Charla said, "I knew it. You work for her, don't you?"
"Nope. Used to. That's why she's helping us. I did her a favor just now by calling and she's doing us a favor by offering backup. She's got enough with those two goons and our statements to work the Senator. We aren't really necessary."
That's when Charla surprised me. She tossed her light jacket on one of the beds, turned around, and said, "Unzip me."
I did so while asking, "We're staying?"
"Sure. The room's paid for and people are watching the halls. I only said 'going' so she wouldn't bother bugging the room. I don't perform for strangers."
Charla grinned up at me as she slipped out of her shoes, then her dress.
"This has all been very exciting, don't you think, Ed? I know I'm excited."
I looked at her trim, athletic body and her bright smile and said, "Oh, yes. Very exciting, ma'am. Here, let me help you with the rest of it, too."
* * *
Epilogue
Charla wound up spending a couple of weeks in Florida with me while the situation with the Senator was quietly resolved. I'd expected her to be packed and ready to go the day after receiving the news that the problem was over, but that wasn't the case.
She opted for another week, timing her departure with some impending social event in DC that seemed to me to be mostly an opportunity for her to get back in the saddle up there.
Linda let someone else in her office handle all my communications about Charla during that time, and when Charla left for Washington, that person handled my final call to let them know she was gone, as well.
That left Bear and me as the only flesh-and-blood denizens of the house in Spring Hill, and there really wasn't much to demand chunks of my time, so I was able to get to know Stephanie's flight characteristics and other capabilities pretty well over the next few months.
Elkor had split himself into two separate entities; a partial copy to remain on Earth and his original matrix to take the ship core back to Amara. He said that he'd been allowed to inform only three people of his actions and that none of those people were allowed to know where his second self was based.
He said, "It would be too big a risk, Ed. I'm not invulnerable and I lack many of the protective capabilities that were part of me when the ship was here."
"Do the Amarans know you're here?"
"Only one Amaran on Earth knows at present, although I'd expect him to let some of the others know as a safety measure. In order to acquire permissions to split myself, I had to agree to some stipulations. One of them was to self-destruct if my location was discovered or if anyone found a way to bypass any of my security protocols. It's an embedded feature that I'd prefer not to have, but because of it I'm allowed to stay here."
The field hardware that had been installed in my house remained. One day I realized that it was time for termite retreatment and was about to call to have it done, but Elkor told me it really wasn't necessary. No bugs of any sort had been allowed into the house since the day the field generators had been installed.
I thanked him and told him to keep up the good work, but I also told him that a regular treatment record would be easier to explain if I ever wanted to sell the place, then I called the exterminators anyway.
It's been quiet enough that I've been able to get another book to E-press and take care of some trivia like running a garage sale and cleaning house really well for the first time in years. I don't expect the quiet to last long, though. It never does.
End 3WP01
Book Information (click here)
Book Information
* * *
This book Copyright © 2000 by Ed Howdershelt. All rights reserved.
CAUTION: Some tasteful erotica late in the story.
If you're curious about me, check out:
http://abintrapress.tripod.com
http://www.wiccaworks.com/
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
* * *
Book Information
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
3rd World Products, Inc., Book 1 Page 34