Quaranteam - Team Tim Ch. 07

"Well, that's OK with me, but it's not my house." Tim looked over towards Rana. "Rana?"

"Of course, go ahead," Rana replied.

"It looks like we're on," Tim stated, looking at Siobhan before standing up. Siobhan also stood up, holding Tim's hand.

"Well, I'm Dr. Tim Fletcher..."

"And I'm Dr. Siobhan O'Sullivan."

"We were both at Cambridge University completing our PhD's in virology."

"That's the study of viruses."

"Since the start of the pandemic, we've both been working in a Cambridge University facility tasked with studying and collating data on the two viruses now spreading in the UK and around the world. We were offered a chance to receive the vaccine and accepted it. We have been tasked with studying this American vaccine to better understand its properties and side effects. We will talk with each of you and set up a schedule for vaccinations. Siobhan or I will be administering the injections."

"And I'm sure that we could find use for a recent Biomedical Sciences graduate, don't you Tim? That's if you're interested, Jenny," Siobhan offered, looking over at the young blonde woman.

Jenny's face lit up. "I'd really love that. I've been wondering what I'll be able to do going forward. Thank you."

"We'll talk later," Siobhan mouthed to Jenny.

"Have any of you got any questions?" Tim asked, his head turning, eyes scanning their faces.

Ashley put up her arm, still gripping the cuff of her jumper. "Are you two engaged? I saw the ring."

Siobhan held up her hand with the ring on. "Like Tammy's use of her mum's maiden name, we are officially engaged... for the purposes of the Oracle system. Not that I'd be averse to it, but Tim hasn't actually asked me yet." She looked towards Tim, coyly.

"It's not off the cards, but I'd like to get settled in here first and see how things go. We're starting the new normal and things such as engagements and weddings may become moot, at least until we're the other side of this global pandemic. Any other questions?"

There was a pause, during which Tim and Siobhan sat down again, before Tammy asked "Going off on a different tack, have either of you got any dietary requirements? Any foods you can't eat for religious, cultural or health reasons? And how hot do you like a curry or similar spicy dish?"

Tim deferred to Siobhan, who replied "I'll eat most things and I've no intolerances or allergies that I know of. Regarding a curry, I like to taste all the flavours, not get my mouth seared."

"Similar for me," added Tim. "I'm not really that keen on avocados or aubergines, but can tolerate them in moderation."

"So how would you feel about eating rabbit or pheasant? This estate seems to be teeming with both for some reason. If there's a shotgun here, I might just see if I can bag a few."

"Oh god, I'd love a rabbit stew," replied Siobhan. "I've not had one since I left Ireland. My dad and brothers Declan and Patrick used to go out snaring them around our farm and we'd often have rabbit stew. If you can find me some suitable wire, I should be able to make a few snares to set around the estate and then you wouldn't need to be picking all the shot out of them."

"I think that my father bought some commercial rabbit snares, but I wouldn't know where they are. I don't think they ever got used as my stepmother didn't like the thought of killing the rabbits," interjected Rana.

"I've not eaten rabbit," offered Tim. "But I do like pheasant and other game. There aren't any deer around the estate, are there?"

"The estate has a high perimeter fence that will keep deer out," replied Rana. And Dad's shotguns and hunting rifles are stored in the gun cabinet in his study, along with the ammunition. He had licences for all of them, but we'll need to transfer these to someone else."

"If that's all, can we get back to our duties?" enquired Maria, starting to stand up using her stick.

"Yes, of course," replied Rana.

The three women departed, leaving Rana and Jenny with Tim and Siobhan.

"Can we start to look at a schedule for the vaccinations?" enquired Siobhan, sitting forward. "It's something we need to get to quickly to help build Tim's immunity. Oh, have you a pen and some paper, mine are all packed into my car that should be arriving some time."

"Both of your cars have already arrived, together with your bikes and also some other containers. Jenny, could you get pens and paper from the office, please?"

Jenny bounced up and disappeared to get the requested items.

"OK," started Rana, after Jenny had gone, "when I first talked to the people who visited, I sort of got the idea that I might be the First for the gentleman who would be the Principal here, but those offered were all much older than me and I wasn't wanting any of them. When I saw Tim's details, I was really taken with him, so I'm glad that the Oracle system confirmed our compatibility. I know I can't be Tim's First, but I intend to be first out of the women here." The determination on Rana's face was clearly evident.

"I'm not sure what you've been told regarding the timings around the vaccine. With the vaccine doses that we have been given, you'll be able to have sex with Tim from around three hours after you receive the vaccine. It was over three hours after for me and I was starting to feel a little on edge. Anyway, afterwards you will pass out for around 16 to 18 hours as the vaccine takes effect. You'll need a good meal when you wake up."

"OK. And I definitely want to be awake before Jenny receives her vaccination."

"That makes things easy," stated Siobhan.

Just then, Jenny returned with the paper and pens.

"Well Maria believes that being post-menopausal means that she doesn't need to receive the vaccine. I'll need to enquire whether this is true or not, but for now we'll put her last. Rana, we'll put you first, probably vaccinated this afternoon and bonding with Tim after our evening meal, with Jenny 24 hours behind you. I think it's best to vaccinate no more than two a day, so it's whether Ashley or Tammy is vaccinated tomorrow with Jenny." Jenny looked up when her name was mentioned, a big smile spreading across her face.

"Put Tammy fourth, it'll allow her to prepare the after meals for the rest of us and provide guidance to someone else to prepare her own. I'm sure we'll be able to cope while she's out."

"OK. Well, that's the order," Siobhan stated, having written the names and other information on one of the sheets of paper that Jenny had brought. "Rana vaccinated today, Ashley and Jenny tomorrow and Tammy the day after. I'll work out the timings and let everyone know when we expect them."

"Sounds good. Before then, can I show you around the house?" Rana asked, standing up and letting go of Jenny's hand.

"That would be great. Thank you," Tim replied, also standing up.

Looking over at her friend, Rana asked "Are you coming Jenny?"

"I think I'll do some reading; there's nowhere I've not seen already," Jenny replied, curling into the seat that Rana had just vacated.

Rana bent down, giving Jenny a big hug and whispering something to her. "OK, see you later," she said, more loudly.

While Siobhan and Rana were discussing the schedule for vaccinations, Tim had sent messages to Squadron Leader Fortescue and Dr. Grainger, letting them know that they had arrived safely and were starting to settle in, receiving positive replies from both of them.

----oOo----

Rana led Tim and Siobhan back into the hallway and then out of the front door to the large gravel courtyard with its stone balustrade around three sides, the house forming the fourth. A gap to the western end of the long south side connected to a curving asphalt drive that allowed for vehicles to drive up to front of the house. She led them to the south-west corner where a set of steps led them down to a level below the house. Here, there was a pair of large steel doors set into the bank. A straight driveway flanked by an avenue of regularly-spaced mature trees that obviously pre-dated the house led from the doors to the distant estate gates at the western end of the estate, while an extension curved around to the gravel courtyard and another led to a collection of outbuildings. Rana pulled a fob from her pocket and pressed the button. The two doors slowly slid apart, retreating into the bank on either side.

"This is the entrance to the garage," Rana stated, walking through and shutting the doors behind them after the lights automatically came on. Inside there was a wide an array of cars. On the left-hand side were four Tesla cars, two Model X, one Model S and one Model Y SUV, all plugged into sockets on the wall behind them. To the right were a different four cars, comprising a Bentley Continental, an Aston Martin DBS, a Jaguar F-type and a Rolls Royce Corniche. behind these were more cars, all British. Tim was busy looking around at all the vehicles, which included a couple of Morgans and also a pair of older Aston Martins, including a silver DB5, reminiscent of the car driven by James Bond in the films. Further back Tim thought he could see a pre-war 4.5-litre blower Bentley racing car.

"Father didn't buy the Rolls Royce, that was left by the previous owner, who had this house built. There was once a Georgian house on this site," Rana stated. "The house and grounds became a private girls' school in the late 1930's. During the second world war the estate was requisitioned for some purpose or other but, unfortunately, the house was hit by a stray bomb dropped by a German aeroplane and fell into ruin. There were numerous plans proposed, but nothing happened for many years, except for the site being cleared.

"This current house was built for a distant relative of the Al Sabah Kuwaiti ruling family, who used this as his residence during the summer, returning to Kuwait during the British winter when it's colder here. He would stay here with his wife and his wife's older sister whose husband had died, having children by them both, together with his large staff. About 12 years ago, he was appointed to a position in the Kuwaiti government and had to stay in Kuwait full time. He then sold the house to my father for a nominal sum and left behind many things that he would no longer need or couldn't take with him, one of which is the Rolls Royce. We moved here from another house not long afterwards.

"My father had a thing for British cars and this is his collection. You're welcome to look around, but only the four Teslas and the four cars opposite have been maintained for driving, all the rest have essentially been mothballed and would need quite a bit of TLC to return them to a usable condition."

While looking around, Tim noticed his and Siobhan's cars at the back, next to a late-model VW Golf. "Your cars are over there, alongside mine," Rana observed, seeing where Tim was looking, "but the Teslas are here for everyone to use and the fuel is essentially free."

Rana led Tim and Siobhan to a door behind the Teslas. She put an entry code into the adjacent keypad and led them into the room. "This is the battery storage for the house. There are solar panels on the roof and the rooves of the other buildings. These power the house most of the time and also feed into the batteries."

"Kuwait is an oil-rich country. Why would your father invest in solar power and battery storage?" Siobhan asked, while Tim was busy looking around, fascinated by the technology.

"Father could see a day when having oil wouldn't be the benefit that it has been. Also, the economics are good," replied Rana.

Rana pulled out her phone and opened an App. "Currently, the batteries are full, as are those in the Teslas. We're feeding the power from the solar panels that we're not using here directly into the grid at present and earning money. When the wholesale price goes above a set level, we'll also feed electricity from the batteries into the grid. This is usually in the evening, although the pandemic has slightly altered the national usage pattern and overall demand is now lower. We can also buy back energy in the middle of the night when electricity from wind farms and nuclear is cheap to replenish the batteries. We were self-sufficient and earning a decent sum from the solar panels before lockdown, but things may have changed. If needed, we can cut ourselves off from the grid and remain fully powered. We also have ground-source heat pumps that provide the heating and hot water for the house including the swimming pool."

After leaving the battery room, Tim quickly went to his car and noticed that it was open with the keys in the ignition.

"We leave the usable cars like this, so anyone can drive them or move them if required," Rana commented. "We'll need to amend the multi-vehicle insurance policy for the house, though."

Looking into his car, Tim checked that his guitars were still there and safe. "I'll probably come down and collect these and a few other things later." Looking around, Tim added "You mentioned that our bikes were also dropped off, but I can't see them."

"They've been put into one of the outbuildings by the stables to be more accessible," Rana answered. But unless you want to ride up and down the drive, there's not really anywhere to go on them within the estate."

At the back of the garage area, they passed through another large steel door, behind which there was a transverse corridor, off which were numerous storage rooms, one holding sets of stacked chairs and folding tables on trolleys. "These were used by the previous owner when there was a large event upstairs in the function room. They can be taken up in a freight lift that rises up to the entrance hall and to the floors above." Rana showed them where the lift was located and also the computer server room adjacent to it.

Tim and Siobhan followed behind Rana, their heads scanning as they tried to take in everything, while Rana led them through the basement of the house, acting like a tour guide.

Some of the storage rooms she showed them were empty, whilst others contained discarded items. One was part-filled with the items that had belonged specifically to those who had died on the yacht only a few months earlier. "Jen and I packed up all of their things after we were notified that they had died. We even washed those that were dirty and changed the beds." Rana pointed out a number of containers that had been stacked in one of the rooms. "These were brought here at the same time as your cars. I'm assuming that they contain equipment that you'll need."

"Yes, these should contain the analytical and other equipment that we'll need to use when we start our work here. We'll need these moved to where we'll be working later today if we're to start the vaccinations," Replied Siobhan, hugging herself and wishing she'd put a coat on, as it was quite chilly in the basement. For some reason, Tim didn't seem to be as affected as she was.

Following the corridor to the left and then turning right, Rana led them under the west wing of the house. At the end of the corridor, she showed them the room where the swimming pool filtration system was located. Nearby was a steel door and behind that a staircase up to the ground floor. Rather than ascending the staircase, though, Rana led them back along the corridor to the centre and then further along the corridor, turning left and under the east wing. Here there was a cold store and various rooms for the storage of household items, including her father's wine cellar. She informed them that even though her family were Muslim, her father had enjoyed fine things including quality wines and brandies. If anyone had asked, they were for entertaining guests.

Rana led them through another steel door and up a staircase to the ground floor at the back of the east wing. They emerged near the pantry and the utility room containing washing machines and tumble dryers, ironing boards, etc. Here, there was a door out into the estate and also a small office for the housekeeper, where Maria was busy working. Passing through another door, they entered the large kitchen with lots of stainless steel and clean surfaces, where Tammy was busy preparing various items.

"Any chance of a drink and a snack, Tammy?" asked Rana. "We've only been around the garage and basement and I'm already feeling a bit cold and tired. We'll be in the breakfast room."

Rana led them through to a room where there were four small square and rectangular tables and enough chairs to seat around 20 people. They sat down at one of the smaller tables with four chairs. A short while later, Tammy came through with a pot of tea, three cups and saucers, and a selection of biscuits on a tray.

"This house is just amazing!" stated Siobhan.

"Isn't it just," replied Rana. "My father spent a lot of time and money having the solar panels and battery system installed, not to mention the ground-source heat pumps. Once we've had a drink, I'll show you the rooms on this and the next two floors."

"All those cars," added Tim. "Your father must have spent a fortune collecting them."

"He did, and then some. He was very particular about getting certain examples, like the silver Aston Martin. But only a fraction of his wealth... my wealth... is tied up in the cars. The rest is in stocks and shares, gold and jewellery, and his bank accounts. His 65-metre-long superyacht cost about 50 million Euros, and he bought that second-hand from a cousin. Without selling anything, I've got tens of millions that can be called upon, if needed. Some of it, though, may fall under Kuwaiti jurisdiction and could be claimed by one or more of my uncles or cousins, as the nearest living male relative. I think a few of them may have already died of the virus, though, so there may be fewer left to challenge."

After they finished their tea, Rana showed them various rooms, including her father's study, the large dining room and a smaller dining room more for afternoon teas, a few small sitting rooms and a TV room that was more like a small cinema. There was also a library room that connected to both her father's study and the 'Gentlemen's Club' room, as Tim thought of it, although Rana called it the Reading Room. Tim marvelled at the quality of the workmanship in each of the rooms. Rana was leading them through the house at quite a pace and Tim felt he'd need to revisit each room at a later time to really understand the house.

Arriving at the entrance hall with its large staircase up to the first floor, Rana showed them the doors that hid the freight elevator. Across the hall, she showed them the large function room that could double as a small ballroom. Most of the remaining rooms on the west side of the house were empty. Looking into them, Tim noted the large number of network sockets that had been installed. "There are multiple network sockets in each room, even most of the bedrooms, so whichever room you may want to use, you can always be connected. There's also WiFi throughout the house."

"We'll both need to get the WiFi code for our various devices," Tim stated. "My phone plan is quite limited on data."

"I'll give you that after we finish the tour," Rana replied, keeping walking.

At the end of the corridor in the west wing, Rana showed them the fully-equipped gym and changing room, and then the door through to the swimming pool, which was located in a building resembling a large conservatory with glass walls and roof. Along one wall was a glass partition, behind which stood a range of fitness equipment, including exercise bikes, cross trainers and running machines.

A small staircase by the gym took them up to the first floor. On this floor were the bedrooms for family and guests. Some of the rooms in the west wing were empty whilst others had furniture but no soft furnishings. Most of the rooms had an adjacent ensuite bathroom whilst a small number shared a bathroom between two bedrooms. On the outside corner where the west wing met the front of the building, there was an interesting arrangement of rooms. The corner room was large and had a door into each of the adjoining bedrooms, one along the front wall of the house and one along the west wall. "This was the nanny's room," explained Rana. "The bedrooms to either side were for the young boys and girls in her charge."