Chapter 21

"Things are moving awfully fast," John told the Core Group to begin their meeting. "We all need updates on our various achievements so we can best coordinate our efforts. Who wants to be first?" He looked significantly at Andy.

"I can take a hint," Andy chuckled. "John's new slave market is doing a tremendous service for the community. A number of people have been matched up already. I don't think you'll be very surprised to learn that a number of sponsor husbands have let me know that they won't be taking their current wives, but don't want to start a war at home by telling her. Likewise, a number of wives whose husbands aren't going to be able to volunteer want to make commitments to become concubines, also without having to tell their husbands. Father Murray and I are doing our best to make suggestions for favorable matchups."

"Would it help," asked Michael, "if the AI aided you in your efforts?"

"I guess I can't imagine how that would work," admitted Andy.

"Maybe it would work like this," answered Michael. "Say you have a laptop connected to the database. Say Mrs. Jones wants you to help her find a family. You call up her record in the database and ask the AI for suggestions. It returns several names. You use your judgment and the AI's suggestions to mention some or all of the names to Mrs. Jones. Or, you contact the people listed and suggest they contact Mrs. Jones."

Andy at first brightened and then immediately turned pensive. "I'd hate to have that information fall into the wrong hands," he said.

"Child's play," Michael smiled. "I'll give you and Father Murray each Bluetooth headsets. The AI can tell you verbally, and make notes in a file not accessible at the bakery. You can review that file elsewhere to refresh your memory. The AI never forgets."

"Child's play, if you're a child," smirked Sarah. "Can you still do that? You're not a child any more, you know." Everyone chuckled.

"No problem," Michael assured them. "I'll set it up tomorrow evening."

"Speaking of the AI," Bob said, changing the subject, "the CAP re-tests are going well, if slowly. We've only been able to do about a hundred since we started last week. We have a lot more who still have to do the first re-test. None of the adult Program participants have been re-tested yet. I think we need more testing stations." There was general agreement around the table.

"CAP scores are generally a bit higher than before," Bob continued. "Only a few have broken though the magic 6.5 barrier. We're trying to keep the kids optimistic and motivated. Poor Michael here jumped two tenths of a point and now is burdened with the task of adding two more concubines to his harem." Everyone got a good-natured laugh from that.

Michael blushed but smiled. "That's nothing compared to your own improvement," he chuckled. "You've gone from out of the running to five concubines." The group actually applauded Bob's achievement, to his great embarrassment.

"Onward and upward," Jim changed the subject again. "The town council has approved the documents that will cancel the charter and distribute the remaining assets. The treasurer and I are working on some formulas that can be used when the amount of money and the number of remaining people are known. We're thinking that a fixed amount in lieu of a pension makes the math easier. The treasurer is already working to liquidate the liabilities and accumulate cash. We'll be ready in a couple of weeks." That met with much approval all around the room.

"I'm next, I guess," said Dave. "The paintball exercises begin tomorrow. The kids have done an outstanding job of organizing and managing the program. I observed a demonstration today. There is a lot to it and great opportunity to demonstrate both leadership and obedience. I don't know how much ammunition we have, but many repetitions will be needed." The discussion devolved into whether more paintball ammo was warranted, how the Elks were responding, and much more.

Amy changed the subject again. "The original parts of the Program are doing very well. Handmade shirts are showing up on many of the teams, each with seemingly different color patterns. Kids are moving from one station to another doing somersaults. Some are even able to do handstands. Matt is quite pleased with the judo progress. He has them sparring most of the time now. Matt's wife Junko has been able to help proctor more and more often lately. She's focused mainly on advanced training with the pugil sticks."

"The academic side is doing just as well," added Jean. "The four teachers are very pleased with not only the work itself but with the way the students are working together to teach themselves and their classmates."

Ellen said, "You may have heard of the excitement with Margaret Honig yesterday. Both Margaret and Abner went through the med tube and came out fifteen years younger and in perfect health. I used the excuse of wanting to check up on them to visit the skeet shooting on their farm. I didn't get to see Abner and Margaret, though. You could hear their cries of passion all the way out in the driveway." That brought hearty laughter to everyone, including Ellen.

"The shooting itself is going very well," Ellen continued. "I checked in at Bill's indoor shooting range as well. Both the skeet range and the indoor range are fully staffed with volunteers. They seem to rotate through so they can keep up the rest of their lives. I was deeply impressed with their commitment."

"I'm last, I see," blushed Sarah. "The cherry-popping problem we discussed earlier seems to be sorting itself out. It is widely known that there are discreet solutions to the problem, and most of the stories I've heard are of unforgettable, wonderful experiences."

"It sounds like everything is well in hand," John summarized. "We'll get more CAP testing centers if we can. I'll begin work on that tomorrow."

"I'll check with Brian Quincy, the Confederacy representative," Bob said. "He's already aware of the issue. He may be able to help."

"Don't you think we should invite Brian to join our group?" asked Sarah. They discussed that and agreed it would be a good idea. That led them to discuss whether it was necessary to begin drills to assemble evacuees. Considering the close cooperation from the Confederacy and the fact that many families had yet to be arranged, the idea of drills was tabled. After discussing a few other points, they wound up their meeting.

"I know it's late," lamented Amy as she and Jean walked home, "but you and I should go see Stephanie Kent's dad." Jean nodded agreement and headed for the Kent home.

When Ben Kent answered the knock on his door, Jean said, "Ben, we're sorry to call on you so late, but we'd like to talk to you for a few minutes. May we come in?"

"It isn't so late," Ben smiled. "It's only 9:30 or so. Please, come in." They made their way to the living room. None of the children could be seen or heard. "Sit down, please," Ben said. "May I offer you a beverage?"

"No, thank you very much," answered Jean as she found a place on the sofa. Amy sat on the other end of the sofa. Ben returned to what appeared to be his favorite chair.

Jean gathered herself and began. "Ben, we're concerned about your children. We do not want to interfere with any plans or commitments you may have already made for the extraction. If you haven't made any commitments, I want to volunteer."

Ben was silent for a moment. "That's very kind of you, Jean. I haven't made any plans yet. Some part of my brain thinks that if I deny long enough, I won't really lose my children. I'm sure you and Mike will make a good home for my three kids."

"This slow-motion extraction has been very hard on a lot of people," Jean said sadly. "An instant extraction doesn't give the participants time to consider until it's too late. Stephanie is legally an adult, and must make her own decision. She insists that it is you who will decide."

"Jean," Ben said, "I'm not a very good mother for the kids. I do my best to be both mom and dad for them, but the dad part dominates. I've never been very good about the give and take that I think goes on between mothers and daughters. My own dad was strict with us, and my mother moderated and softened his strictness. As much as I try, my dad shines through in me, and not my mom. I wish I was able to make Stephanie shine with confidence, but I have failed."

"I think you shouldn't be so hard on yourself, Ben," replied Jean. "Stephanie is smart and talented. She has a bright future before her." Ben nodded in thanks.

"Let me tell you about the family Mike and I have assembled. Mike and I are both going to be volunteers, and we've decided to merge our families. Our Megan will come with us. You know Amy, I think?"

Ben smiled. "Amy, I know you to nod and say hello is about all. You're a teacher?" Amy nodded agreement.

"Amy was a teacher," Jean corrected, "until we began the CAP improvement program. Now Amy is my most trusted assistant. Amy is coming with us. Amy's sister, Angie, and Angie's two young children are coming as well. Heather Olsen, the school secretary is coming. We would like to take a young man who tried valiantly to improve his CAP score, but failed. We would also like to take one very young adult female, whom we would shelter and nurture to her full capacity. We think Stephanie should be that young woman."

"So, there would be six women and two men in the family," Amy summarized, "plus Angie's two and Heather's three children."

"Heather's oldest son is the same age as your Jacob," Jean added.

They fell silent. Jean and Amy saw that he was considering, contemplating. Presently, he mentally re-joined his guests. "I would be eternally grateful to you, Jean," he said softly, "if you would take my three children with you in the extraction. Every child deserves a mom and a dad. Mine have been without their mother for a long time."

Jean smiled and nodded. "Stephanie told us she would come with us if her sister and brother came with her. We will give them all the love they can handle and we will see them on their way to happy and successful adulthood."

Amy turned to Jean, somewhat embarrassed. "There is paperwork that needs to be attended to," she said quietly. "Both parents must agree to the guardianship."

Jean nodded sadly and turned to Ben. "Linda has been gone for a long time, Ben. Do you know where she is?"

Ben shook his head. "We haven't had any contact from her in over five years. She was a free spirit and she wanted to make her mark in the big city. I have no idea where she is."

Jean was thoughtful for a moment. "I'll take this up with the Confederacy and with Jim Beatty. One way or another, we'll get this resolved right away. I presume you would prefer the children be with you until the extraction?"

Ben was flooded with relief. "I would like that very much. I was terribly afraid you would insist on taking them right away."

"This is hard enough," Jean smiled. "They're in good hands with you, I'm sure."

"I did have a thought, though," Jean continued. "There are a few young female volunteers who need a male to be the dad for all of their children. Not the father, but the dad. Some of those girls won't risk taking a boy for fear he won't be up to the challenge. Would you consider starting all over again with a new family?"

If the word 'radiant' was ever applied to a man, then Ben was radiant. "I would love another chance to grow a family, to see my children grow and prosper."

"I make no promises," Jean said. "If you are selected, and you want your Lea and Jacob with you, then we can do that."

Ben was pensive for a time. "I thank you for whatever you can do for me, Jean," he said. "But Lea and Jacob might be better off with their sister and, more importantly, with a real mom and a dad who never had to try to also be a mom. I've done my best, but my best hasn't been good enough. For Lea and Jacob, the transition to me being just the dad might be rough. They don't need any more rough. If you'll have my three children, that's how I'd like to leave it, no matter my fate."

"No word from Dad?" Sarah asked when she arrived at home after the Core Group meeting.

"No, Sarah," Gabby answered. "He's never done this. I don't know whether he'll come back and act like everything's normal, or whether he's gone for good. I don't know what we'll do for money either."

Sarah saw that her mother was clouding up. She drew Gabby into a loving embrace, a mother-daughter embrace. Sarah knew that her mother's entire world would change forever. She hoped she was up to the task of managing her new family.

"That bed is awfully big for just one," Sarah whispered. "You aren't used to sleeping alone, and I'm not used to sleeping with someone else. Gabby, I'll try to make the changes in our lives as smooth and gentle as I can. How about tonight you and I just cuddle for a while and then go to sleep?" Gabby could only nod, still wrapped in Sarah's embrace.

Jean decided to take the Kent guardianship problem to Brian Quincy first. Jim Beatty had done his part earlier. The tough call would ultimately be for the Confederacy to make anyway.

Brian was chatting with Ellen and Bob in the CAP training center when Jean arrived. They were reviewing the population of Program participants awaiting re-test versus the number of CAP testing stations available. Brian was coming around to the same conclusion as the townies -- more stations were necessary, especially if the Confederacy wanted interim re-test results. Brian agreed to work for delivery of a second CAP test station.

When they had finished with that subject, Jean explained the problem with the Kent children and, especially, the absence of their mother. As the four began to discuss solutions, the AI interjected, "A reverse-DNA test of the father, Benjamin Kent, and Stephanie Kent revealed that the mother, Linda Kent, is a previously unidentified murder victim in Seattle, Washington. The Seattle Police have been notified."

That took the wind out of their sails. They sat in silence, contemplating the implications of the news. "My initial reaction," said Ellen, "is that neither Ben nor the children will benefit from this information. Linda has been gone these many years. The family is being broken up as it is. Inflicting additional unnecessary pain doesn't seem warranted."

The rest reluctantly agreed. The guardianship issue was now well covered with the document that Jim Beatty had drafted. Brian, pointing out to the others that the AI couldn't lie and was poor at being diplomatic, instructed the AI not to reveal the information except in answer to a direct question. The AI acknowledged.

"Heather!" exclaimed Amy as she answered the door. "Come on in. Make yourselves at home." After a hug of greeting, Amy led the way toward the center of their home, the kitchen. Heather's three children trailed after her, shy in an unfamiliar environment. Heather accepted hugs from Mike, Jean and Megan.

Amy led introductions all around. "Heather, this is my sister, Angie. This is Ethan, who is four, and Ella over there is almost two." Angie and Heather greeted each other and hugged briefly.

Heather continued. "My Corey is eight, Faith is five and Lucas is three. Gender doesn't matter much to playmates this young. Corey can get into enough mischief by himself. I'm sure there will be neighborhood kids for Corey to play with."

Heather was served a glass of white wine. Mike, Heather and Amy chatted while the rest finished preparing dinner. When it was ready, six adults and five children crowded around the dining room table and began to eat.

"Heather," Jean said diffidently, "I hate to pry. Can you share how it went with Carl last night?"

"Carl understands," Heather replied. "Carl knew it was coming. He knew I would be going and that he probably wouldn't. It just came sooner than he expected. He'll be alright."

Amy asked, "Have you thought about a baby? Do you want Carl to be its father?"

"We talked about that," said Heather shyly. "I offered to take his baby with me to the stars. Carl thought about it for quite a while. He was grateful for my offer. He told me that he thought it would make his heart ache if he knew he had a child that he could never see.

"I was able to have him help make sure I was in practice for making babies," she blushed. "But I'm going to stay on the Pill, at least until after we're extracted," she smiled.

"You're staying?" Megan exclaimed. "You're moving in with us right away? Goody."

Heather blushed. "I've been invited to join your family in the extraction. I don't think I've been invited to move into this house with you."

"Well, of course you are," smiled Jean. "We've even brought a bed from Amy's house and put it in what was the den. It'd be three in the master bedroom -- in rotation, of course -- three in the queen bed in Megan's room, the three older children in Brandon's bed, with the one in the middle at the foot of the bed, and the two youngest in the den."

"The adults are going to be cozy, aren't they?" Heather observed.

"Three in the king sized master bed has been fine," Mike answered. "We haven't had three to put in Megan's bed yet. If that seems too crowded, we'll go get more furniture. Same situation with the children. If two on one end and one on the other doesn't seem to work, we'll do something else."

"I brought toothbrushes for tonight," Heather blushed, "and clothes for tomorrow. Beyond that, let's just play it by ear."

"We could use some more toys around here," Angie said. "I wasn't able to bring many, and my kids get kinda bored. Although that should change now that they have new playmates!"

Dinner was finished. Mike and Jean shooed the rest into the living room to begin to get to know each other better. They did dishes and cleaned the kitchen. When they finished, they joined the others in the living room. Heather's children were exploring a bit. All of the kids seemed to be getting on famously. Even the eight-year-old Corey was engaged with the rest.

Mike and Jean had to bring dining room chairs for themselves. They rejected offers of more comfortable seating and settled themselves in. "Stephanie Kent will be joining the baby production department at Stevens & Stevens when we are extracted," Jean announced. Megan and Amy were aware of this, but she wasn't sure whether Angie knew; Heather didn't.

Amy continued, "Stephanie's sister and brother will be coming with us as well. Lea is eleven, and Jacob is eight." That brought a cheer from Corey -- a boy his own age was just what he wanted. Everyone voiced approval.

"Now we only need to find and invite the young man for our family," said Mike. "I guess, by our own criteria, we won't be able to identify him until the very end."

Megan said, "Can you use that AI thing to help you narrow the list?"

Jean brightened. "Good idea, Megan. I'll ask it for help tomorrow."

"It's bath time," Angie announced. "We have five to shuttle through. Heather, do you want to split them by age, or by gender?"

"As you pointed out," Heather answered, "gender doesn't matter much to children that young. Let's split by age. Are we going to do two baths, or three?"

"Let's ask Corey," said Angie. "Corey, do you want a bath with Ethan and Faith, or by yourself?"

"By myself," Corey shyly replied.

"Let's do youngest first. When they're finished, we can get them in their jammies and put to bed. The two youngest on one end of the bed, Corey can go on the other. The little ones will be asleep before Corey climbs in."

Heather smiled. "That sounds like a great plan, Angie." The two mothers found pajamas while Megan brought out towels and began to run the bath water. The two youngest were herded into the bathroom, stripped and popped into the water. The bath toys were at least new to Lucas. A different playmate in the bath was fun for them both.

Angie sat on the floor in front of the bathtub. As soon as Ella began seriously splashing, Angie pulled off her top, exposing her bare chest. Seeing Heather's surprise, Angie motioned her to sit on the toilet. "Heather," she said, "we're all sharing the same man. We're all loving each other. There's no use trying to keep our escapades secret. Most of us are screamers, anyway. It's a little awkward the first time. Can you just go with the flow?"

Just then, a wadded up tee shirt flew into Angie's face and Megan began to laugh. Heather looked up and found Megan standing in the doorway, topless. "Some of us like clothing less than others," Megan giggled. "We were going to greet you nude, but Mom thought that wouldn't be a good start for us."

With a shrug, Heather pulled her top off and immediately followed by removing the rest of her clothes. "I pretty much got over being body shy working at the pool," she said. "It was kinda nice knowing all those hard dicks were because the boys were looking at me."

Megan and Angie were not to be outdone. They peppered each other with discarded clothing, laughing. The laughter was infectious and soon the kids in the tub were laughing as well.

Noticing Heather's full bush, Megan teased, "Angie will shave your puss smooth as a baby's butt any time you ask. She does a great job. See?" and she put her foot on the counter, fully exposing her hairless crotch.

"Carl kept asking me to do that," said Heather, "but I was chicken."

"It's a whole lot easier having someone do it for you," said Angie. "You can get yours right after the kids are abed." Her eyes twinkled and she smiled broadly.

"You're on," laughed Heather.

There being three baths in a row required for the five children, Heather and Angie got busy washing toddlers. Soon they were done. With Megan's help, they were wrapped in towels and marched into the bedroom, dressed in pajamas and popped into bed. Megan withdrew to draw a fresh bath for the next batch. Heather and Angie spent a few minutes getting the children on their way to sleep.

Second verse, same as the first. The now-nude mothers herded the next two into the bathroom, stripped off clothes and put them in the bath. A few minutes were allowed for play, then the kids were quickly washed and rinsed. Out of the tub into towels, they were marched into the den. Pajamas were put on and the kids were put feet-to-feet into the bed. Angie and Heather settled them down and started them on their way to falling asleep.

For the final verse, only Corey was in the bath. Angie decided to remain with Heather and Megan anyway. Megan made a show of laying out the equipment and supplies they would soon need to make Heather's pussy bald. Angie alerted Megan by telling Heather that the best place to do the deed was atop the kitchen table, where the light was good and the victim could be semi-comfortable. Corey didn't say anything about all the tits in the room but he got an eyeful. He had no idea what the grownups were talking about.

Once again, out of the bath and towel dry. This time, however, Heather dressed him in his pajamas while they remained in the bathroom, fearing that Corey's antics would awaken the sleepers. Heather collected Corey into her lap and talked to him about the sleeping arrangements while settling him for sleep. She led him to the bed, turned down his end of the bed, arranged his blanket after he was comfortable, and bid him goodnight. She cautioned him against doing anything that might wake Ella and Lucas.

The three women adjourned to the living room for a break before the haircut. They found refreshed glasses of wine for themselves. Amy, Mike and Jean had enjoyed their antics, if mainly by hearing. They were still dressed and made not the least mention of the girls' nudity. The six enjoyed a few minutes of idle chat.