Message-ID: <44878asstr$1066702203@assm.asstr-mirror.org> X-Original-Message-ID: <20031021001338.70546.qmail@web20502.mail.yahoo.com> From: Lazlo Zalezac X-ASSTR-Original-Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2003 17:13:38 -0700 (PDT) Subject: {ASSM} John Carter III 02 (mf mmf ffm ff mm sci-fi) Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2003 22:10:03 -0400 Path: assm.asstr-mirror.org!not-for-mail Approved: Newsgroups: alt.sex.stories.moderated,alt.sex.stories Followup-To: alt.sex.stories.d X-Archived-At: X-Moderator-Contact: ASSTR ASSM moderation X-Story-Submission: X-Moderator-ID: gill-bates, hecate __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The New Yahoo! Shopping - with improved product search http://shopping.yahoo.com <1st attachment, "Crossroad02.txt" begin> DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. If you are offended by sexually explicit material or are under the age of 18, stop reading now. This material cannot be reproduced for commercial purposes without the consent of the author. John Carter By Lazlo Zalezak Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezak, 2003 Part 3: Robes of Acumen Chapter 2 John sat on his folding chair, occasionally sipping a glass of iced tea, watching the stars overhead. The moon wasn't out and the stars shone brighter than normal. The Milky Way stretched across the sky. As he started at the Milky Way, he wondered how many people had never seen it. Throughout the night, John watched a satellite move slowly across the sky. The dogs in town barked as a truck with a hole in the muffler rumbled through town. It had to be one of the last cars running without a Fusion Battery powering it. Of course, on moonless nights, the dogs barked at everything. Earlier, John and Ed had actually heard a coyote howl in the far off distance. It was nice to sit and contemplate the universe in all its glory. Ed returned to the parapet and sat in his chair. The two men sat quietly for a long time. John stated, "You know, I came out here to write my dissertation." Ed laughed lightly as he stated, "I remember." "So where are you going to go to write yours?" Ed answered, "I was going to stay here." John shook his head while he said, "There's too much going on here. I bet you would have been done with your research a year ago without all of the distractions around here. You need to find some place quiet to work." Ed thought about the suggestion. It was a good idea, but there was too much here that needed him. Then he realized that was John's point. John was suggesting that he take some time for himself. "I'll try to think of a place." John nodded and looked up at the sky some more. He watched as a meteorite raced across the sky. He wondered what people wished for on a falling star. He couldn't think of anything that he could wish for that he didn't already have. He turned to face Ed. "How are your personal finances?" Ed laughed and then answered, "Great. When you told me that people would pay me to work on what I truly loved, I didn't believe you. I still can't believe how much consulting work I've gotten and I haven't even completed my doctorate." "Darn it. I was hoping to give you some money for you to spend while you are writing your dissertation." "No need." "I was afraid of that. You have no idea how much work it is to give away money to responsible people." Ed studied John for a couple of minutes. He knew that John was bothered by all of the money that he had to manage. He asked, "What is your most expensive project?" John answered, "The emergency relief group. It costs five billion a year to operate." "Is it successful?" "Oh yes. We have thousands of people working for it. It has saved thousands of lives and billions of dollars." Ed asked, "Whose money does it save?" "The money saved is a little difficult to place. While everyone talks about the money saved as being insurance money, most of it is actually saved by the victims. Their insurance rates go down. When there is damage, their portion of the cost is reduced." Ed stated, "So the direct beneficiaries of your program are the people that work in it and the people that are served by it?" "Yes." John thought about that project. There were also secondary beneficiaries to it. They stored sufficient food to feed twenty thousand people for ten days in six major sections of the country. Twice a year, they replaced half of the stored food. This was high quality food, steaks, hamburgers, ribs, chicken, canned vegetables, canned fruits, and beverages of all kinds. The food being replaced was cooked and served in poverty sections of major metropolitan areas over a weekend. A whole area of the city would be cordoned off. Thousands of volunteers and working employees of the program patrolled the area providing a safe environment. Bands played and local theaters put on plays generating a festival atmosphere. Cops stood in line with punks to get food. Two festivals each year, with breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks provided, helped form real communities. Ed asked, "So what is your second most expensive charity?" John thought about it, "I guess the quick clinic program." Ed nodded, "How's it working?" "Great. We have fifty clinics in poor neighborhoods. They provide basic triage for the larger hospitals. We treat minor cuts, scrapes, colds, and other simple problems. We keep a large enough staff so that waiting times are short. We've reduced the walk-in patient load in the major hospitals by ninety percent. Since our services are free, the costs at the hospitals are reduced. The communities now have access to good health care. Everyone has won." Ed suggested, "So you provide a few essential services to anyone and the results spread far beyond those people?" John agreed, "Yes, that was the goal in setting up that one." Ed stated, "When you set up the foundation, you had selected education, arts, crisis, health, and research as the major project areas. How are they going?" John answered, "Health and crisis are great. I just told you about them. Research is developing slowly, but some progress is being made. Education isn't showing much progress though. The arts are a total loss." "So why isn't education showing much progress?" John thought about it for a while, "I guess that is because the people that need it the most appreciate it the least." "Maybe you are targeting the people in the wrong way." "What do you mean?" "Well, with education you are trying to get kids into the program that don't want it. You are targeting public school kids with afternoon programs. They have an alternative that is just as free -- television. You have a college scholarship program, but only a third of the available scholarships are actually taken. Instead, you should focus on a program that represents the only option for many people and that serves a greater need than the people involved." John thought about it for a minute. "I'm not sure how to put together a program like that." Ed asked, "How about the Indian Program that you started?" John smiled, "It is a success. William Redman's idea of starting a free college for people of Native American descent with social programs aimed at improving conditions for their people was very good. The fact that it is a five-year degree with courses on Native American culture, history, and religion is offset by its price. Where else can they get a full free education complete with living expenses covered?" Ed smiled, "So start your own university for Druids. You're the Grand Druid and, as such, you can establish legitimacy for the Druid component. Same criteria except require that all graduates be willing to present themselves to the Gods and Goddesses." John thought about it for a minute, "We also need to make sure that they have a proper mindset before we admit them. It's not a bad idea, though. I'll have to work out some of the details." Ed smiled. He knew his husband would have no problem. John would think it through and one day soon there would be a new university. He would identify the level of funding necessary and then set it up over funded. The two men turned their attention back to the stars overhead. The satellite was just about to disappear below the horizon. Their quiet time was interrupted by the arrival of Bill. "Gentlemen, I have a request." John turned to face Bill. He was suddenly concerned for the man. The staff very seldom made requests. The only time that they did was when something was seriously wrong. "What do you need?" "I need some time off." Ed turned to Bill with concern. It was a real need; his truth sense confirmed it. He requested, "If I may ask, what is the problem?" Bill's voice cracked, "I'd rather not burden you with it." Ed realized that his statement was both true and false. Bill wanted to talk to someone, but he didn't feel it was right to impose on his bosses with a personal problem. "I know you feel uncomfortable about bringing personal problems to us, but often times it is nice to talk about them. We hope that you are comfortable enough here with us to honor us by sharing your problems. We can often help." Bill considered Ed's statement. He wondered if he truly meant they would be honored by him just by telling about his problem. He stated, "My mother has cancer. She's been the sole caretaker of my father. He has Alzheimer's. I need to take care of them." John listened carefully. The mother's problem could be handled easily enough with their clinic here. The father was another matter. That disease would get progressively worse and could last for years. He asked, "What are your long term plans for your father?" Bill stated, "I have no idea. I guess I'll have to put him in a home of some kind." "Why don't you open a home?" "What do you mean?" "I mean that you could open a home yourself. Your father could be a patient while you run it." Bill heard John's suggestion. There were so many impediments to it. He didn't know the first thing about opening a private care facility. He had significant investments that could be used towards establishing such a business. His room and board had been provided ever since he started working here. He saved the majority of his very high salary. Still, he wasn't sure that he could deal with the responsibilities associated with a private care facility. "I don't know if I can do that." "I'll tell you what we can do. You bring your parents here. We'll put your mother in the clinic here at the house. You move into my old house with your father. We'll get a couple of fulltime assistants to help you with him. You'll be able to leave the house and stay with your mother as much as you want. In the meantime, we'll hire a consultant to tell us exactly what needs to be done to start a full care facility." Bill thought about it. He liked the idea, but he wanted to talk to his mother first and find out how she would like it. He stated, "I'll have to talk to my mother. However, I'm pretty sure she'll want to stay there." John stated, "Okay. You go there and talk to her. Then let us know what she's decided. If she wants to stay there, then we adjust the plans. We can have several full-time nurses brought in to take care of her and your father. We can set up the whole house to be clinic and get your mother the best care possible." The offer really touched Bill quite deeply. As his voice quivered with emotion he asked, "Why are you doing this for me?" John thought about how to answer the question. The offer came to his mind before he even considered whether he should do it or not. He replied, "I care about you and you've been a member of this family since it started. I'm doing this because you can use the help to get through these trying times. However, it is also the right thing to do. You are not alone in having this problem. By helping you, I'm helping others as well." Bill was too choked up to answer. His eyes misted. John stood up and embraced him. As John held him tightly, Bill broke down and cried. John held him until he regained his composure. John stated, "Now, go pack your things. I'll get a jet here to take you to your parents in Florida. You'll be there by the morning." Bill stepped back, "What about my duties?" John laughed, "We'll ask Jim to provide us with one of his assistants. If there is anything important they need to know, I'm sure that you'll call them and let them know." "Thank you." Ed watched Bill walk away. He knew that Bill was going to have a rough couple of days getting things in hand. He turned to John and stated, "I'll follow him there tomorrow afternoon. He'll need someone to interview the staff." John asked, "Why not go with him tonight?" Ed knew that John was going to have a rough day tomorrow as well. He stated, "You'll need me to interview people tomorrow. You know that he won't be coming back. He's going to do what you suggested." John nodded, "Okay. Check out the temporary person tomorrow. Fly there and take care of Bill. When you get back, we'll start the search for a fulltime replacement. For now, we'll consider the person to be an assistant for him until he formally makes a decision." Ed nodded, "Good. We may want to look for another person to be a fulltime housekeeper. Ling is pulling triple duty by handling security, assistant cook, and house cleaning. If Bill does not come back, we can still get another assistant." John thought about it. "There's another reason you want to get two more, possibly three." "Can't pull the wool over your eyes." "Darn right. Now tell me the other reason." Ed laughed, "Since you won't let me weasel out of telling you, I'll put it simply. I think we need to retain a gender balance." John nodded as he concurred, "I didn't think of that, but you are right." Ed suggested, "Do you think that we should let the staff interview candidates before the candidates talk to us?" "You need to talk to them first. We don't want the staff to get excited about someone only to have you discover that the person is a pathological liar or something." "Right. I'll brief them on the job responsibilities and get a sense of them first." John stated, "Good. Let me call a jet to take him from Phoenix to Miami. I'll make arrangements for you as well." John stood up to leave when Kelly appeared at the door to the palisade. She stated, "Beth and I will be flying with Bill. We'll double check everything there." Ed stated, "Well, I'm not sure that is necessary at this time. I'm going down there in the afternoon to help interview people. I've got a feeling he's going to be staying there." Kelly replied, "Do you even know what questions to ask a nurse?" "No." "Well, Bill needs us now and not this afternoon. Beth and I will go with him. You come in the afternoon." She looked at them both with an expression that dared them to contradict her. Ed and John looked at each other and knew there was nothing they could say that would change her mind. Ed stated, "Okay, that's a plan." John went downstairs with Kelly. She went to her room to pack and he went to the office to make the telephone call. He called up the jet charter service that he frequently used when time was essential. It took less than a minute to arrange both jets. He went to Beth's room and knocked on the door. She answered looking harried. "Hi, I'm just packing. If you want to chat while I'm working, come on in." John entered, "Take care of Bill for us. Check out his mother and father to see if there've been any mistakes. Line up a couple of nurses to take care of both of them while you are there. When he decides what to do, let me know." Beth was frantically putting outfits into her suitcase. She shot a glance over at him that suggested he was stating the obvious. He added, "He's going to need some tender loving care for a while." Beth smiled at John, "Don't worry, we won't make him look too far afield for it." John laughed, "Well, don't wear him out. He's going to need some energy to deal with the situation there." John drove them all to the airport in the large van. He drove up to the building occupied by the private charter company. A small squadron of people came bustling out to get their luggage. In ten minutes, they were seated aboard the small jet. As John waited for it to take off, he turned to the man in charge, asking, "Could you make sure they are met by a limousine when they arrive?" "Of course, Dr. Carter. Is there anything else that I can do for you?" John thought for a moment before asking, "Yes, can you arrange for two bouquets of flowers to be there when they land? Let them know that one is for Bob to give to his mother and the other is from the Carter clan." "I'll get right on it." "Thank you. Ed will be flying down there this afternoon. I hope that won't be a problem." "No problem. The jet is already on its way here." "Great." John left the airport, taking the most direct route home. It was going to be very late before he arrived home. John woke in the morning, dressed, and performed his normal morning ritual. He went to the kitchen in search of breakfast. Marguerite was at the table reading a recipe book. He got out a bowl, milk, and a box of cereal. He joined her at the table. "Good morning." She glanced up at him and then down at his breakfast. She snorted, "Garbage. All you eat is garbage." He laughed, as he answered, "I didn't want to disturb you." She glared at him, stating, "my job is to make sure you don't eat garbage!" He laughed as he repeated a line from a commercial. "Kids love it and parents recommend it." He fixed his bowl of cereal while Marguerite watched. She finally stated, "It's a very nice thing you are doing for Bill." "I'm just happy that I can help. How did you know?" She sighed, "I talked to Bill this morning. His mother wants to stay there where all of her friends are. He's going to stay there and open the clinic that you discussed with him. He talked to Ed, too." John nodded as he processed the information. He asked, "So how do you feel about losing Bill?" She was quiet for a while. She was going to miss Bill, he was nice and a considerate lover. She smiled, "Ed said that he was going to hire three more people. So I guess I'll have two more men and a new woman to sleep with." John had just shoveled a spoonful of cereal in his mouth. He nearly choked at her response. He had expected a more serious answer. As he struggled, she added, "We'll see if any of them can make Ling scream." "You aren't going to let me live that down, are you?" "If I remember correctly, she isn't the only one you've made scream." "Well, she's so embarrassed by that night she's never invited me back." John could understand why the shy Ling wouldn't want to embarrass herself with a repeat performance. Everyone had teased them both for a week. Marguerite looked back down at the cookbook and muttered, "Men are so stupid sometimes." John couldn't quite make out what Marguerite had said. He asked for clarification, "What did you say?" "Nothing. Just reading an ingredient out loud." "Oh," replied John. Ed came in the kitchen and grabbed a cup of coffee. He sat down next to Marguerite. He stated, "I have lined up a bunch of interviews at a temporary agency for later this morning and afternoon. I would like everyone to come there and help us select the new people." John nodded, "What about the person from Jim's office?" Ed smiled, "She's coming too." John asked, "Who is it?" "Cathy, his public relations person. He said that she already works for you, you might as well pay her directly." John laughed. That had been a long-standing joke between them and Jim. John didn't want to steal Jim's employees away from him, but Cathy was perfect. The staff already knew and liked her. The Carter clan knew and trusted her. He chuckled as he teased the cook. "Now our Marguerite here just might get a chance to sleep with her." She retorted, "Already happened. However, you are going to have to wait a year before the extended benefits package becomes available to her. Eat your heart out, boss." Ed laughed at the look on John's face. He said, "She got you." Several hours later, Ed and John were in a private room waiting to interview someone. They had been sitting there since they had arrived three hours ago and not one candidate had passed the questioning of the staff. John asked, "Do you think they are being too rough on the candidates?" Ed stated, "I don't know. They are probably taking about fifteen minutes a candidate, so they've gone through about a dozen by now." Their discussion was interrupted by a knock on the door. A young man entered the room and sat down. Ed stared at him, the man had not been in the group that he had interviewed earlier. John stated, "Hello. May I have your resume?" Ed interrupted, "Please put your resume on the table and then leave. We'll be in touch with you." John looked at Ed in surprise. The young man pulled out a resume and laid it on the table. He stated, "I'm sure that when you consider my qualifications I'll be hearing from you." Ed watched the man leave the room. He didn't realize that he had been holding his breath until it came out in a blast. He turned to John, "He's a psychopath." John looked at Ed, "What do you mean?" "I mean he's as sick as Henry Buckman. Don't touch the resume. We'll send it to your friends in the FBI and let them deal with him." The sense of revulsion that had washed over Ed slowly began to release its grip on him. John picked up the telephone and dialed Ann's telephone number. She answered on the first ring. He stated that Ed found someone that he suspected of being another serial killer. He told her they had a paper here with his fingerprints on it and requested her to send an agent over to collect it. He even added the word please to his request. John looked back at Ed. He consoled him, "We'll get him, don't worry." Ed shook his head as he stated, "I've never had such a reaction to anyone before. That guy literally glowed with evil." John stated, "Good thing you were here." Ed went to the door and looked into the room. The staff was interviewing another person. "I guess we should ask the receptionist to take a paper into them to let them know we didn't accept that guy." John took care of it. The two men went back to waiting. After thirty minutes, a FBI agent showed up and bagged the resume. He left discreetly when there was a knock on the door. John and Ed returned to the table. John stated, "Come in." A woman entered the room. She had the hair, high cheekbones, and eyes of a Native American. John and Ed looked at each other with surprise. They had expected the staff to pass on only men. Ed stated, "Please come in and have a seat." "Thank you," stated the woman as she walked to the chair and sat down. She looked up at them for a second and then set a resume on the table in front of them. "I'm Sarah Redman. I understand that you have a domestic position open." "Yes, we do." John answered. He thought about the name and wondered if she was related to William Redman. "Good, I'll take it." Ed and John looked at each other in surprise. This was a very confident young lady. John asked, "Are you related to William Redman?" She looked at John for a moment. She nodded, "Yes, he is my grandfather. How is it that you know him?" John replied, "I took a journey with him once. We have a mutual respect for each other." She raised her eyebrows in disbelief. She retorted, "My grandfather only respects one white man and that's John Carter." Ed smiled, "Allow me to introduce ourselves. I'm Ed Biggers and this is John Carter." She actually blushed when she realized with whom she was talking. She had the grace to apologize, "Oh, I'm sorry I didn't realize." "No problem," replied John. He asked, "Are you aware of our lifestyle?" "I believe that I have a good idea." Ed asked, "Would you mind telling me what you believe it encompasses?" She stated, "I know that you two are married to each other and to two women. If I got the job, then I would live in your house. Consequently, I would probably see each of you undressed, particularly in the pool area. Since I'm a nudist, you can walk around naked all day long for all I care." John asked, "Any thing else?" She shrugged, "The staff stated that they tended to swap beds quite frequently and that I would be invited to join. I like men and women. They all seemed quite nice and I don't think that would be a problem." John looked at Ed. Ed stated, "She tells the truth." John stated, "Before we hire you, I want you to talk to your grandfather and Robert White Feather. If I hear back from Robert White Feather that they both agree you can work in the house for us, we'll hire you. If they have a problem with it, we'll find you a position within the Fusion Foundation. Is that acceptable for you?" She sat back and looked at John. She stated, "Neither one of them is particularly pleased with my lifestyle. Why do you insist on their permission for me to work for you?" John smiled as he answered, "Because I respect them both. Your grandfather established the Native American College. Robert White Feather has helped us many times in the past." Sarah looked puzzled as she asked, "Grandfather did what?" "He established the Native American College. You didn't know that?" She frowned as she thought back to past discussions with her grandfather. She stated, "No wonder he looked smug when I told him that it was just another white man's project to turn us into white men." John laughed aloud as he remembered her grandfather's advice to Linda Redman to come visit him. William felt that she had much to learn from him. If he knew William, the old man would insist that she work for him. "I'm sure that he was highly amused." She stated, "I seriously doubt he'll give me permission. He wants me to go to school. He says that I need to find my Indian heritage." John smiled, "Talk to him. You might be surprised by what he says." <1st attachment end> ----- ASSM Moderation System Notice------ Notice: This post has been modified from its original format. 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