JC: Ed Biggers
Part 3: Accretion
Chapter 22
By
Lazlo Zalezac
Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2004

A very excited Ling entered the dining room and sat at the table. 
Noticing her excitement, John asked, "What's up Ling?"

"I'm pregnant!" 

Everyone at the table met the news with joy. Even Ed, in his 
typical morning state, perked up and cheered the news. Ling had 
been sleeping with him exclusively since she had chosen to have a 
child. This meant that he was going to be a father and in his 
excitement he said, "That is great news."

Kelly smiled and said, "You've been nice to me while I've been 
pregnant so I won't tickle you, but watch out for Linda. She's a 
mischievous one."

Giggling, Linda replied, "But I can run so much faster than you."

"Just wait until you look and feel like an elephant," teased Kelly. 

Ed said, "We have to celebrate somehow. Any suggestions?"

When no one suggested anything, Kelly said, "How about we go to 
Maria's?"

Giggling, Linda said, "When that baby is born, it is going to come 
out speaking Spanish considering how much Mexican Food you've 
been eating."

"I've just been hungry for that kind of food for a while, that's all."

The discussion raged around the table before it was decided that 
they would all go out to Marie's to celebrate that Ling was having a 
baby. Ling was more than happy to go anywhere in celebration. Ed 
retreated back to his normal morning condition and couldn't follow 
the discussion. 

Cathy had made reservations for twelve at six in the evening. Bob 
had agreed to drive Kelly, Dr. Hayes, and Mrs. Hayes there while 
everyone else walked to the restaurant. As the group walked to the 
restaurant, others joined the party. Maria, Rosa, and Carlos joined 
in when they heard the good news. Joe and his wife, Juanita, joined 
the party as well. By the time they reached the restaurant, there 
were another dozen people joining the party. The number of people 
that had shown up overwhelmed Maria.

Entering the restaurant, Ed said, "Take us to Kelly."

Maria looked over at them in surprise and said, "She hasn't gotten 
here yet."

Confused, Ed said, "She left at the same time we did, but she was 
in a car. She should have been here ten minutes ago."

Concerned, Maria replied, "I'm sorry, but she didn't come here."

Ed went over to John and said, "Kelly didn't make it here."

Looking around to see if there was something going on, John 
replied, "She should be here. We saw the van drive by us as we 
were walking here."

A ringing in Ed's pocket nearly made him jump. He fished the 
phone out of his pocket and answered, "Hello?"

Bob was on the other end and said, "Hello, Ed. We are on our way 
to the hospital. Kelly's water broke when we pulled up in the 
parking lot."

Extremely excited, Ed replied, "We'll be there in a flash!"

Hanging up without saying goodbye, Ed turned to everyone and 
shouted, "Kelly's on the way to the hospital. She's having her 
baby!"

Amidst tremendous confusion, the Carter Clan ran out of the 
restaurant heading back to the house to pick up their cars. Ling 
easily outpaced everyone since she had been working out for the 
past year. Leroy and Sarah were not far behind her. Puffing like 
old men, Ed and John were a distant last since they very seldom 
ran. As Ling drove back, she stopped to pick up Sarah. Leroy went 
ahead to get his car. The women waved to John and Ed as they 
drove by. 

Ed came to a stop and started walking, his chest puffing from the 
effort. Cowboy boots were not meant for running. John stopped 
and looked back at his husband, waiting for Ed to catch up. Still 
breathing heavily, Ed said, "I didn't know that I was in bad shape."

Shaking his head, John said, "I can walk for days without slowing 
down."

Ed stopped even with John and said, "I think the last time I ran was 
when was I was in the army. I was twenty then and didn't like 
running."

"I swim everyday, but that doesn't seem to have helped."

Horn honking, Leroy pulled over to pick up the two men. As they 
climbed into the car, he said, "You two are moving slow. What's 
that matter?"

Ed said, "We don't run. I guess we are going to have to start 
jogging."

Shaking his head, John replied, "I hate jogging."

The drive to the hospital took some time. During the drive, the men 
were silent, each lost in their own thoughts. Kelly had kept the 
gender of the baby a great secret and there were more than a few 
bets as to whether it was a boy or a girl. Ed didn't care one way or 
the other as to the gender of the child. He was more worried about 
the health of the baby. He said, "It wasn't due for another week."

Laughing at the insistence for strict timing, Leroy said, "Babies 
don't know how to read a calendar. They are born when they are 
ready to be born."

John and Ed exchanged looks and watched the surroundings pass 
outside the car. It wasn't long after that they that arrived at the 
hospital. John and Ed got out while Leroy parked the car. Inside 
the hospital Dr. and Mrs. Hayes met them with smiles. The doctor 
said, "That must have been the easiest delivery in history."

Ed asked, "What happened?"

Dr. Hayes looked at the men gathered around him and answered, 
"Her water broke when she got out of the van at the restaurant. She 
got back in the van and we headed here. I was monitoring her 
condition. She had a couple of contractions and dilated very fast. 
We got here, four contractions later she gave birth to a nine pound 
baby girl."

"Alright, can we see her?" John asked

Mrs. Hayes asked, "Which her?"

An excited Ed answered, "Either, both, whatever."

Laughing at Ed, Leroy said, "Let's see the mother and then the 
daughter."

The elderly couple led them to a hospital room. Kelly was lying in 
the bed with the baby in her arms. Ling and Linda were on the 
other side of the bed looking at the baby. She grinned when her 
husbands entered the room and said, "Sorry to ruin dinner plans. 
You can blame little Beth here."

There was a gasp from Dr. and Mrs. Hayes as they realized the 
honor done for their daughter. This family surprised them every 
time they turned around. Ed leaned over and examined the infant. 
She had perfect little hands that grasped his finger when he 
touched her palm. Smiling up at Kelly, Ed said, "Look, she's 
holding my finger."

Dr. Hayes was about to comment that it was a reflex action, but 
Kelly held a finger to her lips cutting him off. She watched as Ed 
looked over the baby with wonder written on his face. John, 
impatient to see the baby, finally said, "My turn."

"Oh, sorry. It's just such a miracle," replied Ed as he backed out of 
the way. He went over to Ling and hugged her tightly. In a soft 
whisper, he said, "In nine months that will be you lying there with 
your child."

Ling hugged him back and joked, "By that time, you'll be broke in 
as a father. You'll know how to change a diaper, feed the baby, and 
burp her."

John was bent over looking at the baby as Kelly watched him. He 
was touching the baby and saying, "You're a special one, little 
Beth."

Ed asked, "How are you feeling Kelly?"

She smiled at Ed and said, "They say that this is the easiest birth 
they've ever seen here at the hospital. I'm feeling fine and ready to 
go, but they want me to stay here for a day just to make sure there 
aren't any complications."

Teasing, Linda said, "I better be careful, she's going to be able to 
catch me now."

The nurse came into the room and said, "You folks are going to 
have to leave now. She needs her rest."

As they filed out of the room, they each kissed Kelly and then little 
Beth. Gathering in the hall, Mrs. Hayes cried, "It's so nice of you 
guys to name your baby after Beth."

Wiping his eyes with a handkerchief, Dr. Hayes said, "Most 
unexpected."

Winking at Ling, Ed said, "We all knew that the name was going 
to be Elizabeth if it was a girl and everyone except John knew that 
it was going to be John if it was a boy."

John turned around in surprise and exclaimed, "What?"

Smiling at John, Linda answered, "If it had been a boy, the name 
was going to be John."

Bob who had been waiting by the door joined the discussion in the 
hall. With a wry smile, he said, "She didn't like my suggestion of 
Go as a name, but I think that Go Carter has a nice ring to it."

As everyone groaned, Bob held up his hands as though he was 
about to get hit. Even Linda, who usually enjoyed bad jokes, had to 
say, "That's horrible. You should be ashamed of yourself."

Rather than reply to the charge, he said, "Dr. and Mrs. Hayes, may 
I drive you back to the house. Visiting hours start at eight in the 
morning and I'll be happy to bring you back here for them in the 
morning."

Home from the hospital, Kelly came into the informal living room 
finding Ed seated on the sofa with little Beth in an infant sling. The 
baby, sleeping peacefully, grasped one of Ed's fingers as he read 
one of his journals aloud in a calm deep voice. She watched him as 
he read the article and finally commented, "That baby can't 
understand a word you are saying."

Smiling up at Kelly, he said, "She is happy when I read to her. She 
holds my finger."

Shaking her head, she said, "I've told you a hundred times that it is 
a reflex action."

"It's not that I don't believe you, it's just that I know better. She 
likes holding my finger," replied Ed, smug as Beth strengthened 
her grip on his finger. Looking down at the sleeping infant, he said, 
"She wants me to read to her some more."

Kelly shook her head and left the living room as Ed returned to 
reading the journal to her daughter. Since she had come home, it 
seemed as if the only time she saw little Beth was at feeding time. 
Not that she minded, since she was still tired from giving birth. 
How many mothers had so much free time on their hands after 
giving birth?

Ling came into the room and watched Ed reading to Beth. She had 
to wonder what kind of person would read an article about plate 
tectonics to a four-day-old infant. When he struggled to turn the 
page, she said, "Have you seen Kelly?"

"You just missed her."

Smiling at her husband as he returned to reading, she slipped out of 
the room. It was her intention to give her wife a nice massage. 
John came into the room and sat down across from Ed. He smiled 
and said, "She prefers physics."

Looking over at John, Ed asked, "Don't tell me. My time is up?"

"Yes it is."

Ed slowly stood up and removed little Beth from the infant sling. 
Handing Beth to John with care, he said, "Here she is."

Removing the infant sling, he set it on the chair next to John. John, 
cradling Beth in his arms, replied, "Thanks Ed. I'll see you later."

Picking up the journal, Ed dropped it off in his room. After that he 
went in search for Ling thinking that she could use a belly rub. 
After searching for her, he finally gave up and went into the 
kitchen where Marguerite was cooking some sort of soup. Teasing, 
he asked, "What kind of witches brew are you making now?"

Turning to look at him, Marguerite said, "One of your favorite 
brews. Wisconsin Beer Cheese soup."

Making a face and holding his hands around his throat like he was 
choking, Ed said, "Ack!"

Unperturbed, Marguerite said, "If I remember correctly, the last 
time I made it you ate two helpings."

"Bah! I couldn't believe it was so bad after the first helping. I had 
to eat another just to verify it."

Marguerite laughed and retorted, "You've never eaten more than 
one bite of anything you don't like."

Sitting down at the kitchen table, Ed asked, "Have you got 
anything for me to snack on?"

Without missing a beat, she opened the refrigerator and removed a 
plate of raw vegetables from it. Setting them down on the table in 
front of him, she said, "Here you go."

Taking a carrot off the plate, he said, "Do you just keep a plate of 
this stuff around all of the time?"

She looked at him as if he asked her if she had flour in the kitchen. 
Shaking her head, she said, "You guys ask for snacks at least seven 
times a day. There are three things that I keep ready at all times. 
Snacks, iced tea, and smoothies."

Linda entered the kitchen with Leroy and sat down at the table. 
Grabbing a piece of celery she started munching on it. Leroy 
joined them at the table and said, "We were looking for a snack."

Winking at Leroy, Ed said, "I bet some iced tea would go great 
with this."

Within a minute, Marguerite had set a pitcher of iced tea on the 
table with three glasses filled with ice. Ed filled the three glasses 
and handed them out. Taking a sip of his, he settled back in his 
chair happy with the world. Linda said, "You look like you just 
finished watching the baby."

"Yes, she was holding my finger again. She prefers my little finger 
because it fits in her hand better."

His insistence that little Beth liked to hold his finger was well 
known. Linda and Leroy smiled at each other rather than challenge 
him on that point. As the snacks slowly disappeared off the plate, 
the conversation flowed around the table in the easy manner of 
people that knew each other very well. When the snacks were 
finished, Linda asked, "Would you like to visit my room for a little 
while, Ed?"

"Sure," replied Ed. He didn't get enough chances to be with Linda. 
She tended to spend more time with Leroy and John than him.

When Ed entered Linda's room, a modern chair that seemed out of 
place from the rest of the furniture surprised him. The chair had a 
sloped back and a sloped seat that formed a v shape. There was a 
third sloped portion that the legs would rest on. She caught him 
looking at it and said, "I bought that chair for a very special 
reason."

"What reason?"

Turning to face away from him, she looked over her shoulder and 
answered, "Strip and I'll show you."

Curious, Ed undressed taking his time. Once he was naked, she 
said, "Sit down in the chair."

Sitting down in the chair, Ed found himself leaning back with his 
half hard erection pointing up in the air. Moving with a grace that 
was natural to the woman, Linda removed her clothes teasing Ed 
with her body as she undressed. The effect on Ed was electric and 
his cock stood up straight fully hardened.

Moving to straddle the chair, Linda slowly lowered herself upon 
his cock. The slow movements teased his cock providing enough 
stimulation to keep him erect, but not enough to further excite him. 
Once she was impaled on his cock, she leaned back resting her 
back on his legs. It was a very comfortable position and one that 
Ed knew he could keep for hours. Closing her eyes, she started 
contracting the muscles in her cunt producing a milking sensation 
on his cock. Ed remembered the first time he had been in a position 
similar to this and flexed his buttocks giving a very small thrust 
into Linda.

She moaned in pleasure, but did not increase the stimulation on his 
cock. After about ten minutes, she was panting as she approached 
an orgasm. Relaxed in the chair, Ed ran his hands over her breasts 
playing with her nipples. His actions drove her over the edge and 
she came.

Leaning forward, her right nipple brushed against his lips. Taking 
the hint, he started sucking on her nipple while running his tongue 
over it. He ran his hands over her back, tracing a line up and down 
her spine. Coming again, she made her little panting noises. Her 
cunt muscles contracted around his cock leading him closer to 
orgasm. 

The pace of lovemaking was slow and leisurely. The chair 
prevented him from straining himself to support her. She could 
lean back giving him access to her front or lean forward allowing 
him to suck on her breasts and rub her back. 

After about thirty minutes, she started bouncing on his cock, while 
flexing her cunt muscles. The two sensations were about to drive 
him crazy as she came again. When he was almost about to come, 
she leaned back against his legs and started rocking her hips. Now 
he was groaning as his body was close to orgasm, but not close 
enough to come. 

She continued to change her style of movements while riding him. 
It was never enough to cause him to come in a normal orgasm. 
After a while, he did start to come, but it was the strangest orgasm 
of his life. Rather than huge jets of come, it trickled out of him as 
his entire body flushed and reacted to it. Once it started, it didn't 
end even after Linda climbed off him an hour later. His body was 
drenched in sweat as was hers. 

Lying in the chair, he stared up at Linda in amazement still feeling 
little aftershocks of orgasm. No one would ever believe that he had 
just had an orgasm that lasted more than an hour. He said, "That 
was incredible."

Legs wobbling, Linda swayed before she sat on the floor next to 
Ed. As her hand wandered over to his cock, she answered, "I spent 
almost a month doing nothing but reading sex manuals on how to 
give a man the ultimate orgasm. I found a story on how to give a 
man an hour-long orgasm. I bought this chair just to do that for 
you. "

"For me?" asked Ed surprised that she had gone to that much 
trouble.

Smiling at his surprise, she said, "You don't even know what you 
did for me, do you?"

"I didn't do anything special."

"You made it possible for Leroy and I to join the family. There 
was no way that we could have come up with the money for even 
one share," replied Linda as her hand slowly stroked his cock 
returning it to a state of constant flow.

As Ed shuddered under her administrations, he moaned, "Oh. That 
feels so good."

A wicked smile came over her face as she saw the effect that her 
hand was having on Ed. She hadn't realized that once he had 
started coming like this that he could continue for as long as he 
was stimulated. Bending down, she flicked her tongue over the 
head of his cock savoring the taste. She could taste herself and his 
come, a mixture of flavors that she had learned to love. 

The flow of come from the end of his cock was slow and steady. 
His body shook as waves of pleasure washed over him from head 
to toe. This was the most unbelievable experience of his life. She 
continued her actions until her back could not take another minute 
in the uncomfortable position. Stiff and sore, she stood and 
stretched looking down on the nearly unconscious Ed seated in the 
chair. His cock still seeped come.

Ed woke in the chair feeling weak and drained. Stiff from being in 
the same position for too long, he slowly stood and looked around 
for Linda. She came from her study upstairs with a glass of iced tea 
and handed it to him as she said, "You need to drink something."

Grateful to have something to drink, Ed accepted the glass and 
drained half of it. The liquid flooding into his body refreshed him 
more than the nap. She took such good care of him without making 
demands. Looking up at the smiling face of Linda, he said, "I love 
you."

His words brought a glow of happiness to her face as they did 
every time she heard them from a member of the family. They 
never missed an opportunity to reinforce their feelings for each 
other. If you were up, they told you they loved you. If you were 
down, they told you they loved you. Always the words were 
conveyed with an intensity of emotion that made you believe that it 
was true and not just a habit of repetition. As she sat on the floor 
beside him, she asked, "How was it that I was so lucky to find you 
and the rest of the family?"

Ed reached out and brushed his hand against the side of her face in 
a tender gesture. With true humility in his voice, he answered, 
"Everyone in this family asks themselves that question every day. I 
don't think anyone of us has ever come up with a satisfactory 
answer to that question."

"Let's get washed up and join everyone else."

The shower was a simple affair where they washed each other 
without it turning into a sexual episode. For his part, there was no 
way that Ed could have achieved an erection. For her part, she 
reveled in his gentle touch as he took care in washing her body. 
That satisfied more than the hot and heavy breathing that she 
would have experienced if he had concentrated on giving her 
sexual attention.

In the informal living room, Kelly was seated on the couch breast 
feeding little Beth. A look of bliss was etched into her face as the 
baby suckled life nourishing milk from her breasts. Watching the 
sight, Ed commented, "As much as she likes holding my finger, 
she loves her mother's breasts even more."

Rolling her eyes, Kelly just looked at Ed with a smug smile. No 
matter how much they told him that it was a reflex action on the 
part of the baby, he would not believe it. She decided that it wasn't 
worth arguing about. Changing the subject, she said, "You look 
wiped out."

"It's her fault," replied Ed with a gesture towards Linda.

Holding onto his arm with both of her hands, Linda answered, "He 
just had an orgasm that lasted two hours."

"Is that possible?" asked Kelly with great surprise.

"It's possible, but I think I was unconscious for the last half hour."

The baby finished nursing. With a confident gesture, she put the 
baby over her shoulder and patted her back. After less than a 
minute of patting, the baby belched and then calmed down. Kelly 
removed the baby from her shoulder and held her in the crook of 
her arm. Looking over at Ed, she asked, "Would you like to hold 
her for a minute while I get cleaned up?"

Bursting into a smile, Ed answered, "Sure."

After sitting down, Kelly handed him little Beth. To her surprise, 
little Beth reached out with a hand searching for Ed's finger. 
Finding it, her hand closed around it and the baby relaxed. Ed 
looked up at Kelly and said, "She likes holding my finger."

Shaking her head, Kelly said, "If I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't have 
believed it."

Linda sat next to Ed on the couch and snuggled against him. She 
said, "I guess Damsels just naturally turn to you, even if they aren't 
in distress."

Amazed at what she had just seen, Kelly left the room. As she 
stepped out, Cathy came over to Kelly and said, "There's a Colonel 
Grey from the army here to see Ed."

Kelly replied, "He's in the informal living room with little Beth and 
Linda. I guess you can bring the visitor here to see him."

Cathy returned to the office. Several minutes later, George brought 
Colonel Grey to the informal living room. The military man, 
dressed in his formal uniform, entered the room and found Ed and 
Linda sitting naked on the couch. A simple glance at Ed was 
sufficient for him to recognize the scars from knife wounds and 
gun shots. Every military officer recognized those signs of war. Ed 
was still holding the infant in his arm as the infant held his finger. 
Looking up at the man, Ed said, "Hello?"

The man, uncomfortable with the scene, turned towards the door so 
that he wasn't directly facing the couple. Clearing his throat, he 
asked, "Are you Ed Biggers?"

"Yes, I am."

The entry of Kelly into the room surprised the Colonel. Still naked, 
she extended a hand to the Colonel and said, "I see you found your 
way here."

The military man looked around uncomfortable with so many 
naked people in one room. He stuttered, "Yes, George brought me 
here to see Ed."

"So what do you need to see me about?"

"I was ordered to come here. The Joint Chief of Staff requests that 
you perform a service for your country."

Smiling down at little Beth, Ed asked, "What do you need?"

"It is classified."

Ed looked up at his wives and said, "I guess I had better take him 
someplace a little more private so that he can tell me what he 
wants."

Kelly sat down next to him and accepted little Beth from him. 
Little Beth wouldn't release his finger until he leaned over and 
kissed her on the forehead. Chuckling gently, she said, "I stand 
corrected. She does enjoy holding your finger."

Ed led the Colonel from the informal living room and took him to 
his study. Sitting at the chair of his desk, he pointed to the other 
chair. In a very business-like voice, he asked, "So, what do you 
need?"

The Colonel, still uncomfortable with dealing with a naked man, 
said, "We have captured a terrorist and need to question him. 
Unfortunately, he has been mixing truth and lie with equal ease."

"So why me?"

"You have a reputation in certain government circles as a human 
lie detector. We need to get the truth out of this guy before the rest 
of his team can carry out their plan."

"When do we need to leave?"

"Now. I'm supposed to take you to Luke Air Force Base where a 
jet is waiting for you."

Surprised, Ed said, "That's a long drive."

The Colonel replied, "My helicopter is parked at the baseball field 
of the high school."

"Oh," replied Ed. He thought about it and said, "Let me make a 
call."

Turning to the phone, Ed picked it up and called the security 
office. George immediately picked up the phone. After a short 
exchange, Ed turned to the Colonel and said, "Have your 
helicopter land in our back yard. They can land without getting 
shot down. I'll be ready in a few minutes."

At the news that his helicopter could land without getting shot 
down, he asked, "How would you have shot down our helicopter?"

"Industrial lasers," replied Ed as he stood. Without further 
comment, he left the room to dress and pack for the trip. The 
Colonel looked around the huge study, seeing the collection of 
rocks mounted on shelves that lined three walls. Over the desk was 
a picture of a blue crystal with a caption written underneath it. 
Leaning forward, he read the caption out loud, "Carterite?"

With a negligent tone in his voice, Ed said, "Yes, I found that in 
Antarctica and it appears to be a new mineral. I just have to verify 
that and we will name it Carterite."

The sudden comment behind him startled him. Turning, he 
examined Ed standing behind him fully dressed and stared in 
amazement at the man standing in front of him. Dressed in blue 
jeans, western style shirt, cowboy boots, and cowboy hat, Ed 
looked like a cowboy. The clothes were worn in all of the right 
spots to indicate that he had spent more than a few hours on 
horseback. He had not been warned what he would find at the 
Carter household, only that he should expect to be surprised.

Ed said, "We have to go down to the safe to pick up something 
before we go."

Picking up his saddlebags that contained several changes of 
clothing, Ed went to the door. The Colonel followed behind, 
surprised at the direct and business-like approach that this cowboy 
took once they had reached the office. As they went downstairs, Ed 
headed towards a room at the back of the house. Putting his palm 
on the reader, a voice came on over the intercom, "Is that you Ed?"

"Yes, George. Unlock the door."

Once the speaker had buzzed, Ed entered his code onto the keypad. 
The door finally opened letting them into a very bare room. 
Entering the room, Ed put his palm on the reader and a massive 
steel door slowly swung open. The Colonel had only seen such an 
elaborate safe in high security areas. Ed said, "Only two people can 
open this safe."

The Colonel asked, "Why do you need a security system like this?"

Picking up a black box from a shelf in the room, Ed answered, 
"When John and I work on major operations against criminal 
organizations, we like to know that the information is safe. All of 
our security measures are designed to protect us from criminals. 
They've even come at us with missiles."

The dry manner in which Ed related their need for security 
surprised the Colonel even more than the reasons why they had 
such extensive security arrangements. Holding up the box, Ed said, 
"This is the first time I've had a need to use this."

"What is it?

"A psychological weapon."

The answer didn't make sense to the Colonel, but he didn't make a 
comment. When Ed left the walk-in safe, he shut the door behind 
him. Ushering his guest out of the front room, Ed closed the door 
behind him. Turning, he found a very naked Ling standing in front 
of him with her hands on her hips and her legs spread. In a 
confrontational tone of voice, she said, "Are you planning on going 
somewhere dangerous without me?"

The Colonel stood there looking at the petite woman in shock. The 
woman projected a sense of power and strength that was all out of 
proportion to her size. Ed replied, "I'm going somewhere, but it is 
not dangerous. The person they want me to talk to is already in 
custody."

"Okay, you can go," she replied.

Ed reached over and patted her stomach as he said, "You have 
someone more important to protect right now."

Realizing that she had not thought of the life growing inside her in 
that fashion, she relented and said, "Take care of yourself. If you 
come back with a scar, you will have to face the wrath of Ling."

With a fake look of terror on his face, Ed said, "Not the wrath of 
Ling! Anything but that."

Relenting, she grinned and said, "Get out of here."

As the two men went to the back door, the Colonel, in a 
condescending tone of voice, said, "She's a feisty little lady."

"Feisty? She's downright dangerous. I feel sorry for anyone that 
gets into a fight with her. She's a nationally ranked martial artist. If 
she wasn't pregnant, I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't become 
national champion in the upcoming competition," remarked Ed.

The Colonel slowed down and looked over his shoulder as Ling 
headed towards the front of the house. It wasn't until he saw her in 
motion that he recognized the kind of grace and ease of motion that 
was characteristic of the very best in martial arts. Impressed, the 
Colonel said, "Oh."

The helicopter was waiting for them in the backyard of the house. 
George was standing by the door, watching the helicopter sitting in 
the middle of the sandy backyard. When Ed stepped out the 
backdoor, George said, "I'll return to the security center now."

