Imagine: The List
Fic posted by members of Vo's Imaginings YahooGroup


 

"What now?" a nurse asks as she comes in with the meal replacement shake that will be Maddy's dinner.

 

"Stupid bitch is wailing her sister shouldn't have been allowed to hurt her, she should have let her try to kill her. It's all her fault for actually keeping her education fund."

 

"Dumb bitch, too bad her sister didn't kill her. But I wouldn't want that on her conscience."

 

"Yes. The sister sounds like a decent human being, this little bitch is just a waste of her mother's time."

 

"Her mother was just as stupid. so was the father from how often the fool has wailed 'Mommy and Daddy wouldn't let them be so mean to me'." A guard snorts. "She's miserable because she can't get everything she wants."

 

"Mommy and Daddy were enablers."

 

"Exactly."

 

Natalie walks into the apartment after work and sighs as she hears her aunt humming as she works in the kitchen. She'd been off at that meeting that had been postponed by the attack while Natalie had been at work.

 

"Natalie?"

 

"Yeah Aunt Marilyn?" She asks absently as she picks up her mail.

 

"Did you get a call from the court?"

 

"Maddy was convicted on all charges, she's looking at another two hundred years in prison beyond her original sentence. . .to be served consecutively. . .the court wasn't the least bit happy with her whining that she deserved everything she stole, let alone trying to kill me. And the defense whined but he took her record in prison in consideration when he sentenced her. As soon as her casts are off she's got to go back to the medium security dimension and will be paying off all the judgments. And lose all that weight she put on from stealing all that junk food."

 

"Ha, that will be the hardest part of the punishment for your sister."

 

"Yep." Natalie drawls. "The court ordered her to finish her high school education and get a number of degrees. She's got to pay for that too."

 

Marilyn leans against the doorway cackling.

 

"Yep, she's going to be miserable for the rest of her very stupid life." Natalie drawls. "She's looking at centuries doing grunt work in the medium security dimension because she doesn't have any training in anything. She can blubber about work being hard in prison but it won't be anything compared to the security dimension."

 

"Maybe this will be the kick in the ass she needs to grow up." Marilyn says. She and her niece look at each for for a long minute.

 

"Naaaahhhh."

 

"Letter from school?"

 

"I'm still on the waiting list, they're sorry as hell but there was a problem and not as many students graduated this school year as should have, a teacher couldn't teach a class and they couldn't get somebody in to cover the class soon enough."

 

"This is why the school should have enough teachers to cover classes in case of an emergency." Marilyn sighs. "If this wasn't one of the best schools in the country I'd have told you to stay at Hamberg to attend grad school there. You'd have been safer there."

 

"The letter from the state?"

 

"Dumbass is still trying to lowball me in the case against the state for not doing his damn job in contacting us when Maddy escaped. He's still blubbering he didn't think Maddy would come after me, that she'd show up. . .eventually. His bosses are not happy about him getting them bad publicity. They want the case closed quickly but he's screwing them over by trying to lowball us."

 

"Figures."

 

"Twenty-five million dollars?" he wails in a state courtroom.

 

"Yes, twenty-five million. If you'd done your damn job and actually read the damn file you'd have seen she should never have been allowed to leave the prison. When she didn't return you should have alerted her family immediately. . . not just shrug and say she'll show up. . .eventually." The judge says mockingly. He ducks his head. "Two weeks. . .you waited two weeks to alert her family. . .and were stunned to find out that she'd tried murdering her sister. And then you complained that her sister had hurt her trying to keep her from murdering her."

 

He ducks his head. Yeah, that hadn't been his shining moment.

 

The family lawyer shakes his head as he delivers the copy of the settlement paperwork to Marilyn. "The tax money has already been taken out of it."

 

"Thank you Sebastian." Marilyn will look into annuities to replace that money lost to taxes. Grinning he hands over brochures, he's known her for years.

 

"Oh destroying that little fool was my pleasure. Thank God Natalie had asked the security people to show her how to protect herself and they agreed after they heard what had happened."

 

Natalie settles in her seat at work, then gets up and throws her arms around her old sparring buddy from Hamberg. "Madison."

 

"How you doing?"

 

"Good, my idiot sister is back in prison, the courts were not happy and sentenced her to another two hundred years after her original sentence of life in prison for killing our parents and trying to kill me. She's got to go to the medium security dimension after her casts are off and she's got millions of dollars in judgments to pay off. She's also got to make enough money for degrees. . . the whiny brat doesn't wanna finish high school. The only damn reason she finished the eighth grade . . .after four years was because she wanted to get one of those stupid shopping sprees. The prison told her she'd have to make an effort, keep her nose clean and make an effort at her education before she could ask to go to the medium security dimension to make money for the trip. Needless to say, the possibility of that is long gone."

 

Madison rolls her eyes. The woman with her. . .obviously a relative snorts. "Aunt Marilyn's at a meeting right now, she's due back in a few minutes."

 

"She's meeting with my husband, Madison's father. I'm Alexis Dupree, Madison's mother." The settle on the couch in their office and Natalie offers cookies and pours coffee, handing her friend a bottled water and getting a thank you for remembering.

 

"Are you in grad school yet?"

 

"No, I'm on a waiting list for another year, not as many students as expected graduated this last year. . .there was an emergency and a teacher couldn't teach a class second semester. They couldn't get somebody in soon enough to cover it so they had to cancel it." Madison snorts. "That happened at Hamberg but there was enough teachers to cover the class when she broke her leg getting tangled up in her dog's leash." She tells her mother.

 

"Yes, and if this wasn't one of the best schools in the country and it was family tradition one child in each generation went there, I'd have had you rent an apartment and attend school at Hamberg's you'd be halfway towards your masters by now." Marilyn says from the doorway.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Gyah." Natalie sits bolt upright in bed. She looks at the clock and walks out into the kitchen, her aunt coming out of her study when she sees feet walking past.

 

"Natalie?" She asks when she finds her warming milk for a mug of hot chocolate.

 

"Bad dream. I know Mom and Dad had to have medical help to have us girls. . ."

 

"Yes, your mother had to use donated eggs and IVF to have you and Maddy." She looks at her niece. "And?"

 

"I dreamed that somebody told me that your egg was used for me. They were stunned I wasn't some inbred idiot."

 

"No, that would have been your sister." She snorts. "You would have been one of those geniuses you see in the comic books." She chivies her niece back to bed after she drinks the hot chocolate and cleans up the slight mess. While she does think of Natalie as her own. . .the thought that it was her egg and her brother's sperm. . .she's going to have her own bad dreams about that.

 

 

 

 

Josette walks into the dining hall and gives her mates a disgusted look. "I don't know who the hell was watching the cooking shows, but I don't appreciate the damn night of being on Martha Stewart, being on a Gordon Ramsey show, or being on a team on Iron Chef. If I'm going to be on a cooking show I'd much rather prefer it to be Cook's country, America's test kitchen, or the British baking show." David cackles on the table.

 

"Which Gordon Ramsey show?" Principal Madison asks from the front room. "I know it wouldn't be Hell's Kitchen."

 

"Fuck no, the first damn time he threw something around me, I'd throw it right back at him. And I can outcuss him any day of the week." The others snigger but nod. "That new one. . .the one where he comes in and redoes a restaurant in 24 hours, I was one of his crew members that travel the country with him." The others nod again. "Which Iron Chef? The American version . . ."

 

"No the original but all the teams were American. I was the only one who spoke Japanese so I knew what he was really saying. One of the judges gave me a 'I'm ssssssooooo better than you' look until I cussed them out in Japanese." The others snigger, knowing the look that must have been on Josette's face. "They were stunned a horrible 'mercan would know their language. And know it well enough to use some very nasty slang insults."

 

The others snigger again.

 

"Oh dear god, that stupid girl." Principal Madison sighs as he reads the databurst Josette had passed along from Superhero's dimension.

 

"Oh yes, the stupid bitch is never going to get over her me me me, don't you know it's all about me attitude." Josette snorts. "Her sister is better off without her. . .and her enabling parents." The others nod. "Mom says her aunt is more her mother than her mother ever was."

 

The next couple months fly by and it soon starts getting warmer. Windows in the dorm and other buildings are opened for a few minutes at a time to get air in the room. While it really doesn't help with the lived in pong of the dorm it makes them feel a little better. A couple weeks later Josette is at the ranch, spreading manure on the ground once the snow's melted and the ground has dried out a little.

 

Ma and Ma look at the message Josette sent them and head off to their cabin workrooms, opening the containers and untying the shelves. They start laying things out, Clark and Kara find them putting everything up.

 

"You could have called us Ma."

 

"This is just fiddling work, putting it where I think I want it then moving it." They tell them. "You've got better things to do than no, that isn't quite what I want. . .let me put it over *here*."

 

Ma smiles as she gets the message, gathering a bunch of the others to finish putting up the last of the panels and connecting them together.

 

"Now we just need to put up the shelves, hooks, cubbies, and unload the rest of the boxes." Ma says, looking around the room.

 

Pat gets the message and walks out to the building, finding a half-dozen Josettes working on the building, installing the last of the panels. Pat looks around in satisfaction. One comes up from the basement. "Solar panels are charging the batteries, the alternate power is set to take over when the batteries fall below a certain level or there's a large drain on them. You can switch it manually or just let it happen on its own." Pat and Doc nod in satisfaction. "Now we just need to make a trip to the ship."

 

Josette waves a hand. "I knew what you'd want and went out. The machines were from the boxes in the studio. . .there's still plenty more in there." Doc nods as the Josettes start moving the machines under Pat's directions and putting the boxes aside until the. . .a knock on the door is another half-dozen Josettes who start bringing out the tables. Pat starts sorting out the fabric, the yarn will have to stay in the boxes until she has the cubbies set up.

 

On the 9th planet Alan comes out to the workroom, nodding in satisfaction at the tables stacked in the rooms.

 

"Ma, Josette brought out the tables last night, they're stacked in the rooms for now." He says when he sees her at 'breakfast' the next day. She swallows a spoonful of porridge.

 

"We'll go out later and move everything where you want it." Jennie-Lynn says. "This is another step in completing the new areas, the shelves, cubbies, and hooks going up and the rest of the stuff being put away will mean it's finished." Ma nods.

 

A couple weeks later David opens the tesseract to the ship and they fly to Granda's dimension, Josette dropping off the socks while she's shopping with the others. Pat gives her a look when she merges with her other selves, that smirk does not bode good for somebody. Josette gives her an innocent look that nobody. . .not even Maxie and Ma Hunkel. . .believe. "I'll keep an eye on the news." Maria says and Josette just gives her a look.

 

"Are the orders increasing?"

 

"End of the year, I picked up more machines, yarn, and other supplies." Josette yawns. Back on Haven she puts everything in the supply areas of the buildings.

 

"Orders are going to be increasing the end of the year." Josette tells Principal Madison and President Bartlett at lunch. Doc had been waiting for them when they arrived back on Haven so she'd told him and David had been there after all.

 

"Got more machines?"

 

"Yep, I figure I'll have machines on both sides of the ones already set up in both buildings by the time they're settled on the orders. Oh well, that gives us plenty of machines for the planets." The others nod.

 

"Did you take socks and whatnot off to Archimedes?"

 

"Yes, they're already predicting a bad winter. So's the 9th planet, that's why Ma wanted to update the building. And . . ."

 

"What you thought was plenty of room in the beginning isn't now?" Frances chuckles. "We forget how long it's been."

 

 

 

 

In superhero Doc's dimension Maddy wails as she's dragged out of her cell and tossed into a van for the trip to the medium security dimension, trying to hit, kick, and bite the guards until they taze her. She hadn't thought they'd really send her back to that horrible place she wails. . .ignoring the fact that she wanted to go there when she thought it meant money for her shopping. The guards just laugh at her and toss her through the dimensional barrier.

 

Several long millennia later for Maddy she emerges back through the barrier and is led to the waiting room. She's very quiet and her hands and arms red from years of hard work cleaning. She hands over a thumb drive and one of the guards nods as he puts it in a computer and starts to read. "Awwwwww. . . you finally grow the fuck up?"

 

"Yes sir, working for sixteen hours a day for thousands of years made me realize how fucking stupid I was. I. . .I have letters for my aunt and sister apologizing for my stupidity, they're on the drive too." He reads them and nods in satisfaction. "I'll send them out to your sister in a letter of my own, if she chooses to read them it's her decision."

 

"Yes sir, that's more than I deserve." She gets in the back of the van and is handcuffed to a seat. She looks out the window the trip back to the prison, quietly going back into her cell and sighing. Her first step is the desk in the corner of the cell where she picks up a pencil and opens one of the envelopes that is her assignments, pulling down a book and beginning to work.

 

The next morning she walks into the laundry, looking at the pile of clothes that need to be pre-treated before they go in the machines and starting to work. One of the other prisoners looks over at her. "This was one of my jobs in the medium security dimension, after a few thousand years I learned various tricks at getting stains out of clothes." The pile of treated clothes starts growing and the head of the laundry nods in satisfaction as he sees the stains come out in the wash.

 

"Ohhhh, this is so much easier than having to wash everything three times to get the stains out." One of the other prisoners says. She looks at the quiet young woman with her long hair streaked with white in a tight braid down her back. "Thank you." Damn, what a difference a day makes in Daniels appearance. . .and attitude. But it hadn't been a day for her she reminds herself as they fill the carts and start delivering everything.

 

A week later the principal of the school in town looks at the full envelopes of work from Daniels in prison and hands over more envelopes to the guard who'd dropped everything off after looking through the envelopes.

 

"Sir, I need supplies for my lessons but I don't have commissary privileges." she says when she's handed the new envelopes.

 

"Write it down and I'll pick it up for you." She nods and writes everything down she needs, he nods and brings a bag back to her cell twenty minutes later.

 

"Thank you sir." Looking at the clock she heads off to her job, cranking the knitting machine for five hours.

 

A week later the warden brings in the prison's psychologist to talk. "Daniels?"

 

"A very good turnaround, I saw her records from the other dimension, she acted out for centuries before finally realizing that her attitude wasn't getting her anywhere. The longer she acted up, the more fines she was slapped with, and the longer she had to stay there."

 

"Is this change. . .permanent? She's going to work without a fuss, the head of the laundry says her pre-treating the stains means they come out in the first wash now instead of being washed three times. She's working at the knitting machine without a fuss, she's done more work on her schooling in the last week than she did in a year. She's looking at picking up more classes. . .going from the bare minimum needed to graduate to taking extra."

 

"I'd say the change is permanent, she's seen what happens when you don't have the education necessary for the 'skilled' trades in the other dimension. people were coming and going and she was still there. Her parents coddled her her entire life, now she's seeing what real life is like where nobody's kissing her ass and if she wants something she has to work for it. She was given the option of going to the work dimension . . .not to pay off her judgments but to make extra money for her future and she has a nice little nestegg now. I saw a copy of the letters she wrote to her sister and aunt, she apologizes for being a stupid little shit and says she doesn't expect their forgiveness. . . or deserves it."

 

Natalie looks at the letter from the prison. "Hon?" Her aunt asks.

 

"From the prison, Maddy went to the medium security dimension, kicking and screaming, she came back very quiet and immediately started working on her lessons. According to this she went from the bare minimum classes needed to graduate to picking up more classes. She doesn't have commissary privileges yet but if she needs something she just has to ask a guard and he'll get it for her, the money coming off the books. So far the only thing she's asked for is more supplies for her classes, soap, and shampoo. Ohhhh my." there's a picture of her after coming back from the security dimension and Natalie sighs. "she looks old. . .old and tired." her aunt says.

 

"The letter says she was working sixteen hours a day doing manual labor since she didn't have any training for any of the 'skilled' work. I looked into what kind of work they do in the security dimension, Maddy was probably scrubbing floors, doing laundry. . .washing it by hand. . ."

 

"Yeah, there's a note here saying her taking over pre-treating the laundry means it comes clean in one wash, not several."

 

"Making soap. . ."

 

"Yep, the dimension tries to be as self-sufficient as possible." Like her niece Marilyn had seen the article saying the soap they make in the other dimension would soon be available for sale. Idly she wonders if some of the soap for sale was made by Maddy.

 

 

 

 

 

"Gentlemen, this is our smallest incoming year, care to tell me why?" the president of the school says as he looks at his board.

 

"Isabel Windmere's daughter was diagnosed with cancer the night before the spring semester was due to start and we had to cancel her class because nobody could cover it. Only the students who were able to take it the first semester were able to finish their coursework. That was. . ." He looks at his notes, he'd been expecting this talk. "Forty-five of the hundred twenty-nine students in their second year of the program. They have talked to their advisors and should be on track to present their theses in the next year. Unfortunately, it will be another year for the rest of the students to be able to finish their course loads. Next fall everything should be back to normal."

 

"If the remaining second year students and the new second year students can get that class in, there's only so many spots in the classroom." Another man interjects.

 

"True."

 

"Gentlemen, why wasn't there somebody who could take over the class?"

 

"Megan Simpson was on sabbatical, she's returning . . .in two months. I can't say this was a bad time for her to get sick, there's never a good time to either be diagnosed with cancer or have a loved one diagnosed with cancer."

 

"How many students have gotten their thesis accepted?"

 

"That's the other sticking point, they haven't been able to present them in a timely manner since somebody. . ." one of the men looks at another man. "Insisted that his students get priority appointments."

 

"Samuelson, we went over this before. Everybody will get to see the board, your people don't have to be shoved to the head of the line." He opens his mouth and closes it, any excuse he makes about how his students should get treated better than the others will have him lynched.

 

"How many students are waiting to see the board?"

 

"Two hundred and eight."

 

"How many?" the man calling the meeting splutters, choking on his coffee.

 

"You heard me. Fifty were SUPPOSED to get the first spots to see the board this summer because they were left over from the last year but somebody. . ." he scowls at Samuelson. "demanded the spots instead."

 

"Why the fuck didn't they get seen over this year?"

 

"The board couldn't convene, Michaels had emergency gallbladder surgery and had to recover, Jefferson was off teaching. The board could convene with one person missing, but not two."

 

"Are we back on track?"

 

"No, we're still behind. A good half of Samuelson's people were denied. After arguing with the board they went whining to him. . .who went whining to the board. And still didn't get his people their degrees." He ducks his head.

 

"Samuelson, you're banned from dealing with the board and getting your students appointments. You were warned time and again not to do it. Can somebody handle it for his department?"

 

"Stacey, he told most of them they were nowhere near ready to present them but they went whining to Samuelson. Samuelson overruled him and got them appointments, the board told them the exact damn thing he did. The people he did say were ready flew through their presentation." He looks at the other man in disgust. "Your damn blubbering and carrying on kept fifteen people from their appointments, they had to be rescheduled. You might not give a damn about anybody else but ALL our students deserve the opportunity to go before the board and obtain their masters."

 

"Yes, the boards time is precious. . .contact them when they're not seeing students if you have a problem with their decisions." The head of the board says firmly. "I mean it Samuelson, you're not to have any contact with the board or scheduling appointments, if I hear you're bothering them. . .you're fired." Samuelson gulps. . .he hadn't thought his little 'interventions' would actually get him in trouble.

 

 

 

Maddy looks over at the knock on her door. "It's turning colder, time for the blankets to start coming out." a guard says as he hands over blankets from the stack in a cart. Thanking him she puts them on the pad and sheet. It is getting cooler at night and the prison wouldn't be turning on the heat until it was absolutely needed. Even then all the concrete in the cells doesn't mean anybody's warm by any means. This is one of the oldest prisons and not equipped with the fancy frills the 'concerned citizens' who didn't want prisoners to feel like they're punished got in the newer prisons. Of course, they also don't have the massive overcrowding of the new prisons. No dorm style housing here, three cement walls and a thick door with a flap for mail, meals, or to put your hands through to be handcuffed if they're moving you somewhere. Though the last usually happens in the male prisons.

 

Another knock is another guard. "Winter-weight uniforms." She takes the bundles and puts them on the shelf across the room. Her winter weight jacket is there and she checks her boots to make sure they're good for another winter before the timer alerts her it's time to head off for work. A guard is coming her way and he nods in satisfaction as she falls into step with him.

 

 

 

 

Natalie settles in her desk and start sorting through the mail on her aunt's desk in early December, putting it into separate piles.

 

"Thank you dear, anything I need to handle first?" She asks as she walks in.

 

"No, it's all routine. Inspections on the apartment complexes we own. . .all passed with flying colors unlike a lot you heard about on the news." Marilyn nods. "Copies of possible acquisitions from real estate, personally I think the work needed wouldn't make buying them cost-effective." Marilyn looks at the papers Natalie is pointing at, "Requests from local people to support their activities, I put the ones I know we usually do on top. The last two are political fundraisers for candidates we wouldn't support. . .I put them on the bottom if you wanted to send them a piss off note." Marilyn looks at the two bottom sheets of paper and snorts in disgust as she drops them in the recycling bin next to their desks. "the next pile is political candidates who want endorsements from you, their stances are nowhere near any we'd support." She looks at them and they join the other paper in the recycling bin. "This last asshole. . . I sicced legal on him. He's trying to get Maddy out of prison by trying to claim she killed our parents because of abuse. If he'd have actually listened to anybody who lived in the neighborhood, he'd have realized she was the abusive one. He's another one of those idiots blubbering that we stole her inheritance. . .then went wailing when he realized the only person who got anything from our grandparents will was me."

 

"As Maddy would have been the only one who got anything from your parents wills. And she couldn't inherit because she killed your parents."

 

"Yes. . .he magnanimously agreed with me about that. I'm surprised the damn bleeding hearts who don't want prisoners to feel they're being punished haven't tried overruling that."

 

"They'd be lynched by the families of the victims because the idiots are writing tell-all books about how they didn't murder the people they're in prison for killing. . .but if I did, here's how I'd do it." Marilyn snorts. "It came from the son of Sam killings and the books that were written about him." She picks up the pile from real estate and starts reading. Fifteen minutes later she snorts and puts the last piece down. "You're right, while the prices are good. ..unless we can spread the work out over time."

 

Natalie holds up a hand. "I remember reading. . .here it is." she waves her aunt around to read the web page. "What do you think?" The story is about a vocational school looking for buildings to work on for their students. Marilyn writes down the number to contact and places the call. They talk about the possibility of the work being down by their students and soon strike up a bargain. Natalie makes the call to real estate to start the proceedings to buy everything, one of the businesses lawyers rushing in until he sees Marilyn is nodding at her niece and they have plans for the buildings.

 

"How long do you think it will take them to realize I do know what I'm doing?" she asks when he skulks off.

 

"A few more decades." Her aunt snorts. "The old fools did the same thing to me when I was on that side of the desk."

 

"Idiots." Natalie snorts a couple days later. Her aunt looks over at her. "One of the good schools just tossed a student to the curb. She was promised a scholarship. . .was taking her finals for her first semester when the school said. . . .'ohhh, we don't have a scholarship for you for this spring, we're working on one for next fall'."

 

"Ohhhh bullcrap, they're just playing games." One of the businesses lawyers snorts. Marilyn is busy rolling her eyes.

 

"Yep, the scholarship was an academic scholarship. . .the school's sulking because one of their damn precious coaches is mad because he can't force her to take part in one of his damn precious sports teams, she has plans for her future that doesn't involve destroying her life with sports. He saw her playing tennis one day with some friends and immediately tried getting his damn claws in her, she refused and he tried playing hardball. Now the school is whining because they're getting bad publicity. The students who were looking at attending there are looking elsewhere, even the students who were pre-approved. And if students can transfer they are."

 

"I hope the damn publicity makes the board fire everybody involved." Marilyn snorts. "But that's some schools. . .if you can't do anything for us, screw you."

 

"But she would have been perfect for our track team." a fool man whines in front of a board. "But nooooooo, she was more concerned about her precious grades." he sneers. He looks at the board expecting them to agree with him and is stunned to find them giving him disgusted looks. They call him seventeen kinds of fool before they fire his ass and appoint his assistant temporary head of the sports programs.

 

"But I wanted her on the track team." he whines as he takes the boxes of stuff that had been in his office.

 

"And she wanted to concentrate on her schooling. Now you destroyed her damn future."

 

"But the school can reinstate her scholarship next fall. . .the bursar said he would if I got her to join the team."

 

"Why the hell would she come back to the school after what you did moron?" He goes home and puts his applications in to better schools he sneers and is stunned when his phone doesn't immediately start ringing off the hook. Don't they know who he is and that students are only there to bow to his will?

 

"And the girl?" Marilyn asks a couple days into the new year.

 

"Putting the screws to the school for emotional distress. Hamberg looked at her grades and was immediately able to get her into their program. She didn't miss a day of schooling."

 

"Good for her, I hope the other school has learned their lesson?" one of the business's lawyers sneers.

 

"Oh yes, the coach that played hardball was fired by the board, along with the people who interfered with her scholarship. Any of their 'buddies' are being looked at firmly so it doesn't happen again. Old boys are wailing since they couldn't get jobs at other. . .better schools." Natalie snorts.

 

"I wouldn't trust them either." Marilyn says sourly. "They're looking at an incoming class this year that is half of the size of a normal one. And students already there who can are transferring in droves. . .either over Christmas break or when this semester ends. They're also looking at sanctions from the. . .whoever the hell deals with the sports at schools in their league. . ." Natalie waves a hand. "Because if the asshole did that to try to get a student, who knows what else he did?" The others nod. "Okay, is the land ours now?"

 

"Yes, and local vo-tech schools are being contacted to look over everything and make up plans for what needs to be done. They can do it as part of their training, the same thing they'd do if they owned construction businesses and were making up bids." Nods from the others.

 

"Inspections?"

 

"Done before we purchased everything."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Josette is busy on Haven adding chicken manure to the plants that need the extra fertilizer as the blossoms start turning into little tomatoes, peppers, and whatnot. The root crops had already been harvested and were in bins. The potatoes were doing good, Josette is busy sweeping out the large potato cellar for the first of the new potatoes. The seed potato cellar is half-full and Josette lifts her head at a yell.

 

"Yeah?"

 

"Calvin wants you at the school." David calls. Josette flips the broom to where it belongs via subspace and flies off.

 

"Okay, that settles the hash of anybody trying to take the land from us anymore." she says when she returns. "The government did what they did in Becka's dimension, since I have the former realtor dimension, everything I own in Calvin's dimension is now considered the property of a sovereign nation." President Bartlett nods in satisfaction.

 

"Did that fabric bomb?" Mrs. Bartlett asks.

 

"Yes, I told Ellis I'd take it off their hands, if it's anything like last time they'll be paying me to get rid of it." The others nod. "I figure I'll get the call from Ellis end of this year or early next year to come get it. Most of it's going right in the replicators." Frances, Elaine, Suzie, Agatha, Sandra, and Sue, the last four had come to the school to talk over plans for a new class with Frances and Elaine, nod vigorously.

 

Josette cuts the potato tops the next days, the tops going in the compost pile, in a couple days she'll pull the potatoes and put them in the cellar, leaving some to go to seed to replenish the supply in the second cellar. She's not the only one digging up potatoes over the next couple of days, looking at the other continent she finds the cellars there being filled.

 

"Show?"

 

"We're going out next week. I just put the last of the stuff on the ship. We've got the entire gallery for the show. . .we'll need the space."

 

"Is Marcus retiring?"

 

"Yeah, he'll take it easy for a couple decades then when we pop back up again he'll take us on again as his first clients. . .'family tradition'." Josette makes airquotes around the last two words and everybody laughs.

 

Josette slumps onto the couch at the mansion and closes her eyes. "Thank you god that is over."

 

"How many books do you think you sold?" Dr. Cross asks.

 

"Thousands since I had aaaallllll the books out there and they were being sold." Josette moans as she covers her eyes with an arm. "Alan was moving the empty boxes and filling the tables along with the girls."

 

"Yep. . .I moved the empty boxes three times."

 

"Did you sell everything?"

 

"Oh yes, including those ugly ass socks." The others snigger.

 

"Are we picking up the fabric while we're here?"

 

"No, Ellis just put out the notice, I'll come pick it up after Thanksgiving when I drop off the orders."

 

"Twenty-five thousand books. . each. Of the last two books?" Josette splutters as she looks over the total a couple days later.

 

"Yes, I knew you'd sell a lot of them but not that many. You sold just as many of the older books, I saw more than one person coming through the tables picking all of them up."

 

"Are we going to have to start new printings when we get home?"

 

"Probably not, I'll look through the numbers of what I have left, the old ones only sold the way the did because of the hoopla about this being our last show and the so-called special people had to be here to show they're ssssssooooo much better than everybody else." Marcus snickers but nods.

 

Josette yawns as she walks into the dorm, in the hour they'd been gone it had started raining.

 

"Sales brisk?" Doc asks from the doorway.

 

"Yes, we sold out of everything but the books and those took a major hit. We spent the trip back doing inventory, the first list is what I took out, the second is what's still on the ship. I'll bring them back over the next few days, this will give us a chance to clean the rooms." Pat nods as she comes out beside Doc. "Oh dear lord."

 

"Oh yes, we sold nearly a hundred fifty thousand books, a third of that was just the last two. Those are staying on the ship for my show in Mom's dimension later this year. Pat wants to talk to me at the Harvest Festival about what books I'm bringing out for the dual show out there next year."

 

"Four you haven't debuted out there yet plus a selection of the other books."

 

"Yes, if she finds a place for them to be sold I'll definitely have to start new printing runs."

 

"There must have been. . ." Pat begins to say.

 

"People filling bags with all the books? Oh yes. Marcus thought of that possibility and had cloth totes bags for sale in the book room with a note saying five would hold all the books. The books there were already signed and a good chunk of the new ones I'd already signed to cut down on the line. As it was I was still signing for hours after the show."

 

"Did you sell the ugly ass socks?" Bethany's lips twitch.

 

"Oh yes. . .they flew off the tables as high-end art." Josette rolls her eyes. "Pure crap but you know people with more money than brains. I dropped off boxes of books at Ellis's and at the retreat building."

 

"Did you save anything for your other shows?"

 

"Oh yes, I've been working on stuff a lot since I'd have three shows. I'll have plenty for the others." Josette yawns.

 

"Did you pick up the fabric yet?"

 

"No, Ellis had just sent out the announcement before we went out so it's still being sent to him.

 

 

 

Josette sticks her head around the door of the meeting room of JSA Headquarters, somebody is always there. Rick looks over at her. "I dropped off the last of the stuff at the building."

 

"Thank you Josette, Ma was saying it should be arriving soon. The others are working in the growing buildings, everything's coming ripe at once. Thankfully it held off for a few days."

 

Josette leans in Headquarters, one of her aunts at the front desk. "Josette?"

 

"Tell Pat I put the last of the stuff for the building in the building."

 

"Ahhh, Mom was just complaining she needed a project, she couldn't get settled on anything today." Josette is shutting the door when she hears the intercom click on. "Mom, Josette was just here. She says she dropped the rest of the stuff off for the building in the building."

 

"Yes! If I have to move something a thousand times there it won't matter." Pat mutters, heading for the outside door nearest the building. Clark is going to add a tesseract link to it for the winter, for now she'll walk.

 

"Awww son of a buttered biscuit." Josette moans.

 

"Got bit by a project?"

 

"Yes, I'll be out at the cabin." She heads through the ranch and opens the door of the cabin workroom, bringing stuff out and starting to sketch stuff out. A few hours later she puts everything up and heads to the ranch house and joins the others walking to dinner.

 

"How's it coming along?"

 

"I got it all planned out." Josette yawns. She disappears. "Goddamn idiot." Josette sighs as she reappears. "The asshole got back from the work dimension and 'lowered' himself to hire people to bust up the work done on his former properties. . .the renters don't deserve that work done."

 

"Asshole." Principal Madison snorts.

 

"Yeah, one of them was caught when the glass shattered and cut his arm when they were smashing windows. He tried suing me and I kicked his ass, he turned around and sued the bastard who hired him."

 

"Gods, the level of stupidity in prison never fails to surprise me." President Bartlett sighs.

 

"Oh yes, dumbass is wailing again because he's now got to go back to the medium security dimension and pay for all the damages the others did for him. He's going to be there for the rest of his damn life since he won't ever grow the fuck up."

 

"Fools like that never do. They grew up seeing their families do whatever they want and were told they were better than everybody else. The little people should be glad with what they got. They saw Josette being successful, tried stealing her hard work, and are sulking because the 'little' people are calling them damn fools instead of kissing their asses."

 

"Figures. Did that girl ever straighten up in Superhero's dimension?" Mrs. Bartlett asks.

 

"Surprisingly enough she did. I guess thousands of years of working manual labor sixteen hours a day finally got it through her head that she's not all that. She had letters for her aunt and sister when she came out apologizing for her behavior saying she didn't expect their forgiveness or deserve it, she immediately went right to work on her schoolwork when they got back to the prison and not only is working hard on her schoolwork, she's adding more classes beyond the bare minimum needed to graduate." The others nod in satisfaction. "She is working on her jobs without any trouble. . .seems she was doing laundry by hand in the medium dimension and started pre-treating stains at the prison's laundry. The stains started coming out the first time around instead of having to be washed multiple times." everybody in both rooms nod. They've all learned a number of tricks in cleaning laundry over the years. "She's still working at the knitting machine but cranking it to make garments without a fuss. She's still on punishment detail so she needs to be escorted by a guard but they say she's waiting for them at her cell instead of having to yell at her to come out to go to work. She acted out for centuries but I guess finally realizing you're only hurting yourself made her grow up. They actually let her to go to the work dimension, not to pay off her judgments but to make money for herself. She's got a nice little nest egg for the future." Josette looks through her PADD and puts up three pictures on the screen. "Her before she lost all that weight." Dr. Hazlitt moans. "Her when she went to the medium security dimension again. And when she came out."

 

"Damn, how old is she?"

 

"Not yet twenty-one, . .which is why some damn bleeding heart groups jump on the bandwagon of trying to get her out before they see why she was in prison and what her attitude was like in there before now."

 

"Her sister?"

 

"Supposed to be starting grad school in a few months their time. She was on a waiting list after she finished Hamberg and was delayed another year because a class had to be canceled spring semester. . .the teacher's daughter was diagnosed with cancer and they didn't have anybody to cover it. Unless the second year students took it fall semester they had to wait. Add it problems with the board overseeing theses and dissertations, one of them was off teaching for a year while another member had to have emergency gallbladder surgery."

 

"You can have one person off the board but not two." President Bartlett rumbles. He'd been getting his own degrees over the years and knows how the boards operate.

 

"Exactly, so at least fifty students were in limbo until the board could convene again. And then there an old fool at the school who wanted his students to get special treatment. . .the board didn't grant them their degrees and he harangued them. . . He was told to leave the board alone and not be involved in scheduling appointments or he'd be fired. Because a good portion of the people he'd gone after the board about. . .had been told they weren't ready to present their theses by somebody else in his department."

 

Everybody snorts and rolls their eyes. "And while he was bothering them. . .students who really deserved their degrees had to have their appointments rescheduled?" Professor Parker snorts.

 

"Yep."

 

"What were you complaining about stupid schools and asshole coaches?" Susan asks. Josette had been muttering rude comments. That story is told and everybody makes sounds of disgust. "Fucking asshole, thank god Hamberg was able to take her in so quickly mid-year."

 

"They were very glad to thumb their noses at the 'better' school. That school is looking at an incoming class half the usual size and losing students in every year. The asshole is wailing because he thought 'better' schools would come rushing to hire him and nobody wants the fucker. They're also facing investigations from whatever body is over that league of schools when it comes to sports, if the asswipe figured he'd get away from it now. . ."

 

"He probably did it before." Principal Madison sighs.

 

"Yes, because dear god getting an education shouldn't be more important than the damn sports. . .it's the asshole principal from town all over again."

 

"Yup." the teachers who hadn't been there are told about him and they sigh. "Idiots."

 

"Well look at what happens to people when they can't play sports anymore. . .if they didn't get a degree in school or invested their money . .."

 

"They have nothing. While the students who actually cared about their educations are doing wonders."

 

"Your show?"

 

"In a couple weeks, I just took the last of my stuff to the ship."

 

A couple weeks later Josette and the others walk into the empty rooms, waving at the camera that turns to look at them.

 

"Josette's in with the others." James says as he gets the video feed.

 

"I doubt we'll get as many sales for her books this show as she did the last one." Professor Xavier snickers.

 

"No, the sales were like that because 'omg, it's their last show' mentality." Mary imitates Josette who'd been imitating the morons at the shows. Clarinda snickers.

 

Josette yawns around a mug of coffee as Dexter settles down across the table from her.

 

"Are you awake?"

 

"Unfortunately. I had bad dreams I was drowning in that ugly ass fabric from Calvin's dimension."

 

The others snigger. Dexter and the others look at her so she finds the picture and puts it on the screen. "The others told her to take that picture down before their eyes started bleeding." David snorts.

 

"I can see why."

 

 

 

 

Natalie drives to the school and signs up for classes, paying for her tuition and books. It's been a long two years wait but she's on her way to her masters. At home she sits her books and supplies away and starts leafing through the mail.

 

"Congratulations on signing up for your classes." Marilyn hugs her when she returns home. "One of the old fools in legal tried getting your inheritance kept in trust instead of being turned over to you when you turn twenty-five because you don't have a masters yet, since that was never a qualification he's sulking."

 

"That old fool with the bad combover, the one with the big bald spot that has three or four single hairs over it?"

 

"Yes, him."

 

"Old fool hated me anyway, he tried blocking everything I did."

 

"Yes, and his boss gave him hell every time he did. Old fool is one of those who was born miserable and hates young people having a damn thought of their own. He's miserable because he never became somebody in the office. He's stuck at his current position and hates it and everybody. He's got so many complaints about his attitude it's surprising he still has a job. . .we're just keeping him on. . ."

 

"Out of a sense of duty?"

 

"The same reason he keeps coming to work probably. He doesn't have a family, never married. . .no kids. Not even a pet." Marilyn pets a long-haired cat flicking its tail on the bookcase. "I expect him not to come in one day and nobody bothers to have somebody go looking for him for at least a week until they realize he didn't retire, quit, or was fired."

 

"Vacation?"

 

"Old fool never goes on vacations." Marilyn snorts. "He's at work every morning at seven and clocks out at four. His tiny cubicle has nothing personal in it. If it wasn't for the drawer of files and every item neatly stored in it's place you'd think nobody worked in it. There's not even a damn coffee mug."

 

Natalie shudders. "There's neatniks and then there's control freaks."

 

"Classes?"

 

"Two afternoons, four nights since we both wanted me to take a full semester." Marilyn nods in satisfaction. "Since you're going for your masters nobody can complain about you not being at work those two afternoons."

 

"Ohhhhhh, they'll complain but nobody will listen to them." Natalie snorts.

 

Marilyn sighs but nods.

 

Natalie walks into her first class, settling in a seat and bringing out her books for the class.

 

"And shouldn't your niece be here?" A man sneers as he walks into their office.

 

"She's taking her first class for her masters." Marilyn says calmly. "What the fuck do you want Stevenson?"

 

"Oh." he slumps in the chair. "I was hoping to talk to you about your plans for the buildings she brought. You'll never get anybody to work on them. They're just a waste of corporate resources, you never should have let the little fool purchase them." He sneers again.

 

"Local vo-tech schools are already working there, we're just supplying the materials. They'll be doing their best work since this is their grades and should see them hired by companies when they graduate. The communities are giving us tax breaks for redeveloping the properties." Marilyn looks at him. He slumps further into himself as he walks away.

 

"Damn fool." One of the other lawyers snorts. "If it wasn't his idea it shouldn't have been allowed."

 

"Of course, and when the upstart 'youngsters' who do what they want anyway despite his objections and it becomes profitable he sulks. Just like he'd smirk nastily if it had flopped and say this is why you shouldn't allow them to do anything important."

 

Marilyn makes a call. "Smith, I'm sure you know why you're here." She asks when the man comes into the office.

 

"That fucking fool Stevenson. I know he headed off all cocksure of himself and came back with his tail between his legs. Who'd he go after?"

 

"Natalie, sneering that shouldn't she be here then went off about how the land and buildings we purchased were a waste of corporate resources because nobody would work on them and I quote 'you never should have let that little fool purchase them.' He sulked off when I told him that local vo-tech schools were working on them, they'd do their best work because this is for their grades and possible jobs after school and that the local communities were giving us tax breaks because they wanted the areas redeveloped."

 

"Oh dear fucking god, I know he was an idiot but to refer to the second in command at the business as a little fool?" He moans.

 

"Oh please, the fool hates young people. . .it doesn't matter what job they have." One of the others snorts. Smith's phone buzzes.

 

"Boss, Stevenson just started screaming and collapsed." His second in command says. "Medical is here."

 

"Oh dear god." He heads off. "Probably had a damn aneurysm because nobody's kissing his ass." He can be heard saying as he walks to the elevator. He returns to his office. "I think he had a massive heart attack." One of the doctors the business has hired says. "He was gone by the time he hit the floor."

 

"Well, I can't say good because we've got all the damn paperwork to deal with now but it saves me having to fire the little bastard."

 

"Do we wanna know who he went after this time boss?"

 

"Natalie.. . .referred to her as a little fool because he didn't agree with a purchase she made. Called it a waste of corporate funds until he found out that it's being worked on by outside resources. Then he left sulking."

 

"Figures. . .he hates anything that's not his idea." A coworker snorts as an ambulance crew comes up with a gurney and takes the body off. "Do you know his next of kin?" The officer who'd accompanied them to get a statement asks.

 

"Doesn't have one, never married, no kids. No other family as far as we know. His cubicle won't be any clue. . .he has nothing personal there, not even a damn coffee cup."

 

"Oh gods, one of those people." He sighs. "Do you know where he lives?"

 

"Yeah, he rents an apartment in. . ." A coworker calls out an address. "I lived there a couple years when I was first starting out. . .it's a dreary little place and it fits his personality completely. The building manager should still live in apartment 1a."

 

"Does he have an assigned parking spot?"

 

"He takes the bus, it stops at the end of the block." Another coworker says.

 

The man's keys are found and they drive to the apartment building, finding a man yawning as he opens the door when they find the manager's apartment. "Who? Oh him. Sorry I take classes nights, trying to work my way through school." He yawns again. "Let me get the manager's copy of the keys." He ducks into the room and emerges a few minutes later dressed and with the keys.

 

"Is he a good tenant?"

 

"Yeah, for all that he's a damn ghost. Never see anything of him, no complaints about noise, never late with his rent. . ." I don't remember needing to do any repairs to his place and the building's owners inspect the apartments every three months." He unlocks the door and lets them in. "What are you looking for?"

 

"Any relatives. His coworkers said there was no next of kin to notify."

 

"Nope, if he's the guy I'm thinking of he grew up in an orphanage. I got copies of all the paperwork filled out by renters when they take these places. He's one of the longest renters we've had, most people don't stay here any longer than they need to. . .this place is kinda dreary."

 

"Is the apartment furnished?" One of the detectives asks. He looks around and sighs. Dreary is right.

 

"Yep. The renters have to bring in their own bedding, towels, and dishes. There's coin operated machines for laundry in the basement." He says. "Let me go down and see if I can bring up his file on the computer. His is probably the only one that's actual paperwork scanned into the computer." A police officer comes with him, going to the manager's office and not his apartment where he finds his file on the computer and prints it out.

 

"Dear god, if it wasn't for the dirty clothes in a hamper I'd think I walked into a hotel room." One of the detectives sighs.

 

"Yes, the man's coworkers says he was absolutely colorless. I'd say they were right. The dirty clothes are the only thing out of place, everything else is neatly organized. There's no books, no magazines, only the towels and washcloths hanging up or in the hamper shows they're used."

 

"Got his file detectives, he listed his prior residence as a state orphanage when he first rented the apartment. . .nearly fifty years ago. I called the orphanage and any records that old would be in the state archives on microfilm. I put in a request for them." The officer says as he comes into the room.

 

"Any personal letters?" Their boss asks once they're back in the bullpen.

 

"Nope, it's all bills or financial paperwork."

 

"Did he at least have a will?" The captain sighs.

 

"Yes, the folder was marked will and requests his personal items be donated to charity and his money go to his university for a scholarship." the detective answers his phone. "That was the morgue, the autopsy agrees with what the doctor said. .. he had a massive heart attack and was dead before he hit the floor. Not his first one according to the Doc."

 

"The boss say anything?"

 

"His boss says his dying saved him from having to fire him. For all that he was colorless he hated anybody younger having their own ideas. . .sneered at all of them and sulked if their ideas worked or smirked if they didn't. He'd just gone after the second in command of the business because she purchased some properties in various places . . .called them a drain on corporate funds because nobody would want to work on them and said the little fool should never have been allowed to purchase them. He was told that vo-tech schools in the areas are doing the work, they're doing their best work because not only is this for their grades, this is showing what they can do so they might get jobs when they graduate. The communities are glad to have the areas redeveloped, and the communities are giving the company tax breaks. He walked off sulking and the girl's aunt had called his boss. She wasn't there. . .probably the only reason he went up to spew his hatred. Rumor is he tried to keep the girl from getting her inheritance, saying that she didn't have a masters when that wasn't part of the requirements for the trust. ..her father being an absolute fool was and her grandfather didn't want her father trying to get it away from her was the reason it was in trust."

 

The captain shakes his head.

 

One of the detectives gets a call and listens for a few minutes, saying thank you and hanging up. "And that's that. That was the state's records office. There's no records for that orphanage from that time period. . .there was a fire in the eighties and a lot of stuff was burned before it could be scanned into microfiche. The state was not happy that all that information hadn't been scanned yet."

 

"Close the case boys, it was a natural death and if there is relatives there's no way to find them short of one of those unsolved mystery shows." They nod and contact the Daniels group and the apartment manager.

 

That weekend a group of employees comes in with boxes and pack up his personal belongings under the apartment manager's eyes, getting the apartment cleaned up in one morning.

 

"What are we doing with this stuff?" An employee points at the boxes.

 

"I'll close out his accounts, contact social security. . .if the old fool died at least it was after the first of the month, and cut his school a check for a scholarship." Marilyn says. "James, can you handle donating his stuff?"

 

"Yeah, there's a nice second hand store a couple blocks away, I'll drop it off there once. . ." an employee comes back with the few items that had needed to be laundered. "And I'll take care of calling social security, getting his bank account closed, and taking the check to them Marilyn. You've got better things to do and he was my employee."

 

"Hold up, I'll cut you a check for his security deposit plus fifty years interest." The manager says. James takes the check when it's printed and drops off the boxes of clothes, towels, and dishes at the second hand store.

 

"Oh thank you sir." A volunteer says as she takes the boxes.

 

The next day he's in the bank branch mentioned in Stevenson's paperwork, The bank president is off looking up files and calling social security. His last paycheck had been cut and that and the security deposit was deposited into his account.

 

"Sorry for taking so long Mr. Smith, I frankly had no idea who this customer was until I saw the amount in his account and then recognized him. For all that he's a steady customer. . ."

 

"He's absolutely colorless. Oh yes, I know that feeling. He worked at the business for decades yet he never had any friends, he didn't have any life outside of his work."

 

"Oh yes, he would come in twice a month to make sure his check had been deposited and take out some in cash. . .including four dollars in quarters. He had a nice balance."

 

"I'm not surprised. .. he made good money at Daniels and never seemed to buy anything. Unless they were groceries. He didn't have a car. . .he took public transportation to and from work. I called human resources to see if he'd signed up for a life insurance policy through the company and he hadn't."

 

"Okay. . .now this balance doesn't include the last social security check. . .according to them he didn't apply for social security until he could do so and still continue working without losing money."

 

James snorts but nods. Then blinks as he sees the amount. "Oh god, I'm sure his school will be glad to get the money." The bank manager is called away again. "Okay, the last social security check has arrived. Do you need any money for the funeral service?"

 

"No, he prepaid that. And had a suit selected for it."

 

"Then the check will be ready in a few days once these last two deposits have cleared."

 

"Thank you Mr. Barnard."

 

A week later he walks into the administration building of Stevenson's school, talking with the school's president.

 

"Mr. Smith, please accept my apologies. . .when you first called I thought this was. . ."

 

"a practical joke. Yes, I got that feeling." He chuckles.

 

"We went through decades of records until we could find your employee's school records. . ." He hands over printouts. . . including a scanned copy of an old picture. "Oh dear God, Stevenson looked like an old man even back then." He looks at his application to enter school. .. finding the name of the orphanage listed as former place of residence. "Do you know this address?" He points at the current address on record.

 

"Yes, it's a block that was formerly boarding houses back then. It's student housing apartments now." He takes the envelope and opens it. . .blinking at the check once, then twice. "Is this for real?"

 

"Yes, Stevenson had no family. . .or even friends. He didn't buy anything unless it was absolutely needed and lived in a drab little apartment he'd moved into decades ago. Not many people stayed there. . .it wasn't a home it was just a place to hang his coat and hat."

 

"Thank you Mr. Smith and we'll be thanking Mr. Stevenson when this money is invested so we have years of students attending school thanks to him."

 

 

 

 

 

Natalie sighs as she slumps onto the couch in the apartment after her last finals in November. Marilyn's door opens and a man walks out. she chuckles, she'd thought that he and her aunt were sweet on each other. He gives her a look and chuckles.

 

"Do I need to start looking for my own place?"

 

"Only if you want one sweetie, this is as much your home as it is mine." Marilyn kisses her forehead. "Lord knows there's no chance of children at our ages."

 

Natalie snorts. "Aunt Marilyn, you're only twelve years older than I am, you're still well in your childbearing years. And you might want to look in the mirror, your pants are getting a little tight. When was your last period?"

 

Marilyn stops, thinks, looks at her calendar, and moans.

 

"If you are pregnant, I'm demanding visitation."

 

"You'll be just as much part of the baby's life as I am. If I am pregnant."

 

Natalie waves a hand at the bag from the pharmacy. "Brought a pregnancy test at the pharmacy on my way home for you. Piss on the stick in the morning before your shower."

 

"Was this your last final sweetie?"

 

"Yes, I'm done until the first of the year when I start again. I gotta go in in a couple weeks to sign up for the next semester's classes and get my books and supplies. Can I get you two to look over prelim copies of my thesis? God knows with being on a waiting list two years I was able to work on it a lot."

 

They chuckle and accept the thumb drives she hands over. "I'm expecting a lot of students to be gone next semester, the class that a good chunk of the second year students needed to finish their bookwork was full. All the students who just needed that and there was a waiting list of the new second year students if there was room. There were three classes offered and I expect there will be three offered next semester too."

 

"Not all the students are taking full semesters."

 

"No, but they're getting that class in first if they can." Nods from both of them.

 

"Awwww beep beep beep." Natalie hears the next morning. She chuckles in her pillow as she gets up.

 

"Yes, the stick said pregnant, I've got an appointment at a walk-in clinic for the bloodwork and I have a regular appointment with by ob-gyn after the first of the year." Marilyn says when she walks in.

 

"Well, you have that room off yours that was meant as a nursery."

 

Marilyn sighs.

 

Natalie looks up from sorting through the mail and inter-office paperwork at a tap on the door. She looks over at her aunt's sweetie and grins. "The stick said pregnant, Aunt Marilyn is at the walk-in clinic at her doctor's office getting the bloodwork drawn for final confirmation."

 

"Yes, and they said the lab would be calling in an hour." Marilyn says when she walks in. "Since I just needed the bloodwork I was able to go right to the lab instead of waiting to see the doctor." She tells them. "Now, anything important in that stuff?"

 

"Nope. Updates on stuff. . .ohhh, preliminary report on the work being done by the vo-tech schools. Something that old fool Stevenson would be horrified at because they're working on time, under budget, and there's already people looking at moving into the buildings."

 

"YYYYeeeesssss, he hated anybody younger than himself having ideas that actually worked." Landon McCaffrey snorts. "His will was all cut and dried, his only belongings. . .mostly clothes were donated, his money went to his school for a scholarship. You can't say he lived, he just existed. The only time he showed any signs of life was when he was sneering at somebody."

 

"He reminded me of those quiet little people who suddenly snap one day and start shooting." Natalie shudders.

 

"Yes." Landon sighs. He settles on the couch to wait for the call as Marilyn starts going through the paperwork and Natalie looks on the school's servers to check her grades. "Well?" Marilyn asks.

 

"A's across the board. I might not have made the president's list but I would have the dean's." She's congratulated by both of them and the phone rings. "Marilyn Daniels." she says answering the call. "Yes, yes this is her. Thank you." She puts the phone down.

 

"Confirmed, I'm pregnant."

 

"About durn time you announced it." Mona says from the doorway. She's been guarding the inner office for decades. She's also the mother of five, grandmother of eight, and great-grandmother of two. . . so far. "I was beginning to think you didn't kn. . .Oh really," she says when Natalie makes a sound between a snigger and a cackle. Marilyn just gives them both looks. "Yes, I didn't realize until last night when Natalie told me my pants were getting a little tight and asked me when* my last period was? I'll talk to my ob in January but according to my schedule I should be delivering in early may."

 

"Nope, early to mid April." Natalie says absently. Mona nods. "You're beginning to show, that puts you around four and a half months pregnant already."

 

"Yep, the doctors count you as three weeks pregnant the second the egg attaches." Marilyn looks at them. "Health classes at Hamberg." Natalie says.

 

"Having had five of my own." Mona says. "Now, maternity leave."

 

"It's going to be a little hectic here for a couple weeks after you deliver since I'll be busy studying for my finals but after that I'll have the whole summer to handle stuff here until you come back in the fall. By then the baby will either be big enough to be in daycare here in the building or here in the office." Marilyn sighs but nods, she'll want the baby close. "The playpen or bassinet and a changing table can go over there, it's out of the way and nobody should bother the baby. We can add another batch of cloth diapers to the daycare's order." Mona and Marilyn start talking as Natalie gets a call. She heads off and nods at Ellen, Mona's assistant who has taken over the desk.

 

"Madison." she grins, hugging her and nodding at her parents.

 

"How's school?"

 

"Finished my finals yesterday and checked my grades unofficially on the teacher's area on the server." Madison nods, Hamberg had done the same thing before they 'officially' come out. "Straight A's, I might not have made the presidents list if the school has one, but I would the dean's list. Oh, word of warning. . .if this is something that will take months. . . Aunt Marilyn's pregnant. I'll be running the business while she's on maternity leave. Probably from the end of March through next fall. And I'll be studying for my finals two of those weeks."

 

"Oh lord." Madison moans, looking at her parents.

 

"Oh. . .really." Natalie purrs.

 

"Yes." Madison's father wraps his arms proudly around his wife.

 

"So I hear you got into real estate on your own?"

 

"Well the business actually owns the properties but. . ." The story is told as they go up to their office. "So the vo-tech kids are getting actual experience and this should lead to being hired on by companies when they graduate, the communities are getting much needed stores and whatnot coming in, and the buildings aren't sitting there empty for years and slowly falling apart." Madison and her parents nod vigorously. "Real Estate had sent up the paperwork for them but I didn't think they'd be worth it at first until I remembered reading on the internet about vo-tech schools needing places to work on."

 

"Everybody gets something out of the bargain." Marilyn hears as the door opens and her niece, her niece's friend, and her parents walk in. She looks over and smiles.

 

"Yes, I was going to say this venture needed to be wrapped up in a couple months, I hear there's a dual reason for it now." Madison's father chuckles.

 

Marilyn sighs. "Yes, I'm going to have to set up a nursery. I didn't even know I was pregnant until Natalie told me my pants were getting a little tight and asked me when my last period was. I thought I was too old to get pregnant."

 

Natalie snorts. "You're only twelve years older than me, you're still well within childbearing years." Pouring Madison's father a cup of coffee she gets hot water for a cup of tea for her mother and tosses a bottle of water to her underhand.

 

"I never figured I'd be a mother."

 

"Why not, you're more my mother than my mother was. . .she and Dad only wanted to be Maddy's parents."

 

"How is your sister? Can I ask?" Madison's father asks.

 

"Actually doing well in prison, I guess working thousands of years doing manual labor made her realize she's not all that. She wrote Aunt Marilyn and me letters a guard passed along, she went right to work on her schoolwork. . .and it took her over four years to pass the eighth grade before she went to the medium security dimension. She's now partway through the tenth grade and picked up more classes than she needed to graduate. She's working without a fuss. . .in fact her first day back she started pre-treating stains at the laundry and everything's coming clean in one wash thanks to her work. She's still on punishment for another year and some but the prison is impressed with her turnaround. She's not wailing about a tv and whatnot or not being able to drink a twelve pack of pop a day anymore. The prison might allow her to buy food if she keeps her weight under control." She shows them pictures of her when she went to prison, when she got back from the medium security dimension for the first time, and when she got back from the medium security dimension this time."

 

"Oh god, she looks old. . .can I ask?"

 

"She's not yet 21. She was eleven when she murdered our parents and not quite thirteen when she went to prison."

 

"How did she get out, do you know?"

 

"Ohhhh, she wailed the prison was starving her. . .she was losing sssssooo much weight. A special interest group got her out of prison to see a different doctor because of course the doctors in prison was telling her she wasn't starving. She attacked the guard when he removed the cuffs, grabbed his gun and car and drove off. How the fuck she wasn't stopped immediately for traffic violations I don't know. . .she never learned how to drive. . .she was too damn fat to get behind the wheel." Natalie waves a hand. "Aunt Marilyn and I destroyed the moron who got her out. . .he kept bleating that she'd show up. . .eventually. He didn't know she'd come and try to attack me. . .moron was out for two weeks before somebody called and was stunned to find out she'd just been arrested for trying to kill me again. If the fucker had just let us know. . ."

 

"she escaped when it happened you wouldn't have sued?"

 

"Yeah. When he was repeatedly asked why he hadn't told us. . .he kept blubbering he thought she'd show up. . .eventually. He thought she was just confused."

 

"You don't steal a car and a gun if you're confused." Madison's mother snorts.

 

"Or go to a gun shop, say you inherited a gun, ask them what size bullets it takes, then attack the owner and take weapons and bullets. You don't hold up a fast food restaurant and have them make up tons of food for you. . .because she was starving. . .the prison would only give her one tray of food at a meal. How could she live like that?"

 

"Fool."

 

"She was an addict and our idiot parents were enablers. Like our psychology teacher said. . .'you can never force an addict to get clean, it's only when they hit rock-bottom that they will get clean. And stay clean'. And Maddy finally did."

 

Maddy looks up at the knock on her cell door.

 

"Daniels, finals for your classes. Classroom to take them." She follows him off and an hour later is back in her cell. Packing up her schoolbooks in the tote she looks at the time and follows a second guard to her shift at the knitting machine.

 

A week later she gets a letter from the school and opens it, sighing as she sees her grades and a list of classes she can sign up for. . .she signs up for eight classes and hands it to the guard when he taps at her door. He looks at the list and nods in satisfaction, he'll send it to the school. The school has been passing along old books that would otherwise be recycled to save Maddy money in her studies but she'll have to have some new stuff too.

 

Another week later there's a tap on her door.

 

"Daniels, your new school supplies and books. Plus your first assignments." The container is pushed into the room and Maddy starts putting everything away at her desk before going to work.

 

 

 

 

Josette lifts off for the first offworld harvest, Agatha coming up to stand beside her chair as it morphs back into the chair.

 

"Are we going to have a major shopping trip to Ellis's next year?"

 

"No, we're good on supplies yet. The year after that though. . .yeah."

 

"Okay." Josette updates her personal schedule and stands up to stretch. "Is anybody else besides the soapmakers making soap from the books?"

 

"No, we don't have the room to make it. . .and no, we don't need another building for soapmaking." Agatha says firmly. Josette smirks. "The 9th planet people are making their own soap, reason I asked. They're talking about their own building in a couple years."

 

A couple months later she slumps into her seat. "Is everything done now?"

 

"Yes, the last offworld harvest was yesterday. The last crops here are in and the plants being tilled under for the winter. The harvests will be passed out after Thanksgiving, I'll be going out to Ellis's then and picking up all that crap the other suppliers are sending to Ellis.

 

After Thanksgiving Josette arrives at Ellis's, being pointed to the rows of shipping containers stacked five high and seventeen long in groups of seven rows. And there's twenty groups.

 

"How much of that fucking fabric did they make?" Josette moans as she splits off a dozen duplicates who start moving everything.

 

"Tons. . .literally. The manufacturer were sure designers would fall all over themselves to be the first to get their lines with that fabric out."

 

"And they didn't want that crap."

 

"Exactly. They kept putting out press announcements that it was available. . .like the designers and suppliers had missed the 'debut' of it."

 

"They figured everybody thought they'd be too late to get it?" Josette drawls.

 

"Yes, finally they realized they had warehouses of it that nobody wanted. At least with you you can recycle it into plain fabric. Can you handle it? I know it's a lot of containers."

 

Josette snorts and holds up a finger as she brings up two files on her PADD. "This is nothing compared to two other batches of fabric and stuff I picked up." Ellis looks over the pictures and moans. "A quick count says that's 11,000+ containers, I picked up millions of containers on that trip. And. . ." Josette brings up a picture. "Yes, that's Europe. Becka's dimension, when they were bringing out supplies to build a power building and a city-ship, I took millions of containers back to various places in America as they emptied, they needed everything on hand when they were going to start the construction. . .that's why I told Calvin to find a place to build it where they could bring everything in as needed instead of having to hunt through containers for what was needed next. Or having the last items they needed for the ship delivered first." Ellis nods vigorously. "If there was a way for everything they needed for everything to be delivered in reverse order. . ."

 

"So as you needed it it was there as the containers were emptied and moved? Yep. But that would make sense." Josette says sourly. Ellis cackles and nods. "Okay, your other order is there took, that's the batch of containers apart from the others. Josette passes that along to the others moving containers and those are moved to another building on the ships.

 

Josette sighs as she slumps into her usual seat at the dining hall. "I brought back over eleven thousand containers of that shit." In the front room Frances moans. "Ellis says the manufacturers made grand announcements that the fabric was available. . .hoping that the designers were moaning they hadn't been in time to get their order in. . .it had sold out quickly like you see when designers sell at Target. . ."

 

"Not that it was absolute crap and nobody wanted it?" Elaine snorts. "Did you get the rest of our stuff?"

 

"Yeah, that was in another area. It's all on the ship and I'll bring it out in a few days. Yes, that includes the yarn and machines for the buildings.

 

"Did the orders increase?" President Bartlett asks.

 

"Yes, I . . ." Josette looks at her PADD and sends a file to the others. "just sent you the information. The increase will be delivered year after next so we'll have plenty of time to have a little surplus even with making stuff for the other planets."

 

"How are they?"

 

"Ninth planet is settling in for a cold, wet winter. Archimedes is just coming out of theirs and 10th planet is midway through their second planting cycle."

 

"And we're going to be starting our winter in a couple weeks."

 

"Yep."

 

"Building's looking mighty empty with everything delivered."

 

"Are you going to still be on track to have the printers open again next year?" President Bartlett asks.

 

"Yeah, I've got nineteen books finished right now, I've got a dozen more at the 'one last quilt and then finish the book and edit it stage. That only leaves five books in the 'I need to finish these stage. I'll have those done in plenty of time for the next printing run." The others nod. Josette looks at her PADD when it beeps. "And Pat just told me that she found a place for my books."

 

"So you'll be looking at new printing runs after these are done?"

 

"Probably, I have a dozen books at the 'gonna need another batch of these' stage if I had another place to sell them. I'm down to about seventeen thousand each of the last two books thanks to all the 'omg, I gotta have these to show I was here' mentality." The others snigger but nod.

 

Josette yawns as she looks around her workroom the next morning, it's pouring rain outside and it's making her sleepy. She's also at the knitting buildings bringing out the yarn and machines in the buildings for the others to install when the tables are in place. Going eeny meeny she selects one of the quilts to finish a book and settles down to turn her notes into a proper pattern.

 

Ma shakes her head when they bring out a table and see it's still there.

 

"Josette." she sighs.

 

"Not her, the others. They did the same thing at the dorm and Headquarters, didn't want them running out. . .especially this . . .stuff." Mom waves a hand. She starts bringing out the pallet of machines and more yarn.

 

"The orders increased then?"

 

"Yes, we've got a year before the new totals need to be delivered, that will give us time to get in a sockpile as Josette's said more than once." Ma sniggers. The tables are set up and the boxes start to be unpacked, Josette had already registered all of them before she came home they know. The machines are soon up and start running when the yarn is inserted.

 

"Do we have more packing supplies too?"

 

Maxie looks in the large closet that's easily as large as three rooms and nods. "Yep, do we need some?"

 

Ma looks up at the ceiling and the containers filling with socks. "Yeah, better have it on hand than run out while we're packing. If we don't use it the first shift will. The pallets are brought out and emptied, the boxes going against a wall.

 

The 'head' of the first shift nods in satisfaction as he sees everything that has been brought out and set up, Josette had told him how many new machines each building was getting. Checking in with the other building he nods in satisfaction as he sees they're set up too.

 

"How are we handling the printers and the knitting machines both being open?" David asks at dinner.

 

"One shift there, one here. Lord knows we can always pick up more workers." Nods of satisfaction from everybody in earshot.

 

 

 

"Fuck you asshole." The owner of a baseball team in Superhero's dimension yells at a blustering manager. "What did you think would happen when you sent one of our best players down to the minors because that damn fool Masters didn't wike him showing him up? Of course he don't want to come back up here to save your goddamn ass now that Masters in in jail for 180 days for drinking, driving, and causing a massive accident."

 

"But I thought he understood it wasn't for realsies. It was just until I could placate Masters." He whines.

 

"Realsies? Dear god fool, how old are you. . two?"

 

"But I didn't think he'd be mad." He whines.

 

"You didn't think he'd be mad?" The owner says scathingly. "He's gone from a fifteen million dollar contract to making less than fifteen thousand in the minors? Moron, he's suing us to still get his money. . .and I don't fucking blame him. You don't make the money in the minors. . .you don't get big trades in the minors. You're number 28 in the trades and go to another minors, uprooting your life and family if you have one." He continues to harangue the manager until he rushes out of the room. "Goddamn asshole, was kissing Masters ass worth it?"

 

Idiot is the nicest thing he's called over the next few days, the man he sent down refuses to accept his calls and is in talks with the commission to get the manager sanctioned for his actions, be awarded free agent status so he can accept any of the half-dozen offers he's getting, and get the money he was promised in his contract. Which was broken when he was sent down to the minors everybody says when the manager tries to force him to come back.

 

"But I didn't think he'd be mad." The manager whines as he's called before the commissioners and raked over the coals.

 

"Really? You didn't think the best player on the team would be mad about being sent down to the minors because that washed-up old lush Masters is sulking because he's being shown up. Fucker should have been cut loose years ago."

 

"But the fans love him." he yelps.

 

"The fans hate him. . . they're tired of his damn stupid stunts. Or don't you hear the boos every time he comes up to bat?"

 

"I. . .I . .I. . .I thought the boos were because he struck out?"

 

"No moron, the boos start when he's announced. . . they fucking cheer when he's struck out."

 

"That can't be the truth." He yelps. Video is shown of the boos as soon as he's announced and starts playing games instead of getting ready to bat.

 

"In case you don't remember that game, he struck out. . .leaving three runners on base. Thank god the man you tossed away hit a grand slam to bring them all in to win the game. This is the last game he played before he was sent down to the minors, the only person that made an idiot out of Masters was Masters himself."

 

 

 

 

 

Josette settles into a seat at the Tower, Doc looks at her since the others had arrived an hour ago. "Got a request to harvest asteroids for the others." She says at his look. "They weren't low low but this saves them the money of a ship and crew in a couple years since we were on the way anyway. It took an hour for them to go over everything, send payment, and accept delivery." He nods in satisfaction. Pat hands Josette a full pot of coffee in a travel mug and drags her off, she soaks up additional energy outside on the way to where her vehicle has been pulled out by the others.

 

"Did Haven's weather settle down to normal?" He asks David after they've pulled off.

 

"Yes, just like the experts said they would. This is going to be our second year of mild winters, we might get one good storm coming from the other direction every couple years but not the wet, heavy snow or the damn bad storms we have been getting. The experts are saying that the sorting planet is up next, they'll be able to just hunker down and not have to deal with livestock or keep paths cleared all the time. Unless they have a permanent job on another planet."

 

Doc nods. Josette looks over at Pat as they stop at a light and Josette takes a sip of her coffee. "Did that player get free-agent status?"

 

"Yes and that fool Masters is whining because he finally got fired. He blustered that everybody loved him. . .how dare they fire him? Blah, blah, blah. . .the other players are out to get him because they're just jealous. His own agent slapped the stupidity out of him by showing his batting average over the last few years, how they've steadily fallen. Since he couldn't say the other players were blocking him like in another game. . .wellllll, he's whining about how his life is over because everybody's talking bad about him. He thought the fans liked his little stunts. The same thing the idiot manager was blubbering in front of the commission. . .that and he didn't think the other man would be mad. He thought he understood that this was just temporary. Needless to say, they went from leading the league in their division and shoo-in for the playoffs to the absolute bottom thanks to their best player being kicked off the team."

 

"He didn't think period." Josette snorts as she checks the computer's map unit to see how long they have on the trip before she digs out her PADD and shows Pat the picture of all the containers of that fabric she'd picked up at Ellis's. Pat moans and shakes her head but snickers at the 'we've still got the fabric available' messages from the manufacturer, hoping the designers thought it had already sold out.

 

"Was any of it taken?"

 

"Only what that fool would have. . . "

 

"Taken as her cut." Pat nods. "She's probably saying the plebes don't understand her vision or some other rot. Did Michelle's cousin come up?"

 

"Her house is due to come up to Albatross in early spring, the work is done but early winter is not a time to be moving. This gives her time to get in more supplies and see how much room she wants to add to the house. Now if she did a run of fabric it would sell."

 

"Because she's got talent unlike the wannabes who use influence to get what they want then pout when nobody else is interested."

 

They arrive at the place and walk in. Josette looks around and nods in satisfaction.

 

"Ms. Savage, Ms. . ." her voice trails off.

 

"This is Charles and Clarinda's daughter from another dimension Josette Takahawa." Pat chuckles. "Lauren is expecting us.

 

"Yes, she's on the phone right now with a manufacturer. She'll be out in a few minutes. Do you have samples of your books?"

 

Josette hand over the bag she'd brought out of subspace. "Copies of my first eight books. I have a hundred that have debuted in other dimensions, those are the ones that have debuted here. I have another couple dozen that haven't debuted anywhere but my planet yet. I self-publish, usually it's a fifty thousand book run. I thought the friend who told me I'd need that many was cracked but I'm on my fourth print of the first book."

 

"And that's not counting your last big sales." Pat chuckles.

 

Josette snorts. "Those were the idiots buying the books so they could say they were there for the last show in Granda's dimension, that was nowhere near normal sales."

 

The woman standing in the doorway nods in satisfaction. Too many self-published authors think they're so special and expect instant success.

 

"How were your sales? Can I ask?"

 

"Nearly a hundred fifty thousand books, a third of that was the last two books that hadn't debuted over there yet. My agent had boxes of cloth tote bags for sale, a note saying it would take five of them to hold all the books. They were flying off the tables."

 

"So they could say they were there. Yes."

 

"My last show here. . .I think I sold two hundred between all eight books."

 

"Yes, those are more normal sales. You won't live off the sales of your books."

 

Josette chuckles. "I also write fiction under the same name."

 

"Yes, I was trying to figure out where the hell I knew your name from." One of the women crows. "I just brought your latest book."

 

"Like the quilting books I have a lot of books in backlog that haven't debuted here yet, though not for lack of nagging on my agent's part." Pat sniggers.

 

"Problem with something?" One of the workers asks her boss.

 

"A delay on something, more important customers took priority. . .or at least that's what one fool said when our order went to the bottom of the list. I called to find out when the shipment would be delivered and it hadn't even been started yet."

 

"Fucking a-hole." A worker mutters.

 

"Oh yes, his boss was not happy and showed him aaaalllllll our orders, asking him if his 'one-shot' starlet's tiny order was worth pissing off a major customer. He bleated that he didn't know we were a major customer, he. . ."

 

"Never heard of us so we can't possibly be anybody important." another woman drawls. "Idiot was removed from his position and somebody with some damn brains got the job instead." Lauren finishes the story.

 

"Which they should have got in the first place but he knows somebody?" Josette snorts. "Because connections should always trump actual fucking ability."

 

The others snigger but nod. Ms. Savage's granddaughter is going to fit right in here. They split up to start looking over what they have in the warehouses.

 

Marilyn moans at her pre-natal checkup and calls Landon when she returns home.

 

"It's twins." she says bluntly.

 

"Awwww." Natalie grins. "Look in your nursery, then down the hall."

 

"What the hell?"

 

"Your friend Alice, there's five more bedrooms, three more baths. . ." she rattles off all the information. "This way you shouldn't have to move out no matter how many kids you have. I have my own wing now."

 

"Oh dear lord child." Landon splutters.

 

"Not my idea, she insisted. Said I'd need my own study. . ." Landon and Marilyn nod. "My own library so I'm not hogging the living room while I'm taking classes. The babies are going to be loud, I need a place quiet to do classwork and work on my thesis." The two older people nod again.

 

"Macey, you okay?" Natalie asks another woman as they wait for the elevator. She's from the travel section of the company.

 

"Sorry Natalie, I'm just tired. My mother's been wailing at me the last few nights. She can't make up her mind to try to blame me for my sister's sluttiness or say I was right all along." Natalie looks at her as they get in the elevator and push the buttons for their floors.

 

"When I was about your age I had a fiancee, a couple weeks before the wedding I found him and my sister together. . .in my bed."

 

"Oh dear god." Natalie moans.

 

"Yep. I immediately broke off the engagement, returned the wedding gifts, canceled everything we have reserved already, and left home. . .spending a couple weeks with my aunt and uncle and then moving for work. My parents always kept trying to get me to forgive my sister, it was complicated. . .the stupid brat always got everything in life. I worked my ass off for my good grades, she blew through everything. She hated we both got full scholarships, even though we didn't go to the same school. she had a string of boyfriends. . .she finally ended up marrying and had a little girl. Her husband walked in on her and another man. . .now my mother can't make up her mind blubbering that I was right all along about her . . .she's got the damn morals of an alley cat or if I hadn't kept blaming her for everything. . ."

 

"She wouldn't have been cheating because you drove her to it. Figures." Natalie snorts. "Your mother don't want to admit her darling daughter's the damn bad guy here. My mother was the same way, she never wanted to admit Maddy was the cause of all the problems. Dad tried to take my side once in a while, the last time the. . .they were murdered."

 

"Yep, and her daughter has had her life turned upside down. Her mother's been kicked out of their house and her aunt's helping take care of her until they decide what they're going to do. My idiot sister is blubbering and carrying on just like she did back then." The door to her floor opens and she gets off. Natalie heads up to the top floor and grabs the mail and inter-office paperwork from the front desk.

 

"Aunt Marilyn's having twins, she just found out yesterday." she calls over her shoulder as she walks into the office.

 

"You little shit." Mona splutters as Ellen laughs. "You've been hanging around me too long. Boys or girls or didn't she want to find out?"

 

"Didn't want to find out." Natalie says. "Not that Aunt Marilyn is one for those icky squicky pastel nurseries." Mona shudders. "Landon's painting the nursery this weekend and they're going to be furnishing it over the next couple weekends. She's taking the day off with Landon to look over baby stuff."

 

Josette brings Pat to the ship and she moans at the fabric. "What a waste of good quality fabric."

 

"Oh yes." She dials up the replicator's controls and starts shooting the fabric, a twinkling light revealing plain fabric across the room that Pat examines in interest.

 

"Can you add designs?"

 

"Yeah," Josette brings up the screen and Pat starts working. "Now this could be used in dresses."

 

"Yep." Josette makes a couple rolls in different colors for Pat and brings them back to the Tower.

 

"Is that from Ellis's?" Susan asks.

 

"Yeah, we worked on some of it for a few hours. Pat asked if patterns could be added to it after I changed some of it to just plain colors."

 

"Yes, that. ..monstrosity was a waste of good fabric." Pat says. Doc looks at his wife and granddaughter then moans at the picture of the original fabric and what they're remade it into. "Oh yes, that looks much better."

 

Josette disappears and reappears a few seconds later. "Some stupid 'psychic' trying to convince the government to take down the shields on my land, she 'swears' the minds of missing women are screaming at her to save them. The government authorities walked through every building and found absolutely nothing. . .her face got longer and longer, she was expecting . . .ohhhh piles of gold, jewels, something we had to be hiding to keep people from wandering the land."

 

"Flowing rivers of gold and jewels?" Abby asks, rolling her eyes.

 

"Yeah, she run off blubbering that her 'inner eye' might be clouded." Josette drawls. "I told her I knew real psychics and she was nothing but a damn hack."

 

"You can't have the grounds shielded because you want your privacy, oh no." Alice drawls. "You've got to have something they think they deserve to have."

 

"Exactly." Josette snorts.

 

A few months later for them they return to Haven and slide into seats in the dining hall.

 

"How was Superhero's dimension?"

 

"Good, Pat and I worked a lot on the fabric." Frances's head lifts up and Josette holds up a finger and sends off a file.

 

"Ohhh, that's much better."

 

"Pat called the original a monstrosity and a waste of good fabric. Even Doc moaned at the before picture and said the after was much better."

 

"She's right." Elaine drawls.

 

"Oh, it will be on the databurst in maybe a couple weeks, probably after the Lights Festival. . .while I was out in Superhero's dimension I got called to the manor. . . some fool psycho. . ..errr psychic." Josette says firmly, letting all know the first word hadn't been misspoken. "Claimed the minds of missing women were screaming at her to save them. The government police walked through all the buildings and found absofuckinglutely nothing. . .no piles of gemstones and gold. . .there had to be a reason that we didn't want people wandering all over our land. Her face kept getting longer and longer and ran off saying her inner eye might be clouded, I told her I knew real psychics. . .she was just a hack. Because of course we don't want people wandering all over our land because we value our privacy. . ."

 

"Oh of course not." President Bartlett drawls. "You have to be hiding something. Just like the fools who wanted the Mars Colony."

 

"Yep."

 

Over the next couple of days the dorm is decorated for the Lights Festival.

 

"Josette, did you replace the tires on your farm equipment?" Richard asks when everybody starts coming out.

 

"Yeah, the wheel were getting bad too so I just put new ones on and shot the old ones." Richard nods in satisfaction. "We don't have to replace the machines themselves yet for all that all the so-called experts say they shouldn't be working as old as they are."

 

"They're meant to last, it's not something like a car that you'll trade in in a few years." He says. Josette nods. "And we all do routine maintenance to keep it running. Because most farmers. . .even commercial farms can't afford that kind of output." Nods from the others.

 

"Hell, I'm sure Pa would tell you that some years he wouldn't have been able to afford the tires, let alone a wheel and tire."

 

Richard nods. "That's why you were able to pick up farms so cheaply, they had a couple bad years and needed the money." Bronwen and one of the people from the sheep farm nod in satisfaction. "Pa, come in here a second?" Josette calls when she sees him walking past the dorm. Clark must have brought him and Ma in.

 

"Yes Josette, you needed something?"

 

"We're talking about farm equipment and how with proper maintenance it lasts years longer than the so-called experts say. Because not many farms. . .even the big commercial farm. . ."

 

"Can afford to replace them, Oh yes." Pa sighs, taking a seat and Clark stands behind him. "What brought this on?"

 

"I had to replace the tires on our equipment this year and since the wheels were beginning to get bad I just replicated new ones instead of muscling the old tires off and the new ones on. I don't doubt there were some years where just buying the tires. . ."

 

"Was an expense? Oh yes, the farm center in Smallville had a lot of accounts where people were paying something monthly for their equipment because it was the only way we could afford it. And a few years I had to leave Martha on the farm and go take a temporary job for a couple months to get extra money."

 

"Ohhhhh, is that where you went for a couple winters?"

 

"Yes, I didn't do it often as you were growing up but that's what that old camper we had in the barn was for. The extra money went to supplies for the next year, to put money aside to pay off the mortgage, and to pay off what we owed the farm center. A lot of farmers did it. Especially if it was a bad year and we lost money on the crops."

 

I snort as I walk from the powder room. "Yeah, that fool Trump in my original dimension is playing mas machos with Tariffs, a lot of farmers were going to take a hit on the crops they export until he promised them taxpayer money."

 

"Instead of just not having imposed the Tariffs so the other countries wouldn't slap theirs on? Figures." Clark rolls his eyes.

 

"Oh please, this is the same moron who kept blubbering for two years that the Russians didn't meddle in the election, the news corporations are all fake news because they won't kiss his damn ass like his so-called 'real' outlets, keeps trying to get the special counsel looking into Russia fired because he's not kissing Trump's ass, and now is trying to say the Russians are meddling. . .but they're meddling for the Democrats."

 

"Oh dear god." more than one person moans. "Yes, the asshole hasn't figured out yet that the damn presidency isn't a popularity contest like his fucking tv show. Sick thing is I think the bastard's going to win the damn election again because people are fucking stupid and will vote for him again. The bastard is getting rid of everything the former president did. . .because he did it."

 

"Bastard."

 

"Oh yes, and the damn stupid ass Republicans are all kissing his ass. He doesn't want a two-party democracy, he wants a one party government with him in the throne."

 

Jessy shudders. "This is what that asswipe Bush would have wanted in our dimension. Thank you for copying the books on 9/11 for me, it thankfully didn't happen in our world. . .if it did old baby Bush never would have been elected. Your dimension. . ."

 

"Is what might have been?" I say. She nods. "I would like to say that fool would never have been elected but people are just as fucking stupid in my dimension as they are in yours."

 

"That's the human condition unfortunately girls." Pa says as he gets up and walks out of the dorm with Clark. "Their poor dimensions."

 

"Josette has moved to a better one with her new family and Jessy's family has plans to move to a side dimension if things get too bad there." Clark says. "Morons are always going to go into politics, this way everybody can kiss their asses for existing."

 

Ma looks at her husband and son when they join her. "What did Josette need?"

 

"We were talking about how properly maintained farm equipment will last much longer than the so-called experts say and that even the big commercial farms. . ."

 

"Can't afford to replace it? Oh yes. What brought this on?"

 

"Josette had to replace the tires on her farm equipment and since the wheels were beginning to go she just replicated new ones instead of muscling the old ones off and new ones on. And how some years just buying the new tires was an expense. I told Clark about those winters I had to leave to work a temporary job to make money for everything."

 

"I've talked to others like me, I know you wanted me to grow up normally but if I'd had a handle on my powers I might have been able to help out."

 

Ma pats her son on the cheek. "We wouldn't have been able to explain how we came into the extra money Clark. It would have brought too many questions. I don't understand how they were able to explain some things in the comics."

 

"It wasn't meant to be explained." Greta snorts as she comes up to them. "Ask my Josette to talk about Argo City in the comics some day. . .or how Ma and Pa became younger. though they did try to explain that one."

 

I snort as I come over to them. "Depends on the comic, some of the comics Ma and Pa were old when they found the ship, some they were middle aged when he was a baby. A lot of stuff they just comic handwaved."

 

"Argo? Not the planet?"

 

"No, in the pre-crisis comics Argo was a city on Krypton and when the planet blew up a whole city was sent off on one big chunk." Clark rolls his eyes. "Oh yes, in the original comics it was just a street and some houses. . .later comics made it an entire city. Of course we don't know how big the city was. The first stories didn't explain how an atmosphere was brought out with it, it was just handwaved that there was enough gravity that people could walk around and the air stayed in place."

 

"Is that all?"

 

"Oh hell no. At least with the dome they had the machines to clean the air and water and food machines but unless they created oxygen too."

 

"It would have run out eventually. Just like you have to change the water in the fishtanks and keep the bubbler going."

 

"Yeah. The ground turned into anti-kryptonite and had to be covered with lead. . . they couldn't grow food that way so unless they had hydroponics there was no way to make more oxygen. Yeah, I know our bodies only use a portion of the oxygen we take in and most of it comes back out when we exhale but still that air would have turned stale. The air cleaners took care of it but. . ."

 

"That's why space stations had hydroponics, a second source of oxygen. And to clean the air by taking in the carbon dioxide we all breath."

 

"Anti-Kryptonite?"

 

"It's a form of Kryptonite that only affects non-superpowered Kryptonians."

 

Clark rolls his eyes. "Oh yes, people started getting sick within a day and they covered the ground with lead to protect them.. . .now that's something else that bothered me. In one fic a girl died almost instantly from anti-kryptonite. . .or at least before people could rescue her after she fell in an unprotected ditch. . ."

 

"It doesn't kill that soon. Unless the radiation was so great. And a child's smaller body mass."

 

"Exactly. In the comics Zor-El had saved Argo by sending it to orbit around a yellow sun after he sent Kara off, people had superpowers and everybody was saved when passing meteorites blew holes into the lead shielding the ground. Why they didn't put more lead on the ground. . .? They had to be running out of basic supplies, because even replicators need raw materials. In one of the comics Zor-El was scooping the solar system for meteorites and what not for raw material and scooped up Superboy who'd been hit a glancing blow by a chunk of Kryptonite and had amnesia."

 

"They didn't have the lead to shield it again. But if they were in orbit around a yellow sun?"

 

"Some fool mystic sent the city back to Krypton's sun because he wanted everybody to die. It took a month for everybody to die. But Zor-El and his wife were saved by an experiment. He'd tried to send everybody to a dimension called the survival zone to save them in hopes their daughter could release them but it was delayed and while it saved them it was too late to save the others."

 

"Any other complaints?"

 

"Oh yes, the damn planet tearing itself apart but a big ass chunk containing an entire city came apart in one piece? Without killing anybody or damaging buildings? Of course in the comics big chunks of buildings and what not also came up relatively intact. It might have been the relatively heavier gravity. . . because in one of the comic revamps when Clark went back to Krypton after waves of Kryptonite fell on Earth he found a lot of debris hadn't made it past the gravity field and had fallen back in to become a gas giant. . .in time the planet might collapse further to create a solid planet again." The others around them nod. "Now superpowered people weren't supposed to be bothered by anti-K, but a certain imp from the fifth dimension brought Argo City to Earth and dumped all the dead bodies and the city on Superman. . .even that amount of Kryptonite would bother him. Of course this was all pre-crisis and he was nuttier than a dozen fruitcakes thanks to merging with that mystic that killed Argo city and a 'being' that was the Phantom Zone."

 

"Yes, I can see the whole 'comic hand wave'." Clark says, rolling his eyes.

 

"Oh please. . ." Greta snorts. "How many comics had people shooting tons of ammo but the guns didn't seem to run out?"

 

"Not just comics. . .movies."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Josette snorts as she listens to the whining of the fools who'd shut down her security system and got shot at when she's called back to Calvin's dimension. "Asswipe, if you'd never shut down the security system protecting land that belongs to a sovereign nation you wouldn't have been shot at and now being getting in twouble with your bosses." she says scathingly to the asshole whining before she turns around to walk away. He tries grabbing her to whine again and she puts him on the floor. She cusses his fool ass out and walks away. He threatens to have her arrested and she snorts, he looks at the other members of his office and they're all giving him disgusted looks.

 

"Well, if you hadn't listened to the stupid fucker who was stoned out of her damn mind to 'let the voices flow'. . ." the head of his agency drawls. "You wouldn't be whining about being in trouble. Fucking idiot. . .be only glad you've got a mark in your record. I'd have fucking shot you and that stupid ass fool. Gods, what the fuck were you thinking?"

 

"Oh my god, we're gonna be rich and famous, we're talking international sex trafficking." another man drawls sarcastically. "Moron, demanding the woman whose land you were arrested for trespassing on come to the office so you can prance around like a goddamn peacock? If you'd stopped to think you'd have realized this was pure drug-induced stupidity."

 

"But she told us if we stopped to do it legally they'd be moved." he whines.

 

"That alone should have told you it was pure grade a crap." He snorts. "Now we're damn lucky we're not looking at an international incident."

 

"Would she have done that? Could she have done that?"

 

"Yes to both you fucking fool. So quit your damn bellyaching about being arrested for illegally taking down her protections and being on her land."

 

"But she told me we'd be rich and famous." he wails.

 

"And you're supposed to be above that as an officer of the law." The head of the bureau says scathingly.

 

Josette slumps in a chair in Calvin's office. "Oh the fucker who took down my protections and nearly got his ass blew off for it is whining because he got arrested for taking them down illegally and trespassing on my land. He tried being all macho over me because the fucker's sulking about getting a mark on his record. I called him a little fool and put him on the floor when he tried grabbing me for walking away. I scrambled the shields so no commercial unit can open them." The others nod in satisfaction. "Somebody complains we have proof of how our protections were illegally taken down by government agents in an attempt to become rich and famous."

 

"What happened to that fool woman and her 'inner eye'?" Maria asks.

 

"Ohhhh, the media is calling her a damn fool and she's pouting. She's got a damn history of fantastic claims leading her to trespass and destroy property and of psychic visions that was 'warning' her of wrongdoing fizzling out and nobody believes her now. This was supposed to put her out on top, she's so far down the bottom. . ."

 

"She won't ever see the light of day unless she dug down further and came out in China?" Jane snickers.

 

"Basically. Now, how is the charities coming to help everybody rebuild?"

 

"Good, and we're already talking about paying for the children's education. Something dumbasses in prison are wailing about we're still making them look bad."

 

Josette rolls her eyes. "Their own stupidity is making them look bad. I'd have thought the cons would have beaten the stupidity out of them by now."

 

"It's a deep well." Calvin says dryly.

 

"Now, changing the conversation. Michelle's grades?"

 

"Good, she's made the dean's list every semester. She'll be finishing her sophomore year in six weeks. She's got a summer job out there and it's looking to become a permanent position."

 

"Good for her, the other kids?"

 

"Getting good grades at their schools. The next oldest is starting university this fall. Gods, the babies are in first grade already." Calvin shakes his head.

 

"Has the school in town needed to move into the main building beyond specialty classes yet?"

 

"Not yet but they will in about five years. We're already been getting requests to have regular classes here by then."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Josette returns to Haven. "Stupid fucker who thought he's so goddamn special was arrested for trespassing and taking down my shields illegally. Now he's whining and trying to mas machos me. He's a fucking government agent. . ."

 

"Ooo la la." Susan drawls.

 

"Yes, he's pouting because he got a mark on his record for shutting down the shields and trespassing on land belonging to a sovereign nation. . .he was sure this was a reputable bust. .. though there wasn't any damn proof to the dumbass broad's bullshit story. His bosses aren't impressed. . .he should have known this wasn't a good bust. He blubbered that the woman had told him that if he waited, they'd be moved."

 

"That should have told him that it wasn't a reputable bust." Principal Madison snorts. "Yeah, I called him a damn fool and walked away, stupid fucker tried grabbing me and I put him on the floor."

 

"Asshole shouldn't be a officer then. He was just looking for fame and fortune. Your shields?"

 

"Scrambled them so nobody can shut them down. If they complain I got the proof somebody illegally took them down to trespass on my land on a frivolous excuse."

 

"Talked to Dad?"

 

"Yes, he figures the school in town will be moving into the main building in five years for more than just specialty classes. And he figures to have regular classes at his school around then too."

 

"We'd been expecting it." Professor Druid says. "Calvin's school is already getting more students interested in the elective classes he offers, it's just the next step to have more classes. That includes opening the dorms up again."

 

"And students having to take tests if they want to transfer schools." Professor Eppes says. The others nod. "Did he say anything about Michelle?"

 

"She's finishing her sophomore year in six weeks, their time. She's got a summer job lined up that looks to be turning permanent when she graduates. The next oldest is starting university their fall and the babies are already in the first grade."

 

"God, it doesn't seem possible. But it's been four years since she became a boarding student."

 

"But even at six years on Earth. . . She was only eleven?"

 

"With the schools staying open year round and revamped classes students are graduating sooner than they did before the zero-population period and working on blocks of classes instead of actual years. . .Michelle finished all her classes early, she didn't officially skip a year but working on blocks of classes at her own pace. . .it was basically the same effect."

 

"Just like how we taught the kids."

 

"Yep."

 

Josette disappears and reappears a few seconds later. "Oh that stupid bitch 'psychic' wannabe, she was arrested for her bullshit after she was found on their land by another homeowner. She's collapsed wailing in a jail cell that her life is over."

 

"Because they're finally holding her responsible for her own actions?" President Bartlett drawls.

 

"Yep. But there could be bodies buried in their basement. . .I had to smash windows to get inside then kick in doors once I was inside, why else would they be hiding the basement door from me? Ohhhh, you don't have a basement? My bad."

 

"Oh dear god." Professor Druid sighs.

 

"Oh yes, she's stunned a police officer dragged her off and a judge actually read all the complaints about her. She always got off with a slap on the wrist before, but not now."

 

Josette disappears again. "Oh dear god, it's going to be one of those days." Principal Madison sighs.

 

"That stupid fucker who shut down the shields. . .he was stunned he couldn't shut them down again. . . he was dragged off by the police screaming that I destroyed his life. His former bosses had enough of his complaining about that little mark in his file and fired his ass. Fucker's going to be seeing a psychiatrist but I can already tell you he didn't 'snap', he's just trying to get a plea deal instead of facing years in prison for attempted premeditated first degree murder for all the 'shit' he had in his car. Because nobody believes you that you have guns, knifes, saws, acid, a shovel . . .all innocently in your car. Not when you're trying to take the shields down on land belonging to a sovereign nation, one you have a history with already."

 

"Nope." President Bartlett sighs. "Michelle's cousin?"

 

"Going to be bringing up her house in three months, she's going to be splitting the time up with a year or two here, a year or two there. Agatha's talking to her about books."

 

After breakfast Josette heads to the fabric building, picking blossoms and putting the rolls of fabric up. One she strokes like she would one of the cats and puts in subspace. The yarn is next and some is popped in subspace as well. They'd come out before Lights Festival and filled bolts of fabric, finally using up one of the rolls of fabric.

 

Josette returns to the dorm and puts everything away before settling on a couch with one of the cats and turning on the radio for some music. She disappears and reappears a few seconds later, smirking nastily.

 

"Do I want to know?" David asks as he comes into the room.

 

"No, not really." Josette says with a smirk. "Just a bunch of crooks getting the worse end of the bargain."

 

"Serves them right then." David smirks. "Do I wanna know anyway?"

 

"Oh mobsters muscling in the rebuilding efforts of all those people who lost everything in the fire. They wanted to come in and build towns, getting a cut of the building costs, the people living in the houses would be paying through the nose to rent them. . .they wanted to be the only stores in town. . . I took all their money, sent all their records to the police, and watched in glee as they were very publicly arrested, tried, convicted, and sentenced to the rest of their lives in federal prisons. The government's crowing very loudly about bringing down organized crime while secretly wondering what the hell is going on. Because while they might be taking credit for the arrests, they're not seeing a dime of the money they know is out there."

 

Josette disappears again. Her face when she reappears is a mixture of amusement and annoyance. "Some fool in Granda's dimension wailing because the mall is doing well, the school's businesses are prospering, hell even the damn credit union in town has more accounts than just the kids attending school. How. . .how. . .how. . .HOW can she look her nose down on everybody when they're succeeding at everything they do?" Josette holds the back of her hand to her forehead in a fainting damsel in distress move.

 

David snickers. "And she's miserable about it? Or just miserable in general?"

 

"Yep. I left Granda muttering if they had put stupid pills in the water. Of course he'd been stuck dealing with idiots who wanted him to change everything at the school to suit them."

 

"Of course they do." Principal Madison sighs from the doorway, like Doc he'd come running when he found out Josette had gone off twice. . .again. "There wasn't a week on Earth that I wasn't getting complaints about how the school was being run. Well, you know how many times we were sued by some high and mighty who wanted our rules changed for their precious offspring."

 

"Yep." Josette yawns. "They don't wike that the school in town is controlled by Granda's school. . .there had to be some bribery in the decision to give it to them. Wasn't there anybody else willing to take it over?"

 

"Why the hell would Dad want the fucking headaches?"

 

"Oh yes, when they saw the test results between now and before the zero-population period they supposed that taking over the school was good for the students. But can't you offer the same classes in town so they don't have to switch schools? "

 

"Ummm no, that's why Dad's school is one of the best in the country." Josette disappears again.

 

"Catch you at a bad time?" The Josette from Superhero's dimension asks the shield around the other Josette.

 

"Sorry about that, this is the fifth time I've been called away today. . .and it's not even lunch yet." Josette says sourly as she drops her shield.

 

"Do I want to know?" Pat asks from the doorway.

 

"No, not really. First time was that stupid ass psycho. . .err psychic." Josette says firmly. the sniggering she hears lets her know the intercom's on. "She was arrested after breaking windows to get into a home then started kicking in doors because bodies are buried in the basement, why else would they be hiding the door from her? Ohhhh, you don't have a basement. . . my bad." Pat and Josette sigh while a electronic moan tells her the other Josette is listening in too. "Ohhh yes, she's miserable because she's being punished for her shit now instead of just getting a slap on the wrist, the judge is taking all her other stunts into consideration. The second time was that fool government officer, he can't live with a mark in his record. . .he stole a control to take the shields down again when he was fired because his bosses were tired of his nonsense, he was found screaming at the shields frantically trying to take them down. His car was full of knives, guns, rope, acid. . . he was convicted of attempted first degree murder."

 

"There's no way all that would innocently be in a vehicle." Kent sighs. Richard and Doc nod.

 

"The other times?" Josette Savage the second asks as the walk down the hallway in the Tower.

 

"Organized crime was trying to muscle in on the rebuilding from the fire, they built a town but they wanted to charge exorbitant rent to live there and wanted everything to be supplied by them. I took all their money and whatnot, sent all their records to the authorities, and they're facing years in a federal prison. The government is crowing about taking a tough stance on organized crime but they're secretly upset, they get the big busts but they don't get the profits they know the gangs have and they want them so badly their teeth itch."

 

"And the fourth time?"

 

Josette rolls her eyes. "Some fool woman was complaining about how everything is running well at the school and the mall. How can they do that to her? How can she sneer and look down her nose at them if everything's going well? She's just miserable about it, or maybe just miserable period."

 

Pat says something rude.

 

"Yeah, Granda was asking if they put stupid pills in the water because some fools are whining about his classes, can't he just offer them at the school in town since he runs it too instead of students switching? And why was he given control of the school? Wasn't there anybody else who could take it over? Was there a reason he got the school?"

 

"Yes, and the reason was nobody else wanted it." Richard snorts as they walk into the briefing room. "Sorry to call you back Josette, but we have a problem."

 

"First, drink this." Mara says, bringing a bottle over. Shrugging Josette drinks it. "Okay, for some weeks we've heard rumors in the underworld about a new gang muscling in and trying to take over. Now they supposedly call themselves the squadron of awesome. . ." Josette lays her head on the table and cackles. "Oh dear god. . .the squadroM of awesome evildoers, bad to the bone for sixteen generations?" She emphasizes the M at the end of the first word.

 

"Yes? Josette?"

 

"I did that for a creative writing class at Hamberg." She takes the folders and looks through them. Then sighs and motions for the phone. Looking through her personal numbers she dials one.

 

"Well, that explains how only the 'evil eye of the supreme Librarian, our beloved founder Josette Takahawa' can stop their plans." Clarinda snorts. Pat has her eyes covered and is laughing despite herself.

 

"Janice Kilgallen's office, can I take a message?"

 

"This is Josette Takahawa, we had classes together at Hamberg and my family's high in the government too, can You please get her on the phone if at all possible. . . tell her that somebody is hearing rumors about the Squadrom of awesome evildoers is trying to take over the criminal underworld?" Josette hits the button to put the phone on speaker.

 

The sound of spluttering. . ."Josette? Say what?" a different voice comes over the line.

 

"Yes, I'm seeing paperwork from at least thirty-three local and state police departments and . . ." Pat holds up a hand, palm out three different times. "fifteen federal agencies." She covers her face and sighs before looking up at the ceiling in a 'why me lord' look that everybody recognizes.

 

"Excuse me. . .Mom, Dad, Jackson. . .if one of you are near Baxter, smack him. . .hard." Janice yells away from the phone.

 

"Why did your idiot brother just take off running?" A female voice asks.

 

"Somehow a creative writing exercise I wrote at Hamberg with another student is now trying to take over the criminal underworld."

 

"Yes, that sounds like one of your idiot brother's stunts."

 

"Yes, but now we have to explain everything to state, local, and federal agencies." The sound of muffled guffaws.

 

"Josette?"

 

"My family is reading the personnel files now that they know they're not real and getting to the jokes we put in there." Josette looks at the others. "The visiting teacher really didn't like we made a complete farce of her oh so precious exercise but the president of the school laughed her ass off."

 

"Yes, I recognize Rebecca now." Mara says. Josette looks over. "No, that's her secretary Macallen, President Baxter is. . .Richard's got her file. Third one down." He holds one up and she nods. Mara takes it and begins to read, snickering. "Kent, step away from the coffee for the next one, your lungs will thank you. Amilie's." She tells Janice. Who starts guffawing herself.

 

"Freezes time in a localized area because her face can stop any clock?" He asks dryly. On the other end of the phone Janice's parents look at her daughter.

 

"Amilie was a floormate of ours and had terrible bedhead." Janice chuckles.

 

"Oh yes, we all pretended to be scared of her when we had pajama parties at the dorm. She hammed it up and pretended to be a monster out to get us. She'd lured us in with her sweet innocent act and cooking skills and was going to eat our souls. Or at least catch us and blow raspberries on our necks." Josette puts her head back down on the table again. "Damn it."

 

"Bunnies jump you?" Janice asks.

 

"A whole fucking squadron. . .errr, SquadroM of them." she says firmly. Janice snickers. "Hand me over to your grandfather, my family's nearly as high up in the government as yours, between the two of us we can start sorting this out."

 

"I'm here, Josette had you on speaker."

 

"And you're on speaker here too."

 

"Josette, don't leave the Tower, the agencies are allowing you to stay here while they investigate rather than put you in jail."

 

Josette wanders off to start writing the scenarios running through her head down before she loses them.

 

Janice gives her blubbering idiot brother a disgusted look. "Moron, you could have had her arrested." His father snorts.

 

"But it was supposed to be a joke! I didn't think anybody would believe that story. I wanted Janice to look stupid. . ." His mother slaps the hell out of him and cusses him out. His father drags him off and proves he's not too big to get a licking.

 

"I apologize for my stupid ass son Dr. Savage, he swears he didn't think anybody would take it seriously but wanted his sister to look stupid when they finally broke in and drug her off. He meant for it to be another stupid ass stunt of his. . .nobody would be hurt. Janice would be dragged away and tossed in jail or even prison, then when they finally started looking for the crimes they would find they never happened and even though Janice was innocent. . .the publicity against her would be horrible. It would serve her right for not thinking he's . . ."

 

"All that and a bag of chips?" Pat snorts.

 

"Oh yes, the little brat wants to be known as the best prankster in the world. . .moron doesn't realize people got better things to do in their lives than pay homage to the little fool. I've had enough of his shit and I'm about ready to beat him to death. Before he pulls a damn stunt on the wrong person and they either destroy him in court or just beat his stupid ass."

 

"Can she do that?" Janice's brother wails as he's slapped with a lawsuit for theft of intellectual property and emotional distress.

 

"Yes shithead, if her family wasn't as big in the government as yours and she could be under 'house arrest' she'd be sitting in a jail cell wondering what the hell was going on until they investigated and found the rumors were just that. . .stories. Or isn't this what you wanted for your sister?"

 

"But I didn't mean for anybody to be hurt." he bleats.

 

"Bullshit, you figured you'd make your sister look like an idiot because you don't like how she won't kiss your ass because of your damn pranks. Grow up you stupid little sack of shit."

 

A couple weeks later the agencies wander off both thankful that this wasn't real and moaning about how easily they'd been taken in. Baxter had gotten a number of severe lectures from the agencies and his family before Josette heads back to the dorm.

 

 

 

She looks at David in disgust as he guffaws at her sour look about being bunnied and splits off a duplicate to bring out that file and start working on the outlines. Josette returns from lunch fervently praying she won't be dragged off again and walks into her workroom, finally grabbing a bag and laying everything out so she can turn her notes and drawings into a proper pattern. Pat walks into the room. "Will you have enough books for the third year?"

 

"Yeah, I've got two completed and in the finishing stages, this will finish a third book. . ." Josette moans and creates several hundred notebooks and several dozen energy duplicates.

 

"Josette will be a while, she got hit with more quilts." She says as she comes down the stairs.

 

"It's been a few years." David says. A few minutes before dinner he goes up to her workroom, finding her laying out pieces for a block and boxes of sketchpads against the wall.

 

"Yeah, I was coming down as soon as I get this marked." Josette finishes the last line and comes downstairs with him.

 

"How many sketchpads did you fill?"

 

"Hundreds, I can quadruple all the books I have. . .including the ones I don't have finished yet. And still have more to work on."

 

Josette sends out the files to Pat for the books in the databurst that would be just after she left and settles back down to relax, she'd already sent the outlines and original files to Madison. It's beginning to warm up on Haven and she'll be spreading manure in a couple weeks.

 

Madison moans as she looks at the outlines and the reason why Josette dusted it off, then sets down to read the original exercise and files, laughing her ass off.

 

Josette comes back from picking up the recycling on the other planets, picking up the last pallet that the others had been working on and heads off to Calvin's dimension.

 

Josette nods to Jane who's busy talking to somebody and makes a motion of turning pages in a book. She nods and Josette heads off. The woman who'd been talking to Jane looks that direction.

 

"Josette, the librarian at the other school. She just let me know she'd be in the library. She's probably bringing in socks and other stuff for the office."

 

"Do you need to talk to her?"

 

"She'll be here for a while." Jane chuckles.

 

Pat walks into Hamberg's president's office and hands her a thumb drive. "Several weeks ago, a number of various local, state, and federal agencies contacted us about a group called the Squadrom of awesome evildoers. . ."

 

"Oh god, I remember your granddaughter creating that." President Baxter covers her eyes.

 

"Yes, she says the teacher was not happy but you laughed your ass off."

 

"I did. But local, state, and federal agencies?"

 

"Janice Kilgallen's brother got into the file and started sending it off as a prank. Josette recognized it immediately and contacted Janice. . .who knew who the perpetrator was. Unfortunately Josette was nearly arrested as the 'ringleader' until calmer heads prevailed and allowed her to stay under 'house arrest' at the Tower until this matter was settled."

 

"Yes, he has a history of this type of behavior. I take it your granddaughter got bunnied and that's the result?"

 

"Yes, she'd like a portion of the sales to go to the school if you agree to allow it to be released. She did create it at the school. Anybody familiar with the school will recognize the grounds and various employees."

 

"I'll read it and pass it along, I doubt anybody will complain. Josette doesn't really destroy characters in her books. Even the 'villains' have good excuses for doing what they do."

 

Josette dances away from Madison's grab, hearing the laughter of Joanne and Jessica in the house.

 

"Get in here, you little brat. I can't believe that the law agencies out there didn't do a lick of investigation but I know there's idiots out there who try to make the facts fit their ideas and not the other way around."

 

"One good thing, the little shit is being very quiet since he knows his family won't put up with any more of his fabulous pranks. Neither will the authorities. . .not with the egg they have on their faces for not looking into it. He goes to prison and pulls those stupid 'pranks', they'll kill him."

 

"Only what the little brat deserves." Joanne says firmly. "I'd have killed any of the kids who acted like that." The other two women nod.

 

Josette comes back to Haven and pulls on a t-shirt before walking into Headquarters. "Pat, I got three containers for you. . .where do you want them?"

 

Pat looks over at the snickering, reads Josette's t-shirt 'Momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy, Grandma ain't happy. . . RUN' and nods once. . .smiling evilly. "Oh yes. But containers?"

 

"A manufacturer had a 'get this shit out of here' sale because the company that ordered it went out of business. I sorted out what I figured you'd be running low on." Josette sends Pat a file and she nods. She shows Josette a room and the containers are moved. "Did you talk to Madison?"

 

"Yes, she was sad that the agencies didn't do any investigating but she knows there's idiots out there who will try to change the facts to fit their theories, not the other way around." Doc sighs but nods.

 

"How is the rebuilding after the fire?"

 

"Well, the communities that got rid of their fire service in a bid to save money are realizing why it was a bad idea." Josette drawls. "The citizens are demanding 24/7 fire service. . .feeling that if the departments hadn't been dissolved some homes might have been saved. Yeah, hindsight's always 20/20. Of course there's a lot of bitter feelings that the boards that dissolved the fire departments. . ."

 

"Had their homes saved?"

 

"Yep. I've been distributing a lot of the crap the crooks wanted to sell in their stores. . .and real stores are coming into areas. Schools are open and I split twenty million dollars into a interest bearing account that will be used for full scholarships when they graduate. With so much happening they're going to be a couple years behind others but. . ."

 

"They survived."

 

"Yeah."

 

"Are the kids whose. . ."

 

"If they moved away or stayed. . .just have to show proof their families lived in the area. I've got lists from everywhere, insurance, phone books, red cross. . ." Doc nods in satisfaction.

 

"You're a good girl." Pat kisses her granddaughter on the forehead.

 

"They didn't deserve to lose their homes to those morons greed and stupidity. So many people didn't just lose their homes, they lost their jobs. Many lost their health when they were burned. . . Morons were just sulking about not getting my land and went on the attack."

 

"Josette, do you have a show?"

 

"In about six weeks in Doc's dimension, the boys have their show in Mom's dimension a week later. Yeah, they're close together but we'll have a couple weeks between the shows in the dimensions to recover, it's only going to be every couple years or so we'll have two shows and we'll spread them out more the other years, this year they had a problem with the location. . .everybody's shows were delayed by storm damage."

 

 

A mumbling beep every five minutes Marilyn is walked out to the car by Ellen as Natalie heads for a conference room. "Landon, Aunt Marilyn's water broke."

 

"Shit."

 

"Go, I have it." his associate says with a grin, waving a hand. "The babies are more important than this boring meeting."

 

"Aunt Marilyn?" The man who'd called the meeting says when the pair had left.

 

"The head of Daniels? That was her niece Natalie who's second in command, Marilyn's pregnant with twins."

 

Natalie heads to the hospital after her class and the next morning she walks into the building. Waving to everybody she grins. "It's boys. Marcus and Jacob Allen Daniels. They weigh just over seven pounds and will be coming home with Momma tomorrow." She yawns. "No, I haven't slept yet, I'm going to see if there's anything important in this morning's mail then nap on the couch for a few hours."

 

The elevator opens and Mona comes sailing out. "There's not a damn thing in the mail that can't wait until Monday. Jasper," he accepts the keys tossed his direction. "You're driving my car to the apartment complex, I'll drive Natalie's."

 

"Did you call the diaper service?"

 

"Yes, I picked up three batches." She points to the back seat and Mona nods in satisfaction at the packages of diapers, diaper covers, and diaper pails covering the back seat. "We're going to be on the regular delivery schedule Fridays. We've got formula and other supplies just waiting for them." Mona helps her bring in everything and she nods in satisfaction at the nursery before locking the apartment up and heading down to where Jasper's waiting in her car.

 

 

Maddy looks at the envelope that's been pushed through the slot of her door and she takes a deep breath as she opens the flap. She smiles. . .it had been sooo long but she finally got her high school diploma. Putting it in the container of stuff she's saving she turns her attention to the school catalogs that had been delivered.

 

 

 

 

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