Page 41 of Vapor
Yeah, right. I pull him away to see what Badass is up to now.
~*~*~
Cort spent the day explaining more about Badass than Julius has told us. He did a class for us answering every question we had. I appreciate the time he gave us and I’m relieved to be walking out. He’s got to have more to do than answer our questions.
Everyone follows to the mess hall that will turn into a Security office when the Club is finished. The plan is to add a Mess hall to the back with a training center that abuts the bunk house area. The training space and outdoor pavilion will be good but the whole portico thing sounds weird and unnecessary for a barn. It’s in the back and Jones agreed so it will happen.
Julius and Logan find us when we stand to leave. They ate lunch at lunch time. The mess here always has food and didn't even blink about our late lunch. I get the updates for today and let them know my plan. Of course, everyone laughs so I ask, “What’s my plan?” My life will never be my own again. I smile and quit bitching. It hasn’t been mine since I enlisted. The whole almost-month I was retired drove me batty.
“Cort and cuts, then party,” Logan says, trying for a serious look.
I roll my eyes at him. “Okay. Are the kids coming?”
“Guardian, Seamus, Brekan, Blackhawks, north and west clans are coming. Chenoa has the blood tests and your kids have all been vaccinated so Alpha-Bits are safe.”
This is good. “Thanks. Where is Cort and cuts happening?” I stop a step out the door. A huge tent is up and blocking the view to everywhere. We had a class and ate. These people are crazy fast with this shit.
Logan laughs. “They’re good at it. Asa is here and has it all boxed in a way that assembly takes no time.”
I follow with my mouth shut so no one tells me any more off the wall, Twilight Zone, Supernatural crazy that may or may not happen before my eyes.
My new VP laughs and I poke a finger into his side hard enough to stop that quickly. A group of big Brothers move the crowd so we can move forward. One looks like Pres Jinx without the blue swirling eye. I throw chin so I’m not asking him questions either. My feet stop when I see a stage. They had time to build a stage. I shake my head.
Julius laughs. “It’s the stage from Guardians tent city.”
“We had Rescue configure it to fold. The floor is painted planks on a cargo box. The side rises concealing the sound and light bars. It stores a lot of little shit for the tiki huts, pool and concession stand picnic tables.” Jinx’s twin explains.
I watch him wondering if it’s worth asking the questions going through my head. The Alpha-Bits and rescue kids decide for me. They’re running wild through crowds of bikers that I don’t know well.
Teller taps my arm. “All Officer and trusted Brothers. The tents further out have Brothers that came for jobs or training. They have a stage, pool and the same concessions.”
I look at the two boys trying to bounce out of his arms and just take one. There is no way I’m asking him anything.
“Batshit crazy, every one of you.” The voice has us all turning. An older red headed woman with a pretty top hatted, serious biker chic, no she’s got the chains but gears are on the end of the chains and all over her hat with colored goggles and an old-fashioned star on it. My eyes go right to Teller.
He’s smiling and was watching me. “CJ Blackhawk and Josephine Marshal. She’s Maverick’s ol’ lady.” They keep moving and don’t stop until they’re standing by Mase and his kids.
I nod. “Satellite Club and CJ is Mass foster homes.”
The Indian smiles with his green eyes shining with happy. I’m surprised at the gleam or shine they have, it must be the light bar, or fog or something. “Yeah, Mase’s mom, Mucimi’s grandmother.”
I shake my head and refocus on the stage that has fog rolling across it. I’m not breathing wetter or humid air so it’s virtual. Teller laughs. Whatever. I have the baby and take a big step away from the intrusive reader. He isn’t complaining so I get the kid. He laughs at me again, but I got the kid that smells like a baby air freshener. I love that about babies, they always smell of lotion or powder like an air freshener. When they lose the aerator ability and work the sewage one, the parents take them. It’s a good racket for single people.
Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch start singing, “Good Vibration.” It’s an odd and old song but it’s fun and funny.
Music plays and kids pop up from the fog like they’re rising from the dead. It looks eerie as hell but we’re all smiling and my baby boy kicks his feet like he wants to play too. Julius takes the baby from me. I glare at him and miss the change ofvoices from Marky Marks low to the woman’s high that got the crowd mumbling. Leaning in, I take the other baby boy from a smiling Teller. He doesn’t care. I love that and smile right back then take a quick step away from the flashing green eyes. That’s just weird.
Nash rises out of the fog and lip-syncs the girl part again making me laugh. His eyes take on what looks like a brain freeze, changing his surprised eyes to wincing, as if in pain trying to reach the high notes. His brows don’t stop moving, keeping the drama building as the Alpha-Bits float in and out of the fog to answer him. It’s all lip-syncing but looks so real and not easy in the least. I got to hand it to them all for entertaining what can’t be easily entertained bikers where legendary and magic are daily occurrences.
“Alpha-Bits are amazing Brothers. Seren said they danced but this is like a professionally choreographed number.” Julius makes me laugh as the music changes. Four kids from Rescue float out of the fog and the lyrics shows floating above them. This is, “What about us,” by Pink. They sing the first verse before more of the Rescue Club kids float up around the field of fog. They must roll into position quickly to make it look like they appeared out of the fog to sing the second verse. “What about us? What about all the plans that end in disaster?” Has tears leaking from my eyes. The baby boy holds my arm sending little ripples of heat spreading up it. Why I keep watching the kids and don’t give the little alien boy back to his equally weird dad is something to look at tomorrow. Right now, kids with cuts on stand and answer the questions with Hootie and the Blowfish’s, “Hold my Hand.” They switch back and forth asking and answering in a way that I know lyrics were changed for the kids but I don’t know either song well enough to know what’s different.
The Alpha-Bits aren’t center stage but they might as well be, the boys can dance and move as if their last name is Jackson. The rescue kids seem to be having fun with it. I haven’t seen many smiles from them and know this is the reason the Alpha-Bits are not spotlighted and the kids are included. They fit together perfectly, if it weren’t for the different singers and different songs, or like Julius, those imperfections are what makes it perfect. The songs answer in a way that comforts and we all can see it working its way into the kids, they started with sad questions coming from slumped shouldered kids and end with louder, confident, open kids standing tall with a more relaxed air about them.
I touch Susie’s hand as she walks by. Her smile says it all. The girl has been crying almost constantly so I asked Sarah to talk with her. She cries whenever anyone looks sad, I think she feels it like Sarah does. The colonel said Sarah was too emotional, I didn’t agree and took her for the Specter Team without hesitation.
The girl stops and takes the baby from me. I get a hug and she stands between me and Teller but I lost my little air freshener.
Julius laughs and hands me the first boy I was holding. “You look happy to hold them.”
