Big Johnson Trucking Ch. 04

Jasmine sighed. At least she didn't seem to be anything like her mother. She seemed amenable. That earned her some measure of trust, albeit a minimal amount. "As I also could opt not to give you a choice, I will ask, are you willing to wait a moment while we talk amongst ourselves?"

"Certainly," the woman said without hesitation. "And thank you for the consideration."

"I'd offer you a drink or something while you wait, but I know you wouldn't be able to accept," Jasmine offered. "So I'll just ask you to wait on the porch. There are seats available if you so desire. Make yourselves comfortable. It may be a few minutes." She clicked off the microphone without waiting for a reply and turned to the others, who had gathered around her during the conversation. "Well, what do you think?"

"I don't like it," Kayla said right off the bat. "Who knows what they'll do to him if we just let them in without supervision?"

"Oh, believe me," Jasmine said flatly. "Neither of those people is going anywhere in this house without one of us attached to their hip."

"Still," Kayla said. "I don't want anyone anywhere near him right now."

"I'm with her," Brittany said, pointing to Kayla.

"A simple visual examination won't hurt anything, I don't think," Felicity said. "As long as she's not doing anything comprehensive."

"Doc?" Jasmine asked, looking at Shannon. "Legally, he's your patient. Your call."

Shannon looked thoughtful, chin resting on her right palm, index finger lightly tapping her lips. She finally answered. "While I tend to agree with Kayla, if we don't allow them some measure of access, they're only going to get more belligerent and irate. Who's to say they won't eventually force their way in if we don't give them something from time to time?" Kayla and Brittany nodded reluctantly. Shannon walked towards the intercom and pressed the button to talk. "Dr. Davenport, do you mind if I ask what your field of study is?"

"Molecular Biology," came back the reply.

"And your mother's?" Shannon asked.

"The same, but also a geneticist."

"Thank you. Please wait just a bit longer." Shannon said. She turned and looked at Jasmine with a big smile on her face.

Jasmine looked confused. "What is it?"

"They're aware of the possibility of genetic mutation," Shannon said.

Kayla piped up. "Uh, for those of us, okay, for me, who doesn't have any kind of medical training, what exactly does that mean?"

"Hey," Brittany cut in. "I don't have any medical training either."

"Yeah, but you're also some kind of nerdy computer genius," Kayla said, bumping the hacker's shoulder with hers. "I'm just a dumbass bartender."

"Don't sell yourself short," Shannon told her. "You've got a good head on your shoulders, and it's a beautiful head at that." She winked at Kayla. "You have a good grasp of things. Give it a shot. Why would they put a Molecular Biologist and Geneticist in charge of Rig's care?"

Kayla blushed and then thought about it for a minute, mumbling. "Molecular Biology, Genetic Mutation, asshole bureaucrats..." she trailed off. "The only thing I can come up with is they're hiding something. They know something about what's going on with Rig, and they're not telling because they either don't want to scare us or they think the same thing is going to happen to us."

"See?" Shannon smiled warmly at her. "Not a dumbass. An asshole, yes, but not a dumbass." She winked again.

"I say we vet them." Jasmine cut in. "Brittany, how long do you think it will take you to get background info on the three of them?"

"Uh, on that dinosaur?" Brittany pointed towards Rig's office. "That's gonna take at least a half an hour."

"Can you do it discreetly?" Felicity asked. "We don't want their bosses to know we're doing it."

"It'll take more time," Brittany replied, and thought about it. Then, sighing heavily, she said, "Okay, then, give me an hour and I'll tell you everything you want to know about them, down to what they had for breakfast. But do you really think they're not gonna know? They're the government, for crying out loud. Paranoia has deep roots where they come from."

"You may be right, love," Jasmine said. "But do it anyway, okay?"

"You got it." Brittany shrugged.

"Okay, time to let the cat out of the bag," Jasmine said. "Brit, get ready to take a few pictures of IDs."

Brittany got her phone out and opened the camera. "Ready, Jaz."

"Okay, girls, follow my lead," she said, then she hit the intercom again. "Okay, Dr. Davenport, we've made a decision. First, we're going to need to see some ID for the three of you, for personal safety and all that. Just hold your IDs still and up to the camera for a few seconds each." They complied, although reluctantly. Brittany got what she needed and took off.

"Second, which one of you will be doing the actual removal of the cameras?" A suit behind the right side of the doctor raised its hand. "Good. When you come in, Miss Kayla Foxx'll escort you" Jasmine narrowed her eyes at the suit. "She knows where all the cameras are that you are to remove, so if you happen to conveniently forget one, she'll make sure you know where it is." The suit nodded. "Oh, and any damage that occurs during the removal process, I expect to be repaired before you leave. Now, why did you feel the need to bring law enforcement, Dr. D?"

Jasmine saw the woman look at the other suit before replying. "Just in case. To be honest, it quite incensed my mother at the way you talked to her over the phone and she expected trouble."

"Well, if your mother hadn't been a party to voyeurism," said Jasmine, voice dripping with loathing, "we wouldn't have had to have that unfortunate conversation. But that's beside the point. I assume the officer will be accompanying you throughout the house?"

"Yes, unfortunately," the woman replied. "I tried to talk my mother out of it, but she wasn't having it. Told me no one was to set foot in the house unless Officer Clooney, no relation, by the way, was allowed inside. For security purposes."

Brittany came back into the foyer and handed Jasmine three sheets of paper. "What are these?" Jasmine whispered.

"Non-Disclosure Agreements," Brittany answered back. "They're not legally binding unless they're notarized, but they'll at least have to jump through a few extra hoops before reporting back to their superiors." She winked.

"You. Are. A. Genius!!" Kayla hugged her.

Brittany just shrugged her shoulders. "I know," she said, innocently, like she heard it all the time.

"We'll be coming to the office first," Kayla told her. "So have something up on the computer like you're working on something else ready to go when we get in there." Brittany winked and sauntered off.

Jasmine turned back to the intercom. "Agreed," Jasmine told the other doctor. "Third, you'll all be required to sign non-disclosure agreements before entering the house. Basically, you won't be able to report back anything you see in the house, except for your findings on your examination of Rig. And even then, only what we allow you to report. Agreed?"

It was the biologist's turn to hesitate. After a few moments, she nodded. "Agreed," she said as she sighed audibly. "May we come in, now?"

"One last thing," Jasmine said, a seriousness lining her voice. "There are things going on with Rig that you all might be unaware of. Things have happened that require us to take some precautions. To that end, we need your utmost discretion and cooperation. If one of us tells you to leave, you leave, no questions asked. You follow our directions with expedience. Is that understood?"

"Understood," the doctor said.

"Good," said Jasmine. "What's your name?"

"Uh, Doctor Davenport," the woman said slowly, unsure.

Jasmine grinned into the camera. "So your first name is Doctor? Surely you're not The Doctor."

"Oh! No, of course not," the woman said, chuckling. "My name is Tabitha."

"Tabitha," Jasmine repeated. "What a beautiful name, and it's a pleasure to meet you." She unlocked the door. "Come on in." The women around Jasmine stepped back as she opened the door. Officer Clooney came in first, as expected, to make sure nothing untoward was happening. "Would you like a quick tour of the house before the other two come in?" Jasmine asked.

"No need," the officer said. "I've been here before."

Jasmine noticed that the officer was female and immediately her hackles rose. "Oh?" she managed, as nonchalantly as she could manage.

"I was one of the officers on the detail to inform Mr. Johnson of his wife's death," the officer said, so monotonous she could have been a news anchor.

"Oh." Jasmine's eyes rose in surprise. She couldn't think of anything else to say, so she just changed the subject. "Here's your copy of the NDA to sign and here's a pen." Jasmine handed the officer the items and she signed them, returning them to Jasmine.

Jasmine turned and invited the other two figures in. The camera tech came in and Kayla waved the person over, leading them off to get to work after they signed their copy of the NDA. Jasmine greeted Tabitha with a smile. "Hello, Tabitha, I'm Jasmine." She greeted the doctor as she handed her a copy of the paper to sign.

Tabitha signed it, then returned it to Jasmine. "So nice to meet you as well, Jasmine. And thank you. I've never really been fond of my name. Mamá loves the show Bewitched. I have to be honest, though, I expected much more resistance than what you gave, given what my mother told me."

"Well, that's because your mother's a bitch and doesn't like me." Jasmine grinned, winking at Tabitha.

Tabitha chuckled nervously. "Yes, she can be a bit... difficult, at times," she agreed.

"Without a doubt," Jasmine quipped. "Come on, surely you have time to take a tour of the house before you see Rig?"

"I think I'd like that," Tabitha replied. "Thank you."

Jasmine showed her around, the others trailing behind them. Everything astonished Tabitha, just as it did Jasmine, when she saw the house for the first time. "This is Rig's office," Jasmine said as they passed by. "Brittany is in there now forming up the paperwork for the items we're requesting from the government for their, ah, oversight with the whole camera situation." They kept going and the bedrooms particularly awed Tabitha.

"This is amazing," Tabitha said in awe. "The colors and the detail are just exquisite. It's nothing compared to what we could see in the cameras." She looked sheepish for a moment.

"If I remember correctly," said Jasmine, ignoring her shyness. "Rig told me it took Skylar over six months just to do the Ba Sing Se Market building mural."

They got to Rig's bedroom where Shanon and Felicity went in ahead. "I have to warn you," Jasmine told Tabitha. "This one's intense. I know you've seen it through a camera lens but, like the others, that has nothing on seeing it with your own two eyes. Watch your step as you enter."

They walked through the door, and Tabitha stood in awe. Even Officer Clooney gasped as they took in the room. "It's amazing, isn't it? I had a mini orgasm when I saw it for the first time." Tabitha's helmet turned to face Jasmine. "Seriously," Jasmine said. Shannon and Felicity were standing by the bed next to Rig's infusion pump.

Tabitha seemed to visibly collect herself. "May I see him now?"

Jasmine looked askance at her. "Sure." She walked towards the bed. "Would you be so kind as to wait by the door, officer?" Jasmine asked. The officer rooted herself to the spot next to the door and kept watch on what was happening.

They approached the bed, and Tabitha started immediately checking Rig's vitals. She gasped as she checked Rig's eyes. "He has no iris," she said, unbelieving.

"That's one thing you'll be keeping to yourself," Shannon said.

Tabitha's head whipped around to look at her. "You can't be seri-"

"Dead serious," Shannon cut her off, brooking no argument.

Tabitha just sighed and continued. She slowly pulled the sheet back to examine the rest of his body. Her breathing noticeably quickened when she took in Rig's well-defined muscles. "His body wasn't this well-defined when he came home yesterday."

"No, it wasn't," Felicity said. "And that's another thing you'll be keeping to yourself."

Tabitha groaned in frustration, but kept going. "He seems to be growing taller as well," she noticed. "I put him at about six foot four, maybe five, right now? According to his chart, he's only supposed to be six-two. Wait," she hesitated and her helmet turned to look at Shannon. "Is he, er, younger?"

"And there's the trifecta," Jasmine stated. "Can't mention that either."

"Then what the hell can I put in my report!?" Tabitha snapped.

"Simple," Shannon said, calmly. "His vitals, his apparent health, and we'll even allow you to add his apparent sexual appetite while he's in a coma." She motioned to Rig's penis, which was slowly growing more erect. "No hiding that from the cameras, anyway." She blushed.

Jasmine heard a sniffle from behind her. She turned to see Officer Clooney directly behind her. "I thought I told you to stay over there!" she snapped.

"I'm sorry," the officer said, sniffling again.

"Are you... crying?" Felicity asked, a shocked, confused look coming to her face.

"Yes," she replied. It was obvious she was crying now. "I'm sorry. It's just so sad," she said through apparent tears. "I was here when they told him his wife died. I watched him shut down, but I'd never actually seen anybody shut down as he did. Most people start screaming or just go completely silent, staring at nothing. Him, though," she motioned towards Rig. "He just shut down."

"What do you mean?" asked Tabitha.

"I mean, it was like somebody flipped a switch." She sobbed. "For all intents and purposes, he died that day. His body simply ceased to function. His bowels vacated and everything. As I said, he died. They rushed him to the hospital, reviving him along the way, but I never forgot about that day. It's burned in my memory. It messed me up so badly I had to have counseling for six months just to be allowed to continue working.

"So, when they asked for volunteers to escort members of the government here, I told them it had to be me. They tried to protest, but since no one else was coming forward, they had no choice but to let me come."

The room went deathly silent then. The only sounds were Rig's steady breathing and the infusion pump, keeping him hydrated.

"I can only imagine how difficult that must have been to experience, officer," Jasmine said, placing a comforting hand on her forearm. "If you don't mind me asking, how long was he... um..."

"Rose," the officer offered, placing her hand gently on top of Jasmine's in acknowledgment. "Ten, maybe fifteen minutes?"

"That long?" Shannon asked, incredulously. "It's a wonder he didn't revive with some measure of brain damage."

"Rose?" Jasmine asked, offering her a crooked smile.

The helmet nodded slightly. "Mom was obsessed with Rosemary Clooney, the whole Clooney family, really, but she loved Rosemary. So much so that when dad died, she had our name legally changed to Clooney."

"No relation." Felicity quipped.

"No relation," Rose answered.

"I hate to break up the pity party," they all turned to see Kayla in the doorway, "but techno douche wants to get Rig's bathroom done 'get out of this creepy house', as he puts it."

Jasmine motioned them in, covering Rig up. When he was finished, he all but bolted out the door, Kayla rushing to keep up. "We'll meet you in the car, James," Tabitha told his back.

"Um, I'm almost done with my examination," Tabitha told Jasmine. She turned back to Rig and started running her hands over his abdomen. Rig grunted softly as she examined his genitals after pushing lightly on his lower abdomen. She took his almost rigid shaft in her hand delicately. With her other hand, she moved it to her helmet and made a motion with it. The rest of them could see, from the side, the mirror portion sliding away. All they could see of Tabitha, however, was a small, pointed nose and a small portion of a dark, tanned cheek. She got in close to Rig's cock, almost close enough to kiss it, if not for the face shield. She gripped it softly in one hand as she looked at his testicles, lifting them and rolling them gently around in her hand.

Jasmine scoffed, grinning. "You're gonna have to remove that helmet if you want to see what it tastes like."

Tabitha let go of Rig's balls and slammed the mirror shield back over her helmet, but not before Jasmine noticed a slight darkening of the edges of her cheek that she could see. "I was examining for lumps in the testicles. As for the penis, I was testing the tissues for proper elasticity and ease of blood flow," she stated quickly, as if she were caught with her hand in the cookie jar, quite literally. "It's bigger, though, isn't it? Not only longer, but slightly thicker as well?"

"Mmmm, yes, it is," Jasmine said dreamily. "Do you want to ride it?" she teased, eyeing Tabitha.

"What!? No!! I'm a medical professional conducting an examination," she said defiantly.

"Then why are you still holding his cock?" Felicity whispered in her ear. Well, she supposed where her ear would be without the helmet on.

Tabitha quickly released Rig's penis, stepping back. "I... I..." she stammered. "I think... I'm done... with the examination. W-we can leave... now." She turned toward the door, grabbing Rose's hand as they walked out, the other women's laughter following close behind. Brittany and Kayla met them at the door, Brittany handing Tabitha a sheet of paper. "What's this?"

"A list of... let's call it requests," Jasmine answered from behind the biologist.

"Requests?" she asked, turning to look at Jasmine, confusion evident in her voice. "What kind of requests?" She started reading.

"The first part of the list details our basic necessities," Kayla explained. "Items we need, like, yesterday. We're out of food."

"And the second part," Brittany cut in, "lists items or projects we would like to see come to fruition over the next several weeks."   

"Alcohol is a necessity?" Tabitha asked, dryly.

"I don't know," Rose added. "I'm sure going to need a drink tonight."

Tabitha sighed loudly. "Okay. I'll see what I can do. No promises, though."

"That's all we ask," Shannon said.

"In the meantime, why don't I order you ladies a few pizzas to tide you over until we can deliver groceries?" Tabitha said.

"That would be wonderful," Jasmine answered. "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse!"

"You just had breakfast not two hours ago!" Brittany chided jokingly.

"Yeah, well, I'm hungry again." Jasmine shrugged. "What can I say? Girl's gotta eat. Oh, by the way, for the beds? Tell them to order them from the place here in town. I think it's that store downtown. Rig ordered my bed from them. Just have them send over four of the same beds they delivered a couple of days ago. They should know which ones you're talking about when you mention Rig's name."

Tabitha's helmet nodded. "Well, ladies, it has been a genuine pleasure. I find myself admitting that I am not looking forward to leaving."

Jasmine couldn't help noticing the tone of reluctance in her voice. She crossed her arms. "Tell you what. Tell your mom that anytime she wants to send someone over to examine Rig personally, as long as she sends you and Rose, you're more than welcome here." She looked at the other ladies of the house. They all nodded or shrugged. "Just don't abuse that privilege." She emphasized the last word.

"I will tell her. Thank you," Tabitha said, laying a hand on Jasmine's forearm.

Jasmine's eyes went wide for just a split second before she composed herself. "Ladies," she said, turning to the rest of her group. "Why don't we let our guests know what kind of pizza we'd like, then adjourn to the living room for another meeting?" She glanced down at Rose's hand for a second before turning away. "I, personally, would like a veggie with lots of pineapple."