AWWW YOU GUYS! A few of you have started to break out of your shells and say hi! HIIII!
Thank you (all three) reviewers for dropping a note. I see a few hundred folks have stopped by to read, DO YOU REALIZE IF YOU ALL DROPPED A REVIEW THIS WOULD HAVE OVER 200 REVIEWS ALREADY!? Do a girl a SOLID!
AnYwAYs...onto some more stuff. Last chapter was boring; needed to write the blah-blah legitimacy reasons as to why Miri's family gets to hang around FREAKIN' ALIEN ROBOT CARS. I'm super excited. This seems semi-possible in the real world, hehehehe, I say, as I continue to entirely wing it and blow it COMPLETELY out of my tailpipe!
Nothing but warm and fuzzies for ya'll and BIIIIIIIIG loveloveloveloveloves for all of you. I'm trapped at work so drop a comment below as I go try and convince Karen over there to buy a $50,000 sports car she DOESN'T need, but someone's gotta earn the bacon right?
I apologize for grammar mistakes. I'm a lazy old fart and hate going back to correct things. WAAAY FUNNER to blame it on Megatron. xoxoxox
The intense burning in Miri's feet from having traversed the entire NEST hangar in three-inch heels only consumed three quarters of her brain as she trailed Lennox, who had not, for one breath, stopped jabbering on about the base. It was the most technologically based military arm on the globe, they were working on a special branch of the military involving frickin' space, and apparently, the food was top notch compared to other bases in the nation, which was emphasized by the beaming grin and sheer look of victory painted on the Major's face.
Despite his intense tour and relentless talking, it was very evident to Miri that Lennox was a man proud of his work, and his country. He carried himself like a man in charge, but had not hesitated to clap a few soldiers on the back, give a quick memo to a mechanic, or engage in a quick-witted exchange with Dirk. He was relatable, but in charge, and he wore the responsibility like a seasoned pro.
Obviously not missing her brother's musculature, he'd even ribbed the man about signing on at an official capacity, which had both Miri and her mother's faces twisting in horror.
Her father, however, was having the time of his life. Epps and Lennox had him walk between their pair, and he was engaged in conversation whenever Lennox wasn't touring them, his expressions as animated as his hands. An old army dog himself, his glory days were unfolding before her like a storybook. Miri couldn't help but appreciate the beaming glow that this experience produced in her father - a push in the right direction he'd needed, after a particularly rough quarter. She still felt apprehensive about throwing in with the military, but ultimately it was her father's decision.
They exited the first hangar and approached another, which in an odd way seemed bigger than the last, though Miri was beginning to desensitize herself to the sheer enormity of the buildings. She did notice, however, that this hangar wasn't marked; bare walls on the outside gave it no title, though it was identical, with another huge door at the front, big enough to house the entire wingspan of a C-130 and then some.
Stopping at the door, she rolled her ankle in an attempt to relax the muscle in her one foot as Lennox disengaged the alarm at the front door. Immediately she noticed two levels of security at this door, which hadn't been present in the first. Must be more government secrets in here, was her initial thought. However, Lennox opened the door smoothly and led them inside with an easiness that uncoiled his tenuous demeanor even more.
Immediately Miri seen him physically relax. Epps did as well, as if both soldiers were releasing a bodily exhale that set them at ease. "The shop off the back end here is primarily where we'll want you to be developing," Lennox nodded, raising a hand to point. "It's fairly stocked, but we understand if you'd be more comfortable moving your operation here, so you're more comfortable with your own tools."
August snorted, gesturing to Miri. "Why don't you tack on another couple thousand Benjamin's to factor relocation into the figure," he ribbed Dirk with an elbow to his ribs, their mother shooting them a tight-lipped frown. "What? Do you know what it would cost to relocate here, to a military facility? Plus manage the house and shop? Not to mention the cost involved in managing a business across the country," his eyes rolled to the ceiling, and Miri could almost see the numbers dancing through his brain.
Epps and Lennox both expressed looks of confusion, their foreheads now mingling with their crinkled brows in a confused bundle. "I don't understand," Lennox gestured between them. "NEST will be providing your housing, and any relocation fees you'd need...there'd be no need for going back and forth." At her mother's wide eyed expression, his face softened. "We'd actually prefer to have you as close to base as possible, in the event there is a situation."
Her mother pressed her fingertips to the bridge of her nose. "Wait, wait just one moment, Major," she stepped up to him, her face lost in a haze of uncertainty. She'd obviously glossed over the fact that the Major had even mentioned the potential for...situations, instead preferring to hone-in on the fact they'd be forced to relocate their entire lives. "You want us to move...on base?" Her breath caught as she pressed a fist to her sternum, as if forcing the words out of her chest. "A very military base?"
Lennox nodded at her, a hint of a smile at her expense playing on his mouth. "Well not exactly on base, Mrs. Otten -"
She pointed at him, sternly. "It's Wren, Major. Mrs. Otten was my mother-in-law before she was put six feet under, God bless us." She turned to glance over her shoulder at her husband, who was marking a note in the small notepad he kept in the breast pocket of his shirt. "John? Are we really going to sell the house?" Her tone dropped to a quieter, more reverent octave.
Miri was far too busy taking in the scene beyond their group to really have an opinion on the unfolding interview of living arrangements. Instead, she was entirely focused on the back half of the hangar, which was too wrapped by a high catwalk; the eastern wall again partitioning off into a corridor. She thought she spotted a garage bay off the western wall, though it was too crowded with platforms and activity to fully notice.
Instead of all that, she found herself entirely enthralled by the vehicles.
A few military-grade Hummer's and Jeeps were dotted about the base, being serviced, as well as a few side-by-side ATVS that were, she guessed, used to bus officers back and forth between buildings. While there was plenty of room to manage driving and basic turns, she couldn't imagine managing vehicles within the hangar, just because there were so many platforms. Why do they need them so elevated...?
Her entire body turned to take in the group of particular vehicles that were not so...standard issue, ignoring her initial observation. Six of them, parked in slots that were marked by tape on the ground, were - at first glance - distinctly civilian, if you considered an absolutely massive Peterbilt semi to be domestic. It sat in the hangar as if it were alone on a pedestal, overlooking the generic activity if the floor, and while not quite the same height as the platforms, it was dang near close to being the tallest thing in the room.
It's custom paint job, complete with flames racing down either side, was hardly beyond oversight. She missed the dents, scratches and insanely twisted pieces of metal adorning its overall chassis, but it hardly mattered. It may as well have stood up and screamed Look at me, I've got balls! across the entire hangar floor, because it demanded the attention of each and every nerve in her entire body.
Miri was so mesmerized she couldn't stop staring, basking in its almost regal aura. Her eyes fell to the other vehicles, all of different styles and models, parked alongside it in perfect symmetry - each with their own version of damage. A gleaming Corvette; black-as-midnight-and-nightmare-inducing Topkick, some sad and decrepit looking ice-cream truck on its last leg, an off-green, neon-yellow Hummer which had been tricked out into some type of search and rescue vehicle, and a magenta-colored motorcycle all were motionless beside it.
They seemed odd and out of place amidst the standard black of military-issued uniformity, though to say their presence wasn't appreciated would be lying. Miri was practically salivating. Years of growing up with a gear-head father and hot-rodding brothers sent a wave of adoration throughout her gut. Her fingers twitched with anticipation.
Lennox seemed to notice her shift of attention, because he slowly came to intercept her. "...and if you'll follow me, we'll show you the workspace -"
Instead of moving, she hardly felt the Major's hand at her elbow. She gestured to the vehicles, her brow drawn into a curious wiggle as she gave him her full attention, mouth parted stupidly as she tried to form a thought. He'd been anticipating her response, because his face was neutral, albeit a little annoyed that she'd noticed the lineup.
"These aren't...standard issue...?" she found the words as her family came to join her in staring across the hangar at the vehicles. Dirk's eyes almost popped out of his head at sight of Corvette, and he let out a low and appreciative whistle when his eyes found the superbike parked between it and the semi.
"Weeeedoggies look at that thing!" He whistled again, shaking his head. "I bet she flies!"
Immediately August punched his older brother in his arm. "Just stop, you country hick! Act your age. I can't believe you're four years older than me!" Dirk managed an adult eyeroll, his attention still glued to the magenta superbike, tipped on its kickstand.
At this, Miri noticed the Major roll his bottom lip inward in an attempt to stifle his humored expression. He seemed to soften a little, though Miri didn't understand why. Instead of all out laughing at the family antics, he looked back to her and shrugged a shoulder, touching her elbow gently before moving to escort her deeper into the hangar, in the direction of the vehicles.
He stopped her a few feet away from the lineup. "I'm glad you asked. While not military standard by any stretch, these are a part of what we do here at NEST," his gaze found the neutral-looking Epps, who folded his arms over his chest in silent approval. "They are quite advanced; equipped for various different combat situations." Well duh, that semi looks like it's been to hell and back!
"They're a part of our developmental processes," he shrugged, "I imagine you'll be working with them occasionally to move projects. They're mostly combated oriented, and privately owned." He considered the woman at his arm, watching to see if his statement had sunk in. "Not your everyday semi, if you get my drift." He nodded to the Peterbilt, thumbing over to it.
Miri narrowed her eyes at him, getting the gist of his statement. "Government secrets?" Her brow then rose over her eye as she turned back to the vehicles, her attention more than gauged. Her eyes didn't stop roaming over the Peterbilt, which was in desperate need of some loving attention. She gnawed the inside of her cheek when Lennox smiled at her, coyly.
He wrinkled his nose, nodded, and pinched his fingers together. "Just a bit." His snicker was somewhat masked, but evident enough.
Nodding her understanding, she heaved a sigh and rubbed the back of her neck, a sheepish blush creeping over her nose. "Well, things just got a lot more interesting." Her mother gave a sigh of exasperation, her brothers both snickering at her. At Lennox's perturbed expression, she continued. "I have a feeling things definitely won't get too boring around here, Major," she gestured to the vehicles with her head. "In my experience, boys with toys hardly ever behave." Then, she pointed her thumbs out to either side, signaling her brothers. "As you can imagine I have first-hand experience."
Miri didn't miss Epps' snort at the back of their group, or the fact that he was trying desperately to cover it up. "And what about girls with toys?" Epps retorted, his brow raised in her direction, obviously trying to get a rise out of her.
"Don't tempt me, sir," she didn't know his rank, but winked at him nonetheless. A slow smile curved onto her lips, as she felt a spark of relief ignite in her chest. At least the two men they'd met weren't entirely built out of stone.
She looked over to her father and mother, who were conversing between themselves. Her mother looked a little less apprehensive than she had before, though her dad was all smiles, complete with a lightness that made his eyes sparkle.
She fell into stride beside Lennox, ignoring the pain in her cramping toes as he glanced down at his wristwatch. "Interesting is putting it mildly," he chuckled, nodding to the far door across the hangar. "Things are rarely boring around here, Miri," she beamed proudly at his use of her name. "Now, let me show you to the work bay, and then we can talk about details." Miri nodded her understanding, lifting a foot to roll her ankle in an effort to relieve the pressure from her heels.
August came up beside her, clapping a hand on her shoulder. "Sounds like fun," he winked at his sister. "Hm?" He looked down at her feet, which were a little red, and gave her a smug look. "I told you not to wear those," he hissed into her ear teasingly.
She rolled her eyes at him and gave a light snort, creatin space between them with a jab of her elbow to his ribs. "I'm fine," was the mumble, a submissive and subtle barb at his obvious point. Miri saw a dash of sparkle light up the Major's eyes as his lips pulled tight, another effort to contain a laugh at her expense. She frowned at him, stopped, and then reached down to pluck the shoes off her feet.
Now entirely barefoot, she picked them up, carrying them by the heels. The smoothed cement was cool and soothing to her feet, but she'd be dead and buried before telling any of her male counterparts that.
Lennox had watched her, stunned to silence. He was still looking at the shoes in her hand when she moved past him, towards the door he'd mentioned earlier. "You were saying, Major? Work bay's through here, correct?" Without waiting, she caught the door a soldier had come through, propping it open with a hand as she gestured for her mother and father to pass through. When Dirk moved by her she swatted at his arm, him obviously making a comment that put a blush to her cheeks.
August huffed, murmured to himself, and stalked off past his sister, leaving Epps and Lennox to stare at each other, not entirely sure what to say. After a long pause, Epps just shook his head and chuckled, moving to the door the Otten daughter had closed.
"Well, at least she' isn't boring," he clapped a hand on Lennox's shoulder as he scanned his badge. "She'll fit in just fine."
Lennox raised a brow, heaving un uncertain sigh. "Maybe a little too well," he peeked over his shoulder at the semi, which hadn't moved since she'd spotted it. For a moment, he could've sworn he heard a sigh of relief coming from the lineup of "civilian" vehicles.
. . .
"Oh, finally!"
Wren Otten's outburst, solely born from relief, was echoed by the entire family as they were escorted out of the Hummer's. They'd been dropped off at their vehicles by the military attaché, which were still parked at the restaurant. The lot was entirely empty and the restaurant's windows dark, a clear reminder at just how late the Major had kept them at the base. It was dark, though NEST had been all but dead as they'd left.
After a tour of the work bay - which had left the three Otten men entirely slack-jawed - they'd been escorted back to their private briefing room to discuss terms. After renegotiating the numbers and going through the steadily-increasing stack of paperwork, they'd managed to strike a deal, contingent on the Joint Chief of Staff's approval and other government oversights. They'd know in two weeks if the contract was greenlit, which would start the ball rolling on relocation and the restructuring of their company's future.
In the meantime, there was work to do, which had Miri's head spinning. "I didn't think we'd ever stop signing papers," she muttered, leaning fully against her father's pickup. The back of her head collided with the vehicle's cool steel as she let it fall back, reaching up to rub the tension from the junction where her shoulder connected with her neck. The spot between her shoulders was burning from the tension. "But, we've officially conjoined ourselves with the US military, by penalty of imprisonment or death," her tone was mocking but the implication was still the same. "Congratulations to us."
Her father nodded slowly, then worked himself out of his suit jacket. Draping it over his arm, he put a hand to the small of his wife's back, helping her stand as she worked out of her own heels. She dipped to retrieve them, slinging the strap through her fingers, before turning to rummage through her purse for the truck's keys. Miri caught her father's eye and he offered her a timid smile that told her Don't worry so much, sweetheart, before he popped open the door for his wife.
She climbed inside and her father thumped the door closed, approaching Miri as he rounded the truck. Her brothers were already scrambling into August's own vehicle, leaving Miri to stand with her father. She opened the back door of the truck, set her purse inside along with her heels, and crossed her arms in front of her chest, rubbing her hands over her arms in an effort to hide the nervousness pulsing through her blood. Her dad put one hand on the open door, and wrapped his other, calloused hand around the back of her neck affectionately.
They shared a gaze for a few moments before she swallowed sharply. "Do we know what we're doing, Dad?" The question was murmured and soft, almost apprehensive. She looked away to her bare feet, which had lost their red swelling after having been freed from her heels over two hours ago. She wiggled her toes, trying to distract her brain. When her dad didn't immediately respond, she looked back up to him. "This is going to change everything," her thought was, again, quiet.
He gave her a small smile, the pad of his thumb rubbing the back of her neck gently. He released a breath, shifted his weight, and leaned against the truck's door. "I know," was the only sentiment he shared, dropping his gaze to the ground. Miri's eyes scanned the evidence of age on his face, though she still found her father an attractive man despite the crow's feet and leathered skin of his face.
She bit the inside of her cheek again, reaching up to finger a tendril of hair which had fallen from her clipped back curls. "We're not us, anymore." This brought his gaze lovingly back to her, his face falling into a reassuring expression that she so remembered from her childhood. "It isn't just M.A.D.; me you and the boys. It's us and...them. The military owns a part of us. The government."
He chuckled at the tone she'd used, her nose crinkled into a disturbed twist. "Don't think your Pa doesn't know what he's doing, Punkin," he used her favorite of his nickname's set aside for his only daughter. John Otten then used his hand at the back of her neck to nudge her foreword, lowering his head to touch his forehead to hers. Complying, both of them looked to her bare feet. "I'm thinkin' about you three, and your Ma, when I do this, Miri..." his statement drifted off as he didn't finish, content to just stand there with her.
She snorted. "You hate the government," was her pointed smarm. She wiggled her toes as if to emphasis the statement. This made him chuckle, his warm breath laced with the lingering scent of his favorite gum falling between them. It flashed her back to childhood, only for a minute.
He squeezed the back of her neck lightly. "Yeah, but these guys ain't necessarily the government, honey. They're the military. It's a different thing." She loved his simplicity, but sometimes that simple mind of her father's made no sense. She looked up at him, her brows raised with speculation. He sensed her disenchantment, and just smiled at her thinly, dropping his hand away from her. After holding her gaze, he patted her cheek lovingly. "It'll be okay, Miri. Something in my gut tells me this is right." He reached an arm around her shoulders, pulled her close, and kissed her forehead lovingly.
She nodded as she had when she was a little girl, not entirely believing him but trusting his wisdom, despite how vague and stupid it felt. "I'm just...just worried..." she hugged him back, breathing in the scent of spearmint and cologne, relaxing when the rumble of a chuckle started in his chest. He patted a strong hand against her back, the reassurance of his strength setting her frazzled blood at ease.
"Different isn't always bad, sweetheart. It's just different. We'll get through this just like everythin' else." Kissing her forehead again, he stepped back, gestured to the back of the truck with a hand, and playfully pretended to give her jaw an uppercut punch. "Now quit your worryin'," he gestured with his head to the front seat as Miri climbed into the back of the truck, "Ma's doing enough of that for all of us."
She smiled, and reached for the seatbelt. "If that ain't true," she replied, his face cracking into a smile. They shared a chortle before her father closed the door, moved to the front seat, and climbed inside the dually. With a rumble, the truck's engine started with a diesel-y roar, the headlights flicking on at her father's touch. He pulled the truck into reverse, and Miri felt her phone ding inside her blazer pocket.
Reaching for it, she found a text from Dirk which made her smile: Where we goin' for dinner?