Message-ID: <49194asstr$1095325802@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: <20040916034531.67844.qmail@web60406.mail.yahoo.com> From: Lazlo Zalezac <lzalezac@yahoo.com> X-ASSTR-Original-Date: Wed, 15 Sep 2004 20:45:31 -0700 (PDT) Subject: {ASSM} JC:Ed Biggers V-08 (mf mmf ffm ff mm sci-fi) Lines: 675 Date: Thu, 16 Sep 2004 05:10:02 -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/Year2004/49194> X-Moderator-Contact: ASSTR ASSM moderation <story-ckought69@hotmail.com> X-Story-Submission: <ckought69@hotmail.com> X-Moderator-ID: dennyw, newsman ===== Lazlo Zalezac http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Lazlo_Zalezac http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Lazlo_Zalezac __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Take Yahoo! Mail with you! Get it on your mobile phone. http://mobile.yahoo.com/maildemo <1st attachment, "biggers5-08.txt" begin> JC: Ed Biggers Part 5: Stasis Chapter 8 By Lazlo Zalezac Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2004 Ed and John sat by the stream watching the surface as it broke over rocks, creating chaotic patterns and swirls. This summer was hot and humid, draining the energy out of Ed like he had never experienced. After years of moving around in the hot sun of Arizona, Ed couldn't believe how hot he felt. His shirt stuck to him, his pants felt damp, and sweat dripped from his nose. Looking over at John, he said, "I hate it here." It was tempting to argue that things weren't bad here, but John knew that Ed was forced to tell the truth at all times. If Ed was saying that he hated it there, he was telling the truth. Sighing, John knew that Ed wouldn't be able to stay in North Carolina much longer. "I'll arrange for a new instructor to take over for you next quarter. Can you hang on here long enough for that?" "I'm all torn up inside. I want to be here for my family and I can't take being here." "If it harm none, then do it," replied John. Knowing exactly what John meant, Ed answered, "I can teach one quarter here and travel between the home sites." "I think that would be best," replied John with a sadness that almost broke Ed's heart. "I'm going to miss having you around all of the time." Standing up, Ed stripped off his clothes and hung them on a branch in the slim hope that they would dry. He knew they wouldn't dry, but he couldn't help but hold forth a little hope. Entering the water, he lay down so that only his head was above the surface. The swift moving water helped him cool off. With a sigh of relief, he said, "I'm going to miss you, too. I'm afraid that I'll be alone most of the time." "Linda will be at the home most of the time now. The rest of us will stop by on occasion so I don't expect that you'll be too lonely." Floating in the water, Ed shut his eyes and imagined a sky above him that went from horizon to horizon. Coming out of his reverie, Ed said, "It's not that I have anything against the people here or even the countryside. North Carolina is pretty in many ways. The problem is that I can't see much more than a hundred feet and that doesn't seem right to me." John didn't say a word. It was necessary for Ed to get out his frustration at the moment. Eyes closed, Ed continued his monologue. "What I can see is too soft. Nothing seems to have sharp well-defined edges. That lack of sharpness just strikes me wrong. It doesn't matter that I know that it is the humidity that blurs all the edges out here, I just don't like it." John understood what Ed was saying about the area being soft. The low rolling hills that led to the mountains would blend and fade together as the sun set. Ed laughed as he said, "Even the sunsets are soft here. In the desert, you can see a clear boundary between land and sky. Here, the land seems to reach up into the sky when the sun sets. It makes me feel like the land misses the sky as much as I do." Shaking his head, John listened as Ed discussed sunsets. John loved the contrast between the sunsets of the desert and the sunsets in the mountains here. Each had its own special flavor that had to be enjoyed in its own right. He asked, "What kind of soup is better? Clam Chowder, Wisconsin Beer Cheese, or French Onion?" Opening his eyes, Ed asked, "That's not a fair question. They are each so different that you can't compare them. You have to enjoy each kind of soup for what it is." John smiled and said, "That's that same about sunrises and sunsets. They are each so different that you have to appreciate them for what they are." Lying back in the water, Ed closed his eyes as the water rushed over his body. He said, "Don't get me wrong. I don't mind the softness of the features here. It's just that I can't take it all of the time." "You dislike the humidity." "True. There's just too much water in the air. When it's hot, the water just clings to you making you hotter. I leave a puddle of water behind every time that I drink iced tea. I have to dry my hands after I set the glass down. There's condensation on everything." Ed fell silent having nothing more to say. John leaned back against the tree, enjoying the feel of the rough bark against his back. His eyes watched the stream while his ears picked up the sounds of birds singing, leaves rustling, and the water splashing. He appreciated Ed's idea to spend the day on his place without the rest of the family. It was very seldom that the two men got to spend any time together. Sighing, John said, "Life seems to have gotten very complicated lately. What happened?" "I don't know. If I did, I'd know how to simplify it." The two men were silent, lost in their thoughts. The time passed slowly, each man comfortable in the quiet companionship of the other. After a while, Ed said, "I'm going to go rock hunting with Nora again." "You still haven't given up on her?" Laughing at the suggestion that he would give up on her, Ed answered, "I've got a thing for damsels in distress." The comment brought a chuckle to John as he recalled all of the women that Ed had rescued in the past. Since coming to the Druid College, it seemed that neither one of them had done much rescuing of damsels or anything else. Ed had solved a murder, occasionally interrogated terrorists, and brought a number of tax cheats to justice. He missed standing side to side with Ed facing down monsters. Ed lay in the water thinking about the last rock hunting expedition with Nora Turner. Although she had talked about getting out of the film business, she had remained in it and still commanded big money with top billing. The problem was that it was eating her up from the inside out. She had been drinking more and her lifestyle was getting more erratic. Camping with such a physically attractive woman was almost painful. Until she learned how to love, he wasn't going to make love to her. It seemed to him that she was never going to learn that lesson. Men, powerful men in particular, were to be manipulated for her career. Beautiful women were competition to be ground under her heal. Charity was a means to get publicity and a tax- break. The only time that she relaxed was when she was alone with rocks. Inside that hard exterior, a real person still survived. It wasn't going to be long before that person died and Nora would be making the news as her life spun out of control. The last two times they had gone rock hunting was out here and Ed was unable to help her as much as he had wanted. The area seemed to suck the strength from him. He said, "I'm going to take her out into the desert." Looking at his husband resting comfortably in the stream, John replied, "You'll be able to help her there." "I hope so. The nice person inside her is about to die," replied Ed. "That's a rather harsh assessment." That Ed would make such a comment signified that he was very concerned about her. He wondered what had happened the last time they had been out in the field. It couldn't have been good since Ed had never discussed that trip with anyone. "The last trip must have been pretty bad for you to say something like that." "We fought over the fact that she's become a user of other people," answered Ed as he opened his eyes and looked over at John. The news stunned John. Users violated both rules by which they lived and that Nora was becoming a user was very bad news. "I'm sorry to hear that." "Yeah, me too." John stood up and undressed to join his husband in the water. Easing his way into the water, he lay down feeling the coolness seep into his body. For several minutes, he relaxed with his eyes closed. He broke the silence when he said, "There are only four more weeks to this quarter. Are you going to survive them?" "Yeah," replied Ed with less enthusiasm than John had expected. "I just need to see a real sky for a change." "It's a shame that you get seasick," said John knowing that Ed needed to see some sky, but unable to suggest a solution. The first time that they had tried to see sky by going out in the ocean, Ed had spent the entire trip throwing up over the side of the boat. "Don't remind me about that," groaned Ed. Just remembering the time spent on the boat made his stomach queasy. The idea of sailing had been brilliant. For about the first thirty minutes, Ed had felt better under the open sky. It was transitory. Before long, he was bent over the side of the boat retching. He lost all the food in his stomach and ended up dry heaving. It never stopped. At the end of an hour, he was begging to be brought back to shore. Even reaching shore didn't stop his dry heaves. A noise from the woods disturbed their thoughts. Both men sat up at the same time to search for the source of the noise. A familiar shape shook the shrubs that grew along the shore, but the leaves were too dense for them to see what was moving around. John spotted the source of the noise first and whispered, "Bear." "Fluffy?" "No." Staring at the bushes, Ed wondered how long it would be before the bear noticed them. They had talked softly while discussing the identity of the bear. Rather than surprise the bear, Ed decided that it would be better to talk in a normal tone of voice. "It's probably a black bear and I don't think it would be wise to surprise it." Smiling at Ed, John said, "Right. Any speculation on what it is doing here?" "None," replied Ed. The bear lumbered out of the brush and paused at the edge of the water looking over at Ed and John in the water. With a low rumbling sound, the bear entered the water and sat down in it. After sitting there for a minute, he rolled onto its back and turned from side to side cooling off in the water. The two men watched the bear for a minute before John asked, "What do we do now?" "Why are you asking me? I don't know much about bears, they don't come out in the desert." "There are bears around the White Mountains." The comment reminded Ed about his trips into the White Mountains. Thinking back to those times, he remembered that he had taken precautions to keep bears out of his food. It had been such a long time ago that he had basically forgotten that Arizona had bears. He grunted, "Okay. You're right. Still you hike more places with bears than I do." "We could just stay here for a while and wait for the bear to leave." More noises originating from the bushes attracted their attention. Both men stared as a bear emerged from the brush and headed into the water. The bear positioned itself between the first bear and the two men. Ed examined the bear and smiled as he recognized it. "Hi Fluffy!" Sid called out, "You boys having bear problems?" "Boys?" asked John incredulous at the characterization. Ed called out, "Come on in. The water's cool." Sid stripped and waded out into the water. Sitting down, he said, "Fluffy smelled another bear in the area and I thought I ought to check it out." There was a tinge of lie in the answer, but Ed let it slide. Lying back down in the water, he asked, "So what were we supposed to do when a bear joins you in the water?" "Well, the last thing you want to do is surprise it. Talking like you were, I'd say you took care of that little problem. Usually, I tell people to avoid bears." Sid sighed as the water flowing over his body cooled him. There wasn't much of a breeze in the woods so the heat and humidity had a very negative effect on the body. The men stayed in the water keeping an eye on the bears and thinking their own thoughts. Breaking the silence, Ed asked, "So other than Fluffy smelling another bear, what was the real reason that brought you here?" Sid looked over at Ed with a grin and said, "Can't hide anything from you." Interested in the exchange, John sat up and said, "You're ducking the question." "A call came into the college after you two had left this morning. It appears that Devin Renzy escaped from the psychiatric facility in which he was being treated," replied Sid. The news sent a chill through Ed as he recalled the man who had tried to burn out an entire community as part of a real estate scheme. The man was a sociopath and very dangerous. He was disgusted at the idea that a judge would think that an individual who had no respect for any life but his own could be reformed. The only thing that would stop a person like Devin Renzy was death or an infirmity that rendered him unable to move. Shaking his head, Ed said, "Let me guess, he was helped by someone on the outside." "Right. It appears that a small group of individuals that you helped capture have gotten together with the purpose of taking you down," replied Sid as he watched Fluffy rolling around in the water. It wasn't necessary to ask why they would target him since the trial had shown that Ed was the one that had led the others in capturing Devin. Touching the medallion on his chest, Ed wasn't surprised that it was warm. Sighing, he said, "I guess it is time to go monster hunting." John who had been thinking that it had been a long time since he had gone monster hunting with Ed shook his head at the co- incidence. Smiling, he said, "Time for us to start planning our next action." "You're going to get involved?" "Someone wants to kill my husband! You bet I'm going to get involved," replied John with more passion than he had intended. The men, ignoring the wild bear downstream, spent an hour in the stream creating a plan designed to pull Devin to an area of their choice under controlled conditions. Sid's role was to inform the world where Ed would be over the news services as part of an unrelated story. The last remaining question was to select a place and time to trap Devin. The men climbed out of the stream, skin wrinkled from having spent too much time in the water, and sat on their shirts to air dry. The humidity in the air made that a slow process. As they sat on the bank watching the bears in the stream, the day passed. The wild bear stood and wandered off downstream, ignoring the three men on the bank. Fluffy stood and joined Sid on the bank for a moment before going off in search of food. Ed watched the bear walk off into the woods, sniffing around fallen trees in search of grubs or other edible snacks. For the first time in a long time, he felt good knowing that his stay at the college was coming to an end and that he was going to have a project to work upon for the next few weeks to help the time pass. Turning to Sid with a smile, he asked, "So is it true that a bear shits in the woods?" The question coming out of left field cracked up Sid who burst out laughing almost uncontrollably. In all the years of traveling with a bear, he had never been asked that question. From the woods, Fluffy gave forth a loud roar as though he knew that he was the subject of a joke. The noise only made Sid laugh harder. John, laughing as well, was having difficulty controlling himself. He was used to Ed's odd sense of humor, but it still took him by surprise at times. This question reminded him of how Ed had reacted to seeing Rover for the first time. He was tempted to answer on behalf of Sid, seeing that the man was practically incapacitated with laughter, but decided to let Sid handle it. It took Sid several minutes to reply, "Yes, it is true." "Thought so," replied Ed with a wink. Throughout, he had not laughed although he did smile at the reaction of Sid. "Did you know that is the first time that I've ever been asked that question?" Sid wiped tears of laughter from his eyes. After the seriousness and tension of the planning session, the humor had returned his good spirits. "Really? I thought kids would have asked you that all of the time," replied Ed surprised by the question. "Kids already know the answer to that question. They ask questions about what bears eat and why they hibernate. For the most part, the kids are usually very serious when faced with Fluffy," replied Sid. Nodding, John said, "The same was true when kids asked questions about the big cats. They were usually pretty serious when they asked questions." Thinking back to those days, Ed realized that had been true. Laughing, he said, "The kids accepted the cats and asked questions. The adults were scared of the cats and asked questions. They were entirely different kinds of questions." It was getting close to sunset and the three men stood up to dress. The time had come for them to return to the College and resume their duties. As they walked along the path, John said, "I really enjoyed today." Smiling at the idea of spending some dedicated time with John and that he was going to be able to use this as a means to get away from the area for a while, Ed said, "Don't worry. We're going monster hunting again." Looking over at Ed, John knew there was more to his statement than just monster hunting. Ed was getting a break away from the college at a time when he really required it. Although he wouldn't say it to Ed directly, he was very worried about his husband, as was the rest of the family. Ling woke up in the middle of the night alone in the bed. Ed's side of the bed was cold telling her that he had not been in bed for a while. After waiting for Ed to return to bed, she began to worry the more time that passed. Getting up, she dressed and went to search for him. A cursory search of the living quarters failed to locate Ed. She went upstairs to the roof where he and John would watch the night sky, but he wasn't there. There was one other place where he would often seek solace and that was his lab. She made her way to that part of the campus and looked in his room. The lights were off and it took her a minute to find the light switch. The lab was empty. Her concern had now reached a critical level and she felt that she needed some help finding him. Returning to their quarters, she went into John's room and shook him awake. When John sat up, she said, "Ed is missing." The news bothered John as he immediately thought of Devin's escape. On second thought, he knew that Gods and Goddesses wouldn't allow such an individual within the bounds of the college. Sighing, he said, "Let's check his lab and see if he is there. I'll check the roof and see if he is watching the stars." "I've already looked there." Frowning, John wondered where Ed might have gone. Getting out of the bed, he dressed in his robe getting ready to search for Ed. The pair slipped out of the room going to the living room where they could talk without chance of waking others. John asked, "What happened?" "I don't know. We went to bed together and he seemed okay. I woke up and he was gone." Ling was very worried about Ed. "How was he acting?" "He was a little restless, but that's been normal for him lately," replied Ling on the verge of tears. The past year had been very hard for Ed and it was clear to everyone in the family that he was miserable living at the college. Initially, he had been pacing around acting like a caged animal. Lately, he had become sullen and depressed, showing happiness only when playing with the kids. She said, "I'm worried about him." Unaware that Ling didn't know that Ed was leaving at the end of the quarter, John said, "It's only four more weeks and he has a monster to hunt in the meantime." "What do you mean, only four more weeks?" Realizing that she didn't know about their discussion, John said, "Ed is returning to Arizona at the end of the quarter." The news that Ed was leaving came as a great relief to Ling and lessened her worries for him. Relaxing a little, she said, "That's great news." The pair went to the entrance of the college and spoke to the person on duty there. The young man, looked up from the book that he was reading surprised to actually see someone up and around at that late hour. John went over to the counter and asked, "Did you happen to see Ed Biggers come through here this evening?" It didn't matter that the young man didn't know who Ed Biggers was for him to be able to answer the question. The young man answered, "You are the first one that I've seen since I came on duty." "Thanks," replied John as he turned to Ling. "I guess that means he's still here on campus somewhere." "Yes. I'll check the various dining rooms if you'll check some of the other rooms." The pair split up and looked around the campus. John went to the library thinking that Ed might be reading a journal since he was unable to sleep. The library was well lit with a few students studying. John stopped by one of the students and asked, "Have you seen Ed Biggers?" One of the students looked up and replied, "He went through here about two hours ago. I think he was headed over to the planetarium." "The planetarium?" asked John surprised at that announcement. "Yes. I've seen him over there a number of times at night just staring up at the stars on the ceiling," replied the student. Thanking the student, John headed off to the planetarium wondering what Ed was doing there. Entering the room, the lights were off and the complex arrangement of projectors was on. It projected stars on the domed ceiling. One chair was back in the occupied position that allowed viewing the stars without stressing the neck. Curious as to what he would find, John walked over to the chair and looked down to find his husband sound asleep. Ed's head had fallen to one side with his mouth open and eyes shut. Watching his husband sleep under the bright stars projected on the ceiling, John shook his head in wonderment. Why would Ed be here? Looking up at the ceiling, he realized that the projection was more like the stars seen from the desert than the stars as seen from the roof. Without waking his husband, he went to locate Ling. She might not like what he had found, but it would at least relieve her to know that he was safe. It took him fifteen minutes to locate her in the lobby where she was getting ready to leave to search the house on his land. John called out, "Ling, I found him." Turning, she asked, "Where is he?" "He's asleep in the planetarium." As her worry turned to anger, she spun around to head to the planetarium ready to give him a piece of her mind. John stopped her cold when he said, "He's asleep under an Arizona sky." Shoulders sagging as the statement undermined her anger, Ling said, "Let's get back to bed. I'll talk to him in the morning." Sitting in the fourth year cafeteria sipping a cup of coffee now that his classes were over for the morning, Ed was relaxed for a change. He was counting down the days before he would be leaving. His reverie was interrupted by the arrival of Little John, Beth, and William, with Betsy crawling along behind them on a leash. Greeting the kids, he said, "Hi. How were your classes this morning?" Beth shrugged and said, "Daddy John said that next year we graduate high school." Little John said, "I thought we had to be eighteen to graduate high school. I'll only be six and Beth will be seven. That doesn't seem right to us." Watching his brother and sister complain about their early exit from education, William wondered if there wasn't something else bothering them. This was old news and had been rehashed several times. They weren't here to talk about school, they were here to go over to the school to play with some of the kids during recess. Shaking his head, he said, "Let's head over to the playground." Still feeling good, Ed said, "Let's go." As he was standing, Ling and Kelly rushed into the dining room. Noticing their arrival, Ed asked, "What's the rush?" "We wanted to make sure that we got here before you left," replied Kelly as she looked over at Ling for support. "Why?" "We don't want you to take the kids to the school." The statement was like a punch to the stomach. It physically hurt and he put a hand over his belly. Dismayed that his wives didn't trust him to take the children to the playground, Ed asked, "Why not?" "You have a madman looking to kill you. If he sees you at the school, I doubt that he'll care who else he kills while going after you," answered Ling in a tone that would accept no argument from him. It was a very real concern amongst the wives and one that Ed would have to accept. Glancing over at the three older kids, he was surprised to see that they didn't react to the news that someone was trying to kill him. It almost disappointed him that they accepted it so easily. Feeling like a prisoner trapped in the college, Ed said, "Okay. I'll see you kids later. Have fun at the playground." The four kids left with their mothers while Ed stayed behind. He was getting more depressed that was accompanied by a restlessness to be doing something. It was impossible for him to tell if his restlessness had to do with his circumstances or his service to the Two-Sided One. He took a sip of his cold coffee and grimaced at the bitter taste. When the waitress came around, he flagged her down and said, "I'll take another cup of coffee." It was a minute before she returned with a hot cup of coffee and carried off his cold one. Taking a sip, he considered where he should try to capture Devin. It had to be someplace where there was very little chance of anyone else getting hurt while allowing him to have backup nearby. There were only a handful of places that he considered. The house down the road from the Druid College had the advantage that is was close-by and that he would have a large number of Druids in close proximity. He could place sensors all over the place so that he wouldn't be surprised. The only major drawback was that it wasn't a very attractive target for Devin. There was the house in Arizona. It was easily defended and the staff could handle even a major threat to the occupants. His neighbors would give a warning if a stranger came into town looking for him. The problem was that the man could decide to use the town's people against him. The last place was the lake where he occasionally vacationed. That was isolated enough that no one would be put at risk. The fact that it was a tourist town would also make a good cover for his presence there. He could have Ling and George take care of security before he ever arrived. Ling would demand to be there even though Betsy was just five months old. As he thought about it, the more he liked the idea of using that location. He would walk out if they held a gun to Maria, Shirley, Rosa, or any of his friends. Pulling the cell phone out of his pocket, he dialed the house. When Cathy answered, he said, "Hello, Cathy. I want you to rent the cabin for the next month." "What cabin?" "The one where I wrote my dissertation," replied Ed realizing that he hadn't been very specific. "Starting when?" "Now." There was a long moment of silence at the other end of the telephone as Cathy tried to figure out how to make that happen. "Okay. Let me make some calls." "Great. Once you've made the arrangements, I want George to fly there and put into place a full security system. I want to know if a garter snake tries to approach the cabin. I'm sure that Ling will want to assist him in doing that." "I take it this isn't a little unplanned vacation that you are taking," replied Cathy as she jotted down notes. Ed was talking as if she had already rented the cabin. "I'll have to get back to you in a little while. It's hard to get that cabin on a moment's notice. The owner likes to rent it out for the whole summer." "Thanks." Ed hung up as he thought through the next week. Howard had been watching Ed from across the room. After working with him for almost a year, he could tell that Ed was about to undertake a mission. The man exuded an intensity that was frightening to observe. Walking over to the table, he took a seat and asked, "So where are we going?" For the moment, Ed looked at Howard trying to decide if he should bring him along or not. "I shall be going away in a week. You shall be staying here." "Why?" "This is dangerous." "What does that mean?" asked Howard confused by the insistence that this was dangerous. How much more dangerous could it be than the time that the two brothers had been shooting at them? Looking over at Howard, Ed answered, "They already killed a Druid." Shocked at the news, Howard asked, "Who?" "Jerry Smith." <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}| +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+