Chapter 17

The sounds of the Medevac was heard a couple of minutes later. Specially trained medics soon entered the hallway. The team stopped in front of Jeff.

"Colonel Matthews, General Whitworth sends his regards. We are at your disposal. Is this the patient's room?"

Jeff nodded and the team started toward the door. The body of Nurse Kramer filled the frame just before they reached it, barring their entrance.

"Oh no, you don't. No one goes in there until I see the administrator myself. This patient is off limits to anyone until then."

"You're relieved of responsibility, Nurse Kramer. Dr. Masters has signed the transfer papers. The senior medic on this team also has given me transfer orders signed by a General in the US Army taking command of the patient's care. Now let them pass."

"No!" Kramer was adamant. "He goes nowhere until I get personal confirmation about him from Fulshire."

"You picked the wrong day to take a stand, Lady. Now move your fat ass out of the way or my Corporal there, the big one, will move it for you," Senior Medical Tech Johnson demanded.

Kramer held her ground for about three seconds, but she quickly scuttled away when the six foot, five inch MP started forward. The girls got a chuckle out of that. The medical unit entered and started transferring leads and IVs and such to their portable gurney. They carefully slid the rescue backboard under Eugene and began the process of strapping him in. They made just enough noise to wake Eugene's mother as they worked.

"What, what's going on here" she asked, still groggy from the interruption of her sleep. It was the first rest she'd gotten since the accident.

"Relax, Mrs. Appleby, everything is going to be alright. Remember me? I was here this afternoon. I'm Caitlin Matthews; we spoke before. This is my husband, Jeff. We're going to see to Eugene's care now. These men are going to transfer him to a better facility where he will get the best of care."

"But..." she started.

Caitlin hushed her. "As good as our hospital is, we just aren't equipped to handle the severe trauma he suffered in the accident. To that end, my husband pulled some strings with the military. He's a full Colonel on special assignment under General Whitworth. The General sent these men to handle the transfer and there's a Medevac helicopter waiting to transfer us to a place where Eugene can get the best possible care."

"I see," Eugene's mother said. "Well, I guess if it's for Eugene. There's not a problem about paying for his care. We won the lottery a while back, and aren't hurting for money. I will trust you if you think this will be best. I got the impression that you are good people this afternoon. We need to wake the girls to give them the news."

Kayla had been doing just that in the hallway outside the room. She explained who they were and what they were doing. As she talked, she got the distinct impression that Eugene meant more to the girls than just a sibling, much more, in fact. She saw the same concern in them as her sister/wives had when Arlene was injured in the ambush at the retreat. It was something she needed to convey to Jeff. She activated the throat mike under her scarf and she sub-vocalized her suspicions. Jeff agreed with her thoughts based on Mrs. Appleby's behavior, who he added to the mix.

"I think we are dealing with three wives here. Those two in the hall, plus the older woman, Mrs. Appleby. The resemblance is such that she can only be his natural mother. The two in the hall don't look anything like the boy or the woman. They may not be genetically related at all," Jeff commented. "The team is almost done. Let's see about logistics for these three."

Diana had been talking to Mrs. Appleby while Jeff was occupied. They were talking about their stuff at the hotel and the rental car out in the parking lot when he joined in on the conversation. Diana had already assured them that the car and the hotel would be taken care of by their security staff. She was told not to worry about anything, just look after her son once the medical people had their way. Diana already knew that Jeff would have to get them to agree to the blocks. It was an electronically administered programming that would make it impossible for them to talk about anything they might see or hear at the Retreat to someone outside that circle. Jeff would explain it to them once they were home.

"We're ready, Colonel." Specialist Johnson reported. "We need to move quickly as our portable life support system is time limited."

All their stuff was gathered up, and the women followed behind the gurney as the medic team steered it toward the waiting helo. The Colorado night's blistering cold hit them as a blast of wind swept through the open doorway. The group quickly moved to the waiting helicopter. Jeff helped the women into the forward cabin of the craft as the team lifted the collapsible gurney into the bay. The heat was going full blast and it quickly blew the chill away. The chopper lifted off two minutes after that.

Jeff turned to the women and said. "I have a very special home. It has a setup unlike anything you've ever seen. We're going to go there now. Any questions you might have will all be truthfully answered once we are there. The rest of my family will be there, too. It won't be long now. It's really a short hop in the air."

"Oh, is that it?" Tara asked, as she pointed out the window.

"Yes."

"It's so big. It looks like a hotel or something." She added.

"It was built as a hotel and conference center by a very wealthy man. He gave it to us as part of a deal to purchase an invention my husband came up with for airplanes," Diana contributed. "We call it home and take care of it ourselves. We do all the cooking and most all of the cleaning, although we do occasionally have a crew come in to help with that. The girls and I do most of the work though."

"How many girls do you have, Mrs. Matthews," Jackie innocently asked.

"Oh, you'll meet them soon enough, we're about to land. Let's get ready and we'll talk once we're inside, OK?"

Jackie nodded since the landing noise would drown out any verbalization. Jeff helped everyone down once they were on the ground, and insisted they go inside. He said he'd supervise Eugene's move. Diana took charge, shepherding the small group into the huge building. Arlene appeared from the ramp of the invisible ship once they were gone, anti-gravity stretcher in tow. Her thin looking uniform was actually a space suit that protected her from the cold. She hurried over to the side just as the big door slid open. The gurney was carefully rolled out and placed on the anti-grav platform. The medical team took positions on the side and quickly maneuvered the equipment and patient to the ramp once the straps were in place, and then into the sentient spacecraft.

They easily pushed the combined unit to the medical bay once inside, and Eugene was then moved to the healing chamber. The chamber was closed and a mist obscured the vision. A force field came on that would prevent anyone from tampering with the unit until it was finished.

<<This one is quite badly injured, my Prime. It will take some of your hours to repair him. I will call you when he is ready.>> The sentient ship spoke to Jeff, not so much in words, but as impressions. It was still learning to communicate, but Jeff was getting better at understanding what she was telling him. He let her know he'd be in the living room. Jeff left with the medical team and escorted them to the waiting helicopter. He thanked them for their service, and headed for the house as the helicopter lifted off from the pad. He shook the snow off at the door, left his boots in the foyer, and headed down the hallway to the living room. The visitors were all seated on the large couch. They each had a large mug of hot cocoa. Jeff was handed one by Susan. He seated himself in his chair and took a long sip of the chocolate beverage.

"Now then," Jeff began, "I want to explain everything I can to you. However, we have some secrets here that cannot be revealed outside this compound. I do have a way to prevent it though. I have this little device that takes about ten minutes to work. It will place blocks in your subconscious. You will become nauseated if you begin to say something you shouldn't. The more you try, the worse it will get until you black out. It usually only takes the first warning for a person to stop and think about what they're saying. These blocks are placed on everyone who is privy to our secrets. They all voluntarily take them, even the General who you will meet this weekend. Before I can proceed further, will you accept the blocks?"

Jackie, as Queen, looked at her sister-wives. Diana noted their unspoken communication, but she kept her peace for now. Jackie turned to Jeff a moment later, and asked a question of her own.

"Would these blocks prevent us from discussing things among ourselves?"

"Not if you were alone, no."

What if we had a secret, would they be protected by the same blocks?"

"If you have something you want kept secret, I can set the instrument to include your own secrets. I've just discovered that feature in my conversations with the ship," Jeff was explaining to his family as well.

Well, then our answer is yes, we'll take the blocks. I will go first," Jackie told him.

He had her sit in the recliner and he placed the instruments on her. He turned it on and she was out like a light. The machine shut off ten minutes later, and Jackie opened her eyes.

"Well, go ahead and start it. I'm ready."

"You're already done. You've been out for ten minutes!" Tara exclaimed, "I'm next!"

Jeff had her move to the recliner and he set the machine. Tara was awake ten minutes later. "I don't feel any different. Are you sure it worked?

"Absolutely. Now for you, Mrs. Appleby?"

The machine ran a third time. Jeff put the machine back in its storage cabinet once it was finished.

Some of Jeff's wives wheeled a cart in with goodies and more hot chocolate on it. Diana began the story while everyone was helping themselves.

The explanation about Alphas and Primes was complete an hour later. They had been told about Jeff having fourteen wives, including his daughter and Diana's mother. They found out about the rest of the members of the clan, and were told they would probably meet most of them for the New Year's celebration.

"Oh, we probably won't be celebrating. We have to care for Eugene. I don't think it will be right for us to be having fun while he's so sick."

One of the girls giggled. Diana shot her a stern look. She contritely apologized.

"You won't have to worry about that, either" Jeff began. Jeff then began to tell them about the ship, Little One, and all the things that could and would happen. He even told them that Eugene was in a healing chamber in the ship and he would be completely healed once the process was over.

"That's a nice story, and it did take my mind off my son for a little while, but really? Invisible space ships, healing machines, travel to the moon and through other dimensions? You expect me to believe that?" Eugene's mother said. "Now please, we've wasted enough time. Just because you have a multi-wife family doesn't make it any dire secret. We've..."

"You've got a multi-spouse family as well," Diana contributed.

"How do you... ?" she began.

"A Queen can tell," Diana continued, "Can't you, Jackie?"

"What makes you think I'm a Queen?" Jackie asked.

"I noticed how you took charge and how you non-verbally communicated with your sister-wives." She looked straight at Mrs. Appleby as she spoke. "Yes, although you're Eugene's mother, you are also his wife. It's true, isn't it?"

Diana stared her down until she nodded her head. Diana went over to her and wrapped her arms around the woman. "I know, I know," she soothingly said.

"I think it's time they met Little One, Husband."

Jeff nodded and lifted his collar. The sentient being, known as Little One, flowed out into Jeff's hand. He held her out so they could all see her.

"As I have said many times before, we began to die the day we were born. You will find that Little One tends to overcome that."

"May I hold her" Jackie timidly asked.

Jeff extended his hand over to Jackie's and asked Little One to allow the transfer. The pearlescent shape moved to Jackie's waiting hands by itself.

Her eyes opened wide. "I feel it. It's like a kitten purring. That's the best description I can give it. This is so neat."

"Actually she prefers the feminine pronouns rather than 'it'."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I meant no offense. She is just so cool."

"May I?" Tara asked? Jeff nodded, and Little One transferred to Tara's hands. The warm, good feeling and the mental buzz she received from the little alien left her smiling.

Still not convinced, Mrs. Appleby again asked about Eugene.

"I've been told that his injuries were extremely severe and it will be about seven more hours before we can see him. In the meantime, I noticed the two younger ladies nodding. Why don't we get you situated in a suite and let you rest. We'll go see Eugene in the morning. I promise everything will be OK," Diana told the women.

On the brink of exhaustion, the trio agreed and was led to a very nice suite by Helen and Arlene. Diana looked at Jeff and smiled once they were out of the room,.

"Are you planning what I think you're planning?"

With a slight blush, Jeff nodded.

"Tonight will be perfect, since they will be exhausted and probably sleep through any intrusion. I know they'll appreciate it." Diana knew the improvements Little One will make tonight will take years off the older woman and keep the younger ones looking young for a long time to come. The complex settled down for the night. Jeff quietly entered the suite where the women were sleeping around one. He wasn't surprised that all three were in the large bed, and the two doubles in the other bedroom were unoccupied. He moved quietly to the side of the bed, and all three women were bathed in the blue light emitted from the being as Little One flowed onto Tara's chest. Their breathing indicated they were further asleep. Jeff sat in the chair by the door and took a short nap. Little One was finished with the three a few minutes after he awoke. Jeff went over to the other side of the bed and collected the alien, placed her back on his shoulder and waited until she took her usual place between his shoulders on his back.

He slipped back into bed. His place was kept warm by several of his wives who moved aside as he insinuated his body against theirs. They were back asleep in no time and Jeff joined them for a short while. Jeff was up at 5 for his daily run. Kayla, grumbled a little as usual, but was up with him, dressing for the run herself. As his personal bodyguard, she felt she also needed to run. Still, Jeff would hold back the first five to ten miles until Kayla, and usually, Art, another Alpha who went with them, gave up and joined the security detail following in the Escalade. Then he would pour the steam on. The Prime's enhanced body took little effort to speed up faster than other humans could muster.

Art went back to his room where Bobby, Sandra, and Hope would be waiting, while Jeff and Kayla headed for the kitchen. They were surprised to find Nat, Whitney, Nicky, Arlene, and Selina there working on making breakfast. Well, Selina was more like orchestrating the operation, but it was the thought. She delivered steaming hot cups of fresh perked coffee to the pair.

"We will have breakfast ready shortly, my Prime" Selina advised. "If you were to take a quick shower, it will be complete by the time you return. You should also wake the rest of your wives, as they should be there when we take our new clan members to the ship."

"I think you're right, Navigator. I shall return"

Jeff and Kayla took the coffee and returned to their suite. They took turns gently waking the others and then slipped into the warmth of the shared shower where they only used it for its primary purpose. Diana was up first and she picked the phone up and dialed a couple of numbers from memory. When the phone was answered, she informed Jackie that breakfast was ready and that they would be eating in the kitchen. Jackie responded they would be there shortly, and thanked Diana for the notice. She mentioned she was starving. That was a good sign.

The clan soon gathered in the kitchen. The extra-family clan members were Art with Bobby, Sandra, and Hope, and Eric (another Alpha), with his sister Angela, and his two daughters, Terri and Alice. The others were off and about somewhere, but would soon be arriving for the start of the New Year's holiday long weekend. There was more than enough food for that many, and there was room to spare at the long table and at the counter, where the younger ones tended to gravitate.

Whap! There suddenly was another attendee. Billy the cat, appeared on Selena's shoulder. She scolded him and placed him on the floor. Whap! He was right back where he'd been before.

"Excuse me, my Prime. Billy seems to need attention. May I be excused?" Selena asked.

"Of course you may. Don't be too hard on Billy. You know he loves company," Jeff admonished.

Selena left with Billy. The assembled group heard another Whap just as the door to the kitchen closed, followed closely by yet another. Many at the table had a good chuckle about that.

Jackie later commented, "I can't believe I ate that much. It's just that I was sooo hungry."

Tara concurred. "Me too. I felt like I could eat a horse. I'm not hungry now, but boy was I when we started."

Diana looked over at Eugene's mother. She was just nodding her head.

"Now that breakfast is out of the way, let's show you the main reason for the blocks. As you can guess, it's not because of the number of wives the men in this household have. Nor is it about the relationship between those consenting to wed, like Arlene being both wife and daughter. No, this is much bigger."

Terri and Alice took delight in knowing the secret, but kept their peace so they wouldn't let the cat out of the bag.

The whole group adjourned to the living room. Whitney wheeled in a big serving cart containing coffee, hot chocolate, and assorted fruit drinks. Jeff took the center stage. He began with the inception of the team and how they had come to discover the ship. He described her as an advanced AI capable of learning, and far more advanced than anyone on earth even thought of. He next described how the bear injured him, almost losing his life, and his complete recovery thanks to the healing chamber. He then told them about his pilot and the accident/sabotage/whatever last week, and how the chamber completely healed Mayberry, who was back on duty.

"I didn't see any spaceship when we got here, so where do you keep it?" Eugene's mom began.

"It's right out there, just at the end of the parking lot. You can see where it is from this end of the room. See that indentation, just there?" Jeff was pointing now.

"I still don't see anything."

"That's because it's invisible," Alice blurted out. She immediately slammed her hand over her mouth after uttering that statement, her face crimson with embarrassment.

"I've never heard of such a thing. You'll have to prove it to me."

Diana gently took her by the hand and suggested she follow. Jeff led the way with April and Terri out front, giggling and laughing. Eric called them back and they grudgingly complied. Everyone donned the coats hanging in the foyer at the back door. Looking out the door, Jeff noted that the security team had already been through with the snowplow, and the driveway and parking areas were clear of snow.

They approached the area where the ship was. Would you please extend the ramp so we may enter? Jeff sent. Of course, my Prime. I am ready to accept passengers. I have prepared the primary conference room for your guests, the ship replied. Jeff noted the indentation of the ramp on the fresh snow and directed everyone to follow. He ascended the ramp and Mrs. Appleby and the two girls mouths dropped as he seemingly walked on air. They cautiously stepped out and their feet contacted the ramp, which immediately became visible, as did the rest of the ship. They entered the craft and gathered at the top of the ramp.

"Number One, please escort our guests to the primary conference room," Jeff directed Arlene. Her clothing instantly changed from her earthly garb, including the heavy coat, to the other world uniform she wore as second in command of the starship. Jeff's clothing also changed, and Selina was in the garb of Navigator-in-training. The entire group entered the room, and Jeff and Arlene excused themselves for a minute.

Jeff checked on Eugene's progress with the ship, and Arlene took her command post. Jeff suggested a small trip was in order. Arlene took control of the craft and it silently lifted off. She announced over the communications channel that they were ready minutes later. She looked over to the Nav console and winked at Selina.