grotto could not see it with the hatch closed. Grotto called for admittance and the hatch opened wide on computer control. It took a while until anybody noticed us and then they drew weapons and pointed them at me. I concentrated and sent my thoughts to the Wikki. "Is that how you treat a potential ally? You wanted to capture me so you could take our world easier but I came anyway. I gave some improvements that will help you survive your wars with other races. I even have ideas on how to defeat your enemies and you want to kill me because you are afraid of how I look. You are acting like frightened children instead of rational adults." The queen I noticed was very large. All of them had quieted down when they saw that I did not attack. They got quieter mentally while I had spoken to them. "The All Mother sent me here to offer her help. Check your own drones if you think this is not true." The queen just hit me hard with mental commands to give her data. I staggered and my hand touched on Grotto for the first time. It was firm enough and I tried to recover my balance. When I could I pulled my hand back. My computer now was sending out the information the queen wanted the same way her ship had disgorged data to the All Mother. It took only a few seconds to drain the memories but it was the ones stored in my mind that were slow in coming. She seemed to demand that I give this data quicker. I fell at this time. When I hit the floor the demands stopped. I looked up at the queen and saw that she was in trouble. All of the guards were pointing weapons at me now and ordering me to stop. Grotto actually got in front of me and said, "The All Mother is demanding information of our queen, not her representative." There were still demands that I stop. I felt that one was going to shoot but he suddenly crumpled to the deck then four more fell too. From the way their minds stopped, I knew that they were dead. Those that just carried weapons fell to the floor unconscious. I was able to get up once more and saw that the queen had fallen. I was not foolish as to go and help her because there were automatic weapons handled by a computer. Grotto and I watched for a few more seconds before the All Mother stopped. The queen sprang to her feet and must have gone two metres in the air. I felt anger now and it was the killing kind. I moved away from Grotto. The queen crouched just a bit in preparation for a lunge when she fell to the floor. Her anger actually increased now. She got up again but fell once more. She did this three more times before she stayed on the floor. She called out, "Kill me if you can." I was about to speak when I heard the mental communication, "You are young and foolish. We are not Wikki and do not have your customs. Stand and talk." The queen gave a quick mental command and stared at me. She did it four more times before the voice said, "Your computer will not obey you. Now come with my representative. You are much too volatile in your ship." The queen got to her feet but she walked with a stiffness I had never seen before. The queen was yelling and screaming for assistance with both her voice and her mind but strangely nobody came. The queen started to run in the direction we had just come from. I could not run that fast on my best day but we got to the boat bay and saw the queen boarding Grotto's ship. We ran after her. The queen was screaming and I found that the Wikki had obscenities in their language. Grotto's crew did nothing though. The powerful voice came to us. "Go to Cralto, now." The crew actually obeyed or perhaps the ship's computer did. The queen by now was incoherent and just ranted. The Wikki tried to get away when they could. None of them followed the queen's orders but I could see that they wanted to help in any other way. The hatch of the ship eventually opened. I expected to see Toxlo but it was an area I had not been to before. It was dry at the moment. Light was shining so it was not in the same area as the city. The queen lurched our way and ran out the hatch. I followed but Grotto could not. The voice said, "Stay away at least one planetary diameter. You may watch but do not interfere." The hatch closed on Grotto. I could feel his pain because he desperately wanted to be with his queen. The ship disappeared from view and I then looked for the queen. She was in a hollow now fighting at least thirty Tappic. The flightless birds were fast but the queen was much faster. I would be dead meat in this situation but I looked for weapons. There were rocks only. Taking weapons on a visit to the queen would have been a bad idea. I had five now and threw them into the depression. I aimed for the ones behind the queen. Like the baseballs and the bats, I was good. The Tappic went down one after another. The queen was well able to take care of those that faced her directly. The Tappic stood tall with long pointed beaks used like spear points. Their legs were very strong and ended in vicious looking claws that could be used for stabbing an enemy. There were only twenty Tappic left standing when one saw me. There was a lot of decision making here but the bird liked the larger game. Perhaps it was the old saying about a bird in the hand as opposed to two in the bush. I threw more and more rocks. I had to aim for the birds' heads because a body shot only did a small amount of damage. The queen had not got away scot free. She was bleeding in many places but none looked serious. I was getting tired toward the end but I kept up my barrage of stones. The last four Tappic now thought of escape but the queen jumped high and landed on them as they fled. One she had to chase. The Tappic were very good runners but the Wikki queen was much faster. I sat down to rest and the queen looked for more enemies before she started to tear a Tappic apart and eat it. So much for the Wikki living on synthetic food. The birds were much larger than me and weighted nearly a hundred kilos. I had a new respect for the Wikki's fighting skill or at least the queens. The queen butchered all four and ate the portions she wanted before she spotted me and stopped. Blood was on all her limbs and much more around her mouth. She did not move though and just crouched. I said, "I am not your enemy. If you look you will see that I killed some of the Tappic with rocks. Those were the ones that were attacking your rear." "I will kill you too for what you have done." "I have only saved you. The All Mother brought us here to talk." "I do not believe you." "Then inspect the bodies of the Tappic." "You would attack." I dropped the rock I had and walked down the incline toward the queen. She looked ready to spring again. "The definition of an intelligent being is their ability to learn. You tied to attack me with your body then with the computer. You failed each time. Are you really that stupid or ruled by your emotions?" I just stayed still but she relaxed and went back to feeding. I just sat on the ground about ten metres away and waited. When New Leaf finished, she cleaned herself and looked at me as she scuttled sideways and inspected the dead Tappic and the rocks that were nearby. I heard, "What are you going to do now? You almost killed me." "I thought the Wikki were logical. You remind me of my mates sometimes. They rant and rave and try to make me believe that all the mistakes are my fault." "You hit me with some of your rocks." "They bounced off the Tappic and then hit you. I am good but not perfect." "What do you want now?" "I guess to just talk. The All Mother sent us here to do that. She sent the ship to go into orbit but they are watching us." "They are!" She called up to them and ordered them to come down immediately but nothing happened. She called to other ships but none of them responded or came to her rescue. "What has happened?" "Captain Grotto's ship was directly controlled by the All Mother." This was not really true but sounded good. "The rest of the Wikki I saw were sleeping. I think your guards are dead. They tried to kill me." "They are nothing. Keep talking." "I think the Wikki are sleeping or their ships are incapacitated. We have to stay here and talk. When we are done I think that the All Mother may allow us to be brought back home. If not, we have a long walk." "Call for assistance." I listened and strangely heard nothing for a change except my partner. It had been years since this had happened. I called out with the ultrawave and then with my telepathy, "The queen and I are doing fine. We have a lot of talking to do. Please do not bother me unless it is important." "Call for assistance or I will kill you." "Go ahead and try. The All mother may allow you to do it this time or you will have to go through the embarrassment of being knocked down once more. In any case I will not call." "I could have your world destroyed." "You could try but you won't. The Wikki are for the most part rational. They are frightened easily as humans are..." "We are not afraid of any race." "You were afraid of more than one of us coming to talk to you." "Your form is disgusting." "That may be true but you were still afraid. You did fight very well though. I might have been able to take out one or two of the birds but not like you did. I am sure that you could have killed them all though you would have been hurt more." "They were nothing." I could feel her pride and I was sure if the roles had been reversed, I would be proud of my ability too. "It was still a good fight to see. We have to make a decision though." "What decision?" "Do we stay here and talk or do we travel. It is fairly dry here and we have food. I can make a shelter if necessary..." "Why, are you afraid of getting wet?" "Wet is ok but the Tappic run in much larger groups. You met a very small one because the All Mother wished us to. They run up to a thousand birds on occasion but most are only a hundred to a hundred and twenty. A lone Tomma even with a bow will die. We could climb trees but they are spread out in this area." "I can fight them off." "New Leaf, you are only one person. They will swarm all over you until you fall then they will kick and peck you to death." She looked angry again and said, "I am a queen. You cannot address me like that." "I am a king, New Leaf and you have not been nice to me." "You are the paltry king of some dispossessed people on a single world." "Even if that is true, you are only one person cast onto a strange world with a strange being, the same as me." Anger was there again and I wondered how this sort of thing did not filter down to those like Grotto and the rest. The young were vicious and I guess the queens were too. New Leaf changed the topic. "Where is your major city?" In a few moments I said, "I have no idea. This is the highlands. The sun indicates that it was about noon when we landed. It should be nearly dawn in the capital city so we are on the other side of the planet and there is an ocean in between. There are other cities but they are all small. They do have communicators though." "You would call?" "By that time we will have talked a lot. Perhaps you will even find me as good looking as I do the Wikki." "You are loathsome, repulsive, slow and clumsy. There are no redeeming features." "My people see the Wikki as spiders. Those creatures are not the same as your race but they look similar and some have the same poison sacks. Your urine smells bad to us. You are good hunters though and now I see that you fight very well. You have great strength and agility. Your form is very adapted for survival. My kind admire efficiency and because of that we see the Wikki as well designed." "You are not well designed though. You are slow. I could kill thousands of you and not be hurt." "I am the same as the Aristis except I do not have their drive to win at all costs. Until recently, the Aristis were fighting you and winning." "We are driving them back!" This was said with a lot of heat. "You should. They pick a fight then they have to play or say uncle." The computer had a difficult time coming up with the correct words for this idiom. I looked around at the landscape and tried to find a defensible position. I did not see any that were very good. There were large trees that looked to be difficult to climb. If we were chased there then the birds would stay around until the meal came down to eat or drink then get them. The best idea was to travel to an area where the trees were closer together. "What are you looking at?" "Our only escape is to climb the trees if the Tappic come. I heard that some will stay at the bottom of a tree and wait for their pray to come down to find food. I do not want to be restricted like that. I would rather move to an area that allows us to move from tree to tree if we have to." "Our kind can do that easily." "I know and that is one of the things I admire about you. We should plan on moving soon. The smell of carrion will attract more Tappic." "What if I want to stay here?" "You could. You are a much better hunter and fighter than I am. If I stayed here then I could help but in the end I would die and you would die a bit later. I have a family I love. I would like to survive. To do so I am going to," I pointed down slope, "go to those trees first and see if they will give us more of a chance of surviving." "What trees?" I had to think for a second. "The Tomma type people can see at a distance better than the Wikki." "We can see perfectly!" She looked ready to jump on me again. "Are all young queens irrational?" "I am not irrational." "I can see distant objects better than you. That is a fact. You have eyes that allow you to see enemies that are close and even partially behind you. We cannot do that. You have your strengths and so do we. If you do not want to recognise facts then that may be why the Chlorins, Khartts, Procent and the Aristis will defeat you." This made her very angry but surprisingly she managed to hold herself in check. "I should kill you." "I am trying to help you survive and you want to kill me. That is another example of irrationality. A rational being sees his or her limitations and looks for ways around them instead of trying the same old way all the time." The queen went back for a snack and we started going the way I had pointed. She relied on me to follow. She walked very fast. I hurried but I did not run. She stopped at the edge of her good vision and turned around to wait for me. "Why are you so slow?" "If I run now then I will not have the energy to fight if the need comes." She did not reply. We made it to the trees but they were not close enough together to go from one to another yet. With a few unkind words directed at me we continued on. The ground was not level now nor easy to travel on. About six hours later, New Leaf said, "Where is my food?" "I am hungry myself." I looked around then even into the soil but saw nothing that was large enough or appetising enough for me to want to eat it. I did see a small river in the distance. The queen liked to lead so I pointed the way and she went in that direction. ------- Chapter 45 I had looked for suitable saplings since we started and had to settle for rocks which I now carried. Nearer the river though I found some small trees satisfactory for making a bow or a spear. "What do you want with that?" I heard. "I cannot match your fighting ability but I can make weapons. If there is something to eat in the water then we have to catch it. Either we spear it or tickle it." The last part needed an explanation about letting a fish come into our grasp as it searched for food. With some unexpected cooperation, New Leaf pulled the three saplings out of the soil that I wanted. Rocks were easy to find. Some had flaws in them that I used to split them. The sharper edges made cleaning the saplings much easier. I saved three of the stones in my pockets and now carried two spears and a staff. It was not easy but I cleaned the bark off the spears except where I would hold them when throwing. Making points was much harder. A fire would do a much better job. When we got to the river I explained about the wildlife that could be in it. I was able to see some area with fry and suggested that the queen stand in this area and wait for some larger predator to come to her. "What are you going to be doing?" "I am going to find a similar spot and try to spear a fish." Again she did not respond. I went upstream as I looked into the water. There were some large fish but no way of getting them. I did pass some berries and sampled them. They were not quite ripe but they were the same ones we enjoyed in Toxlo. The water was cloudy with suspended matter. My footsteps chased some fish into deeper water and I just found a spot that had been vacated then I waited. In the meantime I though about the queen. She reminded me of a child that desperately needed her bottom spanked. Her thoughts were clear but I had no idea how intelligent she was. I also knew now that there was a lot more to the Wikki than I thought. One fish about sixty centimetres came near. It probably came back to the area I had chased it from. My spear was ready when it settled and I drove the spear down. It thrashed for only a few seconds before remaining still. The head was almost severed, so I let that stay in the water and threw the remainder onto the shore. The smell of blood brought larger predators. A clova that was a metre across the main shell came near and I studied it to see how I could tackle this prey. Its shell was proof against my crude spears. Very carefully I used the spear to pick up the fish head and move it toward the shore. In a few minutes, the crab like animal came to the fish head and I used my spear to flip the back portion of the clova out of the water and hopefully on its back. The clova was very heavy and I had difficulty moving it. The startled creature used its powerful tail to get it back into deeper water and this threw its balance off. I compensated enough to throw it sideways. Moving closer as quick as I could, I used the spear again to hook under its body and threw the heavy animal into an even shallower area and luckily on its back. I saw its small brain and drove the spear into this area. It gave off a high pitch squeak and then did not move apart from the tail slowly moving back and forth. There was far more food here than I needed. "New Leaf, I have a Clova her for you. They are good tasting." There was no answer. I looked through the brush to where she should be and saw her looking intently into the water. I pulled the clova much further from the water and put the fish beside it and walked to New Leaf. I looked under her and found nothing, not even the fry. Behind her I saw a mound of something that had not been in the water before. "The fish must sense you. They have not returned." "Where is your prey?" "Upstream a hundred metres or so. Would you like to come and share my catch?" She looked at me with anger now and I wondered why until I remembered that she had not got anything yet. She did get out of the water and I saw a stain on top of the water similar to oil. "New Leaf, you are a good hunter but perhaps fishing is new to you. Did you piss or shit in the water as you waited?" "Why?" "If you did, you released your scent into the water. The fish may not want to come near then. Fish are very good at smelling." I got no reply but I knew that she knew now. New Leaf could smell my catch and hurried to it. When I got there, she had eaten the fish and was busy dismembering the clova. Her front appendages were strong. They ripped apart the carcass and she fed. She was a poor guest and ate everything. I went back into the water and used the fish head again. She looked at me for more and I said, "The claws have very good flesh in them." She went back to her inspection of the carcass but could not rip the claws apart. "Pick a claw up and strike it against a rock to crack the shell then pull it apart." I noticed that this girl was packed to the gills with food now. The amount of food she had eaten reminded me of a shrew. She was probably frightened silly and eating to compensate. She did as I suggested and then crouched down to watch for more food that I would get for her. "There are some berries behind you. They are good to eat. Grotto has tried them and liked them." "I want flesh." "Is that instinct or are the females of your race strictly carnivorous?" She didn't answer and I just waited for a fish to come near. Another fish came near eventually and I speared it like the first. This time I kept the fish in my hand. I used a sharp rock fragment to cut off what I wanted and handed the rest to New Leaf. She just grasped to portion offered and ate it quickly. I cleaned my own portion and ate it raw. It rained a lot but not all the time. The natives used fire but usually had to find a sheltered spot for the fuel to dry. Most of the time food was eaten raw. It was not my favourite way but I was in the equivalent of Rome now. Besides I had no fire. We continued on our search for better trees. When it was getting dark I said, "Let's camp here tonight. It is as good as any other place near here." New Leaf studied the tree for a few seconds and scurried up it as if she were walking on level ground. There was a vine on this tree and this is why I chose it. I was able to climb the trunk with one spear until I got high enough to get onto a branch. I went higher until I found a more comfortable spot to spend the night. I said in the direction of my family, "I am doing fine. The queen is a pain in the ass. This negotiations may take a long time. Tell Grotto that I am going to take care of her if I can. I love you all." I could not hear a reply but I felt warm nevertheless. New Leaf was higher in the tree and over to one side. The wind rocked the tree during the night but strangely it felt comforting. I woke up during the night but there was no serious problems. When I got up I looked at New Leaf and saw her as I had seen her during the night. I could feel elation, fear and triumph, all in the course of a few minutes. I guess she was dreaming now. When I tried to listen closer was when I found the thick layer of fear under everything she was doing. Trying to look at the situation from her point of view was difficult. The fact was that she was kidnapped and forced to live in a dangerous situation with an alien that looked very odd to her was stressful. This was a far better alternative to what she had planned for me and our world. I stood and stretched my muscles then did it again and again before I decided to look around for breakfast. There did not seem to be any predators about but there were some paskas. They were similar to large rabbits. They served the same purpose in the food chain. When I got to the ground I found a place to take a dump. I dug a hole with the spear and used leaves to clean up after. There were other types of berries nearby and I spent half an hour gorging on the fruit. Eventually the wind shifted and I smelt the Wikki shit that New Leaf must have dropped during the night came to me. It would be easy for a predator to follow that scent if they chose to do so. I heard some leaves move and saw New Leaf climbing down. I picked some additional berries by the time she came near. I handed her a double handful of berries and said, "These are good." She actually struck the back of my hand and the berries flew away. "I will not eat that." I was pissed off now and said, "Well go and hunt for what you want. I am not going to stop you." I detected the anger again and she prowled around looking for game. I recovered my other spear and staff then ate a few more berries before I headed in the direction of some thicker growing trees. New Leaf was not successful in hunting and I saw her eating berries when she figured I could not see her. During the afternoon, New Leaf came close as if looking for me to gain her food. She was hungry but I think it was still a case of nerves for her. I was not a great hunter but I explained about sound, the direction of the wind and scent. She did not want to listen but she did. I explained a lot more about patients and the necessity of learning the habits of the prey or the enemy. It worked better the latter way and I talked about the Chlorins, Khartts and the Procent. "Where did you learn about these races. I was told that you did not know of them." "The All Mother looked into your computer before she talked to you. I was given an upload of the data that was found. I also gave Captain Grotto a list of improvements that will help you in your efforts to fight your enemies." "Our enemies are the Aristis too." "Then use the weapons on them. I feel that with better leadership they would not bother you again." "How did your All Mother defeat our screen, encryption and the computer itself?" "I believe that the All Mother and her sisters are actually the subconscious manifestations of the Tomma mind. I am a human but I love the Tomma. Their subconscious may have taken the information about technical subjects from my mind but the Tomma are learning to make ships and computers by themselves. The improvements I suggested were actually arrived at from the information in your own data banks." "How is that?" "We do not know of the Khartts or the Procent. When your observers put their information in the computers, we deduced how your enemy must be able to make their weapons. From that point, we made a few improvements to them." "You said that your All Mother took this information when she attacked. How could you make improvements in the design never mind finding the underlying principles?" "You forget that we have Wyatt on the planet and our other computers nearby. All of them are linked by ultrawave. Those boys are smart. I give them all of the information I find and they see if there is a way to use it to further our knowledge." "Our computers cannot do that." "The Wikki have their communal mind. It is a good method of communicating. You do not make adequate use of computers though and you have very few powerful units. The fact that you have so few powerful computers, restricts your ability to manipulate data like this." "I was told that you were exceptional in your ability to change crystals." "For some reason that is true. It has to be luck because nobody on earth was aware of the ability nor even the ability to communicate with our minds." "I remember you saying that you would help the Wikki people." "I did. I see the vast majority of the Wikki as good people. The babies are animals and that, in a way, is similar to humans. I did not know of the complicated interactions at the leadership level." I felt her anger and added, "Humans are much the same. Deals are made that are not in the best interests of the race. Tell me about the world of a queen or a would-be queen." "Why should I do that?" "Because I asked. I am trying to understand you. If we truly understand each other then we can see how we can help each other." She thought for a few minutes and I waited. "That information is not something that I will mention." "Then tell me about yourself. You sound young." I felt more anger and she said, "Why do you say that?" "Right now I felt anger coming from you. A young person does not always put much thought on a subject before they react. An adult would think about the reasons why the person asked that question and try to see the idea from the other's perspective. Being young is not bad. It just means that you are starting to gather information so you can use it effectively later. My children are young and they ask questions. I still ask a great many questions myself. Some are to biological people and some are computer people. Anger plays very little in how I react." "We show anger to get quicker results." "That may work and may work well with your race. The problem as I see it, is that your anger is so strong. The next logical step is to kill. If you showed less anger then you have room to get more angry and refrain from killing." "Many Wikki die. It makes us strong. The weak or stupid are removed from their posts." "It may do just that but you need competent people to fight for your race. If they are all killed then you are defenceless. A study of how the Wikki act would be a good thing to start. You may find others ways of getting the most out of people without killing them and you have the added benefit of allowing them to live and continue to serve you." We continued our dialogue as we walked. I told New Leaf about humans, Aristis and Tomma. Nadac's memories had a lot about the drives of an Aristis from a psychiatrist's point of view. New Leaf after a while told me more about the Wikki as she saw them. We crossed streams as we hunted for food. The large Wikki I found out needed some flotation device because they could not swim. New Leaf had never had a chance to learn this before. I used my rocks to take down small game so I could feed us. New Leaf still did not understand that I had to have some food too. I felt that she was spoiled but she also may not know any better. When we had to travel through a muddy area, I had to get behind her and remove large leaches before they could become attached. The larger ones New Leaf ate herself. Later I asked, "The human body is not an efficient converter of food energy to mechanical energy. I was wondering about your appetite, New Leaf. You eat a lot. Is it to grow or is it because you need so much to just get by?" New Leaf did not answer as if she had not heard me so I let the matter drop until later. I knew that the other Wikki only ate from the food synthesiser apart from the chocolate that now came our way. The leadership must eat their food the same way that humans did apart from it being raw. The Tappic found us later in the day. We had disturbed a group that had just fed on a large animal. That did not stop nearly a hundred adults from chasing us. I had difficulty getting up a tree in time until New Leaf reached down and grasped my clothing and pulled me up to a branch out of reach of the Tappic. "Thank you New Leaf. I would be dying by now if you had not pulled me up here." She did not acknowledge me and said, "What are we going to do now?" "The Tappic will go back to their last kill while a few wait here. We are just going to have to wait for them to leave. I can kill a few from here but you will have to go down and bring up the animals." "I can kill my own food," she said hotly. We waited over an hour for the majority of the birds to leave for their kill. Over the next hour more and more left. It was getting dark now and New Leaf dropped to the ground on top of one of the Tappic and bit it. She ran to not away from those near until she killed seven more. She got four up into the tree before the main flock came back. "You did that very well. I might have matched you if I had a very good spear or a sword but I would not be able to do more." "You would match me?" She was angry again. "I used none of your weapons or tools to do what I did. You could not match me or any Wikki." I debated whether to reply or not, then said, "Humans are weak. There is no denying that. It is the fact that we are weak that cause us to find ways of making tools to help us. An experienced human warrior with the right tools can do a great deal. It is the brain that we have to fight with, not our bodies." "The Wikki could defeat your people easily." "That is true but you too must use tools. First you have to come to our planet. Then you must use your ships to kill because if you use your hand weapons on the ground we would be able to do the same thing. Your people are fast but humans would kill a great number of you too." "We would kill more." She was talking like a child. "New Leaf, you are intelligent. I did not speak of fighting the Wikki. I mentioned how much of a warrior you were and how a human had to be good to start with then have to use high quality weapons to try to match you. If there were more Tappic on the ground the human would die while you would survive. I am not competing against the Wikki." She looked at me but this time the anger was less. She ripped into the carcass of the Tappic. As she ate, she threw the portions she did not want at the birds below. She was contemptuous of the birds and I guess me too. The birds ate the offerings but made a lot of noise because they wanted us too. It was only after New Leaf had finished her meal that she offered me any of it. I was not about to go to the carcass though. She had used venom to kill and this may do the same thing to me. I was also thinking of revenge in the next few days by hunting for just my own needs until she learned but she was alien and had her own set of morals. I could still not detect anybody other than New Leaf but I gave my report and sent my love. I mentioned my fuzzy feeling but not being able to receive. I told them that I felt that I was getting somewhere with New Leaf but it was like pulling teeth. Later that night I heard more than the wind blowing in the boughs of the tree. I looked around with my sight and saw a full grown dossla coming down a branch from a neighbouring tree. They were the size of a Bengal tiger and well suited for climbing with the claws they had. They did have the reflexes of a cat but they had been domesticated by the Tomma like dogs were on earth. New Leaf was asleep. I yelled and banged my spear against the tree now. The cat and the Wikki were now very alert. "There is a dossla coming down the branch after your food. I would appreciate it if you did not kill it. Let it have the food you do not want or chase it away." New Leaf wondered about my words and the dossla had just stopped to review its strategy. New Leaf made her decision and bounded after the cat and the cat turned tail to run up the tree and then jump to the one it had come from. New Leaf ran the same way but stopped before she could leave the tree. The dossla had seen that it was pursued and kept going to another tree but then waited as if prepared to take a stand there. I remembered the tales about the animals. From my experience with animals, I had to guess that the dossla was smarter than a dog. They were seen in the Tomma villages. The Tomma used them like watchdogs and for hunting. Their appetites were their only bad point as the village had to feed them. If they had to fend for itself, they reverted to the wild and left. The animal though was omnivorous and was able to eat fruits or cultivated vegetables. The latter worked better if the vegetables were cooked to aid digestion. The animal did not come back that night. I felt anger again but it was not directed at me. New Leaf now felt that she had to perform guard duty and I let her have all of it. I got some more sleep and felt comforted about my protector. New Leaf was surly in the morning. The Tappic had moved on looking for food they could run down or trap. The dossla I could not find. New Leaf dined on Tappic while I went to the ground to find something for me to eat for myself. We left later but New Leaf was monitoring the branches in the trees as well as the ground. There was a lot of meat left in out old tree. The dossla may be able to eat the Tappic even though the animal was killed by Wikki venom. I would ask New Leaf what she knew about the subject but I felt that very few outsiders had a chance to be fed from a Wikki hunt. It rained again that day but we kept walking. The water poured off of New Leaf's body easily and I did not feel any extra anger beyond the low level amount she felt at our situation. I hit a paska with a rock and ate the animal without looking at my companion. There was enough in one animal to keep me going today when you factored in the berries, nuts and grain I came across. It was later that afternoon I was more lucky and took a deer like animal. I used a flaked rock to cut up the carcass and gave the majority to New Leaf. The intestines I cleaned at a stream and proceeded to put a stone head on one of my spears. When I was done, I took off my clothes and washed my body in the rain before putting the wet clothes back on. New Leaf said, "That thing between your legs, is that used to impregnate females?" "Yes. In a human, blood fills the organ to make it stiff. The Aristis modified their body to change this to a muscle that can be much stronger." "Show me how it works." "I would, but I asked you if you would talk about your people and you refused. Why should I be the one that gives the majority of the information?" "I am a queen." "We went over this before, I am a king and at least your equal in responsibilities." The anger was not as strong. "Tell me about that animal that climbed into the tree?" I gave a description of the cat and what it was capable of. I was not shy about telling her that the cat stood an equal chance of killing her too. The fact that the cat was unsure was all that kept us safe last night. Then I gave how it interacted with the Tomma when it was domesticated and when it was not. "Why do they want such an animal around them that they will not eat?" "That is a good question but I have to go into the mind of a mammal. Instinct compels us to nurture our young. The young dossla are malleable in that they will live in a Tomma society as if it were their own. They think that they are a Tomma or that the Tomma are one of their kind. "The animal will hunt with the Tomma to feed the group. By then it will have known that it is not in the dominant position. It is smart enough to obey simple commands. The villages my mates came from have a few of the cats. Humans have in the past domesticated an animal similar to the dossla. It worked out very well for both species. The human animal was called a dog. It could not climb trees and was not as supple as what the Tomma have. "The cat has a smooth fur like yours. When the dossla fur is stroked, the animal thinks that it is being licked by its mother. The animal enjoys this and makes a noise to show that it is happy. The sound and the pleasant feel of the fur make the Tomma happy too. "The cooperation between species is good. Both groups will protect the young of the other. Each group can do something useful the other group cannot do." New Leaf was quiet now and I hoped she was thinking. We made camp earlier and I tried to get both spears altered. New Leaf did not talk but she did watch what I did. When we made a place to sleep I noticed that New Leaf did not go as far away as she had done the other nights. The next day we were caught in the open when a very large flock of Tappic came upon us. They did not worry when I killed them with spears because they were thinking of the group. New Leaf and I retreated to a small river and I used my staff to keep us safe. New Leaf was at a disadvantage here but the Tappic were even more so. As we both fought side by side with us standing in a metre of water I said, "We have to get across the river. The birds are swimming around us." "I can't swim." "Hold your breath and I will pull you across." "I can't do that." We hacked at the Tappic but I had to now move to deeper water to keep our backs safe. There was at least a hundred on the water now and swimming toward us. I must have killed or rendered unconscious, fifty of the animals while New Leaf got an equal number. The bodies drifted downriver or drowned and did the same thing. I said, "Are you willing to trust me now?" She was hard pressed at the moment and the water slowed down her movements. "I will try." I threw my staff at some of the birds and grabbed New Leaf. She wrapped her legs around me. I could hardly move and she was not releasing me. I sank below the water and she had to abandon me as she pushed me down so she could shoot up. I came up for air then went to her once more. The Tappic were striking us with their beaks but now New Leaf was using them for flotation devices. I got close again and pulled one of her legs into the faster moving water. She fought off the swimming birds as I towed her to a small promontory that was protected by a dense thicket of small trees. The birds were drowning and New Leaf grasped for more. Many times she was underwater until a bird came close. When I got close and she clung to me and tried to climb up. I just sank underwater until she abandoned me and we tried it again. When she came up the third time she was almost ready to bite me. "Why do you do that?" "Do not climb on me. I will not let you drown. Use the Tappic to float or hold your breath." New Leaf still tried to climb up and after one more dunking I got her across the small river. I got to shore and used rocks to strike the birds. New Leaf was beat but tried to defend herself. The birds got to shore but could not get behind us or even come on our flanks. The flock was being decimated. After enough time the birds pulled back but had to work hard to stay in position because of the current in the river. The ones on the water got too tired and drifted downriver and a while later those on the shore followed. New Leaf looked to be very tired now but angry enough to overcome this and attack me. She stood as if ready to fight. I said before she could decide what to do, "You are a foolish Wikki. Your actions would have killed me and then you would have died in the water. I know it was instinct for you to try to save your own life but your rational mind has to overcome those type of fears." "I could have died. You made me go into the water." "If you had stayed on the shore, you would have died by now. I am trying to keep you safe but I had to fight. Later I needed both my hands to pull us to this spot." "I should have left you and ran to a tree." "That is an option we may have to use one day. I may have survived on my own but I cannot climb all of the trees. We have to make compromises in life. We are both in danger. I know that we are stronger as a team than if we are separate. Do you still wish to stay with me?" With some difficulty she said, "I wish to kill you." "Then we have a problem. You let your anger rule you and you lose an ally. That is not that bad except you are the leader of a portion of your race. If you choose wrong then not only you suffer but so do all the Wikki." New Leaf seemed to come to a decision and just turned quickly and started to feed on the nearest bird as if she were attacking me. A half hour later I swam back over the river. When I got out I saw New Leaf watching me. This time I felt fear once more but it was different. I recovered my two spears before the birds that came back to feed on the dead. I swam back dragging the two spears and the birds followed until I got near New Leaf. They had learned and didn't come any closer. It took an hour until we managed to slip away from the Tappic. We hurried away so we would be out of sight if the birds looked our way. Two days later I realised that I did not see any Tomma in our travels or even their villages. The highlands had a higher proportion of the population because it was relatively dry. Farming was not extensive but I saw none of the plots. I did find some of the old roads but even these were mostly washed out in the intervening centuries. New Leaf did not seem to have recovered from her swim and was even more standoffish. She was gaining weight I could see but also some muscle too. We came to a small mountain range that we had to climb or we could just stay put. It was more fun to travel though, at least for me. There were some caves and also some dry wood. We had our first fire and New Leaf simply stared at it as if mesmerised. I ate cooked meat and cooked roots for the first time in over a week and felt good about myself. This was as good as any vacation I had ever had even if I could be killed at any moment. New Leaf unexpectedly said, "We can stay here for a while." "If you want, we can do that. We have to pull in some wood so it gets a chance to dry." "I do not need a fire." "Then I will do it." There was a pause and she said, "I will help." There were lots of trees and lots of smaller dead branches that had not rotted much so far. We dragged some downhill rather than up and I broke them up and put them into the cave. We got far more than we needed but the time was right for this because the rain had held off for the last few days and it was relatively dry. New Leaf had done poorly at hunting so far though she killed those that came at us fairly easy. This time I showed her how to track larger game instead of telling her. I found a good place to watch a trail as it came near a small lake. New Leaf fidgeted all the time. I said, "What is wrong?" "I do not like waiting." "A leader has to show patients even if she does not really feel that way." She did settle down then and we watched the trail while relaxing in the sunshine. Small animals like the paska come down to drink but water was freely available all over. Not all animals came to the lakes. New Leaf was all for chasing after even the small game but I restrained her for an hour until we saw nine adult dossla and a dozen small ones come for a drink and look for dinner. We were now very quiet and I monitored the wind carefully lest the cats catch our scent. I looked at the trees nearby to find a refuge. The cats could climb but they were restricted in how they could come to us. The cats went upwind later and we both breathed a sigh of relief. Another hour passed before a large herbivore called a socha came our way. It was covered with something like chitin that was more armour than anything we had seen yet. There were horns along its spine and more on its head. It looked like a cross with a bull seen at a bull fight and a rhino. It was like an armadillo but had a nasty disposition like a rhino and would happily trample an enemy. New Leaf wiggled like a cat then moved off stealthily to get down wind of the animal. Things did not go right for New Leaf. She did a very good job of approaching her prey and then jumped on its back. Her hands and feet were not equal to holding on to the armour even though she could climb trees with ease. The animal bucked vigorously a half dozen times and finally dislodged its passenger. New Leaf was a bit stunned when she found herself crouching in shallow water. The animal did not flee but turned around and charged. It was very quick for an animal its size. New Leaf was equal to the challenge and threw herself at the animal. The large horns on its head kept her from placing her body close. This meant that she could not use her venom again. The socha turned toward a tree to pinch her body between the bole and the animal's horns. New Leaf saw the predicament and frantically climbed to one side. The horns hit and she grazed the trunk. She had the chance to flee herself now but she jumped on the animal's back once more. The animal bucked once more and threw her into the water. New Leaf must have been in shock because the next charge hit her and she flew six metres before hitting further out in the water. The socha tried one more time but crashed into the water as it struck a partially submerged rock. New Leaf had not moved since she hit the water the second time and I was worried. It was my turn now to attack. I doubted if my spears would do any good but threw one anyway. It hit perpendicular to the surface of the animal and went in only a few centimetres before stopping. The weight of the spear pulled the weapon out. I made noise now so it would forget New Leaf. The animal was a little slower now but not much. It charged me quickly. I waited for it to come with my last spear. I kept the spear and held it firmly. The point dug in the animals shoulder at a joint but I was propelled backwards by the force of the charge. I tried to hold onto the spear but I could not do it. My body glanced off a large rock and I had enough sense to roll to one side. I felt pain shoot up my back and more in my head. The socha was not running now but it had its head down to gore me. I thought of holding its two wide horns for a split second but rolled quickly towards the large rock I had hit. One of the large horns struck the rock and the end broke off. The animal ran past me so it could turn for another pass. I got to my feet with difficulty and saw the animal charge. The rock was firmly behind me and my feet were slipping in the loose stone. I would be pinched between the rock and the animal's horns and surly die. The animal was coming fast now and I leaned my back against the rock. I crouched a bit then sprang upward just as it got close. My two feet used the animal's head to push my legs higher and I flipped over onto the top of the rock. The animal's head hit the rock with a heavy thud. The horns in the centre of the skull were broken or at least damaged but the animal did not look like it was ready to quit. I slid backwards on the rock so it could not get me even if it wanted to use its large side horns or even its front feet. It backed up a metre as if to charge again but only bellowed like a an enraged bull. I could hear in my mind, New Leaf calling for help. I turned around and did not see her. She must be under the water. I jumped to another rock and then to another. My balance was not good. My opponent followed me as I led it away. I slid down the back side of the last rock and heard the animal bellow in rage. It tried to push between the rocks but I ran to where I saw New Leaf last. There was a driftwood tree nearby and I took a few seconds to pull it out from between the rocks and send it in the direction I wanted to go. I raced over the shallow rocks until I saw New Leaf under four metres of water. I could now hear the socha pounding the ground toward me. When I could, I pushed the tree more and dove. I did not get in front of New Leaf where I could get grabbed but I got behind her and used her body to pushed my feet to the rocks on the bottom. I pushed up with all my might and then stayed with her as I kicked with my feet and pulled with one hand. We broke the surface or at least I did. I pulled the tree closer so the trunk was available then I heaved New Leaf to the surface. She did not move but I was able to get her body over the small trunk. I knew of no method of blowing air into her lungs but I did push on her now soft body to get her lungs to work. There was very little water in them. The herbivore by now was in waist deep water and trying to get us but did not come into deeper water. I kicked us out into deeper water as I continued to get New Leaf's lungs to start working. Her mind was still working but much like it was when she was sleeping. The thoughts of babies came to my mind for some reason and I pulled my arm back and slapped New Leaf three times. She woke up and coughed out water as her mind tried frantically to come up with where she was. She saw the socha and faced it as her legs thrashed in the water. I felt her fear now and it was thick enough to cut with a knife. I was treading water at the time and it was a minute later that she looked for me. I was behind her and not visible. "Wally, where are you?" This was the first time she ever called me. "I am behind you." She tried to turn but could not. I swam around her to get in front of her. I too held the trunk. She said, "What happened?" I could feel her weakness and pain. "You jumped on the socha but could not bite it. You got knocked off into the water but jumped on the animal's head. You got knocked off once more but it was near the deep water. You were hurt and must have stumbled into the deep water where I pulled you up." She thought for a minute and said, "Where did this tree come from? I remember it from the shore." "I pushed it out so you could hold onto it when you came to the surface." "I see that you are hurt. Why did you not kill the animal?" "I was worried about your safety. I tried to kill it with my spears but they hardly went through the armoured segments. I lured it far enough away so I could make a run for the water and I just made it. That is one mean opponent and if it is all the same to you I will let it live." "You should have tried harder. You humans are weak." "New Leaf, I wounded it in two places and broke its horns. I think I did very well and most of the damage I did was using just my mind." She said nothing, as usual and I started to push us toward an island. I scanned the land and didn't see any dangerous wildlife on it. New Leaf got out of the water when she could then I pulled the tree to the shore so we could use it later. I looked over her wounds. She was still bleeding so I used my PK to close off the vessels until her body did this by itself. She had just collapsed into a ball. I was still working as she slept. Forty metres away a very angry socha wanted to have a piece of us still. I was too beat to even think of a suitable strategy. New Leaf was still partially in the water. I urged her to stand and walk to a drier and hopefully more comfortable spot. She was just getting settled when we heard the socha bellow its rage even louder now. When I looked up I saw that some dossla had come. New Leaf did not want to crouch now. "Get down so they do not see us. We cannot fight them." She did see the reason for this and did crouch as her pain was forgotten. There were only two adults here. I looked around for the young and saw none. These may not be the same cats. The two cats worked in unison to try to take down the socha. They manoeuvred the animal near the rocks I had jumped from. One of the animals was able to get on the rock unobserved and jump on the socha's back. The dossla was able to hold on though. It had long claws that found purchase at the joints of the chitinous armour. The other dossla harried the beast so it forgot the rider on its back. This cat dug deeply at the chitin trying to make a hole. The plates came up far higher than I could pull them. The cats were strong. The cats fought the socha for half of an hour. Both groups were tired. The one cat had pulled up the chitin and the herbivore now bled. The cat had also been thrown off a half a dozen times and had to remount. The other strangely never went into this acrobatic act. The end was unexpected. The cat on the ground had something wrong with its back leg and was not harassing its prey as much as it had before. The socha then managed to dislodge the cat riding it onto a rock. Before the cat could make its escape, the socha had gored it seriously. The other cat raced in quickly to save his or her mate. The socha abandoned its disabled antagonist to face the other one. When this cat got close, the herbivore was now able to use its wide horns on its head to catch then throw the cat. This one flew almost four metres up into the rocks. The herbivore now went back to the gored cat and ripped it apart with its horns. The cat's body was carried around only to be dislodged and then trampled again. I felt bad about the deaths. The socha was a beautiful animal and well suited to living on this planet. The dossla were closer to cats that I knew and I saw them as friends of the Tomma. In an hour, there was very little of the cat remaining and the socha left. New Leaf said, "That was a good fight. I see now why I did not defeat the animal." "That was also the reason I did not defeat it either. I made two holes in its armour but they meant nothing. I have heard of some natives on my home world using very long spears. The animal that attacks, throws itself onto the spear. The other end of the spear is in a small hole in the ground so that it cannot be pushed back. I was thrown back when the socha charged me." "You humans use too many tools. The simple ways are best." "You are right. Humans are weak though and need tools to become equal. That is our strength. We make and use tools very well. I stand a good chance of killing a socha my way but also a good chance of dying myself. Your way gives you very little chances of success but if you too held a long spear you would succeed and be quick enough to get out of the way if your spear failed." "The Wikki do not use tools to fight." "New Leaf, you fight the Aristis and other races with tools." "That is different." "How is it different?" She did not answer for a while then thought quietly as if to herself, "They are different." I worked more on New Leaf's wounds and then broke off some branches to hide her white colour. I said, "I am going hunting. You need to eat." The island had nothing worthwhile catching. The island had no fish near it that were large enough to spear if I had a spear. I had to swim back to the other shore and see what I could find. My two spears were damaged but still usable. There were only paska around now and I had to make a thin spear suitable for hunting them. I found three of them and delivered them to New Leaf before I went back. I found two more before I heard an odd noise. I looked around and finally upward. On the other side of the large rock was the dossla. It was not dead. I studied the animal with my sight. It had a broken hind leg and had bled from multiple gashes in its body. While looking close I not only found that it was a female but she was pregnant. I did not like to see the dossla die and much less the cubs. Finding a way to help may be dangerous to both of us. After considering my options for a few minutes, I got as near to the cat as I could and concentrated on the large artery to its brain. I closed this off like I had done for New Leaf until the cat fell unconscious. It was difficult to climb the rock with the spear and the paska, but I did. The cat was beautiful but bloody. I put the game near the cat's head and found some saplings. Rocks were easy to find and flake until I was able to butcher the first paska. I used the intestines to lash the splints to the cat's broken leg. I had to use more than one of the small animals to do this. There was internal bleeding but not much by now. Some rocks were moved and I laid the cat out more comfortably. Each of her wounds were tended as best I could. Her condition was also constantly monitored so that I did not find myself with a conscious cat. More branches and saplings were found and I made a small enclosure that would keep the sun and the rain off of her. All this took two hours and I went back to hunting. I brought New Leaf more meat. She caught the scent from me and said, "What did you do with the dossla carcass?" "I did not do anything with the dead animal. The other animal was wounded severely but not dead. She was given some first aid and I splinted her leg." "You could eat this animal." "I guess I could but I won't. She is also ready to have her cubs and this is what made me tend to her. Mammals are odd in a way. I see the cubs as children the same way I see the small Wikki or the dossla I saw in the villages." "We are not your children." "I know that very well but it is instinct to help." We did not travel the next three days. New Leaf was slow in recovering and I had a lot of hunting to do. The dossla would eat what I took to her and then worry the intestines on her leg until I yelled if I was close. She would crouch lower and wait for an attack that never came. I found a piece of chitin, probably from the shoulder of a socha and used it to carry water to the sleeping cat. New Leaf did not like the way I tended the other animal but she could do little. The cat was rendered unconscious many times. I cleaned up her home for her and even brought leaves for her to rest on. The splint had to be adjusted and this meant new intestines but I had a supply of them. The splint was changed so that it would allow the cat to walk with it if she left the bindings on for another week. Before I left, I slid the cat down the rock to a position she would not have to jump from. It was still high enough that the socha could not get at her but she could get out. I rebuilt her home and stocked it with water and food. She may yet die but now she had a good chance to live. New Leaf had actually assisted me in this because I asked. She kept a wary eye on the cat as we worked but she was not antagonistic to the animal now. New Leaf stuck closer to me the first day. I saw that her hidden fear was not as strong now. Familiarity may be part of it but I hoped it went deeper than that. I had always talked about my family but now New Leaf asked specific questions that had to do with how we functioned as a unit. I told her truthfully how we worked together. I was also able to nip around the edges of how the Wikki leadership functioned. Their's was an odd arrangement but at the same time my own family must seem weird to New Leaf. New Leaf went back to hunting but the only other socha we saw was left strictly alone. Twenty four days after being stranded with New Leaf, we found our first native. This was an old wise man that sat on a rock with a spear he used more as a staff. I said, "Hello old father," but we could not seem to use mental communications so I used the vocal method. The old man looked at me and at New Leaf with no fear and said, "Greetings Wally, greetings New Leaf. Have you two come to an understanding between yourselves?" New Leaf was not nervous or fearful, or at least not much. I said, "I think so. My friend and I can see how we can help each other in our problems. The Wikki have to come a long way to see that they have real friends now." "That is good." New Leaf said, "What of my people?" "Nothing has changed. They anxiously await your return. The All Mother wishes to have a party first but will understand if you wish to not participate." New Leaf looked at me and I said mentally to her, "A party like this is just to show a great many people that we are friends. Your people would be invited to come as would mine. I get the feeling that it is going to be here on Cralto and not in a ship." I felt her fear again. We had talked about this a lot in the last week but now New Leaf needed some reassurance. I added quickly, "I think that your people have been monitoring us all the time we have been gone." I looked at the old man and he nodded his head. "There is nothing to fear. They have seen that you are a good person and hopefully I have been seen the same way. You can still be a queen but now the ceremonies will just be a bit different. We can do this together if you wish. Your queen will not be that angry at you for changing when she has to consider what you went through. You cemented the friendship of another race and that is not something to take lightly." "I will be replaced." "You have a strong ally. The All Mother went to a lot of bother to allow us to see each other clearly. She would not waste that by permitting you to be deposed." "Our queen is of the entire Wikki race. She is very powerful. You cannot fight her." "I did not say that we fight but that we demand that you be our liaison. That means you will still be a queen and possibly one that will either live her or visit often." The old man said, "Wally is correct. The All Mother will demand that you work with us if your race wishes our help." While New Leaf was thinking on this, the shields on our minds started to fade. My family now greeted me and did the same for New Leaf. The Wikki called too and wished orders. New Leaf uncharacteristically asked them to simply wait while she thought. A small Wikki ship came for us. I was happy to see that it was commanded by Grotto. He was very worried. We were not that anxious to leave and Grotto relaxed just a bit. Grotto spoke only when he was spoken to. I asked him about what the Wikki had seen. The drones had not been disabled so they and the Tomma had witnessed everything. It was just that they were unable to come and rescue us because their ship computers were acting oddly. I was dropped off at Toxlo. The city had filled even more than it had when I left over three weeks ago. Everybody was happy to see me and I could feel the welcome for New Leaf. She was taken back by their thoughts and I think she was the first Wikki to be greeted like this. New Leaf was eventually taken to her ship. A large party was being prepared and I felt that she and some of her people would attend. Betts and Erica mobbed me and then so did my other mates. The children were not far behind and I held them too though this was too much like an assembly line. I loved my family but there was simply too little of me to go around. A few minutes later I was clean as I had been in a long time and undergoing tests to see if there was anything wrong. Eleven of my mates made sure that one portion of me was working fine before I was released. My computer family had been delving into what had happened. Somehow the collected subconscious of many of the Tomma had worked in concert with each other to do what they had done. Wyatt was simply a computer and the biologicals nothing but pawns. Information from the Wikki and their computers was simply taken. All we knew was that Wyatt had been usurped too and it was his abilities that were used to gather the data. The actions that happened on the Wikki ship were not computer generated I felt but Wesley could do some amazing things so Wyatt may do other actions he was not aware of if prompted by the Tomma. ------- Chapter 46 I looked at this since I was cast into the highlands. This was a great defensive weapon but I could not see how to use it. There were a lot of unknowns in this situation but the computer entities did not mind. It gave them something to do. One fact was made very evident, the mental powers had to be explored even more. This meant that sixth dimension and possibly others were behind all of these phenomena. Erica was usually near to me and said verbally, "There are still some Wikki that would like to see us shackled to a factory floor so we could work for them." "That is what I had to fight. Perhaps New Leaf will put a stop to that kind of thinking. The kids looked to be happy. I don't think they worried." "Oh, they didn't. They liked the idea of going into the wild the way you did. They had to be taught how to survive and they even managed to go to some of their mother's villages to learn a bit more. This lasted a week then they came back and worked on making crystals once more. This did very good for your plans because a lot of youngsters want to come here to learn or possibly be with our kids." "I heard that the Wikki stopped working on the ship during New Leaf's absence. I want to get them back to work." "They probably will since New Leaf looks so happy. Are we going to be turned into mercenaries now?" I said, "I want some of that experience the same as the Tomma and the Aristis love to get but I want to protect both of our worlds and assist the Wikki too. They need allies and we need them even more. Do you think the Tomma will object to fighting from ships?" "I don't think so. Perhaps it has to be how they are approached. They may do much better with their own ships." "I was thinking about that too. Tomma lead and crewed ships are our best option until we can get more humans into space." "I am afraid of them getting a toehold in. Our children do very well only because of the computer monitoring and the fact that most of the rest are at least half Tomma blood." "The ones on earth have few Tomma with them and perhaps we have to go back and show the flag so to speak. I hear that the humans are up to their old tricks again." Erica said, "Can you blame them? Somebody shows up with all they need to know to gain the galaxy. They will try everything they can to get a piece of it." "We can draw mercenaries from there too I think." "You are going to have to watch them closely." "Perhaps that is your job." "Me?" "You have a lot of responsibilities but I have many more. Betts can work with you too." "I don't know if I can do that." Two hours later the party got into gear. The wise men from all over had come and were now talking about what they knew of the All Mother's manifestation. The Wikki had been basically rendered unconscious apart from those that had been killed outright in the queen's chambers. Ships that came to the planet all used computers to control them. The All Mother took over the computers and sent the ships elsewhere. The Wikki in the ships were justifiably upset and were going to go to war but there was nobody they could fight. Grotto had risen in stature by taking the All Mother's side. He had stuck his neck out a considerable amount and I was going to make sure he got something for it. I was fully integrated once more with my computers and found that I had been subtly manipulated so that I avoided the Tomma villages. The villagers were told by the All Mother to avoid us too. The Wikki came in mass now to the city. We provided natural food whenever possible. Chocolate was very plentiful. The Wikki were used to the synthetic variety but now we provided meat that would be eaten raw the way their queen ate it. Some was cooked over coals and this was appreciated by everybody. New Leaf came down with twenty guards but they were told to keep their distance and let her mingle. She met my mates and my children and seemed to take pleasure in seeing them. The girls talked quickly to her and they seemed to be able to shut me out of their conversations. New Leaf met many more Tomma, and the few humans then even met some of the Aristis including my mates and children. Vos and her sibs had grown a lot more in my absence and could now speak though they were like the children they actually were. Usually the Wikki young were not able to do this as soon as the ones I sponsored. We all sampled food and met people. The wise men were being courted by the queen to find out what they knew. I did not think anybody was holding back but the wise men were basically simple folk that still saw the All Mother as a religious deity. New Leaf was introduced to Wyatt later. She walked inside the structure but the crystals and substrate were hidden away behind the walls. New Leaf had a very good mind and an auxiliary computer in it. She asked a great many questions of Wyatt and he had no difficulty giving her an in-depth synopses of what she had asked. The plans we had given the Wikki had been used to build. She saw the tools we made. It was her own people the had mainly done the tests. Our children had gone out of their way to supply the Wikki with material to test. Grotto had a small ship that nestled inside his own ship. We had more time to work on the data the Wikki involuntarily gave us and found a way of making a faster ship that had much better shielding. We even found tweaks to make the inertial compensator work even better. It was the internal shields that made the ship so strong and light. The compensator was actually broken up into many smaller units so that there was less turbulence. The same idea was going to be used on our ships when we built larger units. The Wikki kids had to stay on their ship during our camping trip but the humans had found a way to talk to them and get them to make some of the components. That night New Leaf went back to her ship with a lot of naturally derived supplies. We were going to work on a contract tomorrow before she found any opposition to our plans from her own people. I thought that New Leaf and I were friends after our forced companionship but she bargained forcefully for everything. I figured that there were some things she knew she could not get but tried to use the position so she could gain more of what she could. The previous agreements were ratified first with not too many problems. Our new agreements would have me counting my fingers after I finished. I guess New Leaf had to act this way if her decisions were going to be criticised by her superior. Our gift of the information about the engines, shields and computers was just that, a gift. The missiles we made were nearly as good as our largest missiles. We traded our existing stock here and on earth to the Wikki and we would make more of the smaller and more deadly units to take their place. The Wikki would want all of these they could get. New Leaf wanted a computer as good as Wesley or Wyatt and I amazed her by agreeing. Supplying us with enough hulls for ships was going to be hard on them. The Wikki needed all the ships they could get at the moment so all the agreements were based on how their enemies were dealt with. The bargaining went on for five days even with the computers. Very prominent in the documents was the stipulation that New Leaf, and her alone, come to Cralto three times every standard year. She had fought this for the record but I think she was pleased. The main contract was signed and sent off while we then went into other issues. Queen Bright Star was becoming more and more involved and I wanted some firm commitments before somebody new came on the scene. The side deals were more of the mundane agreements that made everything work. We were going to get an influx of young Wikki. Our Star Fleet regs were altered just a bit to fit the Wikki better. Grotto and New Leaf assisted in this but without the usual intensive dickering. Part of the Wikki fleet headed for earth to deliver some of the new missiles and pick up our old surplus ones. The humans in Star Fleet were already making the new variety. Larger missiles of the new variety were being designed. The new missiles already would have much more power and speed than any other weapon known. A way was found to make the retrofit the old missiles to bring them close to the current design. The Wikki liked all our missiles even those that had not been improved. Then again, they would throw rocks at their enemies if they had to. The ships also took some of our children home but also fifty young Wikki. Those children of mine that had not had a chance to visit were now given their turn. At least Grotto now knew what to expect on such a trip. New Leaf left to go back to her regional headquarters. As predicted, Queen Bright Star was not happy. New Leaf had grown up a lot in the last while and perhaps her new outlook would see her through her coming difficulties. Two Wikki cruisers patrolled the area near Sol and another two stayed here. The major components for ships came in and they were shunted to Eito. There were lots of raw materials there and security could be much tougher. We put the first cruiser together in just two months. The Wikki were amazed at the improvements in it. The next ship would be even better again as we learned more. Queen Bright Star reluctantly turned over to us all the information she had on her enemies. Wesley and Wyatt sent back strategies and samples of our newest weapons that made use of what the enemy had shown the Wikki when they used them. We were given all the raw data the Wikki had amassed since they started gathering scientific information. Most was old, poorly observed or incorrect for other reasons but there were a lot of weird things happening in the universe and we now wanted to find out why things happened. Wesley and Wyatt were very happy to be working on this data and only wanted more and more. The Wikki went on the offensive with our weapons and we got the data back. The units were certainly better but not the magic bullet they were looking for. The ships we made were certainly better and the Wikki were clamouring for more. Earth was given a contract to build ships too. This was to justify the two cruisers stationed there. They had far more humans and far fewer of my children but they did very well considering. Doc, Irene, Gail or Haru Kazuyoshi talked to me. Usually only one of them did this at a time so we could keep our friendship going. We all had lots of work to do and not enough time to do it all. Craig and June did too but they were more involved with the fleet part of Star Fleet and I guess we could consider them married. There was a lot of conflict on earth about us. They were voracious for information. We had brought the population partially into the ceramic age. They could make our hulls for us but they did not get the crystal information. An orbital station was started and staffed with cadets and some other humans. We were the bus drivers and everybody landed at the academy so crystals and other pieces of equipment did not go missing. Humans were very inventive when it came to greed and they could find ways around many of our obstructions. We just had to stay ahead of them. Four months after New Leaf left, she returned with some of the parts we needed and other supplies. Many low level techs arrived to learn and to work. The battleship was going to be built much quicker this way and the Wikki were making most of the vessel. They only brought the intricate components and the materials for making the fabricators necessary for making the large components. New Leaf could not talk much because we both knew that the head queen would have her monitored now and when she got back. New Leaf spent an hour trying to get me onto her ship and I followed Grotto's advice and stayed on the planet's surface. New Leaf may not like it but she may have been forced to do a lot of things she would rather not do. She did come to the planet later. I showed her some of our missile batteries. I made a point of showing her that they were controlled by Wyatt and not the Tomma or Wikki. This let her queen know that I was not going to leave the planet alive or live for long after. One day this stipulation would be removed and I would be free to visit. I asked when we were together, "Has your queen made any new demands other than the obvious ones?" "She just wants more ships, more missiles and more computers." "How is your war with the Procent going? There are reports that you have destroyed three more of their ships." "There were seven in the last major battle. A Procent squadron came to find out what happened to some of their ships and left four more of their number. They fled with five heavily damaged ships. We are pursuing to finish the job." "What did Bright Star think of my idea to get her enemies to fight each other instead of the Wikki?" "Our people studied your proposal very carefully. They like the idea but do not believe they could pull this sort of operation off." I knew that this was a method for the Wikki to get me to help so I said, "This means that she wants me to do this. I think it is important but I do not want to end up in a Wikki lab or a production facility." "We would not do that, Wally." "Until I am positive of that, I will just stay here. You are just going to have to try if you want to succeed." "I felt you would say that." The Tomma through my mates had learned of the Wikki double standard. The run-of-the-mill Wikki were simple and straightforward while the rulers were more like humans but nicer. I would not be really free unless the Tomma were very strong and able to come after me if I were taken. It was a given that the Wikki would try to do this when they have disposed of the majority of their enemies. There were ways of relieving the Wikki of the urge to kidnap me. The Wikki could give us the specifications to any new equipment and we would make it. My method also allowed us to learn about my own abilities. I would stay here on the planet and undergo tests that were monitored by the Wikki, some of my mates and Wyatt. The Wikki did not like this because we were outside their main communication area. This meant that the head queen could not take over the testing if she chose. This left unsaid that the All Mother could still protect me. Patricia and Liza had somehow became pregnant. Paul walked around very proudly. He had worked with the cadets from earth, here and the Wikki planets to construct our first corvette. It was the best ship we could build. This vessel had good teeth with the best missiles we could put in it. So far we had made small improvements as Wyatt or Wesley came up with them. The same missiles were given to the Wikki in trade. The ship was crewed by cadets and a good portion of them were Wikki. There was still some difficulty in interfacing all facets of the crew but time would make it work or perhaps getting the Wikki crew members at a younger age. New Leaf was shown the ship by her proud captain and crew. I saw a lot of good points about a crew like this. New Leaf saw this too but not as strongly. I was sure her queen would be noncommittal. ------- Betts came into my arms with a rush. "I missed you." "I missed you more." Erica and Maska hugged Betts too even though they had to pull her from my arms. More of my mates came into the room. Some had come on the battleship Betts had arrived in and some had come to see those that had gone on the trip Betts said finally, "The kids are doing great. The academy has grown again. The space station is gigantic. The high-lift platforms put another segment into orbit." We had left earth six years ago but I had never returned. My children and my mates were not as restricted as I was. After nearly five years, the Wikki still wanted me in their clutches. The Wikki war was still doing badly but not nearly as it would have been without us. The Procent were looking to feed elsewhere or preparing for another invasion. The rest of our enemies were simply stepping up their own aggression to counter our improved weapons. We had made steady improvements but so had the opposition. We settled down to talk about what had changed on earth and what had not. Soon we were onto the topic of our children and what they were doing. Earth was now well defended but that did not mean impregnable. The battleship had made the trip safely between worlds. It had been barely crewed but we had made up for it by making far more of it automated. Betts talked about relations with earth on the official level then on the woman or man on the street strata. "China had been given another of our fabrication plants. Their population growth is being vigorously monitored by their government. India, Pakistan and the countries of the Mid East are not doing anywhere near what they could to restrict population growth. There is a lot of emigration going on but many countries are not accepting people in these numbers. Our health facilities are still swamped all the time. We have not let up on the stipulation that only the responsible country's citizens can seek this aid. We have had bombings and threats. Corrma said, "We saw families lined up for kilometres trying to get into the health centres. I wanted to help but I knew that in the end nobody would try to hold their numbers down." Erica said, "I saw that Canada is shifting to the right. I don't know how far they will go. Welfare is much harder to get. The current leaders are considering our proposal to provide them with the means to implant contraceptives in all newborn children. I do not like the thoughts of how eugenics is implemented but I know it has a lot of benefits." I said, "I hope we are not going the same route as the Aristis. They must have sat around just as we are now sometime in their history." A social net was necessary. Most ideas that came around were abused by humans. Too many people relied on welfare when they should be looking for alternate means of employment. Betts said, "We study history so perhaps we can avoid the curse." Erica said, "Did they accept the law computers?" "Not yet. Politicians are usually lawyers and they do not want to lose their comfortable positions." Earth had changed a lot in the last few years. They now knew that they were far from being alone in the universe. This did not change them much. They were the same people with the same goals. We gave out contracts for equipment to the countries that curbed the excesses that humans always brought about. This provided some employment for those that may have used welfare. We also gave assistance to those that assisted us. Some of this was in technology, medicine or emergency aid as in toxic spills or in natural disasters. There were always a lot of the latter. When one of our human allies got some of our technology the rest were usually jealous about it. The allies could use their newfound knowledge to gain a better position for themselves in relation to other countries. It did not take long for some of the richer countries to see how much they were losing and how much they would have to work to catch up. Betts said, "Earth is building a lot of ships. In fact they are building more than we can provide crystals for. They are like children when they use the high lift platforms and the shuttles." Corrma added, "They are still trying hard to find out what they can about our technology but they only get what we allow. So far it is just students that have not officially been accepted to Star Fleet yet. A lot of people in the military are still trying to get us to accept students that will send back whatever they can find out about us. They never learn." I said, "They will never stop. What about the habitat on the moon?" Corrma said, "It's progressing fine. The Academy built a huge high lift platform and flew ten million tonnes of sea water to the moon and put it into one of forty large underground tanks." I was thinking now of our island and wondered why they were taking so much water. Ten million tonnes even times forty was still a drop when compared to what earth had. "Why so much?" Corrma smiled as if she were waiting for this. "Earth gains a lot of water every year from meteors. They wanted to see how much they could lift for one but they wanted a safe place to live beneath the moon's surface. All that water though is just a cube about three quarters of a kilometre on a side. It helped lower the water level by a tiny bit, gave the kids a worthwhile project to do for school and they have fun building homes on your moon." I could see them having fun and showing off because I would have loved to do that, especially when I was that young. I accessed Wyatt and said, "Hi Wyatt. Can you tell me how much water Cralto has gained in the last say thousand years?" "I would have to make an estimate, Sir. I would say around seven point two billion tonnes." That was a lot but not when it had to cover the entire planet. An old idea came to me so I asked, "What do you see would happen if we used high lift platforms to start taking a metre of water from the surface of Cralto and drop it on Eito?" "Is your intention to make the world habitable?" "Yes. We will have to extract oxygen from the soil of Eito and then crack silicon to make two atoms of nitrogen." Wyatt said, "A preliminary estimate indicates that Cralto's climate will become slightly dryer. Rainfall will decrease six percent. Land mass will increase by seventeen percent. The storm activity will decrease somewhat. Portions of the native wildlife will suffer unless they are shifted while others will thrive. "Eito's environment would match Cralto's in forty three standard years at a minimum if an atmosphere is generated within twelve and a half years." More data flooded into my mind. Eito already had a partial atmosphere but most of it was water. This I figured was from meteors that it had captured. The projections showed that the planet would be habitable but it would be rocked by terrific storms. It would be between thirty and forty years later that the worst would be over. The project would make a new home for us but the main beneficiary would be Cralto. The decrease in water levels would allow construction much like the Tomma had done when at their peak. The Tomma could then travel much easier on high roads or in the necessary canals that would have to be built. "Wyatt, look more into the implications of shipping our water to Eito. I do not want to kill off the wildlife but I want to be able to build on firm land." "I will do as you wish, Sir." Betts said, "You want to terraform Eito? Or should I say make it like Cralto? I like the idea but it is going to be a lot of work. Building here on Cralto is going to be even more work. Why do you want to do this?" "I want to get more humans off of earth. They will be given a higher level of technology. This will actually be a new carrot to induce the humans to play along. The projections about the survivability of earth was pushed back nearly four decades. This new project may give us double that time. By then we will have thought of something new." The project was left in Wyatt's hands so to speak and we talked about other ways the humans were coming around. Our single battleship seemed to do wonders at gaining more recruits for the academy. We had tried to make it the least threatening possible and did this by giving tours. The cadets on earth and Cralto were given the plans for a new lifting platform. The frame could be built as a massive undertaking but the rest of the structure would have to be designed as we went along. I had many ulterior motives. The engines we would need would dwarf those of the largest battleship. The inertial compensator and the reactors would have to be much larger as well. The excess water on Earth could be sent to Mars so the planet could be colonised. A more important reason was that we would be able to make a much larger ship capable of moving humanity, the Tomma, the Aristis or even the Wikki to a place of safety. The galaxy was not a safe place. We could be destroyed quite easily. The Wikki could have used the antimatter to destroy our star or a nearby planet. We would die too though some may be able to escape. The cadets naturally liked the idea of building this big. They could see how it was actually a large ship that was made to haul a large mass. It also meant that it would have to dwarf our battleship even though that was as large as the Aristis ever built. The Wikki did not like this construction. We were a major supplier of missiles. If we shifted production then we would not be able to build as many missiles for them. Grotto was the closest we had to an ambassador now and he said, "Friend Wally, the war is not going well. We need all the missiles we can get from your people." I gave him a smile and said, "Friend Grotto, I have many cadets and many in the academy. Very few can make the crystals but everybody can make the hull of the ship. The production of missiles and the research behind them will not falter." He was invited to interface with Wyatt for a few minutes and I saw the Wikki visibly relax. "I see now your methods and also your reasons for building a ship of this size. I also see how a large volume is allotted to my race. I thank you for that." "The Wikki are important to me as we are to the Wikki. Weapons systems are being designed that will destroy any of our enemies. This may not last for long but this ship will assist all of our races." "I will tell my queen this news. She was quite worried." The excess manufacturing capacity was taxed as ceramic components were made for all of our construction needs. Major ships still had to be built as well as an ever increasing supply of missiles. The missiles effectiveness had increased because some of my children as well as other cadets flew with the Wikki. There was a lot of resistance to this even though we proved ourselves time after time. Our own ships flew with the Wikki and then went on our own missions. We were usually more effective than when the Wikki lead. The insect like Procent were not as willing to fight now. We had destroyed many of their ships but not without losses of our own. We had also captured nearly a hundred and seventy living beings. The officers were all dead but we did have the common sailors. They were not very intelligent and we could not get them to cooperate with us. I may get them to do just that though if they were suitably approached. The Procent ships we captured were rebuilt if possible and we now had a fleet of seventeen hulls. The computers though were altered to follow our commands. They were even more advanced than the Aristis machines and we learned a lot by working on them. The Chlorins and the Khartts had stepped in and escalated their attacks. The Aristis had been beaten back and had actually left three minor worlds. It was now time to see if we could foment more fighting between our enemies. We built nearly forty thousand missiles that were as close to the best that we had seen the Procent use. The Khartts had a major outpost nearly ninety light years away. Captain Paul Jessop flew the flagship while Chuck and Jerry flew escorts that were all designed to look like what the Procent used. The majority of my friends went on this mission along with fifteen of my wives. They would fly to the area of space that the Procent controlled then fly toward the Khartts' outpost. Just before the battle, the Procent bodies we had gathered would be dispersed among the ships. The computers would do the fighting and the living Procent would have the opportunity to fight the Khartts to the death. Three hundred and twenty units after the fleet left I got word of what happened. I never felt so relieved in my life. Thirty time units later the ships came back along with a squadron of Wikki ships. We had not suffered any deaths at all and in fact two of my wives had given birth while on this mission. All the information was in the computers now but I listened to my friends and family describe what happened. Wendy was the most excited and after greeting all of us, she said, "The mission did not go quite as planned. We encountered a small fleet of Procent ships." When she paused, Betts said, "Come on, what happened then?" "We destroyed five ships naturally then flew back along the path we had used to get there. We figured this would hide our trail. We had coasted into the corona of a star like what we planned so there would not be much to backtrack." She saw all of us waiting patiently and she said, "Chuck will tell what he did." Chuck kissed his wife and said, "The Procent got one of our decoys but we got all of them. They were within Ultrawave range of at least one of their planets. I am sure they were as mad as hornets. We managed to drag our decoy to the nearest star to hid any evidence or at least most of it. Let Jerry tell some." Jerry jumped in and said, "We took out three Khartts freighters but had to run then." I said, "How did you find them?" "Paul wanted to cause a bit more animosity and we hit some of the smaller systems." I looked at Paul. He did not blush but he stood straighter. "I did what I thought was best. This was in some of the plans we had discussed. I was sure our trail would further get obliterated by a fight." "Go on." "Well, there were no major ships after us so we hit two other minor worlds before going to our main objectives. We dropped some drones behind us and we knew that there was some major fighting going on. The Procent and the Khartts were after us and had to fight." "Any ideas of what happened?" "We sent back a few probes that would record what they could then proceed to a neutral position and then transmit. Thirteen time units later we heard about the fight and it looked like at least nine Khartts ships were destroyed and five Procent. The Khartts were all destroyed so we figure that the Procent are even more effective than we had thought. They were almost evenly matched when they started." Paul paused and I had to say, "Go on." "The Procent were faster than us but had lost time when they were fighting. We made it to our objective eleven time units later. We found an asteroid that looked good but the Khartts were ready. They must have got word from their ships before they were killed by the Procent. "We circled the system and came at the outpost from the opposite side from the approaching Procent. When the Procent got close, we started our attack but our own ships stayed well back. The Procent we captured did as you thought they would and hammered the Khartts. We left some probes and we left as soon as we could. "The Khartts had a well protected world but some of our missiles were actually able to hit some of their land based sites and we took out at least seventy percent of their space based construction. "The Khartts must have called in reinforcements and they took on both groups of Procent ships. The Procent saw they were going to loose and just attacked like they usually did. Our probes had to wait nearly fifty time units before one could get out. The other three are still in place." Betts said, "Well what happened?" The Khartts brought more and more ships to the area. Some of them backtracked us and I am sure glad we coasted as much as we did. They were really angry and it looked like three battleships, seven heavy cruisers, nine frigates and thirteen corvettes along with a lot of smaller ships went back to see who they could punish." I was still nervous. "What is the chance that they will follow your ships?" "Not much. We knew they would be looking. When we left we flew to the main Wikki base in the area like we planned. They destroyed three hulls and then towed us away. The modified engines were used and the Khartts had nobody to follow. It looked like the Procent just went crazy they way all the ships were destroyed." Paul smiled now and said, "Queen New Leaf was not that happy with this mission. I think she looked a lot happier when she saw the damage we caused to our enemies." "How did our Wikki cadets perform?" "Better than usual I would say. It takes them a while to unlearn their old responses. They pick up our way pretty quick. It was the cadets we had the longest that were the best. I made a report on this when I had time." Patricia pushed forward and said, "We followed the mission parameters as good as we could but there was some leeway for independent manoeuvres. We did what we were asked to do and a bit extra. Our objectives were met. The increased risk was minor. We also learned that the Procent have some better ships and armament that we were unaware of." I said to Wyatt, "What is your assessment of the increased risks caused by the alteration of the mission?" "I believe that the risks have actually decreased, sir. There should be an inquiry started by both races. The long approach under no power and then the battle make the chance to finding our trail much less likely. I have information that they are in standoff positions where neither is likely to have the resources to do an in-depth investigation. The fleets opposing some of the Wikki worlds have been reduced. There is now a thirty seven percent chance that the Procent and the Khartts will step up their hostilities against each other." "Thanks Wyatt." The information was studied in detail after our party. The reports were sent back to earth so the rest of Star Fleet would know what was going on. Earth was worried because now we were getting much more activity around the planet from either unidentified ships or those that had been fighting the Wikki. We had the same problem here and it was only our defences that kept them at bay. The massive number of hulls that we constructed and put in the system gave them pause too. The problem was that most were only partially operational at best. We were playing a shell game with everybody. We hoped that they thought that all of our ships were armed and ready to fight. As the months past, we relaxed more but I guard was always up. We planned on three more such missions but as yet they were not ready to start. Queen Bright Star we heard was happy because some of the pressure was taken off some of her systems. This translated into us getting many more Wikki cadets. These cadets had been fitted with improved communicator similar to what the rest of us had. The Wikki could still be part of a hive but the new one was headed by Star Fleet and Wyatt. The Wikki queen had opposed this from the start but we made tests and she slowly relented. She could draw off some of the graduated cadets to fight for her but I restricted this as much as possible because those same Wikki were teaching the younger generation. I was on the laying on the floor and playing with some of my children. Erica leaned against the doorframe and watched me. We had small model spaceships that we used to fight battles with. It was similar to model railways on earth but here we didn't need to worry about track. She said, "You look like you belong there." "I do belong here." "I meant you're still a kid." "Oh. Well maybe I am. Do you want to help me? Red and Blue are attacking my flanks." "You..." Wyatt interrupted and said, "We have another incursion heading toward earth. It looks more substantial than the one eighty-five units ago. This time the ships are not decelerating." The image of our area of space was put on my internal screen. The view zoomed in slowly until I could see twenty-four ships. Two of them were probably battleships and the rest major escorts. They were too far away for positive identification. I was worried but we still had a lot of assets in place to whittle them down but some may still get through. "Call a general alarm. This may still be a diversion and they could be coming for Cralto." The alarm went out and I apologised to the children about having to go and play a bigger game. Only the youngest believed this. Wyatt and I assessed the data with Wesley, the other computers as well as the biological members of Star Fleet. We had resources out as far as Vega and that was the direction they were coming in. We were 124 lights away from Earth and too far to be of much help. The area we claimed was comprised of two spheres with earth or Cralto at their centres. This extended out nearly forty light years in the case of earth and thirty-two in the latter case. The corridor between only had a diameter of twelve lights. In this case the sensors were far apart and were only intended to give warning. Ultrawave and hyperwave was used to warn the ships off. We did not know who they were yet and they may just be another race passing through. Starting a war with an unknown race was not in out plans. We went to a lot of trouble to make up rules and some actually covered this sort of situation. Star Fleet was not going to turn the other cheek but they would warn the interlopers first. There were few maps of our galaxy that showed accurate boundaries. Everybody and their brother claimed systems far beyond what they could control. We were no different though we had plans to back up our words with teeth someday. Ships were directed to meet the approaching fleet but more sensors were pushed out in other directions in case this was a diversion. It was when our drones that were monitoring the ships' progression, were destroyed, that we had our answer. I worked with the computers and the biologicals that had something meaningful to give. We learned that the ships were manned by Chlorins. These beings fought ferociously for the sheer love of it. They did not mind dying and they did not mind to kill either. We fought them with the Wikki and knew that they were hard to destroy. I sent out four hundred and thirty six missiles from nearby locations. The distance now was only twenty lights from earth. These were not the heavy ordinance we had made before but much larger and many times more deadly. They were as large as corvettes but had a shield stronger than any battleship yet made. All of these were controlled by computers of the 80 class. There were no biologicals aboard I was thankful to note. The missiles would appear to be manned ships except for their speed. Our inertial compensators had been improved many times but not enough to allow a biological to survive the acceleration we now used. The speeds were coordinated so the missiles would arrive all at the same time and in groups of seven. This formation would allow for overlapping defence because it was soon needed. The battleships discharged missiles at a prodigious rate. The shields on the missiles were taking a beating but most was from debris. Betts held my arm as we watched the screens in our minds as one or more of the groups of seven would be destroyed but the remaining missiles just closed ranks and continued. The smaller Chlorin ships got close to the battleships so they would not be in the way of the massive weapons being used against our missiles. At ten light seconds the barrage was almost unbearable even with just the shear mass thrown against our weapons. This was even when we came on the group from eight directions. The last second would be studied in great detail. The three surviving missiles of one group struck one battleship and then four from another group struck the other. Both ships took seconds to explode. Debris was actually thrown out the back of the ships as if they were a person hit by a tank shell. The escorts were hit by one massive missile each but five had been destroyed when the battleships exploded. The intelligences in the missiles now avoided the debris and began to slow down. It was nearly a half hour later that Doc, Irene, Leslie, Gail and Kazuyoshi showed up along with eighty-two ships and thousands of cadets to search for survivors. We watched as few surviving Chlorins were hunted down. Some were in the derelicts but many had to be chased because they were in small ships or escape pods. This battle was not over because the Chlorins did not give up easily. At this time our own sensors picked up a fleet of ships approaching Cralto. A moment later we saw a cloud of what could only be missiles flying quickly to our planet. I sent our own missiles out as quickly as I could but kept a great many back because this could very well be a diversion. It was up to our defences to destroy the oncoming missiles. Wyatt showed a multiple attack by five different Chlorin groups. I had never seen so many ships in one place before and I was very worried. Much of our reserve was directed to attack and I hopped our defences could take all that was going to be coming our way. The Chlorins had amassed thirty eight battleships and two hundred and ninety-seven other major ships. This meant that the battleships had to go first. They just had too much firepower. They could defeat our missiles and then the other ships could destroy us easily. I had a feeling that there was no more diversions and sent all but twelve of the remaining missiles into battle. We had worked out many strategies and a few even came close to what was happening now. The Chlorins changed their usual method of attack and acted like we did. The five groups formed cones aimed at Cralto. We had some assets behind the Chlorins and these would try to come at the cone from the side. The only way to beat this configuration was with brute strength. Erica and Betts had left long ago and boarded our own battleship. I was the one to stay home again. I always lost family in battles and I worried that more than just the battleship would be destroyed for the children were mostly here on the planet. The guarding force of Wikki now took orders from Wyatt. A single unified force was the only way we were going to get through this. The Chlorins had scouted our system very well because they came in where we looked the weakest. Some of the decoy ships were not decoys at all and were actually missiles with an outer hull that would be discarded when they went into action. Our own missiles grouped into larger clusters to take on the cones. Our missiles had a many missiles of their own and we could only hope that there was enough. My mates went into battle now but mainly they were assisting in the defence of the planet by taking out some of the missiles that made their way through the first layer of defences. Our ultrawave communicators were picking up a lot of static and I had to assume this was the Chlorins doing. We switched to hyperwave but had to know exactly where the ships to make this work. Here too there was interference but not nearly as much. We used the power of thought then which was still not effected but less productive. We were doing much the same thing to them but they were a lot closer together. Our lead unit had formed a similar cone shape with only a few units trailing to provide security. The hulls were nearly touching and their tractors were locked tight to each other. The formation moved as a unit to avoid some of the worse of what the Chlorins were throwing at us. I found myself holding my breath as the cones met. There were eight battleships here and they were throwing out untold tonnes of missiles and antimatter. The shields of the individual ships were constantly monitored and a weak portion was put where it could be protected by others. At the last kilometre the ships split up and this meant that it had to occur in less than a nanosecond. The speed of light was far too slow. The eight battleships were each targeted with two missiles. The one behind had a chance to avoid collision if the forward unit was successful. This we had learned from the battle we just fought for earth. Only one missile had failed and the backup then did the job. Our cone dispersed and tried to strike the escorts now. Within thirty seconds, sixty two escorts died. The missiles flying in the wake of our first group took out the remaining three. The four other Chlorin groups had seen the destruction and now tried to reform. We had timed it so there was little chance of actually happening. We did give them a minute though because this would actually cause more confusion. The Chlorins used computers extensively but loved to keep their hands on the helm. This made them slower than we were. Within two minutes the remaining Chlorin formations were decimated. Only seven cruisers remained and these were soon destroyed by smaller missiles. The battle was far from over now. There were literally a million missiles coming our way. Much smaller antimissiles flew outward. Many were hidden in the dummy ships we put up for show. These ships were being targeted and I knew that they would all die. There was no sense that their weapons should die with them. Betts and Erica were working hard because a sizable proportion of the missiles were aimed at them. I reluctantly released more missiles to destroy the barrage coming our way. There was just too much to contend with. The main heavy missiles had decelerated as hard as they had sped toward the enemy ships. They now were coming back to use their own defences to assist us but they were far too far away to be of any help. I was in charge of the defences but Wyatt was the one that did most of the tasks. When I felt problems approaching, I had more of out defences shifted to cover the potential trouble spot. I did not see it but the atmosphere must be incandescent. Energy weapons and missiles flew outward until the latter were nearly exhausted. Missiles were coming very close to our one battleship and most of my mates. I tried to shelter them as best I could without putting the lives of my children here on Cralto at risk. The ship took a hit and then one more when their defences were swamped. I pulled back my thoughts because some would have died. Our fixed installations in orbit were nearly exhausted and now nearly relied on energy weapons. I used called in all the heavy missiles to use their defences to take out what was being thrown at us. Wyatt then took them and used their heavy shields to deflect major portions of debris. We were throwing all we could. We were not going to have enough. The battleship had rotated so undamaged portions were presented to the enemy weapons and the ship itself tried to do what it could to help us. A medium weight Chlorin missile made it through all of our orbital defences and those on the planet hammered it but it seemed to have a charmed existence. I prepared for the worse now because of the kinetic as well as explosive power of this weapon. The missile though exploded half of a light second from the planet. My thoughts though were jumbled. Our technology had not done this. I felt all of us coalescing to form the All Mother now. A giant hand reached out and simply caught the missiles that were coming at us. It continued far from the planet and swept past our ships to capture the last of the functional missiles. It then gathered up all the debris that was coming at us at nearly the speed of light. The All Mother did not stop until it caught all of the derelict Chlorin ships and then the manifestation just collapsed. I just stood and shook. The mental power we had used was far more than I thought I had to give. I searched around and found the rest of us were the same way. My mind, though fatigued, pushed out to our battleship. I found Erica first. I did not bother to search for particulars because I felt her love and happiness that nobody on the ship had died. They had all worn their armour as I had asked them so many times. My mind went out to the manned ships and found that we were not so lucky here. The Wikki had taken damage but we had used their ships mainly as weapons platforms. Their ships took little damage. This was still a combat situation and my mind was forced to deal with what we could do. It was two units later that we made it to the Chlorin derelicts. There were surviving members of their crews and they worked furiously in preparing a defence. We came in and used the minimum force to destroy the opposition. Somehow we managed to capture almost seven hundred of the suicidal beings. Most had been wounded and this was the only way we could get them out of their ships alive. We then went back to making missiles because we had expended almost all we had on repulsing this one attack. Twenty time units after the battle, a Wikki task force came to our aid. New Leaf was with them. She came to the planet instead of using just the communicators. She stood in front of me and said, "Greetings, Wally. We are pleased that you have survived." I could not fault New Leaf because that was the way she thought. "The Chlorins tried to do their best to stop us from supplying you missiles." "We have thought that too. We have heard that you have been able to decipher what the Chlorin computer contains. We are interested in what you have found." There was a lot in the computers. Some information had to be spliced together because of the damage to the various computers. The Chlorins had a great many enemies and some we were currently fighting. Paul, Jerry and Chuck took the rebuilt Chlorin ships and made audacious attacks where the Chlorins were sure to take the blame. Wendy turned out to be even more bloodthirsty in her revenge. Any of our enemies' outposts were destroyed. An Aristis world that had already been damaged by Chlorins, was saved by a large fleet of Wikki warships. Our Chlorin ships had retreated and I was able to make a sort of peace with this warlike race. Three years after the Chlorin attack, we found that the Procent had been pushed out and part of the reason was that the Aristis were not fighting us and in this case they were giving their active assistance. The Chlorins, Khartts and the Aristis still fought and tended to leave earth and the Wikki people alone. There was still a lot of fighting but now we had a chance to build. Our solar system changed as we produced weapons and ships. The heavy lift platform was built then the design was enlarged many times. There were three spherical ships now that could lift ten to the eighteenth power tonnes of water from Cralto and drop it onto the desert planet Eito. This was a cubic kilometre of water but the amount was still a drop in the proverbial bucket. It would be centuries before we could make both planets the way I wanted them. The Chlorin prisoners were given an area of Cralto to live on but they had no technology to draw on. They did not like us but they seemed to be able to live with us now. It was twenty one years after I left earth that I was able to return. The system was changed dramatically. I had seen and approved the changes but now I could see it with my own eyes. The earth had been dying when I left even though it would take a long time. Now the air was cleaner and so were the oceans. The population was going to climb to only nine billion now and then decrease steadily. This was a much lower figure than what had been projected before. Mars was now getting the same treatment as Eito. Water levels had been rising again and part of it was because earth attracted a lot of water in the form of meteors every year. It would be centuries before the planet would be habitable without a pressure suit but it was a start. The Star Fleet name and logo was on everything in space. One of the largest constructs yet was a ship that dwarfed even our heavy lift platforms in power. Inertial compensators had been improved by the cadets until people could survive accelerating as fast as our missiles. My family wanted to take a vacation and see what the galaxy had to show us. Editor: NahtanoJ88 ------- The End ------- Posted: 2006-12-21 Last Modified: 2007-01-08 / 05:31:00 pm ------- http://storiesonline.net/ -------