Jack and Jill IV
Chapter 27
They were now down to three days and Alexis and Jayne were out again. To make Kate happy they had found a different breeder. This one had black labs available but she only had three to choose from and wanted US$1,200 for each of hers. Except she only had one girl and two boys.
"She wants to know just how much space we have," Jayne translated.
"We're a certified reforestation farm and have thirty-seven acres or to her that's fifteen hectares with five adults. You already know how much dog food we have and we need to add even more now." Alexis chose another boy and a girl and paid for them.
Next up was a different pet store and they filled only half the bed of the truck this time. However on the trip home this time they made two side trips. "It's probably in Spanish so I'll stay and watch the truck. What we want is all the vacuum seal equipment they have and all the bags they have. All of it so if they have a cart, grab one," Alexis instructed.
They had more than three but Jayne only came back with three though he did have all the bags they had and that was a heck of lot of boxes.
"Where to now?" Alexis questioned since he said he had a place he wanted to go to.
Jayne glared at her. "Drive where I tell you and when we get there never talk and never leave the truck."
Somewhat taken aback, Alexis nodded. "O…kay," she replied softly.
oOo
Where they went wasn't what she was expecting. It looked old and run down and dirty and she was getting worried when everyone she saw was carrying a weapon. A big damn weapon and all of them were looking at her!
Then Jayne left her and walked away. While he was gone one of them walked right past her with one of those damn big guns. The stranger looked in and stopped at the puppies sleeping in the back. Then he stared at her.
Jayne told her not to talk so she just smiled at him and watched him walk away. "You two are damn lucky you're puppies," Alexis said to herself then clamped her mouth shut.
Finally she saw Jayne walking back; he got in and closed the door. "We need cash. How much can you get?" Jayne asked her but didn't look at her.
"Cash? We'll need a bank for that. As to how much, that depends on how much the bank actually has. I can do millions. What the bank can do will be considerably less than that," Alexis answered.
"Three hundred fifty thousand will do for now," Jayne said.
"Bank it is then." Alexis looked it up on her phone and drove off.
oOo
Alexis had to answer a series of security questions but in the end she had three hundred fifty thousand in US dollars. She gave it to Jayne and input a new location which turned out not to be far.
"Stay here, try not to kill anyone." Alexis left him, went inside and found what she was after with no trouble. She took all four boxes of condoms then got a basket and went back. She quickly picked up other necessary things like sewing products that she had spotted till her little basket was full and then paid for it all.
Alexis grinned as she watched him put his weapon away. "Just some odds and ends," she told him then drove where Jayne wanted to go since it was in her phone now.
"I know, I know." Alexis beat him to it. "Stay here and don't talk." She watched him walk away. There were still scary looking men with really big guns all over the place. Or at least that was what it felt like. Maybe it was only five or six at most but it was enough for her.
oOo
She watched as he came back. He was helping to carry a large wood box and there were two more men right behind him that held another big wood box. Both went into the bed of the truck. They all went away only to come back again with two more big wood boxes. Then they left again.
What she wanted to say was "What the heck!" But she wasn't supposed to talk so she just watched as this time he came back with one much smaller box. There was a man right behind him with an equally small box.
It all went into the bed of the truck only this time Jayne got in. "We can go home now," he said.
oOo
"Do I want to know what's in the boxes?" Alexis asked him.
"Since you disapprove of weapons the answer is no." Jayne looked at her as she drove.
"Oh, at least Storm will be happy," Alexis said with saccharine sweetness.
"He'll be less unhappy. I don't know of anything that makes him happy," Jayne muttered. Alexis couldn't help it. That was just so plain funny that she began laughing until she snorted.
oOo
They were met by Kate and Storm. Alexis got out and let Kate take the puppies out of the back. "They're so cute!" Kate was in love all over again only this time Alexis wasn't taking them away. "Your two are inside." She took her puppy and let Alexis bring the other one.
They could unload the dog food later. "This is the best that's local," Jayne informed Storm who was ready and waiting and started opening boxes.
"Claymores. Trip wire or remote. Very nice. …C4 with remote detonators. Still very nice." Storm was happy as happy got for him.
Storm opened a larger box which revealed two HK-47s with five hundred rounds of ammunition. He took one out, looked it over and tested it without ammunition. "Better."
The next box held one RPG and something special. "A drone!" Now he was actually happy. "Infrared?" He could hope.
Jayne shook his head. "Video only. 1080p, 30 frames per second. You can preprogram it to fly certain modes without input. You can even set it to do what you gesture. The only drawback to that is if someone else knows that and does their own gestures. It also has obstacle avoidance. It was the best they had."
"This is all amazing. I could wish for more but this is all good." Storm was now actually happy. "Puppies?" Storm questioned him.
"You try telling Alexis no, I dare you," Jayne said. He picked up an HK-47 and a belt of ammunition and walked toward his room.
Storm looked at the main building where everyone was. "No." He didn't mean he was saying no to her. He was saying no, he couldn't tell her no. She and his son were all the family he had so the word no wasn't possible. "Maybe they'll at least bark at strangers."
Jayne came back. They still had two large boxes to open and after opening them one might actually think Storm had a smile on his face. "Three hundred fifty grand," Jayne told him.
"For this?" Storm was thinking he got ripped off.
"Fifty grand was a guarantee that they don't try and hit us. It should work unless things get really, really bad. By then it could have been two hundred grand and they would still come."
oOo
There were two days left and today they were all out save for Storm and Rick. He was staying behind to guard the place and he was walking the site looking for places to put the claymores and skip using the trip wires as well as ideas for the C4. If one of the puppies tripped it Alexis and Kate just might actually shoot him. Rick was staying behind because it was easier on him to stay here.
Alexis parked and Kate parked next to her. "We have vacuum sealers but what we need is food that will last a long time. Everything else goes into the vacuum sealers. After this we need to find a nursery so we can put that greenhouse to use. Plants, seeds, seed potatoes, peat pots, fertilizer, everything," Jayne listed.
"Everyone grab a cart." Alexis took one and began walking. "I have the money so find me or wait for me."
oOo
It took most of the day but they had everything they might ever want. Personal items like shampoo, toothpaste, manual toothbrushes. Kate had even found the condoms, along with lots of food. It cost Alexis hundreds but she had it and then some.
Two truck beds full of plants that grew things they could eat and they were home yet again.
"Anyone have a green thumb they're not telling us about?" Alexis asked. "Or we do this by trial and error?"
Jack materialized. "Not necessarily. We may not have the experience but we do have the knowledge. You just need to do the work."
"Yes!" Kate pumped her arm in victory. Maybe this was actually going to work.
"So where are the puppies?" Alexis opened a door and out comes rushing four locked up puppies. "What did that mean man do to you?" Alexis picked her up and snuggled. She was going to give Storm a piece of her mind for this. It certainly wasn't her dad. At least it had better not have been.
oOo
Alexis had all the puppies outside so they could do their business and get used to the place. Thankfully they were small and more interested in each other and searching slowly to see where they were now.
Alexis left them just long enough to grab the big round feeding bowl and pour out a lot of dry puppy food. Then she went back outside and whistled which amazingly worked. That or their noses said FOOD!
Now all four were trying to eat all of it by eating what the other puppy had; still they each got to eat a lot. That naturally had them all tuckered out. They found a spot to lie down and sleep mostly next to each other. They were brother and sister and brother and sister after all so already knew at least one other.
"They're sleeping, let's get started on vacuum sealing. Every one grab a machine. My freezer was mostly empty and our new one is even more empty." Alexis got everyone but her dad and Storm who was missing, busy with a machine.
oOo
"I think you're our new cook, Kate," Alexis informed her.
"I knew there was something about moving here that I didn't like. I ate take out a lot. I don't have a lot of practice cooking. Where's the grill?" Kate asked since that meant Jayne and Storm could help.
"Out next to the pool under one of those thatched roofs, next to the hammock. Did you know we have a chicken coop? I saw the chickens but didn't know where they went. It's out next to the putting green. It's blue with red tile roof. I thought it was a kids playhouse but it's a chicken coop. I just don't know how many chickens we have." Alexis told her more than she probably wanted to know.
"Someone needs to feed the horses, too," Kate reminded everyone.
"I'll go," Jayne offered since it got him out of this job. Call him sexist but vacuum sealing food wasn't very manly so he left his machine to check on the two horses.
"Tomorrow is our last free day. If there's anything we're missing tomorrow is the day. After that every place will be a mess once word's out that aliens are actually attacking. For all those people who think we're lying," Alexis pointed out.
"If I wasn't involved in all this I might be one of those people. Aliens don't exist, zombies don't exist, ghosts don't exist. You name it and it doesn't exist. Now I'm not so sure," Kate commented.
"I think you're safe with the zombies at least. Maybe, hopefully." Alexis chuckled a little. "Where's Dad?"
"Outside. He's been eyeing that pool since he found it. I just hope he doesn't get any ideas and runs out of strength and drowns himself." Kate's eyes widened. "MUSCLES! We don't have any exercise equipment for him. Swimming might help if he even has a swim suit. I know I don't have one." Kate suddenly thought of more things they needed to get tomorrow.
"Neither do I and Storm and Jayne probably don't either. Guess we know what we're doing tomorrow." Alexis kept using her vacuum sealer till she ran out of food to seal. "Oh and try and find some hay and oats. After that I don't know."
They needed to fill her freezer first and then the freezer chest while trying to make sure they stocked it with various meats separated by chicken.
"Puppies!" Alexis went outside to look for them and found all four up and investigating where they lived now till Alexis came along and she had a toy. Plus she was sitting in the grass to play with them and they could reach her.
"They're so cute. Rick is still thinking about getting into the pool. Maybe tomorrow after he has a swimsuit. …POOL! We still need pool chemicals," Kate groaned. They needed so much stuff. They were sure to miss something and by then it might be too late.
Alexis threw the tennis ball and all four puppies took off after the bouncing yellow ball.
"Just pray the solar panel installer and blacksmith show up." Then Alexis got up. The puppies had caught up to the ball but no one brought it back for her to throw again.
Alexis and Kate spent the next almost two hours playing with the puppies till they moved to their water bowl and then crashed.
oOo
Kate was cooking. "Anyone seen Storm lately?" Everyone else was here and watching her cook.
"He's busy. I got him new toys to play with. He'll show up when he's done," Jayne answered.
Kate was almost done. "Has anyone thought about stripping the beds and washing the sheets? God knows we have a lot of detergent now." Kate turned off the heat of the range since she was done.
"Shit!" Alexis hadn't even thought of that. "I'll start with yours and Dad's since it's close. Anyone see a clothes line or do we use the dryer?" She saw a lot of shaking heads. "Dryer it is then. Go turn on the TV and we can see what the world is saying while we eat," Alexis called out as she went to Rick and Kate's bedroom to start stripping beds.
"Maybe we can find some line to string between trees to hang wet stuff on to dry in the wind." Alexis offers one more thing to find tomorrow.
oOo
"My space after everyone goes to bed. Don't make me come looking for you," Alexis told Jayne and kept walking. Her sheets were now dry and needed to go back on her bed.
Storm's sheets were next now that he was back.
There was some regular programming but most everyone was talking about aliens along with so-called experts predicting just what was going to happen. One Bozo suggested that man was about to become food. That was quickly shot down by others. The aliens that were coming were not a bunch of Godzillas or other monsters. These were not those kind of aliens.
"Jack, anything?" Kate asked and they watch him appear still looking like a robot.
"This planet is alive with coded and open transmissions. So far the Russians are doing as Kate asked of that one Russian. They are talking as they put as much of their fleet they can out to sea. They are also moving around a large amount of resources.
"All of their movement does have NATO, what you call nervous. However, all of it is mostly away from NATO countries. The Chinese are doing something similar but they are not coordinating with anyone. All of their combat ships which are mostly small compared to other nations, are largely concentrated in the South China Sea. There are smaller groups are going north.
"They also are dispersing a large number of forces. There is one development that might be troubling. North Korea is also mobilizing and all of their forces are going South," Jack reported.
"God, they might actually do it." Rick ran both hands down his face now that he could. "Attack South Korea during this alien attack and force the United States to respond to them and the aliens. Jae-Seong just might be stupid enough."
Storm wanted to see what Jack could do. "Jack, you say you're good with computers which I'm guessing is how you know all this."
"Correct."
"Can you hack every computer North Korea has and fry them in some manner? Make them all cease to function? That might give them pause. Most trucks and cars today also have computers in them to monitor their systems." Storm had a job for him if he could. "I don't know alter their programming maybe." It wasn't his expertise.
"Easily."
"Can we really just attack North Korea?" Alexis queried. "What if it's all defense and not an attack? He's paranoid that we will attack him and this is his defense."
"It is not," Jack assured them.
"Satellite phone," Rick mentioned. That had Kate up and running to their bedroom where they kept one of them.
oOo
They spent the next fifteen minutes explaining what Jack knew about and that it was all defense. "Jae-Seong did plan to attack once the aliens began attacking and the concentration of the United States was on the aliens.
"I'll get back to you." Elizabeth didn't have that kind of authorization. That had to come from the President.
oOo
Two hours later that same satellite phone rang. "Yes." Kate still had hold of it.
"Jack has clearance to fry every North Korean computer system he can find that has anything to do with military only. No civilian systems are to be touched. Stupid idiots!" They were trying to get themselves eliminated and for what?
"Thank you, Madam Secretary." Kate hung up on her. "You heard her, Jack. Fry 'em."
oOo
"I'm taking my two outside and to my place. I need some sleep. We need weights, pool stuff, and hay and oats tomorrow while we still can." Alexis had her list in her head.
It took Alexis thirty minutes to get the puppies to do something. In the end she carried them into her apartment and set them down next to one of their two beds and made sure they had water, food, and puppy pee pads.
Alexis was barely dressed and sitting on the edge of her bed. She really didn't want to get up and chase Jayne down. Then she heard a soft knock and in walked Jayne. She smiled, motioned him over to her, and stood up.
"Alexis, you really need to think—" He stopped talking when she placed a finger over his lips.
"Less talking." She showed him the condom still in its wrapper. "I have several boxes of these. Here, hold this one." She put it in his hand, pulled her top over her head and dropped it. Then she shimmied out of her shorts, leaving her standing there naked.
"We're doing this. A lot." She got to work on his clothes.
oOo
Alexis knew she was going to be sore in the morning, but right now she felt pretty damn good. She was still entranced by the complete difference in their skin color and was running a pale hand over his ebony chest when the puppies announced that they had figured out where she was and that they weren't where she was.
"Fine, come on up here." Alexis rolled away from an awake Jayne and lifted them up one at a time. "My bed isn't going to be big enough when you two get bigger."
However the puppies didn't want to sleep. They wanted to play and lick and since Jayne was here he was included in their play. Jayne wanted them to be just Alexis's puppies. But he wasn't made of steel and it was hard to resist those eyes, faces, puppy breath and love that didn't have any strings attached.
"Names?" Jayne asked.
"That one is George." Alexis petted him as kept trying to reach Jayne's face with his tongue while being on his chest. "And this one is Gracie. Aren't you? Your name is Gracie. Gracie, Gracie, Gracie." Alexis gave her kisses and got kissed in return.
"NAIL CLIPPERS!" Sometimes Alexis would swear she was the stupidest person on the planet. "Wait, I have those. Got them at the pet store along with stuff for them to chew on with their baby teeth." Alexis reached for something.
Alexis showed him another condom packet. "Are you ready for round three?" If she was going to be sore in the morning she wanted it to be for a damn good reason.