Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience. Mg* ped 1st cons rom inc preg anal oral mc ScFi Author: YAWN - Yet Another Writing Newbie. Copyright 2010-2011 YAWN Electronic distribution permission granted to asstr.org. Permission for any other use must be obtained by contacting the author via asstr.org. If you can't tell this is fiction from the copyright date and the story dates, you're either not old enough or not smart enough to be reading it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Friday, 21 August 2015 05:07 Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock! Who's at the door at 5AM? "Yes?" "Colonel Wilson, we have one person on foot at the gate. Says his name is Jake Davis and he wants to see his niece Molly." "Daddy, what's the shouting?" "Poppy, Jake Davis is my uncle." +Clothes on girls. Quick! "Just a minute." Grab my clothes. "Girls, do you want to come with me?" "Yes, Daddy." "Poppy, do I have to go with him?" "That's what we're going to find out. If he is your uncle, he is part of the Repopulate Project and we let him in. If he's not your uncle, we need to find out how he knew about you." "OK." "Get books or something to keep you occupied while we're there." "Yes, Daddy." "Yes, Poppy." "George, he's at the main gate. He has a valid remote and RFID tag. His face is too bandaged to ID him - says he was burned when the small plane he was in crashed. There appear to be other people just outside the gate and outside the fence at a couple of other places." "Get Carl and another sniper up on the roof with handie-talkies. Ready a squad with automatic weapons as well." "Sarah, is there any way you could identify your Uncle Jake if you couldn't see his face?" "He has a fish tattoo on his right shoulder and a big scar on his left arm from a motorcycle accident. He lost some teeth in that accident, so his front teeth are on posts." +Can you do any 'mind' things with him? +.He can 'hear' me if we're real close. I can 'hear' him from across the room. +Does he know that your Daddy called you 'Sarah' or that you called your Daddy 'Poppy'? +.He knows about 'Poppy' but not about 'Sarah'. +I may need for you to help us identify him. +.Yes, Poppy. "Ed, open the gate just wide enough for him to get through. Follow him with the 50 cals." "Carl, any other motion from the street or the sides, take them out." "You, by the gate. When the gate opens, enter slowly, with your hands on your head. We've had two attacks on this facility and are in 'shoot first' mode. You are under surveillance by cameras and snipers and you are being tracked by 50 caliber machine guns. You will NOT have a second chance if you disobey my orders." Hands on head. So far, so good. There are still people outside the gate and the fence, but none of them have moved. "Ed, close the gate. Stay alert for another 'gate crasher'." "You. Hands on the wall and spread your legs. You will be frisked by the MPs coming up behind you. They carry loaded automatic weapons and are authorized to fire if threatened." "Sergeant, take the prisoner to medical. Minimum of 4 guards. Have the burn specialist check him out for type of injuries and whether they match his story. Remove and replace the dressings and give me video while it's done." "Yes, Colonel." +Sarah, I need you to watch the video. If the man is burned, it won't be pleasant to look at. Do you understand? +Yes, Poppy. "Colonel, there are burns on his face, neck and arms. However they don't look like something from an aircraft accident. I can't put my finger on it, but they're just not 'right'." "Check his shoulders and back also, Doctor. We want to be sure he gets the proper treatment." +.Poppy, I think he's one of the men who killed my Daddy! I recognize the knife tattoo on his arm! +Sarah, do you want to help us punish him for killing your Daddy? +.YES! I want to kill him!! +No, Sweetie, I don't want you to do that. I want you to help me teach him a lesson that he can take back to other people. +.But he killed my Daddy! +Yes, Sweetie, I know and he probably killed some other people also. I want you to help me make him so scared he won't ever be able to sleep soundly again because he doesn't know when you might come after him. +.You called me 'Sweetie'. You have the best ways of making me feel loved. What are we going to do? "Ed, he's not her uncle. She thinks he's one of the men who killed her father - you can interrogate the remote for that. Since he's looking for 'Molly', we'll let him meet my Molly, but with Sarah there also - on the slim chance he knows what the girl he's searching for actually looks like. We'll still have guards there, but I think the girls have learned a way to protect themselves." "Protect themselves? A couple of six year olds? If you say so George, but I'll put my trust in the automatic weapons." "Bring him up to interrogation room 3. We'll be there shortly." "Hi, I'm Molly. Do I know you?" "I'm your Uncle Jake. I'm here to take care of you." "Did Poppy tell you how to find me?" "No, your Daddy did." "You're not my Uncle Jake. Do you know him Sarah?" "You're not my Uncle Jake either." "I think we should give him a hug, Sarah" "I think so too." "What are you doing to me? My head hurts. God it's gonna split open! Please stop!" "How did you learn about me?" "Your Daddy's wallet had the address here and your name." "Why are you here?" "I don't have to tell anything to a couple of little girls I could squash with one hand. Noo! IT HURTS! STOP! STOP! STO..." +Candlestick! Teapot! +.Just when it was getting interesting! +No, just before it got deadly. I want him alive to answer more questions. "You've experienced what a couple of little girls can do to you without touching you. How long do you think it would take one of us to kill you?" "Please don't! I'll tell you all I know. They didn't tell me there were twins, just that the girl was Molly and the special key tag would let me in. Then I could open the gate and the doors and let the others in." "Who are the others?" "He'll kill me!" "Not nearly as painfully as we can. We think you may have killed one girl's father. You can answer me or answer to her." "The kids can crush my head? How? Are you aliens? Are you from Venus and making the clouds so you can live here?" "One last time: who are the others and where do we find them?" "No, I can't." "Sarah, persuade him, but don't kill him yet." "Yes, Poppy." "Noo! IT HURTS! STOP! STOP! STOP! OH GOD MAKE HER STOP!" "Stop there, Sarah. You may need to make it tighter later." "Yes, Poppy." "I know you hurt, but she is capable of so much more - and you don't have to be in the same room or even the same building. She knows your mind now and can find you anywhere. What will your pals do if you start screaming 'It hurts! Make her stop!' when there's no one there? Will they toss the crazy guy outside to die? She's very angry about her father and her sister is waiting to help her. Can you survive what the two of them can do to you?" "OK. OK. We're what's left of Martin Voorhies' group. His brother Tom has set up camp at the National Guard armory because it has electricity, food, water, weapons, vehicles and fuel. There're about 200 people - 150 of us and about 50 hostages. The hostages are in the admin building. That's all I know. Please stop the pain!" "Sarah, let him go." "Do I have to? I think he killed my Daddy and I'm not through with him." "Yes. For now we'll handle this. I'll let you know if we need you to finish this." "Yes, Poppy." "Ed, I think he's been sufficiently scared, but we should keep him in the brig because we don't want him alerting the rest of the gang before we rescue the other hostages." "'Sufficiently scared'? I'm terrified and I wasn't touched. How do they do that?" "I discovered that a very gentle mental touch created the feeling of having your mind hugged. The girls wanted me to teach them how I did it. While they were attempting to hug me we found that doing the hug with a heavy hand was like being hugged by a grizzly - it hurts and it's hard to breathe. I don't know how many people one girl could control alone, but both girls are certainly well prepared for a one-on-one attack. I think we should do things to reinforce his idea that we are aliens. Do we also have an ultralight titanium jeep? We'll let him see someone picking up the corner of one while someone else changes a tire." "You do have a twisted sense of humor, George. I'll have a crew 'fix' a jeep in his line of vision as he's taken to the brig. Have you any ideas on the hostage rescue at the armory?" "A couple, Ed. I'll work on them while the girls get back to 'normal' - we have a cake to bake." "That's right - Beth's party was planned for today. Will we postpone it?" "I don't think so, Ed, mostly because the kids need some time to be kids and do kid stuff. If things change such that we do have to postpone it, I think the girls understand that the outside world impacts us more than we would like. I'm giving serious thought to closing the blast doors after we get this group of hostages in. I haven't decided yet - there's still a chance we'll find some of the other 50 people who didn't make it here. Do you think Jane or Lacey could learn to use their minds as weapons? I don't think that Beth is ready for that much responsibility. Sheila Chambers might be, but I need to ask her mother." "George, are you thinking of an assault team made up of little girls armed with mental powers? We don't have any body armor that will fit them." "They don't have to leave the truck, Ed. If we can locate the people and particularly if we can call a phone there, we could have the ultimate chaos generator." "Call a phone there?" "Yes, Ed. Molly could make 'suggestions' to people who were near her or who were on the phone with her long before we got here. The hug is a much more powerful force, so it should work even better over the phone." "Would it work via a cell phone?" "We haven't tried it, but it only takes a minute to find out." "Molly, use my cell phone to call Captain McGregor. Don't say anything when he answers, just 'suggest' that he come to Comms wearing a red shirt." "OK, Daddy. What's the number?" "Just search for the letter 'I'." "OK. It's ringing. Suggestion sent." "Thank you, Honey." "Colonel, the phone rang but there was no one there. I thought I might be needed here so I grabbed a shirt and came." "Thanks, Ian. You were our guinea pig." "What?" "We were testing whether the girls' mental powers worked over a cell phone. Molly 'suggested' that you put on a red shirt and come here - it seems to have worked." "I'm not sure whether to be impressed or terrified." "It's OK to be both, Ian. We're planning to rescue another group of hostages tonight and our assault team will never leave the truck." "What?" "My girls asked that I teach them to do a mind hug. While they were learning, I discovered that a hard 'touch' was like being hugged by a grizzly - it hurts and it's hard to breathe. Molly and Sarah have already demonstrated their control of this ability - they helped with the interrogation of our visitor a little while ago. I think Jane and Lacey can handle it, but I'm not sure that Beth is ready to learn something that can hurt other people. I need to ask Willa Chambers if Sheila is ready for something like this. I'm not aware of other girls who have the same level of mental accomplishments as these girls." "You're right about Beth, George. She's too tenderhearted to use this. I think Jane can handle it. You'll need to ask Ed about Lacey." "Lacey can probably handle it. She'll attempt anything Jane does, so I know she'll try. She may need a lot of comforting afterward." "Then I'll check on Sheila and set up a demonstration/practice session after lunch - speaking of food, my girls haven't eaten yet today. I need to take care of them and I'll call with details on the other things." "Molly, Sarah, let's go eat." "Can we have enchiladas for breakfast?" "Yes, but not by themselves. You just can't wait to eat those leftovers, can you?" "Daddy, did I eat too many enchiladas yesterday? My pants are too tight." "No, Molly, the babies are growing inside you and your tummy is getting bigger. Let's go by the Commissary and you can use your RFID tag to get into the pre-teen maternity section in the girls' department. I think we'll find something that fits better." "Poppy, there are maternity clothes for six year olds?" "There are here, Sarah. Do you know the story behind the Survival Building and most of the people being little girls and their Daddies?" "My Daddy said something about having enough people to start civilization again. But why little girls instead of grown-up women?" "Because the girls here have had some speed-ups in how their bodies work, so they can have babies at a younger age and in less time than the grown-ups can. Instead of being 13 or 14 to start having babies, you can start at nine - maybe even at six. Instead of 9 months for the baby to be ready to be born, it's 4 1/2 months. The girls here can have two babies a year and we can have enough people to clear and farm the land when the skies clear of the ash from the Yellowstone eruption." "But you haven't said that it erupted." "It hasn't in a big way - although most things with engines such as planes, cars, trucks, even trains have been stopped by the falling ash - but we expect that the big eruption will happen in the next week or so. We'll have more people who are trying to break in here until then. A few days after the eruption, only the people in a safe place like a Survival Building or the right type of cave will live. After that, we won't see any people outside for a long time." "But I want to play soccer and ride a bike and go swimming and ..." "We have places for all those things, Sarah. We can't explore now because you girls have a cake to bake." "How will we tell Jane and Lacey when to come over without Beth finding out?" "Molly, Beth's Daddy and her Grandpa Ed will take care of keeping Beth busy and getting Jane and Lacey here after lunch. You need to start on the cake so it will be ready to decorate when they get here." "What do we do first, Poppy?" "Clear the table and wash your hands." "Besides that?" "Get out the cake flour and see what other ingredients you need. Get out the measuring cups and spoons you need. Tell me if there are things too big or heavy for you to manage and I can lift or pour for you. Set the oven for the right temperature and let it pre-heat while you mix the batter." "Poppy, you're the only grown-up that ever gives us that many instructions at once. Why?" "Because I've learned that you can manage several instructions at a time - and you sometimes like being treated like an intelligent person instead of 'just a kid'." "Molly, we really do have the best Daddy in the world." "We sure do, Sarah." "Everything measured? You know the order of adding ingredients? Mix things in slowly; we want all the batter in the mixing bowl, not on the counter or your clothes." ""OK."" There's that unison thing again. I could learn to like that sound. "Daddy, it's getting hard to stir." "Then let me stir it. How much flour did you put in, Molly?" "Three cups." "And how much milk, Sarah?" "1/2 cup." "Read the recipe to me, Sweetie." "Three cups flour, 1 1/2 cups milk. Oops! We need another cup of milk." "Add it slowly. You finish stirring - 100 strokes." "Yes, Poppy. "All the ingredients in? All 'well mixed' as the recipe calls for? Here are your greased cake pans. Don't look surprised - I can read the recipe too." "You're silly, Poppy." "I know, my niece told me that and now both daughters tell me that. Same amount of batter in each pan? You two back up and I'll put the pans in the oven. How long does it need to cook?" "'35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean'. What does the toothpick have to do with baking, Daddy?" "We put a toothpick in the cake near its center and when we pull it out, there shouldn't be any batter or cake sticking to it. If there is, the cake isn't yet done." "But why isn't the time all we need, Poppy?" "The thermostats on ovens vary by a little from one oven to the next. You might not have set it on exactly 325 but a little higher or lower. The time it takes for bread or a cake to bake depends on how close you are to sea level. If you're high in the mountains, you may even have to adjust the recipe a little." "You did the long explanation again. I love being in this family!" "We love having you, Sarah." "Did either of you set the timer?" ""No!"" Much louder unison. "That's another reason for the toothpick test. I was watching the clock, so you can set the timer for 32 minutes and I'll do the toothpick test then." "Why can't I do it Daddy?" "Why didn't I let you put cheese on the burgers with your fingers?" "It was hot and I might get burned." "That's right, Honey. The oven is also hot inside and so are the pans and the racks and the sides and the door. "So anywhere I touched could burn me." "Right, smart girl." "How much longer, Poppy?" "What does the timer say?" "10 minutes." "What does the recipe say to do with the cake pans when it's done?" "'Cool on rack for 15 minutes, then turn onto plate'. Do we have a rack?" "Look above the pots and pans in that cabinet." "This thing?" "Yes, Sweetie, that 'thing'. It folds out like this - and now we have a cooling rack." Ding! Ding! "Turn the timer off and I'll check the cake. Back up so I can open the oven door." "Is it done?" "Do you see any sticky stuff on the toothpick, Molly?" "Yes, right there." "Set the timer for two more minutes. I'll check again and see if it's done." "Only two minutes, Poppy? Couldn't you just set it for the rest of the 40 minutes?" "Yes, 'only' two minutes because the last little bit of cooking can happen very fast. If it's not done, I'll give it two more minutes again and again until it's done. We don't want burned cake, do we?" "No, Poppy. You sure do know a lot about everything." Ding! Ding! "Is the toothpick clean this time, Sarah?" "Yes. Does that mean it's ready to put the icing on?" "Not until it cools. I know you want to see things up close, but back up while I use the oven gloves to move the hot pans to the cooling rack. Turn off the oven for me?" "I got it, Daddy." "Set the timer for 15 minutes. I'll check the pans then and see if they are cool enough." "Won't you burn your fingers?" "Not in 15 minutes, Honey. The pans will still be very warm, but they'll be cool enough to handle. I need two plates - one to cover the pan when I turn it upside down to get the layer out and one to put the cake on for icing and decorating." "Can we use this pretty plate for the icing and decorating?" "Yes, Sarah." "Here's another plate for the upside down part." "Thanks, Molly. You also need the frosting. Can you open the can gently so it doesn't spill?" "Got it, Daddy." "First you need some on the top of the bottom layer to be the glue." "Glue, Poppy? That's silly. We don't want glue in our cake." "You won't be able to see the frosting between the layers, so why is it there?" "It holds the top layer in place so it doesn't move?" "And what do we call the stuff that holds things in place?" "Glue." "So 'glue' the layers together, girls." "Will you be our teacher, Poppy? You make learning fun!" "Yes, Sweetie. I've agreed to teach the elementary class - grades 1 to 5. Although I need to check whether there was an elementary teacher in the hostages we rescued the other night." "Wah! Boo-hoo!" "Sarah, what's wrong?" "My Daddy was a teacher. He taught 5th grade. I MISS MY DADDEE!" "Molly, will you hold Sarah while I put the other layer on? Can you give her very, very gentle mind hug?" "Yes, Daddy." "OK. That's done. I'll take Sarah and you can start icing the sides." "I don't think there's enough left in the can." "I thought you might be very generous in spreading it on, so I got another can. Look in the pantry if you need it, but work slowly - Sarah will probably want to help." "Yes, Daddy." "Sarah, do you want me to rub your back?" "Rub my butt? Put your finger in?" "If I do that you'll get the good feeling and faint - that means you won't get to help with the cake." "Then hold me and do kissy-face - I really miss my Daddy!" "I know, Sweetie. Start gentle. We'll make it last a little longer and not quite reach the good feeling." "Give me your tongue!" "No, first we do gentle kisses - lips only. Then we do gentle licks. Then we rub tongues. Then we explore each other's mouths. Then we do tongue sucks." "But I wanna suck your tongue now!" "Teapot! We do it slow and gentle or I just rub your back and put you to sleep - you won't get any kissy-face and you won't get to finish the cake." "You sound like my Daddy!" "Thank you, Sarah." "What? Why are thanking me for saying that you sound like my Daddy?" "Because that's the highest compliment I can get - that I'm taking care of you as your Daddy would have." "I love you, Poppy! I'm so glad you're my new Daddy! I'm OK with a gentle kiss on the lips - I want to help with the cake." "OK, Sweetie. Lips only and you can go back to helping Molly." Smooch! "It's taking a long time for you girls to frost that cake. Are we there yet?" "Daddy, you're silly. We only say that on trips." "You're waiting to get somewhere. I'm waiting to see the cake. It's still waiting, so what's the difference?" "I guess there's not any. Maybe you're not so silly after all..." "Poppy, you'll be everybody's favorite teacher!" "Here's a cover for the cake so we don't get anything stuck in the icing while we fix lunch." "Daddy, can we eat the frosting that's left?" "Not until the decorating is complete. There might be an 'Oops!' that needs to be fixed." "Lunch, Poppy? Didn't we just eat?" "We need to be finished with lunch before Jane and Lacey get here so the cake can be on the table and you girls can decorate all sides of it." "Can we have enchiladas or pancakes, Daddy?" "You already know the answer to that." "But I don't want any of the other things on Dr. Chambers list." "Because you don't like them or because you don't know what they are?" "Mostly because I don't know what they are." "Thank you for being honest with me, Honey. I think you'll like the Waldorf salad. It has apples - we have a couple left - and raisins and nuts and other things that you like. You may have half a PB&J to go with it and either milk or apple juice to drink. If you don't have milk now, you will have it later." "OK, Daddy." "That sounds good, Poppy, but I don't see these things together on Molly's food list." "If you look on the back of the food list, there's an 'equivalence' chart, which tells you how to mix and match foods so there's some variety in your meals." "This is good, Daddy. Can you do some more 'mix and match' tomorrow? And can I have a pickle?" "Yes, Molly. We'll try to create one new meal combination each day. Here's your pickle." "You like pickles?" "Only since I got pregnant. And only the sweet ones." "Finish up. Jane and Lacey will be here soon." ""I'm done."" Why am I still surprised by their unison responses? "Table cleared and wiped down?" "Yes, Daddy. Can you move the cake?" "Now you're ready to decorate." Knock! Knock! "Come in Jane, Lacey. Molly and Sarah are ready to decorate." "That cake looks yummy!" "Thanks, Jane. Daddy helped us bake it and we both did the icing." "Me and Jane brought some squeeze-on icing that you can write with, some soft candy to go around the edges and a princess candle with a '7' on it." "Lacey helped me with this sketch of what we might be able to do with the decorations. Do you like it?" "Yes, Jane, I like it." "Me. too." "Mr. Wilson, is there a 'best' way to put the decorations so one part isn't in the way of another part?" "Jane, I think the only piece that needs that much planning is the princess candle. If I take a toothpick and draw a box the size of the candle's base, you will have a place to put the candle after the smaller decorations are in place." "Your Daddy sure is smart, Molly." ""I think so too."" "How do you do that answering at that same time?" "It just seems to happen sometimes. Do you know how we do it, Daddy?" "I think it might be because you're so closely 'tuned' to each other. Maybe you read each other's minds without being aware of it." "WOW! Could Jane and Beth do that?" "I don't know, Lacey. They would just have to try and see if it happens." "Do we put the same colors together or do we always skip a spot?" "Do the rows have to be level?" "There's a hole on the icing where I moved a candy. How do we fix that?" "Poppy, can we fix this?" "Yes, Sarah. I'll use this small knife to fill the hole and smooth it over." "Are we done?" "All but the big candle." "Mr. Wilson, can you put the big candle in so we don't move any of the other decorations?" "OK, Jane. You girls did a very thorough job of decorating. I think there's still room for the candle... Like this?" "Yes. That's perfect!" "Is the party room ready?" "Yes. Daddy asked Beth if she wanted to see her new classroom today and she said 'yes'. The table and the 'Happy Birthday' poster are in place. Daddy brought the dollhouse from the workshop and Grandpa Ed brought the box of dolls and furniture. We just need the cake." "Then let me carefully take the cake to your party room and put it in front of the poster. We'll let your Daddy know that things are ready and he can bring Beth to see her 'classroom'." "I like your poster, Jane." "I like your streamers, Lacey." "Quiet, girls. I heard the elevator so they're on the way. Lights off. The candle on the cake is lit. Be ready to yell 'Surprise!' when Captain McGregor turns the lights on." "Will I be in this classroom all the time or will there be different classrooms for different subjects, like art or music?" "We'll have to ask your teacher about that." "It's dark in here, Daddy." "All the rooms are dark when they're not in use. The light switch is right here." Blip! "SURPRISE!" "A birthday party for me? I thought everyone had forgot." "No, Beth, they didn't forget; they've just tried very hard to keep it a secret. Look at the bottom of the 'Happy Birthday' poster." "A CAKE!! But you said there weren't any cakes, Daddy." "There weren't until today. Molly and Sarah baked and iced the cake and they helped Jane and Lacey decorate it." "It's beautiful!" "There are some presents for you. Look behind the poster." "It's a dollhouse. It's the house you grew up in, Daddy! How did you do it?" "Mr. Wilson and Molly cut and sanded the pieces, then Molly, Sarah, Jane, and Lacey put it together and did the paint and wallpaper and the tree." "It even has a swing!" "Now open the box behind the table." "There's furniture and dolls! Daddy, this one looks like you! And this is Granny Sue! Where did these come from?" "Grandpa Ed and I made those." "I love them." "Would you like to blow out the candle and then eat cake?" "Yes!" "Don't blow the candle out yet, the other girls want to sing 'Happy Birthday' to you." These kids sound good together. Wonder if we have a music or choir teacher? Vocal music shouldn't be a lost art. "Why are you crying, Beth?" "I'm so happy, Daddy. This is the best birthday anyone ever had!" +It's been fun for me too, Daddy. I didn't know I could make someone else so happy. +.Me, too. It wasn't how much money we spent, was it Poppy? It was the time we gave. +Right, smart girl. I love my caring daughters very much. +That's the best mind hug yet! +.It sure is! +Want some cake? +I can have cake? +Not a big piece, but you may have some cake - I asked Dr. Chambers yesterday. +Thank you, Daddy. "Mr. Wilson?" "Yes, Beth?" "Thank you for helping Molly and the others make my birthday party happen." "Molly, thank you for the cake and the dollhouse. You remembered what I said in the store about not having a cake for my birthday. Daddy told me that you asked if there was something I wanted but couldn't get. I have a really big family here and I love all of you." +Is Beth still being nice because of 'the voice'? +I think she's decided that being nice to other people is its own reward. Getting a surprise birthday party with a cake when there were no cakes and having people make her gifts that she couldn't buy anywhere will probably be all the reinforcement that she needs to be nice to other people for the rest of her life. +We really changed someone's life? +Yes, Molly. It took a lot of people working together, but we did it. +Why are you crying, Honey? +Because I'm so happy for Beth. +You're so sweet - I think 'Honey' is a very appropriate name for you. +.I think so too, Poppy. I love my new sister for so many reasons. +Daddy, Mr. McGregor was right - Beth finished her cake and didn't notice that there was no ice cream. +I think she's had such a good day that she may not ever notice that. You girls did a very good thing for Beth. +The four of us couldn't have done it without you, Daddy. +.She's right, Poppy. Even Mr. Mason and Mr. McGregor needed you to get them started on the gifts and the party. +Both of you are doing a very good job of keeping your 'voices' down. I don't think anyone has noticed us 'talking'. +We've been practicing 'gentle' with mind hugs and we thought 'gentle' might also work for 'talking'. +That was a good idea and it seems to be working. "Molly, Sarah. Come with me. Grandpa Ed has some canned milk that we can make ice cream with! He said it may be the last ice cream we have for a long time and I want everyone to have some. You too, Mr. Wilson." +I think the 'nice' Beth is here to stay, girls. "Follow Beth to the ice cream." "Mr. Wilson, can you help crank the ice cream freezer?" "Have all the girls had a turn?" "Yes, sir. Even Jane says it's too hard to turn now but Grandpa Ed says it needs at least 10 more minutes." "Ed, where did you find the freezer and the sweetened condensed milk?" "The freezer rode in the back of the truck all the way from Montana. So did the canned milk and the rock salt. I didn't know if we would have those things here - but I know how much the kids love ice cream!" "Good plan, Ed. I think it's done." "Can we eat it now, Grandpa?" "No, Beth. It needs to sit for a little while until all the ice cream in the freezer is equally cold. It's called 'ripening' the ice cream." "Like waiting for a tomato to ripen?" "In the sense that it's at its peak of flavor and texture, yes - just like waiting for a tomato to ripen." "Daddy?" "Yes, Jane?" "While we wait, can you tell us some stories of growing up in this house?" "Where should I start?" "As far back as you remember." "The earliest thing I remember is my Daddy putting the tire swing in the oak tree. I wasn't big enough to make it swing yet, but he and my Mama would push me in the swing. By the way, the swing is a good replica." "I thought it was just a stack of washers, but Mr. Wilson made them look like a tire. I'm glad we had him to help us." "Me, too, Jane! I love all the little things - even the shingles on the roof look real." "Beth, Sarah did the outlining of the shingles, the bricks in the walkway, and the boards in the floor, I did the wallpaper, and we all painted. Mr. Wilson helped me with the tree. We all worked together to create the house." "All the parts go together perfectly - all of you did wonderful work." "Does anyone want ice cream?" "Me." "Me." "Me." "Me." "Beth, it's your birthday. You should go first." "No, Daddy. Molly should go first. She had the idea for the cake and she wanted to give me something that I couldn't buy. I can't say 'Thank you' in enough ways, but I can make her feel special too." "Thank you, Beth, but other people did most of the work." "I know, Molly, but without you they wouldn't have had anything to work on. I want you to be first." "OK. Just one scoop, Mr. Mason." "Whatever you say, Molly." "The rest of your line up and I'll fill more bowls." "Yes, Grandpa Ed." "Yes, Mr. Mason." +Was I really that important to the party? I just did what I thought would make Beth happy. +Yes, Honey. You were the leader. Without you, none of this would have happened. +You mean people follow what I say because they think I'm right - like they do what you say? +Yes, Molly. You're not the oldest of the kids, but you were the one who had the ideas and got other people - kids and adults - to help you carry out those ideas. You were the leader and you did very well in that role. "George?" "Yes, Ed?" "If we had a Distinguished Service Award for civilians, I'd certainly recommend Molly for it. Molly, you did a great job getting everyone to help with Beth's surprise party. And it all happened on time. You have the makings of a real leader." "Thank you, Mr. Mason." +Am I too loud, Daddy? +No, Honey. +I wondered, because I'm so excited. Mr. Mason thinks I'm a leader too. You really were telling me the truth and not just trying to make me feel good. +Honey, I don't ever 'make someone feel good' about being a leader, not even my daughters. You either have the qualities and abilities of a leader and you demonstrate those things or you don't. +.But I didn't do much... +Sarah, you came in after the initial plans had been made and you didn't know any of the details. But you worked at the things you did the best. If you had come here with us, you might have been the leader on this project, because you would have known the people and the details. +.Really, Poppy? +Really, Sweetie. "I know you're not hungry now - not after cake and ice cream - but you need to bathe tonight and then we'll see about a snack before bedtime." ""Do I have to?"" "George, do they do that very often?" "Often enough that I think we need a vocal music teacher to give them some singing lessons." "I think we have a high school chorus teacher. I'll ask if he will work with younger kids." "Thanks, Ed. Yes, girls, you 'have to'. Tell the others bye and wish Beth a Happy Birthday again." "Bye Jane. Bye Lacey. Happy Birthday, Beth." "Bye, Molly. Bye, Sarah." "Mr. Wilson?" "Yes, Beth?" "Thank you." "For what, Beth?" "For being another Daddy for me." "You're welcome, Beth." +.Poppy, I think you were right about not teaching Beth how to mind hug. She's much too gentle to try it on someone else. +I think so too, Sarah. Girls, I need your help tonight. +Tonight? +.Tonight? Unison in thought - I guess there's a first time for everything. +Yes. We plan to rescue some more hostages tonight and I need your strongest mind hugs to help me. I also need you to help train Jane and Lacey as quickly as we can. +So that's why we had to 'bathe' tonight. +Yes, Honey. I couldn't let Beth know that you were going out with the soldiers. Even though you'll be in a bulletproof truck, she would have worried herself sick. Her birthday needs to stay fun. +.What will we do? +I need you to confuse the people who are holding the hostages. We know that there are phones in most of the rooms there and we know Molly can do things over a cell phone... +.Really? +Yes, we tested her giving a 'suggestion' that way and it worked, so we think both of you can do other things by phone as well. Jane and Lacey should also be able to do whatever you can do. Beth is spending time with her Daddy and Colonel Mason is explaining this to Jane and Lacey. +.Are the hostages more people from the project? +We think they are. We'll know more when we see them. +.I think I can recognize some of them. Me and Daddy played a game where we were in a different room than the other people in the house and I had to tell him who was where. Most of the people were from Duke, so I already know a lot of their faces. +That will be a big help, Sarah. We're in our quarters, back to words. "Can we really have a snack?" "Yes. It can be a tuna or chicken sandwich - no PB&J, you had that earlier." "Tuna." "Chicken." "Well, there are some differences in you two besides your hair." "I don't eat pickles, either." "Molly didn't before she got pregnant. She may not want them after the babies are born." "Poppy, are you really trusting us to help the soldiers?" "Yes, because you are the best we have right now. No one else can use mind hugs as a weapon. No one else can see who's in a room without either being there or having a camera in the room." "Did they plan for us to do these things?" "I don't know, Sweetie. They tried to increase your mental abilities and these are some of the side effects." "Like Molly getting pregnant at six when they were only trying for 9 or 10?" "Correct, smart girl. Finish your snacks. There are some dark clothes in the bedroom." "Why dark, Daddy?" "In case something happens and you have to hide outside the truck - dark clothes help hide you in the dark. There's a hat for you, Sarah; your hair also needs to be hidden." ""I'm scared."" Unison again. "I know. That's why I've tried to explain everything to you. You know that I never let you get in a place where you could get hurt, but tonight we're trying to save 50 people who will be hurt or killed if we don't do anything." "You're risking your safety and ours for a larger number of people?" "Yes, Honey. Just as some people risked their safety to rescue Sarah." "You did, didn't you Poppy? But you didn't know I was there!" "That's right, Sarah. We just knew that there were people who needed our help." "Let's go get dressed, Molly. If Poppy can fight for me, I can fight for other people." "I'm with you!" Knock! Knock! "Yes?" "George, Jane and Lacey want to help tonight." "Come in." "Have either of you girls ever had a mind hug?" "A what?" "I guess not. I'm going to reach out very gently and touch your minds. Jane first, then Lacey." "Oooh. I like that." "Do me again?" "Does it feel like a hug, but it only touches your mind?" "Yes." "Yes. How do you do it?" "Molly, can you bring us a couple of bears?" "Yes, Daddy." "Jane, I want you to reach out your arms like you were going to hug the bear." "He's too far away." "You're going to do this with your mind - it can reach farther than your arms. Let your mind travel down your arms and very, very gently hug the bear." "It's hard!" "I know. That's what Molly and Sarah said. Molly, Sarah. Very gently, now. Molly, hug Jane. Sarah, hug Lacey." "They can do it too!" "Yes and they learned how in about an hour - learning to stay gentle and not get too hard when they are excited took longer. The most important thing here is gentle. If you do it hard, it hurts and the person you're hugging may not be able to breathe - it's like being hugged by a grizzly bear. We'll practice a lot, so you don't forget and hug too hard when you're excited." "What do we do?" "Jane, very gently reach out and hug my mind. Be gentle like a butterfly's wing on your cheek." "But what if I hurt you?" "If I can't stop you, Molly and Sarah will know I'm in trouble and they will stop you." "OK, I'll try." "Remember, reach out like a butterfly's wings." "Like this?" "Ow! You're doing better than Molly did the first time, but softer than that." "Are you sure? I don't want to hurt you - you're our other Daddy." "Thank you, Jane, but I think you'll do fine this time." "Like this?" "Much better. Can you hold the hug longer without getting any stronger?" "Like this?" "That's good." +Molly, tickle Jane while she's doing the next one. +Are you sure, Daddy? +Yes, Honey. We need to hurry the training tonight. +OK. "Do it again, Jane and try to hold it a little longer." "OK." "Gotcha!" "Ouch!" "I'm sorry Mr. Wilson, but Molly grabbed my ribs." "I know, Jane. That was planned, to remind you that you must keep your attention on the mind hug and not let anything distract you." "I'll remember." "Lacey, your turn." "Are you sure I won't hurt you?" "Not with Molly and Sarah watching over me." "OK. I'll reach out gentle like a butterfly." "Very good, Lacey. Can you hold it for 10 seconds without it getting stronger?" "I'll try, but I'm watching Molly." "Gotcha!" "Ouch!" "I'm sorry, Mr. Wilson, but Sarah... You planned this too, didn't you?" "Yes, Lacey. You really have to see how easy it is to lose control of the hug to understand how important it is that the hug has your full attention." "Mr. Wilson?" "Yes, Jane?" "If we can hurt you even when we don't want to, does that mean we could hurt someone really bad if we tried?" "Yes, you can. That's why you must never use the hug as a weapon except to keep you or someone else from being hurt or killed." "Now I know why Beth isn't here. She almost won't swat an ant that's biting her. She would have a hard time knowing she had the power to really hurt someone else." "That's right, Jane. One of your responsibilities will be keeping Beth safe." "I understand. But why are we here tonight and in 'ninja' clothes?" "There are some more hostages. This time there are a lot more bad people around them. You now know that you can hurt someone with a hug; hug them hard for a minute and they will be unconscious. Hug them that way for five minutes and they will probably be dead. We need you girls to create a diversion for us. There are phones in most of the rooms where we're going, so you'll use the phone to extend your mind and see how many people are in the room, where they are in the room, and whether they are hostages or bad guys. We want you to hug all the bad guys enough to make them hurt. One out of every five we want you to make unconscious, except the ones guarding the hostages - we want all of them unconscious. They won't know what is happening and they won't be able to fight back. They will be in pain or unconscious and no one will be near them. You girls will be in a bulletproof truck to keep you safe, but if you need to be outside, the dark clothes will help hide you - Sarah has a dark hat to hide her hair." "Wow! That's a lot of stuff." "Do I need to repeat any of it?" "No, I have it all. Lacey?" "I have it all. I never knew I'd be a ninja with my mind." "Ed, we have a name for our group - they're the Ninja Mind Warriors." "That's good, George. I'll have some patches made up. People who aren't involved will just think of Ninja Turtle cartoons; we'll know that they are real warriors." "We'll really have our own military patch?" "Yes, Sarah. Every successful unit has special patches and ribbons." "See you in Comms, George." "When do we leave, Poppy?" "In about two hours. If you want to nap until then I'll rub your back to help you get to sleep." +Other things also put me to sleep! +Keep your 'voice' down. Those things also make you sleep longer than two hours. We need wide-awake warriors tonight, not sleepyheads. "I'll take a nap, Daddy. Sarah?" "Me, too." "I can't hold both of you in my lap, so let's go lie on the bed." "And get naked, Daddy?" "No, just a snuggle and a back rub. We'll have time for other things when we get back - if you can stay awake long enough."