The Silver Guardian Bk. 01 Ch. 28

A huge thank you to my editor Tex Beethoven for another amazing job and collaboration, thank you Tex you rock!!!

Book 1

Chapter 28

Lily and Dante pulled into their new driveway in front of their new garage at the Cabin. She was driving her truck, which was crammed to the gills with all kinds of stuff -- furniture, food, clothing, electronics equipment -- all needed so they could move into their totally refurbished home. Dante was driving his Chevelle, loaded full of whatever hadn't quite made it into the truck.

The Cabin looked amazing! The garage was large, a triple, and was set at an angle to the rest of the house. The right rear corner of the garage was attached to the left side of the house via a short mud room corridor (also new) that then proceeded into the main house. These new additions were clad by the same log construction as the rest of the Cabin, with a dark shingle roof on each.

As they performed a brief inspection tour of the outside, once they'd walked around to the left of the garage they could see another addition, this one on the back of the house. All new additions matched the rest of the log construction perfectly. They could see multiple small, wide windows up near the roofline and knew this was the nursery. These windows were bulletproof and too small for much of anything to fit through, but still large enough to provide plenty of natural light to the inside room. Dante acknowledged that the windows were a chink in the armor of a fully defensible fortress, but if they were breached in some hypothetical major attack, it would take time, allowing everyone inside to retreat to the unbreachable safety of a locked-down saferoom. Not that they were expecting any such attack of course, but Lily agreed with her mate that they wanted to be prepared for anything.

Dante knew that this rustic log façade, looking just like the exterior of many other houses in these mountains, was only camouflage for the reinforced walls they had designed and built.

Returning to the front of the house, they walked up the steps to the front porch and saw their new front door at the same time as the large stainless-steel Viking grill. This grill wasn't armor plated or anything, it was just for cooking; nevertheless, Dante knew it would see plenty of use: he looked forward to doing lots of outdoor grilling for Lily.

The front door didn't appear to be anything out of the ordinary save for the numeric keypad above the handle. It controlled an electronic lock so they wouldn't need to worry about keys, which could really slow someone down in an emergency. The initial code for entry was a 12-digit number that Dante or Lily could change at any time. However, one of Dante's projects for that weekend was to install software in the bank of computers inside and elsewhere so not only could he or Lily change the code remotely, they could also lock or unlock the door. They could even engage the Cabin's master lockdown feature, all using a computer inside, or his or Lily's smartphones. But that wasn't all: the lock had a tiny hidden camera connected to facial recognition software, so once Dante had programmed in Lily's and his faces, it would open instantly upon their approach. Another difference from an ordinary door was that it opened by sliding into the wall. Dante had developed his own secure app that he would be able to market a variant of to his customers, since he was just about ready to launch his security company. So this front door was far more sophisticated than was apparent.

The hardware and software on the inside of the door was virtually identical. Basically, if you didn't know the 12-digit code or weren't a preprogrammed authorized person or assisted by an authorized person, you couldn't leave the building. So for instance if you were a bad guy trying to escape an enraged Dante's wrath, you were in serious trouble.

Also belying appearances, the door was constructed of 4" thick reinforced steel riding on ball bearings, with its motion electronically assisted so you couldn't feel its weight. When in lockdown mode, numerous 1" inch thick steel posts would extend from the top, bottom and sides of the door into a steel receiver all around it, that was an integral part of the log structure itself.

The right side of the house had three walls extending out further than before, which enclosed the newly expanded master bedroom and bathroom, all of which doubled as their new saferoom.

They opened the door (123456789012 for now until they got serious later today) and walked for the first time into their refurbished home with huge smiles of anticipation.

They started with the kitchen and living room. Their new furniture and appliances had been installed, and Lily squealed in joy at the new stainless steel oversized double door Viking refrigerator and freezer. They also were pleased with the new dishwasher that matched the refrigerator. Otherwise the kitchen had been left untouched, including its smooth, painted walls.

There was a new table in the eating area. Its top was a large irregularly shaped slab of oak, reasonably close to an oval, that had prominent knots in the surface deciding its shape; it was set upon a natural log base. Both tabletop and support were polished to a high gloss, and all the edges had been softened and rounded, but it looked very natural. The chairs were constructed of a darker oak, were big backed and they coordinated well.

In the living room, almost everything had been left untouched. It still contained their favorite couch that had hosted some of their better moments, and it was their favorite spot in the house to cuddle. Its frame was a large oversized unit of finely finished pine, and the seat and back was upholstered in a light tan leather for comfort. There was a large coffee table that was new, constructed the same as the kitchen table but smaller. Dante had gotten his wish for a large and very fluffy sheepskin rug in front of the fireplace, and he knew it would become a favorite spot for them to make love over the years.

They moved to the back of the house and into the new nursery. The lighting was beautiful, and all the walls had the same logs on the inside as on the outside, but these reinforced log walls were a thick façade that could support just about anything bolted or otherwise fastened to them. This room had been left mostly empty though, since they wanted to design it from scratch whenever they learned Lily was pregnant.

They moved over to the workout room and found it nicely stocked with plenty of weights and exercise equipment, including free weights, a bench press, leg press and squat machine. There was even a small but adequate sparring area that had padded surroundings to avoid unnecessary injuries. (For lycans, minor injuries during sparring, or occasionally even prior to sparring, all of which would heal quickly, were a necessary part of the learning curve. Experience in fighting effectively even when injured could easily save a warrior's life.)

They decided to leave the saferoom for last and went to inspect the mudroom and the garage. The mudroom was utilitarian, again with all log walls, and it housed a brand-new top of the line digital washer and dryer, and a washbasin large enough to wash off boots, and a countertop area for folding clothes and a few cabinets for storing supplies.

They moved into the garage, passing through a solid steel door with a heavily reinforced frame, and again a numbered electronic keypad and lock (inside and out) with all the features as on the front door.

The garage was a sanctuary in and of itself. Being a gearhead and car guy, Dante had gone all out in its design. As he had specified, the floor was coated in a tough chemical resistant paint that could be wiped off or hosed down. There was another large refrigerator out here, as well as a standalone chest-style deep freeze for extra food storage. Mounted on a wall there was also a 60" UHD TV that he would soon tie into the security system he was installing later that day. The garage was 16' high and in the third bay was a lift where the Chevelle would be parked; it could also be raised for working on it or even storing it with another car parked underneath.

There was a large steel workbench running around the entirety of two walls for anything he might need it for. There was also a 10' wide weapons locker made of solid steel, with a biometric lock for quick but secure access. There was AC as well as heat in the garage for all seasons, and a full-size gas wire feed welder, as well as reloading equipment for cartridges and shells and a gun bench, and an air compressor with small pipes running throughout the garage, feeding plug in points for hoses at several locations.

The garage doors weren't just something one would encounter in the suburbs, but were again misleadingly reinforced and heavy, with powerful electric motors installed to raise and lower them. Access was entirely via remote control for these doors.

Finally, a must in any garage for Dante, was that it was wired for music with Klipsch speakers and a Marantz amplifier with auxiliary hookups for devices.

Both Dante and Lily had loved absolutely everything they'd seen so far, and Lily loved having the garage to park in, so she wouldn't have to deal with the snow anymore in the winters.

They had left the bedroom for last and now approached the door. The door handle again looked ordinary enough, but it was of Dante's own design, as it was biometric and read who you were via a tiny camera and our old friend face recognition software. Like the front door it had a lockdown mode which activated all the saferoom features and protocols. Similar to the front door and the one leading from the garage, it rode on ball bearings and was motor assisted to deal with the weight, so the door could slide freely in and out of the wall, but this one was over 8" thick and again like the front door but stronger, it could be secured into the walls and floor and ceiling, all of which were constructed of reinforced steel and concrete and ceramic. At need, hardened steel bars would extend over a foot into each surface every 12", rendering the saferoom inaccessible in any way. It could be locked from the inside or outside, but only with biometric access or through the mobile system Dante had built.

In spite of massive steel doors and thick, reinforced concrete walls, the Cabin throughout appeared almost normal. For example, anything made of steel or concrete was laminated decoratively to make it appear to be made of logs or burnished wood. It was a fortress, especially the saferoom, but it didn't look or feel like one.

Dante explained to Lily all the details and then showed her how to use the door and how to enable and disable everything, promising to provide her with smartphone access later in the day.

In spite of such elaborate fortifications to forbid access to the saferoom to any but a chosen few (technically one should probably call it a safe suite, but whoever heard of one of those), once you were inside, it was a very pleasant and comfortable master bedroom. It featured recessed, indirect lighting that could be adjusted to any type of light or condition. There was an extra-large dark wood and leather sleigh bed with a huge iron-banded and braced oak chest at the foot of it. There was a standing mirror framed in dark wood that was ornately carved, and a matching standing jewelry box for Lily. There was also a vanity and bench for Lily to sit at where she could relax or use it to prepare for a special occasion, such as a date. Like the rest of the house, it had dark wood flooring with a slightly distressed semigloss finish.

Besides the kitchen and bathroom, the walls in the bedroom were the only interior ones that weren't log, but were instead painted walls. They were a warm forest green with camel accents and trim, maintaining the mountain feel. There was a hidden access panel in the floor for all the electronics the house would need, which at a touch of Dante's phone would raise itself up into the bedroom for convenient access. They stepped into the walk-in closet that had plenty of space for everything, including shoes and accessories and shirts and jackets and pants. There were also lots of drawers of all sizes and on the back wall, a 4'x6' mirror that was actually a glass panel that opened to another weapons cache.

Dante would make a list this weekend of everything else he wanted, and he would order it during the week and then stock it the next weekend. He and Lily had the means to get nearly anything they wanted delivered in that timeframe.

They finished in the bathroom, which even though it was part of the saferoom, was a paradise. There were two large cream marble sinks, each of which Dante noted was at perfect hip height for one or the other of them (hmmmmm). On the wall behind the sinks were two large sconce lit mirrors with small cabinets on each side for them both. There were also two toilets, since if three or more people were taking refuge in the saferoom for any length of time they would want the convenience. A large claw-foot bronze tub with exposed piping and a handheld nozzle sat angled against one wall near a corner, and the other corner was dominated by a walk-in shower with a waterfall and an overhead rain setting, plus multiple shower heads as well.

They both knew they had gone over the top with their cozy little fortress in the wilderness, but they wanted their Cabin to be their dream home where they (and their children if and when Luna blessed them with any) could retreat to be in comfort and security whenever necessary. So they spent whatever was necessary and didn't worry about it.

They strolled back into the living room and sat down together on the couch. Dante spoke first, "I'm blown away, this is absolutely incredible and more than I'd dreamed of for us, it's perfect!!"

Lily smiled hugely, she was so thrilled and excited by it all. "It really is, isn't it? I feel like we actually have a home that's just ours together. It's our own space and it's a dream! It's going to be so cozy and feel so safe and secure, so we can completely relax and let our guard down. I can just imagine snuggling with you in the winter with the snow falling and wind howling outside, while we're warm and naked in front of the fire making love and moaning sweet nothings into each other's ears. It's going to be so perfect! Thank you baby, thank you so much; this is everything I've ever dreamed of, and you made it all happen and just gave it to me, I love you so much!"

Dante was smiling just as much. "I know exactly what you mean, my love. It does feel like our own home and our own space, and one that will be just ours for years to come. And I can't wait to try out that scenario with the snow coming down outside, too!" Dante grinned wolfishly at the last part.

They talked for a little while longer, building a plan for the day. Lily would move things in and unpack all the clothes and decorations and pictures etc., while Dante would imbed himself in setting up all the security and electronics equipment, including all the music and stereo equipment in the garage, living room and bedroom. With that, they got moving.

Dante first installed the security audio and video hardware and wiring throughout all the rooms. He then moved on to the garage, front porch, and external views of all the windows and doors around the house as well.

While he accomplished that, Lily had unloaded the truck of most of its items and was organizing and putting away all their clothing in their walk-in closet. She then moved on to hanging pictures throughout the living room and bedroom, and a few other places around the Cabin.

Soon Dante was installing and setting up the mainframe, servers, storage equipment and redundant backups and several other pieces of hardware and software, building the home network and security system into a cohesive unit. He had engineered, programmed and rigged all his proprietary software and much of the hardware and was patenting it. It took a while, but once that was all finished he moved on to tying all the security feeds into the system and syncing them together, then tying them into the televisions and sound system.

There was a 72" UHD 4K TV mounted in the bedroom that could be used for entertainment, but would double as the main security feed and information center for the home, which would be especially useful when the saferoom was needed. Before long all the video and audio feeds had been fed into the TV. He could easily select and zoom in on any feed, and using the software he'd designed, he could track and identify threats and people and even attempt facial identification to provide even more information from a large national database. He also completed the final touches of setting up his mobile app, providing Lily and him with remote access to it all, as well as alerts sent to Lily's and his phones in the event of any threat detected, even while they were away. He also set up the front door, mudroom door, garage door and saferoom door so they could be activated and sent into lockdown mode remotely.

All this effort took the majority of the day, and they had only stopped for a sandwich each at lunchtime, so they could keep working and finish up by evening.

Dante wrapped up and went to find Lily, who was putting the final touches in the living room and hallways after completing the bedroom earlier. All the pictures and decorations were hung and placed, and already this felt like a home they lived in.

There were pictures of them together and some alone, many were from their recent trip, including Lily in her almost-there silver dress, their mating ceremony, the concert and outdoor party afterwards, and a few candids that had been taken over the short but eventful months they had been together. There were several rugs and runners cushioning their feet and softening the room, and dark hardwood floors throughout the house.

It was time for dinner and afterwards they would relax the rest of the night, before finishing up tomorrow. Dante still had to wire the surrounding area outside, as well as multiple points on the roof for line of sight 360° coverage from above. Lily would help him place and wire everything that would send wireless feeds into the house.

The time left would be theirs. The fridge had yet to be stocked so their options were limited for dinner, but they put together a tasty Chicken Alfredo pasta to fill them up. After dinner they sat on the couch and relaxed snuggling together, enjoying being close and finally being back in their Cabin again. Tomorrow would be another busy day, since in addition to setting up the feeds outside, they'd be making a trip into town to pick up food for the fridge and deep freeze, and to get some liquor, too. They were both wiped out and decided just to cuddle and kiss tonight, and get to bed early for some extra sleep.

***

They'd woken up early on Sunday so they'd have plenty of time to finish up, and by early afternoon the surrounding forest and their roof and all other areas they could think of were wired and online. They decided to head into town for their groceries, then take the rest of the afternoon and evening off to enjoy their new Cabin, and spend a little time relaxing before their Monday came around again. The trip to town and back took a few hours, but by late afternoon they were all provisioned and could finally breathe and sit down.

They had curled up on the couch again and had closed their eyes, enjoying the quiet and some time to do nothing. Before they knew it, they had both fallen asleep with Lily laying on Dante's chest. They woke up a few hours later and were hungry, so they set about making dinner. Dante decided to use the new grill for the first time, and made them some bacon bison burgers, while Lily did a fresh salad and skillet French fries. While it was a rather simple meal, it was delicious and they both ate with gusto.