Quaranteam - Flyover Country

Dramatis Personae

Team A. Palmer

Aaron Palmer (31) -

Brown hair and beard, average height but muscular and strong, former Navy Seabee, working as the live-in caretaker of the property for reclusive billionaire businessman Henry Morgan IV

Niamh Gutierrez (29) -

Aaron's first partner, daughter of immigrant parents (Irish mother and Cuban father) with straight strawberry-blonde hair, investment banker recruited to Operation Breadbasket from Kansas City, MO

Samantha Birch (34) -

Brunette with a voluptuous figure, Hopewell native and long-time friend of Mike & Jenny Palmer, lawyer practicing in Omaha, NE

Diana "Princess" Sasaki (32) -

Muscular half-Japanese former Marine who knew Aaron when he was in the Navy, discharged after a severe ankle injury which was repaired when she underwent a regeneration while imprinting

* * * * *

Team M. Palmer

Mike Palmer (34) -

Aaron's older brother, brown hair and beard starting to go gray, tall but trending towards a potbelly, farmer who never left town

Jenny Palmer (34) -

Petite blonde, Mike's high school sweetheart who married him after they graduated from college, nurse at the local clinic

Alyssa Matthews (23) -

Long brown hair, short but lithe and athletic, recruited to Operation Breadbasket from a tourist dude ranch in Texas

August 2, 2020

Aaron crossed the expansive living room to the bar, filling their glasses with a heavy pour of bourbon and a single ice cube each. Handing one to Mike, he settled back into his seat, waiting for his brother to gather his thoughts. After a long pause, Mike snorted in frustration.

"I don't even know where to begin."

"Try starting from the beginning." Aaron ignored Mike's glare, continuing. "Why were you downtown in the first place?"

"I had to get some stuff from the hardware store to install those extra shelves in the closet that Jenny asked for." He took another sip, before remembering something important that had slipped his mind. "By the way, Ernie said that Junior wants to touch base with you about something. Wouldn't go into any details but I gave him your number to pass on. Hope that was OK?"

Aaron waved it off with a nod, waiting for Mike to continue.

"When I finished loading the stuff into my truck, I spotted Oscar Brummig heading into the Town Hall. Wouldn't have thought anything of it, even this late at night, but he was so obviously trying to be sneaky. I mean, it was like a cartoon. I half expected him to be on tiptoes and wearing a striped shirt and burglar mask as he slipped inside."

Aaron laughed at the description, imagining the bombastic and overweight Brummig trying to be stealthy.

"Once that nonsense caught my attention, I decided to stick around for a couple of minutes to see what the fuck was going on. Because something was clearly going on. Over the span of maybe ten minutes, I saw twenty or thirty more people 'sneak' into the building." Mike's dim view of the stealthiness of their neighbors was apparent. "Things eventually died down, so I decided to take a look and see what was happening inside."

"Mike Palmer, Detective Extraordinaire."

"Shut up. I snuck into the building, doing a much better job than those idiots of being sneaky, and followed the sound of voices down the hall and into that big meeting room. The doors were open, so I just strolled right in and took a seat near the back of the room. Nobody looked at me twice, they just gave me a nod and passed me one of those stupid flyers. There was some weird sad-sack dude in a rumpled suit at the front of the room chatting with Oscar and Mayor Wilson."

"Who was it?"

"Paul Poundstone, some sort of former Congressman, I guess, though I'd never heard of him before tonight. I've never seen him around here before, either. And I've met pretty much every man in town, unless... are they importing more guys as part of this whole Operation thing?"

Neither knew the answer to that question, not really having interacted with any of the military personnel apart from partner drop-offs.

"That's a question for another day," said Aaron. "What happened once the meeting got started?"

Mike took another deep drink before setting the empty glass on the table and sharing his recollections.

* * * * *

Mayor Wilson nodded to the two other men at the front of the room before stepping up to the podium.

"Quiet down now, people. I think this is probably everyone, so let's go ahead and lock those doors. Don't want those jackbooted Army thugs to bust in here and cause any more problems than they already have." He turned to gesture at the dilapidated figure beside him. "Please join me in welcoming the Honorable Mr. Paul Poundstone to our town. He's here to share with us the truth about what's really going on with this 'pandemic' that the government keeps talking about." The applause from the audience was subdued, but Mike could feel the tension suffusing the room. The stranger stepped forward, waving to acknowledge the brief applause.

"Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I'm glad to be here to help spread the truth to the people who have been most directly affected by this blatant government overreach." He paused there, coughing several times, entirely failing to cover his mouth or even turn his face away from the crowd. "Sounds like I've got a bit of that Kung Flu." He snorted derisively and his audience chuckled darkly. "Because we all know that that's all this 'pandemic' really is, don't we? Those traitors in Washington are taking advantage of a little cold to trample on the Constitution and take away our rights."

"Hell yeah," growled Oscar from his seat in the front row.

"That's right. But me, I'm not here to lie to you like those other politicians. Now, you might be asking yourselves why you should trust me to tell you the God's honest truth. After all, I was once in Congress myself, working in the belly of the beast." Encouraged by his attentive audience, he continued. "Several years ago, disgusted by the moral decay infesting our nation, I decided to run for Congress and unseat the fake conservative Representative for South Dakota. Fueled by patriotism and sustained by God, I defied the Deep State and the liberal media and won my race, but they weren't done coming after me. No they weren't."

The former Representative wagged his finger at the spellbound crowd, taking a moment to wipe a bit of sweat off his shiny dome. "As soon as I got to Washington, I started doing what God and my constituents had sent me there to do. I introduced bills to ensure that every American had several guns at home and that we would all be free to own military-grade hardware. After all, what's the point of the Second Amendment if our citizens are not prepared to form a proper militia and challenge their tyrannical liberal government?" He nodded decisively, acknowledging the cheers he got from a couple members of the audience in battered camouflage hats.

"After I started making waves, they came for me. The liberal media started publishing fake news stories about me. They claimed that I was corrupt, that I was selling my vote for kickbacks and fancy trips. As if I, a man of true moral character, would accept hundreds of thousands of dollars to interfere with criminal investigations and federal contracts. Who needs stacks of gold bars from a foreign government when they have faith, family, and freedom?"

He theatrically shook his head, feigning disbelief, before going into another coughing fit. "These socialist liars were interfering with my ability to do God's work in Congress. After consulting with my family, my priest, and the Party, I decided to step down and focus on other ways to make America great. To return us to the good old days. Working with honest and faithful men to help stop the creeping moral decline of our society. Through this great work I have continued making contacts and connections, both in Washington and throughout this great country of ours. With these connections and my own personal insight, I have learned the truth about what's really going on here. What the big brother nanny state government is really doing with this 'pandemic.' And especially what's up with this so-called vaccine."

Moving away from his past trials and tribulations and turning his attention to the present situation clearly got Poundstone riled up, his face starting to redden as he spoke more animatedly. "This so-called vaccine is nothing less than a government program to undermine the Christian ideals that are the foundation of this great nation. Think about it. Open your eyes. This so-called vaccine encourages fornication, cohabitation outside the bounds of holy matrimony, and most sinfully of all, polygamy. The Bible clearly tells us that it was Adam and Eve, not Adam, Eve, Lilith, and Jezebel!"

Pounding his fist against the podium, Poundstone continued. "And that's not all that this pandemic is being used for, people. This illegitimate sham of a President wasn't voted into office by true Americans. No, she was installed into Congress by morally bankrupt Silicon Valley elites. Now that they've snaked her into power, she's siding with those same elites over God-fearing American patriots. They've filled this so-called vaccine with microchips; using them to track us, to spy on us, and even to control us. They're trying to brainwash us! With microchips! And 5G! Are you going to stand for this?"

Members of the audience surged to their feet, shouting and stamping their feet in outrage. Mike took that opportunity to slip out of the room, leaving the ranting former Congressman and his rabid fans behind.

* * * * *

As Mike's narrative wound down, Aaron's face settled into a permanent frown. Mike patiently waited for his brother to digest the story.

"Fuck," Aaron finally said.

"Insightful commentary," said Mike.

"Fuck."

Mike couldn't restrain a dark chuckle at that.

"Fine," said Aaron. "We're fucked. Happy now?"

"Hardly. What the fuck are we going to do now?"

Aaron drained his drink, setting the glass next to his brother's, gathering his thoughts for a moment. "You're going to sit down right now and write down every single person that you saw at that meeting. And anyone you saw sneaking into Town Hall. After that, you're going to go downstairs, grab Jenny, and... uh... renew your immunity. Probably a couple times if you're not too old to handle that."

"And what will you be doing while I'm taking notes and then ruining Girls' Night?"

"First of all, you're not going to be ruining their night. The whole point of tonight is to help Jenny feel confident and comfortable with your relationship. Choosing her to... help you out when you need protection will reinforce what I'm sure that Diana is orchestrating down there."

Mike nodded thoughtfully. "You still never said what you're going to be doing."

"I'm gonna be calling the only person I know who might be able to cut through the bullshit and get us in touch with whoever is actually running things here."

Comprehension dawned on Mike's face. "Henry."

"Henry," confirmed Aaron.

"Makes sense," said Mike, rising and making a beeline for the bar.

"Top me off before you start making your list?" asked Aaron. "This is gonna be a long night."

* * * * *

August 3, 2020

Four rumpled, hungover women dragged themselves out of the basement, squinting in the bright morning light streaming through the kitchen windows.

"Good morning, ladies," greeted a remarkably chipper Jenny, pulling a fragrant pan of muffins out of the oven. "You're all looking lovely."

Aaron snorted, spraying the table with muffin crumbs from the first batch. "Yes, so lovely," he mumbled after a brief coughing fit. "You definitely don't look like roadkill. Sad, bedraggled, roadkill. Nope, not at all. A veritable pack of perfectly peppy princesses over there."

"Shut up, Aaron," moaned Sam. "It's too damn early for alliteration, especially without coffee."

"That's a positively preposterous proposition," proclaimed Aaron.

Mike had been hanging strong, wary of disrupting Jenny's unexpected good mood, but that was too much for him. His crumbs joined Aaron's all over the dining room table. Jenny glared playfully at the brothers, tossing her husband a towel to clean up.

"Ignore those idiots," she said, turning back to the women. "Can I get you guys anything to drink? Water, coffee, juice..."

Several cups of coffee and a plate full of muffins later, they all seemed more alert and energetic.

"What exactly happened last night?" asked Diana eventually.

"How drunk were you guys?" joked Aaron.

"We weren't blackout drunk, jerk. I mean why did Mike come and steal Jenny in the middle of our girls' night?"

"Well, sometimes, when a man and a woman really like each other a lot, they get together to make sweet, sweet love all night long," Aaron joked. He dodged her blind swat before returning to the real question. He locked eyes with Mike and gave a small nod, prompting him to relate his previous evening's discoveries.

"Fuck," said Niamh once Mike's tale wound down, prompting Aaron and Mike to burst out laughing and everyone else to stare at them in bafflement. The brothers waved them off, enjoying the moment of lighthearted levity. Before anyone could figure out what was going on, the now-familiar rumble of a Humvee rolling down the driveway caught everyone's attention.

As they gathered themselves, everyone noticed Jenny quietly taking Mike's hand and leading the way to the front door. Aaron gave Diana a brief hug and a lingering kiss, appreciative of whatever magic she had managed to work overnight.

"Not bad," he whispered in her ear as they joined the procession. "For a Jarhead."

Her elbow delivering swift vengeance, and connecting this time, did nothing to diminish her warm smile and satisfied swagger.

The group gathered on the front porch, pleased to see Corporal Smith's familiar face behind the wheel again. That sense of business as usual ended when the first person to exit the vehicle was under four feet tall and the second had four legs. The bolt of blonde lightning made a dash for the field adjacent to the driveway, only to be cut off by a shaggy brown and black dog and redirected back towards the vehicle.

"Thomas Edgar Hunter, get your butt back over here." A harried woman scrambled out of the Humvee, her wavy, ash brown hair blowing in the wind. "You can't run away from the car as soon as it's parked. You know better than that. What were you thinking?"

"Sorry mama," said the boy, an excited grin interfering with his attempt to appear apologetic. "The car ride was so boring. We were stuck in there forever and we didn't even get any snacks." He practically vibrated with badly restrained energy. "And look, it's just like Nana and Pop-Pop's house. Pop-Pop always lets me play in the field by the house."

The newcomer held eye contact with the boy until he settled down somewhat. "We're not at Nana and Pop-Pop's house, sweetie. This is the new place that we'll be living in for a while."

"I know, mom," said the world-weary child. "I'm not a baby like Lily."

"I'm not a baby," squeaked an indignant child's voice from the Humvee. "I'm a big girl. I'm in Pre-K. I'm going to be in kindergarten next year."

"That's right, sweetie," the woman called over her shoulder before leaning over and giving the panting dog sitting by her side some attention. "Good girl Roxy. You keep him safe. God knows he won't do it for himself." She gave the dog a few more scritches before turning back to extract a little girl in a red gingham dress from the vehicle.

She straightened and smoothed her outfit, brushing away some invisible dust. Taking the girl's hand and placing a hand on the top of the boy's head, she steered them to the front porch to greet the family.

"Mike Palmer, I presume," she said to Mike.

Mike stepped forward and shook her hand before crouching down to speak with the suddenly shy kids. "Hey guys, I'm Mike. Welcome to our house. What're your names?"

The girl ducked her face behind the woman's leg, but the boy put on a serious expression and extended his hand. "Hello Mr. Mike. I'm Tommy. This is my sister Lily and my mom."

Mike solemnly shook the boy's hand. "Thank you for the introductions, Tommy. They were very well done. Do you think you could tell me your mom's name too? Or is it a secret? Is she a spy or a superhero or maybe some kind of secret agent?"

A smile finally cracked through the boy's determined seriousness. "She's not anything like that, Mr. Mike. Her name's Denise and she's a waitress, not a spy." He giggled as his mother affectionately tousled his hair.

Mike smiled up at the woman. "Well, hello there, Denise. And hello to you too, Lily. Like I told Tommy, welcome to our home away from home." Standing, he gestured towards the crowd watching the introductions. "That's my wife Jenny, on the end. Alyssa is the brunette next to her. She's our only other partner. I guess, that is, until now." He looked at her inquisitively and she simply nodded nervously.

He turned back to point out the members of the other Team Palmer. "Over there's my brother Aaron, and his three partners Niamh, Sam, and Diana." Each of the women waved slightly as Mike named them. "Aaron's boss owns this place but he's been bunkering down out East somewhere, so he's letting us all stay here for the duration."

"That's nice of him," commented Denise hesitantly. "How long have you all been living here?"

"Aaron moved in a little over six years ago now, right after he got out of the Navy I think. Jenny and I moved in just under two months ago. We spent the first part of the pandemic lockdowns trapped in our tiny little apartment near downtown and were going stir crazy. Once it became clear that things were going to keep getting worse for the foreseeable future, he asked us to move in with him. We've been adding to the crowd for about a month. Pretty much every week since the Army first came to town. Hopefully things will slow down a little now."

Taking a deep breath and stepping forward to join her husband, Jenny pasted a smile onto her face and greeted the newly arrived family. "Why don't we show you guys around the place and figure out where you're gonna stay. I don't think anybody's thought much about young kids living in the house yet. None of us are parents, so we're all going to be relying on whatever you think is best, Denise."

Aaron scribbled a signature on the now-familiar paperwork and shook Corporal Smith's hand before dashing to catch up to the crowd entering the house. Speed proved to be unnecessary as the full group had barely made it into the house before the kids were inexorably drawn to the spiral staircase leading up to the loft.

"What's up there, Mr. Mike? Can we go up there? Is it cool up there? I bet it's cool up there." Lily's excited squeaking cracked everyone up, easing the tension in the room.

"Why don't Diana and I take you guys up there while Mr. Mike shows your mom around the rest of the house?" asked Sam, taking charge of the rambunctious children. "Is that alright with you, Denise?"

Denise agreed with a grateful smile, happy to be free to have the important and potentially fraught conversations about rooms, relationships, and sex without her children underfoot. "That would be fine. Be good for Miss Diana and Miss... Sam?"

Sam smiled and nodded before leading the bouncing kids up the staircase, trailing a bemused Diana in their wake.

Mike took the lead on giving Denise the tour, showing her the common areas and indicating Henry's wing of the house, before leading her towards the bedrooms. Standing in the seating area at the center of the eastern wing, Mike pointed towards the bedrooms at the back of the house. "I don't know how they're split up, but Aaron and his girls are in those two rooms and sharing the bathroom in between." Turning to the rooms at the front of the house, he continued. "That room's Alyssa's, and this one is me and Jenny's."