Message-ID: <47638asstr$1083060604@assm.asstr-mirror.org> X-Mail-Format-Warning: No previous line for continuation: Wed Aug 14 16:30:23 2002Return-Path: <lzalezac@yahoo.com> X-Original-To: ckought69@hotmail.com Delivered-To: ckought69@hotmail.com X-Original-Message-ID: <20040427054203.14819.qmail@web60410.mail.yahoo.com> From: Lazlo Zalezac <lzalezac@yahoo.com> X-ASSTR-Original-Date: Mon, 26 Apr 2004 22:42:03 -0700 (PDT) Subject: {ASSM} JC:Ed Biggers II-10 (mf mmf ffm ff mm sci-fi) Lines: 632 Date: Tue, 27 Apr 2004 06:10:04 -0400 Path: assm.asstr-mirror.org!not-for-mail Approved: <assm@asstr-mirror.org> Newsgroups: alt.sex.stories.moderated,alt.sex.stories Followup-To: alt.sex.stories.d X-Archived-At: <URL:http://assm.asstr-mirror.org/Year2004/47638> X-Moderator-Contact: ASSTR ASSM moderation <story-ckought69@hotmail.com> X-Story-Submission: <ckought69@hotmail.com> X-Moderator-ID: dennyw, IceAltar ===== Lazlo Zalezac http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Lazlo_Zalezac http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Lazlo_Zalezac __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Win a $20,000 Career Makeover at Yahoo! HotJobs http://hotjobs.sweepstakes.yahoo.com/careermakeover <1st attachment, "biggers2-10.txt" begin> JC: Ed Biggers Part 2: Equilibrant Chapter 10 By Lazlo Zalezac Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2004 There was a huge meeting scheduled in the large conference room at the federal building and Ed was one of the featured speakers. It was two days after the big raid based on the detailed plans that Ed and John had created to take down the criminal organizations in twenty cities. It was time for them to debrief everyone on the actions of the previous day. The crowd would include FBI, IRS, and ATF. Ed woke up dreading the day as he knew that he would be in a spotlight for a good percentage of the meeting. It was his role to explain how they had used tax laws to arrest most of the members of criminal organization. Rolling out of bed, he dressed and headed out of the room in his normal morning fog. He followed the smell of coffee to the dining room where Marguerite had set up a coffee urn. After drinking a cup, the fog started to evaporate and he became aware that John was seated at the table watching him with amusement. After refilling his cup, he looked at John and asked, "What?" Smiling, John replied, "You are just such a wreck in the morning." As he worked on his second cup, Ed asked, "Any chance of getting out of this thing today?" "None," replied John knowing exactly what Ed was talking about. He wasn't looking forward to the briefing. After seeing the grimace on Ed's face, John added, "If we are to teach them how to do these kinds of operations, then we have to talk to them." Groaning at the implications, Ed finished his cup of coffee. He could feel the caffeine coursing through his system waking him with its usual effectiveness. At least he had set it up so that someone else would explain the tax laws under which the raids were authorized. Marguerite showed up with a plate of French Toast and slid it in front of Ed. Confused, he looked up and asked, "How come I'm the only one you cook breakfast for every morning?" Marguerite was no longer wearing the chain mail bra and no panties, although she still tended to dress with shorter skirts that normal. Spreading her legs and putting a hand on her hips, she said, "Because the others are awake enough in the morning that they come in and make their crappy breakfast before I have a chance to chase them out of the kitchen." Ed glanced over at John and noticed the bowl of cereal in front of him. Looking up at Marguerite, he said, "Sometimes, I like cereal too." Shaking her head, she stomped off to the kitchen swearing, "These people are barbarians. You just can't teach them anything." After taking a bite of the French Toast, Ed said, "She does make a good French Toast." Winking at Ed, John said, "One of these days I'll have to try out her breakfast foods." Marguerite called out, "I heard that. Tomorrow morning, you eat the food I cook." Slowly eating his breakfast, Ed thought about how complicated life had been ever since the Medieval Dinner that they had thrown. The staff had made a demand that they be allowed to have sex with members of his family. That had really surprised him, but explained a number of recent events including Ling's nude swim a couple of weeks ago. The raids had been successful, but they hadn't seen or heard from Ann since that day. He wondered if they had insulted her somehow. Today he had the meeting and just about everyone who was everyone would be there. Most likely that included the press. Interrupting his thoughts, John said, "We had better hurry. It would be horrible to be late to this meeting." Bluntly, Ed said, "After this is over, I'm going to find someone that likes to ride and go out for a week hunting rocks." Nodding thoughtfully, John said, "What about, oh what's her name from the rock store?" Looking up from the last bit of French Toast, Ed said, "Who? Kim?" "Yes, Kim." "She's a woman. I don't know how I would handle being out with a woman alone for a week." Shrugging, John replied, "It's okay with me if things develop, just so long as you are honest about it. I'm sure the wives feel the same way." Entering the room, Beth asked, "About what?" John replied, "Ed said that he wanted to find a fellow horse lover and go hunting rocks for a week. I suggested that he take Kim, but he's afraid that it will be uncomfortable spending a week alone with a woman outdoors." As Beth poured herself a cup of coffee, she tried to remember who Kim was. It took her a bit of effort to recall the cheerful young lady that ran the rock store. Turning to face them, she said, "Oh, she's cute. I don't see any problem with that. I doubt that Kelly would have a problem with you going out on the range with her." Shaking his head, Ed finished his breakfast. He sat back and said, "I don't feel comfortable with it. I'll find someone else." Beth said, "Don't be silly." The discussion was interrupted when John said, "We had better head out. The meeting starts early." As Ed followed John out of the house, they ran into Kelly entering the dining room. With quick kisses, they left followed by Rover. It was a rare day lately when only one cat went with them. Not trusting Ed to drive first thing in the morning, John drove them to the Federal Building. Ed stared out at the landscape as it slowly changed from wild desert to suburban setting. Ed remarked, "It seems that the city is getting closer to us every year." Laughing, John replied, "I wouldn't be surprised if we aren't living in downtown in a decade." "I definitely need to get out of town. I've been spending too much time in the city. The city really depresses me," said Ed. He looked at a suburban house with the green lawn with disgust. He asked, "What kind of idiot would by a house in a desert area and plant grass?" Glancing over at Ed, John said, "Some people think that a lawn is an important statement about them." Grunting, Ed said, "Right. You grow grass in a desert so that you have to water it all of the time. Then it grows so you have to cut it every week. What a stupid way to spend half a day." Recognizing that Ed was just feeling a little more grumpy than usual, John decided to put a good spin on it. He said, "Just think about Carlos. If it wasn't for these guys, he wouldn't have a business." "I guess you're right," replied Ed. Still thinking about it, they finally reached the Federal Building. Pulling into the parking lot, they sat in the jeep for a minute. Neither man was in a hurry to get out, but the clock was ticking. Horrified by the implications, Ed stared at the news trucks parked in front of the building. Turning to John, he asked, "Is there a back door to this place that we can use?" Laughing, John replied, "No. We have to face them some time or another. Might as well be today." "Let's get through this and get home." Ed had only been awake for two hours, but he was already feeling exhausted. The two men, followed by Rover, headed to the entrance. The crowd of reporters was so large that neither one of them was able to get to the building. Finally, John said, "I heard a bunch of them were thinking about going in the back way." About half of the reporters within earshot looked around quickly and then headed to the back of the building. They went into the building amidst the confusion. Ed looked over at John and said, "Thanks, I would never have been able to say that." They were met by Gary Smales and a very large woman. She was both tall and broad, but not fat. He introduced the woman, "Ed, this is your boss, Deana Ahlberg." She extended a hand as she said, "Thank you for avenging Sean's death." Taking her hand, Ed replied, "I was more than happy to do it." Mike Holden came over and shook John's hand. With a very large grin, he said, "Great job, John. When I finally saw the packet that you put together, I have to tell you that I was really impressed." Deana turned to Mike and said, "Hello, Mike. Our two special birds really stirred things up." Mike laughed and said, "A pleasure to see you again Deana. Yes, they did create a little bit of news. I spent most of that day briefing the president. Most of it was spent wondering why you weren't there too." Laughing, Deana said, "I called in sick. I wanted to watch it all by myself." "Well, your boss was more than happy to take credit for what was going on even though he had no idea what was happening," replied Mike. Turning to John and Ed, he asked, "Are we invited out to your place for dinner?" Smiling, John said, "Of course you are, you both are. In fact, we were expecting you to stay at the house last night, but Bill said you turned down our invitation." "I figured you guys needed a day off and didn't want to burden you with entertaining us." Suppressing a groan, Ed realized that tonight was going to be spent entertaining. He looked out the window of the building hoping to see the desert, but all that he was able to see was a mass of news reporters. He needed to get out into the desert and soon. Gary said, "We had better go inside." Ed followed everyone into the conference room. Rover walked beside Ed, almost as if he shared Ed's desire to be anywhere except for there. The room was filled with row after row of seats like in a theatre. Almost every seat had someone in it. Looking around, Ed didn't think he had ever seen so many suits and ties in one place. He looked for a seat in the back, but John waved him to the front. With a sinking feeling in his stomach, he realized they were going to be sitting on the stage. On the way there, he stopped to talk to Frankie Paulovich to make sure that he was ready to talk about the tax laws that were the basis for the arrests. Everyone was waiting for him to get to the stage and to his chair. Sitting next to John, he leaned over and whispered, "Is this really necessary?" Chuckling, John replied, "The sooner we get started, the sooner we can get done." Snorting in derision, Ed said, "They are going to keep us here all day. It doesn't matter when we get started. The earlier we start the longer people will talk." Mike went to the podium and turned on the projector. Immediately, the agenda came up on the screen. Groaning, Ed saw that it was going to last at least three hours. Mike opened the proceedings when he said, "Today, we are here to learn about the greatest law enforcement victory in history. Never before were so many criminals that were associated with so many crimes arrested in a single day. The raids two days ago were masterminded by John Carter of the FBI and Ed Biggers of the IRS. Let's give them a big hand." There was a very loud round of applause from the people in the audience. Ed looked around, embarrassed by the attention, and noticed that Ann was not present. He didn't listen as Mike continued talking about the number of arrests made, the amount of money confiscated, and the quantity of drugs taken off the streets. He was surprised to find that arrests were still taking place as evidence identified the involvement of other individuals. Mike spoke for almost thirty minutes identifying the various individuals that had performed above and beyond the call of duty. In the feedback that they had received while tracking the raid, no one had mentioned any gunfire. Apparently, the last few raids encountered serious resistance. After Mike, Deana took the podium where she outlined the number of tax fraud cases that had been developed. The amount of money that would be collected was phenomenal. It was well known that the underground economy was the same size as the legitimate economy. With the ability of criminals to hold small businesses at their mercy, it was expected that many of those companies would be able to report as much as ten thousand a year more income. Eyes glazing over, Ed looked at his watch. Almost an hour had passed, but it had felt like an eternity. It was hard to believe that he would have to be here for two more hours. He fidgeted in his chair as it felt like his legs were about to fall asleep. Looking across the audience, he could see that most of them were enthralled with what she was saying. Finally, John was asked to take the podium. There was a huge applause that lasted at least five minutes. John said, "I'm pleased to be here. I guess there are some questions about how we put together the operation that should be resolved." Without waiting for any feedback, John started outlining how they had taken known information about the individuals and correlated that with types of criminal activities. This allowed them to time the raids with times when they were performing criminal acts such as counting undeclared money. Since he knew exactly how they had constructed the plan, Ed didn't pay attention. John was scheduled to talk for an hour. There was an exit near his seat and sitting there, he decided that this would be a good time to slip out of the room. Making as little noise as possible, he slipped to the door and went out. Leaning against the wall, he closed his eyes and thought about getting in front of all of those people. John made it look so easy, but he was terrified of standing up in front of large audiences like this. He went into the men's restroom and washed his face at the sink. It was his hope that he could calm down sufficiently to get through the speech. His stomach churned and his palms were cold and clammy. It only got worse when he thought about getting up there at the podium. The door of the restroom opened and he turned to see who had come in. To his surprise, it was Gary Smales, the head of the Phoenix office. Gary took one look at Ed and shook his head. He said, "You look like shit." Groaning, Ed replied, "Thanks a lot. I needed to hear that." Laughing, Gary said, "Yes you did. Now listen to me. I know that we got off on the wrong foot the first day you came into my office. However, thanks to you we are clearing cases in record time. Our collections are up at record levels and that's without imposing penalties on most of the people. Now you did that." Not wanting to take credit for the work the other agents had performed, Ed said, "I had very little to do with that." Shaking his head in disbelief, Gary said, "Now you have helped bring down a huge number of criminals. I know you don't like to take credit, but it is important to the people out there to know how you did it. Don't talk about yourself, but about the job. Rather than say, I examined the tax forms and selected items that were suspicious, you should say that it is necessary to examine tax forms for suspicious items. That way, you aren't talking about yourself." Glancing at Ed, Gary added, "You did the work. Nobody knows more about what you did than you. No one in that room can contradict you." It struck Ed as ironic that the one person that had given him the hardest time over the past year was giving him the advice that would allow him to get up at the podium. He looked over at Gary and said, "Thanks for the advice. Is there any chance that you'll give the talk for me?" Laughing, Gary answered, "Not a chance in hell. Now lets get out there and let you say your piece. John should be finishing any time now." Ed followed Gary out of the bathroom. It wasn't long before he took his place at the podium and started talking. Somehow, once he started it wasn't so bad. He spoke for fifteen minutes and then turned the floor over to Frankie to give the background on the tax laws that were invoked. Sitting in the chair next to John, Ed breathed a great sigh of relief. John nudged him and whispered, "I was afraid that you weren't going to make it back in time." In a whisper, Ed answered, "If I had my way, I wouldn't have come back." The reply made John chuckle. He whispered back, "Well, I'll let you speak first next time. When I leave the room you can worry if I'm coming back." The two men got quiet and listened to Frankie talk to the crowd. He appeared to handle the pressure of talking to a crowed room very well. Ed wondered if he should sign up for some sort of public speaking lessons. This was his first time to have to address a large crowd, but he suspected that it wouldn't be the last. After Frankie had finished, Mike returned to the podium. He smiled at the people gathered there and checked his watch. Somehow, he had to fill almost thirty minutes of time. Thinking quickly, he said, "I'm sure that many of you have questions that you would like to put to John Carter and Ed Biggers. I would like to invite you to ask your questions now." An agent in the middle of the room, stood up and asked, "I would like to know how both men feel about their role in this effort?" John and Ed both went to the podium. With a gesture, John suggested to Ed that he go first. As Ed stepped to the microphone, John made a move like he was about to leave. Ed grabbed John, just so that he couldn't get away. Staring intently at the microphone, Ed answered, "I am pleased that it was successful and I'm proud that I had a part in it however small it was." Stepping back, he pushed John to the microphone. Smiling, John took his place and answered, "Ed is too modest. He played a major role in planning this operation. He worked evenings and weekends while going to school full time to make it happen. Personally, I'm pleased to have played a part in this. I'm proud of all the people that were involved." Another agent stood up and asked, "What motivated you to tackle an operation this large?" Not waiting for John to step forward, Ed took the microphone and answered, "There were multiple attempts on John's life as a result of a previous case. When an individual was dispatched to inform that providing assassins against John would result in severe consequences, that individual was brutally tortured and killed. There have been more attempts on his life since then." John stepped up to the microphone and said, "Everything that Ed said is true, but he is telling only half of the story. The rest of the story is that a lot of people risk their lives for others everyday. Those people have to be protected as well. If I was the only victim of the organized crime families, then I wouldn't have acted. However, they prey upon people and exploit their weaknesses for profit. That is wrong." John stepped back and nodded at Ed, letting him know that avoiding mentioning the Druids was a good thing. Although the operation was called Druids Revenge, most of the audience was unaware of how many of their brethren were Druids. For now, that was the best policy. Another individual stood up and asked, "A lot of evidence has been collected indicating crooked police officers were protecting criminal organizations. What about them?" John answered, "They will be dealt with. They have sworn a holy oath to protect and to serve. By taking money and looking the other way while criminals were making victims in their jurisdiction they have violated that oath." Stepping forward, Ed added, "Crooked police officers are only part of the problem. We also have a large number of elected individuals that worked on behalf these organizations. In addition, there are judges, district attorneys, and others in the judicial branch that are crooked as well." Another individual said, "You seem quite vehement about this." Stepping forward, John said, "If you are in service to your country, either as an elected representative or government employee, and accept a bribe to do what is not in the best interest of the country, then you have committed treason. In my opinion, it is that simple." When Ed didn't step forward to say anything, another individual stood and asked, "Does that go for Political Action Committees?" Glancing over at Ed, John stepped forward and said, "If an elected representative accepts a bribe to act in a manner that he knows is counter to the best interests of this country, then he has committed treason. PACs make distinguishing that a very difficult problem." A FBI agent that Ed recognized from the White Slavery Ring case stood up and said, "You've taken on serial killers, white slavers, and organized crime. What's next?" The answer was short and to the point when John said, "I have no idea." Mike stepped to the podium and said, "Excuse me, but we have a special telephone call for John and Ed." The voice of the President echoed through the conference room from the overhead speakers as he said, "Our country owes John Carter and Ed Biggers a huge debt of gratitude for severely crippling what has been a plague on the American People for too long of a time. People have been hurt, small businesses destroyed, and confidence in law enforcement undermined by organized crime." "Personally, I would like to thank John Carter and Ed Biggers for what they have done. It restores my faith in the American People to learn that you two men worked so hard to make a real difference. I was staggered to learn that you did all of that work without pay. You are an example of what a person can do to make life better for everyone if they only put their energies in that direction. You are both American Heroes." "I would like to take this opportunity to invite both of you and your families to the White House." The two men looked at each other for a second as they exchanged the looks that both used when being forced into something they didn't want to do. With the pause in the President's speech, John replied in the microphone, "Mr. President, this is John Carter. My family and I appreciate the invitation you have extended. I would like to comment that there are a lot of American Heroes that go unnoticed only because their work is on a much more local scale. I would say, in fact, that America is a country of heroes. Americans put their lives on the line everyday for others. Soldiers, Law Enforcement, Fire Fighters, Doctors, Nurses, and Teachers work every day to make this a better country. If I am to be praised, I feel that it is only fitting that these other people are praised to a greater degree. I am but one man, they are a multitude." John stepped back and gestured to Ed. Ed said, "Mr. President, this is Ed Biggers. I feel exactly the same as John. The only difference between us and a cop on the beat is the level of support we received. It is embarrassing to take credit when so many did the real work. While it is true that we directed the harvest, it is important to recognize that we did not do the actual planting, weeding, or reaping." There was an awkward moment of silence and then the President said, "I had heard that you are a modest men. Your statements today prove that point beyond any shadow of a doubt as far as I'm concerned. Once again gentlemen, I applaud your efforts on behalf of the American People as both their representative and as a human being." John and Ed both said, "Thank you, Mr. President." The President said, "It is I that thanks you. Goodbye." After the two men gave their good byes, the call was disconnected. Mike turned and looked at both of them for a second realizing only then that they had effectively ignored the invitation to the White House. In a way, he was glad that neither of them had political aspirations as they could turn the world upside down in four years. Taking control of the podium, Mike asked, "Are there any last words that you would like to share with us?" With great energy, John stepped forward and said, "Ed and I have received much praise. I would like to praise those individuals that participated. I can't name everyone, just going through the list would take all day. Each and everyone of you in this room is a hero. I hope that you leave here walking tall and proud of your contributions to the public good." With much less energy, Ed took his place at the microphone and looked around the room. For almost a minute he didn't say anything as he took in the faces of those present. He said, "God Bless America." His statement was received with a thunderous round of applause. It had touched upon a sentiment that few of the people in the audience seldom admitted. For all of them, this was a job, but it was a job in the service of their country. They were all patriots at heart and to have a chance to acknowledge that was rare indeed. The meeting broke up and everyone headed in different directions. Mike and Deana made sure that Ed and John did not leave. Mike smiled and said, "Time to face the press. They'll be brought in here in a few minutes. You can wait outside the side entrance until we've got everything set up in here." The two men went into the hallway outside the door through which Ed had escaped earlier. Once there, Ed said, "I was thinking that I should take a public speaking course." Thinking it was a good idea, John replied, "I should probably do that as well." They spent a grueling half hour in front of the press. While the initial questions dealt with the raids, the majority of questions were aimed at John as the press attempted to find out more about the person. It was hard fending off the personal questions. There were too many times where they had said, "I'm sorry, but we are not answering questions of a personal nature. If you have a question about the raid, we'll be glad to answer them." The men finally escaped and made their way to the car. When pursued by the press to the car, Rover turned and bared his fangs. That was sufficient to deter even the most diehard of the reporters. The drive back to the house was relatively quiet as both men were exhausted. Coming back, Ed drove the jeep. When they pulled into the garage, Ed asked, "Did you find out when Mike and Deana are coming tonight?" John replied, "Yes, they'll be here about six and will spend the night." They entered the house and were met by Bill. Rover immediately disappeared, apparently feeling that his duties for the day were done. Bill led John and Ed into the dining room where a late lunch had been laid out. Ling, Bob, and Marguerite were already seated around the table waiting for them. After they filled their plates, Bill said, "We wanted to go over the events for tonight so that there won't be any mistakes." "Okay," replied John. Both men were exhausted, but it was only now that John was showing it. Marguerite asked, "How many for dinner?" "The family, Mike, and Deana. I guess that makes six," replied Ed. Bill interrupted, "Beth and Kelly have invited one other. So that would be seven." Curious as to who the seventh might be, Ed let it pass. He said, "Mike and Deana will be staying the night." Ling nodded and said, "I will prepare their rooms." Expecting to get an argument out of the two men, Bill took a deep breath and said, "Dr. Hayes said that you two were to take a swim, get a massage, and a nap before the guests arrive." Raising an eyebrow, John asked, "Dr. Hayes?" "Yes, she said that it was doctor's orders," replied Bill. Ed followed Beth's orders to the letter. After a nice long swim, Bob came to his room with the massage table and gave him a nice relaxing hour long massage. Then he went to bed to take a nap. It was a very refreshed Ed that went to face the arrival of the guests. <1st attachment end> ----- ASSM Moderation System Notice------ Notice: This post has been modified from its original format. The post was sent as an email attachment and has been converted by ASSTR ASSM moderation software. ----- ASSM Moderation System Notice------ -- Pursuant to the Berne Convention, this work is copyright with all rights reserved by its author unless explicitly indicated. +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | alt.sex.stories.moderated ------ send stories to: <ckought69@hotmail.com>| | FAQ: <http://assm.asstr-mirror.org/faq.html> Moderators: <story-ckought69@hotmail.com> | +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |ASSM Archive at <http://assm.asstr-mirror.org> Hosted by <http://www.asstr-mirror.org> | |Discuss this story and others in alt.sex.stories.d; look for subject {ASSD}| +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+