Talosian Chronicles 1: Olympus Page 12

  “Oh, I know that, Beth. Those self-righteous assholes have been looking for an excuse to can me ever since they discovered I’m in love with another woman,” the woman said. “What business is it of theirs who I love?”

  Beth noticed Ian had gotten back. “Honey, this is Barb Reynolds; she was just fired because of us!” Beth said.

  The young woman smiled and nodded at Ian. “Well, not really; they just used you guys as an excuse, like I said. Good to see you again.” She sighed. “The most frustrating thing about all of this is that Debbie and I are both in the guards and they’re kicking us out too! I thought the rule was supposed to be ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’? I know neither Debbie nor I said a damn thing!”

  Ian’s ears perked up at her mention of the guards. “May I ask what you did in the guards?”

  “I’m a fighter mechanic; I’m qualified on every jet powered fighter craft in the U.S. arsenal, and a few of the helos as well,” Barb replied. “Debbie is a ‘Special Weapons’ Specialist. Don’t ask; the military seems to think no one can figure out what ‘special weapons’ actually stands for.”

  “Lover; I think we should offer her and her wife jobs,” Jenny said looking sweet, but subtly winking at Ian. “You know we’re going to need a really good aircraft mechanic.”

  Ian grinned at her but spoke to Barb. “How would you and your wife like to join us for dinner tonight, our treat?”

  “Sure, if we can find a sitter, and persuade the car to start. Where did you have in mind?” Barb asked.

  Ian chuckled. “I have no idea, we’re not from around here. How about I loan you our truck, and you bring the young one with you? But, you’ll have to recommend the restaurant.”

  “You’d loan me your truck, and you just met me? What’s to keep me from just taking off with it?” Barb asked with a glint in her eyes.

  Ian looked her directly in the eye. “It’s not in your nature. You do your absolute best to live by your word. However, you would not hesitate to break a promise if your family’s safety is in question.” Ian’s smile grew as he watched her face. “Besides, I think once you look under the hood of our truck, you’ll be too damn curious to skip out on us.”

  “Okay, you got a deal. Now you have my curiosity going. There is an Old Country Buffet here at the mall; we actually like the food there, and our car will be here if we need to beat a hasty retreat,” Barb suggested.

  “Well, all I ask is that you and your wife listen to our proposition. I honestly believe it will be a benefit to you, and I also guarantee it’s not a pyramid scheme or anything like it!” Ian said smiling softly.

  “Okay, now I’m starting to see it,” Barb said sitting back and smiling to herself.

  “See what?” Talena asked looking confused.

  Barb winked at the small girl. “Why all of you beautiful women are with him.”

  “Uh, I'm not with him in a romantic way, he's sort of my guardian,” Talena said.

  “So, what about the rest of you?”” Barb asked.

  Beth smiled at her, “Yes, the rest of us are in love with him, but we're in love with other as well.”

  “A group thing, huh? Well, good luck with it, but don't let anyone around here figure it out, you'll get into no end of trouble for it,” Barb said. “In fact, although I appreciate you calling her my 'wife', please be careful about who over-hears you say it.”

  “We all believe that a marriage takes place in the heart, not the courthouse. Last time I checked, it wasn’t actually illegal to say something like that,” Ian said.

  Barb snorted in derision. “You’ve obviously never heard of our local hate group, ‘Heart of the Family’. It was founded by this paranoid preacher, and preaches a policy of hate and intolerance towards those that have ‘alternative’ lifestyles. They tried to pass legislation at the state level outlawing any relationship that was not between one man and one woman. It was a nightmare; as written, it would have made friendships, as well as the family structure illegal. The scariest part of it was that Reverend Snobson has so much pull that it was actually considered and almost passed.”

  “You mean a religious leader is involved in politics? Who let that happen?” Talena asked shocked.

  Barb chuckled and nodded toward Talena. “What? Is she from another planet or something?”

  “Or something,” Ian replied, and rapidly changed the subject. “What time does the little one usually like to eat? I’d hate to mess up a long standing rhythm,” Ian asked.

  “He’s used to eating supper at about five-thirty. I know that sounds a little early, but he always wants a small snack before bedtime too; so we moved supper up a little to make room for that. His name is Stevie, and he’s three,” Barb said with pride.

  “C’mon, I’ll show you the truck, and give you the keys. I think the ladies would like to get back to spending all our money,” Ian replied, grinning.

  “This is going to be an interesting night,” Barb said as she got up to follow him.

  Barb made it all the way home before she remembered the comment Ian had made about looking under the hood. Debbie, who had taken the day off for a doctor’s appointment, came out when she saw her lover pull up in the new Hummer.

  Debbie had scrubbed her face before coming out, so Barb missed the signs her lover had been crying.

  “You’re home early. Where’d you get the Hummer?” Deb asked.

  Barb quickly filled her in on meeting Ian and his family, as well as getting fired. She finished her scrutiny of the interior and popped the hood of the big truck. “So they want to talk to us, and have invited us out to dinner tonight. They want to offer us jobs from the sound of it. When I mentioned that the car might not make it, they loaned me theirs.”

  Deb thought this Ian might be crazy to loan a hundred-thousand dollar vehicle to someone he barely knew, but it was obvious Barb wanted to go tonight. Deb thought it might be a good idea; she needed to be cheered up – it might give her the strength to tell her love the truth about her condition. “Well, I just got back, but I can ask Cheri if she can watch monster for us tonight. What time did they want us there?”

  “Five-thirty, and monster is welcome to come with us. Nothing fancy, we’re going to Old Country. I figured that would be okay, that way we can pick up the beater when we come home,” Barb answered.

  “Sounds like a plan,” Deb said wearily. “Can I ask why you’re looking this truck over like you’re gonna buy it?”

  “Something Ian said when we talked. He said I’d understand one of the reasons they were trusting me with this once I looked under the hood.” Barb lifted the hood and got her first look at something that didn’t even vaguely resemble the engine that should have been there.

  Debbie got a good look too, and gasped. “Baby, just who the fuck are these people, and what the fuck is that?”

  Barb was looking at the dully shining metal, and hesitantly reached out to touch it. “My god, Debs! I think this is actually titanium! And if this is even based on a standard internal combustion engine, I’ll give Ian a free car wash... nude!”

  “Somehow, I get the idea it would be a bad idea to take this thing to a garage and ask them to change the oil. What kind of fuel does it take?” Debbie asked.

  “I don’t know, I do remember seeing the fuel cap though; back there – on the rear quarter panel.” Barb pointed around the side of the truck.

  Debbie walked around the truck while Barb tried to figure out the engine compartment.

  A few moments later, Debbie called to her mate. “Uh, Baby? Would you close that, and come back here a minute please?”

  Barb lowered the hood, noticing the slight hiss of a seal as it finished closing the last inch. When she got back to where her love was fearfully looking into the fuel port, Deb just backed up a little and pointed.

  Barb looked in and saw a keypad. However, the symbols on the keys looked like no language she had ever seen. She was starting to get a very strange idea about where Ian and family were from, and what the
y were up to. Suddenly, in her mind, she remembered Ian’s answer to her crack about Talena being from another planet.

  She felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up, reached out and gently closed the fuel port. She took Debbie’s hand and they went back into the small house.

  “They can’t be aliens. They just can’t.” Barb said as soon as the door closed.

  Debbie looked her lover in the eye. “Okay, we are both pretty convinced that these people are from another planet based on what we could observe of the vehicle they loaned you. Now, tell me everything you can think of that would disprove that theory?”

  “Okay, let’s see here... They appear physically human, though all four women are extremely beautiful. One strange thing; none of them had any pubic hair at all,” Barb offered.

  “Hmm, not conclusive either way. The lack of pubic hair could only mean they all shave; neither of us have any, and we aren’t aliens. As far as being beautiful goes... they would be hard pressed to beat you in the looks department, baby,” Debbie said smiling softly.

  “You, my love, have a biased opinion. Besides, you haven’t seen Talena yet. That little girl has to be an alien!” Barb replied. “You know, the more I think about it, Ian seemed really mature and intelligent for his age. Maybe he built that ‘batmobile’ out there, and the weird symbols are a made up language to protect his project?”

  “Now, that actually sounds a lot more feasible than a group of aliens; which also means that the job offers are probably real, and we are freaking out over nothing,” Debbie said.

  “Well, either way, there is no way in hell I am not going to take that truck back. The question is; do we take munchkin with us tonight?” Barb asked.

  “He loves going out to eat. Especially to Old Country Buffet; he has so much fun there,” Debbie smiled tiredly at the memory.

  “Honey, you look totally wiped out. Are you okay? What did the doctor say?” Barb asked, concerned.

  Debbie sighed. “He told me a bunch of things. I promise I’ll tell you all about it, but it can wait ‘til after dinner. We need to get in gear if we’re gonna make it back on time. Would you go get our darling boy, and I’ll get a shower?”

  “Okay gorgeous, but don’t think for a second I’m going to forget to corner you about this.” Barb brushed her lips across Debbie’s. “I love you.”

  “I love you too, Baby. More than you will ever know,” Debbie answered her mate. “Now scoot! We’re gonna be late for our job interviews!”

  “Hi guys! Let me introduce my... wife, Debbie, and our son, Stevie.” Barb said to Ian and the girls.

  They were all standing around outside the RV, but in the mall parking lot – where they agreed to meet.

  Ian shook the tired looking woman’s hand. “Pleased to meet you; I’m Ian Williams. Please allow me to introduce the rest of my group. These three ladies are my mates. Beth, Jenny, and Cindy. The super-cute silver-haired pixie is our friend Talena, and last but not least, Janet Laskar; She is Jenny’s uh... aunt,” Ian explained.

  The women were all shaking hands, but when Janet and Debbie shook hands, Janet jerked like she’d been punched. “Ian get the shuttle back here... now!”

  “Why?” Ian glanced nervously at the two new ladies.

  “I can’t tell you, Commander, but it’s a matter of life and death!” Janet said close to panic.

  “Janet, I’m sorry, but I can’t authorize that in broad daylight without a damn good reason, especially in the middle of a city!”

  Debbie and Barb gave each other a meaningful look, before Barb turned back to Ian. “Uh, if I’m wrong here, I do apologize, but are you guys aliens? I know that sounds really weird but...”

  “No, sweetie, but I doubt you’re going to believe that right away,” Janet said. “I know this is probably scaring you a little, but we’re going to have to ask you two to really go out on a limb and trust us; it’s really important.” Janet was looking at Debbie as she said it.

  “You know, don’t you?” Debbie asked her softly. “I don’t know how, but you know.”

  “Sweetheart, before you say anything more in front of everyone, I need you to know that you have the same right to privacy as you do at your doctor’s office. You and Barb, Beth and I need to speak in private. We’ll only step away from the rest a few feet. Would it be okay for one of them to hold Stevie for you?” Janet said sounding anxious.

  “Uh... I thought we were going to have dinner?” Barb said weakly. She was really scared now, the look on her lover’s face was only scaring her worse.

  Debbie picked Stevie up and asked him to stay with the nice people while she and mommy spoke to the other women. He could feel there was something going on as well, but nodded bravely at his mommy. (Both women were ‘Mommy’ to the youngster)

  When Debbie put him down, he walked up to Ian, and looked up at him. When Ian smiled down at the boy, he grinned and put his arms up.

  Once the four women had walked a few steps away, Janet again turned to Debbie. “Sweetheart, I want you to listen very carefully here. I am a psychologist, and Beth is a medical doctor. Right at the moment there is a time bomb in your head, and the timer is about to hit zero. Believe it or not, we can fix that, but we have to get you to the equipment. In order to do that, I’ll need Beth to tell Ian that the shuttle must come back. Can I tell Beth what I saw?”

  Debbie took Barb’s hand in hers and nodded to Janet.

  “Beth, I don’t know all the medical mumbo-jumbo, but Debbie has cancer. Really, really bad cancer. She is terminal and in her last few days. However, there is a tumor in her head that is going to cause an aneurysm in less than an hour. She needs immediate medical attention if we’re going to stop it from killing her,” Janet explained.

  Beth looked at Debbie. “If what she says is true, you would be in considerable pain. Any doctor worth their degree would have given you a potent narcotic to manage it.”

  Debbie handed her a bottle full of pills. Beth looked it over and nodded. She looked Debbie in the eyes. “We can cure this, but it means joining us before you know the whole truth. Ian won’t be happy about that, but in this instance, I don’t think we really have much of a choice. I need both of you to agree, before I can do anything. But you should know, once you do agree; you have to come with us, we can’t let it be known that you’ve been cured.”

  “Will we be able to remain a family?” Debbie asked.

  “I don’t give a fuck about that! If you can save her I agree! I don’t care what it means, just do it!” Barb said as tears poured down her cheeks.

  “Actually sweetheart, you’ll be able to be more of a family, and openly love each other. You’ll be able to do anything you wanted, and live the way you want to live,” Janet said. “Time is getting critical; I’m really sorry to rush you.”

  “Do it. Just... don’t hurt Barb or Stevie,” Debbie said with tears in her eyes.

  Beth held the woman’s arm before running back to Ian.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “You’ve gotta be shittin’ me!” Barb said as Beth led her, Debbie and Janet up into the shuttle. “How can no one see this big bitch? It has to be as big as a C-130!”

  “Actually, Mrs. Reynolds, it is closer to the size of a Boeing 727. Use of the cloaking generator conceals the craft from sight as well as all scanning methods currently in use on this planet,” Oly said from the hatch into the lounge.

  Beth stopped the women beside the portable autodoc unit. It looked like a clear topped coffin. “This is a portable autodoc unit. Ideally, I would like to have Debbie in one of the big units up on the ship, but at the moment that section of the ship is in vacuum. This’ll do. It’ll mean curing her will take longer, but it’ll still work,” Beth said as she opened the top of the unit. “You’ll be unconscious for awhile, dear. Before you go to sleep, do you authorize Barbara Reynolds to make decisions for you in your absence?”

  “Doctor, Barbara is my wife. It might not be legal, but she is,” Deb explained. “Yes, she can sp
eak on my behalf.”

  “You can actually marry her under our laws, though it’s called bonding. Before you climb in, please strip; that’ll make it easier for the equipment to work on you. Also, when you’re done, please put these lenses in your eyes, and this in your ear. While you’re asleep, it’ll give you our history and explain about us a whole lot better,” Beth guided her.

  Beth stood off to the side while the woman did as she was asked, then swung her legs up. Beth waved Barb and Stevie up, to give her kisses and hugs.

  “I’ll be here for you, Baby. We’re not going anywhere without you!” Barb told her lover.

  “I love you both, Barb. Take care of our boy, and I’ll see you in a few days. Trust them, baby. I really don’t think they’ll hurt us in any way. In fact, I get the feeling we’re going to be happier here than we ever were before,” Deb said tiredly. A warning alarm started ringing and the hood to the unit moved to close as Debbie seemed to pass out.

  “What’s wrong?!” Barb asked, terrified.

  “The blood pressure in her brain has exceeded what the computer considers safe. It’s begun emergency treatment. Please, go with Janet and Olympus while I get to work here,” Beth said and nodded to the two people by the door. She’d pulled a keyboard from the end of the unit, and was typing rapidly on it.

  Cindy helped Ian re-attach the tow-bar to the hummer, and hook it up to the RV. Jenny and Talena climbed inside to make sure the big rig was ready to go when the hummer was hooked-up. It was clear Ian was less than happy with the situation by the scowl on his face. Talena sat on his lap in the front passenger seat while Jenny headed for the interstate.

  “Mommy, Daddy is all mad again!” Talena said in a little girl voice, looking at Jenny.

  Grinning and trying hard not to laugh, Jenny answered her. “Yes he is, baby-girl; he’s frustrated with the situation.”

  Talena got a look of intense concentration on her face. “Should I get him some ice cream? That always cheers me up!” she said in her best 'little girl' voice.