Chapter 6

Tracy woke from a short, deep sleep and had heard the phone ring and parts of a brief conversation. Some instinct told her that it had to do with the NiS team. Being as secretive as she could, she opened the door of Porter's spare bedroom a crack and listened as Porter argued with someone. In the process, Tracy heard Porter repeat an address. Taking no more chance of discovery, Tracy hurried back to bed and faked sleep. It was a good precaution because Porter looked into the room just before hurrying out of the condo.

Waiting about ten minutes in case Porter returned for a forgotten item, Tracy then called Anthony in Washington. "Anthony, I think the team is about to be arrested."

"And just why the hell should I believe you?" Anthony demanded. "You deserted the team."

"You gave us an illegal order, and you know it," she retorted. "And Margaux had a gun! What were you thinking?"

"A gun? I didn't know about that," Anthony claimed. "Can you get to that address?"

"I suppose I could call a cab," Tracy answered. "I could be recognized, though."

"Well, do the best you can," Anthony told her. "This doesn't get you out of trouble, though."

"Well, my trouble is nothing compared to yours," she shot back. "At least I followed the law."

Finding an unsuspected streak of ingenuity, Tracy rummaged through Porter's closet for something to change her appearance. She found several wigs, and chose one that contrasted with her natural color. She also picked out jeans, a baggy sweater, and a baseball cap which she pulled low over her eyes.

She felt very bad about betraying the woman who had helped her, but despite her 'desertion', she was loyal to the Program. At that point, she did not trust Porter to take the Program's side.

Tracy arrived near the motel well before the police and Porter's crew reached it.

"How did you find out?" Summer demanded when Anthony told her about the arrests. He recounted the whole sequence of Tracy's evening. "So, she's the only one using her head tonight? Can we get a lawyer to them quickly?"

"None of the ones we use have any criminal experience," he answered.

"I'll call our outside counsel and make sure they get someone to the precinct."

After the captives were freed, everything seemed to proceed in slow motion. It took an unbelievably long time just to get all of the NiS people loaded into cars and headed for the precinct. Molly, Gwen, and Curt had to follow to complete all of the statements and other paperwork.

"Can you get my phone back from that guy so I can call my brother," Molly asked the officer that was escorting them.

"Sorry, Ma'am. If he took it from you, it is evidence and we have to keep it."

"Jason, can I use yours, please?" Jason had stayed close to the trio through the whole process.

"I hate to ask you this, Molly, but could you hold off on calling anyone?"

"Why? I don't want them to hear about this on the news first."

"I appreciate that. Unfortunately, we have to be very careful," Jason cautioned. "My legal people believe that, to save face, the Program may try to get a Federal warrant on you two."

"On what grounds?" Gwen demanded.

"Well, knowing how things go in the judiciary these days, anything can happen," Jason answered.

"But it would never stick. They didn't do anything wrong," Gwen insisted.

"Remember, we're talking about appearances here. Just being able to announce that they are seeking a warrant saves a lot of face - softens the disaster a little. Who will ever hear that the warrant was not granted? And if they happen to get one, it will seem like a huge victory for the Program."

"You've really thought this through, haven't you," Gwen said, almost as an accusation.

"My staff has," Jason replied. "I'm not that analytical. Anyway, on the off chance that they find a judge who owes them a big favor, Molly and Curt need to disappear."

"Disappear? For how long? Where will we go?" Gwen was not at all happy about that development.

"It can't be on any of my properties. I have arranged for you to stay with an associate not too far away. I will go with you, of course," Jason explained.

"Won't they know that we are at the police station?" Curt asked.

"I'm sure we will be long gone before they could actually get that warrant," Jason assured him. "It will, uh, be a while before the perps can even call out."

"You played them, didn't you?" Molly accused. "Isn't this entrapment?"

"We did nothing to mislead them. In fact, thanks to you, Gwen, they were clearly warned about the illegality of what they were doing. One of them even decided not to be involved, and that really strengthens our position. No, I don't think there is any chance of an entrapment charge."

"Even though you could have stopped it at the time?" Gwen asked.

"We were not obligated to do that. Remember, the police force was not even at the stadium. A private citizen cannot be accused of entrapment."

"How long before I can call Bert?" Molly asked.

"It, uh, may be a while. Don't worry about it getting on the air before you can tell him. Ms. Arragon has agreed to proceed on my schedule. The first word the Program will get about the arrests will be from her. She will call the director and ask her to comment on the news story about to be released. Ms. Arragon will not make that call until I tell her to."

"Are you sure the word won't get out earlier?" Molly asked.

"The perps will be kept away from phones as long as is legally possible," Jason assured her. "My security people are set up around the station to make sure that no outsiders find out what is going on."

Gwen was looking decidedly unhappy, and Jason noticed. "Gwen, talk."

"I guess I'm feeling used, Jason. We all appreciate the chance for the kids to get the truth out about the Program. Somehow, though, it got turned into something far beyond anything that we could have expected. Next, they became bait, and now they'll be fugitives."

"It's called cooperation, Gwen. Molly and Curt got something important to them, and it's helping me toward what I want."

"We need to have a serious talk pretty soon about exactly what it is that you want, Jason," Gwen said softly. "I would like to be sure that I agree with what I am helping you to do."

Morning found a warm heaviness against Bert's side. It took perhaps minutes for him to realize that it was his mother. His limited awareness had been concentrated on that particular puzzle, so he had not yet assessed the rest of his situation until he figured it out.

Then he was able to ponder the contrast between the warmth against his side and the cool air touching everything else but his lower legs. That's when the familiar tightness at his crotch became noticeable. He was on his back and he reached down to try to pull the sheet up over his exposed morning hardness.

"No. It's too beautiful. It's just getting light enough so I can see it," Eleanor said softly into his ear, where her mouth was pressing close.

Well, the first day or so of his 'practice', he had waved it at her hard most of the time, so he should not have worried about her seeing him aroused now. Still, the situation was so different. Then, he had done it to shock her, to taunt her, to punish her. Then, it was ... noble. Now, it was ... a little scary. It felt like his times with Maidchen. That was wonderful, except that this was his mom, and things like that weren't done with one's mom.

Actually, concerns about incest were loudly and regularly laughed at in the media. Experts were interviewed daily, it seemed, and expounded the benefits of sex in a close, caring environment. Since accidental pregnancy was almost eradicated, genetic concerns were no longer a factor. The mantra seemed to be 'What's the harm?'.

Right then, with a throbbing morning erection and his clearly needy mother pressed against him, incest was way down Bert's list of important thoughts. There was one important thought that trumped all others, though, and that was the pressure on his bladder. By the time he had solved that problem and returned from his bathroom, his mother had left, presumably to take care of her own needs in her suite.

He laid back down on the bed on his back with his hands behind his head. The possible repercussions of his mother spending the night with him were worrisome. That she wore a full-length silk nightie made little difference. The main problem was his father. His parents' marriage appeared to be solid, if not all that tender and romantic. There had never been any hint of a possible divorce. Among the lingering points of Parkhurst family pride was an adherence to the old 'till death do us part' idea. That had led to the perpetuation of a number of unions that would have been far better off dissolved. He wondered if his parents were in that category.

There was no doubt that Win had been attracted to Eleanor by her looks, for she was a beautiful woman. She had the intelligence to realize what an asset her body was and the discipline to care for it meticulously. Whether Win even realized or cared about her exceptional intelligence when he married her was an interesting question.

Win was no slouch in the looks department, Bert had to admit. It was his attitude that always turned Bert off. His mother had gone after things that he considered wrong, but she had gone after them passionately, skillfully, and wholeheartedly. In contrast, cynicism, arrogance, and a practiced blase demeanor characterized his father.

Was he actually worrying about whether his own 'dalliance' with his mother would threaten his parents' marriage? He wouldn't let things go any farther, would he?

The nudism enthusiasts were continually explaining that nudity and sex were not necessarily linked. As far as he was concerned, they were full of shit. Maybe it decreased over time, but for him, going around naked made him think of sex almost continually.

"I hope I didn't break it last night," said Maidchen as he felt her climb onto the bed, spread his legs apart, and kneel so close to his crotch that he felt the dangling head of his penis touch her knee. He was spread about as wide as his legs would go, and it was an incredibly lewd and vulnerable position.

As he looked over his stomach at her naked body, she cupped his package in both hands and said "Don't you agree that this is a wonderful thing, Honey?" At first, he thought she was teasing him some more, but then he saw Gretchen standing beside him, clothed, staring at her mother's hands as they fondled his genitals. "Come on, Honey. Those high school girls are going to go nuts over this beautiful thing. He won't be able to walk the hall without some teenybopper holding onto it. Some little slut will be able to get him off in front of the class. Why shouldn't you take advantage of it?"

"Is that why you're doing all this, Maidchen? To help me with the damned Program?"

"Oh, I want to help you with the Program, all right. But it's also because I want to. I wasn't lying when I told you how I felt about penises and cocks. Come on, Honey!" Maidchen reached out her hand and pulled her daughter up onto the bed. Gretchen resisted for just a moment, then she sighed and gave in. Along with the sigh, though, Bert saw her eyes widen and her nostrils flare, and he knew that she was not being forced into anything that she found distasteful.

It was a strange, crowded, intimate little tableau on Bert's bed that Eleanor saw as she caught herself just before walking naked into her son's room. She needed to tell him about her resolution, but the sight on the bed took precedence. She had a momentary flash of anger at seeing her servant naked, sitting on her son. That did not last long, though.

Eleanor adopted the arrogance and class snobbishness that she thought was expected of her with everyone outside of their home. She never did that with the employees, though. In fact, Maidchen was a childhood friend, a friend who had honestly rejoiced in Eleanor's good fortune of 'landing' Winston Parkhurst. Eleanor had stood against Win on behalf of all of their 'servants' on different occasions, earning her their fierce loyalty.

No, she could not be angry with Maidchen, but should could be very, very envious. She was able to move slowly around the room and approach from behind Gretchen and over Bert's shoulder. Only Maidchen would see her, which she did, and registered immediate alarm. Eleanor quickly smiled and ran her hand down over her mound. Maidchen relaxed and reflected the smile. Both women had momentary, very pleasant memories of secret girlish explorations long ago.

Risking Gretchen seeing her, Eleanor moved around enough so she could see Bert's cock clearly. Since he had first stripped, his ejaculation was a sight she had longed to see. Actually, she had wanted to make it happen, but that was a hurdle she could not yet get over.

Gretchen's hesitancy and clumsiness made Eleanor feel for the girl, but those same traits must have been exciting to Bert, because the first pulse erupted in just a couple of minutes. Gretchen recoiled in alarm, but Maidchen was right there to take up the stroke and help him finish several strong jets.

With her fingers wriggling in her pussy, Eleanor did not realize that she had been holding her breath, and she let it out strongly. Gretchen heard, reddened in the face, squeaked, and jumped off of the bed. Eleanor was on her quickly, hugging and reassuring her.

Bert had been similarly alarmed, but he was too wasted to do more than flush. Eleanor got onto the bed and worked herself so that his head was in her lap. She stroked his head for a while without saying a word, then let out a loud sigh.

"I can think, you know," she said bitterly. "I'm even supposed to be pretty smart. For a long time, I've never bothered to think beyond what was trendy, what was the 'in' thing. I was so anxious to outdo everyone else in our circle that I worked my ass off for every 'progressive' cause that came along. I did a damned good job, because I AM smarter than most of the people we associate with. I did such a good job that I drove Molly away."

No one else moved or said a word as the tears began to run down her cheeks, dropping onto Bert's hair and forehead. When she had cried for a while, she wrapped both arms around his head, leaned over and pulled his face briefly into her breasts.

"If I'm so damned smart, why was I such a sheep? Why did I just go along with everything? What have I forced on those poor high school kids?" she said through some sniffles.

"I don't think there is any way I can right what I've done, and I'm ashamed. I don't think there is any way to get Molly back, either. I caused Molly to give up something that she treasured - her privacy, her modesty. I don't deserve the dignity of clothes. I've brought this nudity business on the kids, and I deserve to pay for it."

"Mom, you did what you thought was best," Bert consoled.

"And how many families will be torn up just like ours because of what the parents were brainwashed into thinking is best?" she asked bitterly.

"Yeah, I guess it is kinda brainwashing," Bert agreed. "The way the kids talked about the damned Program at school, you'd think it was the most exciting thing since sex. Ooops! Sorry, Mom." She gave him another loving squeeze.

"But I should have known what was wrong with it," she answered grimly. "I should have listened. Maybe I was afraid to admit that Molly was smarter. I don't know. Maybe I was competing with her - had to win. Some victory!"

"But going naked won't fix anything," he told her.

"Some religions have something called penance," Eleanor answered. "That's what this is for me. I messed up everything. This is a small way to atone for it, to let everyone know that I am sorry for what I did to my daughter.

"As a mother of a lovely daughter, I should have been proud to see her naked on the screen. But I knew - I knew how much that cost her. And I knew that she had to do it because of me. That scene has not left my mind for a minute since last night."

"But Darryl!," he exlaimed. "And Jorge (their long-time groundskeeper and maintenance man)!"

"Oh, a lot more than just those two will see me before school starts."

"School starts? But that's ... hey, the big Parkhurst picnic is Sunday. You can't go naked there!"

"Were you planning to dress?" she asked him.

"I ... I ... yes, I was," he admitted.

"Well, I won't," she declared.

"But they're all pretty, uh, conservative. What if you get in trouble with the family. I mean there could be lots of screaming and yelling. What if Dad..."

"I have to go to the party without Molly," she said with a set in her jaw. "Everybody in the family saw her naked on national TV. It was my fault that she did that. Tomorrow, they see me naked as my penance."

"If ... if Molly came back for the party, would you dress?"

"No! I hurt her. I need to pay for that. She wouldn't come anyway. She has a new life with that nice young man."

"I ... I'm afraid it will cause problems between you and Dad. I don't want to see you break up," he finally revealed his biggest fear.

"When was the last divorce in the Parkhurst clan?" she asked in response.

Bert let out a sigh of resignation. "I'm not going to talk you out of it, am I? Ok, I'll do it with you."

"No, you won't Bert. You get your practice here. You have nothing to do penance for like I do." She gave a chuckle, then said "Besides, for this to mean anything, I have to be noticed. With that beauty waving around, people would wonder afterwards if I was even there."

"Surrrrre!" He snorted. "With your body, I could stand there and jack off, and none of the girls would even notice me."

"It's bad enough that all those high school sluts are going to get at this," Maidchen broke in as she again started fondling him. "At least all those snooty young debs and wrinkly great aunts won't be playing with you."

"Can I see, uh, another practice," Eleanor asked with a strong note of pleading in her voice. By the time she took his hand and rubbed the back of it over her distended nipple, there was insufficient blood flow left for his brain to tell him to resist.

Win had discovered his naked wife talking to Darryl, and had unleashed the predictable explosion. Win, who at least seemed to pant after progressive social causes just as avidly as his wife! Perhaps the fact that he himself only appeared naked that one time on Saturday morning was a measure of his true devotion to the avant garde. When it came to his wife sharing her full beauty with other men, his philosophy revealed its shaky foundation. That it was with Darryl, a man that Win always felt slightly uncomfortable with, just made his reaction worse.

Her explanation of her resolution and his reaction had probably resounded to the edges of the estate. Bert could not quell his concerns about his family holding together, but he realized that there was nothing he could do about it. He went out to the patio where Erma brought him some breakfast. When the shouting ended, Eleanor joined him.

Even through the remnants of her own anger, she noticed her son's grim expression. She reached over and took his hand, saying "I have to do this, Honey. Please understand." When he made no response, she went on "Don't worry. We're not going to divorce. Even if we did, you would be fine."

"We're not exactly the perfect family," he said, "but I would hate to see it broken up."

"I've done a pretty good job of breaking it up already," she said grimly.

When she relaxed her grip on his hand, he quickly grabbed back to keep contact. It was a small move, but it indicated a significant decision on Bert's part. He had definitely been angry at his mother, and he had wanted to strike back at her. Seeing her agony, her remorse, and her extreme attempt at penance, though, it was hard for him to maintain that anger. Except for her chasing after fads, she had been a good mother, and he had no doubt of her love for him. After this morning, he was actually a bit concerned about the nature of that love.

She needed someone to be her support for what she was determined to do. It was quite obviously not going to be his father. He had long sensed that there was something special between Darryl and his mother, and Maidchen was a very good friend to her, but none of the employees could really offer what she needed. It had to be him, Bert, and he had decided that it was not a responsibility that he found distasteful.

They sat quietly for quite a while, just holding hands. He could not help pondering how his world had changed. He and his mother, lying on their backs in side by side lounge chairs by the pool, both naked, his penis completely relaxed - and that was not even the strangest thing about his scrambled world.

One of Jason's people had good connections at the precinct and saw the attorney arrive and talk to the suspects. "They just lawyered up," he told his boss.

"How did they call a lawyer?" Curt asked.

"Someone must have called their headquarters," Jason answered with a frown. "We'll find out who later. For now, we'll let Ms. Arragon start making her career. Here, Molly. You'd better make that call. It could have hit the news already."

Since hearing about the arrest, Summer Friedel had been working to get a press release ready. It had taken a frustratingly long time to agree on the wording and get the lawyers' approval. They were nearly ready when an aide told her "A reporter is on the line for you. It's the woman from the broadcast last night."

Summer would have to make this decision herself. Her intent had been to jump everyone with her own release. She had not anticipated Ms. Arragon being the first to call. It struck her that because of Porter's unique involvement, the news might indeed be better coming through her.