When it comes to the pinch, human beings are heroic.
-George Orwell
“You! Over here... Give me your tool-belt!” yelled the woman at ear-bleeding volume.
Zac approached John and the woman cautiously. A blur of memories from the previous evening when Dutchy had been teaching him to rescue Katja and Maya flooded through his mind.
“Distract her for me dad,” he muttered softly in Yupik as he unclipped his tool-belt.
“Watch out for that young bloke! He think’s you’re sexy!” said Kiviuq loudly in English.
The woman momentarily looked over in Kiviuq’s direction. Zac flung his tool-belt forcefully at her wrist, spoiling her grip on the handgun. Simultaneously he tackled John from the side. The gun went off, leaving everyone’s ears ringing. John landed on the floor under Zac’s trembling body. The weapon slid across the floor and landed near Ryan. Ryan picked it up and aimed it at the woman, while Kiviuq and Dave rushed in and tackled her.
Zac lay sprawled over John, trying to control his breathing. Footsteps echoed in the corridor outside then stopped. Zac’s heart-rate red-lined as the door started to open.
“Fearlessness is like a muscle,” whispered John soothingly. “Here’s another opportunity to exercise it.”
John went to get up. Zac forcefully pinned him down with all his strength.
“Tess didn’t keep her head down. Please keep your head down!” he pleaded, shutting his eyes in a vain attempt to prevent himself crying.
John glanced over in the direction of the new arrival then wordlessly pressed Zac’s face down into his.
“Let’s both keep our heads down a little longer, eh?” he replied caringly, as he brushed away the tears that were silently spilling down Zac’s cheeks.
Ω
“Gidday all!” greeted a familiar voice cheerily.
“Gidday mate,” replied Dave. “You’re just in time for morning tea.”
Gordon glanced at his watch.
“Wasn’t morning tea supposed to be about two hours ago?”
“We got sidetracked... engaged in idle chit-chat and what-not... Just give us a moment to tie up a loose end here and we’ll be right with you.”
The woman swore at Dave and attempted to bite him. Kiviuq tightened his grip on her and held her in a headlock.
“Your loose end doesn’t seem very happy about being tied up,” observed Gordon.
Dave chuckled.
“Actually on the topic of being tied up, the Commander needs untying. Would you oblige?”
Gordon casually put down his briefcase and picked up the pliers.
“Thanks!” nodded the Commander, rubbing his wrists. “I’ll just tie up a few loose ends myself and then we’ll have our belated morning tea.”
He unclipped a hatch and grabbed a microphone.
“This is Commander McPherson. All available MPs report to Level 3 room 5 for a Code 1. Repeat Level 3, Room 5. Code 1. This is not a drill... Petty Officer Stevens... You’re needed at Level 3, Room 5 with your team and equipment... Thankyou.”
Gordon ran his eyes around the room.
“Hmmm... It looks more like you’ve all been to a Greek wedding, not engaging in idle chit chat.”
“That was your young lion’s doing,” grunted Dave, as he wrapped builder’s twine around the woman’s legs.
“How did he manage to make all this mess when he was supposed to be out of harm’s way on the top deck?”
“He dropped in on our meeting and decided it was boring. Unfortunately we were all tied up at the time, so we couldn’t stop him livening things up.”
“He was sick! He used the lyrics from songs to coordinate our attack!” added Ryan.
“Sounds rad!” replied Gordon, with twinkling eyes.
Ryan laughed with tired relief. The woman started cursing. Kiviuq positioned a length of duct tape over her mouth and pressed it into place.
“Ah... Silence is golden... I don’t see what you’re belligerent about anyway lady. I warned you to watch out for him.”
“You should have warned me to watch out for him!” complained John light-heartedly, as several MPs took the threesome away.
Gordon closed the door before replying then looked over in John’s direction.
“Gidday Father Bear. I didn’t realize you were here too.”
“Just laying down on the job.”
“You alright?”
“Yep. Just getting better acquainted with my rescuer.”
“Your rescuer?” echoed Gordon.
“Ah ha. I was in the middle of this near death experience just before you walked in. That lovely Lieutenant who just left had a loaded P228 aimed at my skull and she was about to send me to meet my Maker when this drop-bear caught us both by surprise. He disarmed her and simultaneously tackled me to the ground so the bullet missed me. Then he sprawled himself on top of me. Protecting me if you please... It was a rather humbling experience actually.”
Gordon doubled over with laughter.
“Déjà vu!” he grinned, as he walked towards Zac and John.
“Our drop-bear didn’t get wounded again did he?” asked Kiviuq with concern.
“Nah, he’s right as rain Mama Bear. When he first landed on top of me he was shaking like a leaf though. So I gave him a caring commando cuddle until he felt better... We had a lovely shared moment actually... Breathing in each other’s ears... our hearts beating as one... Chest on chest... groin on groin...”
Laughter all round. Zac tried to break away from John.
“Oh dear. I think our drop-bear has got all self conscious about our top-to-toe encounter... He’s trying to wriggle free.”
“Mischievous cub!” chuckled Dave.
“I must say Mama Bear... your Drop Bear’s rather strong!” said John. “Oh no! Baby Bear is coming to his rescue to help him escape my clutches!”
Ryan joined the rumble to give Zac the chance to break free. John twisted free of Ryan’s tackle, then rolled on top of him and pinned him to the floor.
“Sick move!” laughed Ryan.
“Want to learn how it’s done?”
“Maybe later. But right now we’re supposed to be on our best military behaviour. That means no sus-looking ISRA stuff in front of the Navy.”
All round laughter. Everyone started chatting among themselves. Ryan continued to lie relaxed under John’s physical contact. John could no longer curb his curiosity.
“Did Mike rip Section 16 out of your rulebook the other day when he man-handled you pup?”
“Nah. I gave him my whole rulebook to keep, ‘til he’s taught me how to listen to my sixth sense.”
“Hmmm... You were rather attached to that rulebook...”
“Yeah, but I’ve been reading this old S.S manual. I’ve decided it’s a better field guide anyway...”
Without warning Ryan broke free of John’s grip and rolled on top of him. Ryan pushed himself up into sitting position on top of John and grinned victoriously.
“Cool! It worked! Straight out of the S.S manual!”
“Sneak!” laughed John, making no attempt to break free.
Ω
Gordon sank down comfortably next to Zac on the floor. Zac self-consciously wiped away the hint of moisture in his eyes.
“Well I must say these replica rescues of yours make the paperwork easy for me anyway Zachariah. I’ll just copy an old report and change the names and dates.”
Zac looked startled.
“But you can’t Gordon! You’ve got to make it look like I was hardly involved. Like you did about Haiti.”
The room went quiet.
“What happened at Haiti?” asked John casually.
Silence.
Gordon broke it.
“He rescued one of Dutchy’s code-scribers and his baby daughter from the rubble of their home after the earthquake.”
Zac swallowed hard in sudden realisation.
“Then the pair of them rescued 53 trapped school children,” continued Gordon. “Exce
pt Zac insisted that he remain an unsung hero. He wouldn’t even let me tell Kiviuq about the incident. Although I let slip. Accidentally of course.”
“You said you weren’t gonna tell anyone!” reprimanded Zac.
“53 children? You deserve a medal!” breathed Ryan.
Zac fired Ryan an alarmed look.
“No! You’ve got to promise you’ll keep it a secret... And you mustn’t tell anyone I helped you today either, John.”
“Why not?” asked John with genuine interest.
“’Coz if the ISRA big wigs find out I was involved in what happened today, they might restrict me to some airbase. And that would make my job a lot harder.”
“Why?”
“Not many U.S airbases are built on fault-lines. And blokes like Luan usually don’t do their experiments near U.S airbases either... I need to have freedom of movement to properly train the scientists on my teams, so we’re ready at a moment’s notice to help out. Even if I get caught up in a scrum now and then... Or freeze on a rope bridge... Or do other stuff a Cat 1 P & P’s not supposed to do.”
John ran thoughtful fingertips across his lips.
“Hmmm... Sometimes those ISRA big wigs don’t quite think things through, do they?” he said.
Silence.
Gordon redirected his attention to Zac.
“Okay, so what yarn do you want me to spin to my boss in my report this time Zac?” he asked with a hint of amusement in his voice.
Zac thought furiously.
“Say... an ISRA agent distracted the enemy agent... and then while she was distracted, a civilian accidentally disarmed her... then accidentally knocked John over...”
“...then accidentally protected him,” added Dave, with dancing eyes.
“Top to toe!” supplemented Kiviuq.
John held back his grin.
Gordon rubbed his chin slowly as if considering the suggestion.
“Hmmm... Not bad. Unfortunately I don’t think my boss will believe that you’re so accident prone Zac.”
“Why not?”
“Because this time he’s experienced first hand how hard it is to keep you out of mischief! In fact the experience literally knocked him off his feet.”
“John’s your boss?” frowned Zac.
“Well, in a roundabout way Lieutenant General John Cunningham is your boss as well Zac.”
John grinned warmly at the expression on Zac’s face.
“You mean you really are a four star General?!” groaned Ryan, hurriedly clambering off John’s lap.
Ryan’s mortified expression mirrored Zac’s.
“Macca Mouth!” growled John light-heartedly. “Now they’re both terrified of me.”
Ryan inched closer to Zac.
“Didn’t you know his rank?” asked Zac solemnly.
Ryan shook his head violently. Zac draped a supportive arm around Ryan’s shoulder to calm him.
“And I didn’t know he was my boss... Hmmm... It seems these ISRA old timers are all secretive chaps until they think you can handle the truth.”
“Even Kiviuq?” asked Ryan.
“Especially Kiviuq,” replied Zac softly.
Ω
“Well, we all seem to have our challenges,” ventured John, as they munched through morning tea. “Apparently it’s a three man job preventing your Cat 1 sleeper from being an accidental hero. And I’ve got to keep tabs on the sneakiest Captain in the U.S Airforce...”
“Your pup doesn’t look much of a handful Hannibal,” countered Dave, licking his fingers.
“Looks are deceiving Care Bear.”
“That right? What’s he done?”
“Well... Among other things, he fooled the Academy into thinking he was in his mid twenties so he could train as an officer.”
Dave’s eyes danced.
“So how old are you anyway lad?”
“Eighteenish.”
“That answer’s as dodgy as Zac’s!” chuckled Kiviuq.
“Okay. I’ll be eighteen in a few months.”
“Ryan...” said John in a low-throttled growl.
“Alright... in eleven months.”
Resounding laughter.
“’Tis a conundrum...” murmured John. “We can’t get one to join up... and the other joined up years before he was legally allowed to...”
“Maybe we should arrange for the scientist and the sneak to hang out together now and then,” suggested Gordon softly. “They might rub off on each other.”
“Well I must say I’m surprised you’re a civilian,” said the Commander, eyeing Zac curiously. “The way you walked in and coordinated the counter-attack with hardly a word of English.”
“Well I only met Ryan two days ago but I knew he had this Just Jack song in his music collection,” explained Zac.
“And how many times has crockery and cutlery and cups of tea been thrown at me?!” rapped Ryan and Zac in unison.
The Commander raised his eyebrows.
“And he only met me two days ago as well, but he also knew Ryan and I both liked Space Jam...” added John
“I’ll hit ‘em high! You hit ‘em low!” sang John and Ryan tunelessly.
“Well knock me over with a feather!” laughed the Commander.
“And he communicated with his Dad in code-talking lingo as well, right?” added Ryan, glancing at Kiviuq.
“Ah ha!” replied Kiviuq, draping an affectionate arm around Zac.
Ryan hollered jubilantly.
“Yes! He’s your Dad. My sixth sense was right! I can’t wait to tell Mike!”
“I guess uncanny instinct isn’t just a Canney trait,” replied Zac, winking at his father.
Ω
Commander Stuart McPherson pushed aside his empty plate.
“Well that was a satisfying morning tea after such an unusual morning. I guess we’d best get back to the task of trying to locate these E/M weapons.”
“My team’s already located them,” replied Zac casually.
All eyes turned in Zac’s direction.
“Where?” asked the Commander quickly.
“On the deck. On top of number 32 gun turret. It might pay to leave them there for the time being though.”
“Why?”
“As bait... to ferret out any other moles that might be aboard.”
“Interesting strategy. Rather risky though,” ventured John.
“Not really... I got a little bored waiting around earlier for Dad and Dave to return, so I swapped a few wires over for something to do.”
“Which wires Zachariah?” asked Gordon with raised eyebrows.
“Just the ones that lead into the DC generator.”
Everyone except Ryan burst out laughing.
“I don’t understand...What’s gonna happen?” asked Ryan, glancing at Zac.
“Ever teased a scorpion until it stings itself?”
“Sick!” grinned Ryan.
Zac’s phone rang. He answered it and listened. A smiled twitched at the corners of his mouth. The smile grew broader as he continued to listen. Zac hung up with dancing eyes.
“What was all that about?” asked Gordon.
“Jake and Reece are a powerful combination. They’ve come up with a brilliant idea. If we can pull it off, Luan might give up on the idea of sat based E/M weapons altogether.”
“We’re all ears...” said Dave.
“They’re proposing we take out Weathermaker 2 tonight with one of the Navy’s weapons. Then leak the story that the Korean’s E/M weapons did it. To get ‘em back for trying to take out the Jefferson.”
Gordon rubbed his creased forehead.
“Zac - you blew up Weathermaker 1 a fortnight ago and got away with it. But you can’t just keep knocking the bad guys’ satellites out of the sky!”
“Why not?”
“Because... you’ll make them cranky!”
John shook his head slowly in genuine disbelief.
“But Gordon,” argued Zac. “Don’t you see? The North Koreans are
trying to replicate their experiment, because they suspect someone sabotaged it the first time. If we replicate the catastrophic outcome twice, their whole experimental programme might get canned and they might give up on the idea of sat based E/M weapons altogether. Repeated failure is expensive. Not to mention embarrassing.”
“Luan will just tell his superiors that it was sabotage. Again.”
“But they mightn’t believe him if there’s reason to question his sanity... Frank, Maya and Hope can help us leak all this stuff that’ll make his superiors wish they weren’t in the same Defence Force as him...You know... create an international scene about Luan attempting to take over the Jefferson... plotting to harm a U.S. Navy Commander and a U.S Airforce General which breaches multiple treaties... shooting at an Alaskan student on vacation in Australia... endangering refugees who’ve come to Western Australia to start a new life...”
“That’s so crazy it might work,” agreed John.
“With any luck, they’ll restrict his movements to some North Korean airbase,” returned Zac.
All round laughter.
“Just where do you intend to pull off this mischief anyway?” asked Gordon.
“Jake suggested we take out Weathermaker 2 over the Indian Ocean, well before it gets to Perth. The Navy can warn any ships to get out of the area. All we’ve got to do is a bit of number crunching to work out a suitable trajectory.”
“You mean a lot of number crunching...”
Gordon looked at his watch dubiously.
“Seven hours ‘til it passes overhead... We’re gonna be cutting it fine.”
“Nah. We’ve got two secret weapons of our own,” replied Zac.
“What secret weapons?”
“Jake and Reece!”
God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today.
Have you used one to say thank-you?
-Unknown
“Mike! Mike! Wake up!” yelled Paul demandingly.
“It’s the middle of the night. What’s up mate?” yawned Mike.
“Charlie says to come to the ops room straight away.”
“Okay,” replied Mike, throwing on a dressing gown.
Paul tugged Mike over to the computer where Charlie was in video conference with a familiar face. Charlie wriggled over to make room on the seat he was on. Mike picked up the unspoken hint and joined him.
“Mentor Mike. It’s good to see you again.”
“You too Sir,” replied Mike, smoothing his bed-tousled hair.
“I heard a rumour that the ISRA’s pinched you from us...” groused the General, with feigned indignation.
“And you’re not getting him back either Mad Son!” retorted Charlie.
A deep chuckle from Mike.
“So the rumour’s true?”
“Yeah... Three of us were hand-picked at the same time for Special Ops.”
Paul noticeably stiffened beside Mike. Mike smiled faintly.
“Hmmm... My loss... The A-Team’s gain...” replied Robbie. “Actually the reason I’m calling is to thank you in person for the intelligence tip-off you sent our way recently. We’ve known the insurgents’ modes operandi for months but never been able to pin down who was booby trapping the corpses. I’m glad to say we located your old Paki with the pointed beard and the purple headgear... And we haven’t had one casualty since he’s been detained. On that note, there are a couple of young blokes who’ve asked to speak to you...”
Two unfamiliar faces joined the General’s.
“Hi Major... Sorry... We know it’s the middle of the night where you are but we just had to tell you! My name’s Toby. And I’m alive because of the tipoff you gave my mate Daniel. Daniel got your video, and was watching it on his iPod before breakfast yesterday, and an hour later when we went out on morning patrol, he spotted the Paki you described near a body... and he played the message to us all just as we were about to collect the body... And we all just knew at that moment, that Someone was watching over us...”
Toby swallowed a lump in his throat and drew a deep breath.
“You keep telling him Dan...”
“Um... we squatted behind our troopie and lassoed the body like you suggested Major... And as soon as we started tugging at it, it blew up... No one from our unit was injured... But we would have been half dead... or worse... if we hadn’t got your tip off... I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it... If Beck had given birth just a few hours later... or if you’d emailed me that video just a few hours later, I might not have got the warning in time... and Toby and I might’ve died...”
Daniel’s voice wavered.
“The video you and your friend made of Becky giving birth to Micky is incredible... I’ve watched it several times already. But every time I get to the part where you tell me to watch out for the Paki I get goosebumps. We’re both alive and uninjured... because you followed your hunch... And General Madison says who knows how many other blokes lives will be saved because of you, now that Purple Paki’s incarcerated.”
Mike smiled with watery eyes - too choked with emotion to speak.
“Thanks for letting us know,” said Charlie cheerily. “When you’re back here Daniel, look us up. Rebecca knows how to contact us...”
Charlie ended the call and spun around in a circle.
“Well ain’t that a miracle on top of a miracle?” he beamed.
Mike nodded and self-consciously wiped his eyes with his forearm.
“Tissue, you old softie?” offered Charlie.
“Shud-up.”
“Don’t want to talk about it? Let’s praise God instead then!” chortled Charlie, grabbing Mike’s shoulders.
“You have turned Mike’s mourning into dancing...” sang Charlie, slowly moving around in a circle with Mike.
“You sure have God,” whispered Mike emotionally.
Silence.
Mike drew a noisy breath.
“Everyone okay down-under?” he asked, in order to divert the attention off himself.
“Yep. They had a close call though. Apparently young Zac saved Hannibal’s life, then tried to get him to promise not to tell the rest of the A-team!” chuckled Charlie.
“Why?” asked Mike.
“Dunno. Maybe Kiviuq’s told him some scary bed-time stories about us... Actually... if you ever meet that crazy Eskimo and he tells you he woke up on the beach one time and I was kissing him, it ain’t true. I was giving him mouth to mouth after we both nearly drowned!”
A smile twitched at the corners of Mike’s mouth. Paul raised his eyebrows.
“And if he ever tells you that I’m a covert cross-dresser, it was his idea to wear hijabs so we could get into the Parliament building at Tehran undetected. Not mine!”
Stifled chuckling from Mike. Paul’s eyes widened.
“And if he ever tells you I made advances to Mad Max in an igloo one night, that ain’t true either. Mad Max had hypothermia and I was just giving him a commando cuddle to warm him up! Like this...”
Charlie embraced Mike closely. Paul looked aghast.
Mike cracked up and rested his chin on Charlie’s shoulder. Charlie started moving around in a slow circle. Paul watched them both open-mouthed for a long moment, then tried to separate them.
“Mike. Snap out of the Charlie-induced coma! I have to talk to you.”
“You’re cutting in on our cuddle. Wanna dance too deskie?” tormented Charlie.
“No way!”
Charlie’s eyes twinkled. Paul waved his hands flamboyantly in front of Mike’s face.
“Earth calling Mike! What did that old boss of yours mean when he said you’ve joined the ISRA?” demanded Paul.
Mike laughed and draped his arm over Paul’s shoulder.
“You really wanna know?”
“Yes. And I want to know why you told your old boss that they’ve handpicked three of us for Special Ops!”
“Anything else you wanna know?”
“Yes. Who’s the A-Team?”
“He’ll only tell
you if you dance with me too!” teased Charlie, draping a huge arm around Paul as well.
Paul sighed and reluctantly started dancing with them both.
“Mike... You’ve found out something about them. I can tell. Tell me what you know!”
“It’s easier to show you than tell you,” replied Mike, dancing Paul over to John’s computer.
Mike casually switched it on.
“Mike! What are you doing? You can’t just hop on a General’s computer without permission!” blurted out Paul.
“John doesn’t mind us using this one. The one we can’t use yet is under our feet.”
“There’s an underground complex here as well?”
“Ah ha. When Ryan gets back with John, we’ll hit ‘em for a guided tour. Let’s see if I remember how to do this...” he said, plonking himself down on John’s chair. “You start by clicking on this wings thingie and then you type #777#.”
Paul’s eyes widened.
“Huh? Mike... You’ve got into the Airforce mainframe... With five keystrokes instead of dozens of access codes... That’s... incredible!” he said with surprise. “Actually, shove over... let me check out how you did that...”
Paul sank down absent-mindedly next to Mike and repeated the keystrokes.
“I love it!” he hollered exuberantly.
Mike winked at Charlie. Charlie disguised his grin.
“I thought you would deskie. Wanna see another interesting thing I learnt to do on this computer? First of all you type in #Farliga Pass#... Done already? Boy you’re fast at typing... Okay... now click on that insignia thingie there...”
Ω
Kiviuq found Zac sitting on the beach and sank down silently next to him. Zac closed up the distance until their arms brushed. Together they watched the sun turn the Indian Ocean into an expanse of iridescent gold then disappear beneath the horizon.
“The Commander rang through a moment ago. The remnants of WMK2 are fish food.”
“I thought that was what all the cheering was about,” replied Zac.
“He’s also made a preliminary press release stating two unauthorized weapons were remotely triggered from the deck of his ship and because Korean Army issue gum was found nearby, he believes there’s a link between this event and the arrest of General Luan earlier this morning. Tunfaruq has also got together with her friends Maya and Frank and they’ve all written some hard-hitting articles calling for international sanctions against North Korea because of Luan’s actions.”
“Good. I hope he gets demoted as payback for trying to shoot Hope.”
Kiviuq paused.
“You have to learn to let go of things in this job son...”
Zac eyed his father.
“Including Tess?”
“Especially Tess.”
Kiviuq draped a demonstrative arm around Zac’s back. Zac drank in the moment.
“Things have changed between us...” ventured Kiviuq. “You feel like a mate now... As well as my son. Although I haven’t quite worked out why.”
“Maybe it’s because I’ve started hanging out with your close mates.”
Kiviuq chuckled and casually tossed his canvas backpack down on the sand.
“Let’s go skinny dipping mate!”
Zac shot his father a look of disbelief as Kiviuq started stripping off.
“Dad! This isn’t Yellowstone Park!” he hissed, looking around in mortification.
Kiviuq grinned mischievously.
“The sun’s set, and there’s no one around except us. Come on!”
Zac looked around again then self consciously stripped off his clothes.
Fearlessness is like a muscle... Routinely exercise it, until it becomes second nature...
Kiviuq laughed deeply then dived into the ocean. Zac hurriedly followed his father into the water.
Ω
“Are you sure we should be doing this?” asked Maya, as she wriggled alongside Helen towards the pile of clothing.
“No. But Kiviuq is irresistible when he smiles at me.”
“So is Zac,” sighed Maya. “I’d follow him to the end of the earth.”
Helen laughed warmly. Maya drew a deep breath.
“I’m not very good at this commando stuff yet. Last time I did this drill with Zac I blew it and he gave me twenty push ups for not being covert enough.”
“I promise I won’t give you twenty pushups if you mess up... If it’s any help though, I find if you keep your head low, your body will follow...”
Ω
Kiviuq sank down in the warm sand and looked up at the stars. Zac looked around fighting off a panic attack.
“Dad... I can’t find our clothes!”
“They’ll be somewhere,” said Kiviuq nonchalantly. “Come and enjoy the moment together.”
Zac sat curled up in a ball next to his father, burning with embarrassment. Kiviuq lay back with his hands folded under his head, making no attempt to cover his genital area.
“Check out that full moon... Talk about a perfect night for massaging, eh?” smiled Kiviuq.
“Massaging who?” retorted Zac, unable to disguise the alarm in his voice.
Ω
Maya exhaled softly as she caught sight of Zac’s glistening body bathed in the moonlight.
“He’s physique’s so... perfect,” she whispered languidly.
“The spitting image of Kiviuq’s when we met,” replied Helen.
Maya clapped her hand over her mouth.
“I’m sorry. I can’t believe I said that aloud in front of you!”
“You’re allowed to say what you feel around me!” laughed Helen.
Maya cleared her throat softly.
“I haven’t been a Christian very long. Zac’s explained to me about abstaining. And about the Philippians code of conduct. But he hasn’t said anything about what you do with feelings... Like the feelings you experience when you glimpse someone’s naked body and your heart rate doubles and you can’t stop drinking in the moment...I think if I asked Zac he would suggest I find a chaperon. Pronto!”
An amused grin from Helen
“How about you stick with me and I chaperon you?”
“Are you sure that will work?”
“Why? Am I too mischievous to be your chaperon?”
“Pass!”
Helen laughed warmly. Maya caught her eye.
“I know it’s okay for you to peek at Zac... I mean. You gave birth to him... But I shouldn’t peek. Because abstainers don’t peek, do they?”
“If you were wild and impulsive like Hope, I’d reign you in and say ‘stop peeking’. But you and Zac are both level headed and the buzz between you is unmistakeably an echo of Eden...”
“So it’s okay to peek?”
“It’s okay to build memories when you’re with people who are mentoring you. Come on... Kiviuq’s signalling us to come over.”
Ω
Zac’s heart rate shot up as he became aware of two slender silhouettes approaching them.
“Dad... Someone’s coming!” hissed Zac.
“Hmmm. Your beautiful mother. And the equally beautiful Maya.”
Zac rolled on top of his father in an attempt to hide them both. Kiviuq laughed infectiously.
“Feel like a nicky cuddle Baby Bear? We used to do this together all the time when you were little...”
“Dad! Where are our clothes?” hissed Zac.
Kiviuq reached for the canvas back pack.
“I’m not sure. Let’s put these on instead. They’re ISRA issue for top-to-toe... John brought some extras over with him.”
Zac glanced at the G-string bathers Kiviuq held out and clambered into them in seconds. Kiviuq casually put on his G-strings.
“These feel terrible dad!” complained Zac.
“It’s better than being naked around the girls isn’t it, mate?”
Zac rolled his eyes and huddled himself protectively. Helen doubled over with laughter.
“I think your father won that round Z
ac!”
Maya draped a comforting arm around Zac’s bare back. Zac moistened his lips.
“Well Zac and I intend to win round two! Hey Zac - 10cm2 of material offers a degree of modesty doesn’t it?”
A smile twitched at the corners of Zac’s mouth.
“Maya, I’m sorry. Meeting my family hasn’t exactly been easy for you.”
“It hasn’t been easy, but it’s been inspirational. Most parents don’t care enough about their kids to mentor them in the area of relationships. Your parents are refreshingly different. And we’ve survived.”
“We’ve survived so far, but I have a feeling they haven’t finished with us yet.”
“As long as you’re with me, I’m up to any challenge they throw at us.”
“Did you hear that honey?” grinned Kiviuq. “Our new mates want to have some fun with us!”
Poets say science takes away from the beauty of the stars -
mere globs of gas atoms. I too can see the stars on a desert night
and feel them. But do I see less? Or more?
-Richard Feynman
Helen sat down near Kiviuq, then started peeling off her clothing.
“Mum! What are you wearing?” gasped Zac.
“This is your mother’s favourite bikini son,” grinned Kiviuq. “Actually it’s mine too!” he added, wriggling his eyebrows expressively.
An embarrassed sigh from Zac. Maya giggled softly.
Helen ran her hands across Kiviuq’s abdomen and brushed his groin region. Maya and Zac inched closer to each other in mutual support.
“Are you two waiting for some tips on how to tantalize each other’s erogenous zones?” grinned Kiviuq, wrapping his legs provocatively around Helen.
“Dad!”
Maya laughed shyly.
“I think I’d prefer to just snuggle up to Zac... And learn stuff off him.”
“Learn what off me?”
Maya rested her head on Zac’s shoulder.
“Teach me about the stars...”
“Star gazing in G-strings. It’s starting to sound naughty!” quipped Kiviuq.
Zac cleared his throat softly.
“Don’t let him get to you Zac,” countered Maya. “I don’t mind what you’re wearing. I’m interested in learning about what you’re interested in. Come on - let’s move a little further away from them.”
Maya dragged Zac away a short distance then resettled herself. Zac glanced at his parents hugging each other then cautiously wrapped his arm around Maya.
“Well... The visible stars in the sky are all close to us. We can only see about one percent of the Milky Way.”
“So how big is the Milky Way?”
“Massive. Its diameter is 100,000 light years. To put that in perspective, if the solar system was the size of a coffee cup, the Milky Way would be the size of North America.”
“That makes me feel pretty small...”
Zac drew Maya closer.
“Me too... Then out beyond the Milky Way, there are other galaxies of stars... and they seem to extend forever... Astronomers have named a handful of them... there’s Andromeda... Whirlpool...there’s even a galaxy called Snickers!”
“Like the chocolate bar?”
“Ah ha.”
“Are you making that up?”
“No. Really... Ask Jake... And every star you see is a vast reservoir of light and heat energy... Many of them much more impressive than our sun.”
“Like Betelgeuse.”
“Ah ha.”
Reflective silence.
“I care so much about you Zac,” whispered Maya.
“I care deeply for you too Maya.”
Maya ran her hands tenderly across Zac’s abdomen. Zac let out a groan of pleasure.
“Ken’kam’ken,” he whispered.
Zac drew a steadying breath.
“Maya... Your touch feels very nice... A bit too nice...” he panted, gently grasping her soft hands in his and removing them.
Maya glanced at Zac and laughed deliciously.
“This is the first time you’ve let your guard down and let me pet you... I didn’t realize you were so... responsive.”
Zac risked smiling.
“I think that’s why Dad’s just put us both through this...” he said softly. “I can’t hide behind the excuse that I didn’t know you were making me aroused because it’s blatantly obvious in this attire...”
“And I can’t make the excuse that I didn’t know I was arousing you either for the same reason... Or that arousing you is arousing me...”
Maya positioned Zac’s hand on her lower abdomen then let out a laboured breath. Zac moistened his lips.
“Maya... I intensely want to keep doing this... And I know you’d like to keep doing it too, but I’m choosing to stop because you’re a person of incredible value and true love waits.”
Zac repositioned himself and cupped his hand around Maya’s face. Maya sighed and pushed herself up into sitting position.
“Thankyou for taking the lead and putting on the brakes when I didn’t want to Zac.”
Silence.
“What are you thinking about?” whispered Zac.
“Just you... and the relationship you have with your parents. I’d never let my parents mentor me in this area. I’d be way too embarrassed.”
“I’d forgotten they were there to tell you the truth,” replied Zac, glancing over in Helen and Kiviuq’s direction.
Zac raised his eyebrows at the sight of Helen and Kiviuq unashamedly petting each other.
“Actually... I’m not sure we can still count on my parents chaperoning us. They look kinda... side-tracked.”
“I think they’re doing that covert surveillance thing on us... and just pretending they’re lost in passion,” whispered Maya.
“Let’s toss out some bait and see if you’re right,” replied Zac with shining eyes. “Give me your bra.”
“Giving you my bra is becoming a regular occurrence, Professor Canney.”
Zac grinned and tossed the garment in the direction of his parents. Kiviuq and Helen immediately stopped petting and looked at Zac. Zac and Maya burst out laughing and hi-fived each other.
“I think they won that round Kiviuq!” laughed Helen.
Kiviuq’s eyes danced with delight. He tugged Helen to her feet and they meandered over to Zac and Maya.
“You were right son... I should have been myself around you years ago. Instead of worrying about my personality overshadowing yours... Wanna come for a walk?”
“Where?”
“Well, since Maya’s no longer wearing her over-shoulder-boulder-holder, I thought we might stroll down Erotica Lane and build some memories together...”
“Top to toe?” asked Zac.
“That suggestion’s daring coming from you, mate!” laughed Kiviuq.
“What is this top to toe thing anyway?” asked Maya.
“Face to face... Heart to heart... Or something like that,” shrugged Zac. “John was doing it to me today when I was lying on top of him. It’s something the ISRA do with best mates... And with new mates that rescue you I guess.”
Kiviuq and Helen laughed. Kiviuq took some fragrant oil out of the canvas bag.
“Your mother becomes putty in my hand when I caress her top to toe like this...”
Helen sighed contentedly as Kiviuq ran his hands down the sides of her breasts and down to her thighs. Zac gently copied his father’s actions on Maya.
“I’m looking forward to making you Mrs Canney,” he whispered, cupping Maya’s face in his hands.
“Soon?” ventured Maya.
“The sooner the better... Have you thought about where you’d like to get married?”
“Exmouth,” replied Maya.
“Er... okay. Have you thought about where you want to live after we’re married?”
“Exmouth!”
“Huh?”
“Well there’s a fantastic beach and great diving when we want to relax... and strange li
ghts, unusual aviation incidents and other indicators of E/M weapons testing to investigate when we’re bored... and a U.S military landing strip so Gordon and John can drop in... and not many shops so I’ll learn to save... and Dave’s got an inkling that the Weathermakers are about to conduct a new round of weather modification experiments in the Exmouth area, so you’ll probably end up there anyway...”
Zac laughed.
“...And Hope’s already found the perfect home for us all.”
“Us all?”
“Yes... It’s a derelict station a bit of a drive out of Exmouth... It’s got an old twelve room homestead and a stockman’s quarters and some big sheds. And a landing strip for light aircraft. Dutchy says it’s ideal to convert into a B & B, so we appear to be running a business that caters for tourists. And Hope and Pedro are going to establish a secondary cover business - converting sea containers into accommodation for northwest residents. And there’s plenty of room for all Dutchy’s codetalkers to stay when they need to... and the weather’s warm so your Dad’s arthritis won’t play up...”
“What arthritis?” frowned Zac, glancing at Kiviuq.
“I’ll tell you later,” replied Kiviuq.
“Well if he doesn’t, I’ll tell you!” giggled Maya.
Zac raised his eyebrows questioningly.
“She’s pushed you out of your comfort zone already, hasn’t she Dad?”
“How do you know?”
“That giggle of hers, mate!”
Kiviuq laughed.
“I should have listened to your mother...”
“When?” smiled Helen.
“Years ago... Remember you said the kids could handle knowing we were ISRA and they were sleepers, but I kept the charade up ‘coz I was worried they’d feel like we’d mapped their lives out...You were right all along honey...”
“Well it’s not too late to be transparent with your grandkids,” replied Zac. “Dutchy’s even given you a head start... Petrina knows she’s a code-talker, and that her parents and grandparents are code-scribers.”
“This idea of making Exmouth the new base for the Istro-Romanian code-talkers... Has anyone run the idea by John?” asked Helen.
“Dutchy’s going to. After he talks to you and Kiviuq,” replied Maya.
“Us?”
“I think he’s hoping that you’ll both want to live at the station too and make it the new base for the Yupik Sivuqaq code-talkers as well...”
“Retire here?” mused Kiviuq.
“Nah. Retyre here. Dave and Jen style!” replied Zac, winking at his father.
Ω