CH10
I had a request to continue this story and while i only posted up to chapter 9, i have actually competed 30 chapters. So I've decided to continue the story, and take the reviews that I'm likely to get concerning Alexis.
However since my focus is on my other story at this time, "Extra Time", this story will only be posted weekly. Then i will pick up where i left off till i finish.
Jack and Jill 2 will likely be the next story after this one, since i have an outline for what to do. It might be best if you re-read chapters one through nine.
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It was one month later and it was now early October:
The boys were still liked school and Kate was doing well in her classes at St. Johns. She had taught before although these classes were a little different.
2314 Criminal Investigation
Investigative theory; collection and preservation of evidence; sources of information; interview and interrogation; uses of forensic sciences; case and trial preparation.
2328 Police Systems and Practices
The police profession; organization of law enforcement systems; the police role; police discretion; ethics; police-community interaction; current and future issues.
The main difference between then and now was that she was getting to them early. She didn't have to get them to un-learn what they already knew so much.
Today's class was going to be a little different. She was going to run them through a chase and an arrest. She had gotten some volunteers to help her set up the background props for this over the last couple of days. She had arranged for a pair of retired officers to play the bad guy/gal. It was one thing to stand up front and tell them. Getting them to watch and be involved in it was another.
The weapons chosen were obvious fakes and couldn't even begin to hold a real round so there wasn't going to be an accident on her watch.
At the start of class Kate introduced Sgt. Kersey of the NYPD retired. He was going to play the bad guy in this scenario. And Kate called for a student volunteer to be the good guy (arresting officer). Hands went up in the air and Rob Matteson came walking down the stairs and approached them and volunteered.
Now Kate needed his partner. This time Kate selected from the hands and took Amanda Curry as Rob's partner.
Kate took these two up one isle while the bad guy went up the other isle. Kate gave the partners their weapons (neon green squirt guns, empty) and told them what they would be doing and to go when Kate told them to and not before.
Kate got back down to the front. "Bad guy ready?" …. "Good guys ready?" ….. "Bad guy, …. go!"
Sgt. Kersey started running down the aisle and was a little over half way when Kate yelled out "Rob, …. go!" And Rob started running down the aisle for all he was worth.
Sgt. Kersey had made it to the building mock up and around the corner. Rob came up to the corner and held his weapon close and peeked around the corner. Seeing no one he stepped out. At this time Sgt. Kersey stepped out with a woman held in front of him with his weapon pointed at her head.
"Drop your weapon of I will kill her." Sgt. Kersey told Rob.
Rob hesitated as he had his weapon raised and ready to fire on Kersey. He had not been expecting there to be a hostage.
It was at this time that Kate charged Rob and just as she hit him his weapon discharged with a very loud bang due to the confines of the room they were in. It was made after all to not absorb sound so that the teacher did not have to yell what they were saying.
If anyone was paying close attention they would have seen a very quick flash of a light blue light.
Kate jumped up. "No one leaves this room. If anyone leaves I will flunk them immediately. And that is after I have you arrested." Kate yells out. "Amanda, you are in charge of those doors up there. No one leaves, you hear me? NO ONE!" Kate finishes.
Next she pulls out her cell phone and dials 911 to get some help out here fast.
Kersey steps up to Kate when she gets off the phone. "Thanks, how did you know?"
"Your weapon is a neon orange squirt gun. His was a neon green squirt gun. He was no longer holding a gun of that color." Kate explains.
"I thought it was just another realistic fake gun and his was the only one. Hence what mine looked like." Hersey explains.
"No more talking. Tell the detectives what you know when they get here." Kate moves away and whistles loudly. "No one talks to each other about what they saw. You will only talk to the detectives when they arrive. Does everyone understand?" Kate yells out. "So for now everyone shut up. I hear a word out of anyone between now and then and I'll have your hide. Am I clear?"
It was hours before any of the kids got to leave. They had all missed several classes. Kate had told them that she would inform all of their other teachers why they had not shown up and allow them a chance for them to make up for anything they had missed.
It was only after everyone was gone that Kate started to worry about her job. True she had taken a number of precautions, but still a shot had been fired in her classroom. That was not going to go unnoticed.
The next day Kate got the word, she was suspended from teaching her class until a preliminary report from the police had reached their desk. She wasn't fired, yet. But they could not allow her to continue teaching without knowing if she was involved somehow or not.
Kate was disappointed but not overly surprised. So back home she went.
Rick finds her coming up the stairs very slowly with her head hung low. "What did they say?"
"I can't teach my classes until cleared by the police." Kate tells him.
"It'll be fine." Rick tells her. And wraps his arms around her holding her tight. "You didn't do anything wrong. Actually you got the guy before he hurt anyone."
"I know, but we need this job Rick. We spent too much money in the Caribbean on our last trip. We need my paycheck." Kate is worried.
"We'll sell something if we have to. But we haven't gotten there yet. You'll be fine. We will survive." Rick tries to assure her. "And my new book that I finished way early goes out for sale next month. Maybe it'll sell better than we are hoping for." Rick offers.
Kate just tries to exhale and relax with her head on Rick's chest with her hands clutching his shirt.
"You need to unwind. And I know just the place." Rick tells her.
Kate reply's into his chest. "And where is that?"
"Well since we own a Villa in the Caribbean and it has a pool and probably sunshine." Rick trails off.
Kate lifts her head to look at Rick. "You just want to get me into a bikini." Kate chastises him.
"Guilty as charged." Rick agrees.
Kate grabs his hand and leads him to the stairs. "Where are we going?" Rick asks.
"To go change before we go." Kate tells him.
"We don't have to change. We already have everything we need for a few hours already there." Rick explains as he comes to a stop.
Kate still holding his hand, starts pulling him again. "Now where are we going?" Rick would like to know.
"To the front door to open a Transmat wall." Which Kate does. "You coming Rick?" As she steps thru.
"Hold down the fort Lucile." And steps through right behind her.
It took Kate no time at all to dump her clothes on the floor and change into a swimsuit and ease herself into the Jacuzzi with the bubbles running waiting for the water to heat up. Rick soon joined her.
"Aahhhh, this is just what I needed. Now I know why I married you." Kate tells him.
"Oh really, you didn't marry me because I'm so ruggedly handsome? You didn't marry me because of my money? You didn't marry me because Alexis asked you to? But you did marry me so you could sit in a Jacuzzi at a Villa on a Caribbean island?" Rick questions.
"Yup." Kate teases.
"Well you know what else a Jacuzzi has?" Rick asks.
"No." Kate tells him. Because she can think of anything else.
"Well maybe this will help your memory." Rick suggests as he spins Kate in place and moves her so that her crotch area is directly in front of one of the Jacuzzi jets. A moment later he pulls the bottom of her bikini aside so that she is directly exposed to the jet.
An hour later a very relaxed and stated Kate is floating in the pool humming softly not paying any attention to Rick as he swims around the circular pool.
What Kate is not paying any attention to is WHAT Rick is humming. However he is humming also while her circles her. "Dun- dun, ….. Dun-dun, … Dun-dun, .. Dun-dun, .. Dun-dah." As Rick dives down and comes up under Kate and dumps her in the pool.
A sputtering Kate comes up for air only to get a laughing Rick splashing water at her. "RICK!"
A happy as a clam Kate suddenly becomes revenge Kate as she jumps up and shoves Rick down into the pool and works halfheartedly to keep him down there. And when he does come up for air Kate starts splashing him in earnest.
Rick turns his head so he can breathe and laugh at the same time and splashes her back. Soon they are both laughing and splashing. Finally Rick gets in close enough to wrap his arms around her and kisses her. At first Kate resists being kissed. She was clam and content until her husband ruined it.
However she is soon kissing him back and swimsuits are soon discarded and hands are everywhere and they don't make it out of the pool for some time.
They are picking up their clothes with their swimsuits back on and are getting ready to open a transmat wall to go home in time to get the boys out of school.
Kate moves close to Rick with her hands full of clothes. "Thanks Rick, this is just what I needed."
"Even the shark attack?" Rick questions.
Giggling, "Well that part I could have done without, but he turned out to be a pretty good shark." Kate tells him honestly. And leans in and kisses him. "Come on shark let's go home." And Kate opens a transmat wall for home.
It is now one month later and early November:
Kate was allowed to return to her teaching. Kate found out through Lucile that Sgt. Kersey had killed Rob's father in a robbery that had gone wrong and turned into a shooting. Mr. Matteson wasn't even one of her students in her class. He had spotted Kersey on campus and had followed him. He had quickly gotten his gun from where ever he had placed it and entered Kate's class.
He hadn't taken the chance that Kate would not select him so he walked right up to get chosen. Since Kersey didn't show himself in a place Matteson could assure himself of killing him, he had waited until he chased him down. It was Kate that had prevented a murder taking place on campus.
Kate not only got her job back but was complimented for her quick action by the University President. Her actions had prevented a black eye for the University.
The boys got their wish and were Pirates for Halloween. They had gone to a mall to walk the stores and receive candy from the stores in the mall that were participating in the event. Josh and Will had fun talking like pirates all day long.
Rick and Kate had to watch them so that they didn't eat all the candy in one night and end up sick.
Lucile had invited clan Douglas along with Don, Tom, Jenn and L over because she wanted to talk to them all. Rick and Kate had readily accepted her request eager to find out what she had on her mind.
Guinness and Maggie announced the arrival of their first guests. Which were Don, Jen, Tom and L. The dogs would have pestered them all the way upstairs, however, they had arrived with their own collie puppies.
Finally making it upstairs with all the dogs bouncing all over the place.
"OH, they're cute." Kate spots them, but can't get close enough to pet them thanks to her two. "What are their names?"
"Ours is Caesar." Jenn tells them.
"And ours is Zoe." Emily tells them. "We got them from the same breeder out of the same litter."
"Oh how cute. Following in Guinness and Maggie's footsteps are you?" Kate coos in their direction.
"How are Allie and Zack doing." Rick asks of the babies in Jenn and L's arms when they arrive.
"Alex is doing fine; she is starting to sleep the night thru now." Jenn mentions happy to get some sleep for a change.
"And Allie is the most quiet baby I've ever heard of. We're not sleeping thru the night yet of course but he just doesn't cry. It's beginning to freak me out." L tells them.
"Speak for yourself babe. I for one am glad he is quiet." Tom contradicts her statement.
Guinness and Maggie are too busy playing to notice the arrival of Natalie, Jim. "I see you've met the new additions to the Douglas clan." Natalie announces as they enter.
"I'm not sure why we are all here but I've got wine and beer for all of us." Rick tells them. "Just pick your poison."
No real surprise the girls all take wine while all the guys take beers. Rick is the only one to choose Guinness, not that he says anything about it.
"We decided on nothing fancy for food, so we have hot dogs and a lot of fixings along with chips." Rick tells them.
Getting that is fine from everyone he heads for the kitchen to start boiling water to put the hot dogs in. He liked them better this way than microwave.
"Lucile?" Kate calls out. "You ready to tell us why we are all here?"
Lucile shows herself. "I've finished my design of the satellite early warning system you asked for."
"Excellent!" Natalie and Jim say in unison. "What have you got for us?" Jim adds.
The image of Lucile is replaced by wire-frame exterior view of the satellite.
"The satellite utilizes the same LIDAR detection system that the XF-400 and the bomber will be using. Also most of the systems are modular in design. So that if they need replacing you slide the offending unit out and the new one in." Lucile starts.
"How is it powered?" Jim asks.
"Due to the somewhat limited technology available they will be nuclear powered." Lucile informs them.
"That is not likely to be well received." Jim tells her.
"I considered that, so the fuel used can be low grade. You will be able to utilize the spent fuel rods taken out of nuclear reactors all over the planet. The fuel will be located in this module here." And Lucile highlights the location. "This reaction is then sent thru this chamber here that will amplify it and will result in the power required for the satellite to function."
"Did you solve the real time communication that you were having a problem with?" Kate asks remembering her earlier conversation with Lucile.
"I did. Each satellite will deploy this fabric antenna. At the center of each is a laser system." Lucile starts to explain.
"I don't see how that will work. The Earth is forever moving and the satellites out near or in the asteroid belt will not be in the same rotation as Earth is." Don points out.
"True. To solve this there will also be the very same satellite system in orbit of the planet. Out in the asteroid belt there will be 36 of these units with 12 more in orbit. Each satellite will send out a laser signal indicating its location. Each of the 12 in orbit will communicate with no more than 3 of the units in the asteroid belt. Each satellite will hand off to the next one in orbit." Lucile explains.
"Like the cell phone tower comment I asked you about earlier?" Kate questions finally seeing the point.
"Correct. As each cell phone moves the next tower takes its place. And since each satellite is a combo phone and tower they all remain in communication with each other as the Earth moves." Lucile tells Kate since it was her idea.
"Can you show us the coverage these give us?" Natalie asks.
Lucile changes the projection to show the coverage of each satellite out in the asteroid belt.
"Wow, that leaves two really big holes." Tom comments when he sees it.
"Unfortunately that is correct. Due to the limits of the technology available it was unavoidable. However when you add the satellites in orbit, since they are the exact same unit, you get this." And Lucile modifies the display using Earth as the center.
"That's better but it is still a good sized gap." Tom tells her.
"If they find the hole in your outer detection you should have just enough time to get your fighters at least into orbit. This will however mean you will need to fight them at your front door instead of out in the north 40." Lucile tells him.
"And the cost?" Jim asks.
"Since the LIDAR system will already be under manufacture and the laser system is already utilized in a number of systems I estimate the cost of each unit to be around 120 to 180 million US dollars." Lucile tells him.
"That's not much more than we already spend on a single cruise missile that we sling around like popcorn whenever we please." Jim likes the cost.
"How long will the power system last?" Natalie asks.
"It is estimated to be between 30 and 50 years. Mostly because you will need to replace the power amplification module in about that time. And when you do you might as will replace the fuel module at the same time."