Every Last Mother's Child Read online

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  Mike Wilson had given his wife a quick hug and allowed McGregor to show him to the emergency operations center in the basement of Serenity’s main building. Although the entire compound was known as Serenity, the main building in front of the main gates was the palace. It held the formal throne room of the kingdom, and the Queen’s offices. The EOC was 70 feet underground. It was safe from most natural disasters, but not from someone bombing the palace. Needless to say, that just a small asteroid crashing anywhere on the palace grounds would take it out. For Wilson's purposes, it would become his war room, to monitor the evacuation’s operation; it would not be where his office would be.

  As he walked into the center for the first time he was impressed. It was a largish room with work stations in a theatre like setting facing a large display, which took up the whole front of the room. One portion of the screen showed traffic around the kingdom’s major cities. Another section of the display showed various live news feeds showing what was happening around the kingdom. Another portion of the screen listed missions being carried out by the militia and crown authorities. Many of the mission statements were red or yellow indicating that they were underway and not completed or not tasked. Some of the missions were: Marseilles financial district, Port Landon, the planet’s secondary space port. There was a lot of green on the display too. Trenaport herself was secured as was the space port, the financial section, major installations including the militia facilities. He could tell that things were being secured.

  “Good evening Sir Mike,” A voice said from behind him. Wilson turned to see a beta bioperson coming up to him. He offered his hand, “Welcome to my lair.”

  “Good evening,” Mike returned. “This looks impressive.”

  “It’s relatively new,” the bioman replied he vaguely looked like his wife, like a brother or possibly a cousin. All biopeople were related, this one showed it more than others. “The Queen authorized its rebuilding a few years back. We are still getting it up to speed.”

  “Sir Mike,” a familiar voice said behind him. He turned to see General Qoum whom he had spoken to several times during the few hours leading up to his official appointment. “I see you’ve met Leonard. He’s the EOC officer.”

  “Yes I have,” Wilson greeted the older man. “Good evening general,”

  “It’s good to meet you in person,” the general replied, “boss.”

  “And you too general,” Wilson responded. “I’m not going to stay long. I just wanted to see what’s going on and meet a some of the folks.”

  “Let me show you around,” Leonard offered. Wilson nodded and they toured the facility.

  For the next few minutes the beta bioman showed him around the emergency operations center. He met the various people working at the work stations. They were mixed group of people. There were thonians, biopeople, and norms, all of them quietly working coordinating the information coming to their stations. Each station handled a particular agency, or discipline. The militia, space traffic control, transportation, emergency medical service, and fire suppression. He was surprised to see the finance desk up and running.

  “We’re incurring expenses,” the woman who was running the desk replied when Wilson asked her about it. He nodded. That told him a great deal about the staff he was to manage. They were being proactive.

  “Captain Stern,” Mike greeted the Mounty. He was nominally the precinct commander of the Academy Precinct. The precinct headquarters were located on the academy grounds. The precinct covered a section of northern Trenaport. “I didn’t know you were assigned as part of the liaison team.”

  “I was just appointed last month,” the man replied, “I just took the EOC course last week, and have just completed my qualifications. I thought the tidal wave final exercise was a bastard. That’s going to be a wet blanket compared to this mess!”

  “It is at that,” Mike replied. He knew how tough that final exercise was. He had helped to design it. Occasionally he had sat in on the exercise as one of the simulators. Every once in a while he taught the EOC course at academy. “How we doing?”

  “Traffic is starting to pick up,” The Mounty replied, “We’ve asked traffic control to not accept space port or elsy pad destinations. That should make it harder to get to the space port or landing craft pads.”

  Wilson nodded. Trenaport had an intelligent traffic system. Most cars had hand controls but most of the time people just put in their destinations and let the car take them to their destinations. Many Trenaport residents had no idea how to get to commercial landing craft terminals, or the space port or other destinations on their own. By “turning off” those destinations in the system, it was hoped that people would be so frustrated that they couldn’t get to the ports or landing craft terminal, they wouldn’t try to get to the port on their own. Only those that knew how to get to the port or a landing craft terminal and were determined would drive themselves to them.

  “If we have any trouble it won’t be until late, after mid night, maybe sooner,” the captain commented, “After they have had time to drink and mull on it there’ll be trouble somewhere. But we’re ready for anything. The port is secured, as are most of the sensitive facilities.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Wilson said moving on. They finished the tour in a room off to the side. The placard beside the door read simply Queen Agatha. This was the room set aside for the Queen’s use. Mike could tell that it was already in use and looked like it had been for days. The general saw the Marshal’s quiet assessment of the executive suite he had been literally in for the last few weeks. As Wilson sat down, he chose not to say anything. He suspected that the general had made a home in the suite. He made note to say something about it later. There was no reason for anyone to be bunking in the office. Wilson sat down in one of the chairs, and turned to general. “It looks like its hanging together.

  “So far,” the general replied, glad the human didn’t say quiet. That could jinx them. “Let me show you what we have cooking.”

  The general spoke, “Cassandra, please display, current deployments.”

  “Yes sir,” a female voice returned.

  The display on the far wall came to life with a two dimensional image of the general’s deployments. The general shared with Mike what he had done to secure the capital and the rest of the planet and other crown facilities throughout the system. Wilson chuckled a time or two at the ingenuity of the general. He had managed to secure every vital installation without making it look like martial law had been declared. He had some troops forward deployed around the capital city and around the planet. Initially they appeared to be accidents. Two fully loaded troop buses ramming into each other in the business district. There had been no injuries but they were still cleaning the mess up. A tank was being moved on a transport and got dumped from its carrier and was stuck cross wise under the bridge to the spaceport.

  The general had made it happen. Wilson was impressed. If things got dropped in the pot the general and the Mounties had it well in hand. Seeing that he was not needed he stood up, “Well Qoum, Leonard I think things are well in hand, so think I need to be out of here.”

  He looked around the room and said, “Leonard, General, Let your team know that we are going to have normal business days as much as practical. Towards the end we’ll be pulling some horrendous duty shifts. Until then no 12 hour shifts, and everyone sleeps in their own bed.”

  “Aye sir,” The general replied, Leonard nodded. Wilson made sure his uniform was in order and left the executive suite. The quiet sandy haired man was waiting for him outside the suite.

  “Mac,” Wilson addressed his protective agent, “Take me to my family,”

  “This way milord,” the man replied and led the way out of the building to the house that his family was staying in.

  Wilson found his wife, Lisa and Mylea’s daughter Lamile sitting together on a sofa in what appeared to be some sort of family room. Lisa was surfing through the channels on the ente
rtainment center. Lamile was patiently waiting for her adopted aunt to settle on what she was going to watch. Wilson smiled as he took off his uniform blouse draping it over a chair before he sat down next to his wife. He kissed the top of Lisa’s head as he sat down.

  “Michael,” Lisa gripped her husband’s hand as he sat down beside her. Lisa sensing something was bothering her husband she asked, “You okay?”

  He didn’t know how to answer her question. He was feeling guilty that he hadn’t stuck around the EOC; but the truth of the matter was there was nothing he could to do there. The EOC’s staff would handle most of it, following their emergency operation plan. If something happened and a command decision was needed, he would be brought in to make a decision. He had been taught to train his subordinates to make the decision at the lowest possible level and to bounce it up if they couldn’t deal with it at their level. He would only be brought in if his subordinates couldn’t make the decision at their level; mostly because they didn’t have the authority to make the decision. So feeling like a fifth wheel he had left the EOC.

  Now as he sat next to his wife half watching the holo, he was deep in thought. He realized how big a job it was going to be. He was wondering if he was up to the task. He wondered if he was up to the job. It was going to be a daunting task.

  “Just thinking,” He finally responded to his wife’s question, “This is a big job. We have 75 million souls and their goods to get off world before Trena is destroyed. I wonder if I am up to it. But then I guess no one might be! But what is bothering I am wondering if I’ve done the right thing by you and Abby. I may have put both of you in frightful danger. That little dog and pony show we did this evening will tell Ebio where we are.”

  “Yeah,” Lisa snuggled closer to him, “The Company knows where I am now. I suspect they’ve known for years. The company has always known what goes on, on this world. Most of the time they know better than to try and collect the runaway bios here on Trena. When they are foolish enough to try anything here your buddies in the Mounties take care of business.”

  He grunted. Every time an Ebio Containment and Alignment Team came through they managed to kill several biopeople as they tried to recover them. If the Mounties found the team the Mounty SWAT team was called in and attempted to arrest them. Often the company team would rather die than be arrested. The Mounties gave them a chance to surrender peacefully, when they didn’t the Mounty team, some made up of escaped biopeople often didn’t take prisoners.

  “Our Queen,” Lisa remarked remembering what Georgia Lancaster and Maggie had said a few hours before, “is concerned about our safety. She gave us her grandmother’s home, so that we would be safe. The detail said that because of your job they felt we were not safe in our home. It wasn’t the protective service that wanted us here, it was the Queen.”

  Wilson nodded. He knew the Queen had made that decision without consulting him. He hadn’t been aware she knew of their Ebio problems.

  Maggie came in quietly, and began to remove the drink service she had brought in earlier, she listened to her mistress. She spoke to her two charges, “Mistress, Sire. The Queen also gave you her own protective detail. Those ten men and women won’t let you come to harm.”

  “Really?” Wilson asked astounded that the Queen’s detail would let her get away with that.

  “Yes sire,” the housekeeper replied.

  “Oh,” Lisa commented. She was impressed. The Queen had given up her protective detail and made sure her marshal’s family had someplace as safe as her own residence to live in. She wasn’t comfortable having a protective detail, but now she knew that the Queen was serious about keeping her family safe. She looked to Maggie and asked, “what about our things? We have nothing to sleep in besides what we have on.”

  “Lady Wilson,” Maggie spoke quietly, “The guest quarters have robes and such so I brought some from there. I also got some toiletries. In the morning we’ll make arrangements to get you back to your home so you can get your things.”

  “Can we go back there tonight?” Lisa asked, “To get a change of clothes for us?”

  “Lady Wilson,” the redhead spoke up, “I could take you back tonight and bring you back here. But it’s going to take hours. They’ve got the city locked down and are restricting traffic. If you can wait till morning….”

  “Mac,” Wilson noticed his protective agent standing just inside the door to the family room, “I have a got a bag in my class room at the academy do you think you can get it picked up sometime tonight?”

  “I think we can get that done,” the agent responded. Seeing that she was not going to go get their things Lisa relented. The next morning Maggie quietly brought three bags into the master suite.

  As the agents left the family room Lamile suppressing a mighty yawn, turned to the two adults, “I think I’ll head on to bed.”

  “Good night Lam,” Lisa Wilson spoke to the girl, “Do you know where you’ll be sleeping?”

  “I thought I would sleep where Abby’s sleeping,” the teenager responded.

  “Here let me show you to your bed,” Maggie suggested. The girl nodded and left with the older woman. Maggie escorted Lamile to Abby’s room. Once in the room Maggie showed her where lavatory was and turned down one of the beds before leaving left the girl. Maggie poked her head back into the family room to check on her charges. She checked the drink service, finding it almost empty she went to the kitchen and refreshed the drink pitcher brought it back to her charges.

  “If you don’t need me any more tonight Ma’am, Sire,” Maggie asked after she refilled their glasses. “I think I’ll turn in. If you need something, Ginny will be here.”

  “Good night Maggie,” Lisa said, “we’ll talk in the morning.”

  “Yes Ma’am,” The maid replied, “Good night. I’ll turn your bed down before I turn in.”

  “Where are we sleeping?” Lisa asked.

  “Let me show you,” Maggie offered. Lisa got up motioning her husband to stay put. She followed the housekeeper to the back of the house where Maggie opened the door to a very large bedroom that was more of a suite than a bedroom. There was a large bed that sat along the long wall of the bedroom. On either side of it was a bookcase like affair that was joined by the head board with shelves. On the wall opposite the bed was a bank of drawers. She walked to the sliding glass door to walk out on a private patio like affair with a table and padded chairs. It was completely secluded. She came in from the patio and saw a large vanity with a comfortable chair in a corner. She had never used something like that. She didn’t use much make up. She didn’t need much, as her manufacturers had given her a perfect complexion. She turned to walk through the door next to the vanity. It led to the largest bath room she had ever used. There was not only a luxurious tub that one could either lay full length in it or stand fully immersed, or sit on one of two padded benches with the water up to her neck. It was more of a pool than a tub. Next to the pool was a lavatory with two sinks set into its very large marble counter top. On the other side of the lavatory was a large walk in shower with a comfortable chair. The room’s other door opened into large walk in closet. The only things hanging in the closet were two terry cloth robes. As she watched Maggie took them off the hangers and walked back into the bedroom, Lisa followed her and watched as the woman laid both robes out on the bed which was now turned down.

  “Thank you,” Lisa spoke to the woman.

  “You’re welcome,” Maggie replied. She gave she gave the room a once over and left saying good night to her mistress. Lisa followed the house keeper out of her bedroom. At the entrance to the family they went their separate ways.

  Lisa entered the family room and sat down next to her husband. He put his arm around her as he put her head on his shoulder. Soon she had drifted off to sleep. She didn’t know how long she slept in Michael’s arms. If he hadn’t stirred she wouldn’t have woken.

  “What time is it?” Lisa asked instead of interrogating her implant.
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br />   “Almost two,” her husband of five years replied.

  “How’s it going,” she asked sitting up.

  “Not too bad,” he sat up and stretched. “We’ve had one incident at a down town ticketing offices. The office was closed and the computer had issued all the tickets it could. We have only one liner in port; several undocked after the announcement and left for their next port of call. The commercial landing pads and shuttle ports were closed as is the space port. No civilian off world traffic. That also includes cargo lifts.”

  “Is this what you expected,” Lisa sleepily asked.

  “Trena is a different animal from other places,” Michael commented, “we’re fiercely independent, yet we’re mostly law abiding. For the most part our people obey the law. We tolerate the government; but just barely in some instances. As long as we provide for their security and try to make level playing fields for business and commerce, we’re pretty much accepted as a necessary evil. I expected a lot more commotion than what we’re seeing.”

  “But these are only the knee jerk reactions,” Lisa offered, “No one’s thought it through. They’re just trying to get off world.”

  “Yeah,” Michael replied, “tomorrow might tell a different story.”

  He spoke into air saying, “Computer holo set off. Lights to your unoccupied setting.”

  The lights dimmed to a low soft level where they could see to walk out of the family room. The holo display had simply vanished. They left the family room to the bedroom where the girls were sleeping. As they approached the bedroom Sally McBride, who sitting in a straight back chair reading, stood up.

  Lisa motioned the young woman to sit back down. “She’s not woken. Neither has Miss Atomi.”

  “Miss McBride,” Marshal Wilson said softly, “The others have retired to the bull pen. You don’t have to stand a post here.”

  “I’ll stay here for a while,” the young woman said, “just in case the little one wakes. She might be frightened in a strange place.”

  “Thank you,” Lisa had been tempted to take the child with her to the family room as she watched the news with Michael, but she wasn’t ready to tell their daughter about what was going on. She had no idea how to tell her that Trena was going to be destroyed. As she looked in on the sleeping child and pulling a blanket up around her better, she considered carrying the sleeping child to their bed with them. To hold her and to make sure she was safe. But seeing how the child was sound asleep, she left Abby where she was, with death girp a teddy bear. She wondered where Star Pony was. As she left the bedroom and saw the protective agent sitting just outside the bedroom door, “Miss McBride if Abby wakes come and get me.”

  “Yes ma’am,” Sally replied.

  “When does your relief come on,” Mike asked.

  “I have no relief,” McBride replied, “I am on the clock so to speak when she goes out or three of you are at public event. With your permission I can act as her teacher.”

  “We’ll talk in the morning,” Lisa remarked.

  “Yes ma’am,” the young woman replied. Sally sat outside the bedroom until the day watch came on. She was expecting to be counseled by Mac, but Mac told her to go home and get some sleep.

  With the door to the suite firmly closed, Lisa turned to her husband and asked, “How do I deal with them?”

  When Lisa had been on the run she had often worked as a caregiver or servant to various families and VIPs. Sometimes just long enough to get from one place to another she would be a tutor to a family’s children. One time she spent a year as a royal heir’s tutor. Never had she been taken care of by servants. When she had Abby, Michael and one of her girlfriends had taken care of her. Now it looked like she would have a staff. She was already feeling self-conscience as she and her fellow biopeople had been created to be servants to normal people like her husband and the Queen.

  “You know how,” Mike said laying his uniform blouse over the back of one of the chairs, “Treat them the same way you wanted to be when you did their job.”

  Lisa nodded and turned her back to Michael to have him unzip her. He did. She took her shoes off and then stepped out of the dress she hung it up in the closet. When she came out of the closet her husband was in his underclothes. As always his firm fit body excited her. Tonight was no exception. She sat down on the bed next to him, and slipped her bra off, and then took his shirt off. She pulled him to her to hold him. As she kissed the back of his neck she remembered that they had been talking about giving Abby a sister or brother. In preparation for getting pregnant she had been manipulating her menstrual cycle. When the company had perfected her design they had given her the ability to control her fertility. By imperial law all biopeople were to be sterile. When she had been created the company had broken the law. It wasn’t the first time that Ebio had broken the law. Her unique design was the main reason why the company wanted her back, and for the simple reason she knew the real secret of cloning, or how biopeople were created. Now as she remembered her history she realized that this was the night that she was going to let her husband get her pregnant.

  As she was holding him tight she was having trouble justifying getting pregnant at this time. With the evacuation of Trena she should not be getting pregnant. It wasn’t fair to the children, her husband or to herself to get pregnant at this time. They would be under tremendous pressure and things would be unpredictable. Yet her body was ready to be made pregnant, and she wanted to enjoy her husband’s body. From the way he was reacting he wanted to enjoy her body also. It would be wrong for her to suddenly say no to their desire. Her lust took over, as she laid him down on the bed and climbed up on top of him. All thoughts of just going to bed were forgotten as the couple conceived their second and third children.

  Book 2: Reactions