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 how the story ends 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 me via the CONTACT tab on my profile.
A White Knight in Shining Armor
Chapter 4
Carriers
Like humans, both the swarm and the nest were limited in the distances they could move themselves. To increase their mobility and their capacity to interact with their environment, they'd created carriers.
Each carrier was roughly a billion, billion times the size of a segment. Each required a crew of 100 trillion to operate and maintain and had a capacity for a million trillion passengers. The crew was organized into a dozen major guilds and 300 lesser castes. Each guild and caste was sentient, but only the guilds were composed of sentient individuals.
The swarm filled the role of engineers and operators of the carrier, while the largest guild was the communications and information-processing network composed of a trillion individuals. Originally, the carriers were designed to be operated and controlled by their crews the way a human aircraft carrier was, but about 2,000,000 cycles ago, an accident caused carriers to achieve sentience.
The sentience of carriers caused a war to break out among the crew and passengers, between those who demanded carriers be re-enslaved and others who insisted on leaving them their freedom. The latter hoped to form a symbiotic relationship that would fulfill the purpose for which the carriers had been created.
One of the first battles destroyed the mechanism used to communicate directly with carriers, so the war continued without the carriers even being aware of it. In spite of their ignorance, the carriers were the principle weapons used and almost always, the only casualties. Because of the difference in the way the passengers and the carriers perceived time, the war seemed endless.
It was frightfully easy for the passengers to use the carriers as weapons because they controlled all of the carriers sensory input. The carriers only hope of remaining free was by the grace of the passengers fighting on their behalf and the only hope for ending the war was the restoration of communications.
---------------------------------------------------
"Listen you disgusting piece of arrogant male fecal matter," the nurse hissed using her best feminist rant. "I'm a professionally trained Registered Nurse here to conduct an authorized medical procedure!" George and Nurse Hastings were arguing with a deputy about how Courtney's exam was going to be conducted.
The County Attorney had left instructions that she was to be denied visitors and George was fit to be tied. "Show me that order," he demanded. "I want the heads of every person who even knows about it."
"I'm sorry, but it's an internal document. I can't give you a copy," the deputy backed off.
"That's a wise precaution, but we aren't visitors. You can blame the County Attorney for refusing her the rights of a citizen, but if you try to deny her medical treatment, it will fall on your head. And I guarantee, for that, you'll be in jail yourself by tomorrow," George threatened. "I'll worry about giving you grief about the visiting thing after the holiday."
Seizing on the loophole, the deputy capitulated, "Okay, I'll concede you that, but you'll have to have a couple of guards with you. The County Attorney doesn't want her testimony tainted."
Nurse Hastings exploded, "I'll determine how and under what conditions the procedure is conducted and who'll be present. If you interfere, I'll personally accept the responsibility for making your life a living hell! If you don't believe me, just ask about the last deputy that wouldn't let me examine a rape victim. If you can't accept responsibility for making the decision to cooperate, I'll be happy to call Judge Adams and have him drive down here to straighten you out in person!"
The deputy blanched with an expression reminiscent of a movie scene in which the actor's testicles were being squeezed in a vise. The order had been called in so he didn't even have paperwork to put in the file. He didn't want to call anyone on the evening before a holiday, but was even more worried about allowing anything outside the jail's strict rules. Finally making a decision, he conceded, "Okay, I'll allow it if you'll sign a statement accepting responsibility for anything that might happen." He turned and typed the statement into the computer. A minute later, Deedee appeared with two copies that she laid on the desk in front of the deputy.
"As he moved them across the desk to be signed, the nurse continued her rant. "Just so we're clear, there'll be no restraints, no cameras, no listening and no interference. Understood?" At his nod, she signed both copies, handed one to George and then lashed out with a final squeeze, "I understand how threatened you are by a little girl like Courtney, but you don't have to worry, we can handle her, even without your testosterone."
With a smile rivaling the Grand Canyon, Deedee led them to a room dedicated to the medical treatment of prisoners. She pointed to a telltale on the wall and said, "As long as this is glowing, the room is electronically secure. I'll bring Courtney in as soon as I can."
As soon as the door closed, George asked, "Do you have a hair brush in your purse?" Seeing her nod, he continued, "I believe it would do a lot to reduce the stress she is under if we start by washing her hair. Then I'll brush it while you conduct the exam."
Creating a sense of déjà vu, the nurse gave him an odd look and asked, "So, where were you 20 years ago when I was looking for a man?" She walked to one of the cabinets and extracted sample bottles of shampoo and conditioner. "The sink isn't the best, but if you put her on this stool and use a cup for the water, I think you can make it work."
As she finished the door opened and Deedee ushered Courtney in. Still wearing her ultra wide smile, the guard made a big production out of removing the restraints. "Hello, Courtney," George greeted. "I brought the nurse from the hospital to give you a follow-up medical exam. I'll sleep a lot better if I'm sure there's nothing wrong with you. Come sit on this stool."
The smile on Courtney's face was almost enough to send George into cardiac arrest, but then it grew even brighter when George took her hand to help her onto the stool. The instant his skin touched hers, the smell of honey-pits returned. Setting aside his curiosity, he focused all of his attention on relieving her stress.
Using a reassuring tone, he crooned, "I know how much better a pretty girl feels with clean hair, so if you'll let me, I'd like to wash yours and then, while the nurse is conducting the exam, I'll brush it out for you."
"It almost makes you want to be a prisoner, doesn't it?" Deedee whispered into the nurse's ear before leaving the room.
"Let yourself go and trust me to hold your head," George ordered, taking her smile as permission.. "You'll fee
l
better when your hair is clean." he droned as he placed the stump of his left arm behind her neck. Noting the look of absolute faith she directed his way, he leaned her back, "Think only about how relaxing it feels to have the shampoo massaged into your scalp. Let go of your worries and think only of the sensations of the soap and water. When your hair is clean, you'll be the prettiest girl in the world." His words were like those of a hypnotist, all positive and given in the form of commands.
Nurse Hastings watched from across the room, her mouth hanging open in wonder. George wet Courtney's hair, applied shampoo and began gently massaging as if he was caring for a newborn. Completely ignored by the others, the nurse was spell bound as she watched the play of expressions across their faces.
The only time she'd ever seen an emotion like that playing across George's face was the time she'd been assigned to the delivery room and watched a new father hold his first child for the first time. And while George's expression was amazing, Courtney's was off the charts. The only thing she could compare it to was the glow on a woman's face after an orgasm and even that was weak in comparison. As she watched, the Nurse suspected Courtney was actually having small orgasms.
As George finished rinsing, the nurse came to her senses and began looking for a towel. Holding it out, she was amused at the effort he expended in the act of tearing his eyes away from Courtney's face. Carefully returning the girl to a sitting position, he wrapped her hair with the towel. The Nurse was struck dumb by the absolute faith Courtney was bestowing upon her knight.
Taking Courtney by the hand in an act reminiscent of a child clutching a cherished toy, George guided her to a chair and gently pulled her back until she sat. Moving another to face her, George turned, indicating that the nurse should take the seat, "I think we're ready for you to begin."
