Chapter 7

Still Abby

<>. Various vocalizations of denial. Most confirming that none of them was guilty of gifting Abby a watch. <I didn’t>... <I never>... <No!> were repeated by the second ... well ... by the 1o second. The seven denied duplicity.

I had said, “Doesn’t everybody?” Although the rising inflection at the end of my statement did suggest a question ... I was making a declaration and not an interrogative. Surely everyone in North America has a watch. Even the homeless have cell phones. So ... it’s not a watch ... per se ... most of them tell and keep time ... and that’s a watch ... to me anyway ... but I do have an antique windup. I found it. Yes ... it is broken and I never bothered ... I keep it because it’s pretty ... and solid gold ... emergency money.

Rambling here ... the explosion of the shipper was ... unsettling. I came THIS close to being truly dead.

“What ... in the name of The Powers That Be ... was in that container?”

<>?

“Junior?”

“What ever it was ... it wasn’t nuclear. There was a lot of ... whatever. My bubble bulged ... never done that before.”

<Abby?>

“Oh ... come off it, Seven,” I said. “If you insist ... show up.”

They emerged, discombobulated ... slightly disgusting ... I’m not used to it ... but they do it ... I can live with that.

“Finally ... people ... I can deal with that ... better than the voices in my head ... you guys drive me bonkers.”

“Short trip,” quipped Two.

“HaHa,” I retorted. The blowup had me unsettled ... with some recovery time I could do better than a squeaky laugh. As a precautionary measure, I took my pulse ... ooo ... rapid. Scared me, it did.

Suddenly, I realized I hadn’t procreated ... I could have left this realm without distributing my genes ... my ... life force would be lacking in the general population. Tragic. I began eying the male portion of the seven.

Six said ... warily, “Flattering, Abby.”

I blushed ... I forget they can read minds.

Four continued, “But no. However ... the police AND fire department are seconds away ... several of the firefighters would be suitable.”

Six said, “We do Not read minds ... but we do read faces. And yours is a dead giveaway.”

Seven said, “And ... we’re outta here.”

They were ... I didn’t know they could disappear without combining.

Sure enough, the protectors of the public safety came screaming around the edge of the airfield, sirens blasting and lights flashing.

“What?” said the first cop on the scene.

The destruction was so complete ... the evidence was gone.

“Sonic Boom?” asked Junior. “We heard it too.” She was straight faced about it.

I, on the other hand, lost it. Hiccups and weaving ... trying not to give way to hysteria... ‘sonic boom’ got me.

The fire department are ‘first responders.’ Assessment and isolate the worst is what they do ... waiting on an ambulance. Which was coming up to the unlocked gate.

The firemen had me seated on the step of their truck, head down between my knees. One of them was plying my nose with an ampoule with something in it that was making me ... SNEEZE! ... all over his fireproof suit. And again ... SNEEZE!

The ambulance braked to a stop in front of me ... the obvious victim. The two Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT’s) dismounted carrying bags and stethoscopes, “What’s up, Jerry?”

My name isn’t Jerry ... they weren’t talking to me.

But ... now I know his name ... and Jerry is unbelievably cute and ‘ringless’. Ringless is very important right now.

The female tech was observing the area ... and shaking her head. She grabbed her cell and called ... someone.

“No, daddy ... nothing. I know what you said ... I know what I’m seeing.”

“Nope ... no earthquake ... and no volcano.”

She handed her phone ... covered it up. “Daddy says there should be at very least a ‘three event’ here. The instruments say so.”

We looked at her.

“Daddy is a scientist with the USGS ... I saw that look ... Daddy, the Princess is here.”

“Yes, daddy ... that explains it.”

Junior got this look ... indignation.

VERY indignant.

VERY