Chapter 11
When they all awoke the next day, the sun was high in the sky, beating down on the Van with hellish determination, and the whole group of passengers awoke to a hot and clammy environment. It wasn't long before they all sat in a line beside the Van, using its huge metallic bulk to provide ample shade from the sun. They sat there in the relaxing and warm weather, the clearness of the afternoon and the brightness of the sun making their conversation of the evil experiments they had discovered seem more like the debate of a few science fiction fans debating over their favourite show. The group was beginning to get to know each other, and their work and debates unified them, whilst Robert was a little left out. He often got up and away from their debates, and took to maintaining the Van, inside as well as out, often thankful for the untidiness of his companions. They spent a rather jovial afternoon discussing their theories, in spite of the deep gravity of their topics. They chose to move along again once the sun had traveled far enough past its peak to permit their presence in the full sun, by around five pm. The wonderful weather had gone a great way to improving all their spirits, and they began to feel as if it were just a normal day.
"So, Dean, what's the plan now? Aren't we going to meet some family of yours?"
"Well, not technically. It was my father's second wife, our stepmother. She is younger than you might think, and her children are great fun, I cant wait to see them again."
"Have you considered the sense of this? We need to discuss things and we will likely need to keep moving. I don't think that going to your step-mother's house to stay will be a good idea."
"We cant just leave them there, they'll be scared."
"That's not what i mean, i meant that we cannot stay there."
"I see. Then what?"
"They are very dear to you, and to Robert. I suggest we plan to stop in, refuel and resupply, and move on again with your family in tow."
"And then what?"
"Then, we figure out just how big a pile of shit we have to deal with."
Dean smiled, "Ok, that works. But there is something else that i would like to point out, Patricia is a gentle simple woman, and her children are both young girls, none of them should be allowed to hear the particulars of the research. I can't begin to imagine the nightmares that rat could cause."
"Ok, That's good, i think we will just keep to discussing inside the Van, with doors locked? Also, can Patricia drive?"
"Yes, she has a land rover, she lives on a farm."
"Excellent. Then we can have the Van for discussions, without leaving Patricia and the little ladies outside."
"Good."
Theodore, Mark, Dean, and Robert then embarked the Van, and began to drive the last few miles to the house of Patricia and her girls. It took a fairly short time to arrive at the house, and the sun was still high, altho now beginning its downwards curve. They had driven up to the gate of the farm, and Dean had jumped out to untie the rope holding it together, and Robert drove through. Robert waited for Dean to retie and return before driving up the long dirt path to the house. In the dry weather the huge vehicle threw up a cloud of dust behind it, which overtook it as it squeaked to a stop, the old brakes seeming to moan at the work. As soon as the doors were opened and Dean and Robert were climbing out, then two young girls had appeared through the dust cloud and thrown themselves at Robert and Dean.
At Deans waist, the young girl had thrown her arms around him, squeezing him tight in a hug that made Dean wince. She had long straight blonde hair, and a rough guess based on her height suggested an age of around eight. Meanwhile, Robert had been approached by an older girl, who must have been nearing fourteen, she had long dark hair, curly and bouncy, surrounding a very similar set of facial features to the younger girl, they shared a pair of rosy cheeks, a strong round tipped nose, and bright pretty lips, surrounding big thoughtful eyes. The younger girl's eyes betrayed a love of making fun, whilst the older girl had an intellectual hint in hers. As the taller girl approached Robert, she threw her arms around his shoulders, and then hugged him with a similar intensity to that of the smaller girl. Then, they swapped the subject of their hugs, and completed their greetings. By now the dust cloud was almost gone, and Marcus spotted a Woman stood in the doorway to the house. Average height and with a fuller figure that made her look healthy and strong, the lady held the same features of her daughters, this time with long blonde curly hair that seemed like a mix of her daughters. The older woman had many split blood vessels on her cheeks, proof of the hard life of toil that she lived on her land. She wore a simple house dress, with her hair tied back in a bandanna covered in floral print, whilst her arms were entwined across her bosom. She looked to be around 35 or so. She held a heartfelt broad smile for them, allowing her daughters to handle the greetings, she just watched, and waved when the two men caught her eye.
After the two girls had made their greetings to Dean and Robert, Dean gestured that Theodore and Marcus should leave the Van. The two girls approached them confidently, but applied very much different greetings, they each extended a hand, and very politely, said "Nice to meet you," each to Marcus, Then Theodore. The elder girl introduced herself as Laurel. The younger girl had said, "Hello, My name is Kat, But mummy calls me Katherine when i'm Naughty." This had elicited a small smile from the grownups.
After the girls had greeted everyone, they brought them inside, introducing their mother Patricia on the way, who simply gave a polite nod and a smile, and waited for everyone to enter so she could close the door behind. Bringing up the rear, Patricia called forwards, "Girls, take them into the back room, up to the table, and ill bring some foods in." Whilst she herself took the alternate route through the kitchen. She entered the dining room with a large tray filled with many things from cold meats and cheese, to salad vegetable, to home cooked bread and honey. She encountered the group of men sat around her very large table in the comfortable old dining chairs. She put this on the table, unceremoniously, and then returned to the kitchen, and as soon as she left the room the girls descended on the tray, transforming its bulky piles into a gracefully laid table, just in time for their mother to return with a tray full of drinks and cutlery. She placed this on the table, and took a seat herself, whilst her daughters repeated their placings with the new tray. As the girls finished laying the table, Patricia spoke for the first time to her new guests, "I am Patricia, this here is Laurel, my eldest," The girl said "Hi," with a smile,"And this is my youngest Kat." Kat just grinned.
Patricia reached across the table to shake their hands, and as she did, each introduced themselves simply, And then she said, "I am happy to meet you both, and as for my two boys, you are a sight for sore eyes! I am so glad to see you. Now that introductions are complete, i would like to say that you are both welcome in my home as an extension of my hospitality for Dean and Robert, my adoptive sons. Please, all, help yourself to the food laid out so wonderfully by my girls," She turned her gaze to her daughters, "Thankyou girls." She said with a smile.
"I hear there has been some commotion in the city, but for this evening i would like to allow a momentary ignorance, and simply enjoy the visit of my boys! Dig in everyone, and enjoy!"
The evening was a pleasant jovial family event it seemed, many smiles were passed around and Robert and Dean spoke of themselves, updating their stepmother on their lives in the last few months. Theodore and Marcus were not neglected however, and they had the opportunity to learn a little about their companions, and offered much in return. All the evening progressed without a single mention of the data, of the event in the city, or of anything beyond the good weather and jovial conversation.
As the evening wore on, the bright sun slowly fell from view, allowing the arrival of twilight which then slowly faded to darkness. Upon noticing this, Patricia become stern, "Come on then girls, it's time for bed!" She lit a tapered candle in an old fashioned brass candle holder for Laurel and, instructing her to make sure it was put somewhere high away from the beds, instructed her to take it up to their bedroom, and leave it burning till it went out on its own.
Amidst a few groans, the young pair went upstairs, and the sounds of running water and stomping feet continued for a few minutes, and in the meantime, Patricia spoke to the men quietly, making it clear she had been waiting for the girls to leave.
"I know there have been some worrying events in the city, and for the sake of my daughters, i must know what they mean. But also for their sake, they must not be allowed to hear any discussions or conversations about any of it. They are an intelligent pair, and i have taken care to protect them from the indoctrination of religion, and i will be damned before i allow some madman's illusionary fun to affect their beliefs or how they consider the world. So, If you cant explain it in a clear and scientific way, they are not to hear, do you understand?"
Since they had arrived it had become quite clear that Theodore quite liked Patricia, and after having seen her give this small speech, Theodore seemed entrapped.
They all agreed a myriad of affirmatives, and Marcus commented, "You are a wonderful woman, and your girls as wonderful too. You have a beautiful family." Marcus was gratified to see the woman blush her approval.
"I do the best i can, Since the boy's father died, i have been a single mother. But he left us the farm so we could live a good clean life, as the boys were both more interested in moving to the city to do their own thing. I do wish they would have returned a little more often." She gave a joking glare to Dean and Robert, and then chuckled, "But i am just glad to see you now. Unfortunately, it seems that we must discuss the recent events, and figure out what is happening."
They spent the dark hours between ten and midnight attempting to give an idea of the situation to Patricia, and altho she was shocked and a little disgusted to see the picture of the rat, it was a testament to her open mindedness that she did not respond with anything other than disapproval and understanding. They swept past the scientific details, and mostly they explained what they had found without the details. It didn't take long before Patricia was asking questions of her own, although they were not related to the science. She took a rather practical approach, and found a few new important things to point out herself.
Patricia listened to their account of the previous night. When they had finished, she spoke, "So far, there have been some rather worrying things i have noticed myself. You have told me the power went out at around nine o'clock last night, and i felt it too, the lights went off here. Now, i don't know anything about how these things work, but we are over a hundred miles from the city, and i have to assume that our power lines are not connected to the city, and yet our power has gone down as well. Also, the few times i have experienced power outages before, the phone lines have not gone out, as they are powered separately. This time the phones have gone out, and I have been unable to receive any reception on my mobile phone."
As she finished speaking, Marcus pulled out his mobile, and checked his signal, "Yes, you're right. No signal. That's odd."
"Yes, it is." Stated Patricia, "It would seem that we are possibly on the receiving end of a terrorist attack, and given that they have already shut down all our abilities for power or communication, it may well be best for us to prepare for the worst."
Everybody was listening as she said this, but nobody responded. The words had such a deep effect, naming and shaming a concern they all had had, but only Patricia had been practical enough to fully solidify the thought.
Marcus spoke first, "So we are to prepare for a long term loss of our countries administration and infrastructure?"
Patricia responded, "That is how it would seem, i hope i am being an alarmist, i hope i am wrong, but if i am not, we will benefit from having prepared ourselves before the rest of the country realises we are in a real shit storm."
Marcus and Theodore had numbered this possibility among their theories during their sessions of supposition, but they had not progressed far with the understanding of the bigger picture. They had continued in their beavering away on the data, spending too little time idle to have these bigger picture ideas materialise.
Marcus stated the fact, "Then we must plan more seriously."
They then turned their conversation to the kinds of things they might need to collect to ensure they were not left in need. They spoke of food stores, required tools, even the mention of a petrol generator sitting in the barn. Towards the end of the planning, Robert had suggested the need for weapons, in case they encountered the need to protect themselves. By the time they began to consider sleep, they had a long list of needed supplies.
At the top of the stairs sat a young girl with her arms tightly wound around her bigger sister's waist. The bigger sister had wrapped her arms around her younger sibling, and she stared with wide eyes as she listened to the adult's conversations. They stayed there until the adults had stopped talking, at which point Laurel found it was necessary to carry Kat to bed.
"So, Dean, what's the plan now? Aren't we going to meet some family of yours?"
"Well, not technically. It was my father's second wife, our stepmother. She is younger than you might think, and her children are great fun, I cant wait to see them again."
"Have you considered the sense of this? We need to discuss things and we will likely need to keep moving. I don't think that going to your step-mother's house to stay will be a good idea."
"We cant just leave them there, they'll be scared."
"That's not what i mean, i meant that we cannot stay there."
"I see. Then what?"
"They are very dear to you, and to Robert. I suggest we plan to stop in, refuel and resupply, and move on again with your family in tow."
"And then what?"
"Then, we figure out just how big a pile of shit we have to deal with."
Dean smiled, "Ok, that works. But there is something else that i would like to point out, Patricia is a gentle simple woman, and her children are both young girls, none of them should be allowed to hear the particulars of the research. I can't begin to imagine the nightmares that rat could cause."
"Ok, That's good, i think we will just keep to discussing inside the Van, with doors locked? Also, can Patricia drive?"
"Yes, she has a land rover, she lives on a farm."
"Excellent. Then we can have the Van for discussions, without leaving Patricia and the little ladies outside."
"Good."
Theodore, Mark, Dean, and Robert then embarked the Van, and began to drive the last few miles to the house of Patricia and her girls. It took a fairly short time to arrive at the house, and the sun was still high, altho now beginning its downwards curve. They had driven up to the gate of the farm, and Dean had jumped out to untie the rope holding it together, and Robert drove through. Robert waited for Dean to retie and return before driving up the long dirt path to the house. In the dry weather the huge vehicle threw up a cloud of dust behind it, which overtook it as it squeaked to a stop, the old brakes seeming to moan at the work. As soon as the doors were opened and Dean and Robert were climbing out, then two young girls had appeared through the dust cloud and thrown themselves at Robert and Dean.
At Deans waist, the young girl had thrown her arms around him, squeezing him tight in a hug that made Dean wince. She had long straight blonde hair, and a rough guess based on her height suggested an age of around eight. Meanwhile, Robert had been approached by an older girl, who must have been nearing fourteen, she had long dark hair, curly and bouncy, surrounding a very similar set of facial features to the younger girl, they shared a pair of rosy cheeks, a strong round tipped nose, and bright pretty lips, surrounding big thoughtful eyes. The younger girl's eyes betrayed a love of making fun, whilst the older girl had an intellectual hint in hers. As the taller girl approached Robert, she threw her arms around his shoulders, and then hugged him with a similar intensity to that of the smaller girl. Then, they swapped the subject of their hugs, and completed their greetings. By now the dust cloud was almost gone, and Marcus spotted a Woman stood in the doorway to the house. Average height and with a fuller figure that made her look healthy and strong, the lady held the same features of her daughters, this time with long blonde curly hair that seemed like a mix of her daughters. The older woman had many split blood vessels on her cheeks, proof of the hard life of toil that she lived on her land. She wore a simple house dress, with her hair tied back in a bandanna covered in floral print, whilst her arms were entwined across her bosom. She looked to be around 35 or so. She held a heartfelt broad smile for them, allowing her daughters to handle the greetings, she just watched, and waved when the two men caught her eye.
After the two girls had made their greetings to Dean and Robert, Dean gestured that Theodore and Marcus should leave the Van. The two girls approached them confidently, but applied very much different greetings, they each extended a hand, and very politely, said "Nice to meet you," each to Marcus, Then Theodore. The elder girl introduced herself as Laurel. The younger girl had said, "Hello, My name is Kat, But mummy calls me Katherine when i'm Naughty." This had elicited a small smile from the grownups.
After the girls had greeted everyone, they brought them inside, introducing their mother Patricia on the way, who simply gave a polite nod and a smile, and waited for everyone to enter so she could close the door behind. Bringing up the rear, Patricia called forwards, "Girls, take them into the back room, up to the table, and ill bring some foods in." Whilst she herself took the alternate route through the kitchen. She entered the dining room with a large tray filled with many things from cold meats and cheese, to salad vegetable, to home cooked bread and honey. She encountered the group of men sat around her very large table in the comfortable old dining chairs. She put this on the table, unceremoniously, and then returned to the kitchen, and as soon as she left the room the girls descended on the tray, transforming its bulky piles into a gracefully laid table, just in time for their mother to return with a tray full of drinks and cutlery. She placed this on the table, and took a seat herself, whilst her daughters repeated their placings with the new tray. As the girls finished laying the table, Patricia spoke for the first time to her new guests, "I am Patricia, this here is Laurel, my eldest," The girl said "Hi," with a smile,"And this is my youngest Kat." Kat just grinned.
Patricia reached across the table to shake their hands, and as she did, each introduced themselves simply, And then she said, "I am happy to meet you both, and as for my two boys, you are a sight for sore eyes! I am so glad to see you. Now that introductions are complete, i would like to say that you are both welcome in my home as an extension of my hospitality for Dean and Robert, my adoptive sons. Please, all, help yourself to the food laid out so wonderfully by my girls," She turned her gaze to her daughters, "Thankyou girls." She said with a smile.
"I hear there has been some commotion in the city, but for this evening i would like to allow a momentary ignorance, and simply enjoy the visit of my boys! Dig in everyone, and enjoy!"
The evening was a pleasant jovial family event it seemed, many smiles were passed around and Robert and Dean spoke of themselves, updating their stepmother on their lives in the last few months. Theodore and Marcus were not neglected however, and they had the opportunity to learn a little about their companions, and offered much in return. All the evening progressed without a single mention of the data, of the event in the city, or of anything beyond the good weather and jovial conversation.
As the evening wore on, the bright sun slowly fell from view, allowing the arrival of twilight which then slowly faded to darkness. Upon noticing this, Patricia become stern, "Come on then girls, it's time for bed!" She lit a tapered candle in an old fashioned brass candle holder for Laurel and, instructing her to make sure it was put somewhere high away from the beds, instructed her to take it up to their bedroom, and leave it burning till it went out on its own.
Amidst a few groans, the young pair went upstairs, and the sounds of running water and stomping feet continued for a few minutes, and in the meantime, Patricia spoke to the men quietly, making it clear she had been waiting for the girls to leave.
"I know there have been some worrying events in the city, and for the sake of my daughters, i must know what they mean. But also for their sake, they must not be allowed to hear any discussions or conversations about any of it. They are an intelligent pair, and i have taken care to protect them from the indoctrination of religion, and i will be damned before i allow some madman's illusionary fun to affect their beliefs or how they consider the world. So, If you cant explain it in a clear and scientific way, they are not to hear, do you understand?"
Since they had arrived it had become quite clear that Theodore quite liked Patricia, and after having seen her give this small speech, Theodore seemed entrapped.
They all agreed a myriad of affirmatives, and Marcus commented, "You are a wonderful woman, and your girls as wonderful too. You have a beautiful family." Marcus was gratified to see the woman blush her approval.
"I do the best i can, Since the boy's father died, i have been a single mother. But he left us the farm so we could live a good clean life, as the boys were both more interested in moving to the city to do their own thing. I do wish they would have returned a little more often." She gave a joking glare to Dean and Robert, and then chuckled, "But i am just glad to see you now. Unfortunately, it seems that we must discuss the recent events, and figure out what is happening."
They spent the dark hours between ten and midnight attempting to give an idea of the situation to Patricia, and altho she was shocked and a little disgusted to see the picture of the rat, it was a testament to her open mindedness that she did not respond with anything other than disapproval and understanding. They swept past the scientific details, and mostly they explained what they had found without the details. It didn't take long before Patricia was asking questions of her own, although they were not related to the science. She took a rather practical approach, and found a few new important things to point out herself.
Patricia listened to their account of the previous night. When they had finished, she spoke, "So far, there have been some rather worrying things i have noticed myself. You have told me the power went out at around nine o'clock last night, and i felt it too, the lights went off here. Now, i don't know anything about how these things work, but we are over a hundred miles from the city, and i have to assume that our power lines are not connected to the city, and yet our power has gone down as well. Also, the few times i have experienced power outages before, the phone lines have not gone out, as they are powered separately. This time the phones have gone out, and I have been unable to receive any reception on my mobile phone."
As she finished speaking, Marcus pulled out his mobile, and checked his signal, "Yes, you're right. No signal. That's odd."
"Yes, it is." Stated Patricia, "It would seem that we are possibly on the receiving end of a terrorist attack, and given that they have already shut down all our abilities for power or communication, it may well be best for us to prepare for the worst."
Everybody was listening as she said this, but nobody responded. The words had such a deep effect, naming and shaming a concern they all had had, but only Patricia had been practical enough to fully solidify the thought.
Marcus spoke first, "So we are to prepare for a long term loss of our countries administration and infrastructure?"
Patricia responded, "That is how it would seem, i hope i am being an alarmist, i hope i am wrong, but if i am not, we will benefit from having prepared ourselves before the rest of the country realises we are in a real shit storm."
Marcus and Theodore had numbered this possibility among their theories during their sessions of supposition, but they had not progressed far with the understanding of the bigger picture. They had continued in their beavering away on the data, spending too little time idle to have these bigger picture ideas materialise.
Marcus stated the fact, "Then we must plan more seriously."
They then turned their conversation to the kinds of things they might need to collect to ensure they were not left in need. They spoke of food stores, required tools, even the mention of a petrol generator sitting in the barn. Towards the end of the planning, Robert had suggested the need for weapons, in case they encountered the need to protect themselves. By the time they began to consider sleep, they had a long list of needed supplies.
At the top of the stairs sat a young girl with her arms tightly wound around her bigger sister's waist. The bigger sister had wrapped her arms around her younger sibling, and she stared with wide eyes as she listened to the adult's conversations. They stayed there until the adults had stopped talking, at which point Laurel found it was necessary to carry Kat to bed.