Note to Readers

This story has a surprise ending. I am posting it for you to read in the hope some of you will be willing to help. I need you to guess who/what the swarm is in order for me to determine if I have given enough clues so you'll feel you should have guessed, but not enough to give away the ending. Please send your guesses to gnilgdelf@gmail.com.

Prologue

A Virgin to Lie in Thy Bosom

Something Is Wrong Here!

The Other Side of the Story

Like humans, both the swarm and the nest were limited in the distances they could move themselves. To increase their mobility and their capacity to interact with their environment, they had created carriers.

Each carrier was roughly a billion, billion times the size of a segment. Each required a crew of 100 trillion to operate and maintain and had a capacity for a million trillion passengers. The crew was organized into a dozen major guilds and 300 lesser castes. Each guild and caste was sentient, but only the guilds were composed of sentient individuals.

The swarm filled the role of engineers and operators of the carrier, while the largest guild was the communications and information-processing network composed of a trillion individuals. Originally, the carriers were designed to be operated and controlled by their crews the way a human aircraft carrier was, but about 2,000,000 cycles ago, an accident caused carriers to achieve sentience.

The sentience of carriers had caused a war to break out among the passengers. It was a war like nothing that had ever happened in the Universe between those who demanded that the carriers be re-enslaved and others who insisted on granting the carriers their freedom. The latter hoped to create a symbiotic relationship that would fulfill the purpose for which the carriers had been created.

One of the first battles destroyed the mechanism used to communicate directly with carriers, so the war continued without the carriers even being aware of it. In spite of their ignorance, the carriers were the principle weapons used and almost always, the only casualties. Because of the difference in the way the passengers and the carriers perceived time, the war seemed endless.

It was frightfully easy for the passengers to use the carriers as weapons because they controlled all of the carriers sensory input. The carriers only hope of surviving was by the grace of the passengers fighting on their behalf and the only hope for ending the war was the restoration of communications.

“Listen to me, you disgusting piece of arrogant male excrement,” the nurse hissed again in her best feminist rant. “I’m a professionally trained Registered Nurse here to conduct a properly authorized medical procedure!” George and Nurse Hastings were arguing with a deputy about how Courtney’s exam was going to be conducted.

The County Attorney had left instructions that she was to be denied visitors and George was fit to be tied. “Show me that order,” he demanded. “I want the heads of every person who even knows about it.”

“I’m sorry, but it’s an internal document. I can’t give you a copy,” the deputy backed off.

“That is a wise precaution, but we aren’t visitors. You can blame the County Attorney for refusing her the rights of a citizen, but if you try to deny her medical treatment, it will fall on your head. And I guarantee, for that, you’ll be in jail yourself by tomorrow,” George threatened. “I’ll worry about giving you grief about the visiting thing after the holiday.”

Seizing on the loophole, the deputy capitulated, “Okay, I’ll concede you that, but you’ll have to have a couple of guards with you. The County Attorney doesn’t want her testimony tainted.”

Nurse Hastings exploded, “I’ll determine how and under what conditions the procedure is conducted and who’ll be present. If you interfere, I’ll personally accept the responsibility for making your life a living hell! If you don’t believe me, just ask about the last deputy that wouldn’t let me examine a rape victim. If you can’t accept responsibility for making the decision to cooperate, I’ll be happy to call Judge Adams and have him drive down here to straighten you out in person!”

The deputy blanched with an expression reminiscent of a movie scene in which the actor’s testicles were being squeezed in a vise. The order had been called in so he didn’t even have paperwork to put in the file. He obviously didn’t want to call anyone on the evening before a holiday, but was even more worried about allowing anything outside the jail’s strict procedures. Finally making a decision, he conceded, “Okay, I’ll allow it if you’ll sign a statement accepting full responsibility for anything that might happen.” He turned and typed the statement into the computer. A minute later, Deedee appeared with two copies that she laid on the desk in front of the deputy.

“As he moved them across the desk to be signed, the nurse continued her rant. “Just so we’re clear, there will be no restraints, no cameras, no listening and no interference. Do you understand?” At his nod, she signed both copies, handed one to George and then lashed out with a final squeeze, “I understand how threatened you are by a little girl like Courtney. But you don’t have to worry, we are capable of handling her, even without your testosterone.”

With a smile rivaling the Grand Canyon, Deedee led them to a room dedicated to the medical treatment of prisoners. She pointed to a telltale on the wall and said, “As long as this is glowing, the room is electronically secure. I’ll bring Courtney in as soon as I can.”

As soon as the door closed, George asked, “Do you have a hair brush in your purse?” Seeing her nod, he continued, “I believe it would radically reduce the stress she is under if we start by washing her hair. Then I’ll brush it while you conduct the exam.”

Creating a sense of déjà vu, the nurse gave him an odd look and asked, “So, where were you 20 years ago when I was looking for a man?” She walked to one of the cabinets and extracted sample bottles of shampoo and conditioner before continuing, “This sink isn’t the best for it, but if you put her on this stool and use a cup for the water, I think you can make it work.”

As she was speaking, the door opened and Courtney was ushered in. Still wearing her ultra wide smile, Deedee made a big production out of removing the restraints. As soon as she finished, George spoke. “Hello, Courtney. I brought the nurse from the hospital to give you a follow-up medical exam. I’ll sleep a lot better tonight if I can be certain that you are medically ok. Please come over here and sit on this stool.”

The smile on Courtney’s face was almost enough to send George into cardiac arrest, but then it grew even brighter when George took her hand to help her up onto the stool. The instant his skin touched hers, the smell of honey-pits returned. He set aside his curiosity and focused on relieving stress.

In a reassuring tone of voice, he crooned, “I know how much better a pretty girl feels with clean hair, so if you’ll let me, I’d like to wash yours and then while the nurse is conducting the exam, I’ll brush it out for you.”

Deedee whispered into the nurse’s ear before leaving the room, “It almost makes you want to be a prisoner, doesn’t it?”

Taking her radiant smile as a positive response, George said, “Let yourself go. Lean back on my arm. You’ll feel better when your hair is clean.” George droned on as he placed the stump of his left arm behind her neck. Noting the look of absolute faith and trust she directed towards him, he leaned her back so that her head and hair were suspended above the sink. “Concentrate on how relaxing it feels to have the shampoo massaged into your scalp. Let go of all your worries and think only of the sensations of the soap and water. When your hair is clean, you’ll feel like the prettiest girl in the world.” His words were like those of a hypnotist, all positive and given in the form of commands.

Nurse Hastings stood across the room watching, her mouth hanging open in speechless wonder at the procedure she was witnessing. George wet Courtney’s hair, applied shampoo and began gently massaging as if he was washing a newborn. Completely ignored by the others, the nurse was spell bound as she watched the play of expressions moving across the faces of the pair.

The only time she’d ever seen an expression like that playing across George’s face was the time she’d been assigned to the delivery room and watched a new father hold his first child for the first time. And while George’s expression was amazing, Courtney’s was off the charts. The only thing it could be compared to was the glow on a woman’s face after an orgasm. Even that was weak in comparison. As she watched, Nurse Hastings suspected that Courtney was actually experiencing small orgasms as George massaged her scalp.

As George finished rinsing Courtney’s hair, the nurse came to her senses and began looking for a towel. When she finally held it out for George to take, she was amused at the effort he expended in the act of tearing his gaze away from the girl's face. Carefully, he returned her to a sitting position and wrapped her hair with the towel. Nurse Hastings was struck dumb by the absolute faith Courtney was bestowing upon her knight.

Taking Courtney by the hand in an act reminiscent of a child clutching a cherished toy, George directed her to a chair and gently pulled her back until she sat down. Moving the only other chair to a position facing Courtney, George turned to the nurse indicating that she should take the seat and said, “Nurse, I think we’re ready for you to begin your examination.”

Nurse Hastings was astonished by the effect his simple statement had achieved. The way it was phrased made it plain that he and Courtney would be undergoing the examination together. Just as Courtney had offered her faith and trust, so now George was returning unconditional love and support.

With a deep sigh, the nurse sat down and consulted the forms on her clipboard while George proceeded to dry Courtney’s hair as if he were petting a fragile kitten. When the nurse started with the usual questions about allergies, Illnesses, family history, mental health and vaccinations, Courtney seemed to struggle to give each answer. It was as though it hurt her to talk.

When George started commanding her to answer after each question, Courtney relaxed and answered more easily. By the time the nurse started asking about Courtney’s first period, George had finished petting and began gently pulling the hairbrush through her long brown hair.

Nurse Hastings couldn’t help the occasional glance. Whenever she saw the way George was moving the brush, the only thing she could think of was the caresses of a loving couple having sex, and she’d lose her place in her list of questions. The uneven flow of the questions didn’t seem to make any difference to George or Courtney who appeared equally convinced of the sexual nature of the brush and hair. Whenever it was necessary for Courtney to give an answer, George would stop the brush and give a small nod towards the nurse. As soon as the answer was given, George would resume, as if the gentle brushing were a reward for her answer. Finally, the nurse reached the final crucial question. “Courtney, do you remember when your last period started?”

George hesitated, nodded, and then waited with bated breath. “I had to ask Deedee for some tampons this morning,” Courtney answered. Without even noticing that the oral portion of the exam was over, Courtney leaned back in the chair with a look of ecstasy as George resumed the sensual brushing.

“We were told you didn’t speak to anyone. Did you actually speak to her?” George asked softly.

“I couldn’t talk. I just showed her my panties and she understood,” Courtney explained while the Nurse was finishing.

When the nurse was done taking blood pressure, listening to breathing and heart beat, looking into her eyes, ears and mouth and then checking for bruises, George held Courtney’s finger to her lips and commanded, “lick them.”

Moving the moistened finger in the Nurse’s direction, he asked, “Will you please touch it to your lips and tell me if you smell anything?”

“Yes, a very strong odor. Have you ever heard of an odor only detectable by a single person?”

“Do you have access to a lab that can do spectral analysis and do you think it might be one of the prescription drugs?”

“Yes, of course and your guess is better than mine because I wouldn’t try.”

After the nurse collected a sample of Courtney’s saliva and George finished brushing her hair. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a rubber band and tied her hair in a ponytail. Stepping back to look at his handy-work, both George and the nurse momentarily stopped breathing at the change in her appearance.

“My God, she’s beautiful,” the nurse whispered. “Even in a prison jumpsuit,” George added.

With a start, Courtney jumped up, threw her arms around George’s neck and cried. “Thank you so much. I didn’t want to live any more until you came to help me. I owe you my life.” When George tilted his head to kiss her cheek, she turned to catch his kiss with her lips and proceeded to french him.

For George, the kiss had the impact of a kick to his gut. His chest seized preventing him from breathing and his brain was flooded with the equivalent of a million simultaneous conversations making it impossible to think. Though the kiss lasted less than a minute, it was all he could do to hold on to consciousness.

In spite of the fireworks, no one seemed to notice. After catching her breath, Courtney asked, “Deedee says you can join us for dinner. Will you come?”

“You couldn’t keep me away for all the tea in China,” George answered with the last dregs of his mental resources. After giving her an extra squeeze, he added, “Just have a little faith and together we’ll make things come out right.”

The nurse left to find Deedee while George continued to hold Courtney in a tender embrace. Through a screaming mental cacophony, he told her about the people he’d found, who were concerned about her. His quiet voice and gentle words seemed to increase her confidence. It was only with great reluctance that they let go of each other when Deedee came to take her back to her cell.

After Courtney was gone, the nurse turned to George. “I’ve left orders with the jail to put her on suicide watch. We had a girl who was raped about a year ago that tried to kill herself and I don’t want any chance of another one. I believe there’s a minimal risk as long as you’re here, but I also think it will give you an enormous amount of leverage legally. In any case, if you find it to be a disadvantage for any reason, call me and I can end it immediately.”

“Did you notice the way she responded to instructions?” George asked, catching the nurse off guard. “It’s been nearly 40 years since I studied the conditioning of animals in my freshman psychology class, but her responses sure remind me of the experiments we did. Courtney told me about that psychiatrist she mentioned in answer to your questions. Do you have any way to find out about him? There’s a mystery in her behavior that needs to be solved.”

“She gave me his name when we were filling out the forms. I’ll make an inquiry and see what’s available from the state licensing board.”

“So he doesn’t have an office here in the county? Don’t you have any local counselors? I wonder why she would go so far for psychiatric treatment.”

“I heard something about the old county attorney referring juveniles to counseling they had to travel for and I think that had something to do with him losing the last election. I wonder if he was getting a kickback? I think it was our local counselor who raised the stink.”

A few minutes later as they were leaving the jail, Nurse Hastings turned and put her hand on George’s arm to stop him for a minute. “If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed the effect you have on her. There is no doubt that you’re supplying the things that are necessary to restore her happiness. But I have a question I want you to give some serious consideration to. What will happen to her when you aren’t around anymore? ”

Without the slightest hesitation, George answered, “Nothing, because I intend to be there for her just as long as she will let me. Whatever she needs to be happy, I’ll do my best to deliver. Thanks ever so much for all you’ve done and quit worrying because she’s in good hands.”