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.

The pod had still not been dispersed, so TAS92ZB was still directing the processing of the signals the swarm was receiving. The message of the damage to the resource had been received and the probability that it would be saved was rising. The essence had been close enough to the resource for several hours so the swarm was receiving a lot of signals from it directly to their organelles.

But now that the communications network was working, there were reports of extensive damage to the carrier that was being repaired. The carrier had been designed so the repairs were automatic. The problem was that instructions in the programming had accumulated and compounded so that the automatic repairs had failed. Each new failure caused other systems to fail in a cascade that would eventually lead to total failure.

The swarm was determined to prevent this and commenced rebooting all of the information processors to restore the original instructions.

Courtney’s dreams were more vivid than she could ever remember. She was safe and happy, she was loved and she was ready to be a mother. In her dream, she held a baby to her breast and thrilled to the love that surrounded her.

George’s dreams were troubling. He’d give anything to keep the love and support of the girl he’d found, but in his dream, he saw that she’d eventually leave him if he didn’t give her a child. His logical mind understood and accepted her biological imperative of children and the binding power they created, but argued with convincing counterpoints that he couldn’t afford more responsibilities than the he was already carrying. His dream ended with dread for the future.

“Twee, Twee, Twee,” George woke to the sound of first one, and then the second alert sounding. He’d really been under, so it took time to recognize the alarms and roll to the edge of the bed without falling on his face. The painful swelling in his joints told him it was morning.

It wasn’t until he was on the floor that he remembered he hadn’t gone to bed alone. Fear and pain increased by the fading memory of his dream, hit like a brick dropped from orbit. Had she run? Her dress and shoes were gone. How had she crawled over him? Where would she go? How could he live without her? The doubts and worries were devastating.

Grabbing his pants, he started dressing just as the alerts sounded again and Courtney opened the door carrying her bag of clothes. It wasn’t until she reached the top of the steps and looked up, that she saw him sitting in the dim light. Dropping the bag, she launched herself towards him and wrapped her arms around his head.

“I’m sorry I woke you,” she whispered. “I wanted my clothes and thought I could get them without disturbing you. I forgot the alarms.” Suddenly tensing, she moved her hands to his cheeks and tilted his head back in the glow of the night-light. Confirming tears, she asked, “Were you afraid I left? My Master, I’d cut my heart out before I’d leave you. I am yours to do with as you please!”

“My Angel, you’ve worked your way into my heart so far that the thought of you leaving terrifies me. I know in my head you won’t leave, but my heart isn’t convinced. I just need more time, okay?”

“I understand. Uh, did you know there’s a little girl in your truck? She says you are her grandfather.”

Before he could answer, the alarm sounded and Courtney turned so they could both look towards the open door. “Dear God, what have they done to me now?” George moaned when a girl who looked to be about 12 appeared. She stood there with a scared-defiant look until he ordered, “Come in, those alarms won’t shut off as long as you’re out there.”

“It’s actually almost as much a surprise to me as it is for you,” George pleaded. “You’re not jealous, are you?”

“My Master, if you wanted a hundred girls, I’d do my best to get them for you. It’s just that she’s only a kid.”

The girl, in spite of fear that made her tremble, moved into the space between George’s knees and reached out to caress his cheek. “I’m not just any girl, I’m his granddaughter,” she explained to Courtney without looking. “Did they tell you what they promised?” she challenged while holding him with her eyes.

“Yes, and the conditions they put on it too. If you’re half as stubborn as your mother was, you don’t have a chance. You won’t get what you want until you can prove you’d be a better mother than the one you had. What’s your name?”

“They promised her a baby?” Courtney blurted. “She doesn’t look old enough. Can they do it even if she isn’t a woman yet?”

“I don’t know. Remember, you interrupted the message before they could tell me everything,” he answered. “Do you like Cary-Lynn or can we call you Cary?”

With a shake of his head, George sighed. “Not if I can help it. But then again, I wouldn’t have chosen to have a 12 year-old trying to seduce me to get herself pregnant. Obviously, they’re manipulating me for some purpose of their own.”

“I’m 13 and they proved I don’t have to have sex with you to get pregnant.”

“You know as well as I do that either of us will be dead if they catch us. They showed me what happened to your sisters and how your enemies are after you. You need my help as much as I need yours if we’re to have any chance at all.”

“They visit me when I dream,” Cary explained. “I don’t know who they really are, just that they’re always right and seem to have an answer for everything.”

“That reminds me, we need to take some more of the medicine that let’s them communicate. He handed Courtney the bottle. “Give Cary a couple of drops too. For any of us to survive, we need some money. Which means, it’s time to get to work. It’s starting to get light, so if we are going to start selling before sunrise, we need to get dressed and eat. We’ll finish this conversation later.”

With a stroke of inspiration, George threw out a challenge, “Cary, can you at least try to follow directions as well as Courtney?”

With a feral grin, Cary took the bait. “She doesn’t want you half as much as I do. What do you want me to do?”

“Master?” Cary’s face expressed stunned disbelief. “They said my mother lied about you being a pervert. What did you do to her?”

“I didn’t do anything to her and I certainly didn’t ask to be her Master. We don’t have time for explanations, so just try to be half as good as she is.”

“You want a slave? I’ve watched my mother play with her boyfriends and I can be just as slavey as anybody. What are your orders, Master?”

George’s moral dilemma of being an unwilling slave owner was now compounded by the contempt of his granddaughter. But he wasn’t willing to disappoint the faith and trust of his Angel by failing to provide her with commands that gave her pleasure. “Make the bed while I get breakfast,” he ordered.

Cary stared at the way Courtney shivered and the pleasure written on her face. “She really gets off on it, doesn’t she.”

“Oh, I can handle it as long as I get the same perks,” she jousted back. As she watched Courtney climb up to straighten the bed, exposing her panties in the process, the first hint of doubt showed in her expression.

“Good. That gives me extra incentive to resist her temptations. Will you set the table?”

“Why are you asking me instead of ordering like you did for her?” Cary demanded.

“Okay. Set the table!” George growled. To his surprise, both girls shivered.

The dance of three at the border of intimacy in the confines of a motor-home is a tale all by itself. But not one of which any of them had a surplus of attention to notice. The girls’ desire to please soon exhausted the possible actions short of overt sex, which neither was willing to initiate. So George had them opening the stall and spreading out the wares as soon as it was enough light to see.

To display items for sale, George had set up a sort of clothesline to hang the gadgets at eye level. Each item had a printed description page next to it with details and specifications. Neither girl had ever seen anything like the high tech gadgetry, so they were like kids opening presents on Christmas. Each item seemed more exciting than the last and required inspection.

It usually took George 3 hours of hard work to set up. It wasn’t any faster this time because he couldn’t help watching the girls’ reactions. The sun was well up before they finished hanging the alarms, motion sensors, photo-switches, wireless cameras, pen voice recorders and other technical wonders and started on the toys. The first box of toys was a collection of inflatables.

Courtney wanted to see what they looked like so George let them blow up a set of dinosaurs. As fast as they were inflated, the customers walking by were buying them. After about 10 minutes, George noticed Ivan’s daughter watching with a look of envy. With a smile, George asked, “Ilya, would you like to help?”

When she answered with a shy nod, George took advantage of Courtney’s momentary attention as she finished blowing up a Tyrannosaurus for an 8-year-old boy. “Courtney, Cary, this girl is Ilya, Ilya, this is my friend Courtney and my granddaughter, Cary. Ilya’s grandfather has a booth somewhere around and he lets her help him sell. I think she wants to help you play with the toys.”

The girls all blushed furiously at the idea, but were immediately distracted by two small children asking them to blow up puppies. Within an hour, Courtney had collected 2 more friends and all the inflatables were gone, even the 6-foot birthday cakes and life-sized gorilla. George was so busy collecting money, he wasn’t sure how or where the extras girls came from.

He did have a breather when the last inflatable was sold and watched as Courtney carried out another box. Talking and giggling, the girls crowded around as the box was opened. Courtney reached in and picked up a ball shaped object made of intertwining rubber rings. As she moved it, the ball began flashing bright colored lights inside. Squealing, the girls all grabbed one and started a game, tossing the balls to each other around a ring.

In minutes, the girls had collected an audience as people stopped to watch their obvious enjoyment. Suddenly, there was a stampede to get the orbit balls. They sold as fast as George could take payments and at twice his normal price. Then those at the end of the line asked if George could order more.

Before he could collect information cards for orders, the girls pulled out a box of Harry Potter wands and plastic periscopes. The audience had grown to a crowd completely blocking the aisle and jostling each other to watch. Every item on which they focused the crowd’s attention was sold out immediately.

Courtney and Ilya, chattering like pre-teens, were headed to grab another box, when George had an inspiration. “Courtney, we’ve collected quite a crowd. Let’s take a break for a few minutes? Ilya, how busy is your grandfather’s booth?”

“Oh, Mr. Marshal, nobody was buying anything. I was so bored, Grandpa said I could wander around and have fun. I never knew you had fun stuff.”

As they hurried off, George grabbed another box and set it on the table in front of the 3 younger girls. “Do you want to continue or should we wait for Courtney and Ilya to come back?”

Stepping back as the girls chattered with excitement, obviously not willing to wait, George couldn’t help laughing. He was surprised to see all the people in the surrounding booths turned in his direction. There were even small children sitting on the pavement at the edge of the ring encircling his space.

The crowd had grown again and was now large enough to make George nervous. It had reached the point where the crowd itself drew people to see what had captured the attention of others. It was a relief when George saw Courtney returning with Lisa. The girls hurried to the latest box of diversion safes. The younger girls were already opening hollow books and fake jars of peanut butter, so Courtney and Ilya pulled out soda cans and lawn sprinklers, showing how the bottoms twisted off like lids to reveal hidden compartments.

“George, what’s going on? How did you get such a crowd?” Lisa asked, as the crowd threatened to stampede for the diversion safes.

“Wild, isn’t it,” George replied. “I’d be the first to admit that watching them play is a pleasure, but I never imagined it would affect so many other people.” They were nearly overwhelmed as the crowd held out money for the safes.

As the morning passed, the volume of sales kept increasing. The carnivorous plant terrariums, electronic fly swatters, dynamo flashlights and paper-thin solar panels all sold out in minutes and some of the hanging high tech gadgetry was selling too. Noon was long gone when George and Lisa reached the point of exhaustion. Even the girls were slowing down. Finally, George surrendered and asked Cary and Courtney to hang the tarps up to close the booth.

When the alarms had been placed, George gathered the girls and Lisa to ask if they’d join him for lunch. After eating, George gave each girl $20, ask if they’d help again tomorrow and sent them off to shop.

“Lisa, have you ever seen anything like what happened this morning?” he asked after they were gone.

“Listen, could you and Ilya come and help again tomorrow?” George blurted. “I need to know if what happened was just a random event or if it is the magic of those girls. Do you have any idea how much we sold?”

With a big smile, she guessed, “Well, at the rate I was taking money, it had to be at least 2 or 3 thousand. Hell, Ivan and I don’t sell that much in a month. Funny thing is, we was all having fun. I ain’t never seen customers enjoying themselves like that.”

Nodding in agreement, George added, “You’re way off, we sold at least 6 grand and maybe as high as 7. Even the other spaces around us had a good day. We should talk to Ivan and see if we can get spaces together for next week. Why don’t you talk to Ivan and see if he’d consider closing and helping us. If we have another boom, I could pay him more than you could make on your stuff.”

“Come back with me so we can talk. I’m pretty sure if I tell him about it without you to confirm it, he’ll think I’m making it up.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Actually, I’m have a hard time believing it myself.”

They hadn’t walked far enough to be out of sight of the food stand when Courtney came running up and grabbed his hand. “My Master, please let me stay with you,” she begged in breathless panic. The other girls weren’t far behind, but didn’t catch up soon enough to hear her. Turning to the others as soon as they stopped, but refusing to let go of George’s hand, she urged, “Ilya, I have to stay with George. Please, will you go have fun with Jo-Jo and Cici?”

Ilya just stood with wonder on her face at the way Courtney was clinging. Frustrated because she wasn’t listening, Courtney reached up, grabbed Ilya by the neck and pulled her close to whisper in her ear. When she pulled back, Ilya’s face was red. She nodded, grabbed the other girls and led them away.

“Will you let me stay with you?” Courtney pleaded again searching George’s face for the answer. Apparently satisfied with what she saw, she moved to George’s left, lifted his arm to her shoulder and pulled herself tight with an arm around his waist. A second later, Cary did the same on the other side. Satisfied that her hold on George was tight enough, Courtney looked at Lisa and asked with a satisfied smile, “So, Lisa, where are we going?”

“Lisa, please don’t tease her. She’s been through some really terrible things. Her mother was murdered yesterday and she’s feeling insecure. If the idea of me owning her makes her feel better, we should let her be.” George chided.

They walked along, too nervous to say anything until George’s words finally penetrated. Stopping in mid stride and turning George to face her, Courtney demanded in a quiet scream, “She’s dead? My mother’s really dead?” Then in a move that left Lisa an Cary stunned, she threw her arms around George’s neck and placed her lips over his, and proceeded to drill for tonsils.

After grabbing several core samples, she moved her head to his shoulder and whispered in his ear, “Oh Master, now I’m really yours.”

With a shake of her head and a grin that would have made the Cheshire cat jealous, Lisa walked away throwing an embarrassed reproach over her shoulder, “When you can let go of each other, come see us at B36.”

Time seemed to stand still as the embrace lengthened. Finally, his heart pounding almost louder than his whisper, George moaned, “Oh, My Angel, I’m sorry. Things happened so fast, I forgot to tell you and then I forgot that I hadn’t told you. The last thing I wanted to do is to hurt you.”

Courtney’s chagrin filled her voice, “But George, you don’t understand. My mother was evil. I’m glad she’s dead. That means there’s no one left to take me away from you. I’m all yours now. You can do anything you want with me. I’m so happy. Tell me you think it’s wonderful.”

“As long as you’re happy, it is. But there’s something worse. Come back to home with me so I can show you.” Then, hoping to build up her courage by holding her, he directed their steps homeward with Cary tagging along behind.

When they were seated at the table, George opened the file folder, pulled out a stack of papers and put them in front of her. These are from your mother’s house. Actually, now that your mother is dead, the house is yours. I think you’ll understand why she acted the way she did, after you’ve have read them.”

George reached out to hold her hand while the color drained from her face and tears dripped down her cheeks. All he could do was to caress her palm and fingers as she continued to absorb one emotional blow after another.

She looked up after turning the last page. “Does this mean that it isn’t over.”

“No, Angel. The only thing it means is that your parents weren’t who you thought they were. We don’t know anything about what is happening since we left. What we know is that we might need to make it hard for them to find us. Remember, I promised to keep you free and happy and I will keep my promise.”

With a sigh, Courtney brightened, “You’re right. Today has been the happiest day of my life. I promised myself I would let go of the past, that you are my future and that I would trust you completely. If we have only one more day together, I will be happier than all the 18 years I had before.”

“Let’s do something good and be happy while we can,” George reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a wad of bills the size of a brick. “Let’s find out how much you helped sell this morning. Cary, come help us count.”

Twenty minutes later, George was beaming, “Does my Angel want to know how well she has served her master?” he asked, standing up and then pulling her up into a hug. “This is how much,” he finished, dipping his head to kiss her with all of the passion and most of the tongue he was capable of delivering to and through her hungry lips. Minutes later when they had to break to catch a breath, he added, “You helped sell more in 7 hours this morning than I normally sell in a month.”

After kissing his granddaughter’s cheek, George was dismayed to hear her singing;

Prologue

A Virgin to Lie in Thy Bosom