Dark as Daylight Ch. 03

"Captain, with all due respect, I am going to blow your test out of the water."

"I've heard that comment many times before, and many times people wound up on the cleaning crews, and as service personnel. Would you like to bet your career on it? Would you like to bet your career on the bridge on this test? While we were still on the ground, 90 people took this test. There were 34 career Air Force officers, 17 Army officers, 22 naval officers, 7 Captains of Industry, 6 PhD's, and 4 of our own scientists. How many do you see on this vessel?"

"None Captain."

"Good luck on your test navigator."

I put up a sign saying testing in progress, do not disturb. I smiled, because I lied my ass off, and walked back to the bridge to join my wife.

As soon as Jen saw me she said, "Who did you fuck this time Even? I haven't seen you smile like that since you hid the guns from me, when you found out I was pregnant."

"Elizabeth Franklin."

"You fucked Elizabeth Franklin?"

"Not biblically dear, verbally. She's taking the captain's test, and I put the fear of God into her."

"I thought you said you didn't fuck her biblically?"

"Yahweh never touched her, and neither did I."

"Are we splitting pussy hairs dear?"

"If we are, I'm not the one splitting them."

'She told me she was going to blow the captain's test out of the water. She had this look on her face, of fiery determination, and I wanted to wipe it off.'

To knock the wind out of her sails, I lied my ass off about the test. I told her about the 90 officers and gentlemen that took the test, while we were still on the ground. I asked her how many captains were on the ship. Her lip quivered and said, '2.' I asked her if she wanted to bet her job on the bridge, and take a less favorable job in maintenance. She shook her head, and indicated 'No.' By the time I finished with her, her eyes with 7 feet wide by 3 feet high, looked like glass, but more importantly, they were ready to flood with tears.

My mission was accomplished.

"If I wasn't married to you Doctor Luck, I would call you a real bastard. I am married to you, so I will call you a real fucking bastard."

"Jennifer, I told you, biblically I never laid a hand on her."

"Janet, you have the bridge."

"Callie, trainee Janet Dover has the bridge."

"Do you agree Captain Luck?"

"Yes I do Callie. Would you please page Doctor Finch to the infirmary please, and tell him I'll meet him there."

"Yes Captain, shall I tell him what your symptoms are?"

"Yes, tell him I'm having contractions."

"I'm talking to him now Doctor, he'll meet you there."

"Thank you Callie."

"Do you think you can make it to the elevator without killing yourself?"

"Jennifer, I've done this walk several times, and I haven't broken a bone yet."

"We won't talk about the scar over your eye, or the stitches on your wrist. Walk slowly, I don't want to carry you down to the infirmary. It would not be good for your image as Captain."

"Whatever you say dear."

"Do you think this will get me out of performing the ceremony for Hannah and Jack next Sunday?"

"Why, are you going to be out of town?"

"No, I was just thinking about the trauma of having the babies."

"What trauma are you talking about? You pushed out Richard and Holden, while eating hot dogs."

"Take that back, I was not eating hot dogs. Just because the doctor gave me a little too much medication, and I was singing, doesn't mean it was an easy delivery with Richard. Holden should be the proof of that;" I nearly broke your wrist."

"I never did tell you the truth about that, did I?"

"Even, you are going to have to write a book about all the lies you've ever told just so you can find out what the truth was at the time."

"It's a little late now to think about publishing my memoirs of lies. However, while you were giving birth to Holden, and were holding my hand, something was leaking, and there was fluid on the floor. So as Holden was coming out of you, I moved forward to take a look. I slipped on the water, you didn't let go of my hand. That's why I wound up with cartilage damage between my thumb, and forefinger."

"How can anybody ever believe what you tell them? You tell me I nearly broke your hand squeezing it when my son was born almost 7 years ago. I find this out when I'm about to deliver twins. What am I going to find out about this delivery Even?"

"You are going to find out that I love you as much today as I did the first time I set eyes on you. I am never going to let you go, even if you strike it rich."

"I was rich, and I let it go for you, asshole."

"I was richer than you dear, and I also gave it all up to go on this trip. We have one of your biological children here, we have one of my biological children here, and today we're going to have two of OUR biological children to add to that group." In all, I would say, we are making one big happy family."

"Yes we are. I haven't had a chance to talk to Delicious; how is she feeling?"

"Jennifer, the difference in Delicious is like night and day. The tactic Gray used on her was something out of a book by Cloe Madanes: Paradoxical Intentions (circa: 1976) He didn't know he used it, I didn't know it even it exited, until I asked Callie about it.

It's the use of 'reverse psychology' to get a patient to understand something good or right, might start out as something evil or wrong.

I understand now why it was programmed it into Callie's memory. It was a small part of a chapter in a textbook in psychiatry, and no one decided to erase it."

*********************

5 hours of hard labor later, Jennifer delivered 2 sleeping, dark haired, green eye girls.

Her last words to her husband before she went to sleep were, "Don't you ever touch me again."

*************

As she slept peacefully, Even went to the ready room to check on progress of Elizabeth Franklin.

He walked in the door and saw her sitting there looking numb.

"Are you ready to quit Mister Franklin?"

"No sir, I'm finished, I just don't know how I did. If all those people failed, some of these questions must have been trickier than I thought. As always when you take a test, you put down the first answer that comes to you. So that's what I did. If I did well, fine; if I failed, I'll be the joke of the flight deck."

"Stack your papers tightly, and put them on the scanner. I will know your score almost instantaneously. 85% or higher you pass. All those other people didn't come close."

"Callie no verbal report; just give me a break down on paper."

"Miss Franklin's score is completed Doctor. Her evaluation is on the printer."

"Thank you Callie."

I went to the printer, and purposely pulled off eight extra sheets of paper to make Elizabeth think that her review was awful, and in great detail. In actuality, the first two pages was all it took to show the test scores.

I sat as far away from her as possible and began turning pages slowly, and agonizingly, while shaking my head in disgust. When I finished I threw the paper into the waistbin and yelled, "Do you have a brain that pretty head of yours? You never should have been at the navigation station. Why did you apply for that job? Speak to me Elizabeth, don't hide."

"I always loved astronomy Captain. I thought I would be good at it, and I am. I knew I could help the ship out at that station that's why I applied for the position and was accepted."

"We also had positions open for plumbers, electricians, engineers, captains, and food service personnel. Why didn't you choose any of those?"

"I don't know anything about plumbing or electricity. Engineering I could bluff my way through, I didn't believe I had the skills to be a captain, and I knew I had too many skills to be a food service person."

"Your parents must've done one hell of a job on you. They told you, that you were a girl. You were going to get married, have children, and stay-at-home to raise them. That was supposed to be your life am I correct?"

"You forgot going to church three days a week."

"How did you wind up with us?"

"You had a secretarial position open, I applied, and I got the job. Every time there was another job opening, I would apply take the test, and get the job. There was never a job opening I didn't get."

"Well there's another one that you took a test for, and you got. You passed the Captain's test with a 97%. I didn't get a 97. Jennifer did, but I didn't. Congratulations you start on the bridge tomorrow is a captain in training."

"Why did you yell at me?"

"I always yell, and I want you to get used to it. One year from now you will be a full-fledged captain. You may make it sooner because of how good you are. I want you to understand that my time is limited on the ship, and I need you to study hard and move forward as quickly as possible. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes Captain, I work as hard as I can."

"Good, go get something to eat and go to bed, I see you on the bridge at 6 o'clock tomorrow morning. I've got to go back to my wife she just had twins."

"Congratulations Captain."

"Congratulations yourself captain in training."

*****************

"Is that a cute little car or what?"

"I'm not thrilled with the color, but it's a convertible and I love it.

"I have a better idea than flattening the tires, that's so old school. Let's do something different."

"What did you have in mind?"

"We are going to need a few more men, gloves, and masks."

"This sounds evil, and I'm getting excited already."

*******************

"Mrs. Zabo, it's already 2 AM, and normally they would send you home late this afternoon. I've ordered them not to let you go home until late Monday afternoon. If your insurance company gives you any problem, call the office and I'll take care of it."

"I left prescriptions for you as part of your discharge package. I want you to take the medication even if you feel well. Take the medicine and let your body heal with it. Don't suffer through it, and think you're being a hero, because you're not.

Mister Zabo if you wish to help, prepare her medications for her, and stand by her while she takes them."

"Thank you Doctor, I will do that."

********************

The two doctors walked out the rear of the hospital, into the lighted, guarded, doctors, and employees parking area. They walked past the guard shack, turned the left, past the concrete pillar, and stopped.

"Yvonne, your car's not here."

"I can see that Olivia, but no one could get it out of here without my pass. Let's go asked the guard if he knows what happened."

The returned to the guard shack, and asked him if they saw her BMW sports car leave the hospital grounds.

"That's easy Doctor, no car has left the parking lot since I came on duty at 11 PM."

"If no car has left, where is my car?"

"What area where you parked in, and I'll run that tape back and take a look."

"Area C, parking space 17 is my assigned spot."

"Let's take a look Doctor, and see what we find."

As the guard played back the tape at high speed, something happened around 2:30 PM. He moved the tape back to that time and played it at regular speed. Eight men dressed in black, with black ski masks, surrounded her car, picked it up, and walked away with it. It did not appear as if they were leaving the parking area, but they left the area covered by the cameras.

The guard led the two doctors to the area it appeared the men had been going, with his weapon drawn. He called for assistance from the other guards stationed at the hospital.

When the two extra guards arrived, they asked the doctors to step back for their safety. They opened the gates to the area where the large garbage containers were stored very slowly, and then looked inside. What they saw made them laugh.

They turned to Doctor Stephanopoulos and said, "We found your car Doctor."

She didn't know why they were laughing, until she cleared the gate and looked at her car. It was sitting on top of one of the large metal garbage containers, with the emergency blinkers on, and a smiley face on the front windshield.

Yvonne knew immediately who the culprit was. She turned and stormed back towards the hospital, with Olivia running after her.

"Where are we going?"

"I'm going to kill that son of a bitch."

"Who, which one?"

"William Zabo, he is responsible for this. I know deep in my soul he is."

"He has always been by his mother's or father's side Yvonne. I hope you're right."

"He's pissed, because of what I said about Gwen. The guy can't take a joke. He doesn't realize we were best friends all through medical school. Why would she ask us to be part of her wedding party if we weren't?"

"I guess you don't mess with a fiancé who is madly in love."

"No one messes with my new Beemer Convertible, and lives."

As they got off on the ninth floor and turned towards Jemma's room, William and William were just leaving her room to return home for the evening.

Leaving protocol at home Doctor Stephanopoulos said, "You have nuts, and I am going to crush them."

Junior smiled. "Go ahead Doctor, give it your best shot. I lived in China for 15 years, and I trained every day. I would love to put some of that training into practice, especially on you."

His father grabbed his arm and said, "William she's a lady."

"No dad, she's a woman with a bug up her ass about us for some reason. As soon as she met us she tried to take you down. Then she's started on me, then she went after Gwen. I have no idea what her problem is, but if she wants to start something, I'm ready."

"Start something my ass, look what you did to my car."

"What could I possibly have done to your car I've been up here with my mom, and dad all day."

"Don't you dare deny it, you put it on top of garbage cans."

"I did what?"

You and seven of your friends picked my car up, carried it into the garbage area and left it on top of one of the garbage cans. The car doesn't have 1000 miles on it yet and you've ruined it."

"So you drove it off the garbage cans to find out that it's ruined?"

"No asshole, I'm not that stupid."

"I guess that's a matter of opinion."

"Where the hell did Gwen find you?"

"We found each other at the launching of a spacecraft on December 25 of last year. We tripped over each other and fell in love. You know what love is, it's an attraction between two people that makes them want to be together all the time. I wanted to stay with Gwen while she shut down her office. She told me if I stayed it would take years to do, because all we'd be doing is making love."

Gwen said your relationship has been chaste, because you want to get to know each other first.

As I said, "If we were together that's what we'd be doing, but we're not together. Are you going to attack me, or am I going to be disappointed again?"

"I want my car off the garbage cans."

"Call a towing company, they will come and help you, because that's what they do."

"Have your men take it down the way they put it up."

"You mean all two men that drove us here? We just called them; they're on their way back to pick us up."

"There are going to be fingerprints on the car, and if they match any of your men I'm going to sue you personally."

"Have a wonderful time, because they don't work for me, they work for my father. Why do you hate me so much? Is it because I'm so pretty? Or is it because you love Gwen as much as I do?"

"I won't bother answering that question."

"Doctor, there is no shame in being gay or bisexual in this day and age."

"I am just beginning to calm down Mister Zabo, don't start with me again."

"Would you like me to call a tow truck company for you, since you seem to be unable to do it for yourself?"

"Do you know one offhand?"

"No, but I can get the closest one from my cell phone."

"No I'll do it myself from the nurse's station. I apologize for losing my temper. I was sure it was you, or your men who did this to my car. I will find out, and I will get justice."

"Would you like our private investigators to look in this for you? We own a company that does that."

"Why do I have a feeling that would be like putting a fox in the hen house?"

"That's totally up to you. I was just trying to help, and save you a couple of dollars."

"What do these agencies normally charge?"

"The day we open a file is $700. After that it's $300 per hour."

"You are thieves."

"If you think so, stop down at our offices, and take a look at their operation. People who come to us for help want results that the police can't give them in a short timeframe. We have better computers, a longer reach, and fewer laws to contend with. What takes the police years to do, we can do it days or weeks.

The police will look at your car and laugh, because in some sort of joke played on you, which it is. They will dust the car for fingerprints, and put it at the bottom of the pile of less important crimes.

If you come to us, the reverse is true. We will look at the fingerprints, put it through NCIC, and if there is a hit, whether it's in Washington State, or mainland China, we will follow that lead and find out where that person is in New York City and have them in for interrogation within three days.

During that time, all you will be charged is for the use of the computer. If the computer takes 12 minutes to look up this person, your charged for 12 minutes of computer time. Then we send one man out to locate the perpetrator, followed by a three-man capture team. Your total charge for this type of operation normally comes in at less than $10,000."

"How much money do you charge for Cesarean Section Doctor?"

"$17,800.00."

"That does not include the anesthesiologist, the use of the operating room, the hospital charges, the medications, and everything else to hospital can think of to jack up the bill to charge Medicare, Medicaid, or the insurance companies. Which one of us is a thief Doctor?"

"I am a doctor. I went through four years of college, three years of medical school, two years of internship, and three years of my specialty. I should be able to charge what the law allows."

"You will not get an argument out of me Doctor. However, 78% of the people who work for our company are retired enforcement officers. They have 20 or more years of experience in criminal investigation. Paying them $160 an hour, or more, for their services does not seem to be an outlandish amount of money because everywhere they go they have to be fearful of their lives. They are not safely ensconced in a hospital setting, as you are, and dealing with people who are dependent on your services. They are dealing with people who would rather kill you, then give up peacefully."

William Senior said, "while you two can't decide whether to kill each other, or talk each other to death, I called a tow truck service, and they are downstairs waiting for your keys Doctor. They said it would be no problem getting your car off the garbage cans, and there will be no damage to it. There will be no charge for their services, we put it through our Investigative Service."

"Thank you Mister Zabo, but there was no need for you to pay for it. I can easily afford it."

"I am aware that Doctor. However, had you attacked my son, you would have been out of work for several years, and I would've felt bad about it."

"He's not that good."

"Doctor, don't ever make statements you can't back up. You are correct, however, he is not that good. He is better than that. He beat a Chinese Olympian in a sanctioned match in Hong Kong three years ago. You can look it up in Sports Illustrated."