Chapter 53

{How?}

"Lot's of things" Hazel started "Mother mentioned about mind spiders a couple of times but I thought she was telling us fairy stories. Just before, I felt you pushing my mind and there was that yelp when I used the voice on the boys( rather smugly). Grandma Berryl had said she would have to wait until "Sundowner" got back and I put two and two together and mother wasn't telling tales."

{Clever. Now you know I can get out of this shell. Ahhh, feels good to stretch.}

"Oh, you are big. What are you? And can you mind read everybody?"

{We are genetically altered Huntsman spiders. We can only mind read some humans. Muties can choose to shut us out but can still "hear" us — that is artificially altered mutants. The natural mutations can often "hear" us but most norms don't. We can pick up mood in nearly everyone — its only aware muties who can lock down everything; both your mother and your father can do that, your brother Morg doesn't lock us out so we don't know if he can. Your younger brothers can both hear me but are not letting me in. Not locked —cautious; you let me in — you are curious about me. If I could sigh I would now.

Our colony's ancestors were genetically altered, when triggered, to kill. Our targets were to be muties whose codes were implanted in our genetic memories and any one else certain humans would order us to kill. Those humans were not genetically altered so their progeny do not have the command power. The triggers are still in force but we don't know who has them. So now, the only humans at risk from us are those muties whose codes we carry. The genetic codes implanted in us do not include the Strathlawn (grandfather) nor Comminantes (mother) but do include Albertson (grandmother).

Over past months, we have been able to look at TJ's genetic codes and there is very little Albertson in him and not at risk.

We kill any humans by bite — they die quickly from nerve poisoning; our toxins were altered.

We cannot bite in our shells.

The matriarch, who is with TJ now, has a tribal memory of very early tries to have other insects as killers by attacking brain function; because the altered insects could not be targeted or controlled, the centres had to be destroyed but the research might still exist. So, little one, be careful about opening your mind until you have tasted who wants in. You have tasted me and so the colony — we are safe. TJ doesn't trust anybody and your mother has locked us out — she has secrets to keep perhaps?"

"Can you teach us to taste anyone wanting to get into our heads?" asked George.

{Yes, we can do that. Now?}

"Now is a good time. Morg wants to ask Aunt Julia some more questions;" Sarnt pointed out "the library would be a good place. Excuse us, Aunt Julia."

The children were getting up to leave as the front door almost drowned out the sound of rapid footsteps and a slim red headed shape not quite hurtled into Morg's seated form. The form morphed into Pat Sweeney raining kisses on Morg's lips.

"Muuuummmmm! Yuk! Public displays of affection are not allowed." George wailed.

His mother, now firmly positioned in Morg's lap, looked primly at her son,

"You'll change your mind young man and I will constantly remind you of your present beliefs. Morg, you have met our son?"

"I've been introduced but not as my son and you might just explain?"

"What a good idea. In private of course. My room is very comfortable and private. Keep an eye on the kids please, Julia."

And took Morg by the hand and not quite dragged him out.

The children watched them depart. They looked at one another, shrugged and after Hazel had the spider jump onto her shoulder, they headed off to the library.

Julia surveyed the now empty room, sighed, smiled and poured a fresh cup of tea to enjoy before having to go to work at Harriers.

...

Morg and Pat joined the children for dinner but only after some moral coercion by Hazel — we can't be left to care for ourselves etcetera; Julia was of course supervising Harriers and Ivy was on evening shift.

The conversation at the table was limited by the appetites being satisfied and after the children had cleared away — the domestic staff departed after the meal was served up — the conversation turned to school work with Hazel bemoaning the lack of challenge and the stupidity of the home work. Morg challenged that one,

"You can't claim to know it until you prove it."

"Too true, Morg; but they — the teachers at school — won't allow us to prove what we know. We get stuck with the others. How can we soar with the eagles when we are stuck with not only the dodos but the moa birds and they couldn't fly?"

"It is slow and George and I get bored most of the time" Sarnt took it up "George and I had the free run of the Hobson Mansion library and we were nearly finished there when we had to come down here. Hazel ... calmly now, we didn't know about you until our mothers told us on the ship. This library is better for us now; it isn't so navy and it has a much wider spread. Hobson was good to take us up to the end of school but just that — very narrow. Here covers everything, well so far, and the 'net gives us what isn't here. With George's PDA to help we have really got going."

"I was not so good until my brothers came" Hazel admitted and them smugly "but I was only four then and now I'm six. They helped a lot with the 'basics', they call it; but they weren't doing well until George got the PDA. Some of the other kids have them and show off but I've looked on the 'net and they're not as top end as the Meteor but I don't say anything."

"Only because we are there — you know it's a mutie thing and we aren't supposed to talk about it" George muttered.

"Yeh, but it's hard sometimes."

{I can help there.}

"Would you, that'd be great!" Hazel positively beamed "and you could tell when those kids are going to push me over so I can punch their noses in."

Pat's head turned from looking at Morg to regard Hazel

"Hazel, you've already been suspended once for fighting."

"Noffair! He pushed me first and I hit him — it was sefdeaf or whatever" protested Hazel.

"That's not the way the Headmaster told us and besides you didn't have to use the combat on him." Pat patiently said.

"His friends lied and besides he's nearly eight."

{Hazel says true.}

"Combat?" Morg enquired.

"Julia insists the children have an hour's graduated exercise each day from the trainer and she is nearly as good as TJ."

"Who? The trainer or Julia?"

"The trainer. Julia would use those stars of hers; she seems immune to those poisons but I'm not chancing it. I practice with the kids; I've worked hard at it and I've co-ordinated the two systems now."

"How come you boys couldn't..."

"The teachers put Hazel down the front" Sarnt sighed "and us up the back — we're brighter, you see?"

"Is he likely to go for Hazel again?" Morg asked him.

Sarnt half smiled and glanced at George who was giving an imitation of a cherubim blessing the flock,

"He doesn't come to the school any more" and continued in response to Morg's raised eyebrow, "George strutted his stuff down the mall on sixday and the idiot picked him in front of adults. He spent seven day at the doctors and on oneday wouldn't get out of the limo because we were just standing at the front entrance; his parents threw a fit but hey we were just standing there and he wouldn't get out."

Pat stared at them, and then gazed at the virtual horizon,

"I heard that someone advised 'the idiot' that if ever he came within fifty metres of his baby sister again, that after his big brother and he finished with him, they'd give what was left to their baby sister to pick over."

"Wasn't us." "Aunt Pat..." "Never?" etcetera came from innocent lips and pained faces.

"Suits; homework and then Ivy should be home in time to help put you to bed."

Hazel glared at Pat,

"It's time you oldies stopped treating us as infants. We are capable of wiping our own noses now!"

"Hey, kid, this is more for us than you — some slack here please. We don't have you as kids for very long you know." Pat propounded.

"Oh ... if you put it that way ... I suppose; but ... can we talk about it?"

"Good idea. Sixday morning; every one's here this week?"

Hazel looked at her brothers who each nodded agreement and then gave a smile that seemed to light up the dining room as the children departed.

Ivy was late and Morg and Pat had seen the children to bed and stayed cuddling in the lounge while the vid displayed something of which the pair had no recollection at all. Ivy looked tired and admitted to a busy shift and after a short exchange of pleasantries, they too went to bed.

"Come on sleepy, gym!"

Morg found himself wondering where he was and why he was so stiff and sore all in a nanosecond as Hazel's face laughed at him from the bottom of the bed — she had been warned not to be within reach — just in case. George was hovering excitedly behind her holding Morg's recruit training gear. Morg hadn't used it since boarding "Artemis" but Berryl had 'rescued' the gi, declaring it would be a shame to toss it out and Pat had brought it and most of Morg's civilian wear with her — and Morg hadn't noticed on his last visit to the Mansion.

Morg quickly loosened up and enjoyed himself tussling with the young ones who ended the session by teaming up on him ending up in a large laughing mass on the mats. Breakfast and get ready for school and work for Pat.

Pat shuttled off with the children, and Ivy and Morg caught up with the events.

"If you'd rather, I want TJ to have his surprise too" Morg explained to Ivy why TJ was going to remain in ignorance of his enlarged family for a while longer, "I don't have all the answers to his questions and you lot should have the opportunity to give your explanations and aspirations

"I am of two minds, Morg," Ivy admitted, "when I'm away from TJ, I am in control of myself; as soon as I can smell him, I just want to lie back and spread and breed and breed with him. I could blame the pheromones but it's not just that; I've wanted the big stiff ever since I saw him at recruits — in every sense of the word, but it isn't going to happen. He is just not made for a relationship even though he does run a harem. He is just incapable of including a female in himself even though he gives of himself. With Oscar around, I can tell myself I am part of him and I will be; but never totally or exclusively. Berryl and I have had some long talks about TJ and his harem; she thinks the Albertson sex drive genes are unopposed..."

"Our spider says very little of the Albertson genome penetrated in TJ himself. I'll have to ask if they have any information on the spermatic haploid" Morg interposed.

"Well, he does appear to be flexible as he has got two boys and a girl from three different women..."

"That we know off."

"True. Berryl has been looking into the research available on the Strathlawn, Comminantes and Albertson genomes. There is a lot of work available on the Albertson line and they were designed as reproducing warriors but the reproducing sort of got away.

She has studied the Daughters and there is a strong genetic history of inbreeding and has told the daughters that if their conception had been natural it would have been incestuous; they take it as a joke on them. Seems the Comminantes line locks in contraception in the females until they consciously unlock it. The older females are supposed to give the key to the young ones and somehow Julie was given the key but she was so young she doesn't how to pass it on. Ally has tried to catch. There is going to be some intense navel gazing when "Sundowner" turns up among your mam and sissies.

Enough whining!

What are you pair going to do?"

"At present? We'll stay as shuttle pilots on R1 for the time being and train up replacements.

Otherwise our team is using the FTL to continue some work on anti missile missile technology. Clare has had her input from a line officer's point of view and Orville keeps his eye on the maintenance side — we make a good team. We've had the clusters finalised for a while and they are well established in service although the RMN have opted for seven birds, we've limited ourselves to five because of the size of our side airlocks.