XVIII

In the sunup, Jill and Claudia went into town for groceries, eight of us being a heavier demand on the pantry than anticipated. Lisa, Conner and I worked on the software, with Cory offering trace. Henry M. Robert offered what help he could to Jennifer as she worked on the new chip design.

Cory asked for, and got, several improvements to the display. The major sections of the brain were enclosed in blanch transparent blobs of color, each section could be rendered invisible, the actual neuron were now blue, line vessels were red, The sight of the brain was a pale gray fog, and the skull, an shell white. Every change seemed to fetch Thomas More living to the image.

"Cory,"I asked,"when we did your CAT scan yesterday, there was an odd field that seemed to snaffle your attending, what was that ?"

"Oh, I should have told you,"he said,"I got clobbered, accidentally, by a cricket bat when I was six or so. My female parent said I was in a coma for almost a hebdomad. That spot was the old indication of a minor aneurysm. Probably why I was out for a week."

Jill and Claudia got back from Ithiel Town, we all helped unload and put away food market, then took a break for lunch. Cory wondered out loud how the glance over might puzzle out on other parts of the soundbox. I was n't sure, the brain scans were"illuminated ”, for lack of a better intelligence, by the shine energy for the nerve cell, the energy that an EEG normally picked up. But neurons, or nerves were throughout the dead body, so with meliorate sensibility and better signal processing, we might be able to wait at any part of the body. I 'd interpret about a gimmick that used ultrasound to do something like that, spotting broken ivory and major blood vessels.

We worked through the day with only a few small schnoz. After dinner we split up, going to our suite. Tomorrow I 'd be able to pick up the new computer and the Anglia as well as meet the patent attorney and progress to final arrangements with the funeral menage. I 'd asked Lisa about getting the software to run on a single reckoner, she said she 'd remember about it.

Jennifer and I crawled into bed, snuggling together, content with each former, knowing we would eventually sustain sex in one signifier or another, but not in any hurry. Jill burst into the way, sobbing uncontrollably ! Jennifer and sat up in alarm. Jill threw herself onto the bed between us. Jennifer immediately hugged her, trying to calm her. I quickly joined in. We eventually got her calmed down enough to talk.

Cory had turned her pile. Last night he had plead exhaustion, and they had just slept. But tonight, he had turned down her advances because, he said, she was too young and he did n't want a rape accusation on his record. This sent Jill into another crying jag and my anger rose as it never had before.

"As soon as she settles a bit,"I told Jennifer,"go get the others to occur to the living room."

She nodded, as I stormed across the hall.

"Cory !"I yelled, pounding on the door,"Get your ass out here !"

I kept pounding until the door opened. Cory looked concerned and a little scared.

"Get downstairs ! Living room !"I snarled.

He headed downstairs while I fought for a pocket-size measure of control. Following a indorsement or two behind him. Jennifer was practically on my heals, heading for the threshold as I followed Cory into the living room.

"Sit !"I said, indicating a straight backed arm-less chair."What the hell gives you the right wing to disrespect one of my Friend ?"

He looked around, confused and unsure of himself. The respite of the mob came in at a run, glaring at Cory as the saw him. I asked Jennifer to get Jill down.

"wellspring ? Are you going to answer ?"I demanded.

"Let 's all take a breath."said Conner,"I think we may just ingest a misapprehension here."

"Fine by me."I snarled, throwing myself onto the sofa.

Jennifer came down with a red eyed Jill and sat her on the sofa between us. Conner indicated backside for everyone else. Claudia, more than the relief, looked ready to vote out someone.

"Cory, '' Conner said, obviously choosing his words with caution,"How old do you think we are ? Tell us, from oldest on down."

"well, Cory temporized,"I 'd say you and Lisa are nineteen, maybe twenty, Robert, maybe 18, I 'd approximate Saint James the Apostle, Jill, and Jennifer are around sixteen or a bit less, exceptionally bright, but underage, and I figured Claudia was Henry M. Robert 's kid sister, XII, at the most."

Conner shook his mind sadly, Robert restrained Claudia, and Jill began to cry again. Conner motioned for Lisa to stay in her seat.

"You turned down Jill 's advances because you thought she was underage ?"asked Conner gently.

"wellspring, of grade,"said Cory, defensively,"med student alive under a microscope. Any speck of misconduct can ruin a career before it even gets started."

Well, for your information,"Started Conner,"Claudia is twenty dollar bill two, doing post alumna work in political economy, Lisa and I are twenty one, Robert is twenty, Jill is nineteen, and James and Jennifer are eighteen."

Cory looked around the elbow room seeing eight disproving faces, though no yearner openly unfriendly. He looked at Claudia, studying her closely and carefully pronounced a complex Latin musical phrase, as a enquiry. Claudia nodded, adding that it was diagnosed when she was XV. He got up stepped over to Jill and knelt, gently taking her hand.

"Jill, I 'm sorry,"he said, apologetically, I did n't know."

"You could possess asked,"she said, trying to grin through her puffy face,"I could suffer shown you my identification.

Cory stood and asked all of us for pardon. Conner, Lisa, Henry M. Robert and Claudia accepted, Jill, Jennifer, and I nodded. And everybody relaxed. After a long moment, Jill walked over to Cory, sitting in his lap, after a slim moment on indecisiveness, he put his arms around her.

"When Jill gets tired of you,"Claudia said to Cory,"I 'm going to drop behind you out to my room and do my best to know you to death."

Everybody laughed but Cory, who blushed bright red.

"If you stick with us retentive enough,"Said Conner,"I dare say that one of these Clarence Day all four girls are going to aim you on at once, while us guys will cheer them on, or even articulation in here and there."

I pulled Jennifer to he base, leading her indorse upstairs, to peck up where we 'd been interrupted. Conner, Robert, Lisa, and Claudia headed back to the carriage house. Glancing back, I saw Jill kissing Cory, with his full phase of the moon cooperation. It looked like the first phase angle of his 'punishment'might happen on the living room carpet.

In the dawning, after a hurried breakfast, we were back to work. Cory worked with me, tweaking the software for ameliorate images. As a examination we wrapped the headset around his cubitus. After a few adjustments we got a dim and fuzzy image of the joint. He watched his articulatio cubiti flex in the display.

'' We 're going to be working on cleaning up the image quality. '' I said.

'' You 'd better add X-ray cat to the people who will be out of business. '' he said.

`` I wonder if a set of flat scanner home base would work better. '' I said to myself.

'' James. '' Lisa yelled from where she was tinkering with my new calculator, `` who 's your information processing system guy ? ``

I named the store, `` Why ? '' I asked.

'' Well, he did n't rip you off, '' she said, `` but he could accept done better. ``

I wrote down the address and sketched a map to the shop.

'' have him telephone me if essential. '' I said. `` It wont hurt to suppose about new equipment for the meshwork while you 're at it. ``

'' Budget ? '' she asked, while wrestling the computer to the stairs.

I had to turn back and suppose for a moment.

'' Try to keep on in under 40 thousand pounds. '' I said.

The room fell tacit. Every eye was on me. I looked back, puzzled, then I realized they did n't get it on about the faith fund.

'' I got admittance to some money. '' I said, `` inheritance stuff. ``

'' Just sustain all the receipts. '' said Jill walking toward me, `` Or we 'll never get the books straight. ``

'' I 'm pretty sure as shooting thy 're all around here somewhere. '' I said.

'' Just how much is 'some'? '' Jill asked softly, not to be overheard.

'' Uh, around eight hundred thousand, '' I whispered, `` more or less. ``

She exhaled forcefully, as if somebody had punched her in the stomach.

Early in the afternoon we stopped for a recently lunch when Lisa returned. We gathered around the kitchen table. Sandwiches and drinks appeared and disappeared. Talk about several parting of the undertaking never stopped. I supposed this could be called a working lunch. Jill ran out and returned with launch pad of paper and pens. Jennifer cleared away dishes and refilled glasses.

'' For all we 've managed to attain, '' Jill began, `` we 're running this like a luxuriously school skill task. On top of my former skills, '' she took a sec to pat Cory 's shoulder, `` I 'm a pretty just berth manager. Our marketing department, that 's Claudia, has been managing to take a leak us some money. Out plot partition, Conner and Henry M. Robert, have provided the products we 've sold so far. Research and development, James, Jennifer, and Lisa, are pushing ahead at break neck fastness. Cory is on board as a technical adviser and adviser and I, in my quarter round fingered way, try to help oneself wherever I can. I saw at least six projection downstairs that were half done and set aside for something else. We need to get organised. ``

'' You mean with habitue hr and docket and stuff ? '' said Lisa, `` I do n't think it would work with this work party. ``

'' No, it would n't. '' Jill said, '' but the dungeon is a muckle, the benches are cluttered, the equipment wiring expression like the Gordian air mile 's grandfather, and there are reference cords everywhere. With everyone working down there, the rooms get stuffy. We need wagerer ventilation. We could probably use a rise rather than have a bun in the oven things up and down those stairs. We need more than office and ignitor to score use of some of the former rooms. ``

Everyone sat there mute. I had to admit, there did n't seem to be much direction to our employment. But there never seemed to be clock time for everything. I could see everyone considering Jill 's piddling speech and nodding agreement.

'' We did set up a company, '' said Conner, `` for the purpose of receiving some donated equipment and payment, but never really treated it like a real number company. ``

'' We 'll lose a lot of time and momentum if we stop to get organized. '' Said Robert.

What I think we should do first, '' said Jill, `` is make a list of what needs to ameliorate. Each of you work alone on that. Also write up notes and such on where you are on whatever you 're working on and on the task that have been set aside. When you switch runway from one undertaking to another, that will help a lot. ``

There were grumbling of commendation all around. Cory stayed at the board to write up our onward motion so far, I would induce to publish up the technical school side of that. Jill also stayed, scribbling notes as fast as thoughts occurred to her. Robert and Conner moved into the bread and butter room to do their writing, and claudia used my Father 's office. The relief of us went back down. I started on my judiciary, straightening and shelving uncomplete projects, Lisa did n't have a lot fuddle beyond a tidy sum of liberal papers that needed organizing. Jennifer straightened around re drafting table and wrote up her progress. We needed more shelves and store. We did n't get a lot of 'real work'done but the place looked a lot better. We needed more earphone lines too. I had to use the telephone and that put Claudia on grip till I was done.

I called contractile organ, reasoning that the melioration I had in thinker were to my prop. I asked each of them to commit out somebody in the dayspring, around nine or so to calculate at what I wanted done and render estimates.

Everyone wanted my stimulus on what they were doing and that took up a storm measure of fourth dimension. Dinner conversation was more about changes than employment. I told everyone to resign requests for office furnishings to Jill and told them I was going ahead with ventilation and electrical up grades. Lisa wanted to go back to the drawing board for computer software and networking. What we had now was a mess hall of changes and revisions and with my hapless initial documentation, almost impossible to crop on effectively Jill was having the time of her lifespan, organizing the troupe from the footing up.

I crawled into bed bone tired. Jennifer and I cuddled for a while, but she soon let it be known that she wanted more than cuddling. She burrowed under the blanket and took me in her backtalk. I found I was n't quite as hackneyed as I thought. After she sucked me off, I mounted her dogie style, pumping into her at a steady tempo. She reached her climax in a few minutes and we settled down to sleep.

In the morning Jill took the Anglia, now in excellent stipulation, to run Cory back to Swansea, promising to be back the side by side morning. The contractors arrived. I took them around in a group because the projects would have to interact with each other. In the end, with a little back and forth discussion, it was decided that an archeological site outside the keep wall could accommodate the lift, principal ventilation channel and new electrical feeds.

Jill had left a collect list of post furniture on my bench. I had to throw a Call and kick upstairs the specifications of the proposed lift to conciliate full phase of the moon sized desks. I drew up preliminary specification of a pair of diminished gamey definition digital scanner plates about one foot square and asked Jennifer to play on it when she could. I ordered shelving and filing console to be delivered. The desks would let to wait for the lift. I spent fourth dimension on writing up all of the projects I 'd been working on. The medical examination image scanner, brain scan and write, the 'Big O', jaberwockie, virtual game touch, emotion sensing and their the States and applications. Work, of course of action, slowed but never really stopped.

I had a call from the calculator shop. Lisa had ordered quite a bit of equipment in my name and he wanted to reassert the parliamentary procedure. He also needed a deposit for such a large order. I promised to be by in a day or so.

Jill returned looking rested and slightly smug.

'' Do n't worry, she said, `` He 'll have the totally weekend to recuperate. ``

There were a million things to do and never enough time. Jill declared a holiday, for the weekend.

Saturday we slept in, rising to a lucullan breakfast. We went to town. Everybody needed too do some personal shopping. We went to the cinima for a matinee and then to dinner. We were home by eight and gathered in the overlord bedroom with it 's oversized bed.

It started as a radical makeout session, the four girls circulating between us three guys kissing and fondling each other with occasional girl on girl action at law thrown in for extra spice. I was stroking into Jennifer dogy vogue, the way she liked it, Conner had Lisa curled almost into a ball driving straight down, Jill was riding Robert in what I thought was called reverse cowgirl. Claudia circulate between us helping out here and there. When we had all reached orgasm Claudia said it was her turn and wanted all three guys at once. Conner was on his vertebral column, Claudia on top. I entered Claudia 's ass and she was sucking Robert. She choked a little when Robert filled her back talk with cum while she screached out her own orgasm.

Jill took the spare-time activity while I had Claudia, Conner had Jennifer and Robert was with Lisa. Then we ganged up on Jill, finally colapsing in a heap. We fell asleep happy as a hoop of puppies. I woke later to Lisa sucking me while the other girls licked, sucked and fingered her. What a way to end a day.

Billy Sunday was a retard day. We took caution of several personal chores, read, view TV or napped.

Monday was Mom and pa funeral table service. Jennifer and I dressed for it together. When we came down everyone else was dressed and cook to go. I was surprised, I had assumed that Jennifer would go, but the others had n't known my parents. They came to support me. Mr. Farnsworth and maybe half a dozen local businessman were at the serve as well. I shook handwriting alot with citizenry I did n't sleep with. I managed to get through it without breaking down, but emotionally I was back to when I first learned of their expiry. Jennifer and Jill stayed close and Monday night they slept on either side of me just as they had before.

Tuesday we were back at it physically refreshed, but emotionally drained. Estimates for the workplace to be done were reviewed and approved. I had stopped by the calculator shop to signalize the purchase fiat and pay the sedimentation Monday on the way home.

Jennifer, working from a myopic list provided by Mr. Farnsworth, had located a chipping maker in California who specialized in humble production running and offered very in effect prices if we could use the older 45 nano-meter computer architecture as they had machines sitting idle. She sent them her CAD drawings. The prognosticate samples within 10 days.

A body of work crew showed up on Wed. They used surveyors tools to match the planned location of the lift in the dungeon to a placement on the surface. A backhoe started on a immense hole in the ground.

The medical scanner was on hold until we had the new chips. I was working with the jabewocky program, finding ways to distill and speed up the code when a proletarian called up to the excavation.

They had run into an old Stone structure about ten substructure down. The foreman showed me drawing that indicated that this was not parting of the dungeon. They had cleared away crap and found an edge. I climbed into the hole and examined their find. The stone work matched that of the keep, but this was a room that extended away from the rampart where I wanted the lift. They assured me that any competent Freemason could repair any price they might do. I signed a release and asked them to open a jam big enough to look inside the whodunit room.

The machine operator was safe at his job. He tickled loose the pit and soon had a hole about two metrical unit square opened up. I was handed a torch, then the forman and I took a look. All we could see was an vacate sleeping accommodation, about twenty feet straight. One paries appeared to check the dungeon bulwark. They opened the hole up and a ladder was handed down. We entered the room

An old smoothing iron saltation chest stood against one wall, otherwise the room was empty. The pectus was closed with a leaden and crude whorl. After carefully prying a Oliver Stone loose, we could look into the dungeon way where I wanted the lift. I stopped the work pending a re-evaluation of the project. The bunch packed it in for the day and they promised to beam their computer back out in the morning.

What had we found ?