Chapter 9

Yes, thou findest that unpleasant!
Thou hast the moral right to cry me "shame!" at present.
One dares not that before chaste ears declare,
Which chaste hearts, notwithstanding, cannot spare;
And, once for all, I grudge thee not the pleasure
Of lying to thyself in moderate measure.

Reprinted from Faust. Trans. Bayard Taylor. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1898.

Severus and Ulmdeh were out on the patio at daybreak enjoying their coffee and conversation together when the first of their new children arose. The morning sky was clear, the air was dry with just a faint westerly breeze and the temperature was just warm enough for shirtsleeves to be comfortable. A mockingbird perched high in an elm tree sang his song for all to hear. The older couple smiled and greeted each as they sauntered out, some of them rubbing sleep from their eyes after the late night of conversation and bed play.

Once everyone was up, a light breakfast served, and the kitchen mess dealt with, everyone just hung around the patio enjoying the sweet morning. Ulmdeh knew everyone wanted to continue where they had left off last night so she stood up and got the ball rolling.

"I have to admit you four are even smarter than I gave you credit for. You correctly deduced the general plan last night. I am so proud of all of you."

"So Ulmdeh, how do we get started?" asked Bo. "Do we need a game plan or strategy session at this point or do we just start the awakenings or what?"

"Come on Bo, just say what you mean," Severus deadpanned and seconds later laughter broke among the group easing the tension that had enveloped them.

"It is alright to be nervous," Ulmdeh looked them each in the eyes like a loving mother. "I do have a general plan of action but nothing needs to be done right away except getting you set up with cover documents and accounts. I will continue answering your questions concerning us while I prepared the nostrum for Bo. I suggest we initiate his treatment in three days, unless of course you want to wait Bo."

"No, I'm good to go and get this started."

"Good, since that is settled let me tell you what I have already set up. You four will become officers of a shell corporation I have set up just for this. I have bank accounts for you to draw from and both personal and company credit cards. You will get a passport photo taken after your awakening is complete. You will have all the correct documentation to leave and enter the country and everything will be legal if you come under any government scrutiny or background check. I will take care of all that for you. Your training will commence, as each of you are physically and mentally ready. Any questions so far?"

Phil and Bo behaved as if this was just another pre-deployment briefing and indicated they were clear. Esmeralda and Betty Sue looked at each other and then announced in unison,"What about our babies?"

Ulmdeh giggled and responded, "Already taken care of. I have a sperm bank in Dallas already set up for the boys to make a deposit if you desire and unless my senses deceive me, after last night you both already have one in the oven, so to speak."

That shut the women up. The younger men looked like someone just poured ice water down their pants. The expressions on the four youngsters faces set Severus to cackling as if laying an egg and Ulmdeh did her best to hold a straight face.

"Remember girls, I can tell what is in your heart and I love you as the daughters I never had, but if I get presumptuous, my apologies because I am used to getting things done on my own and I too have to adjust to accepting your input. So please forgive an old woman."

Her statement brought on the waterworks for the females and a group hugs for all three.

Eventually the group went inside to sign papers and Severus took their pictures for company identification cards. Each got business cards showing an office address in El Paso and a post office box in Alpine for their personal mail. They each received a box of checks, eight different credit cards as well as corporate gas cards for all the major oil companies. They also received keys for the company vehicles arriving the next day on a transport truck and keys to a large lock box Severus brought in, stuffed with currency for just about every major country in the world.

They all congregated in the TV room after a lunch of sandwiches for more Q&A.

Phil cut to the chase right away, "What are our physical limitations going to be? I mean what can we or can't we live through?"

Ulmdeh got a very serious expression and her tone was ominous, "For the first seven years you can be killed just like any other human. From the time the physical conversion is complete until you are five hundred years old you can only die if you obliterate your brain and skull. Once you are older than one thousand-years-old, you can reconstitute your bodies from dust, if needed. However, you will feel the physical pain from any damage to your body. If I am shot, I heal right up in about two to three minutes, but it hurts like hell.

"Until your conversion is complete, and I reiterate that until time all of your soft tissue has renewed, you are as mortal as you have ever been. Your mental capabilities will grow from awakening through your entire life. There are those older than I that are more capable than I am, but I will not get into that right now.

"Eventually, you can draw oxygen and energy through your skin. You will be able to exist without food or sleep, but your body will suffer if you do. If you do not take in enough water you will desiccate or turn your body into an inert mummy, but you will return to normal when you rehydrate."