by T K Eldridge
“Wow, that’s impressive. So, that’s how you ended up here?” I asked.
“Sort of. We had gone to visit Serena and her family, and had dinner with the doctor. This was about five years ago or so. He told us about this place and how he needed someone he trusted to manage it and keep it going until it was needed. We had nothing really holding us down since we’d sold the house and bought an RV to do some travel. We came back to the states, drove the RV up here and parked it on a slab out in the trees, and settled in to our cottage. It was almost too quiet up here until about two months ago when Doc called and said we needed to get ready for a group of folks to move in. That’s when we started stocking up more and bringing in more staff.”
I finished the coffee and started to get up, but she waved me back and brought the pot over to fill my cup.
“Would you like something to eat? You slept almost a whole day, I bet you’re starving. What would you like?”
“Whatever you feel like making. Doesn’t have to be breakfast food. As long as it’s not a smoothie and a granola bar, I’m happy,” I said.
She gave me an odd look, but went over to some pots she had on the stove and before I knew it, there was a mountain of food in front of me. Pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, sliced ham, baked beans, fluffy biscuits that dripped melted butter and a pitcher of warm maple syrup for the pancakes.
“Wow,” I said as I stared at the plate, then up at Hattie. “Who else is going to eat this?”
She laughed and patted my arm. “Eat up. Edgar’s right, you’re too skinny.”
I started to eat and the food was beyond good. It was incredible.
I’d eaten about half of the food when Hattie came back to refill my cup. “You should let me know what all of you folks like to eat. I also need to know birthdays, so I can make a cake or a pie or whatever you prefer for your special day.”
My fork stopped on its way to my mouth and I stared at her, then looked down at the plate. The mouthful I had already taken was suddenly impossible to swallow. I set the fork down and sipped coffee until I got the lump of food to go down. My throat was tight and my ears hummed, so it took a moment before I heard Hattie ask me if I was okay.
Finally, I gave her a nod and spoke, my eyes still on my plate. “That’s, um, that’d be really nice of you, ma’am.”
“Son, are you okay?” Hattie asked again, voice so soft. She was about five feet tall with a crop of gray curls and warm dark eyes. A round figure with a flowered apron over her clothes, she exuded motherly concern.
“I’m sorry, ma’am. It just caught me by surprise is all. It’s been a very long time since any of us have celebrated a birthday, except for Peyton and Sarah. They didn’t do celebrations where we came from.”
“Well, when is your birthday?” Hattie asked.
“Halloween. October thirty-first,” I said.
“So, next week then. What’s your favorite cake or pie?”
It took me a moment to process. I was almost thirty-nine years old. “Um, I like strawberry cake with strawberry frosting, or blueberry pie.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Hattie said and pointed at my plate. “You’re not finished.”
“This is a lot more food than I’m used to, ma’am. I might need to give it a minute.”
“Well, if you can’t finish, I’ll just wrap it up for later. Can always make biscuit sandwiches out of the meat.”
“I like that idea, thank you,” I said as I slid the plate towards her. The coffee was gone too, so I went to rinse the cup and she plucked it from my hands.
“I appreciate that your Mama raised you well, but don’t do my job for me, son. Now, get out of my kitchen.”
I laughed, as her tone was light and playful. “Well, since you were asking, if you ever feel like making lasagna…”
“Lasagna, huh? I’ll see what I can do. Tonight is chicken enchiladas, since Affie and Z got their request in first.”
I groaned and rubbed my stomach. “I’m gonna need to run more laps if I keep eating like this. Thank you, Miss Hattie.” I left the kitchen to the sound of her humming. It was time to explore. I found the library and almost stopped right there. So many books of all genres, classics and new releases. A stack of e-readers sat on one shelf with login info on a sticky note on each one. I’d come back and get one later. The theater room was empty, but the game room had Paulo and Z playing a video game. I left them to it and kept going.
I found the armory but didn’t have the code to open it. Another thing to remember to get. Finally, I came to a set of double doors that were partly open and I pushed one to see inside. Cutter and Kane were seated at the table with Affie, Dahl, and Thor.
“Hey guys,” I said as I stepped inside. A large oval conference table with rolling black leather chairs surrounding it sat in the middle of the room. One wall had monitors and equipment, the other held polished wood file cabinets and shelves. There were no windows in this room as it was in the center of the house. A long buffet-style cabinet held a rack of charging radios and several laptops.
“Welcome to the SCIF,” Kane said. A SCIF was a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility - basically a room that was soundproof and set up so all incoming and outgoing electronic traffic was filtered or blocked.
“Okay, now this is cool,” I said and headed over to the radios. I picked up one along with a belt case and charger, and brought them over to the table. “Edgar told me this was how everyone communicates up here, so I’m taking one. How’s everyone doing? What are you all working on?”
“Loki is in the recovery room next to the clinic. He’s doing a lot better, but Freya’s been busy organizing the medical stuff the way she wants it and hasn’t gone to pick out a cottage yet. Peyton’s been helping her unpack and sort and all of that. That girl of yours is really something,” Thor said.
Well, that answered my next question as to where Peyton had gone. “Yeah, she really is,” I agreed.
Affie pointed to the laptop in front of her. “We’ve picked out our cottage and I’m using the satellite to get on the internet and pick out some stuff for it.”
“How are you paying for it?” I asked. “We haven’t had time to do accounts or identification or anything.”
“There are three Michaelson Group accounts. One is for house supplies, food, repairs, tools, and so on. Another is for all of us to use to get clothes, personal items, and whatever furnishings or decorations we want for our living spaces,” Affie said.
“The last one,” Cutter said, “Is for us to use if we have to travel.”
“Wow,” I said and leaned back to study them. They were all happy. Every single one of them. Cutter was still cautious, but he seemed more relaxed than I’d ever seen him. “Where’s Sarah?”
“Upstairs in her room. We moved some furniture around for her so she has a nice desk area to do her schoolwork on. If she needs to do research online for anything, one of us has to access it for her and everything she reviews is tracked. She’s not happy about the restrictions, but she understands,” Cutter answered. “I sat with her when Peyton explained about her father being dead and people still wanting to kill them. When Peyton left, Sassy asked me to sit with her and I did. She’ll be okay. That kid is tough.”
“Damn, I had planned on being there for that,” I said.
“It’s fine, Jericho. Sassy and I have an understanding, and it went as well as could be expected. Besides, you needed the sleep. I think I was the only one that didn’t crash for a whole day. Just most of one,” Cutter said with a wry grin.
I looked over at Dahl and he shrugged. “I’m finding a few things for my space.”
“Where did you end up?” I asked.
“Dahl and I didn’t want to stay in the main house here, and we want to be somewhat close to Loki and Freya when they get settled, so we picked a two bedroom cottage in the middle of the row and we’re housemates,” Thor said.
“So, who all is in the house here?” I asked.
“You, Peyton, and Sarah on the east side. Kane and I on the west side. Gideon took the apartment over the garage. Kit picked out a cottage for herself and is there right now. It’s the one across from where Edgar and Hattie live, so pretty close to the main house,” Cutter said.
“Now, the hard question. How is everyone, really?” I asked, and tapped my temple. “I know for me it’s an adjustment. I feel like I’m dreaming, and I’m going to wake up and find it all gone. I had a hard time telling Miss Hattie what kind of cake I wanted for my birthday. It’s going to take some time for me to adjust to this place and lifestyle.”
“I had to stop myself from hoarding food to take back to my room,” Cutter said. “There was so much of it and it was delicious, and I kept feeling like it was a rare treat, so I should take some. Hattie must’ve picked up on something because as I got up to leave the table, she handed me a bag with four biscuit sandwiches and two cinnamon rolls.” He shook his head, then looked back at me. “It’s going to take me some time too.”
“I think it’s going to be a process for all of us,” Affie said. “But, I’ll share this with you. I did outtake counseling for soldiers when they were headed back stateside after being in combat. I’m happy to talk with anyone who wants to learn coping mechanisms. Freya also did a rotation in psychiatric, so she could be helpful too. Just don’t think you can’t ask for help, because we’re all going to need some.”
“Thanks, Affie,” I said. “That’s good to know.”
I picked up my radio and got to my feet. “Well, I’ll leave you all to it. Just call for me if you need something.”
Kane got up and went over to the laptops. He unplugged one from the docking station and slid it into a bag, then handed it to me. “Here, take this too. Everything’s in there that you might need. We all get one.”
“Thanks,” I said and slid the strap over my shoulder. At least it was a backpack style bag and not some clunky briefcase thing. I tucked the radio gear into a side pocket and left the room.
I needed to see Peyton.
* * *
It took a few wrong turns before I realized the medical area was down a level. Apparently the back of the house dropped down another level so the basement had a wall of windows and a stone patio beyond. The other side of the patio had the glass-walled structure that held the swimming pool. I made my way down the stairs and it opened into a family room type of setup with couches and a wet bar to one side. The three French doors opened out to another stone patio with chairs and a fire pit, this one filled with those glass beads. To my right was an open door that led into a room with several beds separated by curtains. To the left was a surgical suite and a clinic room. It was in there that I found Peyton and Freya. Each had a tablet and small boxes of items in front of them.
“Good morning, ladies,” I said and leaned against the door.
“Twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five,” said Peyton and tapped the tablet. “Good morning, Jericho.” She came over to me and reached up for a kiss. “I’m helping Freya inventory everything and put it where she’ll know to find it.”
“She’s been an incredible help, too,” Freya said.
I slid an arm around Peyton and gave Freya a careful look. “You still look tired, Freya. Don’t forget to take care of yourself too, or you won’t be able to take care of anyone else. How’s Loki doing?”
“I know. I did sleep quite a bit, but it’ll take me a few days to feel fully rested. Loki’s doing fine. He had two cracked ribs, which are giving him more trouble than the wound is, but he should be up and around in a few days,” Freya replied.
“That’s why I’m trying to help out,” Peyton said. “So she can rest more. Speaking of which, why don’t you go pick out your cottage and I’ll get Jericho to help me with this. We have the radios now, so I can call you if Loki needs you.”
Freya paused and I could see how much she wanted to go – and how much she wanted to stay.
“Freya, go find your home before more folks arrive. I’ll help Peyton. You need to have a place to discharge Loki to, right?”
“Right. Okay, let me call Thor so he can tell me which one he picked. I know he hopes I’ll like one near the one they’re in,” Freya replied.
“Good idea. He was up in the SCIF a few minutes ago,” I told her.
“I’ll just head up there, then. Thanks, Jericho.”
We watched Freya leave and I pulled Peyton in for a much more involved kiss.
“Mm, I could get used to that,” Peyton murmured and I laughed.
“Yeah, me too. Okay, show me what you need me to do.”
The next couple of hours went by fast as we counted all of the things and put them away according to labels Freya had put on cabinets, drawers, and shelves.
Peyton paused a couple of times to go check on Loki, but he spent the whole time sleeping.
“I think we’re done,” Peyton said as she took the tablets and set them into the charging bases. “How about some lunch?”
“It’ll be a light lunch for me. I ate way too much at breakfast.”
“Hattie is an amazing cook. I can’t wait to see what she’s got for us,” Peyton replied as she took my hand and we headed upstairs.
Once we got to the main level, we could smell something amazing that only got better as we approached the kitchen.
“Hattie, what smells so heavenly?” Peyton asked.
“Beef stew, a good rustic bread and butter,” Hattie replied as she dished up two more bowls.
Cutter sat at the table near the windows with Gideon and Kit, while Freya and Thor sat at the island. Everyone greeted us as we entered and found seats at the table with the others. There wasn’t a lot of talking at first, just a lot of eating.
After I’d finished my first bowl, I turned to Freya and Thor. “We finished your inventory and got everything put away, Freya. Did you find a cottage?”
“Yes, it’s next door to Thor and Dahl’s place and I’m so excited,” Freya said.
Kit was pulling off bits of bread to eat and smiling as she listened to Freya. “The sites they’ve found for furnishings and decorations are a lot of fun. I’ve been enjoying setting up my own place.”
“Oh, where’s yours?” Freya asked her.
“Just one down from Hattie’s. I took the little one bedroom place that’s set back with a front garden,” Kit said as she nearly bounced in her seat.
I gave Kit a warm smile and said “It’s so good to see you happy, Kit.”
“I am, Jericho. I can’t wait until we get some papers so I can start taking online college classes. For now, I’m just doing some free ones with a fake name. I also want to get a dog or a cat. Edgar said he’d take me to the rescue shelter next time he goes into town,” Kit said.
“Hattie, has Edgar already eaten? I don’t want to interrupt his lunch,” I asked.
“He’s eaten, yes. I think he said he was going to work on putting in more network ports in the SCIF,” Hattie replied.
“Great, I’ll go find him there,” I said, then paused. “Everyone? Listen up a sec. I will have a group meeting with everyone in attendance sometime in the next day or so. In the meantime, rest up and enjoy fixing up your spaces. If you need anything, just ask.” I bent to kiss Peyton and headed out to find Edgar.
Chapter Eleven
I entered the SCIF and found Edgar with his head inside a cabinet, a box of tools next to him.
“Edgar,” I said. “You wanted to talk?”
“Yep, just hand me those snips there, with the blue handle, and I’ll finish this up,” he replied.
I found the snips he requested and handed them over. Within seconds, he backed out of the cabinet and gave me a grin.
“That should give us enough ports for everyone for conferences,” he said.
“Conferences?”
Edgar opened a cabinet and pulled out two bottles of water, offered me one, then gestured to a chair and sat himself down. I watched him take a few swallows of water while I settled in my se
at and waited for him to answer.
“I doubt you’ve had a chance to call Dr. Thorpe yet, correct?” Edgar asked me.
“No, not yet. I plan to before the day is out. Probably after we speak,” I said.
Edgar reached behind him and pulled a spiral-bound book from the shelf, then slid it to me. “This is a guide to all of the systems on the property. I’ve already given a copy to Gideon, Loki, and Affie. They asked how things worked, what happened where, and so on. This answers a lot of that.”
I felt like I was being chided for having slept and gave him a look that probably spoke my thoughts.
“I’m not getting on you for it, Jericho. Just letting you know who all has already seen it. Doc Alden said you were the leader, so you need this information. Also, this whole house has soundproof walls. He said a bunch of you have sensitive hearing, so all of the structures on the property are designed with that in mind. This room, in particular, is also a panic room. Behind the shelves over there is another room that I’ll show you in a minute.”
“Wow, that’s impressive,” I said, and meant it.
“Each cottage has a panic room under it, and I’ve shown each resident how to find those spaces. Upstairs, there is a shallow closet at the top of the stairs. Behind that is another panic room – fireproof and bomb resistant.”
Only now did I start to fully comprehend what Thorpe had done. “You said something about conferences?” I asked.
“Yes. Since you and a handful of others you select will be on the board of advisors for The Michaelson Group, you will have a need for video conferencing for meetings. It is not wise for Dr. Thorpe to come here now that you’re all settling in. It would target everyone too easily.”
“Ah, I understand now.”
“Well, you understand some of it. There is a conference call between us here and Dr. Thorpe in about an hour. He’ll also have one of the European locations dialed in, too.”