Chapter 34 Worse than Nebulan cats

A few days later, Liz woke up, everything hurt. She blinked cautiously and found herself in her bed. She carefully sat up and realized that she was at least dressed in a T-shirt and shorts. 

She simply breathed to herself and felt herself slowly getting better. 

She got up and went to the table where her cigarettes were and lit one. Mei poked her head through the door, looking tired but grinning ear to ear. 

"Oh, there she is, awake already?"

Liz looked at her. 

"Oh yeah?" She took a drag on her cigarette.

"My yes, the way you took it ..." 

Memories whizzed through her mind's eye and she had to hold on to the table as waves of excitement rolled through her body. 

"I'm going to make it."

"Of course, I can see it."

Liz pulled herself together. What was she supposed to say to her sister who was having a sex orgy with her. 

Liz walked up to her, reached for her. 

"Don't say anything, you'd better help me get a beer from the kitchen."

They both made it into the kitchen, where Gitte and Mai were sitting relaxed at the counter sipping coffee, looking at each other.

"Do you know who those two just reminded me of?" Mai said to Gitte.

" Yes, I know what you mean, it reminds me of both of us. "

Liz shuffled to the fridge and took out a beer for herself and Mei, opened the can with a hiss and sipped it, then went to the bar. Where Mei carefully sat down on a stool. 

"You should have your strength back in an hour, your bodies are tougher than you think. "

Liz took a sip and set the can down, looking at the three of them, finally able to answer the question of why they were the Hydra of the North Block. She took a drag on her cigarette.

At some point while she was getting a beer, Jannet appeared.

"Where's Dad, anyway? I thought he was walking around the house grinning or something."

" He's asleep. " 

Gitte and Jannet nodded.

Liz got up and went to the living room door.

"Is dad exhausted? " 

"Well, he just had to answer it."

Liz saw her father sitting on the sofa with the gorilla and Sir Wellington the unicorn in his arms. She went over to him.

"Dad?" she said cautiously. 

It took him a while to open his eyes and see clearly.

Liz looked at the others, then back at him.

"Uhh, worst hangover in a long time, honey," she said, holding out the cigarette to him, which he accepted. 

Liz looked at her father, who took a drag on the cigarette. She sighed and sat down next to him. She looked at her family in the kitchen.

"Dad, is there going to be another outburst? "

She heard him take a drag on his cigarette.

"Yes. In ten ..fifteen, twenty years at the latest."

She looked at him, he seemed lost in thought.

"The drug that Pierre and his people sold is deposited in the cells and slowly changes the users."

"But you can..." 

He looked at her with a smile. 

"Liz, the number of people undergoing genetic enhancement hasn't increased in the last year, quite the opposite. Many are having it reversed. "

He took a drag on his cigarette. 

"Interest in the armed forces has also waned and the next council election will see a council puppet elected."

She was about to say something, he smiled warmly at her.

"But Dad, if it breaks out ..."

"Then it'll break out, I've set up sectors for people to go to. " 

He stroked her head.

" Don't worry about it."

" But what if the people in the zones rebel, storm the underground."

" There will be a colony on the moon, should be ready in a few years. "

She looked at him in amazement.

"On the moon?"

He nodded.

"I'll show you and the others in a few weeks," he rose slowly. He swayed as he took his first steps. She was worried. Especially because he changed shape between Alex and Miles four times on the way to the kitchen. He propped himself against the wall and she hurried to him.

"Dad, you're out of shape." 

He laughed.

" I should lie down." 

" Yes you should ... "

Alex staggered out of the living room and into the bedroom. Liz reached for her cell phone and searched for Uther's number, but couldn't find it. She went into the kitchen.

"Mom, do you have Earl's number?"

Gitte looked at her.

"Yes, I do. Why?"

Liz reached for her cell phone and dialed the number.

"Liz?!" was all she said. 

The phone was picked up on the other side and booming basses met Liz's ears.

"Hey Gitte, what's up?" came from Earl.

"Earl, dad's not well..." 

A loud bang sounded and Earl suddenly appeared on the kitchen table in skater shorts and a T-shirt with the Nordblock logo on it.

His eyes looked at everyone scrutinizingly and then lingered on Liz.

"What have you been doing?"

"Why us? We only had..." Min began.

"Worse than Nebulan cats," he jumped up from the table. 

" He was already at his limit anyway. "

" What do you mean, at the limit?"

" When was the last time you saw him sleep?"

" Um " the three mothers looked at each other. 

" When the children were still babies, well, he had his eyes closed earlier. "

Earl shuffled into the bedroom. Liz followed him and found her father sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at the floor. He looked up as Earl walked in.

"Did I miss a meeting?" asked Alex.

" No old friend, but you should get some sleep now."

" There are appointments ..." 

Earl looked at him and tapped his forehead with his fingers, causing him to tilt backwards. 

" Until tomorrow night, you sleep Alex, they can wait that long. "

Liz heard nothing but snoring. She looked to Earl, who summoned a holo image to his hand and ran it over Alex.

"At least nothing's broken, just exhausted."

Liz felt the presence of the others behind her. Earl looked at them all.

"Three weeks no ramming, did I make myself clear?"

They nodded. He went to each one individually and eyed them all. 

"Good, you all know his safety mechanism is still working too." 

"What kind of safety mechanism?"

Earl grinned. 

"So you don't get pregnant unintentionally. Well, and the three little ones still have a lock anyway." 

"And what about Sue, she has ..."

Earl grabbed a cigarette from Liz and lit it, then sat down next to Alex.

"She overstayed the time I couldn't extend. It wasn't a problem with the other three. " He blew out a huge cloud. 

"So three weeks, then you can go back."

" Earl, which one of his ... Is he?" 

He looked at Liz, then at Alex.

" He's both, your childhood until school he was only with you as a mixture of the two. Then gradually as an emperor. "

He took another drag on his cigarette and looked at Liz.

"The one who had the most trouble with it was Babsi, she was only keen on Kaiser. And the other three."

He glanced at Gitte, Min and Jannet. The latter had crept over to the bed.

"Well, you can see for yourself Liz. They don't care. "

Liz heard them whisper.

"He didn't say anything about cuddling and cuddling," came from Min. Gitte nodded. Earl stood up and the three of them snuggled up to Alex.

"He sounds like an oversized cat," whispered Jannet.

Earl sauntered over to Liz.

"You two, make sure they stick to it."

The three of them looked at him. 

" What? We can pull ourselves together."

Earl looked at them. 

" I'm just saying, it can only happen that you ..."

Gitte looked at Min. 

"I'm fine with what we have now."

"Me too, it was torture anyway."

Jannet thought about it for a moment and looked at Earl. "Would the boys come out?"

" No. Only girls come out with him. "

"HHmmm," she looked at Gitte and Min. 

" Okay, better not. " They cuddled up to him again. 

" We should ask him if he'll take the mixed form again when he's fit." 

"Oh yeah, do you think we'll break the kitchen counter again?" 

They giggled. 

Liz groaned and walked out of the room. She was surprised that Min was right and that she really did feel better after half an hour. 

After a few days on guard duty. When she got up in the morning, got dressed and left the room, she heard her mother and Min in the kitchen. Her father was sitting in the living room, yawning and looking up from the table.

"I have to go to Upper Bavaria, monastery inspection. " He stood up. 

Liz looked at him, confused. 

"I'll get changed, get Mei."

She obeyed, told Mei and put on another BDU, checking that everything was in place on the way out. Her mother and Min stood worriedly in the living room.

"Alex, why can't we come with you?" 

Her father stood in his BDU and pocketed his tablet and cell phone.

"I only told you to put on your uniform. But you were busy with something else."

Jannet came in wearing her BDU and grinned. Gitte and Min disappeared. Liz looked a little irritated at Jannet and then at her father.

"Liz, don't worry about it," Jannet said.

Liz didn't believe her, the journey took four hours until the off-road vehicle came to an ageing monastery through picturesque landscapes, past ruined towns and villages. Liz was the first to get out, her rifle at the ready. She had completely forgotten that it was different outside the big cities. 

There simply weren't enough people to farm everything again, the infrastructure had been rebuilt, but there were still stretches of land where you didn't see anyone for days on end. 

She looked at the monastery, you couldn't get in, from all the information she had read it was one of the few that still existed and the outbreak of infection had served as a refuge for the people. 

"What a hole..." came from Mei, looking around beside her. 

"What a ..."

The others got out.

"Hey, I know this place, I was here as a child," came from Gitte. "My grandma used to live back there in the ruins. My grandma used to take us here during the vacations. There was always ice cream." 

Liz looked at her mother. Min looked at the ruins. 

"You're an old woman, Gitte."

"Herself..."

"Where's Uncle John anyway, I thought he was coming too," Mei asked.

"He's busy with Bettina," Jannet replied with a smile. 

Alex got out and looked around. 

"Mei Liz, put on your glasses. You're the watchdogs today."

Liz nodded and put on the glasses that showed her and Hochlud an interface. 

" If Mei and I are the watchdogs, then what are..." she looked at her mother and aunts. 

"Don't think about it," Alex walked towards the wooden gates of the monastery and she followed him. 

"The current monastery has been standing since 1400 and used to be the pleasure palace of a provincial prince in the area," Gitte continued. 

"The prince celebrated real orgies here, only a few generations later his descendants overdid it and so did the nuns..." 

"Gitte, how do you know that..." came from Min. They both walked behind Liz.

" My grandma told me, she was a teacher in the village. 

" I see..."