Episode 22 Polygoat (Patreon)

Daniel “Hondo” Harrison

“You ain’t got shit on me!” He cackled.

“Damn it!” Jim Street scowled at the screen. “My controller’s lagging! It’s not fair!”

“Don’t be a sore loser, Jim.” Chris bonked Street’s head with an empty coke bottle as she watched the match behind the two of them.

“All I hear is excuses.” He leaned back and gave a confident smirk. “It’s just a skill issue, and I’m sorry to say, but you’re not skilled enough to beat me.”

“Wow, so humble.” Chris gave him an unimpressed look.

“No one can beat me in this game, even Routh. When is he coming anyway?” He asked. Jack was usually early, both for official and social gatherings.

“He told me he’s coming.” Street replied, checking his phone once again.

“Well, text him again and tell him to go faster. Say that if I don’t see him rushing in that door in the next ten seconds, I’ll serve him overcooked steak and warm beer.”

The door suddenly slammed open and a real life Spartan in Mark IV stormed in. It was huge, it was intimidating, and its assault rifle was pointed at him.

“Motherfucker!” He screamed and fell off the back of the couch for cover.

His heart was pounding and soon he heard laughter. He looked up to see the Spartan had now pointed his weapon away from him and was just standing still, as Street continued to laugh on the floor while Chris was holding her phone for some reason.

He looked around and saw the look of confusion and surprise in the others as they all focused on the intruder. The Mjolnir mark IV armor was impeccable and highly detailed, and he could hear the whirring sound of machinery within it.

“Sorry for being late, Hondo.”

Routh’s electronic voice came from the helmet and he widened his eyes in realization.

“Is that you Routh?” He asked. It looked so real. His eyes spotted the name, Jack R186 on the chest armor and finally relaxed as the armored figure removed his helmet, showing the familiar face of one his rookies.

“Routh!” He stood and narrowed his eyes. He would beat that kid for scaring the shit out of him.

The helmet and the rifle were passed around the boys of D squad ten minutes later as they all moved to the backyard.

Routh’s prank was hilarious, and even he had to smile once Chris showed the video of his reaction. But what kept his attention was the costume he wore. He wanted one.

“Wow, this is actually bullet proof?” He carefully listened to the conversation between Victor and Jack as he expertly flipped the steaks and burger patties.

“I saw the fabrication process.” Jack replied after taking a sip of beer. “The engineer sent me pictures and videos. That’s experimental high impact filament with powdered ceramics. Then he lined in with more ceramic matrices and silicon carbide discs with laminates between each layer and then the Kevlar padding.”

That sounded awesome. Unfortunately when he tried the helmet, it didn’t fit him properly. It had been custom made for Jack after the one who created the costume scanned his head and body with a 3d scanner.

“That could probably withstand high caliber bullets.” He observed when it was his turn to see the pictures and video of the process. 3d printing was amazing. He looked up and gave Jack a serious look. “Give me your engineer’s number. I want one too.”

He was not surprised when Jim, Viktor and Chris said the same. Paintball would be so fun in the future.

John Nolan

He stared off into space, clutching a copy of the document he had just signed for the Trust & Estates lawyer. It was the only thing that told he had a father once aside from his birth certificate. Now he was also gone, and he didn’t know how to feel. It was weird, he was supposed to feel some sadness, but honestly, he didn’t feel a thing.

He felt normal.

“Are you okay, Officer Nolan?”

He looked up and saw the Captain staring at him with concern. He nodded and stared at the document now crumpled in his hands. He realized he had crumpled his fist. Weird.

“Roll call is coming up, you should head inside before Sergeant Grey notices.” The captain advised.

He looked at the bull pen and it was half empty, with most of patrol now heading into the briefing room.

“My father just died.” He mumbled. “Now I inherited his car… and 14 dollars.”

“I see. My condolences.” The captain stepped closer in front of him and gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder. “Do you need a day off?”

“No Ma’am.” He replied immediately. “I’m fine.”

He noticed how Captain Andersen’s eyes narrowed a tiny bit and nodded and headed to the briefing room. He followed her and rushed for the roll call. Grey had just entered the briefing room.

 He had just sat on his usual spot and noticed the captain had whispered something to Grey. The other officers were still relaxed and having their own private conversations as Grey hadn’t yet called for order. Some were talking to Smitty who for some reason was wearing a pink sash around his torso.

 He looked around for a bit and it was there that he noticed his T.O. was missing and realized she was talking to both the Captain and Sergeant Grey just outside the door.

The meeting continued normally, and he was able to pay attention as Lucy nudged him with her elbow to pay attention. Thankfully Grey did not call him out for being distracted. He sat up straighter as the sergeant started handing out assignments for the first shift. They were old cases that needed to followed up on.

“Harper and Nolan.” Grey announced and handed him a folder. “A statue was stolen from a homeowner’s front yard in Hancock Park.”

He stared at the strange photo of the missing statue. It looked like a giant piece of turd. It was the exact same color too. Something must have shown in his face since the sergeant picked up on it.

“That thing costs half a million dollars.” Grey told him. “No matter how it looks.”

“Yes sir.”

“Bradford and Chen.” Grey tossed another folder to Lucy. “You’re dealing with a three day old home invasion. The victim is a former gang member, Nevin Cooper. No forensics, no suspects.”

“Which means Lopez and Routh, I want you to follow up on the case upon the request of Detective Calderon.” Grey turned to Routh who was sitting on the other side of Lucy and handed him a considerably thicker folder.

Routh opened the folder and quickly scanned the information inside and gave a quick nod.

More assignments were handed out to the other units and soon he found himself in the shop, heading to one of the more affluent neighborhoods to follow up on the case.

He noticed his T.O. sigh as she continued to drive.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

“I just wasted a couple of good concert tickets.” Harper complained. “Doesn’t matter now though. How are you holding up?”

“Why did you ask?”

“The captain told me what happened.” Harper gave him a quick glance. “There’s a reason why we were handed this boring but safe assignment rather than the one Lopez and Routh took from Calderon. They’re worried that you’d lose focus, and I can’t help but agree.”

“What’s that got to do with the concert tickets you lost?” He asked.

“It’s nothing, forget about it.” Harper replied. She was unusually chatty this morning. “What car did you get?”

“It’s a 1971 Chevelle.” He replied.

“Nice car. Could be worth something.” Harper commented.

They drove past the gated community guard house of Hancock Park and arrived at the large house, where a couple was waiting for them. He let Harper do the talking as he looked at the spot where the giant piece was supposed to be.

The wife appeared unconcerned about the missing statue while the husband continued demanding results.

He noticed Harper was getting more annoyed and stepped in to save the man from getting tased.

“Sir, we’ll do out outmost to retrieve your missing property. We’ll give you updates if we make progress in our investigation.”

That seemed to calm down the man and they got back into the shop as the couple went inside their home.

“It’s obvious that the wife did it.” Harper stated. “I understand her. I wouldn’t want my lawn to look like a dinosaur took a massive dump in front of it.”

“And it was awfully convenient that the cctvs of their home were in the middle of being replaced on the day it went missing.” He added as he read the reports.

“But not the neighbors.” Harper replied as she looked around. He followed her gaze and noticed the affluent houses on the opposite side of the street further back. “She couldn’t have done it on her own. One of those cameras could have caught the accomplice’s vehicle.”

It was the easiest case they encountered so far, and with the helpful neighbor who provided them with a copy of their footage, they soon found the accomplice. It was strange, since the neighbor also hated the sculpture but was willing to help them out. She kept wearing a smirk the whole time she gave them a memory stick containing the cctv footage.

 It turned out the pick-up that carried away the statue on its flatbed belonged to one of the home owner association officers and they lived just around the block.

They headed to the man’s house and immediately heard the cries for help at the side of the house as they approached the door. He hurried and opened the unlocked gate to the yard and found their missing statue. It had apparently toppled over and pinned the suspect to the dirt.

“Oh thank god!” The man said when he noticed them. “I’ve been stuck here for hours and hours!”

It was easy to get him free, and the amusing situation with these rich neighbors was enough to distract him from what happened that morning.

“I told you.” Harper whispered to him as the wife confessed to her husband that she had asked the HOA officer to take away the statue and kept it a secret from her husband. Oh and the wife and the HOA officer had been having an affair for months, as the cctv caught them sharing a quick kiss as the man hauled the statue away.

Jack Routh

“You really think I’d be a good fit in Metro?” Angela asked.

“I really do.” He replied and gave his partner a quick glance. They were on their way to the grocery store to investigate the robbery homicide case. Detective Calderon reached numerous dead ends on the case and asked them to follow up and perhaps open up a new lead.

The senior detective was swamped with difficult cases and was clearly struggling to manage his schedule. Angela decided it would be a good practice for her upcoming detective exams. She had also declared that he would be her last boot since she would move on from being a field training officer.

That then led to him telling her that she had potential in metro after she asked about his time in Rampart.

“What makes you think so?” Angela asked. “I’m curious by the way, but I’m still determined to pass that detective exam.”

“You’re tough and wouldn’t put up with bullshit.” He replied. “And you set incredibly high standards for yourself and others, but you’re quick to forgive and don’t carry a grudge. You also thrive in high-stress situations and you’re a crack shot from what Zoe told me.”

“That’s got to be the sweetest compliment I received.” Angela batted her eyelashes at him and held up bother hands to her cheeks, causing him to laugh. His former T.O. acting like a princess was so wrong it was funny.

The happy mood in the shop vanished once they met the grieving owner. His wife was murdered during the robbery and he looked like he had nothing to lose. He was still cooperative, and he seemed determined to do what he can to help catch his wife’s murderer. His comment about the missing high value scratch cards was a new but an unexpected lead.

“That’s how we are going to find him.” Angela stated after the owner told them he reported it stolen an hour ago.

“Good. I hope you catch him.” The owner told them as they thanked him for his help. “And that he gives you a reason to kill him.”

“We’ll keep you posted sir.” He was not one to judge a man who was clearly grieving after losing his wife. He shared a look with Angela and quickly left after that.

Feeling hungry after their investigation, he suggested that they visit a bakery recommended by Penny since her place of work was near the area. He was surprised to find Tim’s shop was parked outside.

“Let’s go check those donuts. If Tim Bradford is even taking a break from patrol, they must be good.” Angela stated.

Unfortunately, that was not the case as they encountered Bradford and Chen in the midst of questioning one of the bakery staff who sported a busted lip, scratches and bruises around his eye and cheek. He knew that was Nevin Cooper, the victim of the home invasion.

There were also other visitors in the back kitchen, and judging by how his partner tensed and put her hand near her weapon, these visitors were likely gang members that the victim was used to be a part of.

 They were just in time as Tim gave them a quick glance and continued speaking to the apparent gang leader who wore a large yellow jacket beneath a red shirt.

“Marquel, right?” Tim asked.

“Do I know you?” The gang leader asked.

“I’m the guy who put Keon in Pelican Bay. I heard you filled the void.” Tim replied.

 That meant this Keon had just been replaced by Marquel, and he knew from Reacher’s experience with gang dynamics meant that this new leader was flexing his muscle and intimidating what looked like a former member.

“Ah, what can I say?” Marquel replied with a smile. “Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them.”

“Shakespeare.” Lucy commented.

“Play?” Marquel turned to her in curiosity.

“Twelfth night.” Lucy replied.

“Smart for a cop.” Marquel gave an appreciative nod to Lucy as his eyes glanced over her figure. “Never met a smart cop before, or as pretty.”

“Strange play for a tough gang leader to pick a quote from.” He stepped forward, attracting the attention of everyone in the kitchen.

“Why is that?” Marquel asked.

“Twelfth night’s story is mostly about a woman pretending to be a man. She was so good at it, that even a Countess fell in love with her, thinking she was a dude.” He ignored the muffled laughter and continued speaking.

“I’m assuming you don’t know who spoke that quote you used in the Twelfth night either.” He continued. “You just heard it, and thought yeah, that sounds cool, I’ll memorize that to make myself appear wise and powerful.”

 Marquel did not respond and looked at him with narrowed eyes.

“That quote you used? That in truth was written by the character Maria, playing a trick on the known fool Marquel, I mean Malvolio.” He added, purposely confusing the two names. More muffled laughter and snickers were heard.

He added further insult as he glanced at Marquel’s chest and nodded at it. It looked like he was heavily working out, but forgot about leg day. “Are those muscles or boobs?”

His fellow gang members were definitely laughing at him now. Marquel scowled and looked angry enough to attack him.

“And judging by the bruises on Cooper, you were teaching him a lesson.” He glanced at the injured victim and focused his attention back to the gang leader, his eyes taking in every detail and noticed the slight bulge in the pocket of the open yellow jacket he wore. It was most likely a gun he carried for protection.

He moved forward so that he was in the leader’s line of sight and was now covering Lucy, and causing Marquel to step back. “And I bet the bruises from your knuckles mean that you were personally doling out the beating to make Cooper an example. I’m pretty sure if I checked your dirty fingernails I’ll find traces of his skin, and that can be DNA evidence, since you obviously don’t wash your hands regularly.”

“Fuck this cop!” Marquel had enough being made fun of as he anticipated. The gang leader tried to pull out a gun from the jacket, but he reacted quickly by grabbing an empty baking tray from the rack and slammed it hard to Marquel’s face.

The gang leader quickly collapsed on the tiled floor, dazed and with a bleeding nose. He tossed the now deformed tray besides Marquel’s head and kicked the gun out of his reach.

He stared at the four remaining gang members and raised an eyebrow. “Anyone else who wants to quote Shakespeare?”

The four shook their heads.

“Get on the floor and put your hands up.” Tim took over as Lucy and Angela pulled out their weapons. With Marquel showing he had a possession of a gun and attempted to use it, they had probable cause to search his associates. 

The remaining gang members had nothing on them, and so they were let go, but they stood several feet away watching as their new leader got tossed into the shop.

Nevin Cooper finally agreed to press charges against Marquel, stating that he was the one that broke into his house and tied him up to intimidate him enough to join gang once more.

“You intentionally provoked him.” Tim observed.

“New gang leaders always act more violent than they need to be to demonstrate their dominance and power to the rest of their members.” He replied. He glanced at the shop to see two gang members waving at a scowling Marquel who had now recovered.

“He wanted to use Cooper as an example as a message to his fellow gang. I removed that respect and reputation he was taking care to build by using his fancy Shakespeare quotes back at him.”

“Fair enough. I initially didn’t want to confront him, but when you and Angela arrived I felt more confident in our chances.” Tim replied. “Good work Routh.”

“I can’t believe you used an analysis of Twelfth Night to arrest a gang leader.” Lucy shook her head in amusement. “How did you end up here anyway?”

“I was getting hungry, and a friend told me they had great donuts.” He replied.

“Donuts? No thanks. I eat healthy now.” Lucy replied. “I’m even cutting back on beer.”

He couldn’t help it. He quoted another line from the same play. “Dost thou think, because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale?”

“Please stop.” Lucy begged.

After processing Marquel, Tim and Lucy decided to join him and Angela for lunch while they waited for the results for the scratch cards from the lottery office. If anyone turned the flagged cards, they would be contacted.

 Tim was explaining to Lucy about the details for the Sergeants exam and what happens after, and then Angela shared her preparations to become a detective. Both seemed to be trying to prove to each other which one was harder to pass as they bantered back and forth like siblings.

He checked his duty issued phone as a message popped up and realized someone had attempted to cash in the stolen scratch cards. The relevant names and details were included in the message, but there was one problem.

“Anyone up to visiting a strip club?” He asked. Angela completely ignored him and focused on reading the receipt of the food they ordered while Tim and Lucy stood up without another word and headed back to their shop to resume patrol.

Arriving at the strip club just past noon was strange. Angela insisted on remaining in the shop and went inside alone. He was allowed entry easily enough, though the floor manager hustled him to a dark booth in the corner once he was spotted. The man claimed his presence could make their clients leave if he was seen.

He had to wait as the stripper ironically named Chastity needed to finish her 15 minute number before she agreed to accompany him back to the station. She was surprisingly cooperative when they asked where she received the scratch cards and told them she was given them as a tip for her lap dance.

She also kept asking him personal questions, much to Angela’s amusement. Once they arrived at Mid-Wilshire, they found an empty office that no one really used and asked Chastity to wait for him  there as he went off to get refreshments from the break room.

“Maybe you should be our point man now when interrogating strippers and escorts.” Angela proposed as she nudged him with her shoulder as they both drank their coffees. “I’m sure they will be cooperative when you ask the questions. Do you have any other questions Officer Sugar? Do you want to pat me down for weapons as well? I might be carrying a deadly weapon!”

“I think you’re getting overwhelmed by your review schedule.” He told his former T.O. “Get eight hours of sleep tonight. You’re starting to sound like a drunk and giggly Lucy.”

“I do not!” Angela argued back. “Take that back or I’ll tell the captain you’re spending time with a stripper watching porn!”

“See?” He shook his head. “How many cups of coffee and soda have you taken today? You’re high on sugar and caffeine.”

“She is.” Nyla spoke up from where she sat in a nearby table. “You clearly need some sleep, Lopez.”

“Fine.” Angela stood up and dusted the crumbs of biscuits on her uniform. “You’ll handle the paperwork?”

“I’ll take care of it.” He promised.

He left his partner in the break room and brought a cold can of orange juice for Chastity and joined her to analyze a few hours of her conducting lap dances to various customers to spot the one that gave her the scratch cards. To be fair, she was quite good and flexible in her performance.

“You must have strong core muscles.” He observed as Chastity in the footage did a complicated move as she leaned back nearly ninety degrees to the floor while her lower body remained on the customer’s lap.

“It’s in the thighs.” Chastity pointed out. “See? I was gripping his waist.”

“Still impressive.” He noted. He looked up and scowled as he saw through the blinds Angela, Nyla Harper, Lucy and… Captain Andersen Routh now dressed in their civilian clothes watching him as they “pretended” to discuss whatever was posted on the corkboard opposite the glass window.

The only paper posted on the board was of Quigley’s invitation to join him in the parking lot for barbecue and a chance to swim in a fairly large kiddie inflatable pool. Of course there was a $20 entrance fee.

They were all wearing amused expressions but were trying to hide it. His wife though had one of her eyebrows raised. He gave them pointed look causing them to disperse.

“Officer Routh, you’re missing my performance.” Chastity complained.

“Sorry.”

“Right there!” Chastity eagerly pointed at the screen after three more lap dances. He paused the video in the laptop and took note of the time stamp.

“Would this be able to help you catch the bad guy?” Chastity asked.

The footage was grainy, and the lighting poor, but he was pretty sure the techs could enhance and clean up the footage.

“This is a big help for the case.” He replied.

“Anything for you, Officer.” Chastity beamed, looking delighted.

He suddenly had an idea and took out his card containing his official contact information. “Say Chastity, do you think you can help me out in the future in cases like these?”

The stripper took the card and observed it for a moment. “What’s in it for me?”

“For one, you’ll get my protection.” He faced the younger woman. “You encounter any trouble at all, call me. There’s a fund set up as well for informants, and that entitles you to a monthly allowance. It’s not big, just enough to buy fancy dinners if you want once a month.”

“So I contact you and tell you if I hear something illegal being discussed?” The stripper asked.

“I don’t care about petty crimes.” He replied. “I just want ears in places where cops don’t go to that often. But you have to be careful if you’re going to work for me. Your safety is paramount if you agree to this. You can’t tell anyone, not even to other cops.”

“I’m really good at listening and I even took acting classes when I first arrived here. Okay, I’ll take the deal.” Chastity smelled his card and placed it inside the cup of her bra.

Ten minutes more of explaining the payment process and how to contact him safely, and he finally secured his first informant. He escorted her to the lobby where he encountered Nolan speaking to a younger man around his age.

 The man was apparently Nolan’s brother, and he had a flirtatious personality as he tried to chat up Chastity.

He left the two alone and headed back to the bullpen as the day shift started packing up.

“How was your time with Chastity?” Tim Bradford asked once he left the locker room, freshly showered and wearing his civilian clothes.

“Productive. She also agreed to work as my informant.” He replied.

“That’s got to be the first time since I transferred here that someone convinced a stripper to be an informant.” Tim mused. “Not bad, she’s well placed to hear things.”

“I thought so too, but I’ll still try to work on that guy in the community college that makes fake IDS.”

“Look at you, not even a year in the force and you’re already expanding your information network.” Bradford replied. “Most would assume having one informant is enough.”

“Most would.” He replied as he eyed his wife walking down the stairs. “But I don’t because assumptions kill.” 

Zoe Andersen Routh

Even if it was all part of police work and her husband had to sit there and watch a footage of another woman get naked for the afternoon to solve a case, she still got… possessive. Their make out session in the parking lot almost led to sex before she regained her senses and they soon went home in her car.

 The next morning was Wednesday and both had their day offs at the same time. It was their designated bi-weekly movie date, and so to annoy her husband since he spent an entire day yesterday with a stripper, and yes she was that petty, she chose a movie whose genre Jack hated the most.

Historical Dramas.

She lost it when she saw how Jack reacted when they first watched BraveHeart. Her husband kept giving commentary on the film, and it quickly devolved to sarcasm and indifference as he pointed out mistake after mistake in the film. Her man was so worked up about it after watching that it looked like he was prepared to write a paper criticizing the inaccuracies in the plot. It took her sucking him for Jack to relax and calm down and eat their lunch in peace.

As expected, Jack kept scoffing and shaking his head as they watched The Patriot. The only time he perked up was when the British Army was marching in what Jack explained was the battle of Camden, with redcoats marching while playing the Grenadiers March. He explained the origins of the grenadiers and she was surprised to learn it was inspired by a fruit of all things, a pomegranate.

He then gave a five minute lecture on the legacy of the British Grenadiers marching song, totally ignoring Mel Gibson and Heathe Ledger as they tried to rally a militia to fight the evil British. The only other time he perked up was when the French Navy was shown arriving at Charleston.

A tout les canons, tirez!

“Now that the film is ending, and you’re suddenly interested?” She asked.

“That was accurate, what that French naval officer shouted.” Jack explained. “A tout les canons, tirez means all cannons, fire. Of course that French fleet that blockaded the harbor would soon get defeated by a British fleet a year later.”

“You speak it so well. Don’t tell me you know how to speak French.” She asked as she rested her head on his lap.

“I know some French.” Jack replied as he turned off the TV.

She slowly turned her head away from the screen and looked up at her husband. “You said that too when I asked if you knew how to shoot a sniper rifle at 300 yards. How well do you speak French?”

Jack returned her look and nodded his head. “Very well. Je parle très couramment le français”

 “What other languages can you speak?” She asked. She was amazed, she knew some French, but her husband spoke like a native.

Happy that she learned something new about her husband, she turned around in the couch and presented her feet for him to massage, which he automatically did.

“English of course, and French.” He replied.

“Mhmmm.” She started to close her eyes to relax. His fingers had the right enough strength to give the soles of her feet the proper massage they needed without being too painful.

“I can also speak Latin, Spanish, German, Russian and Farsi.”

What? She sat up and stared at her husband in surprise. European languages, she could sort of understand why he could speak them, but Farsi? She knew of a few intelligence officers who learned the language out of necessity. What if her husband really did have a military background… that could explain a lot of his skills… his weapons training, unarmed combat and tactics.

She shook her head. No, that was a crazy train of thought. Jack is too young to accumulate all those skills.

Her husband merely shrugged. “I like learning languages back in high school and college.”

“You know, sometimes Hondo’s wild ideas seems to have some merit. German? Russian? Farsi?” She joked. “You’re like a super secret agent, even beyond the elite operators of the military.”

“Farsi is an ancient Persian language, it was interesting.” He explained.

“It was also taught to JSOC and the Intelligence agents working in Afghanistan and the middle-east.”

“That’s just a coincidence. I’m no soldier.” Jack stated.

“Yeah, I know. I’m just surprised at this side of you. You never indicated you knew other languages.” She gave her husband a long look.

“I never had a reason to use it. You know that in many countries, their citizens are usually multilingual.”Jack explained. “It’s mostly our country that only speaks one language. Other countries speak at least two at least. Some can speak four or even five and that’s normal.”

“I get it, you’re smart, and Americans dumb.” She replied as she turned around again and used his lap as a pillow.

“No, not dumb.” Jack countered. “We’re plenty smart. It’s just that our attitude and reluctance to learn other languages stems from a lack of knowledge about the history of English language itself.”

“You could picture a tree that started with a huge trunk and then eventually split off into many branches, and one of those upper branches is the English language.” Jack continued explaining. “Along the way, it has changed and transformed from old English into what we know as modern English in the sixteenth century.”

She felt Jack massaging her scalp and she closed her eyes as she listened to her husband.

 “There was even a time in Britain that the lower class spoke old English, and the Aristocracy spoke French, but then that all changed with the great vowel shift to make vowels shorter. ”

“My husband, the Historian.” She smiled and snuggled closer to Jack.

“You were the one that started the topic.” He teased back.

“Will you help me learn?”

“Of course.” Jack promised. “What language do you want to learn first?”

“I want to improve my French.” She replied. “Correct me in my pronunciations and grammar.”

“Of course.” Jack replied. He rolled his head around, and she found him staring at the cardboard coaster with the wondercon branding on its surface. It was one of many freebies she and Penny got from the convention. “By the way, what’s in the bag you bought in Anaheim?”

“Do you really want to know?” She asked.

“Yes. What is it?”

“A costume.” She sat up and stretched. Now that she was properly relaxed she wanted some intimacy. “Let’s make a bet.”

“What kind?” He asked.

“Whose costume is better, that armor you wore or the one I bought? Loser has to follow the other today, no questions asked.” She was sure she would win this one, and she had plans for her husband. So many plans.

“You’re on.” Jack replied, looking smug as he leaned back on the couch.

“Wait for me in the yard.” She got up and quickly headed to their room to change. She couldn’t get the image of Jack wearing a sexy, barbarian costume out of her mind that day and bought something she thought was its counterpart.

Jack Routh

He was waiting for Zoe as he walked around and inspected the walls and shrubs planted around it. He knew Zoe was up to something. She couldn’t be that confident unless she had something planned. Still, he went along with it. It had been weeks since they had proper role playing, mind blowing sex. He was up for anything and he was excited and was thinking of what he could make Zoe do if he won.

He wondered if she would come out wearing a slave Leia costume, those plastic bags from Wondercon didn’t look like they could carry much.

 The door to the kitchen slid open and his eyes widened in shock and his mouth dropped open as his wife stepped out to the yard.

Zoe styled her hair to be messy, as if she had just gotten out bed and merely ran her fingers through her hair like a comb and didn’t bother to brush it further. That was hot enough already with her pretty face and then his eyes wandered down to the rest of her amazing, hot body that first attracted his attention when he first woke up in this world.

This time she was not wearing her usual stylish and sexy blouses and tight skirts to cover her body but something entirely different.

She was wearing a tiny bikini top made off small metal plates. Her long smooth and shapely legs ended to her feet which were clad in what appeared to be crudely made leather boots, stitched together up to the ankle with leather cords. Covering her crotch was what looked like two narrow and tiny loincloths made of round metal discs held together by rings of metal that barely reached halfway through her thigh.

To finish the effect she had a pair of bronze bracelets attached to her upper arms, styled like snakes eating their tails and enhancing the contours of her toned arms.

Every step she made, the metal parts jingled, and her breasts bounced, barely supported by the tiny metal chain of her bikini top. Her hips were pure seduction as the metal loin cloth swayed, briefly exposing her crotch. She wasn’t wearing anything underneath, and he could spot her erect nipples and areola peeking through the plate pieces and her pussy lips through the wide gaps off her metal loincloth.

On her shoulders were leaf shaped metal pauldrons and around her neck was a necklace made of animal teeth. Her shapely waist had a leather belt around it, and a leather scabbard attached to it and what looked like his replica sword was sheathed. He wondered what she looked like from behind.

She turned around for him, seemingly reading his mind and showing that her beautiful, shapely ass was exposed by her costume except for the middle that now pooled at valley of her lower cheeks. Her taut and smooth back showed muscles as she moved around, a result of her daily workouts.

His wife didn’t look embarrassed at all, and the sheer confidence she radiated through every part of her body turned him on. She was incredibly sexy.

He grew hard immediately.

Zoe pulled Thranduril’s sword from the leather sheathe with her right hand and pointed it at him.

“You! I like your look! I shall take you as my bed slave.” Zoe declared.

“Zoe?” He asked. He received a slap to the face in response. It didn’t hurt that much, but it did surprise him.

“Did I give you permission to talk, slave?” Zoe asked with a raised eyebrow, waiting for his response.

His brain could barely comprehend what was happening. She exuded pure confidence in her tone of voice and posture, like he had seen her whenever she presided over her division. It was that look and stance that demanded complete obedience, and nothing else.

This was it he realized. He knew she was asking if she had won their bet. Damn, he had no choice. Pussy comes first, Mjolnir Mark IV Armor later!

“I apologize, mistress.” He replied as he bowed his head.

“Strip!” Zoe demanded as she placed the edge of the dull blade against his chin. “I wish to see your body and inspect it for myself if it is worthy to touch an inch of skin.”

He followed along, watching if Zoe would break character but it seemed she was fully immersed in her role.

“Hurry slave!” She gently tapped his ass with the flat of the blade as he started removing his shirt, followed by his pants until he was standing only in his boxers. He decided to play his wife’s game.

“I said all of it.” Zoe pointed at his shorts with her sword.

 A moment later he was fully nude and enjoyed the breeze the early afternoon sunlight that caressed his skin.  

Zoe stepped closer after she took a moment to admire him from head to toe. Not usually shy about nudity, he felt strangely exposed under her burning gaze.

“I find you appealing.” Zoe nodded and sheathed her sword. She stepped forward and grabbed his chin with her hand, forcing him to look down and match her gaze.

“You shall be my bed slave.” Zoe continued and then she suddenly grabbed his erect cock. “This would suit me nicely.”

The sex they had that early afternoon was far, far different from what they used to do. Instead of the battle for dominance and pure lust, now he experienced a more sensual and slow as Zoe pushed to lie down on the patch of grass and mount him.

“Do not move until I tell you.” Zoe instructed as she impaled herself further into his cock until finally she was resting her ass on his crotch.

He nodded and focused on his wife’s face as she first ground her hips against his, taking him as deep as she possibly could with their current position. He was unable to look away from Zoe’s eyes as she held his gaze. Then she started to lean back, resting her hands on his lower legs as she slowly shifted her legs. He noticed that she was being careful not to let his cock slip out of her pussy as she rested her feet beside her head.

Zoe arched her back and his eyes feasted as he watched every part of his wife’s body.

“You feel so perfect inside me.” Zoe whispered. She shifted again until she was squatting over him and soon she started to move up and down on his cock.

“Fuck!” Zoe hissed. She suddenly increased the pace and he reached out to hold her waist to stop her but she slapped his hands away.

“Remain… still, slave.” Zoe gasped as she continued to bounce up and down his cock. “This… cock will not leave my cunt until the sun has set.”

“Prepare to be ravished.” Zoe grinned and leaned forward and bit his lip harshly. The kiss then ended and his wife clutched his jaw hard forcing his lips to partially open. He was surprised when Zoe suddenly leaned forward and spit inside his mouth.

“Swallow it.” Zoe forced his mouth to close. She gave him a dangerous smile as she bounced harder on his cock for a few moments then slowed down.

“I’m marking you, in every way possible.” Zoe explained. Damn, his wife was getting wild, and he was all for it.

He never knew being taken as a slave by a bikini clad warrior woman will be in his top three fantasies.

Reese Carter

“They’re late.”

Reese looked at her phone, scrolling through the messages from the band that was supposed to be here an hour ago. The guests were already in their tables, waiting for the entrance of the entourage and Pam and James.

She looked up as her fellow maid of honor’s husband came out of a side door. He looked dashing in his simple light blue polo shirt and charcoal grey suit.

“They’re getting impatient there, Reese.” Jack reported. Thank goodness that she and Zoe had the foresight to have catering serve the guests appetizers as scheduled. She looked over to see Zoe with Pam, trying to distract the bride who was looking worried.

“The band and the DJ are late.” She reported. “We’re supposed to have this grand parade heading to reception.”

Jack looked thoughtful for a moment as he looked around at the assembled entourage. Bridesmaids, groomsmen, and even a pair of adorable flower girls looked like they were getting tired of standing around doing nothing.

“There’s a piano in the stage. It seemed to play fine when we were setting up decorations this morning.” Jack reported. “Get the entourage ready, I’ll handle the music. I’ll message Zoe when it’s time.”

She brightened up, suddenly remembering her best friend’s husband was a man with many talents. “Okay! Great!”

She admired Jack’s form as he strode confidently back to the reception hall and then turned around to face the entourage. She clapped her hands, attracting their attention.

“Everyone! Get ready! Just as we rehearsed!” She called out.

“Finally!” One of the bridesmaids, a blonde named Taylor replied. She remembered that she was Pam’s cousin. “These heels are killing me!”

“I told you to break them in first before today.” One of the bridesmaids told the blonde.

It was like herding a bunch of sheep. She had to ask one of the groomsmen that they needed to be arranged before the flower girls. He wanted to carry the basket full op petals as well and toss them along the aisle.

Pam looked relieved as she made her way to the back with James. Zoe moved to stand beside her. They were each other’s escorts since both were maids of honor.

“Your husband will take care of the music.” She told Zoe. “He said he’ll text you.”

Zoe opened up her small purse and gave a nod after looking at the screen. “He works fast. He said to start in 30 seconds.”

“Thirty seconds people!” She shouted to the rest of the entourage.

She made a mental countdown in her head when she heard the music coming through from the wooden doors. It was something she had never heard before. She noticed that even the entourage noticed as they stopped chatting with each other as they also listened to the music.

“Let’s go people! Star walking girls!” Zoe ordered.

The two ten year old flower girl, twins, started walking as their parents opened the two wooden doors to allow the entourage to walk in.

Applause rang out from the guests that were standing up from their seats. She spotted the Piano immediately at the corner at the side of the stage, with Jack playing that amazing melody. Zoe gave her a nudge and they too started walking after the last pair of groomsman and bridesmaid passed through the doors. 

The venue was beautiful, covered it Pam’s favorite flowers. The light blue and silver cloths hanging overhead like waves with fairy lights among them gave the venue a wonderful atmosphere that was only enhanced by the music Jack was playing. She made her way to the podium as Pam and James came in last. The bride was openly shedding tears, but she still had that soft smile in face as the music Jack was playing reached its climax.

After her opening remarks, she moved to the side to allow for the best man’s speech as she joined Zoe who had made her way to her husband by the piano.

“What song was that?” She asked. “That was amazing Jack!”

“It’s called the Bittersweet Symphony.” Jack replied. “I figured it would be perfect here.”

It certainly was. Pam had planned for her father to join them for this, but he had lost his battle to cancer a month ago.

“Thanks for not letting us starve.” Zoe nudged her husband with her shoulder as they pretended to listen to the speech.

After the speeches were done, with the band now only thirty minutes away, Jack once again saved the event.

“Pam and James met at a Coldplay concert right?” Jack asked. “Go, have the guests start lining up for the buffet. I’ll play some background music.”

“Be sure to reward Jack properly later.” She told Zoe. “Since I can’t, even if I wanted to.”

The staff served the entourage personally, as the other guests started lining up for the buffet. She made her way to her own assigned table where she joined the other bridesmaids.

“He’s amazing.” Taylor gushed, her eyes locked in to Jack as he started playing.

“He’s also married.” Reese laughed.

“Damn.” Taylor pouted comically. “Why are the good ones always taken?”

They both paused as they recognized the tune. Jack was playing Yellow. The energy in venue increased as the guests had a great time eating and even a few clapped between songs as Jack continued playing.

“Look at them, so sickeningly sweet.” Taylor pointed out to the corner. “Ugh.”

She turned around to see Zoe had a plate full of food and was feeding her husband carefully. She looked at the pair with a wistful smile, happy that Zoey finally had a man that she deserved. After getting her fill, she made her way to the bride and groom to check on them.

“How are you guys?” She slid up to the empty chair beside Pam.

“It’s even more amazing than what I envisioned.” Pam replied with a happy smile.

“That guy behind the piano, that’s Zoe’s husband?” James leaned in to join the conversation.

“Yeah. He arrived early to help set up the venue as well with the other bridesmaids and groomsmen.” She replied. “He stepped in when we received word that the band we hired are running late.”

“Reese, they haven’t had their own wedding reception, right?” Pam suddenly asked.

“Yeah why? Zoe said they’re working on it, but with their work, I think they’re having difficulty planning it.”

“Here’s what I think we should do.” Pam leaned in. Even James looked like he wanted to be part of it as well. “You know Zoe’s coworkers right? Who is she closest to?”

“Well…” She remembered that Zoe shared about who Jack was closest to at the Mid-Wilshire police station. A woman named Angela who was his training officer. Maybe they should start approaching her first. Then there was a fellow captain in Rampart that Zoe mentioned she got along well.

The band finally appeared, apologizing profusely and quickly set up their equipment and instruments while the guests ate and chatted.

James had invited Jack to their table, and they were now sharing stories about each other’s profession. She, Zoe and Pam were drinking more than they should, but she knew it was because they were all relieved that the event they worked for was now a success.

Zoe was getting particularly tipsy and her best friend admitted that she forgot to eat breakfast because of how early they had to leave to prepare the venue. Then the conversation moved on to Jack’s musical ability.

Pam at first playfully teased Jack that he should play a song for her and James to dance too. James added that Jack should make the song spicy and hot so that they would be in the mood after the reception.

“Enough to drop panties?" Zoe asked. She noticed her fellow maid of honor’s cheeks were flushed. “There’s no such song.”

“Maybe I could play one.” Jack replied, countering Zoe’s statement.

“Fine. If you play a song, right now, that can get me hot and bothered, you win.” Zoe dared.

“You’re on.” Her husband replied as he stood up.

Pam and James laughed at the interaction and egged the two more.

“Go on! We promise we will dance to your performance!” Pam nodded her head eagerly.

The band was pretty accommodating, well they should be after being late for two hours. Jack borrowed one of their mikes and set it up in a way that he could sing while playing.

She decided to help out and even stepped up to the podium to introduce Jack before his performance and asked Pam and James to head to the dance floor to dance.

It was also there that she saw for the first time in her life, a bunch of women looking like they really dropped their panties, or they got wet as they watched Zoe’s husband seduce them through music.

Even she got flustered, the lyrics, his voice, those runs. Yeah that song was created to get people in the mood for sex, plain and simple. It also didn’t help that the performer looked absolutely handsome, and he didn’t even seem to know it. That added to the attractiveness factor too since arrogance was a major turnoff. She was pretty sure Zoe’s husband would be in many of the bridesmaids’ fantasies tonight.

Zoe Andersen Routh

She was annoyed.

Life with her new husband was passionate and exciting for the first few months. They rarely argued, and most of the time they settled their differences amicably and there was that. No hard feelings and move on and be better.

Now, the honeymoon was over, and usually the first big spat usually heralded the end of that passionate period.  Her husband annoyingly didn’t back down, and they spent the early morning in a chilling silence as they prepared to head to the wedding reception. One of her very few close friends was getting married and they did not have a good wedding gift to give.

It was all Jack’s fault. Well… maybe hers too.

Her annoyance with Jack slowly vanished, bit by bit when they arrived at the venue. Jack was helpful setting up the decorations, while she organized the final layout with Reese’s help. She took care of the catering staff and directed them where to set up the table and food stations, where they could wash up and how the seating should be arranged.

Everything was going well, until it wasn’t and they couldn’t do anything about it.

She watched as the entourage waited and waited, becoming more impatient by the minute. Some were hungry, some were tired. The adorable twins that were their flower girls were complaining to their parents that they were hungry, and the mother had to step in and feed them some appetizers she got from the catering.

Pam was slowly losing it, and she had to team up with the groom, James, to calm her down.

“Everything will be fine, Pam.” She tried to reassure her best friend. Maybe they could have asked someone to play a music list from their phones, but the venue didn’t even have a sound system to connect to. It was all dependent on the band and the DJ who were travelling together with the equipment.

She spotted Jack stepping out to and talking to Reese. Her other best friend seemed to perk up at something Jack said as he went back inside. Then she realized her stubborn husband had stepped in when it looked like the event was starting to become a disaster.

The music he played was hauntingly beautiful. Her husband was amazing. And this, this was an even better gift than her original plan.

 She realized her husband had not eaten anything at all since that morning, and he was playing amazing background music as the wedding guests ate deliciously prepared food while they enjoyed the atmosphere of the venue. So she headed to the buffet line and picked what she were Jack’s favorites. Ribs. Mashed potatoes. Roasted chicken. Some asparagus and broccoli with butter and garlic. Then she grabbed a few bottles of beer.

“Hey.” She headed to Jack just as he finished playing a song. A good number of guests clapped in appreciation at his performance.

“Hey.” Jack replied. He was staring at her with a questioning look. It was the first time they spoke today.

“I figured you’d be hungry and thirsty by now.” She held up the plate and put down the bottles on the piano.

“Thanks, love.” She knew he didn’t mean to include the term of endearment at the end, but they had been both using that for so many months now it had become second nature. It was also adorable to see Jack flush for a moment when he realized what he had said.

“Scoot over.” He did without hesitation. She moved to sit beside him at the piano bench and took up a fork and gave him a small smile. “I’m feeding you. I don’t want your clothes getting stained.”

“Yes love.” Her smile grew wider as Jack leaned over and opened his mouth. Cute. She served him a spoon full of mashed potatoes first.

The rest of the event went smoother compared to the start. It seems like Jack and the catering staff were making up for the incompetence of the music band and DJ they hired. She heard numerous comments from the guests that the food was fantastic, and the music amazing while they ate.

“It was like eating joy at a concert in heaven.” One of the bridesmaids made a poetic comment.

She was pretty sure she and Jack had made up. Jack had his arm around her waist while she leaned her head against his chest as they sat in Pam and James’ table. Then the flirting started, his hand on her thigh, her brushing her hand along his crotch accidentally. She was pretty sure she was the one that instigated it by challenging her husband to play a spicy, sexy song that could drop panties.

She knew she had already lost before even Jack stood up to approach the band. If anyone could play a song like that, Jack could. She wondered if he would use one his other songs he played in private for her. Some of them were able to make her hot and horny for Jack anyway.

She had no idea what she had unleashed.

Jack was staring at her as he sang, fingers dancing on the keyboards as he talked about taking off her Versace dress and getting naked with her. Damn, his voice and the note and pitch he reached, and those runs. She was pretty sure her panties were soaked.

She looked around, and many women, even Reese, were blushing or biting their lips as they listened to her husband’s performance. She grew a bit jealous as well, but she could use that later, when they get home.

Fuck.

She was horny. She clapped when Jack finally finished his song and she immediately pulled him for a kiss once he got in front of her. She heard wolf whistles but she didn’t care.

“I’m not mad anymore.” She whispered to him.

“I know.” Jack replied with a grin and leaned closer to whisper to her ear. “What do I get for winning?”

She didn’t comment on the hand that was groping her ass and gave her husband a heated look.

Pam and James quickly came over once they finished their brief but passionate kiss. The bride looked incredibly happy and gave her and Jack a quick hug.

“Thank you! Thank you! This is the best gift ever!” Pam gushed.

The band played another tune, this time one of the guests decided to sing a popular song by Taylor Swift which she found amusing. With Jack’s performance, more people had decided to dance on the floor. The atmosphere of the reception had changed and it was more lively and full of energy.

“So that’s it huh?” She leaned in to whisper in his ear. “You use your talent to make me horny if I refuse you sex.”

“Did it work?” Jack asked.

“Almost.” She leaned back and crossed her legs as she drank a bottle of cold beer. She had to remember that they had made up from their first major fight. “Good try though.”

She knew she was lying to herself since she attacked Jack the moment they stepped inside the door of their house. She was feeling aroused, and the possessiveness in her increased when she saw some of the blatant flirting by the other bridesmaids made to her husband. Soon their clothes were scattered around the floor, and she gasped as Jack finally went inside her.

“Fuck! I missed this cock!” She stared at her husband’s face with a heated gaze. She grabbed his hair and pulled him closer for a deep kiss. She moaned as he thrust up in her. Then again. Stronger and rougher than the last one.  More. Harder. She howled and scratched Jack’s back as her thighs shook in a sudden orgasm. The build up to her climax was so quick it surprised her.

Jack didn’t care and continued fucking her. She didn’t care as well and locked her ankles behind his ass encouraged her mate to go deeper.

Make-up sex was amazing.

It was more of a battle in that regard, unlike before where she usually surrendered herself to him. She knew they were both in a sex crazed trance right now. She heard something break as she sat on her husband, but put it in the back of her mind. He fucked, then she fucked him, straddling over him and forcing her mouth on his and then he would flip them over and it was her turn to get railed.

All the while his cock continued to pump inside her cunt as their lovemaking reached another climax.

She reached her orgasm first, and when he finally spilled inside her she gently combed his scalp with her fingers as he twitched and moaned, slowly pumping his softening cock inside her. As always he turned them both around, so that his weight wouldn’t press against her and they both lay on the pleasantly cooled tiled floor of their home, regaining their breaths.

“I think it was both our fault.” Jack finally whispered in her ear after a minute of silence.

“We both forgot about it until it was too late.” She replied. She found it amusing that their most important moments in their relationship were always after a good round of lovemaking, with his cock buried inside her.

“I’m sorry I lost track. I assumed it would still be there.” Jack added.

“And I’m sorry I forced it on you to pick up the lamp. Pam’s my best friend. I should have done it myself.” She replied.  She raised herself up, and smiled as Jack’s eyes dipped to her exposed breasts. “I should have bought it the moment I saw it, but I didn’t have the cash on hand. I should have been prepared.”

“We just both lost track of time. We were too focused on our responsibilities.”

Her husband shifted, and she heard the sound of broken glass. They both sat up, and she laughed when she saw the square tile beneath Jack’s butt had cracked.

“We didn’t fuck that hard, did we?” She asked, feeling amused at the situation.

Jack looked confused as he slowly pried off the broken pieces of the tile from the floor. They both stared at what lay underneath it, a part of what looked like a wooden hatch. Jack carefully removed the broken pieces of the broken tiles, finally revealing the metal hatch with its light green faded with a circular steel handle.

“What do you think that is?” She asked.

Jack answered by turning the handle and then pulled it, causing the whole latch to swing open with a groan of rusted hinges. She could see how heavy it was since she heard Jack grunt and his muscles flex with effort. It must have been at least four inches thick, possibly more. Once the hatch was fully open, she found struts attached to the frame that could be extended so that the hatch wouldn’t suddenly close. She pulled them and locked the hatch in place so that it wouldn’t suddenly move and hurt them.

She looked inside but couldn’t see anything. Jack used the phone that was in his discarded pants and used its flashlight function to give them better visibility. The light revealed what looked like a large underground chamber. The air smelled stale, but from what she could see at least it was dry.

“It looks like an old cistern converted into a bunker. It’s pretty huge down here, I can’t see the other end of the room.” Jack observed as he looked further inside. “It’s meant to collect rainwater for storage, but I can see the pipes on that wall were repurposed for ventilation. Someone spent a lot of time and resources converting it. Look, there are wires running through here.”

“Interesting.” She mused. She instantly had an idea to make use of this newly discovered part of their home.

Without bothering to wear any stitch of clothing, the two of them descended down the chamber with the help of a ladder from the garage. Jack came down first, with her holding the ladder secure at the top, and then she followed after with Jack securing the ladder from below.

It was bigger than they expected, and they found another sealed hatch leading to what Jack guessed was the lawn at the backyard. The walls mere made of concrete painted with light green paint. Wires ran at the upper half of the wall to multiple bulbs covered in steel basket.

“We could use this as an emergency bunker, and an armory.” She suggested with some excitement.  They only had handguns stored at home, afraid that burglars would be able to break in their hidden gun safe if they bought higher caliber firearms.

With this new discovery, she could finally buy the rifles she wanted, along with the scopes and custom upgrades. She could even store ammunition.

“I was thinking that as well.” Jack looked excited at the prospect of a hidden underground space. “We can hide the entrance to the kitchen by extending the island to this part. It will be easy to run wires since they already have lines running around and fix the ventilation as well.”

“Good idea. We can plant some bushes to hide the latch leading to the lawn, but we have to refurbish these hatches.” She added. Her mind was full of ideas, from adding steel ladders, upgrading the utility lines, there were so many possibilities.

She occasionally watched those doomsday preppers showing off their bunkers in TV shows, and she always wondered what she would do when she had her own. Now she was presented with an opportunity to realize that dream, and it was already fully built!

 She gasped when she felt Jack’s hands grab her hips and felt his hardening cock tease her lower lips.

“We haven’t fucked here before.” Jack told her. “I think it’s time to fix that.”

She laughed and placed both of her hands flat on the cold smooth concrete wall to brace herself while spreading her legs at the same time and soon Jack started to fuck her from behind. Her moans echoed loudly inside moments later as she lost herself in pleasure.

Taylor Swift

Someone had created a Youtube channel, and within it an album containing all of the known performances of her friend Jack Routh.

CutieBlairWitch’s subscriber and view counts were rising by hundreds every week because of it. Even she was surprised by the quality of the posts. There were recorded videos of Jack’s every known performance and the view count of each video were easily in the hundreds of thousands. She scrolled down the webpage, and selected a video with a title she was unfamiliar with.

The video began to play, showing Jack in a piano in what looked like some rustic farm type restaurant, singing to his wife who was sitting beside him.

Sunday morning rain is fallin…

Steal some covers, share some skin

Clouds are shrouding us in moments unforgettable

You twist the mold that I am in.

She closed her eyes for a moment as she let the music relax her. It was working, and a smile started to form on her face.

That maybe all, I need.

In darkness she is all I see

Come and rest your bones with me

Driving slow on Sunday morning

And I never want to leave

Damn. The lyrics and his performance were incredible. The song ended too quickly without her realizing it and tapped the screen to play the video once again.

She scrolled down the album list and realized it was not just music, there was a video of Jack giving a lecture in his class. She selected one and showed Jack in a classroom teaching about the history of fans in the Georgian court of ancient times.

She heard the giggling of his mostly female students as he demonstrated the subtle language of fans for the nobility and upper class with what she recognized as the blonde she met in the hospital when she visited Jack.

What was her name again? She couldn’t remember, but it was something short and common sounding. She remembered that strange Sheldon though.

The next video showed Jack just playing the piano, in what looked like a wedding reception. He looked dashing, in a tailored gray suit. The video was quite good, as it was high in resolution and the sound quality acceptable.

It was able to capture the sounds of the piano somewhat and she leaned in to listen to the unfamiliar theme as the procession of bridesmaids and groomsmen entered the reception area in pairs.

The last pair before the bride and groom were two women dressed in similar styles of dressed and more elaborate compared to the earlier bridesmaids. She recognized Jack’s wife, looking absolutely gorgeous in a dove grey off the shoulder dress.

Then the unfamiliar melody picked and she was enthralled once more with Jack’s musicality. Where did this amazing melody come from? How did he create it?

The latest video looked like it was from the same event. Jack was playing the piano once more. She was pretty sure the one holding the camera was Zoe, since her friend kept looking straight into the lens.

Then he started his performance. It was a slow but beautiful melody, and she was immediately mesmerized.

Let’s take our time tonight, girl

Above us, all the stars are watchin’

There’s no place I’d rather be in this world…

Your eyes are where I’m lost in

Fuck. She adjusted her pajamas and pressed play once more as she bit her lip. Jack was showcasing his incredible vocals, and she knew this song was deceptive. It looked to be easy to sing, but in truth she knew it was very difficult.

Underneath the chandelier

We’re dancin’ all alone

There’s no reason to hide

What we’re feelin’ inside

Right now

She felt goose bumps form on her skin as Jack easily reached notes and making it look sexy. Those runs. Fuck.

So baby let’s turn down the lights

And close the door

Ooh, I love that dress

But you won’t need it anymore

No, you won’t need it no more

Let’s just kiss til’ we’re naked, baby

Versace on the floor

She but her lip and felt herself get turned on. It didn’t help because of the… seductive lyrics and Jack looking straight into the camera, as if he was singing directly at the viewer. Damn. Damn you Jack Routh.

She reached for her special friend hidden in a drawer and replayed the song from the start and selected it to play over and over again and relaxed back on her bed. This was embarrassing as hell but it was just too much and she was alone in the privacy of her room.

Twenty minutes later she knew the chorus by heart and she needed to change the sheets and her pajamas and made a note to replace the batteries of her friend. She wondered how she could look at Jack in the eye since she was planning to invite him to her party.

When her breathing finally returned to normal, with her hair and makeup fixed, that she gathered her courage and called Jack via video call.

She released a quiet sigh of relief when she was answered on the fifth ring.

She was at first confused when she saw a masked man looking at her from her phone, and then he pulled down the black mask showing Jack’s handsome and sweaty face.

“Hi Taylor, you called?”

She pushed the pillow closer to her chest to hide the twins since they were still a bit stiff from her recent… climax. “Did I call at a bad time?”

“No, I just finished responding to a call and we’ve just stand down. I have to remain here though for the follow up investigation and that will take time with us doing nothing, so your timing is perfect.” Jack replied.

“What happened?” She asked.

“Someone got swatted.” Jack used the opportunity to show her where he was. It looked like an average neighborhood, with several police cars and an ambulance flashing their lights. She spotted a blonde woman on the lawn and she saw the girl immediately perked up and started screaming.

“Is that Taylor Swift!?”

“Oh my GOD is that TAYLOR!?”

“You know Taylor? Of course you do! Oh my god it’s Taylor! I love you Taylor!”

She was impressed at the woman’s lungs. She even had to pull back the phone away from her face.

She smiled as Jack tried to move away, and then explained that he needed some privacy to the girl.

“Tell her I love her too.” She piped up as she smiled.

That caused more screaming.

A few moments later Jack moved further away from the house now looked like he was inside a police vehicle.

“What’s swatting?” She asked.

“It’s when someone prank calls 911, telling them that there’s a gunman shooting people in this house or taking hostages.” Jack explained. “Of course they think it’s a prank, but it’s actually very dangerous.”

“Why would they do that?” She asked. “One wrong move or misunderstanding and someone could get shot.”

“There are different motives. The house that we responded to, are full of online streamers, and they have thousands and thousands of viewers. They try to hide the address, but some are smart enough to figure out where they actually live. Some sick or bored viewer can easily swat the streamer if they get annoyed or for some other reason.” Jack explained.

“It was a good thing I responded to this call, since I was able to recognize the woman earlier when she opened the door. We were ready to go in guns blazing, since the 911 call said lives were in imminent danger.”

“That’s terrible!” She couldn’t believe there were people cold hearted enough to willingly put innocent lives at risk.

“It is.” Jack nodded. “Since I was able to recognize her immediately, we were able to de-escalate the situation, assess the actual danger threat level and prevent causing trauma to these victims. Of course I had to make sure every room was safe before we stood down.”

“Thank God you were there.” She shifted on her bed and focused on why she called. “I wanted to invite you to my party this coming weekend, and maybe hang out for a bit. I know it’s on short notice, but I really could use my friends around me right now. It’s on Sunday afternoon to evening.”

“That should be doable.”  Jack replied after a moment of thought. “There’s going to be good food right?”

“Of course!” She nodded quickly. “What’s your favorite anyway?”

“Nothing fancy. Burgers, anything grilled like steaks and some mashed potatoes or bread.” Jack replied. “I’m not picky. I hope there’s good cold beer too.”

“Great! I’ll see you then!” She waved goodbye and gave her friend a warm smile, which Jack returned and soon the call ended. She immediately moved to review the plan her manager sent her of the caterers and the food they would prepared. She frowned and realized it was missing Jack’s favorites.

The current menu was filled with a variety of Asian fusion food, sushi and salads and some handmade artisan pizzas cooked right there on the spot according the customer’s specifications. Then there was an assortment of fruit shake selections, mangoes, to grape and even watermelon. She made sure everyone who came would be able to eat and leave with a full stomach.

She quickly sent a message to her manager that she wanted to add a grilling station as well, along with a selection of beers.

The party was in full swing in her L.A. mansion.

All of her close friends and staff working for her had arrived. Friends, fellow musicians, artists, technicians and PR teams were invited. She threw a small party to celebrate the success of her tour and of latest album, Reputation.

It was a relatively small group of 60 people compared to the parties she usually had. She kept it that way, and insisted that there shouldn’t be press, plus ones, agents or industry players invited. She wanted the people she saw in her party to be people she personally knew, worked with and maintained a good working relationship. This was her team’s time to celebrate their hard work.

Security was tight, with several layers. She wasn’t taking any chances since the kidnapping attempt.

She walked around, moving from group to group as they shared stories and laughter. She kept a sharp eye for the friend she was looking forward to meeting to the most, but she couldn’t see him.

“Looks like he’s not coming.” Her friend Selena observed.

She narrowed her eyes and checked her phone. She didn’t want to appear demanding and so she resisted calling or texting Jack since the party started.

“Ohhh! That smells wonderful.” Selena murmured when they reached the corner of the expansive yard where a food station was.

She noticed the line at the grilling station was unusually long. Weren’t some of the people she worked with proclaiming they were vegans now or limiting the meat they consumed because of some sort of diet? She made her way there and her eyes grew wide open.

Behind the grill, wearing almost the same exact clothes as the catering staff in a white shirt and jeans was Jack Routh.

“Oh mama. Me likey!” Selena giggled.

“Jack! What are you doing back there?” She asked.

The people around her noticed her arrival and moved to the side.

“No one was manning the grill station and I was hungry.” Jack explained. “So I decided to make a burger for myself and soon others started to ask as well. The burger patties are pretty good. Where did you get these?”

“That’s not your job, Jack. You’re a guest.” She exchanged grin with Selena and beckoned Jack over. Her guest turned cook dropped the tongs and took a burger he had previously made with him along with a bottle of beer.

“Jack, right? I’m Selena.” It seems like her best friend was not wasting time.

“Nice to meet you.” Selena’s smile grew wider as she shook hands with Jack. She knew her friend had been eager to meet Sugar in person for real this time. She had missed her chance for a proper introduction when he was wearing his police uniform.

She had to intervene before Selena did something inappropriate. “How’s Zoe? I hope I get an invitation to your wedding reception.”

She noticed Selena glance quickly at the ring on Jack’s finger and smiled.

“Of course you’ll get one, but we’re still in the planning stage.” Jack replied. “It’s hard to organize two wedding receptions.”

“Why two?” She asked.

“One is small, for close friends and family. We want it to have an intimate and relaxed atmosphere.” Jack replied. “Like this party you have thrown here.”

She wondered how Jack came to that accurate conclusion.

“The other is for VIPs. The Mayor and the Chief of Police wanted to attend.”

“Make sure you give me an invitation to the first one.” Taylor stated.

“Hey Jack, why don’t you have any social media presence?” Selena asked unashamedly. “I tried to look for you online, but you don’t have any presence at all. Youtube, Facegroup, Cliptok, Instargram… nothing. Do you have secret accounts?”

“Nothing.” Jack simply replied. “I’m not really into sharing my private life for the public. I highly value my privacy, and my wife shares in my beliefs. I prefer seeing and experiencing the world through my own eyes, and not through a screen.”

“But your music…” Selena took out her phone and showed Jack the many videos of him performing. It included covers of other artists, some even famous, of his songs.

She smiled at seeing the frustration on Selena’s face. She went through that feeling before when she first met Jack, but then she came to a realization after some thinking.

By not committing himself to a big corporate label, he had freedom. Jack Routh, Sugar established an image of authenticity and independence. He was the unicorn, where every performance and appearance was treated with excitement since he was so unpredictable. Nobody knew what he was going to do next, even her. That only added to his appeal, since his performances were so amazing.

She even noticed that his fans were different compared to others, even her own Swifties. They were more… protective of their music idol. They formed fan groups which she is a member of one, compiled his works and even created fan videos that she was even impressed with because of their creativity in their editing.

There were also galleries, pictures of the elusive Jack Routh. The popular ones were of him in his police uniform, though the one where he was wearing a suit was quickly rising in popularity.

Now here he was, wearing a simple white shirt and jeans. That look should be illegal. She sighed, wondering if she would ever meet someone like Jack. She tried, dating someone with a similar build and height. It didn’t go well, and she later found out he was cheating on her.

“Taylor? Is something wrong?” She looked up to see Jack and Selena looking at her with concern.

 “I want your help.” She wanted to perform a song in an upcoming concert that would convey her frustrations about her past relationship. It was a concert with the purpose of raising awareness for mental health. Several famous artists were set to perform in the three day event, and she was set to be one of the last to perform on the third day. She wanted to perform a song that was new to her fans.

The three of them ended up inside the music room where her piano and several instruments were displayed.

“I should visit more often.” Jack joked as he walked around the large room.

“You should.” She told him. She had this space remodeled for the sole purpose of not renting a studio anymore whenever she recorded her music.

“So what’s the story about the breakup? What did he do?” Selena asked, taking a seat on one of the couches that ran the length of the room. She was glad Selena was smart enough not to mention his name since it would only ruin her mood.

“He manipulated me. I thought he was loyal and committed to our relationship.” She began to tell her story. By the end and several minutes later, she was trying hard not to let her tears fall. It was hard to be made a fool of, and to be betrayed.

“In the end he was still hung up on his ex, and I think her ex found him desirable if he was dating me.”

She turned to Jack, who was listening intently to her, with a slight frown in his face.

“I have an idea, a song that’s perfect for this, but it’s unconventional.” He shared.

“What do you mean?” She asked.

“For one, the concept is about a song about a couple that had just broken up, so it has to be a duet. If you’re going to perform this, you need a male singer to sing with you.” Jack replied.

She stared at her friend, wondering what his concept was. “Can you perform it now?”

“Sure, but you have to sing the other half with me. You also need to sing some back-up vocals at the end.” Jack replied. “The songs builds up in emotion, so you have to convey some… anger.”

She shared a look with Selena. Her friend had that glint in her eyes. She had told Selena many times how amazing Sugar was and even made her listen to his songs. Now she too was seeing it first hand at her house.

 It took thirty minutes to get ready. Jack spent the time writing the lyrics, and then coached her on the back-up vocals, casually displaying his mastery of pitch and tone.

When they were done Jack sat in front of her piano while she sat across from him with written lyrics with detailed notes in hand.

“Ready?” Jack asked.

She gave a nod and Jack started playing. It was started by a series of notes, joyful at first, but soon descended into a more somber beat. She watched his hands skillfully dance across the keyboard.

Her gaze shifted to his face as he started singing.

[Somebody I used to Know- Gotye]

Now and then I think of when we were together

Like you said you felt so happy you could die

Told myself you were right for me

But felt so lonely in your company

But that was love and it’s an ache I still remember.

Jack had already explained the concept of the song, but she was still getting used to this new style. Jack sang the song with in a somber tone, his vocals matching the feeling the lyrics wanted to convey. He played a few high notes from the piano once more.

The melody remained in that somber beat, with crisp haunting high notes to add a sense of previous, happier times.

You can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness

Like resignation to the end, always the end.

So when we found that we could not make sense

Well you said that we would still be friends

But I’ll admit that I was glad that it was over

Jack continued playing while singing, an impressive feat on itself. But then he displayed the true range of his vocals, catching her off guard.

But you didn’t have to cut me off…

Make out like it never happened and that we were nothing

And I don’t even need your love...

But you treat me like a stranger and that feels so rough

She realized her mouth had partially opened it amazement and closed it once more. This performance of Jack had totally blown her away.  She needed to focus, her part would start soon.

No, you didn’t have to stoop so low…

Have your friends collect your records and then change your number

I guess that I don’t need that though…

Now you’re just somebody that I used to know

Now you’re just somebody that I used to know…

Now you’re just somebody that I used to know…

Jack’s hands continued to play the piano magnificently. She wished someone was recording this entire thing so that they too could see the real talent her friend possessed. Those lyrics, and the way he sang it, Jack warned her that she might get triggered, and she had to admit that it did a bit. But she knew it would only make her own part more impactful. She shifted in her seat, listening intently and watched as he gave her the signal. She shifted in her seat and started to sing.

Now and then I think of all the times you screwed me over

But had me believing it was always something that I’ve done.

And I don’t want to leave that way…

Reading into every word you say…

You said that you could let it go,

And I wouldn’t catch you hung up on somebody that you used to know!...

She maintained the last note as Jack started singing once more, their voices blending beautifully.

But you didn’t have to cut me off

Make out like it never happened and that we were nothing

And I don’t even need your love

But you treat me like a stranger and that feels so rough

No, you didn’t have to stoop so low…

Have your friends collect your records and then change your number

I guess that I don’t need that though

Now you’re just somebody that I used to know

Somebody….

That I used to know

Now you’re just somebody that I used to know

I used to know… somebody

Jack continued playing the melody and abruptly stopped. She was smiling, clutching the hand written lyrics tightly in her hand. It felt good, letting out her emotions through this song. She had also enjoyed proving the back-up vocals while Jack sang the chorus.

He was right with his advice and she used some of her anger as she delivered the vocals, and some frustration and jealousy at not having this magnificent man before her for her own.

“How was it?” Jack asked.

“Holy shit you guys.” Selena clapped. “That was fucking amazing!”

She smiled and turned to Jack. “I’m 100% sure.  No 1000%. We’re playing this at my concert.”

“We?”

“I don’t think anyone else can do this song justice.” She replied. “Please Jack?”

“It’s not really in my power to decided my schedule.” Her friend admitted.

“Don’t worry about that.” She replied. If she had to, she could use her resources and influence to align Jack’s schedule with hers.

“Do you want a playback?”

She looked back at the sound engineer’s booth, and noticed several people inside. It seemed like their impromptu music session was recorded. Perfect.

“Yes please.” She nodded eagerly. Filled with emotion, she couldn’t help it as she lunged at Jack and hugged him tightly. She was a much taller than average woman, and so this hug felt wonderful to her. Her head was tucked just under Jack’s head, and she could feel his chin on her scalp. She discreetly smelled him, hints of smoke from the grill earlier and his own unique and manly scent reached her nose.

The party progressed and they moved outside once more to watch the sunset. She drank her champage with Selena on the balcony, watching the guests below. Jack had to leave since he needed to spend time with his wife. She watched with a bitter smile as Jack started his bike, put on his helmet and leave through the driveway as the gate swung open for him.

“I’m sorry.”

She turned to Selena and held her friends hand tight. “Thanks.”

Jack Routh

The discovery of the underground bunker sparked a desire within him to protect his home. He consulted with Nolan and researched what was needed, but he decided with Zoe to make it a personal project for the two of them.  Not only that, but he decided the security of their house was in need of an upgrade.

Then there was the problem of emergency power and he decided on solar generation and batteries. Luckily the panels wouldn’t be visible from the street due to the slope of their roof, so it wouldn’t be too much of an eyesore.

“What have you got there?”

He looked up to see his wife was looking over his shoulder, staring at the rough plans he sketched out.

“It’s a rainwater collection system.” He replied. “I realized it’s more complicated than I thought.”

“You can blame LA’s pollution for that. Treatment of rainwater has to go through several stages to make it safe for drinking.” Zoe observed and then pointed to another sheet. “What’s this?”

“A solution if there’s a power interruption.” He replied.

“Solar panels, inverter and batteries.” His wife nodded in approval. “Good thing we didn’t join the homeowner’s association.”

He nodded in agreement. He knew joining HOAs meant needing their approval for every little improvement he would do in his own property. A HOA representative first came by when they had just moved in and Zoe politely rejected the invitation to join no matter how insistent the HOA chairwoman was. They continued to receive letters but she just threw them to the bin as soon as she saw the logo in the envelope.

 “And what’s this?” His wife asked, pulling up a flyer tucked under his phone.

“A silent diesel generator.” He replied. “It’s supposed to be as quiet with sound proofing panels, barely making any noise above 50 decibels.”

“Makes sense with a generator.” Zoe mused. “With the drought, we’ll be expecting blackouts in the future. Let’s get quotes from reputable solar power contractors and electricians, but I want to finish most of the upgrades ourselves.”

“You’re right.” He turned to his wife and pulled her over so that she could sit on his lap. “It’s better if it’s just the two of us who know of the bunker’s existence.”

“You also forgot your wife worked for the military before.” Zoe added. “I might able to acquire things that no else could, like shall we say a generator that fits your requirements, that’s durable and can accept multiple types of fuel?”

“Does the military have that kind of generator?” He only knew of the standard type used in military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan from Jack Reacher’s memories, and those were always too loud for this type of neighborhood.

“Only the noisy ones.” His wife replied. “You’d be surprised how often our own intelligence forces need generators quiet enough to not attract attention that can be set up quickly and durable for long use.”

“Great, how long can you get one?” He asked, eager to see these specialized equipment.

Despite their busy schedule, the two of them were able to make substantial progress in their renovation. With helpful tips from Nolan and a good amount of watching DIY internet videos, progress on their secret bunker was coming along nicely and ahead of schedule.

He was able to hide the entrances and upgrade them first, by refurbishing the thick steel hatches by sanding them down first and then spraying them with anti rust, followed by primer and then gray paint.

His wife’s creative eye was a big help in concealing the entrance to the yard by using a fake bush to cover the entrance since it was near the wall and the bushes were surrounding it. It was basically invisible even if one was standing on top of it.  

The hatches could be locked inside, and with some WD40 and grease, even Zoe could open the hatches with little effort. Working with his wife was fun, as they brainstormed ideas to properly hide the hatch in their kitchen by creating a fake island extension.

In the end, with a pair of hinges and ordering online a cabinet that matched the design of the existing kitchen island, they were able to make it work. Their camouflage was both functional and secure and it acted as a door that could swing away if they needed to open the hatch.

The hardest part was upgrading the electrical lines into the bunker, and it was giving him a lot of trouble. It took him an entire afternoon, and after just using the old wire as a guide rope to pull the new, thicker wires through the utility pipes until he finally connected them to their circuit breaker.

“I’m eager to decorate the bunker.” His wife stood beside him as they both watched the progress they made. There were now two LED lights hanging overhead, illuminating their newly discovered space.

He had just installed the narrow steel stairs that barely fit through the hatch and finally secured it in place using thick bolds and drilling through the floor and walls. On the other end of the large underground area, a steel ladder was now installed below the backyard hatch.

“I’ll want the whole wall here for our weapons and ammunition.” Zoe added.

He turned to his wife and knew what she was thinking. They had just watched that movie last night after all.

“Like those preppers in Tremors?” He asked.

“Just enough, not quite to that level.” Zoe returned his teasing stare. “What about you?”

“Furniture.” He replied. “It will be nice to have a couch that turns into a bed, in the event that we need to stay here longer due to some emergency.”

“What else?” His wife asked.

“Utilities, but that’s a bigger task, if we want to keep all of this a secret.” He replied. “I’m no electrician or plumber, so it will take time and plenty of research to make sure everything’s safe, up to code and functioning.”

 “At least we’re halfway there.” His wife replied. They had plenty of plans in mind to beef up the security of their home, and discovering the bunker seemed to have ignited a fire for the two of them to make their property as safe as possible.

“The diesel generator should arrive soon.” His wife reported as he followed her back up to the kitchen.

“And it’s really that quiet?” He asked.

“It’s supposed to be less than 50 decibels, less if we add a shed around it. It’s as quiet as modern car engine running on idle. We would not be able to hear it inside the house.” He looked around their small yard and pointed at the corner. “You think that’s a good spot for it?”

“It’s the best spot.” Zoe nodded in agreement. “It’s time for lunch, and we’ve been working all morning. I want to spend the rest of our afternoon relaxing before we get back to work tomorrow.”

“Yes dear.” He opened the fridge and looked at the available ingredients. He looked at his wife and briefly admired his Zoe’s figure as she relaxed on the couch and decided to cook her favorite. She had been working as hard as he was every step of the way since they started their secret project. He finally pulled out the whole piece of frozen chicken and decided to make her favorite.

He had just placed the tray of the prepped and seasoned chicken in the pre heated oven when he heard Zoe’s phone ring. His wife looked confused and then answered the call. She observed from afar and noticed her face grow from neutral to frustrated and finally resignation.

“Who is it?” He asked.

“That’s the Chief.” Zoe leaned on the island, her face looking conflicted. “I thought I left that bullshit behind in the Pentagon.”

“What happened?” He asked.

“That black ops agent that visited us? The organization they came from is the Department Intelligence and Combat. They took care of the homeless man that stumbled into their operation. I don’t even know what that means. This happened within my station’s jurisdiction and they wanted to give me a head’s up.” Zoe looked frustrated. “Now they want me to look the other way, once more. This is bullshit!”

“What can we do?”

His question had seemingly sapped the strength in his wife as she sat back on the stool in front of the island. “Nothing, love. From my experience, even if we went to the media with this, nothing will come to pass. They’re too valuable, what they do protect our nation’s interest.”

“And what if one the officers stumble into their group?”

“Warn them off.” She replied. “But should they ever hurt my officers, I’ll have to fight back.”

“We’ll have to fight back.” He reminded her.

They were both roused out of their thoughts when they heard the sound of a horn. They both left the kitchen and saw a truck with a large crate on the back and a crane attached behind the cab.  The crate had a logo from the contractor his wife ordered the generator from.

He opened the gate and allowed the truck to back up into their courtyard. The passenger side door opened, revealing a large man he had seen before with the crane’s control remote in his hand. The card he was given told him the man’s name was Norman Jangus. No rank. Just a number.

Once more the man had a smile on his face as he greeted them.

“Major Andersen, Officer Routh.” Jangus greeted them cordially while the driver extended the truck’s additional supports as it prepared to transport the heavy load on its flatbed to the ground.

“What are you doing here… Mr. Jangus?” He asked.

“Norman would do.” Jangus replied.  “I just saw the order from a common friend of ours, Major Andersen. So I told him I’ll deliver this personally to you, free of charge. One wonders what your plan is with this bad boy.”

“The city’s suffering blackouts, we just want to be sure.” Zoe replied. She gave the large man a cool look as she crossed her arms.

“Of course. Admirable attitude.”  Jangus smoothly used the crane to transfer the crate with a hand pallet jack strapped to it from the bottom.

With a built in crane in the truck , he had finished unloading the wooden crate within a minute.

“I even included this pallet loader to make moving this beast easier.” Jangus added. “Farewell now. Please contact me if you need any assistance at all. Thank you also for your discretion on the other matter. I know you understand.”

With a nod, the strange man and the truck quickly left and soon the gate shut behind them.

“He still gives me the creeps.” Zoe muttered. “Damn spooks.”

“He was unusually helpful and friendly.” He observed. He eyed the wooden crate and sighed in relief. It looked like it could fit through their wooden double doors at the front and the sliding doors at the back. He just had to move a few pieces of furniture aside as they transported their new generator to the back.

“He did say he owes you one for saving the city.” Zoe replied. “Seeing him made me realize I want to upgrade our back door to the yard and bedroom.”

“We could replace it with steel doors with those clear windows inside it.” He suggested. He’s been watching those HGTV shows with his wife and remembered one particular owner with a love of everything of everything steel that he made his house out of cargo containers.

“That will be perfect.” Zoe turned to face him. “It can still let the light in but now  increase our security!”

“And better than that, we can ask Nolan for help with this.” He added.

“Let’s do that, but for now, it’s time to pull!”

“Yes dear.” He grabbed the handle of the pallet loader and started to pull it towards the entrance of their home.