I realize that I've been glossing over a lot of my travel time, so let me anchor you on the calendar. Operation Anthony started the morning of May 8th, 2288. Why Anthony? Before the war, the name Kellogg was most associated with a food company - Kellogg's. And one of that company's marketing mascots was a cartoon animal named Tony the Tiger. I couldn't resist being a little referential in the name, but I thought it was sufficiently obscure two hundred years after the war. 

 

That morning dawned to mist and rain, and I hoped the foul weather would help mask the Minutemen's movement as we closed in on those first two locations. Winter got me into the powersuit with none of her usual molestation, even going so far as to fill the saline processor directly - and from a bottle. After we put in my breathing and feeding tubes, I asked her, "Winter, is everything OK?"

 

 

She turned to me, looking a little startled. "I'm fine, Charley," she said.

 

"Come on, give me a little credit," I protested. "I've known you for quite a long time and I can tell you're upset."

 

"Fine," she said, scowling a little, "I don't like this operation, and I'm angry that my mother didn't stop you from going through with it."

 

"Want to tell me what you don't like?"

 

She sighed, long and hard. "Up until now, we've mostly kept to ourselves. Before Preston... I suppose it's Colonel Garvey now, but before he raided Lexington, we'd always just minded our own business and only fought to protect ourselves. And even then people got hurt, a lot more than I liked. But now you're starting a war."

 

"I don't have a choice," I argued, "if we don't get involved, in six months or in a year, this whole area is going to fall apart. We have to stabilize the--"

 

"No!" Winter snapped, "that's not why you're doing this. You're doing it because you think you can get your son back if you win."

 

"That's not the only reason," I started to protest.

 

"Why can't you accept that you have a new family here, Charley? Your old family's gone. Fuck it, you're son's gone. He could be a thousand miles away in any direction. Fighting these mercenaries won't bring him back. Why aren't I enough for you? Hell, I can accept that you love Piper more than me, but you can't accept that any of us love you as much as your dead husband or your missing son. It's not fair."

 

I was burning with anger by the time she was done. "Winter, if you really know me as well as you seem to think you do, then you know I can't give up on Shaun. It doesn't have to do with whether I love you. I love him too, and I won't trade one for another. I have to fight for everyone I love, and I also have to fight for the Commonwealth."

 

"But if you die," she sobbed, "none of this will matter. It'll be gone in a season. You'll just be some legend that people talk about over beers, and then in a generation even that'll be gone. I dedicated my life to your cause, Charley, and I dedicated my life to you. And now you're going to go off and get killed fighting some fucking mercenaries who have never once bothered us."

 

The tears running down Winter's face made my rage evaporate almost as soon as it had descended, and I offered, "I'm sorry, Winter, but I have to do this. I promise you, I'll come home safe."

 

"You Goddam better," she muttered as she wrapped her arms around me.

 

 

After a long embrace, Winter regained some of her composure and told me a few more things she wanted me to know. She'd made a lot of progress on the Abernathy Homestead, and while it wasn't even close to finished, she was working with Lucy Abernathy to set up a field hospital there. She told me to send anyone who got wounded back to the Farm - and doubly emphasized that if I got hurt, or if my suit had any kind of malfunction, that she insisted I return there immediately; no taking chances.

 

I agreed to that, and I thanked her for persisting on the Homestead despite all the delays and complications. We embraced again, then held her fast when I told her a few things that I thought she needed to know.

 

"Winter, I don't love Piper more than you. We might express that love a little differently, and you living at the Farm means I spend more time with Piper, but it's not a contest. You're both dear to me, and that's never going to change. And don't forget, I've got my Pip-Boy, so if you need to reach me all you have to do is send out a radio call. I'll be careful, I promise, and I'll be back."

 

"You fucking better be," she mumbled into my neck. 

 

I held her for a little longer, then headed out to the street to meet with Preston. Our respective squads filed in behind us as we walked to the north gate of Concord's Green Zone. 

 

"Any last-minute changes?" I asked him.

 

 

Preston shook his head, "nothing for you. I got a scout report last night that the Walden Pond building seemed to be cleared out - but no sign the raiders left, either. I think they're hiding out in the drain tunnels that run all underneath that site."

 

"So you're going to be crawling through pipes again? I figured you had your fill after Lexington."

 

"I did. But the way I see it, if we don't clean out those tunnels, it's just a matter of time before any outpost we set up there gets hit with a surprise attack. So we're gonna do it anyway."

 

"And the country club?" I asked, "any fresh intel?"

 

"Not much. Place looks quiet from the distance, but who knows what's hiding out there. Don't let your guard down. But... there's something else. Something I need to ask of you."

 

"What is it?"

 

"You know all about how I'm one of the last of the old Minutemen, that whole story, but I never told you what happened to us, not really."

 

"I figured you'd tell me when you were ready," I said, truthfully.

 

 

"Have you heard about the Quincy Massacre?"

 

"A few different versions. Your group came from Quincy, right?"

 

He nodded. "That's right. Mama Murphy, Sturges, the Longs... they were all from Quincy. I was serving under Colonel Hollis then. At the time, no one had really heard about the Gunners before, and when we got the call for help from Quincy we went in expecting the usual poorly organized raiders. Maybe that's why... well, we were the only ones that came. The other regiments? They stayed home. Turned their backs on us, really. Us and the people in Quincy."

 

 

He pressed on, explaining, "only a few of us got out alive. You've seen the Gunners in action - there's nothing disorganized about them. They're well equipped and smart, and they just took us apart. They got Colonel Hollis early in the fight, and by the end I was the one in charge. After that, we never found a safe place to settle. It was just one long string of disappointments and brushes with death. Right up till we met you in Concord."

 

His eyes had a pleading quality to them, and I tried to buoy his spirits, saying, "But after all of that, you never gave up. And as long as you keep not giving up, the Minutemen will survive."

 

"I'm not about to give up," he protested, "But I can't protect the Commonwealth by myself."

 

 

"That's why you're rebuilding the Minutemen," I pointed out, "so you don't have to."

 

"But that's the problem; I'm not sure I can. I'm not cut out to be a General. I can lead men in a firefight, I can hold a perimeter against all odds, but strategy? Logistics? You've got a better mind for that than me. You should be the one rebuilding the Minutemen."

 

"As what, my private army?"

 

Preston drove on, "we need someone who can unite the whole Commonwealth. Someone who can bring people together behind a common cause - like you're doing here in Concord."

 

Piper, who had apparently been snooping on our talk, chimed in, "I've always followed you through hell and high water, and I like to think I have more sense than most."

 

 

"Ganging up on me, you two? Preston, can I tell you something confidential?"

 

"Of course," he said.

 

"I think one day, Concord is going to march on Lexington, and then Cambridge. We're going to kick out the raiders and try to make this a good place to live again. And after that, we're going to really have to learn to live with Vault 81. And I hope, in time, that what I'm starting here today will lead to a united Commonwealth, but an important part of that plan is a Minutemen organization that's only loyal to the Commonwealth. You won't be that if you're Concord's army."

 

Preston let out a drawn breath, sharply, "at this point I think we already are your private army."

 

"Maybe it's time to change that," I suggested. "I keep telling you to go talk with Vault 81. When this war is over, I want you to make that happen. I want Minutemen operating on both sides of the Charles, doing the things that I can't, at least not without starting a war with Vault 81."

 

"It's going to be a lot of responsibility," Piper added, "but I know you can make this place better."

 

Preston still seemed conflicted. "This is a whole new start for the Minutemen. And for the Commonwealth, too. Are you sure you want me to take the lead? What if I can't do it? What if I fail?"

 

"If you need a mentor, Preston, you can see me any time. I'm not soldier, but I know about law and about management, and I can help you fill in those gaps in your skills. And if you stumble, I'll back you up. But like I said, as long as you don't give up, the Minutemen will survive."

 

"Don't worry, I'll be right beside you all the way... Madame President."

 

I hissed, "don't you dare foist that title on me, even one second before the whole Commonwealth's united."

 

"I don't know," Piper drawled, "it has a nice ring to it."

 

"So does 'General.' What do you think, Preston?"

 

He scowled. "The last one we had was General Becker, back in '82. Some folks aren't going to take kindly if I start throwing that rank around."

 

"The one good thing about you being the last Minuteman," I pointed out, "is that there's no one to argue with you being the General. Now it's your job to make it more than an empty title."

 

I was just clearing the gate when a voice caught my attention. "Charley!" it called, and I turned to see Doctor Cain running towards me through the rain. "Charley, wait!"

 

 

"Susan? Is everything alright?" 

 

"Charley, before you go, we need to talk about your test results."

 

"Don't you dare," I growled as she got closer, "tell me I have cancer."

 

She seemed like she was struggling to form a response, and I added, "shit, do I have cancer?"

 

"No," she said after giving her head a little shake, as if to clear it. "Your tests do show that you have an elevated risk for adenocarcinoma in the future, but nothing to worry about in that area right now. No, it's about your hair, and your blood."

 

"Tell me," I said, eager to get to the point. "What did you find."

 

"Charley, before the war, did you work in an industry that processed heavy metals, maybe recycling magnets?"

 

"No, I was a lawyer."

 

"Hmm, was industrial waste ever dumped on or near the property you lived at? Maybe in the water table?"

 

"Susan, are you trying to tell me I have heavy-metal poisoning?"

 

"Well," she said, seemingly struggling to explain, "that's not exactly it. It's about why your hair is pink."

 

 

"Explain," I said.

 

"The reason your hair is pink, is because your body has accumulated a large load of neodymium. Your cells have measurable amounts in them - it was in your blood sample - and when your hair grows out it almost immediately starts to oxidize, resulting in the pink patina."

 

"OK, this is... actually very interesting, but I'm not sure it justified your running after me to stop me. Is there a health risk? Am I sick?"

 

"The thing is, at the levels I measured in your blood sample, with the amount that's getting pushed out with your hair, it should have depleted the accumulation by now; you should have returned to your natural hair color. But you haven't, six months after you left the cryo facility. That can only mean one thing."

 

"And that is?"

 

"You have a reservoir of this metal somewhere in your body. Maybe an implant or foreign object that's releasing it slowly over time. Do you have any spots on your body that are strongly magnetic?"

 

"Not that I'm aware of."

 

"Alright, to answer your question, you should be concerned because neodymium poisoning can manifest with difficulty breathing, fatigue, and losing the ability to walk flat on your feet."

 

Piper cocked her head to the side, "like, it would make her walk on tip-toes?"

 

"Exactly. If whatever reservoir is trickling this metal into your body were to rupture and release it all at once, you could be incapacitated - possibly very quickly - or even killed. I know its too late to cancel your participation in this operation, but you need to be extremely careful, especially trying to avoid any kind of gross injury. And when you get back, we need to get you to a hospital with a functioning imaging system so we can find this reservoir... and consider removing it. You literally have a ticking time bomb somewhere in your body."

 

I was still trying to digest all of this. "Why the hell would someone put neodinium in my body?"

 

"Neodymium," Cain corrected. "And I don't have a good answer to your question. I wish I had the authority to waive security procedure and bring you back to my academic institution - I know of several experts there who might be able to determine more. But for now, please just be careful. Please?"

 

I put a consoling hand on her shoulder. "I promise, Susan. And if I experience any of the symptoms you described, I'll radio in and then head for the field hospital at Abernathy Farm immediately.

 

She scoffed, "don't bother with that pigsty. Come straight back to me. Oh, speaking in pigstys," she said, "are you still headed for the camp at Farrar Pond?"

 

I nodded.

 

"Alright, I'm going to send some supplies there in a few days. Load them into your backpack medical system as soon as you get them."

 

"What are they?" 

 

"Some missing parts of your drug reservoir that should increase the availability of biofuel injector doses. I'll fill you in on all the details when you get back."

 

"Alright," I said, a little cautiously, "any risks involved?"

 

"None," she said confidently. "It's all natural hormones and hormone-analogues, but they'll let the suit boost and enhance your body's natural processes and reactions."

 

I could tell that Cain was desperate to keep me here for an hour going into every little detail of minutiae, and so before the information could explode out of her I thanked her for the concise briefing and beckoned to the Minuteman squad that was waiting at a respectful distance. 

 

"OK," I said, "everyone fall in, we've got a long march to get to the country club." 

 

And just like that, me, Piper, Nick, and half a dozen of Preston's troops started pressing southwest towards Route 117. Most of the trip was pleasant enough, but by the time we reached the dam separating the bulk of the Fairhaven Bay Reservoir from the sad remains of Farrar Pond, a powerful thunderstorm had rolled in. The ominous flashes cast an eerie light over the landscape, but they also revealed the distant silhouette of water towers - the landmark we were looking for that would guide us straight to the country club.

 

 

"Everyone hold up," I said, "If there's an ambush, that bridge is the place to do it. I'll push forward and flush out anyone planning shenanigans. My armor can handle it."

 

Nick looked pensive, "didn't your doctor just tell you not to take dumb risks?"

 

"Who said anything about dumb risks? I'll back off if things get hot - be ready to cover me. My goal is just to spoil any surprises."

 

It didn't take long for me to call in that covering fire. In case you were curious, the ambushers were... super mutants. Because of course they were. I blasted the first one in the thigh with my shotgun, then switched my focus to moving and dodging, taking snap shots when the chance arose.

 

 

Preston's people were clearly knew what they were doing, and as I led the mutants on a chase through the woods, they settled into a counter-ambush of their own and mowed down the green bastards as they ran past. Soon, they were all down, and we took stock of the situation.

 

We'd done well. No one was hurt, and all the supers were dead - no runners going for help. 

 

"Well, would you look at this?" Nick said, pulling a scrap of paper from one of the mutants' clothing. "Looks like you weren't the only one interested in Sunshine Tidings," he said as he showed me the note.

 

 

"Their boss certainly doesn't waste words," I observed. "Sounds like holding this site may be a little more complicated than we first expected. Piper, do you have those ASAMs in your pack?"

 

She nodded, "I brought a dozen. Four of them with the hacked firmware."

 

"Good, we'll want to run up defenses as soon as we have the place secured."

 

The country club - or rather, the co-op, as its new sign proclaimed - had seen better days. Most of the buildings had varying degrees of rot and decay, though it seemed like the greenery had been kept at bay. That suggested to me that the place might be inhabited, and I started carefully working through the grounds looking for people. At length, a mechanical voice greeted me.

 

"Far out!" it crooned.

 

The speaker was a Mister Handy robot, not the same model as Codsworth but clearly a relative. While Piper covered me, I approached it.

 

"Hey there," I said. "are you the one who's been keeping the weeds under control? Is there anyone else here?"

 

"Groooovy," it answered, before floating off into the gloom.

 

 

"That wasn't very helpful," Piper observed.

 

Before I could reply, a voice shouted urgently in the distance, "Ferals!" It was quickly followed by the crackle of gunfire and the incoherent groans of ghouls... all around us. We spread out, covering one another's backs and looking for contacts. When I spotted movement in a large building at the north of the camp, I moved in with the rest of the squad. Kicking in the door, a feral immediately charged me, and I blasted it square in the chest with my shotgun.

 

 

As more of them rushed me, I triggered the biofuel injector and felt the foam rush into my belly. Everything slowed down, and I dodged first one grasping hand and then another, returning fire the whole time. The semi-automatic shotgun I'd bought back in Diamond City was really demonstrating its value as I was able to fire it fast enough to fully keep up with my heightened speed and reactions. In the distance, I could hear the Mister Handy protest, "whoa, man..."

 

We swept the rest of the co-op building by building, eliminating the remaining ferals. While I gave my distended tummy a rub - I hadn't hit the biofuel so many times in a row in quite a while - the Minutemen fanned out to secure the site and start searching for useful materials.

 

 

A few minutes later, I heard a call, "found a terminal!" A few minutes later, I was listening to the squad leader explain that apparently Mister Handy, or rather Doctor Feelgood, had been very roughly hacked to follow the directive 'just be,' explaining his vapid behavior. The Minutemen switched him back to his firmware-based guard protocol, prompting Doctor Feelgood to enthusiastically burble, "exterminate!"

 

By that point, the storm had passed, and I worked with the others to start preparing the co-op for long-term habitation. We'd have to wait for parts and supplies to try and patch up the water towers, but with the ASAMs Piper brought were were able to start work on some guard posts and on rehabilitating the long-neglected farm plots. Doctor Feelgood had kept out the weeds, but he hadn't done anything to keep the plants alive; what was left was mostly bare furrowed plots and a few scrappy looking more-or-less wild vegetables. 

 

Once the ASAM sensors were deployed, I used the boosted strength on my powersuit to help the Minutemen erect a radio tower on top of one of the sturdier-looking buildings. Then the squad leader removed a battery from his pack and used it to power up the beacon.

 

 

"Central, this is Lakeview," he said, "site secured. Proceeding to fortify the location. Super mutants encountered in the area."

 

"Acknowledged, Lakeview," a tinny voice responded, "Be advised that Cabin is clear and secure." So Preston had been successful as well. Hopefully he hadn't had too much trouble removing the raiders from their hidey-hole.

 

The ASAMs did their job well, and by mid afternoon on the second day, the Minutemen had one of the farm plots fixed up and ready to start growing. While I watched them, I noted with mild approval that Preston had modeled the... cut, of the new Minuteman uniforms on the vault suits. Maybe that was just part of his plan to hand over the whole operation to me, but I still appreciated the gesture. I had worried a little that a more traditional look for them could lead to tension, especially with new arrivals, who maybe weren't super thrilled with the dress code.

 

 

Satisfied with the work so far, I sent one of the Minutemen - Luna - back to Abernathy Farm to report on our status and bring back some select supplies. Remaining with us were the squad leader, Dirk, two other guys whose names have escaped me over the years, Jean, and Matthew. With the exception of the last one, they were all hard workers, and I felt like this outputs was going to be fully operational in no time. Matthew, though? He mostly seemed interested in watching dreamy-eyed as Jean did her share of the work. I made a mental note to talk with Dirk about that situation and find out if he needed any help getting that kid in line with the program.

 

Meanwhile, Piper and I commandeered one of the cabins to be my command post and both of our living quarters. Piper had gotten out of her vest and helmet the night before, but I'd slept in the powersuit, just in case there was trouble. However, one night was enough, and Piper helped me get back into my vault suit. Other than the predictable mess when the bladder tube came out, the whole operating went seamlessly, and I gave her a kiss once my helmet was off.

 

"You really mastered getting me out of the suit," I said, "good work - though Winter is going to be jealous."

 

"Pfft," Piper scoffed, "not like she has any reason to be. I'll always be an amateur compared to her when it comes to the armorer stuff."

 

"Still, I appreciate it," I said. "How do you like the co-op?"

 

"Ah, it's... rustic? Not what I expected when I kept hearing you calling it a country club."

 

"It used to be a lot fancier, but the club went under... twenty years before the war, I think? I didn't realize anyone had bought it up, but apparently," I gestured out the front door, "it attracted some kind of hippy commune."

 

"You think those ghouls were them?" she asked, pensively.

 

"It wouldn't surprise me. In these rickety buildings they probably never had a chance when the fallout started coming down. Too bad they went feral, though, I'd have rather negotiated a deal with them rather than go in guns blazing."

 

Piper shrugged. "I don't know, I get the feeling like these people weren't the type to gleefully take orders from soldiers."

 

"Speaking in taking orders," I said, winking, "how about you plant your rear end on that desk and open your legs. I have a sudden craving for pussy, and you're going to satisfy it."

 

Piper gave me a mischievous smile as she slid up onto the desk, "so that's it? I'm just your boxed lunch?"

 

"What can I say?" Licking my lips, I added, "I have very refined tastes."

 

 

I leaned down then as Piper opened her legs for me, running my tongue from the opening of her pussy up to her clit, and then repeating the motion a few more times to fully take in her taste. Then I went to work pleasuring her, letting my nose and cheeks soak in the texture of her bush while I worked on tickling all of her sensitive parts.

 

I backed off a little when she started to shudder in anticipation, commenting, "I should have brought Cain's little plug with us. I'm interested on what your undiluted juices taste like. That's a missed opportunity. Now lie back while I fill up a different hole."

 

Piper obeyed, and I started working on her ass, first getting one finger in, then two, all the while thrusting and circling to gently stretch and relax her anus.

 

"Fuuuck," she moaned, "you're good. You got the strap-on?"

 

 

"Yeah," I said, "packed it in with my vault suit. Though I was kind of thinking of just working my hand up your ass and seeing how far it would go."

 

"Uh uh," she said in negation, "I'm nowhere near ready for that. When we're out in the field, let's try to stick with what we know."

 

"Spoilsport," I muttered, winking. I stepped into the harness and secured it, then returned to slide into her with the full length of the rubber cock.

 

 

I gave Piper a good, thorough pounding on the table, not letting her up until I could feel her tensing up and see the fluids welling around her pussy. 

 

"Tell me this, Piper, I thought good girls didn't like anal... but you seem to eat it right up. Are you actually a bad girl in disguise?"

 

"hah, hah," she panted, "if I am a bad girl, does that mean I'm going to be getting a spanking tonight?"

 

"Definitely," I promised. Then I slowly pulled out of her before leaning down for one last lick of her slit. I could taste the sweet, fruity flavor of fresh girl-cum, a pleasant confirmation that I'd done my part to completion. On impulse, I leaned forward and kissed her while her dew was still on my lips.

 

"You're sweet in so many ways, Piper," I whispered in her ear.

 

 

After Piper cleaned the strap-on with her mouth - it wouldn't do to abandon tradition after all just because we were out camping - we headed back out for one last walk around the co-op before the sun set. Piper peeled off to take a few pictures, and I flagged down Dirk as he exited one of the cabins.

 

"Found your own billet, I take it?"

 

"That one is going to be the main barracks," he explained, "its got four beds set up - though I'm going to want to requisition some fresh mattresses for them sooner rather than later. I'll take one of the others, same deal as you - combination office and quarters."

 

 

"That makes sense," I agreed. "Speaking in your squad, what's the deal with Matthew? He's not really pulling his weight around here."

 

Dirk shrugged, "Ah, you noticed. That Parks are kind of a package deal, they enlisted together on the condition they'd serve together. Problem is, Matt's got a bad case of he hormones, and when Luna isn't around to keep him in line, he spends most of his time staring at any female ass he can find."

 

"Hold up," I said, "Matthew is Jean's... what? Brother?"

 

"Yeah, Luna's both their mother. Fucked up, huh? But beggars can't be choosers."

 

"Do you want me to, you know, talk with the kid? Try and get him to knuckle down and do some work?"

 

"Your call," Dirk said, "but I wouldn't come down on him too hard. He's good in a scrap, and when he's got his mom to crack the whip he does good work, but he's one of those sensitive types. Not a lot of self-confidence."

 

"What, you afraid I'll scare him to death?"

 

"Are you kidding?" he asked, "You're the Charley Ellison. Overseer and God on Earth. You just might scare him to death. But more likely, you'll scare him so much he'll dessert and get eaten by wild mongrels. And I don't want that for the kid, even if he is a lazy pervert."

 

"OK, thanks Dirk. I'll use the soft touch with him. What about you? Need anything?"

 

"I walked the whole property and saw some risks and some opportunities. Obviously I want to fix the water tanks, but there's a path on the northwest side of camp. When Luna gets back, I want a second guard post up there. Got enough of the hacked ASAMs to help?"

 

I nodded, "yeah, three more. By the way, a refrigerator? Those things never cease to amaze me."

 

"Me too," he said, pointing towards the strongpoint covering the road to the dam, "but it said drag over the broken fridge, we drag over the broken fridge. The thing had a fairly thick steel shell, judging by the weight, so I don't think the sensor was off base."

 

 

"Where are you from, anyway, Dirk? I don't think I've seen you around Concord."

 

He shook his head, "no, Colonel Garvey recruited me off a caravan when it stopped over at the Drumlin Diner. I'm from Bunker Hill originally; heard about how you bailed out our guys from raiders, and after the Colonel made his pep talk I figured, why the hell not? And so I enlisted. Turns out, being a caravan foreman got me on the fast track to squad leader."

 

"Sounds like you grabbed a good opportunity. It's General Garvey now, by the way."

 

"Is it? Shit, that's some fast promotions he's pulling."

 

"What can I say? The Minutemen are growing fast."

 

"That they are, Overseer, that they are. Looks like the suns setting though, I'm going to make sure everyone's accounted for ahead of evening watch."

 

"Be safe, Dirk," I said.

 

As the light failed, I met back up with Piper at the cabin. I realized belatedly that we didn't have any lighting, so we'd be retiring sooner than originally planned. Still, I was a woman of my word, and I delivered her a thorough spanking before we finally settled down to bed.

 

 

It was a cool, if not cold night, and the heat radiating off Piper's well-stimulated cheeks felt good against me. 

 

"So, you know Matthew?"

 

"The lazy bones?"

 

"That's the one. The girl he's been staring at, Jean, she's his sister."

 

Piper almost choked, "seriously? I just thought he was lazy before, but that's... that's weird. Really weird. Is it just because she's the only girl in the squad, now that Luna's away?"

 

I paused to consider that. "You might actually be onto something there. Good investigative journalism. But it gets weirder. Luna is Matthew and Jean's mother."

 

"OK, now you're just pulling my leg," she said. "Though... now that you mention it, there is kind of a resemblance. So... what gives? Is she, Jean I mean, is she into it?"

 

"I. Have. No. Idea." I said slowly. "Dirk seems to be taking the 'its none of my business' route, and there's a part of me that doesn't want to get involved, but it bugs me that the little shit just sits around all day when his mother isn't managing him. So I think I need to have a chat with him tomorrow."

 

Piper wiggled her butt against me again. "That's so weird," she reiterated. "You need to tell me what happens."