Goblin Wives - North Pole

Goblin Wives -- North Pole Part 8

© JAKwriter aka writerJAK -- January 2024

All rights reserved. No republication without approval of the author.

Scanning for AI learning, data scrapping, and similar activities is expressly prohibited.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Investigators are trying to get in touch with representatives of ThE WurXshoPPe, where Edward Jolly and Theadore Holly were employed. It is unknown if the company is shut down for the holidays, so we are asking anyone to contact Channel 8 or the County Fire Department if they know anything about these two men or know how to reach their employer. According to Big Oil, they had a specific petrochemical blend on order and the representatives were at the refinery to verify production quality and the delivery schedule."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 6 AM update was complete. Time to rest for a bit then prepare for the 7 AM status briefing from the Incident Commander, the County Fire Chief. Up for over twenty-six hours, Brittany was dragging. Twenty minutes of shut eye, a quick fix to her makeup, smoothing out the wrinkles in her outfit and she was ready to go. She let Jimmy get a few extra minutes of sleep before waking him.

The 7 AM briefing went quickly. The fire was contained and had not escaped the refinery boundary but was still burning uncontrolled within the refinery. Current concerns were focused on the oil storage tanks. During the briefing, one failed and a fireball lit the morning sky, the concussion wave rolling over the briefing area, once again tripping car alarms and stopping the briefing for a time. Once it resumed, the only information related to the number of crews, specific efforts to keep the other tanks from rupturing, and safety information for the general public.

After the briefing was over, a couple of interns from the station were waiting by the news van. Brittany and Jimmy were happy to see them and the coffee the two had brought along with some breakfast sandwiches. As they ate, Brittany gave Felicia and Armond a task to find out who Jolly and Holly were and anything and everything they could find out about ThE WurXshoPPe. The two dashed off with their assignment, Jimmy went to check his gear, and Brittany tried to reach Luci, Gloria, or Katy. She was dismayed that none of them were answering their phones.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jacob Small was ecstatic! Twenty hours after the start of the fire, Brittany and Channel 8 news were still getting 85% of the viewers any time she got on the air. Even with her off and others providing background information or other news and programming, they were still keeping almost a 50% share.

With all the positive coverage of Brittany and the Station, he was getting calls left and right from people trying to tap into their success. The calls were coming in so frequently that three people were screening them for him, letting only the critical and important ones through. One of those was from the station owner. He was letting Jacob know that there were feelers out to buy out Brittany's contract and at least one rumor that another station wanted to buy out his.

Damn! He knew this fire was going to be good!

A quick look at one of the screens in his office showed Brittany giving more background information about the fire and the crews fighting it. When this was all over, he really wanted to fuck that cold hearted bitch and hear her scream as he made her cum.

A ping on his phone indicated a message. It was from Brittany. She'd retasked the interns, so they wouldn't be back until much later. Didn't say why, other than she needed them to investigate a few things for her. So far, everything she did was gold, so he turned back to other matters and promptly forgot about them.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Smolder was not happy. She was in her humanoid form wearing clothes she didn't like and driving a sports car she didn't like. Didn't like the model. Didn't like the color. Didn't like the feel of the car. Fucking hated that it was an automatic transmission and not manual.

Carefully pulling up, she stopped a hundred feet or so from the news vans at the refinery fire. Getting out of the car, she scanned the vans, finding Channel 8 front and center with all the other vans around it like courtiers around the Queen. Stretching first, Smolder then slowly walked towards where she expected Brittany to be.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jimmy poked Brittany, flicking his head towards the advancing woman. Brittany took one look and wanted absolutely nothing to do with her. Something in her gut told her this woman was bad news. A quick assessment was that she was tall, dark, and fucking hotter than the damned refinery fire and probably more dangerous.

Jimmy noted Brittany's reaction and concurred. The woman was too hot, too confident, and very much out of place. He'd keep quiet and, on the sidelines, but would back Brittany if she needed help.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Smolder walked up to Brittany and extended her hand, "Hello Ms. Williams, I'm Samantha Nolan."

Brittany took her hand and shook, both women subconsciously reacting to the other.

"Pleased to meet you, Samantha." Pointing to Jimmy, "this is my camera operator, James Conlan."

"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Conlan," Smolder said while extending her hand to Jimmy.

The two shook hands, with Samantha having no reaction, but Jimmy feeling like he'd need to wash his hand later. He wasn't sure why other than it felt like something icky had been left in it.

"Ms. Williams, I'm here because my employer is very impressed with your reporting and is interested in acquiring your talents."

"Ms. Nolan, thank you for coming by to let me know about the interest. I'm not surprised, but I'm sure others may also be interested," Brittany countered, trying to see where this woman was going.

"Oh, I'm sure there are. But my employer is very motivated. I'm sure you'll get an offer you cannot refuse once you stop in-person coverage of the fire."

Brittany didn't like how that came out. She was wondering if this woman had anything to do with her not being able to reach Luci, Gloria, or Katy. Yesterday, she had gotten periodic texts all through the day and into the evening, then nothing. Was this bitch tied in with Nick?

"I'll be sure to review any and all offers. Is there anything else Ms. Nolan?"

"No, Ms. Williams. Thank you for your time."

Smolder walked off, back to her car. Brittany and Jimmy watched as she got in and left.

"Brittany, that is one fucking arrogant bitch. I don't like her. I don't like her at all. Besides, I'll bet you a coffee she wasn't wearing anything under that dress. And why the fuck did she just show for a few minutes then bail out?"

"Jimmy, I think you're right about both. She definitely was commando and something about her is off. I don't know what, she's been telling the truth while lying her ass off. Best guess for the fly-by was to size me, possibly us, up while in the field."

The two looked at each other, shrugged, then went back to work. Brittany was up for another five minute spot.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Smolder drove off, watching the two in her rear view mirror until they were out of sight.

James was OK and as mundane as can be. Brittany, though, is something else. No one looks that good after being up for thirty hours, makeup or no makeup. Then there was her reaction to Brittany's touch. She's sure Brittany reacted similarly. But what is she? She couldn't get a read on the woman. She was sealed up tighter than a dwarven king's hoard.

As Smolder pondered her encounter with Brittany, she did a quick drive by Mrs. McGillicuddy's house. A NORTH POLE remediation crew was still working on recovering items of interest or that could be salvaged. No use having Mrs. McGillicuddy upset by losing everything. Best she has some of her belongings vs. none.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Felicia and Armond drove up to what appeared to be an abandoned chemical warehouse tied to the Jolly and Holly. On a railroad siding were five tanker cars next to the warehouse's unloading equipment. The gate was closed, but unlocked, so the two went inside the chain link fence.

Checking the tanker cars, they found them to be empty. So, they walked around the building looking for a clear window or an open door. In the back, one window wasn't completely obscured. Peaking inside the two saw absolutely nothing except for the sister equipment of that next to the tankers, equipment meant to fill another tank or vehicle.

Back in the car, Felicia checked property records. Looks like the building had been off again, on again leased for the past twenty years. There wasn't any indication of who currently was leasing, but they did have information for the owner. A quick call got a message that the company was shut down for the holidays and would reopen on January 3rd.

Looking at the clock, it was just past lunch time. They'd grab something for themselves, Brittany, and Jimmy. When dropping off the food, they'd give Brittany everything they'd discovered.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Smolder wasn't happy with the food options. She preferred live protein, not pre-killed and highly processed. The restaurant she was at was disappointing. 28-day aged beef, in other words, decayed. "Fresh" fish that had been on ice for days after it was caught, then flown halfway around the world. Free range chicken that was only free because it wasn't in a cage and hadn't ranged anywhere other than in a slightly larger feed lot.

Unfortunately, the best option was the live lobster. Unfortunate, because she couldn't get it raw, but at least it was alive in the tank and would only be dead for a few minutes before being eaten. Not too much different than if she flamed a meal. After ordering three lobsters to the waitress's amazement, Smolder sat back to enjoy her drink: a gin double, neat.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Brittany and Jimmy covered the Noon briefing. Best news of the day. Fire fighters were finally getting a handle on the refinery fire. They'd pushed back the flames from the storage tanks. Teams were starting to make their way into the refinery rather than just fighting the fire from the periphery. The Incident Commander was hopeful that by 6 PM the fire would be broken into multiple smaller fires that could be extinguished in quick order, excepting only the fire in the core of the refinery. That would likely take another day or so depending on available fuel to sustain it. The hard part would be getting water and teams around the damage. Extreme heat had caused failure of much of the steel support structures.

With the news conference complete and the post conference on air report done, Brittany and Jimmy were ready to crash in the van for a half an hour or so. Instead, Felicia and Armond showed up with food, drink, and a report of what they discovered. Brittany was impressed and asked them to follow up as best as possible and thanked them for the food.

After the interns left, Brittany again tried, with no luck, to reach Luci, Gloria, or Katy. She was worried but couldn't do anything until she was done at the fire. Both Jimmy and her were wiped out. The food helped them to nod off for a bit. Each had an alarm that woke them a short time later. Just enough time to clean up and look good for the cameras one more time.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

While drinking her third gin double, neat, Smolder reviewed her options. Getting Ms. Williams was the priority, but she also wanted to get the primaries that knew about and had seen the video of the former Santa's arrest. That would mean also acquiring Mr. Smalls, the Station Manager, and Ms. Williams camera operator, Mr. Conlan.

Yes, it would be best to get everyone back to the NORTH POLE, where they could be watched and controlled. Best not to leave any loose ends.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Looking at the ringing phone, Jacob wondered if this many calls were being put through, how many more were being screened out. Picking it up, once again He was talking to the Station Owner. After a few minutes he hung up, got up from his desk, then screamed, "YES!"

Opening his office door, he let his screeners know that a VIP was coming by later and to let her through. He also asked them to send Brittany and Jimmy in, once they returned to the Station. Back in his office, couple of quick calls got relief for Brittany and Jimmy. Brett and Carlos would replace them in a few hours.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon was quiet. The fires in the refinery were finally being extinguished one by one. A phone call from Jacob informed them that Brett Cunningham and Carlos Santiago would be replacing them after the 6 PM briefing. Jimmy was eager to hand the ball to Carlos. Megan, his fiancé, had been alone since he left yesterday morning. Brittany was torn between staying to the end or handing on-site coverage to Brett then finding out what had happened to Luci, Gloria, and Katy. Still not having any communications with any of the three was the deciding factor. Until Brett and Carlos arrived, they'd have to keep up with the half hour and on the hour updates.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was time, Smolder thought, to get this show over with. Deals had been made. It was time to let the participants know their lives were going to change. Looking at the clock, it was almost 6 PM. She'd heard Ms. Williams, and her camera operator, were going to be relieved. They'd obviously head back to the station, so that's where she'd be. Best to address Mr. Smalls first, then the other two once they arrive.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Brett and Carlos drove up in their Channel 8 News van fifteen minutes before the 6 PM briefing. Quickly getting out, they hunted down Brittany and Jimmy. The two passed along the latest fire information as the four readied themselves for the briefing.

Little new news. Due to conditions in the refinery and the general success of the fire fighters, some crews were being rotated out for rest, and others were being allowed to go home. Barring some major flare up or other significant change, briefings would be less frequent, with the next at 10 PM. Brittany did a final on-the-air farewell and introduced Brett.

"I want to thank Brittany and her camera operator, Jimmy, for excellent work. They've been on-site for over thirty straight hours. I appreciate that they are willing to let me take over for the evening while they get some well-deserved sleep."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The drive back to the station was largely uneventful. Jimmy parked the van, and they grabbed their stuff. On the way back, they'd gotten a call to meet Jacob in his office. Each took a quick trip to the bathroom. Both emerged feeling better after having a chance to wash up.

Jimmy didn't worry about Brittany taking longer. He knew she'd need a few extra minutes to reset. Unknown to him, Brittany bumped into Simone, who was crying softly.

"Simone, what's wrong?"

"Brittany...I'm pregnant...and I'm almost certain it's Jacob's."

"Are you sure? Could it be your husband's and not Jacob's?"

"It might, but I only had sex with Glenn once and Jacob...five times. I'm on the pill, so this shouldn't have happened."

Brittany hugged her distressed co-worker, whispering calming words as Simone's crying slowed, then ceased.

Putting her hand on Simone's abdomen, Brittany encouragingly said, "I'm sure it's Glenn's. I'm absolutely sure. Believe that it is, and it will be."

Simone was not convinced, but the reassurance helped. "Thank you, Brittany. You better go now; Jacob and some hot looking lady is in his office waiting for you and Jimmy.". Wryly continuing, "maybe you'll catch him fucking her."

Brittany hugged Simone again and wished her well as she exited the women's restroom.

"Hey Brittany! Have you heard there's a hot chick in Jacob's office. Ten bucks say's its Samantha Nolan."

"No way I'm taking that bet, Jimmy."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Smolder had miss timed her arrival. Mr. Smalls got the station owner on the phone at Ms. Nolan's request. The two informed him of his contract being purchased by Ms. Nolan's employer and that would be starting work the next day. After providing Jacob with a written copy of his amended contract, Smolder sat waiting for Ms. Williams to appear.

Jacob quickly reviewed the updated contract. It had already been preapproved by his lawyer. There were no surprises. He was being brought on to run special programming. Pay was excellent and benefits equally so. It had all the standard rules, terms, and conditions. Seeing no obvious issues, he shifted his gaze to Ms. Nolan. His evaluation was both obvious and unsubtle. He appreciated her obvious lack of under garments, imagining she would be a hot fuck.

Smolder was much less enamored with Mr. Smalls, restraining herself to NOT bite his head off. She imagined that it wouldn't taste very good because of all the crap in the man's head. Looking at her watch, she couldn't wait for Ms. Williams to show up. Just as her frustration was peaking, the office door opened.

"Hello Ms. Nolan. Hello Jacob," Brittany said in greeting.

"Hello Brittany!" the station owner said on speaker phone. "Do you have anyone with you?"

"Yes Sir! Jimmy Conlan."

"Great! I wanted to thank you for your great work over the last two days. Excellent coverage that pushed our ratings through the roof. Because of that, I hate to lose you, but Samantha's employer offered me a deal too good to pass up. I want to wish you both best of luck at your new job."

"Thank you, Sir," they both replied just as the owner was hanging up.

"Ok, Ms. Nolan, I've got six months left on my contract. When do I start and what am I doing? I've got investigations in work and stories in development. Am I going to be able continue work on and broadcast them?"

Jimmy watched as Ms. Nolan thought about her answers and Jacob cringed as Brittany appeared to be rocking the boat.

"Ms. Williams, may I call you Brittany?"

Brittany shook her head indicating no.

"Ah, well then. We want you to do Specials. Some specific programming, like a New Year's Eve Special in three days. There will be others, but I'm sure you'll be able to pursue your own projects."

"How free? Will I be able to pursue the cause of the refinery fire? Will I be able to investigate ThE WurXshoPPe, Edward Jolly, and Theadore Holly? What about other projects related to corruption in this city and the state? What restrictions will be put on me? And even if I'm allowed to do them, will my reports be broadcast or buried?"

"Ms. Williams, I'm not your employer. I'm just the one tasked with getting you on the team. My regular job has nothing to do with broadcast journalism or any type of entertainment. I'm sure they will make accommodation for you. But I also expect they have a number of projects they want you to be part of. I have no idea what they are, but be assured, they are waiting for you."