Chapter 2

I watched Bob head for the employee parking lot, then headed down the block where I parked the van. I jogged a few blocks down to the Subway and turned into the alley behind it. I dug the remote from my hip pouch and opened the side doors of the van. I climbed in but even with a full size van it's a squeeze to get into the back when you are 8'3 and 2700 lbs.

The van leaned a bit as I got in and then settled down in the heavy duty shocks with a groan. Once I was in and got the automatic doors closed I willed the change and switched to my alter-ego Mark Anderson. I quickly melted and reformed so I was in my wheelchair, slid into the drivers seat and headed for O'Reily's. It was a cop bar where officers from the 17th precinct went after work. I was meeting Bob Murphy, one of the cops I met in my hero persona Titanium Blue and the only person who knows my secret identity.

I pulled up outside the bar, parked and dropped the wheelchair lift, rolled out and lowered it to the ground. I have a pretty cool set up for the van, it's a split lift so that when the lift folds it also splits in half so the side doors are unblocked and accessible. It let's me get around anywhere I wanna go, but I 'll be glad when my bike is done.

I headed in and rolled across the darkened room to the bar, as I crossed the room I flipped a switch under the arm rest and the seat started to raise up to bring me to the height of the bar. I weaved through the tables keeping an eye on the TV's scattered around the room. The Bulls game was on from the west coast and they were leading 92 – 86 in the 3rd quarter over the Lakers. I was a Bulls fan back before Michael retired, but once he was gone I lost interest. I didn't watch for a number of years and then MJ took over as head coach, I got hooked again cause he's been able to instill that same competitive spirit in the team as the head coach he had as a player.

I rolled up next to Bob "Hey chief, how are they looking tonight?"

Bob looked over for a sec then back to the screen as he took a drag off the corona "Not too bad, MJ has em playing good. The last 6 weeks they've gotten much better."

He learned over a bit and half whispered "I wasn't sure who to expect."

I pulled out my blackberry and checked it real quick "I needed to check messages so I had to change anyway so I figured what the hell." I didn't have any urgent messages or voice mails. "Ok, nothing new there" I slipped my phone back in the holster and motioned for the bartender.

"Hey Jimmy, diet coke and a menu, I'm starved"

Bob looked at me and chuckled "Yeah, that whole desk job thing is a killer"

"Well I haven't eaten since the game ended at 3:30 and it's 9:30 so I'm a tad bit peckish ... In a nutshell. I thought to myself, "a little fermented curd will do the trick," so, I curtailed my footballing activities, sallied forth, and infiltrated this place of purveyance to negotiate the vending of some cheesy comestibles!"

I looked at Jimmy "What kind of cheeses do you have in this fine establishment my good man?"

Bob tried to pass his corona thru his nose, Jimmy just looked confused.

Bob wiped his face "Damn it Mark, stop making me laugh when I'm drinking"

"Jimmy forget the menu, gimme a burger, no catchup, with onion, mustard, pickle and fries."

He yelled back to Manuel and went to check on someone else.

"So what did Denise ask you at the station?" I took a drink of my coke, trying to hide my curiosity.

"She asked what I knew about you, how well I knew you. That kind of stuff" then Bob stopped, looked around and headed for a corner table.

I followed and dropped my seat "What? Something mysterious?"

Bob chuckled "No but it's not exactly you we are talking about"

"True, I just don't think of myself as two different people. I should know better. Hell I read DC and Marvel comics for years."

Bob looked confused.

I chuckled "I'll explain later."

I forget this world has super heroes there are very few super hero comics, except for a few put out based on actual heroes. They're more of a biography/comic based on public record reports and interviews heroes gave. DC and Marvel just didn't exist, fictional heroes were sort of pointless when you could see the real thing on the news or TV.

"The reason I asked is well. I never dated much before coming here and most people are a bit intimidated by you know who."

"Well she didn't seem intimidated at all. In fact she seemed intrigued. I told her you were a good guy, don't let the looks scare you and." Bob stopped just as Jimmy brought over my burger.

"Thanks Jimmy, looks as good as always" I grabbed a few napkins and salted my fries.

Jimmy headed back to the bar and Bob waited for him to get out of ear shot " ... she looked like she was more than mildly interested"

both my eyebrows shot up "Really?"

"Yeah, and then I told her some other stuff and she just nodded and headed out, like she made up her mind about something. I think you might be in for an interesting time with her" Bob smirked.

I shook My head "Nah, she is probably just a super-groupie"

"A what?"

"A super-groupie, someone who just wants to say they have been with a Hero. It's a term the community uses to describe the hangers on. Hell, it's bad sometimes and worse for the female supers."

Bob laughed "Who'd have guessed"

"Remember that battle Ms. Neutron had outside of Vegas last year?"

Bob nodded. "Yeah, that nut in the powered armor that took the casino hostage"

"Yeah, well turns out he was a super-groupie with too much smarts for his own good. He was obsessed with her and made the armor to try and get her attention."

"No shit. I doubt he expected her to peel him out of that armor like a grape and toss him to the cops"

"Well apparently he's out in Nevada at Bentham on a 10 to 25 sentence. Seems one of Feds who responded was killed and a couple other local and federal officers got hurt pretty bad."

Bob cringed "I saw Bentham on MSNBC the other night. That place is scarey."

"Yeah no joke, I can't imagine how bad that place would be"

Bentham is a SUPER-Max prison, not a super-max prison like where I was from. This place was built to hold super powered villains and those deemed to dangerous to be held in a standard prison. It's about 12 miles off of Nevada route 318 in the mountains, about 200 miles north of Las Vegas. There are no roads in and out of the prison, just a small military base where prisoners are brought to and flown in. When a really dangerous criminal is caught they are transferred into a self-contained cell module, tried from the cell, and if found guilty the cell with the prisoner is transported via military convoy to the base. The cell and its occupant are flown the 12 miles from the base suspended below a CH-47D Helicopter. Once the prison has been reached the cell is placed in the landing zone and transported into the prison block where it is locked into place. The prisoner never has contact with other people. All food, air and clothing handled remotely. With some prisoners the cells can be configured to suppress powers and abilities if their powers are inherent.

I shook off the images of that place "So what makes you think she's on the up and up?"

"Well, from what she told Detective Wells and I, she works for Arnson Bio-Tech as one of their lead researchers in bio-mechanics and robotics. Arnson was one of the companies that helped build and manage the systems out at Bentham actually." Bob laughed "She might be someone good to know if you get your ass tossed in the clink"

"So you think I should give her a call?"

Bob looked at me like I sprouted an extra head "Hello McFly, did you see her... ? She's gorgeous. Now you know she's smart, and working for them you know she's sane. The psychological testing to get security clearance to work there means she's not a raving loon. of course you should call her."

I nodded. "OK so what is this good news?"

Bob grinned like the Cheshire cat "After we got back from that call, the captain called me in and let me know I got the promotion to Sargent"

I slapped Bob on the shoulder "Hot damn Tamale, when does it take effect?"

"Tomorrow morning, and the captain is going to be putting my name in for the detective exam" His grin got even bigger

"Jimmy, bring the sarge here another beer on Me" "Oh hey I almost forgot, I'm gonna be out of town for a week or so, I'm going out to Long Beach California."

"I'm gonna do a little sight seeing, maybe see LA?"

"So what are you doing out in Long Beach?"

I'm flying out to pick something up and then riding back..."

Bob laughed "OK, why the mysterious act. You have something up your sleeve?"

I grinned trying to hide my excitement. "you know who's shop is out in Long Beach don't you?"

Bob set his beer down and glared "you bastard, you've been holding out on me."

I laughed "Well I was going to wait and just pull up in front of the station."

His eyes got big "How did you get Jesse to agree to build it?"

I chuckled "OK think about it. He builds custom one-off bikes from scratch and this is definitely a custom bike. Plus I agreed to appear on a Discovery special for him about the build..."

"Oh man, So when do you pick it up?"

"I fly out to LA on Friday and I'll be riding back. I'm gonna spend a few days in LA riding and getting used to it, then hit the road for home."

Bobs nodded "Man I wish I could go with you, but once you get back we should ride."

"You ride?"

Bob nodded "Yeah both Jane and I do."

"Jane rides too? I'd never have guessed. We definitely should, I'll have to meet Jane."

Bobs eyebrows furrowed "What do you mean you need to meet, you've been coming to gaming for 6 months. Oh yeah, she knows I know you, but not how well."

"Yeah, "WE" haven't met." I thought about it for a minute "Bob, do you think Jane would freak out if she knew the truth? I've felt bad about not being honest with her."

Bob chuckled "you don't know what she did before the kids came along do you? She was a trauma surgeon at County General. I met her after I got shot in the leg. She's just about one of the toughest, most level headed people I know." "Why do you think I married her? Being a cops wife isn't easy."

"OK, why don't we get together when I get back from LA and I can tell her"

"Sounds good, We can all go out to dinner and later, once the kids are in bed we can do it?"

"Ok, that'll work."

I waited til Tuesday to call Denise. For some reason I was nervous when I went to dial and had to hang up on the first try. I mentally slapped myself and switched to TB then redialed.

"Hello, this is Denise"

"Hi Denise, this is Titanium Blue. You gave me your number on Sunday"

"Yes, I wanted to say thank you for jumping in on Sunday. I was ticked when he tried to hit me."

"No problem, Charlies Tap Room can get a bit wild and woolly during Football season."

"Especially when the Bears tank another one. You'd think after Favre retired we'd have it easier" Denise paused for a second. "The reason I wanted you to call me was because I wanted to ask you to dinner. I wanted you to call me in case you weren't interested."

I laughed "Oh I can't imagine why I'd want to, you're intelligent, attractive, feisty and you're a Bruce Lee fan. The only thing worse would be if you were a Python fan"

"So, I'll take that as a yes?"

I laughed "Yes, you can take that as a yes. When did you have in mind?"

"How does Friday night sound say around 7 pm?"

"Friday ... I can't, I have to take a business trip to LA and I'll be gone a little over a week. How about Friday week after next? I'll call you when I get back into town."

She paused "Sure ... what are you doing in LA?"

"I'm picking up a new custom ride. I made a deal to appear on a special for Discovery with Jesse James and he is building me a bike."

"Wait, you got Jesse to build you a bike? I thought he was semi-retired from building and was doing other things? Oh, well we'll have to go riding when you get back."

I laughed "You've surprised me again. Brilliant Scientist, Martial Artist and now Motor Cycle rider?" "Next thing you'll tell me you own a Harley"

she giggled into my ear "Nope, 1951 Indian Chief I rebuilt by hand"

I think she heard my jaw hit the desk cause she laughed.

I made a snap decision "How hard is it for you to get vacation time?"

"Huh?"

"Well, how would flying to LA, meeting Jesse James and riding cross country work as a first date for you? I'll even bring my tux for dinner in LA."

"Deal, when do we fly out?"

I laughed "Friday at 11 am O'Hare, but wear something casual. I have to fly freight"

Denise giggled into my ear again "Freight? You're kidding right?"

I chuckled "Nope, I'm too heavy for commercial flights without buying 14 seats and 14 seats in first class are expensive. It's about 15 thousand to fly commercial. I worked out a deal with American Parcel Service for 8 thousand and I don't have to sit in the cargo hold" "it's why I don't fly much unless I have to"

Denise kept chuckling in my ear.

"What?"

she was laughing now "I can see you sitting in the cargo hold with a sticker on your forehead for delivery"

I chuckled "Well ya do what you have to"

"Tell you what, let me take care of the flight arrangements. Give me about 2 hrs and I'll get us a flight"

"Hi TB?"

"Hi Denise, so what's the plan?"

"Friday 11 am, Palwaukee Airport. I think you'll like this better"

"What, you don't wanna have to claim me at the APS terminal?"

she giggled "Well, not at the APS terminal anyway"

I think My jaw hit the desk again.

We talked for a little while longer about things to see in Southern California and some loose plans.

"I also want to get some time on the bike before we hit the road back"

"yes, you'll want to get the feel of it and see how it handles"

"Yeah that too. I've never ridden a motorcycle actually"

"wait" Denise sounded shocked "You mean you bought a 100,000 dollar custom bike and you've never ridden one?"

"Well yeah, not many bikes are built stock for someone who is 8'3" and 2700 lbs. I wanted it so I could get around the city easier." "and well, now I can ride a bike so I got one"

Denise laughed "you'll have to explain that someday."

It was pretty quiet around town the next few days so I caught up on some reading and studied the rules of the road for my motorcycle license. Returned a few phone calls to some clients I was doing some computer work for in my civilian identity.

I also did my normal late night rounds of the city like I has been doing for the last few years, but I was looking forward to having the bike. I'd be able to patrol the city without having to worry about a place to switch to TB when I heard a call come in. There have been times when a call came in that it was a challenge to find a place to park the van and switch without being seen.

Since it had been so quiet the last few nights I decided to head out to the NW suburbs on Thursday to visit my friend Kim. I knew Kim in my old life as well, and it seems Kim and I had the same relationship in this universe. Years ago back in high school Kim and I met at a summer camp for disabled kids and we had been friends ever since.

It was a pretty miserable November afternoon, it had started snowing in the late morning. It was the wet slick snow that sticks and makes things messy on the roads. I figured by rush hour it would be a nightmare so I decided to get an early start. In the Chicago area the one thing you can count on is the minute a few flakes of snow starts to fall I-90 turns into a parking lot. For some reason the traffic slowdown was worse than usual. It was pretty bad, but it didn't figure it would be this slow. I had just crawled up to the toll booth after 40 minutes at a mind blowing speed of 5 miles an hour.

As I stopped to pay the 80 cent toll. I looked at the sign with the attendants name "Any idea why it's so bad Shelly?"

she looked back up the road towards the jam "Yeah, apparently it was a bit more slick that it looks, there is a 6 car pile up about ¾ of a mile west of the Oasis"

"Damn, their gonna have a hell of a time getting rescue equipment there" I flipped on my scanner.

I crawled along and started heading towards the right shoulder so I could listen. I wasn't going anywhere fast so I might as well wait here.

I was listening to the scanner when I heard the fire rescue report that they were stuck about 2 miles east of the toll booths and couldn't get past the traffic. There was one Cook County sheriffs department squad on scene and he had no equipment.

The officer came back on the radio "I've got a multiple 10-52J2 with probable fatalities, I need to get these folks out of their vehicles and some ambulances out here."

I slid into my chair in the back of the van and willed the change, popped the doors and stepped out.

I closed the van up and took a quick look around, then started running west on the shoulder. One of the things nice about being TB was I could cover a ton of ground. I was at the site of the accident about 6 minutes later and headed towards the officers car.

The officers back was to me when I came up "Officers, show me what needs to be done"

The officer started to turn "Sir, please stand back we are trying to ... oh uh, right this way" "We have a lady stuck in her mini van with 3 kids in the back. The driver side door is jammed and her legs are pinned."

"Ok, get me a couple of blankets and bring your squad close. I'll get her out first."

I walked over to the van on the drivers side.

"Hi ma'am, I'm gonna get you out of here"

I could tell she was in pain and the front of the van was crushed in.

"Please, get the kids out first, I can wait"

I placed my hand on the door "The kids are fine, let's get you out and..."

"No please, get the girls out. When you try and get me out I'm gonna loose it from the pain, I don't want them to see it"

I nodded "What's your name ma'am?"

She gritted her teeth "Sheila, Sheila Henderson"

"Ok Sheila, I'll be right back"

I step around the side of the van to the slider and tried it, it was just as jammed as her door. One of the other vehicles must have hit this side as well. I stuck my head in the passenger window and looked in the back. There was a boy about 8 or 9 in the back with a toddler and an infant in baby seats.

"Hey you're Titanium Blue!"

"Hi, what's your name?"

"I'm jimmy"

"OK jimmy, I need you to help me here. Take your coat off and cover the babies face, help your lil brother cover his and I need to you keep your back to the slider door, can you do that for me?"

"Sure TB" jimmy got up and shucked his jacket and helped his little brother cover up. I moved over and broke the the glass out of the window as gently as I could. It did scare the 2 little ones, but there was no way to get a hold of the door otherwise. I grabbed the door and pulled hard. The metal of the side door screeched and groaned, but I popped to door loose.

"Ok jimmy, let's get you guys out of there and into the police car to get warm"

one of the officers helped take the baby seats as jimmy and I unhooked them. "Ok jimmy, you go with the officers and I'll get your mom out."

Jimmy moved forward for a second and kisses her cheek. "you'll be ok momma, TB will help you" he jumped out and went with one of the two officers. I leaned into the van and unlocked the rear bench from the floor and pulled it out and set it outside the van.

The officer looked at me strangely. I stepped away from the van for a moment and motioned him over.

"Officer... ?"

"Peterson, Albert Peterson."

"Ok officer Peterson, can I call you Al?"

"Sure"

"Ok great Al, once I get the drivers seat loose her legs are gonna hurt like a son of a bitch. I pulled this out so we'd have someplace to lay her down and support her legs until an ambulance gets here"

I climbed into the van behind Sheila.

"Ok Sheila, I'm gonna try and get your seat loose from the floor of the van. Once I get it loose I'll try and be as careful as I can, your legs are pinned." "Are you ready?"

Sheila just nodded and I saw her close her eyes tight against the pain.

I unbuckled her seat belt and moved it out of the way, kneeling behind her I grabbed the sides of the drivers seat and slowly lifted. The seat must have been partly broken off from the floor cause it popped loose from the floor of the van. As the seat came loose, the pressure on her knees released and she gave a blood curdling scream.

"Breathe Sheila it will help the pain."

I tried to move her as gently as I could but I could tell this was beyond anything she had felt before. I scooted slowly on my knees to back out of the side door.

"Al, when I lift the seat I need you to get your arms under her calves and support her legs, I'm gonna set her next to the bench seat so we can lay her down.:

"Ok Sheila, I'm gonna move you to the bench so we can support your legs"

Al and I moved her next to the bench seat. I crossed her arms in front of her and wrapped my arms around her and lifted her. Al had her legs and we got her settled on the bench seat and covered with a couple of blankets.

It was about 15 minutes before ambulances started showing up. They had gone past the accident a couple miles and came onto the tollway from an off ramp. Once the EMT's took over I took off with the officer and helped out moving a couple of the cars out of the way so we could get at least 1 lane open. It was a couple of hours before I was able to get out of there and get back to where I parked the van.

By the time the ambulances were gone and we got the wrecks cleared it was almost 6 so I called Kim.

"Hey Kim, I wanted to give you a quick call"

"Hey Mark, Did you get stuck behind that wreck on I-90?"

I chuckled "Yeah, traffic is just starting to move. I wanted to call and let you know I'm not gonna make it out today"

"Yeah I tried to call you earlier, stacy has a cold and I was gonna call you and let you know, but I kept getting your voice mail."

"Ah ok, I pulled over near the tollbooth and grabbed some coffee while I waited for the traffic to clear, I must have left my cell in the van. Well hey, tell stacy I hope she is feeling better and we'll all go out in a few weeks"

"Sounds good, how about next Sunday? I have a few things to do in the morning, but we can meet for lunch."

"Wish I could, but I have to go out of town for a week on a business trip"

Kim laughed "I thought you'd have retired by now?"

I chuckled "Hell you know me, I can't keep my fingers off the keys. Tell ya what, I'll call you a few days after I get back and we can plan something."

"Ok sounds good, we can do something fun"

"Alright hon, talk to you later, bye"

I hit the speed dial for Bob. "Hey Sarge, when do you get off?"

"I'm just finishing some paperwork and then I was gonna grab something on the way home, why what you have in mind?"

"Call Jane and see if she can get a sitter. I got sidetracked at that accident on I-90 and didn't make it out to see Kim, figured I'd call and see if you two wanted to get some dinner?"

"Ok let me call Jane and see, I'll call you right back"

A few minutes later Bob called back "Hey Mark, I talked to Jane, she said that the kids still had homework to get done and she needs to get up with them early but to come on over."

"Ok, I'll call Jane and find out what her and the kids want from The Chinese Garden and I'd grab it on the way in."

Bob said it sounded good and I got his order.

"Ok, now the question is ... you think tonight would be a good time to tell her?"

Bob said "Are you ready to tell her?"

I thought about it for a minute "Yeah, might as well get it over with."

It took me about an hour to get the food and get to Bobs place with the traffic, good thing I called the order in on the way. Not that it would have mattered that much it always seems like no matter what you order at a chinese restaurant it's always 20 minutes ... in both universes ... I pulled up and got out of the van just about 6, Bob was out front with the snow blower.

Bob killed the blower as I pulled up and got out of the van "Hey Sarge, how was traffic?"

"Not too bad, here let me get the food and we can head inside"

We headed inside for the kitchen to get dinner set up while Jane was helping the kids finish their homework.

"Have you said anything to Jane?"

Bob chuckled "No ... why are ya nervous?"

"A little ... you found out by accident even though I was gonna tell you. I've never had to tell anyone else"

Just then Jane walked into the kitchen. "Tell anyone else what?"

I turned around and nearly ran over Bobs foot. "Hey Jane, there was something I wanted to talk to you and Bob about an idea for this summer. It can wait until after the kids are in bed"

We got dinner set up and done, then just hung out in the living room. Around 10 Jane started putting the the kids to bed while Bob and I were in the kitchen loading the dishwasher. It took Jane about 30 minutes to get the kids settled down.

Jane came back into the kitchen a little while later "Ok so what's with all the cloak and dagger stuff?"

I chuckled "well that's not a bad description. I had an idea for a trip sometime this summer. Bob tells me you both have bikes."

Jane smiled "oooh, where were you thinking? Wait ... you don't ride ... why ... I'm confused..."

I chuckled "Well that's kind of why I needed to talk to you about it. There's something you don't know about me. I'm not just a computer programmer ... I have another job ... sort of."

Jane looked confused "Ok ... so it is cloak and dagger stuff."

"Yeah so what I am going to show you has to stay a secret. Bob knows and I didn't feel right not telling you. Let's go out in the garage and I can show you..."

Now she looked confused and curious "ok, but why the garage?"

Bob just chuckled "trust me ... he needs the room for this"

We moved out to the garage.

"Ok, like I said I have another job ... it doesn't pay well, but I enjoy it. Once I show you I'm pretty sure you'll have a ton of questions."

I closed my eyes and triggered the change. When I trigger the change things get a bit fuzzy, but I heard a gasp as I changed. Things came back into focus and Jane was there looking a bit bug eyed.

"Hi I'm..."

"Titanium Blue ... I've seen you all over TV. That was you on TV this afternoon on I-90"

"Yeah ... I was headed out to see a friend in Northbrook and was behind the accident."

"So wait, how did you and Bob meet?"

Bob laughed "Well I ran into TB in an alley as he changed behind a jewelry store in the city."

Jane was looking a bit cold so I suggested we go inside.

"Sure I'll make some coffee..."

"Ok let me change back real quick"

I willed the change and we headed back in.

"That is so weird to see..."

I laughed as we went in "it feels weird too ... it's like a million ants crawling all over me"

Jane made coffee and we sat in the kitchen. It took about an hour to explain things and handle her questions.

"So anyway, back to the original question. I was thinking a few rides once I get my new bike. I need to get used to riding and then I was thinking a long ride out to Sturgis in August"

Jane looked excited "I've always wanted to go, but with medical school and the internship and then working before I met Bob I never got to go ... I'm game ... So when are you getting it?"

"Well I fly to Long Beach tomorrow and I'm riding back"

"Why all the wa ... no ... you got Jesse James to build you a bike? Oh man ... you ... you..." Jane wadded up a napkin and tossed it at me.

I laughed "Well not me ... My alter ego"

"So wait ... you've never owned a bike much less ridden one and you are gonna ride across country by yourself?"

"Well not exactly ... I have a date ... someone I met at a bar ... she's gonna fly out with me and ride back..."

Jane got that look ... you know the look ... when an opportunity to meddle in someone elses love life. "So ... what's her name... ? What's she like... ?"

"Her names Denise ... really pretty ... redhead ... works for Arnson Bio-Tech..."

Jane looked at me. "Did she say anything about knowing Marital Arts?"

"Yeah ... she said she has been studying it since high school."

Jane smiled "and you said her name Denise?"

I looked back at her "Yeah ... Denise McCandles."

Jane smiled "so she's still using her mothers maiden name now ... interesting..." "Denise or Denny as we used to call her was my college roomie ... she got me through first year chem in college ... I haven't talked to her in years ... course back then I also knew her by another name ... Arnson..."

I think my eyebrows merged with my scalp...

"wait ... you mean..."

"Yeah ... Arthur Arnson little girl ... I met him when we were room mates ... I went skiing in Aspen for Christmas vacation with them one time."

Bob looked surprised "You never told me you knew her."

Jane shrugged "Like I said, I haven't talked to her in years. I got busy with medical school and everything and we just lost touch." "So where are you flying out?"

"We fly out at 11 a.m. Tomorrow morning from Palwaukee. Why don't you guys come out and say Hi?"

Bob said "Sure, I have to go in tomorrow to do some paperwork, but I don't have to be there til 3."

Jane smiled "Sounds good, we can surprise her and say Hi."

"Bob, I was gonna leave the van there, but could you drive it back so I don't have to figure out how to get it back"

"Sure ... We can meet you there and I can drive it back and leave it at your place"

"ok, I'll have to program the security system to let you into the house."

I looked at my cell phone "Damn, it's later than I thought, I'd better get going home. I still have some packing to do and get some sleep. Come on out to the van and I can get you logged into the system"

Bob came out to the van with me and I got him logged into the security system.

"I'll have to show you how to turn off the hand controls and all, but it drives like a normal van so you shouldn't have a problem"

"ok, see you at Palwaukee around what... 10:30?"

I nodded "Yeah, I'm gonna get there a bit early so I can get my bags in and grab some coffee. See ya in the morning."

I got home about 1am finished packing and got a few hours of shuteye. Luckily I don't need a lot of sleep since I became TB.