"Each floor is a different dimension, each hallway is a separate school, each room is either a degree or area." Josette sighs. Thomas looks at his son. "Don't even think about it."
"I'm not a genius like Josette or Greta." Alex holds up a hand. "I know I gotta work on my degrees even if Josette and my gifts are similar." The building of diplomas gets a moan. "How many?"
"231 bachelors that I've actually graduated with, I don't count the degrees I finished since the last graduation ceremony at GD or degrees finished that are the first or second degrees in a multiple degree area. When I finish one of those, then I count the degrees. I've got 21 Masters and I'll have 17 doctorates next year when I finish this one."
Thomas looks at his son and Alex raises a hand. "Nu-uh, the dual masters nearly killed me." Josette chuckles. "I felt the same way about some of these."
"I've got nearly as many bachelors from Clark's dimension, me, Clark, Thomas, CJ, and Bruce are still taking degrees on that system since we brought out a server with the degrees and classes on them when they came out and they kept updating it with databursts until the other dimension was lost."
"And you're taking degrees from Calvin's dimension?"
"David and I both are, I'll be halfway through my first doctorate there this year."
"Does anybody want to head to the satellite and do some zero-gee growing?" Josette asks a couple days before the Harvest Festival. More than one interested look. "We'll be gone from Haven for an hour but we'll be there about six months. Alex, Atlantis can replicate your medicine if you want to come."
"Please."
Josette sends out the message to the other planets and an hour later about twenty more people walk through the tesseract to Atlantis David opens. They arrive back on Haven an hour later.
"That was something else." Alex grins as food, plant samples, and data is handed around and the others head off to their planets.
"Josette, would you have a use for a larger aquaponics unit in the dorm?" Professor Druid's father asks. "Think about it, you don't have to answer one way or another. And you can always add one later." Josette and the others nod. They'll talk over the pros and cons later. Josette blinks twice, looks at the time, silently says screw it and heads to her bed. The others who'd been off with her head for their rooms a few minutes later.
"Offworld harvests?" David asks the next morning at breakfast, his fork with a piece of pancake pointing at Josette.
"Three after the festival. By next year they should all be done by the festival."
The table selling the cookbooks has a brisk business and Josette has to bring more boxes out from the store before the first day is over.
The mussels, clams, goeducks, and oysters are harvested after the festival and Josette is busy bringing out bushels to the various planets. Thomas has a number of ideas for growing areas at the compound when he, Bruce, and Alex return to their own dimension.
Josette sighs when the last of the offworld harvests are in. "Is this everything?" David asks.
"Yes, thank goodness."
"First planet?"
"Already planted."
"Potatoes?"
"Might again in a couple years if the demand is good."
"Got another party at Agatha's for your new book since it's out?"
"Next week. Agatha agreed to wait until I was done with the students and offworld harvests."
"And everybody wasn't busy working on them?" David smirks. Josette laughs and nods. Propping her feet up on the coffee table she closes her eyes for a twenty minute power nap. David chuckles and heads back to his room to get in a couple more classes before dinner.
"Do we want to grow tree crops in the dorm?" David asks after dinner and the kids are in bed.
"I can't see why we'd need it, we have tree crops on the ships and we can add them to the satellite if needed." Josette says.
"Aquaponics?"
"That's different, that I can see us adding." David brings out the whiteboards and everybody calls out reasons for yes and no. Over the next several nights they talk about each reason and finally decide on a yes, then decide on what they'd be growing. ..both plants and fish. By the time of the second testing week they have everything worked out and after Josette delivers the last shipment of student and employees back to the school she, Alexander, and Michael spend a few months on the ship making furniture for the new rooms in Josette's expanded library. She had cussed long and loud when she'd come back to the dorm one day and found the tower, David had smirked for a week. Principal Madison had just shook his head while Professor Druid cackled.
The next week Josette sighs at the knowing grins on everybody's faces at the Albatross Nest.
"Is everything settling down now?"
"Yeah, I won't be bringing in any more employees for another four years unless we get more students that we need to open more dorms. We might be bringing out more teachers for the cooking classes next year, they're talking about it right now."
"How soon until they go back?"
"Possibly year after next, the new teachers are for more classes. There's still a good demand for the original classes and the teachers don't want to leave."
"Do you see the contracts for the teachers and employees getting longer?" Marilyn asks.
"Probably in the future, right now we're making sure that the employees can handle being away for five years and the turnaround gives everybody who wanted a chance to come out the opportunity." Nods from the others.
"What was the sales for the cookbooks at the Harvest Festival?"
"Good, we sold nearly a thousand between the two books. We brought out copies of the first book and those were brisk too." Nods from the others. "Not everybody shops at the store. Everybody attends the festival at least one day."
Midterms Josette takes the last of the containers for the graduating students and returning employees to the school, Christmas had been just before the Harvest Festival so she's alone this trip, spending a couple weeks picking up stuff and working on the recycling before heading back to Haven.
The end of the semester comes way too soon for them, they're busy bringing in the harvests and Josette drops off rice and wheat for flour and pasta as she's picking up the recycling and the last batch of extruded plastic.
"When are you building?" Anna asks when she comes back to the dorm.
"After we come back from Thanksgiving. That should be the last batch of supplies coming out before they do. They've got the floor under Headquarters to fill with containers and the Fortress."
"Don't they have anybody under them at Headquarters?"
"No, thanks to expanding by tesseracts, they have two empty floors between them and the other businesses and offices."
After Thanksgiving Josette takes everybody to the other dimension, delivering the last of the orders for the year as the graduating students stream into the auditorium if their graduation is first or go home with the families meeting them. Six weeks later for them David opens the tesseract on Haven and students and employees walk through. Trips to the other dimensions are undertaken and Josette slumps into the couch when they finally make it back to the dorm, her feet going up on the coffee table once she's got a pair of fuzzy slippers on.
"Is everything being delivered?"
"Everything but the stuff for the 10th planet." Josette says without opening her eyes.
"Was that the last of the deliveries for the 10th planet?"
"Yes, I was moving stuff for Doc while we were there. Easier to fill shipping containers at the warehouses then have me move them then try to get everything in separately." She can 'feel' the others nodding through their link. The next day they head off to the first planet for a couple weeks, lying in the sun and swimming by the beach. Back at the dorm they start working on the growing areas in the dorm.
Josette settles in her usual spot at the Albatross Nest with her plate on her knees and a bottle of pop next to her.
"Your last book?"
"I'm picking the order up before the Lights Festival. That and the last cookbook. Both will be available after the Lights Festival."
"Is that it for the books?"
"No, there's four more cookbooks." The others grin. "The last one is special in that it's introducing various foods that most home cooks generally don't use, talks about them and gives recipes. It's going to be a slightly smaller run than the other books, if the demand is good though we'll make more copies and create a second book." Nods of satisfaction from the others. "There's so many foods that most people didn't eat back on Earth."
Josette nods. "I grew a couple varieties of potatoes on the first planet this year that most people would have to go to the server and look up to even know they were potatoes."
"Most people brought the same thing every week at the grocery store since that was what the stores offered." Somebody says.
Josette nods. "Unless you were from an area where it grew and could pick it up easily at a farm market or the grocery store or grew it yourself, you didn't eat it."
"And many countries had their own style of cooking." Nods from various people in the room. That's one of the reasons the new cooking classes had been full from the start.
"Did you . . .Ohhh, I see you did." Calvin smirks as he sees the whiteboards in the living room. There's a green blanket on one and he lifts it. "Green to go?" He asks Josette. She smirks and nods. He looks over everything on the whiteboards and nods, finding all the points that he would have brought up. They've thought of the need for the robots that take care of the fish when they harvest, a place to put it in the dorm, and the pros and cons of salting over smoking over stasis. There's a list of what they can grow and a list of recipes. Calvin grins. "I'd hoped you'd sit down and actually talk about what would happen."
"Same thing we do with any other major decisions."
"Did you hear about your dissertation?"
"Yep, I got the news last semester. I've officially got it but I won't get the paperwork until the next graduation ceremony."
"Our degree?"
"Officially three semesters in and I'm working on the dissertation. I figure on having it finished year after next to be looked over before I defend it." Nods from the others.
Josette picks up the books for her doctorate that afternoon, Thomas nodding as he sees Josette dl'ing the books for her next semester's classes into her mental library. . .it looks almost exactly like how Alex does it except Josette does them all at once and seems to relax afterwards. He looks at David.
"Josette is letting the books settle. She sees the words as water rushing towards her, she can fight the current and 'read' the book right then and there but it leaves her white as a sheet and shaking like a leaf or she can wait it out. Once she's got the books settled she arranges them in her mental libraries like she does the books when she's finished a degree. Every few years she'll go in and rearrange stuff, adding more rooms, wings, buildings. . . Usually when she's finished a multiple degree curriculum and is running out of room."
"Multiple degree curriculum?"
"Mostly in the sosh and comic book schools, but she's three degrees out of five on shipwrecks from the Naval Academy. A lot of degrees from Assyrian and Edinborough are that way now, one degree is all bookwork and the other hands-on. The teachers did a lot of changing of degrees after we lost Earth."
After the Lights Festival Josette slides into her seat at the government building.
"All the offworld harvests in before the festival now?"
"Yep."
"10th planet construction?"
"Doc and I did it while we were gone for an hour one day. This way he can double check the placement of buildings when they come up. We also laid out the communal gardens and fields for crops while we were there."
"Book party?" Principal Madison's lips twitch.
"This week." Josette sighs. "At least it's the last one."
"Are you debuting the second book at your shows this year?"
"Yeah, then the third book year after next and the last two years after that."
"And you'll be signing books for hours at the shows. Especially if both of them are for sale at them." David smirks. Josette sighs and nods. Principal Madison chuckles. "Now you two, classes?"
"I'm finishing both of my bachelors this year." David says.
"I'm going to be two years into my doctorate and plan on finishing the dissertation next year. I'll have another meeting with my advisor the year after that about defending it."
"Online classes?"
"I'm finishing the last degree for a comic book this year and I'll be three semesters from finishing the other."
"Year after next for Doc?"
"Unless he has to come out earlier. The volcanic activity seems to be letting up, but a lot of people are fearing it's just to gear up for round two."
"Is there still flooding?"
"Yeah, and the hurricanes are worse, even the mildest ones are making landfall now instead of fizzling out. The bad ones. . .? Well, think of Andrew, Katrina, and Sandy. While they don't have the massive death rate that we had, deaths are rising and the birth rate is falling. Terrorists were trying to take advantage of the climate change to advance their jihads and got took out with brutal efficiency by the governments. The former communist countries are in a state of severe economic collapse along with a lot of third world countries. Things are going to get a lot worse before it gets better."
"Collapsing economies means the governments won't have the money for social services. . .if they even had them in the first place." President Bartlett says. The others nod.
"Countries that have had to deal with massive inflation, recessions, and depressions in the past should have been better prepared for economic crisis. Should being the operative word here." Nods from everybody in the room. "Most of the time it was private charities that helped out in tough economic times, not governments."
"How many books?" David asks when Josette slides into her seat at dinner a couple days later.
"Too damn many." She grumbles. David smirks. "Got the books on the ships for our trips?"
"Yeah, I've got 5,000 for each after the shows plus 4,500 for the shows themselves." Alexander nods in satisfaction.
"Back to working on your quilts this year?"
"Yeah, I freed up some room in my containers." Snorts of laughter. Everybody knows she could have waved them bigger or added a second container. This had been an excuse not to work on quilts because it might have led to another book.
"Get all the furniture done?"
"No, I've got to bring out more wood this year." Josette yawns. "We'll have snow by bed."
"Storm?" David reaches for the PADD on his belt as Josette tips her head to one side.
"No, just a few days of snow."
Like Josette said it's snowing by the time they go to bed and everybody shrugs and pulls up collars over the next few days as they walk outside. They're digging out of a real storm the first testing week and Josette slides into her seat at the testing center.
"How are the babies enjoying pre-school?"
"Like the rest of them, torn between 'we're big kids now' and 'this is boring'." Dr. Stark chuckles.
"And your classes?"
"I'm planning on 22 this semester, less this summer since I'll have the shows and all the offworld harvests, then picking up more in the fall."
"Dissertation?"
"Figure on finishing it this year, getting it looked over next year, and making arrangements to defend it the year after that." The three men nod in satisfaction.
"Did you get everything finished for the new library areas."
"Nope, I gotta get more wood. We'd planned on gradual increases even with the deliveries from the other dimensions, not the massive increases from the lost worlds, a good seven more levels and multiple rooms on each level. This gives me the opportunity to do a lot more sorting of stuff." Josette covers her face and yawns, stretching backwards in the chair as the buzzer sounds and the others begin coming over.
"How's David coming on his classes?" Dr. McNider asks after Vincent has passed out plates.
"He was starting his third class for Tarzan when we left, he plans on finishing that degree and getting at least three classes in for the other this semester and finishing it this fall. Granda wants to talk to us over the Harvest Festival about degrees." Dr. Cross chuckles at the sighs of the others.
"What's the latest information on the 2nd planet lab update?" Josette looks over at CJ.
"We've got the order in, it will be a couple years since getting everything ready for the others took precedence." Josette nods. "Lemme know when you need me to move everything to the ships." CJ nods.
Dr. Cross looks at Alexander and Michael. "Have you two talked with anybody at Oxford about your Masters?"
"Yes, we're going to be two classes into our masters and five semesters into our bachelors the end of the year." The three older men nod in satisfaction. "I'm not sure about two classes while we're still taking our bachelors, but we can handle one."
"And you can always pick up more classes." Dr. McNider says. Michael nods.
Back at the dorm Josette absorbs her other selves that had been clearing paths at the dorm and ranch and clearing the solar panels before they walk to dinner. After dinner they talk about garden plans, the changes Calvin wants to make to the school library, how long it might be until the dorms are full. . .and how long it's been since that happened, Josette bringing out wood for more furniture. . .Josette grabs her PADD and makes a note to see if the woodworkers need more wood too, and Sebastian and Jasmine turning a hundred that year.
The rest of the semester flies by and Josette spreads manure on the fields and garden, tilling it under and planting a week later before she heads off with the others for their finals.
"Are you okay with going for the bachelors and masters at the same time?" Dr. Cross asks when everybody has eaten at least one plate of food.
"Yeah, it's not as bad as we'd feared." Josette sniggers at Michael's hangdog look. "Hush wench." he says absently, making the three older men smile.
Picking up the recycling, flour, and pasta Josette delivers everything to various places and heads off to the other dimensions, dropping off orders and moving supplies for Doc. Bringing back supplies Josette delivers them and slides into her seat at the dining hall.
"Get everything delivered?" David asks.
"Yeah, and moved stuff for Doc while I was there. Got a good look at the buildings that are coming up."
"With the growing area by the fortress, they should be able to easily start growing on the tenth planet." David says. Josette nods. "They might need help with the fields, since they never grew commercially and a communal garden is a helluva lot bigger than a kitchen garden but. .."
"They'll do well." Susan says. The others nod. "Have you been cutting hay for the animals?"
"Yes, one of the first buildings that went up was storage for hay. They'll have a few harvests in storage before they start cutting their own."
"They won't lack for help getting settled in." Alexander says. The others nod. Josette and the boys are busy working on specialty orders up until the first show, delivering to Marcus and getting gussied up for the show. Josette sighs at Marcus's smug look as she is kept busy signing books.
"How many books?" David asks after the show.
"Too damn many." Josette grumbles. "About 4500 of the second book and a couple thousand of the first book. They just had to have them signed." After taking care of the recycling and putting supplies on the ship they return to Haven where the offworld harvests, first harvests, and yearly crops are starting to come in. They gratefully head to the other dimension for the other show and a few weeks of no crops coming in bing, bang, boom. Back on Haven the rest of the crops are coming in and Josette drops into a couch one night.
"Is everything in now?"
"Thank you god yes. The last offworld harvest is being taken care of right now."
"How many classes did you get in this summer?"
"Sixteen, not counting the two I took for the doctorate."
"Block cooking classes?"
"I'm bringing out more supplies and teachers next year. It's been eight years since they arrived and they're talking about heading home at ten years."
"New classes?"
"Yep."
"Is demand for the old ones slowing down?"
"Nope." Josette opens one eye and looks at the clock, then the others. They nod and call for the kids, heading to the dining room then going for a walk at the ranch after dinner. Sebastian and Jasmine sigh at the happy hundredth party their parents throw for them, calling them various names that has their family laughing. After the party Josette delivers orders to the dimensions, picking up supplies and delivering the boxes of belongings the students graduating that year had been packing.
"Is this everything Josette?" Jane asks as Josette starts bringing out the boxes.
"Unless the students have something to take home right before they leave." Josette says, looking at her PADD. "Everybody on the list has at least one container, some more than one." Jane nods, checking her own list.
Everybody starts arriving for the Harvest Festival, Josette sighing as rooms start 'rippling' as they're sitting talking after dinner.
"Josette. . ." one of Principal Madison's brothers voice crackles over the intercom. "Do you have furniture for the new library space."
"Not all of it." Josette says to her PADD, it relaying to the intercom. "I had to get a couple loads of wood this year, it's aging on the ship." In the library nods from more than one person. "How about the woodworkers in town?"
"They got a batch of wood in too in preparation for future orders. I went harvesting over the last couple of years so we had a good supply of raw materials." Nods from everybody listening to the conversation.
"Hard to think it's been nearly fifteen years since we worked on the building." Calvin says in the school library. Simone is nodding. "We wanted to add onto it back then. Has Josette and the others been keeping notes?" He hands over the notepad and she nods as she starts leafing through it.
After the Harvest Festival Calvin and the others settle down to talk with Doc about the plans for when they're coming out. They've also talked to Thomas to make sure he has a way to leave if they have to leave their Earth suddenly. Thomas had passed along the information he'd gotten from the 9th planet and the heroic groups that could were making plans for the future in case something happened.
The new students start coming out and Josette puts her plates of food down a table at the pizzeria after delivering the last batch of students to the teachers and their belongings to the dorms. Plates are put down across from her and she looks up at President Bartlett.
"Is that everybody?"
"Yep, Granda thinks in a few years we'll have three weeks of students and the dorms full. We've already got a waiting list of students." President Bartlett shakes his head. "That was my thought."
After eating about eight pieces of pizza and three salads Josette heads back to the dorm, taking off her shoes and oiling her work and winter boots after sliding on a pair of slippers.
"Soooo, have you been up to your library since Granda asked if you had furniture?" Alexander asks from the door of his room.
"Nope, and I'm afraid to . . .now." Josette ignores the clucking sounds as she heads to the fishtank room, feeding the fish and cutting herbs before they go to seed.
"What herbs are we growing next? These are going to be gone soon." Josette says.
"List is by the door." David calls. "I was going to plant this weekend." Josette nods and puts the herbs up to dry before heading upstairs. Before Josette knows it it's the first testing week and she's heading off with the others.
"How's David coming on his second degree?"
"Starting the fourth class this week?" Michael looks at the others.
"That's what he said a couple days ago. Granda's been talking with us about plans for the dorm over the next few years, including the larger aquaponics section."
"When is Doc due to come out?"
"Between the Harvest and Lights festivals. I'll go out and plant before they arrive."
"Alex's dimension?"
"They're making plans in case the world gets stupid ideas about going to hell in a handbasket by enacting stupid laws, denouncing everybody who isn't like them or doesn't fall in their narrow bigoted mold of how life should be, or just does something stupid."
"But without superheroes there shouldn't be supervillains." Anna bleats in a whiny voice.
"Yeah, they didn't realize that people become heroes usually because something happened to them caused by a villain." Michael snorts. "That sounds like that stupid prophecy in Harry Potter, neither can live while the other survives or some such crap." Nods from the others.
The next several weeks pass quickly and after their third testing week the crops are beginning to come in. Josette splits off a half-dozen duplicates while she and the others head off to Eureka for their finals.
"Josette, do you have to grow in the dorm this year?" Calvin asks when they come out with the graduating seniors and other students picking up supplies over the break.
"No, we can plant on the islands or I can grow on the satellite again." Josette makes a couple notes on the PADD as Calvin nods in satisfaction. "Good, that will allow us to do some work while we're there. I know you said you don't grow there all the time."
"Nope, we've skipped years, either to give the area time to recover or because Doc wanted to expand the growing areas. Or I'd planned on growing some stuff we don't normally on the satellite and it was just as easy to grow everything we'd normally have while I was there."
A few weeks later they return to Haven, students lining up so their bags can be inspected. Josette delivers supplies to the various factories and the school before the others join her back on the ship for the trip to the other dimensions. Many months later for them they return to Haven, delivering supplies bringing stuff out in the dorm. A couple days later they head to the first planet on Vallejo and spend several weeks laying in the sun. Detouring to the satellite they grow what they'd have been planting in the dorm and come back nearly a year later for them, the older kids helping to can, dry, and otherwise put up the food. Josette sends off file to both GDs, getting thank yous back from the botanists.
Calvin and the others come out a couple weeks later, talking to Thomas for a couple hours as Alex goes up to the island with the others.
"Ohhhh," he takes off his heavy clothes and lays out in the sun.
"Yeah, sometimes when the weather is bad you just have to go somewhere else." Josette sits down on the sand next to him in a pair of shorts and a bikini top. "So how's it going in your dimension, I've heard a few things that worried me."
"Yeah, they worried me too after reading the civil war storyline in the marvel comics." Alex shudders. "Thankfully the truth came out and even the most ardent super-human hater realized that it could be them in concentration camps being experimented on. The one child per family craze got some attention until people realized who'd take care of them when they were old." Josette sniggers as the others cackle. "Right now they're talking to Superman and the other space travelers to find colonizable worlds." The sound of the switching station behind them has them looking at Calvin, Hannah, and Thomas.
"Ohhhhh," Hannah turns around to see everything. "This is marvelous. Do you come out often?"
"Yeah, when we need a mental health break. Laying in the sand sunning or swimming in the lagoon really helps."
"I can see how it could." Thomas says. "If I didn't know that we were in an artificial moon. . ." The others nod.
"Did you grow here often?"
"Nearly every winter back on earth, especially after the growing seasons started getting shorter. We've got three different gardens so we could share with the others. After the growing area was added onto the dorm, we grew less often, sometimes alternating the island and the growing area. We don't want to ruin the ecosystem, so there's some stuff that can't be grown here."
"The ecosystem's different enough here." David snorts. Josette nods. Hannah looks at them. "Tell me a place where coffee, cacao, and oranges all grow in the same area without being planted? And the coffee and cacao is high grade?" The others nod.
Calvin talks to everybody about their degrees and future plans before the Lights Festival as the visitors who'd come out with Thomas and Doc inspect the various planets.
"I can understand how you're getting into alternative energy after seeing all the examples here. Do they have anything besides solar and the alternate power sources?"
"Yes, Josette uses wind power on the first planet to supplement the solar panels and they're talking about water wheels for the mills, the problem is finding a deep enough river that won't freeze over the winter near their current settlements."
"No dams?"
"No, they say it causes too many problems for the environment. They don't want to repeat the problems of Earth. With everybody knowing where their power comes from, nobody wastes it. Especially during the winter when a storm might end up knocking out the solar panels and you're charging the battery by pedal power until they can be cleared."
"Just like the old farming families relied on candles and kerosene lamps before electricity became available across the country."
Doc talks to the others as Josette heads off for the meeting at the Albatross Nest.
"How is it out there?"
"Getting pretty bad, the former communist countries are in a state of economic collapse and most of the other countries are saying 'serves you right'."
"Like the school kids taunting the school bully who's crying when somebody stood up to him or he's being called on his shit by authorities?"
"Exactly."
"They got too big too soon trying to prove communism should be the way to go. Now they're paying for it."
Doc nods. "A lot of their infrastructure is . . .gone. They already had one major city for show that nobody lived in, now more cities are closing up shop as people just can't afford to stay there without jobs."
"From the stories I remember of our China before the war, not many people could afford to live there even with jobs." David says as the room wobbles around them. The others nod. "The stories were they only made a couple dollars a day but we never knew what the exchange rate was."
"That was some of the excuses people tried to tell for the war." President Bartlett says. "After the second attack those excuses fell in the rubbish heap for the garbage they were."
Josette comes back to the dorm a couple hours later, putting everything away before they walk to the dining hall for lunch. By the time the others leave after the Lights Festival a good chunk of the dorm has been upgraded again, including Josette's workrooms. The containers have been made larger, these won't be getting full for a while. David smirks at Josette's moan and Bronwen chuckles.
"Yes, you needed the extra room. The rooms with your books are now linked to the workroom. Now, how are you coming on your dissertation?"
"I'm two years in and a few of the others are looking over the dissertation. I'll make an appointment to defend it year after next." Bronwen nods in satisfaction.
Josette slides into her seat at the government building. "You were talking to Doc more before the festival. Are we expecting more orders?"
"Possibly. They want to wait and see another year. . ." Josette disappears. She's sighing and cussing when she reappears. "People are fucking stupid."
"Amen to that, but what's the problem." President Bartlett snorts.
"That was Alex, some 'religious' . . ." Josette sneers the word. "pundits decided that the infidels shouldn't be able to have children so they released a virus that sterilized everybody, even them. They didn't wike that or being arrested. Not only is everybody possibly irrevocably sterile there, there's already been deaths thanks to it. And the 'scientists' didn't keep notes so they don't know if it can be reversed."
"Shit." President Bartlett sighs. "So we should look into areas for them to settle?"
"Yeah, those who can are making preparations to get the fuck out of dodge since they're afraid it's going to get worse before it gets better."
"Everybody's sterile?"
"Yep. And in the areas where the virus was released, anybody under five and over fifty died."
"Shit."
"Hipdeep."
Josette brushes off the snow and hangs up her cloak back at the dorm, the boys coming out from the ranch.
"We're expecting a storm?"
"Yep, they say a couple feet by tomorrow morning. Everything's shutting down once everybody has. . .what's wrong?" Josette has the others pause their classes and repeats what she'd told the others at the government meeting.
"Shit." Abby sighs and rubs a hand over her face. "Just when you think man has crawled out of the slime . . ."
"Yep, they were bleating about how it wasn't fair they were affected by the virus on the news while I was there."
"So we should expect Thomas and the others anywhere from a few months to a few years."
Josette nods. "Everything settled at the ranch?"
"Yep, and we talked to Mom and Ma, everybody's settling in for the blow. Weather satellites?"
"Put one in orbit a few years ago as part of the data GD was collecting on the outer planets. The probes were installed when Doc and I were out there." The others nod in satisfaction. David heads to the basement, putting a couple batteries in the rack to charge before heading to his room and the classes
"How are you coming on your thesis?" Josette asks Susan at lunch. It's beginning to get dark out and Josette sees the storm announcement has gone out on the server.
"Good, I'll have a couple people at GD look it over in a couple of years."
"Is Doc bringing up classes with him?"
"Yeah, they've been putting them on servers thanks to all the climate change around there, he's okayed it with the government. He'll send back work by databurst, they'll update the server the same way as well as keeping him updated on everything that happened."
"Are we expecting the others to settle on the 9th planet?"
"Not permanently but they do have friends and family there, more like Doc going back and forth as needed."
Back at the dorm Josette starts cutting out pieces for her latest quilt, she'd already put a couple extra on her bed and sets up the sewing machine. They take the tunnels to dinner since it's already snowing.
"Are the orders going to be affected by the storm?"
"Nope, they work ahead as it is to make up for times like this when they can't get to work. And it's not like they have a deadline." Nods from the others. Josette pulls her PADD off her belt when she gets a beep. "Thomas sending out what information they have on the virus. I was there when he did it."
"I don't know whether I hate slow deaths or quick deaths worse." David shudders. "Either way the world is ending." Back at the dorm Josette's looking out the window of her second floor room, all three familiars wrapping around her ankles or on her lap to break her out of this funk.
By the end of the week they're digging out and Josette stands outside, taking deep breaths of cold, crisp air after the boys have gone inside. Cleaning off her boots she walks into the ranch.
"Everything clear out there?" David asks when they come into the living room.
"Yep, paths are clear, solar panels are brushed off, and the animals are outside who want to be outside." At her words Samhein gives her a disgusted look since he'd gone out and come right back in.
"I told you you wouldn't want to be outside." she snorts. He shakes a paw and sits down to wash it.
"Are you adding to the first planet raised beds with Doc coming out?"
"No, we should have more than enough, if the demand is that good I will though. Especially with Thomas and whoever he's brings out." Nods from the others as they look at the time and get the kids out of their classes for lunch.
"How long are we thinking?" Superman asks on the computer link from the watchtower.
"Maybe eighty years, the death rate will skyrocket if there's a war. Even just old age will bring it up." Thomas says, his fingers templed. "I suspect in twenty years we'll start seeing problems with the infrastructure unless we start training younger people to operate and repair it."
"Younger being a relative term." Superman sighs. "I hate this."
"I do too, this never should have happened if somebody hadn't dropped the ball. They'd known the group was fanatical, they were warned they'd tried biological weapons but somebody had overrode the order to take them out with extreme prejudice." Superman looks at him and he waves at one of the computers running in the background.
"You hacked the government?"
"Yes, and this proves my paranoia is reasonable." Batman looks
"What are you plans?"
"I'd already started plans to move out of the dimension, this escalated my plans if this doesn't get fixed."
"The others are beginning to come down, we're collecting genetic samples of everybody who was on the Watchtower that day in case there are lingering effects." Thomas nods. "Have the designs for the spacecraft been selected?"
Superman nods, then sighs. "Go home Clark, this is a time to be with your family."
"What about Paradise Island?"
"From what I've heard, you don't actually have to be on Earth to access it. . .Hippolyta comes out to the watchtower on the other Earth and their Earth is in the middle of a nuclear winter for at least another fifty years."
"At least we were able to stop Luthor from taking the presidency, now I almost wish he would have. . .he would have stopped this."
"Come down Clark, even Superman needs his sleep and the uproar is going to get a helluva lot worse before it gets better. The government is calling out army troops and the National Guard in an attempt to keep the peace, but they're not going to be able to do anything if a super-villain goes on a tear."
Josette heads to Archimedes with the others for the first testing week.
"Have you planted on the first planet?" Dr. Cross asks.
"Yeah, both more potatoes, a garden crop, and the regular tomatoes, herbs, and peppers. The new raised bed I put up for the peppers year before last is still there, if the demand is enough after Doc comes up with whoever he's got and Thomas comes up with whoever he's bringing up, I'll start planting there." Dr. Stark nods.
"I can't believe they were that stupid." Dr. McNider says.
"I can, you can do anything you want in the name of religion. Look at all the jihads and terrorist groups who were bleating about how their religion was ssssoooooo much better than anybody's else's so they could do whatever they wanted. Like Hitler they were using it as an excuse to commit atrocities."
Nods and sighs from the others as Vincent puts down a plate in front of her.
"How long do you think they have if they can't reverse it?"
"Thomas figures eighty years from old age alone. Sooner if somebody starts a damn war over it. Of course the plans to colonize other worlds fell by the wayside after this happened."
"Smartmouth in me says they've fixed overcrowding." Alexander says from the other end of the table. "The cost was too high though."
Josette nods. "That's why the 'one child' movement was doomed, who's going to take care of everybody who's growing old and infirm if there's no younger people? There's enough people on Earth already taking care of their parents and raising their own families at the same time."
"Why didn't anybody think?"
"They were too busy hating and spouting off crap about being their gods chosen. Their gods would protect them, only the heathen infidels who do not deserve to live because they do not believe the words of the chosen will be affected. We will take over the world and rebuild it in our image . .or some such bullshit nonsense. Of course when it turned to shit they were busy bleating about how it shouldn't have happened this way. All the religious fervor fell to the wayside."
Back at the dorm Josette leans in an open doorway breathing in the cold but fresh air as she gets some fresh air in her first floor room. Shutting the door when the furnace kicks on she joins the others in the living room.
"Paper?"
"Everybody who has read it agrees it's good to go, been a while since I had to print one out." David sniggers. "Wait until they get after you to start a masters or doctorate over there." He sighs. "Yeah, they won't let me cruise forever. Damn it."
Josette sniggers and pats his hand. "Sucks to be a grown-up, doesn't it?"
"Did the kids decide where they're going for internships?"
"Yeah, they're figuring the fourth planet." Josette makes a note on her PADD. David looks at her. "Places for Wayne and Drake when they come out if they can't fix the shit on Earth." David nods. "Five years and the kids will be leaving." He bats his eyes at the girls, Susan shoves him off the couch with a dainty foot.
"Do we want them all on the fourth planet? Isn't some of them coming out to the 9th planet from the other dimension." Michael asks.
Josette nods. "That's something to think about. They don't have to be on the fourth planet. With the computers and switching stations, they can easily commute to talk face to face."
Josette taps on doors her second testing week, Vincent letting her in and smiling as Josette brings out bushels of green picked peppers.
"Are the green tomatoes different on the first planet?"
"I have no idea but I can certainly grow a batch to see if there's a difference." Josette makes a note on her PADD about that as they haggle over the prices and put everything away.
"What's the latest on Thomas's world?"
"Governments are still running around like a dog chasing his tail. They've got the best and brightest trying to figure out what's going on but there's just no information on that virus."
"And unless you've got a starting place to work from. . ."
"Exactly."
Josette takes care of the recycling after her finals, delivering containers of the returning students belongings to the school, taking in orders, and dropping off another batch of socks.
"Any word on Thomas's world?" Calvin asks, waving her into his office.
"They're still trying to figure out the virus but so far it's looking bad. Zero population growth might sound like a good idea but when it actually happens. . ." Calvin nods.
"Are you going to be bringing out socks to your show?"
"Yes, I think everybody's cracked but the 'ooohhhh, I gotta have it' crowd will probably snap them up." Calvin chuckles. "And your books. New cooking teachers?"
"Everything's ready for them, I can bring them out when we come out for the show?" Calvin checks the date and nods. "The others can take them under their wings. Now you're going to have more students this year. . ." they work out the schedule and Josette heads to the house.
A few weeks later Marcus is nearly purring as Josette brings out stuff for the show. In addition to the socks there's soap and candles. He grabs one of the handouts Josette is putting out.
"Two more books?" He asks with a hush. The others are sniggering behind him and she mentally flips them off.
"Yeah, one of my designs and a book on patchwork quilts. Bronwen wants me to write a book on my socks but. . ., what's to say? I paint or tie-dye them. Big fat freaking deal." More sniggering as the others head off to look at the other stuff as Josette makes nice with the reporters.
The new cooking teachers look up first thing as they walk through the tesseract, seeing the two suns in the sky before looking around. The others chuckle and hand out sunglasses, sunscreen, and hats. Personal belongings and supplies are delivered and they're shown to their apartments before the tour starts. David opens the tesseract to the dorm and they walk through while Josette delivers the other supplies.
The next few weeks are busy with the offworld harvests starting to come in and the Christmas trip over for the school. They return six weeks later for them and the students line up to have their bags checked by the floor monitors as Josette starts delivering more supplies.
"Have you heard from Thomas?" President Bartlett asks when they meet after dinner for a government meeting.
"Yeah, the 'religion' that caused all this shit was declared a terrorist group and lost all their protection. Now a lot of the hate churches are ducking since if one group could lose their protection, nothing's keeping the government from going after their nasty asses. Governments are taking out groups with extreme prejudice but most people see it as. . ."
"Shutting the barn doors after the horse has left?" Principal Madison smirks.
"Too damn little, too damn late?" President Bartlett asks.
"Basically, yeah. You knew what kind of people they were but still did nothing. Now you want us to congratulate you on taking them out?" Josette makes a rude noise.
"Hindsight's 20/20, if they had taken out the 'friends' of humanity Earth might still be around."
"And blaming others is universal, they're the same people who would have been having seven kinds of fits if the government had done something to stop them before the virus was released." David snorts.
"Is everything in now?"
"Yes, thank you god." Josette sighs. "This year has been rough with everything coming in at once and the news from Thomas's dimension."
"Classes?"
"Picked up sixteen this summer, I'll get in 22 this fall probably."
"I meant in Thomas's world."
"They're putting classes on the server like we did in the hope that there might eventually be children that need teaching if there's no teachers left."
"Are you. . ."
"After everybody's gone the superheroes will come in and remove the cities and whatnot, I'm sure they'll want to return to Earth but they won't need those kinds of places for decades." The others nod. "And after so long without maintenance most of them wouldn't be inhabitable anyway. They'll clean up what they can and put in stuff to clean the ground and water if needed as they start settling on Earth again. Same thing they're looking at on 9th planet Earth once the nuclear winter is done and the radiation passes. If it ever does."
"Are the new cooks settling in?"
"Yep. They were pitching in while the harvests were prepared, helped plant the communal gardens, and can't wait until this winter when the growing areas are up and running. They've also made trips out to to the fish farm."
"Did you deliver the mussels, oysters, clams, and goeducks?"
"Oh yes, the newcomers just stared as I brought out the bushels and we sat down and haggled. They didn't even inspect them, just asked how much I had and we sat down." Principal Madison chuckles. "How are you on your classes, near finishing any?"
"I'm a semester from finishing one degree and be a year from finishing two more the end of the year. I'm three years into the degree from the Naval Academy, that and the cooking degree should be done next year." The others nod.
"New cooking blocks?"
"Should be on the server by the end of the year."
"Are you okay?" Josette asks Alex when he comes out for the Harvest Festival.
"Yeah, I'd never wanted children but. . ."
"That should have been your decision and not some idiot religious freak and his pet scientists who thought they knew better." Thomas pats him on the shoulder. "Where the virus was released, everybody under the age of five and over the age of fifty died immediately. They bleated that it should have just sterilized everybody, because their god doesn't want the infidels having children. When their own people were dying too they started turning on each other."
"I meant for it to happen to them. . .not me?" Principal Madison snorts.
"Basically yeah, they tried claiming freedom of religion but got convicted of terrorism causing multiple deaths and are being beaten by the other prisoners. The governments don't want them dead. . .it would be over too quick." Josette nods. "Yeah, the 'ultimate leader' or whatever the asshole's title was in our world got life plus five thousand years for all the deaths when they attacked the power stations. So-called 'religion' can be the real root of evil in the world."
Everybody in earshot nods.
"The governments are trying to fix it but the assholes didn't keep track of their research so they can't look at the notes to try to find an antidote or retro engineer the virus. The morons are still bleating that this is only temporary, there has to be somebody pregnant somewhere in the world. If they repeat it often enough it will have to come true."
"Denial is not just a river in Egypt." Josette smirks.
"Yep. We expect the longer it goes on without births the more frantic people get and they realize there's nobody to take care of themselves but themselves. The hits to the economy when schools start closing is going to be drastic." President Bartlett nods. "Ours was bad enough, you're going to have a world-wide unemployment problem." Thomas sighs but nods. "A lot of older teachers aren't going to be able to find work or will have trouble adjusting with the schools closed."
During the Harvest Festival Thomas is busy looking at areas for settling, he'll want room for the compound and Wayne Manor, Clark would be bringing out the Kent Farm, they'd bring out the farm. While the watchtower probably wouldn't be coming out, they'd want to find a spot for it on one of the moons. They were talking about terraforming the moon, settling on Mars, or terraforming moons for growing areas and research. He doesn't like what the others on the 9th planet had had to go through, but the information they'd provided means they're not starting from scratch if. . .when they leave Earth.
"Was anybody off Earth when this happened?" 9th planet Dr. Stark asks at a meeting one night after dinner. Alex was off with Josette making a list of supplies that they'd need when they left.
"Yes a couple hundred people were on the watchtower for meetings. We think they can have children but we're not announcing anything. . .it would make them targets."
"And they can't repopulate a world by themselves."
"No, I expect the others to start leaving the planet within five years. Superman and the others are deciding if they want to terraform the moon, other areas, or set up on Mars. Once they've moved they can start having children. If they can have children."
"I know you're a geneticist, cloning?"
"We're looking into it, Cadmus is on a tight leash from the government with their former bosses in prison. The major hurdle we see right now is we don't know what in the virus caused the sterilization."
"If it's genetic, the clones might be sterile as well." Sighs from everybody in the room as the door opens and Alex comes in with Josette.
". . .short yourself." Josette says, obviously continuing a conversation they had been having. "You're going to need a good batch of supplies when you're ready to move. Yes, you're among the smaller groups to come out but you don't know how long you'll be able to get this stuff with the problems on Earth. . .especially if some asshat starts a war over this shit."
Alex sighs. "Yeah, I wouldn't put it over somebody to try to overthrow their government because they have to have a cure for this, they're just not letting anybody have it to control the population or striking while the enemy is in disarray." Nods from everybody who'd been listening.
"You did this deliberately to get rid of us, you've been breeding your own people who will be under your complete control. You won't replace us that easy." David snarks. Sighs but nods.
Thomas takes the list that night, adding a few things and nodding at the notes on others. "We won't have to worry about old clothes for the fields and patchwork quilts."
Alex nods as he settles in his bed. "In about ten years they'll be giving them away. Especially if big business keeps producing like they have been."
Thomas nods. "They won't slow down production until they have to, it would cost them their precious profit margin. When nobody orders they'll either whine, threaten to sue, or pull their big boy pants on."
"More like whine, then sue, and finally pull their big boy pants on when the government tells them to grow the fuck up."
After the Harvest Festival they head home, talking with family and friends about their plans. Ma and Pa take the most encouraging until they see their spread on Haven and their numerous children. The news they don't even really need to move, they can go to bed on Earth and wake up on their new planet has them blinking but nodding that would be convenient.
"How long?"
"About five years, that's the same timeline for most of the superhero groups to leave. By then the governments will know if they can fix the sterility problem and the death rate will be climbing."
"In fifty years we're expecting most major cities to be deserted or nearly, people will be widely scattered unless governments force people to move together."
"And that would cause more problems than it would cure, I'm sure there'd be an uproar about that but there's already a lack of services in small towns, with people aging out. . ."
"It will just be worse. People are driving hours now for medical attention in some places."
"How are people coping with the news?"
"Drugs, drinking, some people are ignoring it. . .it's just got to be something the government is saying and we all know the government lies. Talking to counselors including clergy. Suicide might be a sin in the eyes of many religions but . . ."
"I see more of it happening as people are left alone, especially if they don't live in central areas. Cemeteries are going to be full up."
"I see government officials cremating people who don't have families to bury them. And dying alone and unnoticed as the population dwindles." Sighs from everybody. "Kara and I can scan the Earth at the end and make sure everybody's been buried."
Josette settles in the pizzeria with a few plates from the buffets and her PADD after the last students have been delivered to the teachers for orientation and their belongings sent to the dorms.
"Two more years and you'll be delivering employees back." President Bartlett says, putting his plates down across from Josette. She nods and puts her PADD down. "Yeah, Granda wants to talk to us about it when he comes out."
"He's coming out early this year?"
"Yeah, this way he can help Doc get settled."
"New teachers in at the school?"
"Yeah, I'm glad everything's in until this fall. Yeah, I gotta harvest on the first planet but that's nothing compared to the coming and going I have been doing."
"Are Thomas and the others coming out?"
"Yeah, they're figuring five years their time, that will prove one way or the other if everybody is sterile, give them time to select where they want to come out, and start getting in supplies." Josette shakes her head. "I know that everybody on Earth was sterile thanks to the solar flares but Earth was on a downward spiral thanks to all the shit that had happened." President Bartlett nods. "They had everything ahead of them. Yes, Earth was reaching overpopulation levels but. . ."
"The cure was way worse than the disease. They had time to work on it."
Josette looks up from her spot on the couch when Calvin and the others come out before their midterms. She'd just come back from delivering green picked peppers and tomatoes to the other planets. A batch of her other selves were in the ranch house cooking the rest of the green tomatoes.
"Hey." Josette looks up from her PADD and goes back to work.
"What are you doing?"
"Working on a list of locations for Thomas when he comes up based on a sliding number of people. Making a list of supplies to bring out when they've selected a place, and working on crops and communal gardens. Yeah, most of them have had their own gardens but. . ."
"A kitchen garden is different than a communal garden. There won't be a handy store to run to when they need something." Lady Simone sighs.
"Yep, even back on Earth if they can't have children to replace the people dying." Josette sighs as she saves everything and puts the PADD up.
"Doc's still on track to come out in a few days?"
Josette nods and waves at a screen where the counter is ticking down. "I figured on heading out an hour before they're due to arrive."
"Where's the others?"
"Taking classes or studying for next week's midterms." Josette looks at the time. "It's nearly dinner, they'll start coming up for air." The doors open in various rooms and the others blink as they come into the living room.
"Don't try to do too much."
"We don't, we usually take the week before our tests to study. Easier when the semesters got longer and we started taking less classes." The others nod as they gather the kids together and walk to the dining hall for dinner. They talk about papers over dinner, Susan's at a good spot for hers, she'll have it finished in a couple years while the boys are working on outlines for their papers.
"Your paper?"
"I'm sending it to him at the end of the semester in a databurst. He'll look it over and give me the high sign, I'll formally sign up to defend it next year, either when I'm delivering stuff or come out for a show." The others nod then look at David. His loving family sniggers. "Already told him that we'd probably be after him to go for a masters or doctorate?"
"Yeah, he agreed you wouldn't let him slide forever."
Josette comes back with Calvin, Dad, and Dad a couple days later. Her other self arrives back an hour later.
"They've arrived?" Principal Madison waves her up to the front table at lunch.
"Yep, I'm going to be there at least six months to get them through their first harvests and planting new crops."
"Do they have canning supplies?"
Josette nods. "About three containers, they'll start bringing everything out the further into the season. The sign-up list to help them with their first harvests is already going up at the cooking school, Assyrian, and Edinborough." Chuckles from everybody in earshot.
"Growing building?"
"I can't see one going up for a couple years. 9th planet didn't put one up until then and they had more people." Nods from the others.
"Tree crops?"
"Planted when Doc and I were out there. They should be ready to pick next year."
The next several weeks fly by and the crops start coming in. Josette splits off duplicates to help with the canning and other work as they head to Eureka for their tests. After Thanksgiving Josette starts the trips to the other dimensions, the graduating students either heading to their graduation ceremony or joining their waiting families like the other students do as Josette starts bringing out the last of the orders for that year. The special orders for Marcus are next and Josette slumps into a seat in Calvin's office.
"How is Doc and the others settling in on the 10th planet?"
"Good, they've been inspecting our growing areas and making notes on what they'll want in the future. Once they realized how easy it is to go to another planet and what Haven has they didn't feel like they'd been dropped in the middle of a wilderness as it were. Dad's bringing out a library in a couple months for them this winter. And of course they're getting databursts and I'm bringing out supplies for them just like I am for the school and us."
"Thomas?"
"I sent out all the information I had collected and he's going to be looking at areas when he comes up for the Lights Festival. He's got the room for supplies but I'll be moving them inside, delivering to other locations, and bringing out others just like I did Doc."
"How soon do they figure. . ."
"Probably three years. That will be at least five on their Earth and they'll know for certain one way or the other."
Several weeks later Josette checks the inventory of what they're bringing back as the students and employees begin coming through the tesseract David opens. Back on Haven they move to the school auditoriums to have their bags inspected before they head to their dorms as Josette starts delivering everything and they take off again. Several months later for them they return, Josette delivering more containers to the 10th planet and sending a file to the PADDS before they settle on Haven, supplies being moved to various places or left on the ship before they head back to the dorm. Dropping into seats in the living room they look at each other.
"First planet?"
"Tomorrow, I want to hug the hell out of the kids until they squirm to get away." David says. The others nod.
"We're going to have babies in the chambers." Lois and Elena say at dinner.
"We've been expecting it, learning about what happened in Thomas's world made us remember that life is precious and a baby hug is the best medicine."
"Martha and Jonathon are talking babies too."
"They'll be wonderful parents."
"So we should be expecting a full nursery by spring?" Lana chuckles.
"Probably, it is going to be a multiples year. And I expect that there's going to be a few younger brothers or sisters out there." In the front room Principal Madison nods. The next day after breakfast everybody hugs the kids again and they head off to the first island where they lay in the sand, swim, and make love. They're darker even with the sunscreen from being outside so much when they return an hour later their time and settle in the living room.
"Is everything finished the others wanted to do to the dorm?"
"Yeah, next year they want to start on the ranch." Josette yawns and looks out the window. "Storm coming in, going to be a big one." The others head different directions as David and Josette start typing on their PADDs.
"How long?" Michael asks at the entrance to the ranch.
"Enough for four weeks, the storm will sock us in for two weeks but it's wet, heavy snow that we'll be digging out for a while."
"When?" David asks.
"Be in by morning."
"Thankfully we just got in the offworld harvests." Alan sighs. "And the growing areas aren't at a stage where being gone a couple weeks will ruin a crop."
"And we'll plant ours today." Nods from Susan who's heading down to the basement to put in extra batteries to charge and the twins who are heading off to check on the others. By that night everybody's settled and the wind is beginning to pick up. They push open doors over the next couple of weeks to keep from being blocked in and one morning it's stopped snowing when Josette wakes up. Shoving open a door she takes a deep breath of fresh air, David blinking and rubbing his eyes behind her.
"It over?"
"Have to check the satellite for sure but looks like it. I'll clear the solar panels after breakfast."
"And we'll start clearing around the doors." Alexander says as he comes out of his room with Michael. After breakfast everybody heads separate directions, David nodding as the readouts on his PADD confirm the solar panels being uncovered and the batteries accepting charges. It will be a couple days before everything is completely charged but it's a start. Josette's other selves take care of the rest of the school buildings, the major buildings in town, and the buildings on the other continent, Mom and Ma waving to her from windows and Dad and Pa looking up from clearing their steps.
A couple days later Josette settles into her usual spot at the Albatross Nest. Once everybody's settled she whistles, everybody looking at her.
"Ellis is opening again in a couple months, we've got guest passes if anybody's interested. Start a list of who's going out and if anybody wants something but doesn't want to go out, put that on another list. Don't worry about money, Bronwen and the others have it covered."