I awoke got breakfast and went to my office. "B do you have a minute" he appeared "good morning sir how can I help you" I smiled "could you design a ship that can blend in with regular traffic, the size of a cargo van would do. What can we pack into that?"
Another smile "that's not a problem sir cloak and shields will fit in that vehicle easily. The cloak is the size of a suitcase, it's the shields that need the room. It depends if you want to go supersonic in the atmosphere". I shook my head "no nothing like that for now I just want to be able to slip in and out undetected. Is that a common problem with the shield generators?" He nodded. "Yes they are bulky and they scale up exponentially". I wonder if C wants a problem".
He appeared "absolutely sir" I smiled "B has been telling me about the shield generator size needs and I wonder if you wanted to give it a shot. Many in the past have probably tackled it so maybe there is research you can build on or combine to get results" another smile "thank you sir this will be fun". And he vanished.
I looked at B "he was bored so he is happy now". I chuckled as 2 vehicles appeared in front of me. One was a cube van that was plane Jane and wouldn't be noticed at all. The second was a RV with the same colors and pinstripes as my other ships. "They are the same but the RV is way more comfortable, it has shields, cloak and AC" he laughed "that is perfect for what I want could you start constructing one please" he nodded and blinked out "thank you" I said into the air and I got a few "your welcomes" in my head.
I giggled and got up and went to visit my new neighbors.
As soon as the door opened Lisa looked at me"I just got a weird feeling and I know it was you. Oh well it must be your bugs" she giggled "this day is already starting to get weird" I laughed and went to get a coffee. I sat on the sofa and Lisa sat in my lap and licked my nose, I begging to enjoy that.
"I had a long talk with the nanobots about what will happen to me and for how long, so I've decided to wait a bit. I will be in the tank for a week and mom needs help with the kits. Now that they will all live it's way more work so I'm thinking about a month from now." I was smiling at that "I can work with that" she smiled and licked my nose again.
"Does anyone have any plans today?". Gar spoke up "if it's ok we would like to explore the ship".
"Absolutely this is your home and you should know where everything is. You know how to get a hold of Vicky if you get lost". We all giggled at that "that means I'm on baby duty" Lisa said "what are you doing today".
"I'm working on a project with Vickey so I will be in my office if you need me".
I locked her nose and she looked at me in shock then blushed.
I got a drink in my office and called for Vicky. "Good morning sir".
"Good morning Vicky. How are you at hacking" she giggled "pretty good according to me".
"Nothing bad. I want you to look at Jaden's schedule and see if she has a long weekend coming. I want to go get her but I want to make sure she has an alibi." She looked at me "I can't decide if she will want this or not" I nodded "I know we don't have the best relationship I just hope she will accept what I want to give her. Now I just have to figure out how to do this". She nodded "well I don't recommend a like it or lump it philosophy, that won't work" I looked at her and gave her an evil smile "ok I'm staying out of your head for this, explain".
"We will go together. We can go to deliver a message from the old me asking her to come. Hopefully she trusts me enough to come. I just need to record a message".
She smiled "you don't have to record it, you can just control the message on the fly". I smiled and nodded "so back to the hacking, could you get into her work schedule"
"it shouldn't be hard I'm thinking 3 days should be enough".
"I got it, she is off Wednesday and Friday and today is Tuesday. I'm hacking the hr department and putting in a request for a day off for a dr appointment that was approved. I also included an email chain confirming it as well". I smiled "what time is it there" "15:00" another smile "let's go"
We landed on the outskirts of the city, this vehicle handles like a dream on the ground as well as in the air. Vicky was the perfect navigator taking me to her apartment.
Vickey was in a sundress and I was in a suit trying not to look too official. I knocked and heard "mooooom" from a female voice, thump thump, thump, woosh.
The door flew open and there was my daughter. "Yes can I help you"
Vicky jumped in sensing my hesitation "we are looking for Jaden" hey eyebrows came together in a bit of a scowl "that's me, what is this about". Vickey smiled "we have a message from your father". I cut in "We aren't bill collectors or anything like that. We have a recorded message to play for you and your family, may we come in and show you". She hesitated for a second then her face softened a little "ok" she stepped to the side and granted us entry then led us to the living room.
There I saw the youngest of my granddaughters playing on the floor and I had to fight not to tear up. Just over a year and it looked like there was no stopping her as she walked around. She was pushing a cart mowing down everything in site. This was my the first time seeing her and she looked like her sisters at that age, she was beautiful.
Jaden yelled and 2 young girls came running and once again I fought tears. "May I sit?" I asked". She nodded. I sat and pulled out a holodisk and placed it on the coffee table in front of me. Instantly a lamp sized image appeared of the old me "Hello Jaden"
That earned me a what the fuck and 2 holy shits the baby barely noticed. I took over the hologram at this point
"I don't want you to freak out ok. I want to see you and treat you to a free vacation. The next 3 days are on dad, all you need is the clothes on your back.". She looked at me "I can't, I have work. The hologram spoke up "No I did some work and you have three days off. I'm being serious with you Jaden, we have things we need to talk to one another face to face and it's way easier for you to come to me right now. This isn't prerecorded your live with dad".
I got to see the confused face I get in situations like this. She went to say something then stopped "dad are you sure about this" she said questionly and the hologram smiled. "I am sure about this, this is important sweetie. I need you to make any calls you need to and just tell people the truth. Your dad is going to occupy your time for a few days and the girls are coming with you. You won't be out of touch. Your phone will work here. All you need to do is get ready for a trip to the mall and everything else will be taken care of ".
Her face softened and I could see her thinking, she looked at the girls and all she did was nod and they were off like a bullet. "Please don't make me regret this dad".
"You won't now go get ready". She rolled her eyes at me and went to what I assumed was the bedroom. That's when the baby took notice of my hologram. She stood at the table and giggled as her hand passed through my legs over and over. She continued this till the fun factor had diminished.
She then looked at me and her almost steady legs took her to me. Her smile increased as she walked towards me stopping at my knees. She put her hands up for me to pick her up and the fight I was having with my tear ducts leaned to the ducts favorite and she got blurry.
I picked her up and quickly pinched the excess moisture blurring my vision and sat Autumn on my lap. She reached up and touched my face and then smiled, crap she looked like her mom did at this age.
Jaden walked into the room and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw her daughter in a stranger's arms "I'm sorry she wanted up I hope you don't mind"
"No it's not that she normally doesn't go to people, is this ok". She said to the hologram "lose the diaper bag you won't need it, when I said everything I meant it".
She just shrugged and put it down as the girls came around the corner "do you have to make any phone calls". She shook her head "none right now" she looked at the girls "ready" they nodded. "I will have to call the schools in the morning".
"Ok I will see you when you get here" I closed the hologram and looked at Jaden "anything you need just let me know ok" they all nodded.
I stood with Autumn in my arms and went to pass her to her mom. She was having none of it and clung to my arm "I don't mind carrying her". Jaden gave me a look and squinted for a sec and said nothing then walked ahead of me.
We went to the parking lot. "Is your car ok here for a few days". She nodded, "Do we need her car seat?" I looked at Vicky and she shook her head "nope we are good". We all got onboard and Jaden put Autumn in a car seat that wasn't there before. Lexi and Jessica took the seats behind them and buckled up.
We all got comfortable and I started to drive out of the city. I was just about to the highway when lexi spoke up "do you know papa" it was such an innocent question with such a huge impact. "I've known your papa my whole life". I said over my shoulder. "Is it far " Jess added "17 minutes" said Vickey.
I was on the highway heading east when Jaden finally spoke "where are we going" she blurted out. "I was waiting for that" Vicky said "what" Jaden shot back with a look. I giggled "I was wondering how long it would be till you just asked" Vicky giggles and turned the seat around "we know everything about your dad and you so you can relax. He knew you couldn't be patient" she giggled "my dad can be an ass" she laughed and Vickey nodded "yes he can"
I glanced at Jaden "I need a stretch of road where people won't see us. Wow that sounded better in my head".
"I'm sure it did" Jaden retorted "turn right here" I took the off-ramp into a wooded area and then turned down a road she told me then stopped.
Putting it in park I turned to look at them. "You can get up and move around. Everything is functional so you can get a drink". Lexi and Jess went to get a drink from the fridge and Jaden looked at me with a not good look. "What's going on" I smiled "you have been taking it well so far so here goes, Vickey will you take us home". She nodded then pushed a button on the dash and the steering wheel disappeared and the navigation holograms appeared. "You have seen some things today but they are the tip of the iceberg, are you ready for more?" They all nodded with a blank expression.
My mother taught me how to drive and I could tell how bad I was doing by the amount of air she was sucking through her teeth. Jaden was doing just that as we lifted off and more as we rose into the atmosphere "the bathroom works if this is too much".
They looked in shock "are you ok" they nodded as the view in the windshield went from blue to black. Their eyes got wide and their mouths hung open, the baby just laughed.
I looked at Jaden "I know this is a shock to the system but just go with it, you're in no danger ok". she looked at me "who are you".
I smiled "I work with your father on many projects, this is just one of them". Lexi went to sit beside Vicky and touch her shoulder and get her attention. She screamed when her hand went through her. I giggled "I'm sorry, Vicky is a hologram but she is fully aware. She is an AI and she is the reason for all this" I waved my arm. Jaden was frozen and looked at me with a bit of a scowl. She stared at me for about 10 seconds then cocked her head to the side.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
One of the girls asked about the weird bed in the back "that we will get into that later ok sweetie". She nodded and her eyes got wide again so I looked out the front seeing the moon. I looked back "that's our destination".
I squatted down and looked at Autumn and played with her, she is taking this the best I thought. As I played with her the girls were looking out the windows and Jaden was staring at me playing with the baby. "You sound just like him when he played with the girls"
I thought for a millisecond and made a decision, may as well rip off the bandage. "Jaden I didn't know how you would take this. It's me, dad". She backed away from me "HOW, WHY".
"Please relax and sit. Let Vicky explain ok. You will understand".
Vickey stood and laid it out for the ladies while I played with the baby. "So we are the first to know'' Lexi asked, I nodded "why" asked Jessica "I need to protect my family above anything." Vickey cut in "Jessica do you remember the header you took 3 days ago on your skateboard and you couldn't figure out how you didn't hit your head". Jessica nodded and turned red. "That was me, wear your helmet"
Jaden looked at Jess and she looked out the window. "That kind of protection, that goes for all of you and people you choose to protect". That got me looks of shock and a bit of fear. "This weekend is all about fun. I forgot to ask do you like cats" all three of them nodded "good the aliens onboard are part cat, They are a nice family". The look didn't change. "You need to trust me". Jaden nodded her head "this is just, holy shit dad" she smiled "it's a lot to take in".
"Just relax and go with it, it's been working for me" she giggled and nodded "what do they look like" Vicky brought up a video of all of us feeding the babies".
"They have babies" came from both the girls "yes they have a litter of 6 and they are cute". I was standing with Autumn and she laid her head down. "That's odd you know, she doesn't go to strangers". I stuck my tongue out "I'm not a stranger and you're just jealous she figured it out before you did". She laughed "yea ok I will give her that".
"The kits are looking forward to meeting you".
"Is that their name?". I nodded "they are cats and their species are called kits. I know it sounds like lazy writing but it's true." She just shook her head. I was rocking holding Autumn and she was out occupying someone's spot. We exited the RV with eyes going everywhere and went to the lift. We got to her quarters and I put the baby in one of the bedrooms. I took them on a tour of the kitchen and the bathroom explaining things as I go. Lexi was brave enough to jump into the refresher. With a shocked look "it's so tingly" she giggled.
When they saw the clothes closet there were questions "you choose what you want on the screen and it makes it easy peasie".
The squeals started when the first outfit appeared. I looked at Jaden "they can play all they want, it's unlimited". She shrugged and shook her head. We walked to the sofa with a detour to check on Autumn. "I knew something was up when Autumn went to you she never does that". I looked at her with a serious look "you and your children will want for nothing from now on you realize that" she nodded "there is a downside to this though".
She gave me a concerned look "and that would be?"
"When I go public with all this I will make enemies and it will eventually get out who I was". "I can take care of myself dad" she said smugly. I huffed "sweetheart I'm going to be putting an end to fossil fuel and there will be countries that will be pissed at me".
"Oh, ok I didn't think that big". "Yea I'm still adjusting as well".
"Have you been following me?"
"Sort of the drones are automated so they don't report back or anything. The only thing I did was change your schedule. I don't monitor you at all, that would be rude". She smiled "ok I believe you" was her reply.
"The girls are in heaven, you will be lucky if you ever see them in the same clothes twice".
"Dad, what have you done?" she said sarcastically. I smiled watching the fashion show I was getting, I waited until they were all there "are you ready to meet some aliens?"
They all looked at me and nodded. "Vickey could you tell the kits to come over please". Jaden looked at me and smiled a nervous smile.
Kim and Gar came through the door with Lisa in tow. They instantly went to Jaden and hugged her saying hello. Jaden backed up "what are they saying".
"Oh my god I forgot" I looked at the kits "she doesn't have nanobots yet she can't understand you". They all nodded as Vickey came to me with 3 small disks. "Jaden nanobots are part of what I have to give you and I want to do it now. Just put this on your palm and push the button".
She looked at me then the girls, they were all for it so Jaden gave in. They put the disk on their hand and pushed the buttons and it melted into their hand. "The translation bots take few a minute to get to your ear" Vickey said and they nodded "do you have these papa" I got from Lexi "mine are different but yes".
Lisa looked at the girls "I see you found the clothes replicator" they put a shocked look on their face "I understood that" Jess said with eyes wide open. "Dad, I'm hearing a voice over them, is that normal?" I nodded "you now understand every language on earth". Back to blank stares.
Kim saved me "now that you can understand, welcome we have been waiting to meet you". She hugged a shocked Jaden "um yea thank you". Kim went for hugs from the girls and got them. "This is Kim and Gar and Lisa". I think that's when Jaden noticed their tails and her eyes got wider. I looked at Jaden and said "they are just good people". That's when Lisa came to me and licked my nose.
Little miss observant Jaden caught that cocked her head and gave me a look I couldn't identify. "That little girl doesn't miss much" Vicky chirped in my head. I don't know how Lisa saw as well but her back was to Jaden.With a little smirk on her face she spun around and almost bowed to her.
"I am honored to meet you Jaden, it is important to me that we be friends for the sake of my claimed" Jaden looked at me with daggers in her eyes.
"Your father had no choice in this matter; the females in my culture choose and claim their men," Gar said. Jaden looked at Lisa and me "so your not his, your hers" she giggled while pointing at me.
"I'm sorry dad I just had bad thoughts there for a minute but I get it now. Hey, how old are you now". Vickey jumped in "I designed his body to be 25". "That's the same as you mom" came from Lexi. She thought for a second and shook her head.
Lisa looked at Jaden again "do I have your approval to be with your father " Jaden smiled. "You don't need my approval" she spoke to Lisa like she would her own daughter. "I don't need it but would like to have it" Lisa said sheepishly. Jaden smiled "you absolutely have it Lisa". I don't know if she is giving her what she wants or does she mean it, I hope it's the latter of the 2.
"Where are the babies?" I blurted out to ease the tension. Gar looked at me and smiled and he was off like a flash. I guess the cages are in use today. I looked at Jaden and explained the gender reversal on their planet. Gar returned with 6 little bodies who were quite vocal. As soon as the girls saw them they went to Gar to see them and ended up with two each. I went and got bottles and the babies were fed by all of us, no chairs required this time.
"What are their names?" Jessica asked and Kim jumped in. "We don't name our children until they are 6 months old." "Why" came from Lexi. "Most don't survive on our planet because of a parasite. Brad has gotten rid of it for us so they will all live, I guess names might be in order sooner than later."
We all sat on the sofa and just watched the babies eat. They finished and got fussy so we put them down in the cushions. They were crawling with a little difficulty and could pull themselves up to a seated position. "How old are they" Jaden asked,
"3 days". Her eyes got wide. I laughed at her expression "Kim was in labor when I found them. I will let her explain that". Kim smiled "we were in orbit for our zero G birth and poof we were here. Your father rescued us and adopted us".
"That doesn't surprise me, he had a big heart" said Jaden. Vickie jumped in "he has 2 of them now" she giggled. Jaden looked at me "is she serious" I just nodded "that was part of my upgrades. You will choose the ones you want". She shook her head "I'm sure there are ones I will want but we will see."
"Some are to keep you safe, some are just fun to have. We will go over them in private" Vickey added.
A cry from the bedroom announced Autumn's arrival to the party. I went to get her and saw her sitting up and rubbing her eyes. She smiled and put her arms out for me to pick her up so I did and went to the sofa and sat with her in my lap. She could see her mom and sisters so she was happy.
I fielded a load of questions from Lexi and Jessica, some of which Vicky had to answer. Autumn moved to her mom and put her arms up then something happened. Each of the kits crawled to me and mimicked the arms up gesture that Autumn did. They would get into a seated position and put their arms up for me to pick them up, so of course I did. All the girls came to me and the male went to Gar.
Autumn came to me wanting up as well I made room and one of the kits crawled onto her lap. All 6 of them were on my lap as the adults talked only interrupted by the odd fashion show from Lexi and Jess.
"Are you hungry Jaden" she nodded "actually yes" I smiled "Lisa could you show Jaden and the girls how the food replicator works" she got up and licked my nose and led them to the kitchen. That got a few giggles and squeals when the food appeared. The smell produced smiles and wide eyes when the force field dropped. Jaden got a sandwich and the girls came with a tray each with 5 items each. "Well at least I know you won't starve when you're with papa" I joked to the girls and I got chipmunk smiles complete with full cheeks.
Jaden sat beside me and Autumn stole a fry as fast as her little hand could move. "If there is food around she is awake" Jaden laughed. It was nice seeing her happy and starting to relax. "Do you want one of these in your house?" She giggled "sure if you want fat grandkids". I smiled "the nanobots won't let you get fat". Her eyes shot open "are you serious".
"Yup. The nanobots talk to the replicators and you get the nutrients you need and you pass the rest. They can also adjust the caloric content of the food". She shook her head and cocked an eyebrow, so that's what I look like when I do that. "You mean I can eat what I want". I nodded. "Cool" and she got up and got a greasy burger instead of the sandwich and dug in.
"I want you to remember that these quarters are yours from now on. You can actually say you have a pad on the moon" I laughed.
"Are you serious dad?" I nodded. "You can be here in 30 min from anywhere on the planet and you can go anywhere on the planet" that produced shocked looks. "How much street cred does papa get for giving you a pad in the moon" I said to Lexi and Jess getting smiles. "We can come here whenever we want" Lexi asked "that decision is up to mom not me".
"Ok enough of that for right now" Jaden said taking control of the conversation, yup all moms can do that. "What about the nanobots, are they safe? Vickey jumped in "the nanobots are perfectly safe, they have been in use for hundreds of years in many civilizations. They are programmed to protect and until Lisa I've never had a problem with them". She turned to look at Lisa "Brad's nanobots chose to protect me before I decided". She looked at me "hey she stole them". That got a questionable look and Lisa described how she claimed me "when I claimed him I don't want any doubt" Lisa said while trying a pancake from Lexi's tray. Kim spoke up "I've never bitten dad like that". Lisa blushed
"What about the medbeds?" Jaden asked and I smiled "you will sleep in the beds tonight and every medical problem you have will be gone" her eyes shot open. "You will be in perfect health in a manner of hours. There is a lot of tech on this ship and I will use every piece of it to protect you and keep you safe".
Her face softened and she smiled. "That's my primary goal right now, after that our family's". She cocked her head to the side "what do you mean".
"Like Vickey said in the RV, I'm bringing this technology to the people and I'm going to step on toes. I need to assure that they can't get to us through them, trust me they will be happy". "Ok I get it now" she nodded.
"How do you think people will react?" Kim said I looked at her "I have no idea" I shrugged "it will come out eventually who I am so we need to prepare". Lisa spoke up "why not just come out at the beginning?" I started to giggle "I want to make a game of it. No one knows I'm dead yet and I wasn't close to anyone so nobody's looking".
"Why not?" asked the girls. "I wasn't a nice guy" I winked at them. I looked at Jaden "it's all fixed now" she smiled "good" she retorted. "I'm sorry for who I was".
"Don't be" she smiled at that. "Thank you" I received another smile.
"I was going to put the girls in the medbed tonight and tomorrow you can go if they survive" she shook her head "your an ass dad, does Autumn go to" I nodded. "The beds have a sleep function so she will be out the minute you lay her down".
The girls had a million questions so Lisa and Vicky took them to see the bed. Lisa looked over her shoulder at me and Jaden caught it "leave it to my father to have an alien bride" she laughed and picked up Autumn, 2 of the kits went along for the ride. "So this is us now huh"
"Guess so chickie" I replied. We could see the girls asking questions "they will never get sick again". She smiled "I know but it won't stop them from trying the little shits" she laughed. "The nanobots are with you for life so over time you will get more and more control".
Vicky jumped in "speaking of the rest of your life your life spans will change to about 200 years" she almost spit out her drink "are you fucking serious". Vickey just nodded "your dad is even longer" she looked at me "how long for you". I shrugged "it hasn't stabilized yet" I looked at Vicky "what was the last scan" she smiled "last night was 368 years".
I looked back to Jaden and she had a blank look on her face staring at the girls. "You ok?" She nodded "it's just sinking in". I smiled "don't worry right now about everything, just one step at a time".
I looked at the girls "are you girls all changed out?" Both were shaking their heads no but their eyes said otherwise. "Let's say you 2 go get some sleep in the medbeds. There are more than one in medical so why don't you go with Vickey. We can pick this up in the morning ok".
They both nodded and went with Vicky. The 2 on Autumn were getting fussy so I reached over and took them and Kim took them from me for feeding. Vickey walked back in "ok the sleep function must work if they are out that fast" Jaden giggled "kids with an off switch, can I get one of those for home" we all laughed. Kim and Gar took the kits home and I looked at Jaden. "Is there anything else before I turn in?" She shook her head "no I'm good dad". And with that I went to my quarters and fell on the bed.