Anna's Mystery Plan

Talia and I were side by side on our stomachs in deep foliage near the edge of the grove which surrounded Chelsea's broken down motel. It felt a little like the last time we did this, when we were checking perimeter defenses for practice and it turned out an actual attack was in progress.

So far at least, everything was quiet. In contrast to our prior effort, this one was very hitech. Our head covers had builtin night vision and builtin earphones that multiplied night sounds and simultaneously had AI software that continuously scanned for any sounds that shouldn't be out there. We were also in all black jumpsuits that had a network of fine tubes that carried refrigerant from a unit in the small of our backs. The result was a big reduction in IR heat signature that made you vanish from the night vision goggles of anyone trying to find you.

Things were very quiet at 2 am, so I broadcast to Talia, "This is really great gear. The only thing it doesn't do is let me have sex with my girlfriend."

After a silence, she made a low noise and said, "Your privileges are revoked... forever!"

Getting back to business, I asked, "What about a tiny drone launch?"

She came back with "Yes."

This was a new gadget, about the size of your fist, intended for local reconnaissance. Almost invisible to electronic detection, it had a fifteen minute dwell time and a surprisingly powerful camera with an encrypted image transfer link good up to a mile or more.

Sophie was the designated drone pilot and Talia talked to her on the voice link to try several concentric circles over us.

By 4 am, our practice surveillance had detected nothing and we needed sleep. In the temporary kitchen, there was hot chocolate and Chelsea standing watch. "Get some sleep, I'll finish the watch until breakfast at eight."

We needed to activate a link to more distant surveillance provided from one of Anna's bigger sites, but I decided it could wait until after catchup shuteye. In a far corner under the big tarp, Talia dragged her bag to mine and climbed into my arms. "Hold me please."

Chapter 28 - New Developments

After three days of high intensity watching, nothing had happened, or appeared likely to happen. We were tired and grumpy. Talia and I took our frustrations out on each other with a wild bout of sex, which helped, but annoyed others. Karen complained, "You rabbits must stop. That is not good for morale!"

We agreed and apologized. "But can you and Chelsea worm something from Anna about what is going on?"

Suddenly, without advance notice, Chelsea received a message that Anthony and one of the small tactical helos would arrive an hour before sundown to take Talia and Jeremy on an aerial recon of the truck convoy. We were to prepare all pertinent sensors plus flak suits and be ready to fly.

Karen was pleased to see her offspring getting a forward reconnaissance job, but not happy about the flak suit business. "You are not to get injured! Take that rocket launcher and be ready to use it!"

Anthony was on time, in a special version of the agile helo. It had clips to hold the rear doors open, and harnesses for Talia and me to avoid our being tossed out at the wrong moment.

The pilot didn't want to shut down in the open, so we had a brief conference about thirty yards away from the rotating blades. Anthony proposed a high pass to get camera and sensor coverage from what should be a safe distance. If no opposition, one or more low passes would follow.

"You understand," he said, "that they may acquire us as a target at any time and use weapons?"

We nodded and Talia pointed to the rocket launcher and a half dozen rockets, "I know how to use it." He gave her a male style swat on the shoulder and we climbed in.

The pilot spiraled up to five thousand feet and headed south. At 200 knots, it would be not more than a quarter of an hour to where the convey had recently been parked. Talia did standard camera duty with a fancy long lens version with lots of glass that was image stabilized for aircraft operation. This left her able to grab and operate the rocket launcher on very little notice if necessary. Anthony was glued to screens in front that would warn of any incoming.

This left me to manage the more elaborate sensors, including IR and acoustic. I realized everything was going to happen very fast. Probably only seconds per pass. One of the hazards of recon missions was you had to expose yourself to the target in order to get digital coverage. If we had been in attack mode, the helo would have been a few feet off the ground, counting on a short time for the opponent to get lockon with his weapons.

Surprisingly, the convey appeared to be semi-abandoned. No sign of humans, no high temperature IR, no lockon radars. We made three passes, gobbling everything we could, and headed back. Anthony had a secure phone and was already making a preliminary mission report. When he finished, I asked over the intercom what he made of what we had seen.

"Could be a lot of things. Decoy, trap, and so on. But could mean they have abandoned the intrusion. Anna is assembling her strategy team."

In less than an hour, we were dumped out back at the motel site, having transferred most of our data to a box that Anthony carried. With a promise of an update soon, they disappeared into the twilight sky.

We were smelly in our coveralls and sent to the pool for a soak. "Refreshments will be provided."

The two professors, wearing nothing, converged on us with big fruity drinks. My head was against a mossy bank, and the black weapons sergeant was resting on my front. Shortly, Talia had Sophie nestled against her, and I had an arm around Carolyn's shoulder.

"We don't like it when you go off to war!" "Or almost war."

Talia answered, "No war today. Whole site and convoy itself dead to the world."

There was silence until Carolyn said, "One way or another, I think something big is going to happen. Anna won't let a standoff go on any longer."

Later, after a leisurely dinner that left Talia and me half asleep, Chelsea came out to where we were sitting in the dark and said, "I've just been told to prepare for an important meeting here in the morning, and a possible move after that. No other details, even though I complained."

I spoke to the dark, "Carolyn, you have good instincts."

Talia decided this required her to be in my lap. "Now what, lover?"

Very quietly, "We are going to resign our commissions and disappear into the desert."

We were dozing in each other's arms when Karen appeared at my shoulder. "Anna is coming tomorrow with several of her senior Councillors and a special guest. All she would say is that a number of important issues will be settled tomorrow."

Talia and I knew we would not have a good sleep with this news, but decided to crawl into our bags and get what sleep we could. She arranged us in her favorite position with me behind with an arm over her chest and wrapped around one of the fabulous boobs. We enjoyed shared body heat in the chilly desert night.

"Don't ever go away," she whispered and was asleep.

My watch said a quarter to four. I could tell from her heartbeat that she was awake, and whispered, "I'm still here."

She turned into me, already full of energy, "Devil, obnoxious male beast. When are you going to marry me?"

I had us under the outdoor cold water shower in a jiffy, hoping that her swats were not waking the others. Not to mention the rude words directed at me in whispers.

In the revived motel kitchen, there was a jug of filtered water available, and I started the big coffeemaker going. Rapidly, the space filled with other bodies which were covered in fleece against the chill. Chelsea asked if scrambled with ham was agreeable and got "Yes, please," back from everyone. Karen walked up for a good morning kiss and said, "We need a few minutes after breakfast for a private conversation. Won't take very long. At least I don't think so."

I thought that was pretty mysterious for Mom, but said nothing. Whatever it was, I would find out soon.

During the meal, I pointed out that Anna and her closest advisors would be in a vulnerable situation in an isolated grove of trees in the desert, and we should be thinking about how to protect her.

The black one spoke quickly, "There's been all this talk about decoys, so let's construct something that looks like a conference enclosure out in back, but visible from the air. Use tarps and so on. Then use least obvious site in the old motel to set up a meeting place with quick exits available."

Chapter 30 - Shocking News and Revelations

Leaving the dishes to others, Karen took my hand and walked us out front and across the road. It was beginning to get light, but no sign of traffic on the old highway.

"There is no easy way to tell you this, and I know you are going to be angry. You see, I am not your mother, Anna is. And I am not her daughter. The special guest today is your father."

I stopped short, staring at her as shock waves ran through me. I stumbled, "How..."

She wore one of her thin smiles. "There is a story to go with that, but it is not short and most of it you should hear from Anna."

She held out her arms, her eyes in the dawn light asking for forgiveness. I hesitated a moment, my brain a mess, and then stepped close for an embrace. Taking a deep breath and nipping at her ear, I said, "Knowing the two of you, I should have suspected something like this sooner."

She wiggled in my arms and said, "Does it make a difference that you've been screwing a woman who is not your mother?"

My hand pulled her into my front, which was hard. We shared a long wet kiss.

Time was wasting and we turned to go back. "When do I know more?"

She squeezed my hand. "She asked me not to share details with you. She wants to do it herself, after all these years of deceitful behavior. I insisted that you not learn she is your mother in front of the others and she granted me permission to tell you. I suspect that after the military meeting she has plans to disappear temporarily with Rolf and you and Talia.

"I can't say more, but I think you will find the background on your father very interesting. It is key to resolution of the current troubles. His name is Rolf Karlsson."

"Are she and I going to acknowledge our relationship at the meeting?"

"She has been scared to death that her whole existence will blow up when this is found out. Rolf and I met secretly with her a week ago and told her there was no other way."

"I can't tell Talia in advance, can I?"

"No definitely not. After the shock, I think she will be pleased."

I thought about that in silence. "She asked me to go along on this secret weekend but I told her it was important for me to be with the others while they recover from the disclosures at the meeting. We are going back to the Silicon Valley house this afternoon."

We were crossing the road to the motel. "You will see that poor Jose is clued in?"

She laughed and punched my arm. "Poor Jose owns that trucking company and is one of the richest men in San Bernardino County."

Talia was on the other side of the road, giving us an accusing look. "What is going on?"

I spoke quickly, "She just laid a terrible trip on me, and I promised not to say anything until after the Anna meeting. Is that too much torture?"

Her look was fierce, "You can't tell your girlfriend, your bed partner, the woman you said you were going to marry?"

I looked at my shoes while Karen wrapped Talia in a tight hug. "It's my fault, not his. Punch me, not him." We danced around, not landing punches.

Chapter 31 - Anna's Summit Meeting

I busied myself with arrangements for the two meeting sites. There was a lot of moving tables and chairs and stringing ropes for tarps. This gave me time to consider how Anna was going to conduct the meeting. Most of the people there did not know Rolf, and all of them did not know of my true kinship. An unhappy thought filled my head. The darn woman was going to ask me to say something. I would have to talk into a shocked silence. Damn, this was intolerable.

Before I could make any sense of the situation, Talia was at my side, helping with a tarp.

"Heavy news? Hard to take?"

I nodded and burst out, "Damn, I am not dragging you into this. Anna is probably going to announce a new role for me, which I know nothing about. So she tells everyone what it is and expects me to stand up and speak to the new assignment. How unfair is that?"

Keeping her head down, my partner and lover poked my ribs and asked, "Tell me a cliche about life."

I nipped at her shoulder muscle, "You are as bad as Anna. Yes, life isn't always fair, but that devil woman keeps throwing nasty curves at me."

I was pushed into a meeting chair and straddled by a warm body. "She is testing you. Has been all along. Thinks it is a grandmother's duty."

I loved the close contact and groaned, "How can I be mad and makeout with you at the same time?"

The woman who said wiggles should be outlawed took one of her patented armlocks, "I do love you, and they say it will conquer all!"

I stood and tossed as high as I could, shouting "When we marry, you'd better not be giggling!"

In the silence that followed, with her caught in my arms, we first heard the thump, thump of the big transport helo in the distance. I saw that Chelsea was in the front lot of the motel, which had been cleared, lighting a smoke bomb to guide them in.

Twenty bodies in uniform hopped out and began unloading equipment. One of them came up to Talia and me. "We are the advance guard. Need to set up comm and defense equipment. Anna will be about an hour after we give an all clear."

As usual, Anna's helpers were competent and organized. The two professors had taken charge of the kitchen and had coffee, pastries and other goodies arranged on a long table out of the sun. The work went smoothly and the all clear signal went to Anna's location in less than an hour. The transport helo had left as soon as it was unloaded to provide room for others to land and to reduce the chances of our activity being noticed.

Talia and I stayed out of the way but ready to help. A little voice said that I was to be direct in my remarks. "Tell them the truth," it said. "You've been training for months under her direction. What she and Rolf have decided to do is important and risky at the same time. You are honored to be involved and very aware of the help you will need from people in the room and others not here.

Talia's head touched mine, "Yes, that is exactly what you should say."

I closed my eyes and groaned. "You promised not to do that."

"This is a special day. On special days, we bend the rules a bit."

A thought crossed my mind. "You know what is going on."

"I have my own information channels. You knew that when we agreed to be partners."

I laughed grimly, "Please don't remind me too often of your superior intellect and talents."

Her hand moved toward my crotch. "You can be punished for being a wiseass."

My anxiety level dropped. I had an outline of a script in my head. I had a girlfriend in my head telling me it was a good script. That would have to do.

Over the next ninety minutes, five different tactical helos arrived with Anna and her senior staff. The machines were carefully moved under vegetation but positioned for quick departure if necessary. Anna and Karen and a guard remained in the open area and shortly a final helo with different markings appeared. After it landed, a tall man and his assistant emerged and the helo left.

Talia poked me, "It's him, go say hello."

It was an important moment in my life, but felt very strange. Over the years, Karen had brushed aside all my questions about my father. "Someday, I will tell you about it," was all she would say. Now, suddenly, there was this person standing a few yards away who was my father.

Feeling strange, I walked forward, hand extended. He smiled and said, "I'm Rolf, and very happy to meet you, Jeremy. I wasn't sure this would ever happen." The handshake was warm.

We didn't hug. Somehow, that didn't seem right. Before I could say anything, Anna spoke, "Jeremy, if it is agreeable, Rolf and I would like you and Talia to spend two or three days with us to get acquainted. There will be other things to discuss, which you will hear about in the meeting we are about to have. I wish you could have been involved in my plans sooner. For that, I apologize."

Those few cryptic words were all my mother had to say to me. She was in Commander mode, and I was the subordinate getting his orders. True to form, I thought irritably. But nodded assent, as I needed to.

Talia gestured and I realized we were holding up the meeting. Rolf and Anna walked side by side to Karen, who led the way with a sympathetic glance at me. Talia joined my side with a muttered, "Behave!"

The next hour was a series of continual surprises, through which I maintained a loyal soldier attitude, doing my best to appear impassive. There was no good to come of showing either surprise or anger in front of this group, who were also hearing many new things.

Anna began with her biggest bombshell, "For the first time, I am able to tell you that Jeremy is the result of a romance which Rolf and I had when we were in school together years ago. At that time, family circumstances made it impossible for us to wed or for me to become a single parent.

"The purpose of this meeting is to acknowledge my true relationship to Jeremy and announce a series of changes in our leadership arrangements. Some of you are aware that Rolf Karlsson is the leader of the Basin and Range branch of our family, but others are not. Since rogue members of his group began causing trouble, he and I have had several conversations privately about how to restore order without bloodshed. Unfortunately, three young men made an unprovoked attack on this site a few weeks ago while Jeremy and others were here. They died when my people defended themselves.

"It has apparent to Rolf and me that firm steps needed to be taken and a consultative process was begun on both sides. More details on the new structure will be available shortly, but the outline includes both carrot and stick, if you will. Commencing immediately, a top level working group composed of senior members from both sides is created. Jeremy is appointed to chair the group, reporting directly to Rolf and myself. Names will be announced within a week.

"The charge to the Working Group is twofold. First, both sides will reemphasize that violence serves no purpose and endangers our relationship with the normal world. Specific penalties for prohibited behavior will be adopted and publicized.

"Second, the Working Group will conduct research into the extent of inequitable distribution of resources within our two groups, and will recommend steps to correct those inequities for review and adoption by our leadership Councils. Jeremy will be responsible for developing a timely action plan to implement the Working Group's charge.

"It seems obvious, but let me make clear that I am not announcing a bureaucratic exercise. Jeremy, at his youthful age, is already known for getting things done, and I expect he will perform to a high standard in this challenging assignment."

She paused and let silence fill the room. Speaking softly, she went on, "I have spent the past several months harassing the devil out of him and being very mysterious about it. He is undoubtedly sitting there now complaining to himself about Anna's latest punishment. Let's give him a round of applause and an opportunity to express his irritation!"

Suddenly, everyone was standing and applauding. As I suspected, she had put me on the spot again. Karen and Talia were giving me the look that said, "this is your moment, do not mess up!"