Dark as Daylight Ch. 25

25. What The Hell Is Going On, When, and Where?

(Atwater Luck: 5:30 AM Local Time)

"Good morning all you wonderful, sleepy, people. This is Senior Captain Montgomery Oberlin, the mother of 1 7/8 children speaking. Today is the big day, and that's why I'm speaking to you this early in the morning. The damn baby in my stomach has the brains of his father, which means it can't tell time. It means I have to get up, when it decides to wake up. I had to correct its fathers' facial features, and after I finished with him, I had to find something creative to do.

Congratulations people, you've won. You have to contend with me all day today, and I'm already pissed off!

Get your asses out of bed this second, and get ready for all the changes that will happen starting at 6:30 AM, instead of 10 a.m., the regularly scheduled time.

Your new assignments will be revealed to you the way our mentor, Doctor Even Luck, would have wanted to do it, if he was still with us. He would have done it slowly, drawing out each syllable of every letter of your name. Then, when he had your attention, he would tell you where your new assignment would be, in an envelope, with a date and time written on it. If you opened the envelope early, he would send you to the brig, as he did his always obedient son, Gordon. He wanted to see how many of you wished to end your lives the way Gordon asked to do it, rather than live it in isolation, and desperation. He was a wonderful man, and I hated him for putting me in this position. That's why everyone else on the ship thinks he was a god, even his wife, Jennifer. We should all pray for her well-being, or kill her, so she can go and kill that rat bastard for me.

We will be starting in alphabetical order, backwards. I do not wish to hear any moaning or groaning when the assignments are read, nor do I want to see any movement from our auditorium. Everyone will stay seated until the very last assignment is given out. Since our vessel is on the ground, and safely buttoned up, no one is excused from this meeting. That includes you and your wife Mr. Gordon Luck. Zoey, if you move his alarm clock forward, because he looks so handsome sleeping, think about sleeping in the brig for a week, alone."

"You will give birth there, if necessary."

"Children, under the age of 14, are excused from this meeting. You will go to the cafeteria for breakfast. Everyone else had better be there, on time.

10 to 14-year-old children will be assigned duties, by our nurses, and doctors, for the benefit of the younger, and newborn children. You 11-year-old children will get a taste of your own medicine, from these youngsters, as you gave your parents, and guardians, as the remainder of the crew, who watched over you as if you were their own. They wish you nothing but the worst headaches and heartaches possible, to atone for what you dished out during your younger years. Do not come crying to us, your elders, because you can't stand the things the younger children are doing to you, because we will not care. Find a way to deal with it. Get over it by yourselves. Use your heads, think how you used to do it, and reverse the process to deal with the younger children We had to do it for you, from the day you were born, until the day you turned eleven; now it's your turn to find out how to do it for them. See how lucky you are to have grown up? We will see how many of you want to reach the age of 15 in a hurry, just to get away from babysitting.

Oh, you poor dear's, we feel so terrible that you are only 14 years old. The laughing you hear is from those 14-year-olds, who have now reached the magical age of 15, and have left their torment to the 9-year-olds, who have just turned 10. They will now suffer the slings and arrows of babysitting, every day, and helping the younger children grow, while the adults look on and laugh their asses off. Please remember that this will not interfere with your study time. Nothing interferes with the education of your mind, and your tutors will make sure that it grows along with your body."

The loudspeaker went on, but this time it was Teddy speaking.

"Senior Captain Oberlin, this is 17-year old Teddy Thyme speaking...

Under her breath Monty said, "Oh fuck what did I do now?"

...You used several bad words, and there were little children listening to your speech, this morning. You will meet me in the chapel for 2 hours of prayer, and repentance, at a time that is mutually agreeable for the 2 of us, sometime today.

You know not use that type language, when little children are listening to you. Even Doctor Luck did not use bad words in front of little children. My mommy doesn't use bad words anymore. You should know better than that, Captain. That is all."

"This is senior Captain Oberlin. I will meet you in the chapel at 9 AM, for 2 hours of prayer, and repentance, Teddy. I did not think about the little children listening in this morning. I was lost in my tirade about our middle age, unruly children, and my mind wandered. I, also, thought they would be sleeping, at this hour."

"That is a lie, Senior Captain. How could they possibly sleep, with you screaming instructions, over the central communications system?"

"As I said, I didn't think."

Gordon chimed in, "Teddy, you must remember, the Senior Captain is getting older, by the minute. She just passed a birthday 3 weeks ago. I am not allowed to say her numerical age, exactly, but I can tell you that she is well past the magic 40-year mark, this time around."

"Thank you, uncle Gordon."

"Gordon Luck, you are a dead man."

"You will have to get by Zoey first, Senior Captain."

"I will put her in the brig."

"On what charge, Senior Captain?"

"I'll think of something, and it will be good."

"You better think about Laura sneaking up behind you, and putting you in stasis, because she and Zoey have become great friends. Zoey is teaching her about all my new moves, so she can beat me, after her new baby comes."

"How does Zoey know about them?"

"I practice in my living room. Do you think I hide from my wife in my own home?"

"I hide from my husband as often as possible."

"You are still afraid of sex, Senior Captain."

"I am not afraid of sex with my husband. I am raw from it."

Over the intercom came a huge shout, "Oh, You Poor Dear!"

Monty shouted, "That will be enough out of you people, or you will rue today's assignments. I will change every one of Callie's assignments and put all of you on assignments you will hate."

Gordon yelled, "The Constitution does not give the Senior Captain the right to do it. After her child is born, we can make her walk the plank, like I wanted to do, if we want to."

A loud cheer rang out from the crew.

Jackson shouted, "No! You can't do that to me. Who will raise my children? She is also the best piece of ass I've ever had. She is irreplaceable."

Monty said, "Jackson, I am going to dismember you. Then, I'm going to cut you into tiny pieces. Then, maybe, I will kill you. I will only kill you, if I can't figure out another way to put you into more pain."

"Thank you, my love, I knew you couldn't live without me."

"Jackson, you are denser then lead."

"I love you too, my dearest."

"Is there a surgeon in the infirmary?"

"Yes Captain, there are 2 surgeons in the infirmary; Doctor Hannah, and Doctor Beatrice."

"Very well, prepare the room for multiple injuries, because when I find my husband, I'm going to break him apart like a wooden puppet."

Teddy shouted, "If you do that to Mr. Oberlin, you will have to take time off from your duties for a year, because you will be in the chapel, with me, Senior Captain. Is that understood?"

"Yes Teddy, but sometimes I don't feel like the Senior Captain. It feels like you are the Senior Captain, because everyone answers to you."

"The only time anyone answers to me, Senior Captain, is when they are bad. If they are good, their interactions with me are always friendly. Today, you are being very bad, and I don't like it. It's not so much that I don't like it; God doesn't like it at all.

"Mr. Oberlin, you have to be at chapel, for one hour of prayer and repentance, also. You used a bad word, when talking to the captain. You will join Mrs. Oberlin and I in chapel for one hour of prayer, and repentance for using a bad word, with little children listening. You will be there at 9 AM."

"Yes Teddy, I understand, I will be there. I don't want either 'Her' to be angry with me, at any time."

"Thank you, Senior Captain, and Mr. Oberlin, I will see you both at 9 AM."

"Crew of the Good Luck 1, get your...'errr' skip that, get moving, and get to the auditorium by 6:30. That is all."

"That was well done, Captain. You managed to control your mouth.""

"Teddy, are you ready to take over command of the ship from me?"

"I will be ready in 27 years, Captain."

"May I ask why you have to wait 27 years to take over command? You know all the systems. You have passed both test with flying colors, and you are a very capable Captain. Why do you have to wait so long to take over?"

"I have been told I will take over in 27 years, 3 months, and 18 days, Senior Captain. I know the reason, but I'd rather not say. Please leave it at that, because it's very personal."

"All right Teddy, I'll ask you one more question, and leave it at that. Will I be in command all those years?"

"No, Senior Captain, you will not be in command all those years. 1 of the crew will take over for you, at an appropriate time and place."

"It's going to be him, isn't it?"

"Senior Captain, can you think of anyone on this ship that is more capable, than the person you're thinking of, to take over the ship, while we are traveling through space?"

"Teddy, add another hour to my time in the chapel, because I'm about to say something that I can't say any other way. Why does it have to be that pain in the ass?"

"God says the answer is extremely simple, Monty. 'You trained him.' He is you reincarnate. Everything you are, he is."

"You mean if I kill Gordon, I'm killing me?"

"Do you see how simple life is, Monty?"

"I'm going to use a gun with 2 bullets in it. One for him, and the next one for me."

"What about your 2 children. They already 50% you, they have no choice in the matter."

"And you said life was simple. I won't kill my children, because they are innocent. That means I have to stick around to make sure they stay that way. In order to do that, I have to make sure Gordon never gets to them. That's going to be impossible because he has 2 children that are going to be the same age as mine. I'll make you a bet, Zoey and I will have our babies within 24 hours of one another. That idiot will demand to be my child's godfather. If I refuse, he will post his Swiss birth certificate all over the ship's intercom, showing that I am his legal mother. The laughing you hear will come from Jennifer, because he's been threatening to do this to me for over 13 years. Just like his turkeys, I've never been able to find that piece of paper, and believe me I've looked. So has Jennifer, and Zoey. This ship may be small, but there are so many places to hide something as small as a piece of paper that you will never find it, unless you know where to look. I hate that man; with everything I have inside me."

"You just lied, Senior Captain. Try not to do it again. You love him like you love your children, and you would do anything to help him. The reason he drives everyone crazy is because he is so much smarter than anyone else on this ship. If you give him and someone else the same task, and a time limit, he would finish in half the time as the other person. It does not matter what it is, because he has the innate ability to do it. You can put him with Mr. Schiff in plumbing, and he will know every system Mr. Schiff knows the same day. The only thing that he will find tedious is my mother's electrical system. She even finds it tedious, along with Mr. Oberlin. It took me a very long time to understand it also.

However, there is nothing you can ask my uncle for that he will not do for you, or any other member of the crew, without hesitation. He does it that way, because you trained him that way.

You should be extremely proud of yourself, Senior Captain. That is why my grandfather picked you for this tough job. He needed Gordon to grow up, and for me to learn."

"Thank you, Teddy, I appreciate everything you just said about me raising Gordon. He was a tough child to keep in line, because he was so smart. All he wanted to do was jump ahead of where everyone else was, because he had to know what was next. He did not understand why his father wanted him to slow down, when all he wanted to do was race forward into the unknown, regardless of the consequences. He had to know, and he got in trouble because of it. His mind raced ahead of every scientist in the room. They were working 12 to14 hour days, and Doctor Luck had to drag him home, because he was still working on some formula or another. I had the most fun when he disobeyed his father. Doctor Luck would say something to me or just look at me and I would know it was time to straighten Gordon out. No one ever straightened Gordon out, because all he wanted to do was learn. Everything was a learning session for him, and he did not mind the pain that came with it. That young man is special in every way, and he has been a pain in my ass since the first day I met him. He looked in my eyes and said, "I would prefer not to die." I told him he was not going to die that day or any other day I was with him. I did not realize I was going to be with him this long. If I did, I would have had my head examined."

"Monty, my uncle is fun, isn't he?"

"When your uncle smacks your mother's backside, who is having fun?"

"They both are. My uncle induces the physical pain that gets my mother's brain engaged on a specific topic she should be working on with him.

My mother wants to smack him silly, because he got her again. You can see how much they love each other. It flows out of their veins as they stare at one another as my mother holds her backside. My father benefits most of all, because when my mother returns home, her mind does not turn off. I keep Truman, Tatum, Lane and Lynn with me, in my room, because my parents will be making love, and a lot of noise in their room. My father knows it is the only way to get my mother to go to sleep. Otherwise, she will be up all-night, working on math problems in the kitchen, and she will be grumpy the next day. Everyone wins, including Zoey, when my uncle gets back home."

"Teddy, how many of you did God make?"

"Just me, I think."

"If She only made one of you, it would be like making only one tree, one flower, one bush, one bird, one horse or one dolphin. It would not be enough, because you are too good for words. I have watched you grow up from a cute little 4-year-old, to a beautiful teenager, and now into a beautiful young woman. 13 years has flown by, and I cannot think of anyone who has said a bad word about you. When you are asked to do something, it gets done. Regardless of the how easy or hard it is, you do it without complaint. You have worked in every section of the ship, as everyone else has, and your scores have never been anything but perfect. On your first day as captain in training, you did something, immediately upon taking command, that neither I nor the captain understood. You said, 'Watch and Learn.' We did, and we watched in amazement as you got us back to Atwater Luck, without having to dodge a meteorite, or a comet, in 40 minutes less than the original projected time. When we asked Callie how you did it, she said that you picked up speed by moving into the orbit of a class C planet, and its rotation pushed the Good Luck 1- 350,000 miles an hour faster than our engines were moving at that time, and corrected our course directly to Atwater Luck.

When she printed it out for us, it looked incredible. On our screens, as we passed by the planet, we did not appear to be that close to it. However, you navigated us perfectly, without the use of the computer, and without expending excess energy from the engines. Doctor Luck trained you magnificently. You are an extremely valuable member of this crew. On your birthday, your 18^th birthday, I will be able to give you the wings of a captain."

"I will be very honored to have those wings put on my uniform. I will tell my grandfather how much I appreciated his teaching me everything about flying this craft, navigating in space, and loving God."

"Your grandfather taught you about God?"

"Yes, he did. He taught me about 'Her' from the moment I was born."

5:30 AM E.S.T (N.Y.C., N.Y. USA)

We've been over this 4 times this week, so today we will just run through it briefly, so we won't bore everyone to tears. We will be using operating rooms 9 and 11. The areas between those 2 operating rooms will be sealed off from traffic, from15 minutes before the hearts are removed from the patients, until the transfers are accomplished. The transportation of each heart to the adjoining room will take place under the strictest guidelines. Each heart will be placed into the sterile gel by the surgeon. The plastic case will be closed and marked by the surgical nurse, before it is placed in the cooler, which be closed, marked, and handed to the transportation coordinator. The assigned surgical nurses will guide each heart to the opposing room, with the appropriate paperwork. The surgical nurse receiving the heart will check the seals, and sign the receipt for the new heart. Then, the implant procedure can begin.

Doctor Williams wanted to take Jemma Zabo's heart and replant it into Colonel Canyon's chest, because she's worked with it before. Hospital procedures won't let her do that. She has to stay with the patient, not the heart.

Doctor Reynolds will remove Colonel Canyon's heart and it will be delivered for implantation into Mrs. Zabo.

We all know that this is a 1^st among firsts. Transplants between 2 live patients has never been attempted before. We are the best. We have the best teams assembled to do these procedures. This has to be done at our absolute best. Hospitals around the world will be looking at what we do live today, and it will be taped from every imaginable angle. It will set a precedent for future surgeries, and future generation of surgeons. We cannot make any mistakes. Each procedure will be studied by facilities around the world. We have to come out of this with 2 live patients, for the long term. We cannot lose either one of them in the short-term. Our hospital will be mocked if we do. Doctors, nurses, staff, do you have anything at all to add?"

Matti Williams asked, "When is breakfast? I don't get up this early for anyone."

Everyone laughed.

"Shut up Matti", said the hospitals' Chief of Surgery.

"Harvey, do you have anything intelligent to add?"

"I'm with Matti, I want breakfast. I think everyone does."

"If I didn't need all of you today, I would give you all pink slips. Dismissed."

36 people filed out of the meeting room sedately, until they entered the main hallway. Once there, they charged towards the main cafeteria, which opened at 6 o'clock promptly. They had to eat, and be outside the operating room doors before 6:30 AM to prepare for the 7 o'clock operations.

Nothing had to be done to the rooms. The seals on the doors would be cut open by the senior surgical staff, ensuring that the inside was sterile. The rooms had been prepared overnight, by a pre-op surgical team. The patients would be premedicated, and would not reach their surgical suite until 7:20 AM. It would take 8 minutes to transfer, gown and prep them with their IV lines for surgery.