Cripples Inc. by Karen Blayne

Oh by the way red tape first.

Be warned these short stories contain mature content or naughty bits and as such may corrupt you if you’re under 12, 16, 18, 21 or 25 depending where you live thus they are not suitable for you so put them back on the shelf and let them age for a year or two.

They were sort of scribbled for fun. They were first posted on asstr.org. If you’ve paid money for this book just be aware the author has not received any payment. In fact no one has permission to charge money for this book and copyright is retained by the author.

 All copies must be of the complete document.

Luv Karen

Julie glanced across at Lynn dressed in her Abaya and Hijab in the hot dusty room. Then she glanced at the Army engineer who was resting in the corner. It had been three days since they’d been captured by the Taliban, blindfolded then driven from place to place bundled into the back of a pickup truck until finally they had arrived here last night. To say the least she was bruised. From time to time Lynn’s long blonde hair had been uncovered and marvelled at and both girls had been prodded and groped. They’d been forced to exchange their clothes for more “suitable” dress.  Who would have thought that walking into the National Guard office with Lynn so that Lynn could continue her medical studies would result in this?

She hadn’t really needed the money but Lynn had and she hadn’t really thought about signing up other than to be with her friend.  It was only when they had both finished their medical training and they received their call up papers that she found that they were in the reserve and likely to be called up for service abroad.  Ronald, the National Guard Army engineer, had been captured by the Taliban a couple of months previously.  He was useful to the Taliban since he spoke a few words of Afghanistan and he had explained the reason they had had all their clothes removed was the Taliban’s fear of GPS devices and them calling home on some sort of mobile phone.  They also used him to repair the farmer’s irrigation systems, work he’d been brought into do for the Army.

Ronald had overheard the Taliban talking about their fate.  Lynn was very much discussed, a natural blonde so something very rare in that area.  Julie and Lynn exchanged looks, their imagination was quite active. 

“Did I ever tell you about my guardian angel?” Julie remarked, “I know it seems silly but I always thought that I had one looking out for me, but even he’d never find me here.” “Guardian angel? Seeing as we are stuck here for a while want to give me an example?” “Oh well the way I got a job at Cripples Inc. in the summer, do you know I was the only person they had ever employed who had the right number of arms and legs?  I never got to meet the boss, Mr. W. as they referred to him, and do you know no one else had ever met him either?  Then there was a letter from a third cousin three times removed who positively begged me to house sit her home whilst I was at University, just two blocks from college.  I talked to mother about it when I graduated and she didn’t even know I had a cousin Elsie or that she had a cat called Ebony.  She said it must be my guardian angel looking out for me.  There were a few other odd things like I could always find a cab when I wanted one, it was nearly always the same driver and I never had to wait more than a minute or two.  Still they’d need to be on steroids to both find us and then get us out of this one, or perhaps a genie in a bottle would be more appropriate in the east.”

The door slammed opened and a bag was thrown in on the floor. The fighter in the doorway pointed first to the bag then to the girls before slamming it shut.  Lynn walked across and opened the bag and held up black lacy scanties, “Oh my, they don’t seem very traditional, crotchless panties, a bra that looks like it covers nothing, black seamed stockings and even a garter belt.  I think things are starting to get serious!”

After the accident Jack found himself at a bit of a loss.  His fingers had difficulty gripping things and using keyboards but luckily, looking round in the first class lounge at the airport one day he saw a business woman attach an odd keyboard to a computer.  It seemed to project letters onto the work surface then detect where your fingers where by beams of light.  He was in luck, no physical effort at all, light, this he could handle.  He quickly ordered one using the keyboard when she left the computer unattended for a few minutes to get a coffee.

After that he was connected to the internet and life became much simpler.  The accident changed his priorities in life; he realised that for many handicapped people life could be made so much easier by giving them access to the right tools so that’s how he started Cripples inc. Not thinking he’d dropped by his lawyer’s office without warning only to find he was unable to see him that day.  However his partner’s door was open and he overheard the partner on the phone. “Well I suggest that if you offer her a straight $2,000,000 to settle out of court she might accept.  Mind you given the fact that she’s young, pretty, and lost both her legs and her fiancé in the same car crash given a good lawyer with a bit of publicity she could cost you ten so my advice would be settle for five or less and hope she doesn’t want to go to court in her wheel chair.”  He sat down and thought about what to do.  Then he had a chance to sneak into her office and had a look at the file open on the desk.  Melanie Russell, it had her email address as well.

That evening I got this really strange life changing email.  I mean to say it was from someone I’d never heard off before, full of details of my personal life suggesting I ask for $5,000,000.  My first thought was it was some sort of a scam.  I was feeling pretty down at the time, it must have been six months since Roger died and I really didn’t want to go on with life, and no amount of money was ever going to bring Roger back.  I think I would probably agreed to anything, I didn’t want to give money away to a lawyer but I knew I needed money to gain some sort of independence and so to put off the decision about whether to go on with life or not I when the offer from the insurance company arrived the next day I just replied as suggested.

I was surprised when the bank phoned to say someone had wired my bank account $5,000,000 two days later, first was it a mistake, then could I give them details where it came from for the anti terror laws and finally would I like to make use of their services of a personal financial advisor?  I was too tired to make any decisions so I told them just to leave it in the account.

A couple of days after that I replied to Jack and thanked him.  We started a loose correspondence, apparently he was handicapped in some way as well which strengthen the bond and eventually after a month I placed $500,000 in a trading account and let him play since it seemed important to him and he thought as all males do that he could do better than the bank, based on something to do with haunting coffee shops in Wall Street and unprotected wireless networks.  I never followed exactly what he was up to or asked too closely about the details, I mean some things a girl prefers not to know about.

Soon he transferred my original money back and then he told me about his idea for Cripples Inc. which was a sort of profit making charity.  I well I should say we but Jack sort of looked after the money side and I looked after the business side.  We started by providing wheel chairs and training people to work in our call centre and be computer programmers in India and the east.  That proved to be a money maker.  From there we expanded.  Strangely enough many of the people who work for us are quite bright and have time to dream up ideas so that became another source of income.

Fifteen years later we are in Africa, the Middle East, Nepal and quite a few other places, we are involved in schools, led lights with micro generators for remote villages, energy efficient sewing machines with an odd solar panel that has foil mirrors, mobile phones in remote places. After the problems I have getting about with my wheelchair we run taxis, both in North America and elsewhere.  Cabs that can take wheel chairs and are designed for people to get into and out easily, and of course we try to employ handicapped people where ever possible.  We even provide some start up loans for small businesses.  We work closely with both local governments, for example we fund schools for five years at a time but try to get the countries government involved wherever possible, and charities providing local knowledge and reputable representatives on the ground as well as our private air line of rugged planes, flown by disabled pilots where, that provide service to both ourselves and to charities working in remote areas.

That was my special project. It all started when one of my doctors had mentioned one of his other patients, some guy with a degree in engineering, didn’t seem to be recovering very well, rather depressed was the phrased used.  Perhaps I could talk to him and convince him life was worth living?  Well I wasn’t too sure myself if it was worth while going on but he was a nice doctor who explained things so I said I’d talk to him.  Hunk oops Hank was an American ex military pilot who had lost a leg, well he turned my knees to water at the first glimpse.  We met in a private office at the hospital.  He barely said high to me when I rolled in.  What to do?

Oh go for it girl.  I locked the door behind me then rolled up alongside his wheelchair sort of facing him then undid his flies and ran my fingers up and down inside.  I got some attention, Sonia had said if you hold a guys balls in your hand you get a real sense of power.  I had a real sense of power just then. “What are you doing?” “Oh it’s always been an ambition of mine to do this but I’ve never dared before in case the guy told on me, but if you’re suicidal it doesn’t matter since you won’t be around to tell anyone will you?” I gave him a kiss on the cheek.

We necked and groped like high school kids for what seemed like ages, I hadn’t well you know done anything like that for ages.  I found it flattering that someone still found me attractive so it did my self-esteem a bit of good.  Afterwards we talked, apparently all he’d ever wanted to do was fly.  If he couldn’t fly combat then he’d settle for a C-130.  So now if he couldn’t fly what use was life to him.  After he’d waxed on about how fast the C-130 flew and what simple landing fields they needed, we talked about all sorts of compensatory things but really his heart was set on flying again.  I asked him to dig out what it would need for him to be able to pilot a plane once more.  Apparently some of the newer ones with electronic controls could be adapted.

Well we’d been having problems flying items in remote areas especially war zones where we do a lot of our work and he was kind of cute, such a waste, so I asked Jack nicely to buy him a plane. Apparently a C-295 was a little slower but cheaper to buy and did a few more inches per gallon so we brought him one of those instead, it carried more as well which kept the cost per ton / mile down as well.  When I told him we could only afford a C-295 his eyes lit up and when I asked him if it would do and would he be interested in a job flying it for us in a few third world countries he just sat there and wept.  When I joked and said I was sorry I hadn’t wanted to upset him and we’d speak no more about it, he looked at me then asked if I was joking before demanding to see his plane.  I thought his hair was a bit short so asked him to grow it longer.  I didn’t want any one mistaking him for an off duty Military pilot.

Then I fell for another hard luck story, a harassed Canadian Colonel on the TV saying his peacekeepers were having difficulties getting in supplies, something about Canadian helicopters and planes needing lots of maintenance. Well the peacekeepers meant peace or fewer injuries so it made business sense for us, and besides they were very good at maintaining our planes even if they did raid our stock of spares rather a lot.

Then Hank’s buddies from the hospital heard about us and all they wanted to do was fly again so what with the military using us at premium rates to fly injured men out, and supplies in, Television crews wanting to fly in and out, charities wanting our services we soon had a dozen planes flying around and had another eight on loan from “neutral” governments who wanted to help out but daren’t use their own military personnel to fly them.

We’ve recently moved into bomb clearance and land mine clearing, prevention is better than cure right? As well as provide rugged wheelchairs to people who have lost a foot or a leg to them.  In short I like to think we make a difference and it gives me something to live for.  Well no one really is interested in romance with someone in a wheel chair apart from one or two weirdoes that is.  Now if only my name was C-130, maybe Hank would be interested, I must confess I seriously thought about changing my name by deed poll.

Mind you I still had that other man in my life, I instant messaged Jack about practically everything, I mean I soon realised he was a bit older than me, I think his mention of a granddaughter gave me a clue but at least I could talk to him and explain my problems.  God the man was so shy, I mean if I could cope with him seeing me after my accident the least he could do was show himself.  He did send me a few photos of Before Accident (BA) when he was younger, looked quite dishy to me.

Finally we talked when I mentioned Skype.  God he definitely had a hang up about appearing in the flesh.  I mean to say when I use the ear bud thingies and I close my eyes I could hear every nuance of his voice.  It wasn’t Roger’s voice but it was still the sort of voice that made me go all mushy inside.  We used to set aside thirty minutes a day just after lunch just to talk.  I used to tease him and tell him if only he was there in front of me I could run my fingers ever so lightly down his zipper.  You could hear the unease in his voice when he tried to turn the subject.  Eventually he started talking about how he’d get his revenge and stand behind me cupping my breasts and squeezing my nipples.  He described just how he’d run his fingers just under my breasts then in light circles round my nipples.  I could feel them tighten as he spoke just as if someone really was whispering in my ear and doing delicious things to my sensitive nipples.  It was a game, I used to work hard seeing if I could stretch those thirty minutes out to sixty minutes or even longer.  One point for every minute passed 30.  Talking dirty like how I’d love to run my tongue up the underside of his rod whilst cupping his balls in my hand and then how I’d lightly breathe on his damp skin to cool him down I was soon getting quite interesting scores.

The other thing is I have, or rather had BA, really sensitive feet, Roger knew he could do anything with me once he laid his fingers on them.  One thing that really bugged me was when my nonexistent feet began to itch.  I mean how do you rub a nonexistent foot.  Jack suggested I close my eyes lie back and imagine he was giving me a foot massage.  It worked but could someone please explain how can you get a big O from a nonexistent guy giving you a foot massage on a nonexistent foot?  On second thoughts I don’t want to know I’ll just lie back and dream about it again especially the bit when he licked in between my toes slowly.

Julie, his granddaughter, was going to college; she’d done really well and got amazingly good grades so she was off to medical school and Jack was worried for her.  I remembered how independent I felt when I went to college and how I felt my parents knew absolutely nothing.  Jack wanted to surround Julie with large gentlemen every minute of the day and check up on everything she did and who she was with.  So I said I’d arrange to keep a discreet eye on her.  I created for a summer job with her working at home sorting out how to completely control a taxi from a lap top.  If we could do it then it opened up the range of affordable adaptations we could do.  We found a bursary for her and a rather interesting deal on a student loan.  I gave her a GPS cell phone as part of the job, with a pre-programmed taxi service and we chatted via email, Jack being typical male didn’t want to email her directly but of course he was acutely interested in anything she said.  Then of course I had a brain wave, if we used tiny little tokens, RFI tags?, to track our shipments why not Julie.  Julie got a letter from our corporate dentist, and as part of our new dental plan one of the new inlays to replace one of her existing fillings that was showing signs of age.  Jack was happy; on a Friday night his discreet muscular gentleman could be up to 20 metres away and still know where Julie was without Julie being aware of him, and if we kept a “C” cab just round the corner waiting is case Julie needed it well it was just coincidence the cab company always had cab available wasn’t it?

I thought Jack was going to freak when he heard Julie had signed up with the National Guard, then the next minute he was going on about how proud he was of her.  I told him relax, they only get to play soldiers it’s not as if it’s for real.  How wrong I was.  Julie and Lynn ended up in a medical unit in a “safe” zone in Afghanistan for an eight month tour.  We rearranged Hunk’s flights so he did most of the Medivac flights into her unit.  I still kept in touch with Julie by email and when she realised who was doing the Medivac flights I’d get emails asking for important things she or Lynn couldn’t get locally like a particular shade of lip stick and we’d arrange a package to be delivered by Hank.  It was seven months, three weeks, and two days after she started her tour that Hank let us know something had gone wrong.  Julie hadn’t been there for her package, the first time ever, a few questions and the MPs had quickly arrived. “Who was he and didn’t he have somewhere else to go to?” Hank had let me know immediately.

It took an hour before Jacques, my favourite Canadian Colonel’s orderly who owed me a few favours, returned my email with news that the medical unit had been penetrated, five soldiers injured and two female doctors abducted.  Twenty minutes later we confirmed it was Julie and Lynn.  Were they alive?  Were they injured?  Where had they been taken?  I called Julie’s cell phone to get it’s GPS location then emailed that to the American base.  They didn’t trust the source and weren’t going to commit a team on an email.

Frustration, I called Google Earth and keyed in the location and three hours later one of our nice friendly security gentlemen from Nepal had purchased it second hand from a second hand stall in the market.  We have a couple of ex UK military gentlemen on the payroll who blend into the Middle East background very effectively, apart from their odd looking knives that is and they have been very effective at reducing the pilfering we were suffering from time to time in certain regions.

I didn’t even have to call Jack he already knew. “How do we find a needle in a haystack?” he asked. Then it came to me, with a magnet, well not a magnet but we had hundreds of hand portables with RFI detectors scattered across Afghanistan, we use them to keep track of wheelchairs, parts and things, we could find her tooth and thus hopefully find her.  All we had to do was reprogram them to detect her tooth.  They work very smoothly, in the really remote places the villagers use them to send emails and such, they store things up then we have arranged a wi-fi link on the local buses and a few trucks as they go by they pick up the emails and drop off the replies.  We’d standardised on one type with the RFI reader to keep training costs and such down.

Jack couldn’t think what to do about a rescue mission, he felt uncomfortable risking our own security lives and the Americans had already shown they didn’t trust us.  Besides which Jack didn’t have a lot of confidence they won’t injure Julie or Lynn in the rescue attempt.  When I suggested why don’t we call in the cavalry or a knight in shining armour?  As a joke to lighten him up, he suddenly perked up but won’t tell me his idea. “We could fly out tomorrow and be on hand.” Me fly, was the guy nuts? He started massaging my missing foot again so I couldn’t think clearly and the next thing I knew was he had talked me into it.  It would be simple, we’d be together, he was not certain about flying again after his accident, and he was even less confident about crossing the Atlantic but with me by his side him was sure he could do it.

“Could you take your black leather handbag with you?” I hadn’t even known he’d ever seen it, it must have been in the background to one of the web cam shots. Well if he was into leather perhaps I’d wear that soft leather trouser suit with the cream silk blouse, and perhaps that fine gold chain I had worn once for Roger that ran from nipple to nipple. I could feel them hardening just at the thought.  Finally I was finally going to get to meet him. “Just especially for you, see you downstairs by the left luggage at the railway station entrance underneath, bye until tomorrow at the airport.” Kabir from our Calcutta office looked after the reprogramming and after booking two first class tickets on the only available direct flight I went to bed.

I got to the airport early, then checked my email. The creep, the message said he’d been in a hurry to get there so thought he’d try for an earlier flight. Oh well two first class seats for me so I could spread out comfortably and my leather handbag could have its own seat. Save it getting bashed about in the overhead bin. Then I had a terrible thought and checked which airline I was flying on.  Thank God it wasn’t British Airways.  I mean I know the food isn’t that great in the economy class but I’d read in the paper that morning about a business man complaining that when someone had died in the economy class British Airways had moved the body into the first class and put it in an empty seat right next to them.  Can you imagine having to travel next to a dead person, especially at First Class prices.

Across Afghanistan our rag tag army searched the streets; small children were given the scanner to search their villages, wheelchairs were out roaming, we had scanners stationed at the border crossings but no result.  Eventually as we touched down in came a message, from Hamid, his sister’s eldest had seen the blue light lit at the end of his village, did that mean he’d won the prize and what was it again?  The message was confirmed by one from the scanner itself.  Should he go himself to make sure?  I said on no account was he to go anywhere near and to stay away.  I looked him up in our contacts database.  Male early twenties left foot blown off by a land mine, he had one of our wheel chairs and a small mobile phone business we had started him off with.

I did my try to organise what would be needed bit.  I needed to make sure that no one was going to get shot by mistake and I wanted a cooperative village.  Fortunately Hamid had a childhood sweet heart he had wanted to marry but felt he couldn’t because he couldn’t support her on only one foot, well that was easy it was just money and that we had enough of.  I arranged a wedding feast at the other end of the village for the next day, Hamid would get one of our instant entrepreneur containers, one micro turbine, wire and led lighting kit for the village, two sewing machines and material to start a clothing business, two rugged computers with software for farms including market prices all powered by solar panels plus more containers containing our basic school kit, house kits to rebuild any houses that were damaged and funding for two teachers for at least five years.  I wasn’t certain how much damage Jack’s knights in shining armour was going to inflict.  Hank to fly a second plane kitted up for Medivac so we could get a medical team in quickly if the worst had happened.

To make sure we got the food, drink and flowers for the wedding feast there on time I arranged for it to be loaded in one of our Toyota 4x4 station wagons with trailer sets and parked ready in one of our aeroplanes so it could be off loaded and driven the last little bit since I wasn’t quite sure how close the planes could land.  I prayed Hamid’s sweetheart wouldn’t say no to a quick wedding. Jacques was very cooperative once I’d offered him sole use of one of our planes for three months and said not only could we use their base but he personally would see to ordering the flowers and refreshments.  Jack had asked for one of the bomb disposal robots but since we had two new ones as spares I had them loaded as well.  Finally one “C” taxi complete with a picnic basket and first aid kit.

When I got to the base the two planes were parked up by the runway already to go.  I stood and nattered to Hank whilst the first took off a few minutes later, and I got a text message from you know who saying he’d be back soon.  He could have at least said goodbye but I forgave him as he was preoccupied.  Hank told me not to worry he’d personally made the changes to the bomb disposal robots and the Canadians had supplied the explosives needed, besides Jacques had arranged a Guardian Angel training flight to escort them home, provided we paid for the fuel.

Explosives, what was wrong with the traditional lance?  I wondered what changes Jack had asked for, and if we couldn’t just negotiate their release. “How many did Jack take with him?” I asked thinking he’d at least taken a team of our security guys with him. “Oh just dinesh to drive the station wagon.” Hank relied. Oh God not the Rambo macho thing I cringed, granddad’s weren’t supposed to do that didn’t he know that.  I looked up in the sky and there was granddad’s trusty stead carrying him off into the distance to rescue his damsel in distress.  I just hoped dinesh and the Guardian Angel together could keep him out of trouble.

They landed some distance from the village, then after dinesh had let the wheel chair ramp down on the taxi and loaded up the three robots and the package of explosives he set forth in the station wagon to deliver the wedding trimmings.  Later dinesh went for a gently stroll down the village and saw one of the Taliban leave the house and take a stroll.  Dinesh went carefully through his pockets to remove any cartridges that the children might find to play with, after his Kuri had slipped across his throat.  He was sure Jack wouldn’t begrudge him just one.

Jack gave them all time to start celebrating before driving the Taxi slowly along to the village. He parked up round a corner from the house they suspected Julie was held captive and waited.  The whole village seemed quiet at this end no one stirred.  As planned two baskets of food that had been sent down from the wedding feast for the Taliban, hopefully they would soon be relaxed and a little sleepy after a good meal.  He gave them another thirty minutes before leaving the taxi, leaving Jacques gift of a wide brimmed Tilley hat hanging up behind the driver’s seat so better to merge into the background as he scouted out the dusty building.  Four Taliban, well what did he expect he could just walk in and guide Julie out?  At least she looked uninjured.  One of Hamid’s sister’s children came skipping down the street wearing a new mp3 player, and carrying a stick, he quickly rubbed a cross in the dust on the wall of the room that they had imprisoned Julie.

Tap, tap on the wall went the little girl tap, tap, tap as she gently tapped in time to the mp3 player. Inside Julie froze, then signalled to the others to be silent.  Morse code, it couldn’t be could it?  What did it mean?  She racked her brains trying to remember what her grandfather had taught her about radio transmission years before. “Lie down in the middle of the floor facing me.” The message was repeated then silence. The young girl had skipped away, back to the wedding feast as instructed. “Hey guys this is going to sound nuts but we’ve just been told to lie down in the middle of the floor facing away from the door.” The three of them huddled down together waiting for heaven knows what.  Outside three bomb disposal robots crept up to the house near silently on their rubber tracks.

Show time, let’s just hope it all happened as he had planned.  His knights in shining armour were in position and he knew exactly where the four fighters were.  He sat in the driver’s cab of the taxi looking at the screen in front of him partitioned to display the views from their cameras.  The first robot started to fire smoke and CS gas canisters through the open window.  The fighters inside hurled the first one back.  At the same instant in time the second robot reached out its arm smashing the glass in a second window as it opened fire with its attached machine gun, whilst the third tracked robot pushed its way through the door searching for targets with its scanners.  As the targets appeared on the screen so Jack blasted them with the robot’s gun.  A few seconds later and it was all over.

He guided one of the robots through into the room that held Julie. “Let’s go go go guys! Follow me.” It announced over its tinny speaker before reversing back out into the open.  Jack reversed the cab round to the front door as the coughing three hostages staggered out. “Julie what did you say the name of that cab company was that was always there when you needed one?” “OhMyGod I don’t believe it.” “Has anyone any money for the fare?” Spluttered Ron as they climbed in. “I don’t need it if it’s like all the others.” Gasped Julie placing her thumb on the scanner behind the driver and the others watched in amazement as the screen below flickered and announced “Welcome to “C” cabs Julie.

Today’s special offer is a complimentary picnic hamper which you will find under the seat next to the first aid kit.  For sightseeing we recommend visiting the nearest Canadian forces base, press the button below to accept this recommendation.”  Julie pressed the button and the cab lurched away.

Dinesh slipped away from the wedding feast. He hadn’t liked being left out of the fun and certainly didn’t hold with these new ideas.  His Kukri was all he needed, not so much cleaning up to do afterwards and you knew where you were with a Kuri.  First he gathered up the guns scattered round the house, throwing them in the cab of the Taliban’s pickup truck.  Well the American troops paid well for genuine souvenirs, one of the perks of the job.  The bodies were thrown in the back to be buried some distance away.  Then he used one of the robots to drag the package of explosives into the house just through the door.  After ripping off the front door he used it as a ramp so he could load up the three robots in the back. Then he placed the detonator in the explosives and sent his text message.

Ten minutes later Jack sent the Guardian Angel, the Canadian experimental unmanned multiuse plane, low over the end of village then dinesh blew up the explosives.  That way the Taliban would be uncertain what had happened, an American plane just happened to bomb a suspected hide out?  He was leaving the station wagon and trailer set behind for Hamid.  Just another day’s work, not very different from the old life in the Gurkha regiment except these days he operated out of uniform and more independently.

Two hours later he was driving back towards the Canadian base that the company called home this week.  Ahead he could see the unmanned plane hovering high in the sky, keeping watch over the black taxi cab ahead.  Jacques had suggested that since they had one available to test they might just as well test it.  Jack was happy, everything thing had gone almost exactly as planned except he had three passengers not the two he’d originally planned for.  He saw a pink land rover on its side at the side of the road and slowed down.  He entered “Pink Panther” into his military enabled search engine, missing with two SAS troopers, Jonathan Hewlett, and Alan Garner.

The drone overhead came swooping down low, curved round then came swooping down once more.  It’s infra red detectors had detected a warm body 43.7 metres to the right 28.4 metres ahead. He was getting to old for this, perhaps Ron could handle metres.  He transferred the display to the one inside the passenger compartment as he pulled up and Ron took the hint.

Ron walked very slowly towards the spot, calling out loudly the two trooper’s names.  He’d seen special troops before and didn’t want to arrive unannounced.  Jonathan hailed him back and Ron went to find him lying on the ground.  With Julie and Lynn’s help they got him into the back of the cab and the two girls cleaned up his wounds.  His Pink Panther had been blown up two days ago by a mine.  He’d buried Alan and later shot two men carrying guns who had come to investigate the next day.  He pointed out the direction and Ron went off to bury them and gather up their weapons which he threw in the trunk.   Jonathan insisted on keeping a small arsenal inside the cab with him.

Jack started up once more, behind him in the back it was getting a bit crowded, Jon and Ron were on the back seat, Lynn was on the fold down seat behind the driver and Julie was curled up on Ron’s lap, good his work was almost done.

He stepped out of the driving seat of the taxi, looking barely a day older than his photograph, my he’d aged well.  When he reached me I stretched up and pulled him down by his tie, I just love a man in a shirt and tie, especially a silk one, très sexuelle and kissed his cheek.  He looked surprised, I just held his hand happy to see him at last.  “Drs Worthing and Keppel reporting for duty Sir.” I heard Julie say to the sentry who stood beside me. “And you sir are?” The sentry turned to Ron. “Major Ronald Woods, National Guard reporting for duty Sir.  We have an injured British trooper in the taxi we picked up on the way.” It all seemed a bit formal to me. Lynn piped up, “Shouldn’t we pay the taxi driver?” and looked round with a puzzled air “Where is he?” asked Julie.

“Stood right besides you, your grandfather Jack, can’t you see him?” “I don’t see any one and besides it can’t be my grandfather, he died fifteen years ago in a light plane accident.” Ron had come up besides her and slipped his arm round her.

I turned to him and suddenly realised the significance of her name. “Mr. W, Mr. Worthing perhaps? Mr. Jack Ernest Worthing perhaps, who has a thing about railway stations and handbags?”  Well since no one else could see him they couldn’t see what I was doing could they.  I ran my fingers lightly up his zipper feeling his rod harden beneath my fingers then I lowered the zipper tag. “I feel a bit weary I think I’ll just go and lie down for an hour or two, I find the afternoon heat just a little too much.” Well being disabled has some compensations, no one questions you when you say you feel tired.  I kept a firm hold of Jack until I got him back into my room.  A certainly ghostly figure had some explaining to do.

Afterwards, well Julie and I came to an arrangement whereby she lives with Ron but won’t marry him. Ron was a bit uncomfortable with that at first. I lent them a rather nice house of their choice for life, on the proviso they don’t get married.  Ownership goes to Ron first then their children when she dies or to Julie if I die first.  Well I didn’t want you know who sneaking off.  You know who, well once he’d got over the shock that I could both see and feel him, God he feels so good inside me whilst cradling me in his arms, we settled down rather well. Two handicapped people living together.  We have our problems like I prefer him to use doors, but he says it’s just simpler walking through walls sometimes, but I think we’re going to be just fine now it’s all out in the open.