LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 55 - Family disFUNction
Even the closet families have the occasional spat – Able's Fables
Operation Grand Slam (Unknown)
Resting her head on her hand, Estelle slumped over in the wicker chair, her gaze fixed on the swaying light fixture. It swung back and forth, first nudged by Tauru when he settled down, then grazed by Indigo as he passed by. No longer amused by the light she scanned the room for another object to keep herself entertained.
Estelle strained her eyes, focusing on the tape sealing a tear in Indigo's bean bag, trying to estimate how long it would hold before the beans spilled out completely.
Whisper sat at the table, absorbed in her writing, while Heather dragged out a small rug, dusting it off with occasional glances at her watch. The door creaked open, and T.C. entered, arms laden with maps and a case of pins.
“Sorry, I’m late, I was…” T.C. started to say.
“About to make an excuse?” snapped Heather.
“I was waiting for the latest intelligence reports from Section 4,” T.C. said, as he pinned the maps to the wall.
Whisper flashed a tight-lipped smile at him and snapped her book shut, a flicker of irritation crossing her features as she narrowed her gaze toward Heather. She slid off the table with a sigh, her movements more deliberate than before.
"Right, let's begin," T.C. announced, his tone edged with impatience.
"Absolutely, some of us actually have commitments," Heather interjected, her tone sharp with annoyance. “Rats to train, trees to grow…”
She cast a pointed glance at her watch, her brow furrowed in frustration.
Whisper held up her hand, opening and closing it, and scoffed, “Bla, bla bla, Oh, spare us your self-importance. Not everything revolves around your schedule.”
Heather's jaw tightened; her irritation growing as she adjusted her glasses with a sharp movement. She shot a glare at Whisper, her eyes flashing with irritation.
In response, Whisper raised her hand and extended her middle finger.
“I know everyone is stressed cause of our suspension, but it’s only temporary and when it gets lifted,” Indigo said.
“If…” corrected Heather. “Need I remind everyone that we wouldn’t be in this situation if someone didn’t deliberately antagonize Upper Management, two counselors, and Jones.”
"We should at least have a plan in place once the embargo gets lifted," Indigo suggested, prompting a bark of agreement from Triumph.
The remark was met with a chorus of groans from Heather and Whisper. Meanwhile, Estelle turned her attention back to the swaying light and absentmindedly gestured with her finger to continue.
"Without further ado, it seems we're on our own this go," T.C. said, scanning his notes. "Sidedragon is assigned to guard duty on the bridge, and the Wheels are tied up defending the boardwalk against the Queen Pins, which they should easily win. According to the latest intel, the Hilltop Hooligans are holding the Dutchman Mine."
“Translation we are going balls deep in Gold Territory,” Tauru said.
“Yeah, how are we even going to get in, Gold guards their turf more closely than Red. We can’t walk in like what we did at the Nakatomi Tower,” Heather said.
“I’m getting to that,” T.C. said. “Captain Polo, who just took over, runs the Hooligans. It’s said that…”
Estelle held up her hand, indicating she wanted the short version.
“Right, well he’s umm, he’s supposed to be…” T.C. said coughing as he sifted through his note cards.
“Needle on the record is st-st-st-stuck?” asked Tauru who snickered.
He stuck out his hand for a fist bump, but Estelle waved it away.
“I’m trying to do my best here,” T.C. said dropping his note cards.
Whisper helped T.C. to pick up the fallen cards.
“Try?” said Heather as she rolled her eyes. “We haven’t got this far by trying. We got this far from doing it. Certainly not by dropping the ball, or the cards.”
T.C. ran his finger under his nose. His eyes began to water. Heather sat back and smirked. T.C. threw his hands up and left the room.
“Happy now, hippie?” asked Whisper.
Heather jumped up and put her hands on her hips.
“Well maybe if I was sleeping with him, I’d go easy on him too, but I’m not. Maybe he needs to grow a backbone. I have a spell for that, or he should just man up,” Heather said and looked at the others. “Someone tell me I’m wrong, Tauru, Indigo?”
Estelle stood up, standing between Whisper and Heather.
“Meeting is adjourned for twenty hours,” Estelle said as she stuck her nose in the air and walked out.
Tauru got to his feet and stretched.
“Yo, Indi wanna hit up the Green Goose? I got a stack of ones I wanna burn,” Tauru asked as Indigo shook his head no. “Heather? Whisper? No?”
Heather crossed her arms and walked out of the room, bumping into Whisper’s shoulder as she left.
“I would, but I’m going to hit the surf before the beach gets too crowded,” Indigo said rising to his feet.
“Strip clubs aren’t my thing,” Whisper said.
Triumph perked up.
“Well, more T and A for me,” Taur said.
***
Estelle stood alone in the basement of the Thornewood apartments, save for a pile of boxes, crude chalk drawing on the concrete floor, and a lone spiderweb. She waved her right hand around in a wide circle. The chalk glowed bright green as a de Sitter doorway opened, connecting one point to another. After she stepped through, Estelle was standing in the basement of the Nakatomi housing complex.
She had exited the building and saw the neighborhood was busy with pedestrian activity. Residents and NPCs went about their daily activities of shopping or heading to work. More shops sprang up across the street since the last time she was there. Must have been the fact that rent was slashed by 78% Estelle mused.
A woman in a blue flower print dress curtsied and waved to her as she walked down the steps. A man, wearing blue overalls, bowed and waved a friendly hello. Estelle gave them a simple nod to acknowledge their gesture. She crossed the street and into the Silkeborg Massage and Nail Salon. The room was covered in blue velvet wallpaper and thick ocean-blue curtains.
A woman with short black hair and a single elongated canine tooth wearing a black button-down shirt looked up from the counter. The scent of frankincense and dragon blood incense wafted through the air.
She stared at Estelle with her golden eyes and gave her a hint of a smile.
“You’re an hour early for your appointment, my dear,” she said in a voice as soft as a gentle breeze on a warm day. “But if you wish I can have Coraline finish up with the current client.”
“That won’t be necessary, Nova,” Estelle said. “I’ll be in the salt room or hot tube till she’s ready.”
Nova turned around and retrieved a brass key with the words ‘VIP #4’ stamped on the side and handed it to Estelle.
Estelle bowed her head in gratitude before wandering into the back room, passing through a beaded curtain. After unlocking the door to the changing room, she closed it behind her. Inside, she discovered a stack of fluffy white towels, slippers, and a bathroom hanging in a cabinet. She quickly changed out of her clothes, then adjusted the robe before stepping into the adjoining room.
Vibrant greens from palm trees and ferns greeted her purple eyes as she entered. Estelle took off her robe and hung it on a hook before reaching into her robes for a palm-sized object. Near the thick glass door covered in steam rested a bowl of coarse salt. Scooping up a handful, she rubbed it into her skin before stepping inside. Activating her Witch Sight, Estelle surveyed the steamy room but found it empty. Satisfied, she closed the door, feeling the thick cloud of steam envelop her as she entered.
The room was awash in a soft blue light as she sat down on a wooden bench. The steam was thick, granting her an arms length of visibility. After checking a second time with her Witch Sight, Estelle placed a small doll on an empty seat beside her. Tapping the doll on the forehead twice and twice on both feet, it disappeared, summoning a woman clad in a white bathing suit. Clasping her hands together, the woman bowed deeply.
“Pocket Girlfriend reporting for duty, how may I be of service?” she asked.
“Initiate communications network matrix, level 7-alpha,” Estelle said.
Pocket Girlfriend’s eyes glazed over as she stood silently. A series of numbers flashed across her eyes. Estelle tapped her foot as she waited.
"I do wish T.C. had procured a Pocket Secretary instead of this subpar Girlfriend model," Estelle muttered. "I find waiting to be quite disagreeable."
After what seemed like an hour of waiting, Pocket Girlfriend blinked a few times and bowed once more.
"Private room established, connection efficiency at 78.54%. Enjoy your meeting, Captain Thornewood," Pocket Girlfriend announced.
Estelle reclined in her seat and closed her eyes.
***
T.C. strode down the tunnel of the iron mine, illuminated by the faint glow of orange, fluorescent lights that hummed like a beehive. Pushing open a door marked in bold red paint reading ‘RESTRICTED: Explosives!’, he entered.
Flipping the switch, the light flickered for a moment before illuminating the space.
T.C. secured the door behind him, sliding a heavy metal bar into place. Dragging a worn-out vinyl chair to the center of the room, he settled into it.
From a jewelry box, T.C. withdrew a diamond set in silver and placed it against his right temple. Closing his eyes, he awaited the transmission that would appear in his mind.
Estelle:> Report in
TC:> I’m up
***
A tri-winged plane soared high in the sky. Whisper flipped a switch, engaging the autopilot system. She reached into a pocket, retrieving a diamond, and carefully placed it under her cap, pressing it against her ear.
Whisper:> Green-two-green
***
Tauru sat back in a booth with the green curtain closed. A woman with orange hair sat across from him reading a book. Tauru pushed a diamond closer to his ear.
Tauru:> I’m here
***
Heather knelt on the soft forest floor and rested her back against a birch tree and placed a diamond against her temple. She placed her hand on the tree’s trunk. The bark of the trees around her changed as they opened their eyes.
Heather:> 10-4, and in the back door
***
Indigo ran along the sandy beach as Triumph ran behind him. He threw a neon orange Frisbee and Triumph ran faster towards it as it whizzed in the air.
Stopping abruptly, Indigo fell into the water. He caught his breath as the dog retrieved the Frisbee and trotted back towards Indigo. His tail wagging.
Indigo:> I’m in, but have 1 possibly 2 surveillance teams on me
After playing tug-of-war with Triumph, and taking the Frisbee from him, he tossed it again. Triumph turned and gave chase.
***
Estelle sat back and pinched the bridge of her nose, relieving the pressure from her sinuses.
Heather:> Before we begin, what are we doing about the surveillance bugs in our meeting room?
Estelle:> Once Operation Grand Slam is over, they will be repurposed
TC:> Think whoever is spyin’ on us, bought our little act?
Whisper:> we’ll find out
Indigo:> I’m dropping off the net for a bit, I got a Goldie spy sitting nearby
Heather:> Good luck
Estelle:> Unless there’re any further questions, please proceed with the brief TC
T.C. explained the plan: Heather would enter the mine from the north side via the underground river a few days prior. Meanwhile, he would access a connecting air shaft on the southeast side the previous night and assist Heather in neutralizing anyone encountered within the mine. The rest of the team would initiate an assault from the east at dawn, attacking with the rising sun. They will land via the HR-7 spyglass and the support of Mary Somerville. Their objective would be to eliminate any resistance encountered along the way and capture the Hilltop Hooligan’s flag.
Whisper:> Attacking w/ the sun at your back is classy!
TC:> Got the idea from reading up on the Crimson Devil
Heather:> What’s the condition of the zeppelin?
TC:> Mary is operational, Whisper and I will begin flight tests in the morning over the bay
Heather:> I’ll make sure you have clear skies and a light wind from the ocean
Whisper:> thanks hippie 😉
Heather:> n/p warmonger
Tauru:> Now that we got the touchie feelie stuff out of the way, how long are going to keep this dysfunctional family thing going?
Estelle:> Till zero hour, be cautious that Upper Management may be tempted to feed the enemy our battle plans. They would enjoy nothing more than seeing us lose
Indigo:> Looks like a good plan. BTW, spy confirmed. It’s someone from the Queen Pins, she tried to buy my diamond earring
Heather:> You know a jeweler???
Indigo:> I made the setting myself. Casting jewelry was a hobby of mine
Whisper:> !!!1!!!
Heather:> We need to talk later
Estelle:> Unless anyone has anything additional that pertains to the mission, this meeting is over till tomorrow afternoon =^.^=
After a minute of silence, Estelle opened her eyes, and she tapped pocket girlfriend on hand.
“I hope my services were satisfactory?” Pocket Girlfriend asked.
“Absolutely, please bleach wipe all of the logs from the records,” Estelle said.
Pocket Girlfriend’s eyes glazed over as she stared blankly into the steam of the salt sauna. After another minute, she blinked, and her eyes returned to normal.
“Request completed; do you require any further services?” she asked.
“That is all,” Estelle said tapping her on the head four times.
Pocket Girlfriend returned to doll form, and Estelle picked the doll up and left the sauna. The clock on the wall told her she had twenty or so minutes till her appointment. The cool air caused her skin to tingle. She inhaled deeply; her lungs filled with the crisp air.
“It’s a shame they discontinued the Secretary model,” Estelle thought as she turned her attention to the hot tub. “I do so regret having to give her back, but my word is my bond.”
Estelle stepped into the water and activated the bubble function. She relaxed in the water, her mind began to wander and wondered if Bee was okay being left next to the radio. She waited till her masseuse was ready.
***