Section 25

The girls were sprawled all over the living area when he returned to the group. “After everything that’s happened, finally we can relax from the stresses of school and start to have fun at the beach.” Marcie snarked. “It only took a bio-terrorist attack to make it so.”

“Sounded easy when we planned it a week ago. Who knew?” Karen answered.

Phil listened to the girls banter about the recent events as he worked out the details of the next week. Food, drink, medications, entertainment and the day-to-day business of maintaining the household were on the short list. With so many sweet willing bodies, delegating responsibilities was the way to go.

“My loves, we have to take care of our nest. Marcie and Traci, set the false satellite image to cover the island out to the beaches. Make sure the radar is active at all times with the audible alarms on. Mirror the radar and video surveillance to my tablet.”

They went immediately to the radar room.

“Sally and Sara, you, with Willy and Melody, inventory the kitchen and pantry. Plan meals for the next few days, including a hearty breakfast, light lunch and normal supper for all twenty-three of us.” He reconsidered. “Not so much every meal to the last dash of salt, but have enough on hand to ad lib good food. Polly will text the order to Maggie and ask her to have it delivered to the boathouse. We’ll pick up there.”

“Am I the right girl to place the order? She knows you Swensons better than she knows me.”

“These people have to get used to the fact that we are a family unit, each of you speaking for the Swenson House.” Phil smiled. “Just do it like that is the way things are done. The order will not be questioned.”

Turning to Sherry, he continued, “You are in charge of the pharmacy. Get one of the three-way timers from the radio room and set it for eight-hour intervals. Make absolutely sure everyone gets their antibiotics on time. Emily will help dispense the pills. This is most important.”

The professors got tasks, too. “You four are in charge of prescriptions, supplements, toiletries and non-kitchen supplies. Go ahead and anticipate usage for two weeks. What we have leftover, we can take home.” Thinking of home, he said, “Joanne, you and Nancy should touch base with Sophie and get a report on the construction. It’s primarily your plan so feel free to solve any problems that may have popped up as you see fit. The area behind the main house near the pool and my office are still ‘off limits’.”

Sally asked the crew to consolidate the various lists. “We can send it all in at once. You don’t think they will mind delivering to Lola, do you?”

He laughed. “Not to be cynical, but they owe us a lot and know it. I will be very disappointed if Auggie doesn’t volunteer to drive it up here himself before you ask. By now, they have to suspect we stopped a plot to poison the water supply or blow up the town. That is on top of the rescues, the firefight at the high school, and any number of things we’ve done to make the county safer.”

“Like the donated clinics, all the money we spend locally and the charitable contributions all over the place.” May added. “These people aren’t crazy about being beholden to others. Even though they know we would never mention it nor use it as a tool, they will jump at the chance to pay a little on any perceived debt.”

“We have the bacterial disease probably intended for them. Put that on the long list of reasons to keep us happy.” April grinned. “Hope it doesn’t scare them away.”

“Sherry, order some of those little paper face masks we can wear around others. Include a note to Auggie that we will wash down the boathouse dock with seawater after we pull away to kill any germs we leave behind.” Phil sighed. “Let him know salt water kills the bacteria quickly. It will not be lost on him that the amount carried by the Colombians must have been huge if we were infected in the ocean.”

“What will scare him is the thought of the townspeople drinking it and starting to die from a mystery illness.” Zina decided. “Just another reason to bring the goods to us.”

They all pitched in to anticipate the needs of the house, resulting in an impressive list.

Later, after sending the text to Maggie, Karen wondered why the Moms hadn’t called. “It isn’t like them to pass up a chance to interrupt us with trivialities, much less an opportunity to pass on real news. Maybe there’s trouble?”

“If it’s any consolation, Connie and I are getting better at sensing trouble. Not to the level of seeing the future, but getting a feel for the relative change in the overall ‘vibe’. I don’t want to know the future. That would suck. But the Moms are OK for now.”

“Bonnie’s right. And the mere ‘knowing’ would alter the game and make a prediction invalid. But we apparently can get a sense of things in general, plus/minus wise, and advise.” Connie continued, “The little mental warnings are not so random now. We can concentrate on a generality sometimes and get a good/bad feeling, but it is not yet ‘on demand’.”

“It may be me, but I feel like someone is looking at us.” Sally said. “Not spying or with a bad intent, just an awareness of a presence.”

“I understand if Swenson/Flanagan, Blue Bear/Singer, Nieukierk/Sorenson, Chen/MacDonald, or Ladysmith/Bouchard offspring can sense a psychic force, but I don’t have that pedigree.” Emily quizzed. “And I’m not the only one new to this paranormal rodeo.”

“Phil, why is it that we, you especially, seem to know more than we any reason to know? Earlier, you just spouted all that stuff about the Perrys and their orphan search. We never discussed that before. Marcie became an instant whiz at the communications center. The six twins and SuLing work together like a Swiss watch, but I must have missed the practice sessions. Willy shoots like Annie Oakley and Sherry is a one-woman artillery squad. Amy, Rachael Lanie and I are suddenly quite comfortable around high performance engines and weapons.” Dana questioned, “How is that so, when we are all artists and creators?”

“It has to be proximity, Dana. We make one another grow. We bring out otherwise dormant abilities in our sisters. You have mechanical skills and designer’s eyes. What jewelry maker doesn’t? Did you know Traci’s Mom knows your and Zina’s Moms? Are you related a few generations back? Delicate tools, to machines to analytics, it makes a logical progression through the bloodlines. How many ways are we connected, how many potentialities do we have?” Phil said, “Zina wore that sniper rifle like an old shirt. Willy became a sharpshooter. Sherry turned into something special with the RPG. Who picked up which talent from whom? Perhaps, we all have skills that manifest only when we need them and instinctively react without over-thinking the situation.”

“Nancy and Joanne are theatrical designers. That translated to planning the renovations and the facility with the CAD programs. Traci is going to study architecture. Bonnie and Connie will be engineers. The cross-pollinating feedback loop they will create will be awesome!” Lanie offered.

Rachael had an observation to make. “I watched the Swenson twins and SuLing in awe. They seemed to will their bodies and weapons to be where they needed to be. Every opponent was history as soon as they presented a threat. Then they go back to being loony little computer wizards and musicians as if it was a normal day. Maybe it was for them. Hell, I should have PTSD after wasting a person, but all I can think of is that he threatened the family. His choice, not mine. No remorse, except for being put into a place where such decisions have to be made.”

Soon, Phil insisted they get some sleep. “Tomorrow will be here before we are ready, the next med time is coming up and we have a bunch of supplies coming to sort and stow. You girls will have to work out the sleeping arrangements. The cabin has accommodated a dozen guests in the past, but twice that number might be a challenge. We have some big beds and cots and I am putting one to use right now. See you in the morning.” With that statement, he went to the next room, stripped, and flopped in the center of the nearest bed.

The girls promptly dragged all the futons and couch cushions into the sleeping area, spread them on the floor and crashed into sleepy land.

Bellatrix gained strength as she encountered the warmer Gulf Stream waters and began to turn northwest toward the Middle Atlantic coast. NOAA and FEMA encouraged residents to prepare for voluntary evacuation inland from Savannah to Cape May. Trackers predicted the storm would probably follow a path similar to Fran’s back in 1996.

Phil, as usual, was awake before the alarm. Joanne was snuggled up to him on one side, Nancy on the other. The weight on top was Polly, staring into his eyes.

“Good morning, my Master. Did you rest well?” She giggled quietly then kissed his nose. “I missed you last night.”

“I miss you every night, Little Slave Girl. Think we can put my hard dick to use before everyone gets up?” He sat up, causing her to slide down slightly and him to easily slide up into her dripping pussy. They both moaned, the sounds making his other bedmates stir a bit.

“I’ll never get used to how you stretch me open. It feels new every time.”

He scooted to the foot of the bed and lifted her when he stood. “Let’s take this wake-up fuck to the showers. The others will get up with the alarm.”

Connected at the hips, they strolled to the small shower in the sleeping room where Polly insisted on getting screwed on every hole. Needless to say, Phil was more than willing to make her happy. Polly finished her pre-shower leaking from her cunt, ass and smiling lips.

“I must have come ten times, Master. Can we do this every day?” Polly asked. “Do you think the other girls will mind?”

“Only if you don’t share.” Phil laughed.

Their voices attracted the attention of Emily and Sherry who joined them in the small shower stall. “Don’t be greedy, or we will be forced to tickle you to mush.” Sherry warned as she pinched Polly’s nearest nipple gently.

Meanwhile, Emily pushed Phil to the tile floor and mounted his still hard cock, bouncing through two orgasms until Sherry nudged her over and took her place. Phil played with her tits until her second spasm and then filled her pussy up with his fourth ejaculation of the morning.

He helped the three panting girls to finish their showers and left them there to dry as he returned to the slumber room to get himself dressed. The medication alarm sounded as he pulled up his cargo shorts, leaving him nothing to do but play spank and tickle to get the generally naked and drowsy cuties moving.

Polly went to the kitchen to start breakfast preparations. Emily and Sherry counted out antibiotics and yogurt cups for the morning dosage.

“Rise and shine, my beauties. We have meds to take, food to eat, supplies to retrieve and stow and a vacation is calling our names. Sara and Sally, call Auggie and get the delivery schedule. May and April, talk to Mom and get the late breaking news on the clean-up. Marcie, you and Karen check the overnight messages and radio traffic. Adjust the false satellite image to cover the beach. If we swim, the world does not need to watch.”

He was unconsciously in head of house mode but the girls seemed to expect him to take charge when there was work to do. “Amy, Dana, Rachael and Lanie, get the ‘Devil’s Darling’ ready to motor to Lola. Check the fuel and battery levels. You know how quickly our plans go into the toilet whenever we get onboard, so secure the decks, inspect the first aid kit, seal a day’s dosage of the antibiotics for everyone in the kit, stash extra towels, dry t-shirts and panties for the girls and shorts and swimwear for me. Talk to April and May if you have questions.”

He continued, “Bonnie, Connie, SuLing and Zina need to look for trouble spots, things we might have missed yesterday. Call Sophie for a building report update, too. Ask if anything changed since Joanne and Nancy called last night. If you see anything out of place or get a bad feeling, talk to me immediately.”

The named girls scampered to shower, dress and get busy. “Willy, Melody, Nancy, Joanne, and Traci. You make sure the weapons are loaded and handy, safeties on. Who knows what will crawl out of the water and we are effectively on our own for a week. I’m going to check the fuel tanks and the outside equipment. We’ll meet at the breakfast table later. See Sherry and Emily to get your antibiotics and yogurt before you start.”

He made sure the girls in the kitchen were dispensing the drugs and went out the back door with his phone. He made a note to thank the people who topped off the tanks prior to their arrival. The radar tower looked fine and corrosion free, as did the wiring conduits to the house. The HVAC unit hummed merrily along doing its job quietly and efficiently.

He strolled to the beach, noticing the rougher than normal surf and brisk wind from the water. No swimming, he thought, but it won’t get very hot either. He needed to caution the girls to use lots of sunscreen even when the sky was cloudy.

His phone chirped. It was Amy. “We need you at the dock. The supplies are here and we can’t help the men from town unload.”

“Why are they here and not at the boathouse?”

“You’ll have to ask them.” Amy responded, “We are keeping our distance because of the quarantine.”

“Be right there, Amy. Let them finish unloading the stuff on the pier. I’ll talk to you then.”

Running around the cabin, he was at the dock in minutes. Auggie, the harbormaster’s crew and the Harbor Patrol were all there. “Is this some service, or what?” He had to shout over the wind. the sound was much rougher than he expected.

Auggie answered, “You can come closer. We are taking antibiotics for the bacteria so no harm will come to us.”

Phil approached carefully anyway and asked, “What’s up?”

“Clearly you haven’t gotten the word. Hurricane flags are up from Hatteras to Southport. Bellatrix is making landfall near Morehead City soon. We doubled your food order and Maggie added some extra stuff. The sound is too choppy for your boat to move safely and we figured you were going to ride it out on the island.”

“If we had known there was a hurricane we might have decided just that. The house is sturdy enough and we are probably too contagious to go to an evacuation center. Plus, my house in Scarboro is under construction and we can’t go there.” Phil asked, “Are you guys safe? Coming out on water this rough is taking a chance. We can always call Hardcastle if we have to.”

Archie and Auggie laughed. The Patrol Chief said, “Don’t call the Coast Guard. They are up to their asses in stupid tourists and weekend fishermen trying to catch the last mackerel of the week. We’ve sailed in worse and the Patrol ships are tough. Poor Ed is back at the Beaufort docks trying to get the ships in port squared away or he would be here, too. Auggie had no choice. He was sent by Maggie to check on her girls.”

JD chuckled, “Mizz Maggie spoke. The men heard and obeyed.”

JA added with a small smile, “She Who Must Be Obeyed gave us all our marching orders. ‘Take care of those kids or no more cobblers ever. Do I make myself clear?’ A pie-free life or a hurricane? The choice was easy for me. Where do you want this case of pears?”

“What he said. After you helped get rid of the bad element on the dock, our lives improved a lot.” JD said, “We realized we were working our butts off undoing their screw-ups. Master Norton is happy, the guests are happier, the dock is busier than ever and we are working less but getting more real work done in half the time.”

Rachael asked, “Who’s helping Master Norton with you two Jasons here?”

“A bunch of longshoremen from the State Marine Terminal and Radio Island showed up out of the clear blue.” Auggie offered.

“I think Allan Jefferies had something to do with it. You all rescued him and his ‘Honey Bee II’ crew and he is just the type to pay it forward.” Archie guessed. “Everyone knows you are stuck here. I suspect he figured he could put pros on the city dock and free up people to help you all out if necessary.”

“Make sure you give him our thanks and thanks to the guys who topped our fuel tanks, too.”

“That would be me.” Auggie grinned. “I convinced the Otways to make a delivery off schedule last winter. Benny said it would take more than Category Five to blow a shingle from your roof. Baxter wants the plans for his next house. You might have missed the invoice but your accountant paid it anyway.”

“Good thing you buried the power lines. NOAA says the storm surge will be as high as fifteen feet.” Archie said. “With the island, you are more than twenty-four above the high tide line.”

“How is it that you know so much about my cabin?” Phil visibly bristled.

“We checked the blueprints at the County Zoning Office to see if you could ride out the storm. Deep sunk, steel centered lolly columns, concrete pads, galvanized I-beam studs in the walls, anodized aluminum outer shell, bolted on, the list goes on.” Archie quickly attempted to soothe him. “This cabin would survive Armageddon. You have generated some serious house envy.”

Phil was calming down. Seeing the paper was OK. It was public record. Actually snooping around was definitely not OK. The Otways had to be there for several reasons, the fuel delivery being just one, but he trusted them. Not that he didn’t trust the Harbor Patrol and the chandler, but they never traveled alone. Others might get too curious for their own good.

“It’s all good, guys. I get nervous sometimes. Thanks for the concern, really, and thanks for this trip in foul weather. Just so you know, the shell of the cabin is like an electric cattle fence when the alarms are activated, but stronger. Trespassers will be shocked. And you are right about the weather. We had no idea a storm was so close.” He admitted, “With all the distractions running around trying to kill us, we let mundane matters slip by. NOAA alerts got lost in the radio traffic.”

The men looked eager to leave. “Everything is on the pier now, Captain Swenson.” JD reported. “Do you need help getting it all indoors?”

“I don’t think so. We have twenty-three sets of hands and a big Gator. Shouldn’t take too long.” Phil answered. “Anyway, y’all need to get back and take care of your own houses. Again, thanks for doing this. We appreciate it more than you know.”

“Maggie will want a report, Archie has to make sure the harbor is closed and the boys need to get home.” Auggie agreed. “Bellatrix is coming whether we like it or not.”

The men piled on the patrol boat as soon as they could and sped away. “They are more worried than they were willing to say.” Dana noted. “Either we made them jumpy or this hurricane is worse than they said.”

“Maybe a little of both. The new bacterium is something that doesn’t fight fair. You cannot see it. No one knows the rules, yet. Of course, they understand it, but it is scary, just like we are scared of smallpox or anthrax. We all know the precautions. But, no amount of hand washing works if some assclown has contaminated the well.” Phil went on, “They most certainly downplayed the hurricane. Marcie will have the latest news from the radio and television, but the guys looked quite ‘jumpy’, as you said, and their cheeriness did not ring true.”

“All I know is that the wind has picked up since we got out here. Impregnable cabin or not, we need to get this stuff to the house.” Amy insisted as noticed the whole troupe coming down the path. “We have a lot of packages to move.”

Phil grabbed his sisters. “While they are moving the supplies, we need to batten the hatches and move the boats. I’m going to anchor the ‘Darling’ away from the dock. I’ll tow a longboat out and ride it back. You two stow the motors on the other longboat and Traci’s johnboat. Use the Gator when you can and drag them into the trees away from the water. Put the motors on the front porch.”