Chapter 8

Jed and a short Shoshone girl in a hooded jacket were hooking up an EC. That’s what we all agreed was a better name than a ‘catcher.’ It didn’t take nearly the space that the EC took up at the NavEl site. Of course, those generators put out umteen times the output that the little one put out at McKesson Creek.

The McKesson Creek generator was inside a stone and wood building. No pill boxes, no elaborate close security. Of course, McKesson Creek itself was inside a security perimeter, and the fence was electrified. But it was mostly a case of ‘move along, nothing to see here.’ If they ever looked in the building, I’d love to see ‘em try and shut down a fusion reaction. You couldn’t even move a small one without heavy equipment. It’d be like three men standing around a diesel locomotive and pushing on it. All they could really do is disconnect it from the cars it was pulling.

James Bright Moon wanted to follow after Chas White Earth when the latter decided everything was going well enough in McKesson Creek and he was ready to go home to Burnside North.

Unfortunately, I had to say no. Alexandra was not finished with her punishment yet, and I felt she needed her brother. That wasn’t fair to Jimmy, but we (Rock, Bear, and I) had to make a decision. The two of them were only seven plus years old. Yes, they were mature beyond their years, but one of them needed the other.

Secondarily, the schedule for bonding both of the twins to a pair of Wokitas had slipped. They needed to be tight with the dogs long before the incoming invasion. The plan I’d discussed with my husbands was for all of us to be in Burnside North when the invasion came, and leave Jed Somerville and the Shoshone warriors to fend off the coal miners. Our fight was going to be against the mercs that were coming after the Navajo and the NavEl facility.

The backup to that plan was to be the dogs. Two each for the kids while I was with Linc. I had no doubt that something would be overlooked. I mean, Linc and Washburn were pros, but – come on, there were only two of them. We were due to face two thousand professional, younger men. Haven’t I always heard that combat plans went out the window at first contact with the enemy?

I explained all that to Jimmy.

The young man listened carefully. Then he thought about it for a fairly long time. He sat, looking at his oatmeal breakfast for a full minute. Sixty is a long time when you are counting the seconds. He didn’t do anything except think.

Finally he took a spoonful of the oatmeal and spoke, “I’ll try to answer your concerns in order of importance.” This was my seven-year-old? I don’t think I’d have an introduction to an answer that good coming from Soon Maritsuki, who had the best organized mind I knew.

“First, A. would be okay, with me going or staying. I just merged with her a little, and I’m very confident of that.” Alex chose that moment to come into the kitchen. She looked as juvenile as Jimmy did adult. She was wearing a little girl dress, that came to mid-thigh and had her hair in two pig-tails. Jimmy, this morning, had a golf-type pullover and a pair of khaki shorts with a Boy Scout belt. Very adult, almost as if he had dressed for a meeting with his boss.

Alex came over and walked behind her brother. She placed her left hand on his shoulder, and slowly strolled over to her chair, running her hand across his shoulders and sat down. “Morning mom, dads, J.” she said. Her voice did not match the little girl look.

I linked to Rock and Bear, ’You watching this?’ I got a pair of ‘Yeahs??’ from them.

“Second,” Jimmy went on, “I completely understand about the Wokitas. You should know that I’ve already made a bond with Kiche and Hosa. I’ve spoken with both of them in the last week and they don’t have any problem with me. They are looking forward to having a job. They are willing to work with me.”

“You called them without telling me?” I looked at him.

“Mom, I wasn’t grounded anymore,” he explained. “I knew you wanted us both to bond with the dogs. So I called to them – all four of them. They decided who would go with me. Alex did not violate her grounding.”

“I didn’t,” said Alex. “Promise. J. just sent them a picture of me and my ... uhm ... my personality.”

Jimmy nodded. “No rules were broken. And Matto and Dyana decided on her, just like Kiche and Hosa picked me.” He paused before resuming his original answer. “Third, I don’t think Chas will do anything that I can’t pick up on in the next few weeks. So, I don’t mind staying here. I want to spend some more time with Dark Wolf. He’s getting really old, and we don’t get to see him as much as we should. By the way, Wild Mustang is getting old too. It’s getting to be his time, you know.