And Then There Were Four

February 4th, 2024 – Sunday

12:01 AM – The programmed ‘message’ goes out and the first one to notice it is #2 or ‘ShortRound’ for his chosen user name on the Worlds Online servers. During a break in the RAID he reads it and shares it with everyone else. They decide to finish the raid and then go talk with Garrick.

It was 3:30 in the morning on Sunday and Garrick heard a knock on his door. Looking back Katherine was still sleeping. He walked over and pulled the sheet up over her because she loved to sleep naked. Walking back past his huge table-tablet he made a hand gesture and the lock-screen appeared. As he stepped out he saw all eight of the shorties standing there, “#2 can you help me get some hot chocolate going and the rest of you go back down stairs and well chat at your table. Doors.” His doors swooshed shut behind him. Knowing they had read the message he left them, he pulled his mail up on his phone from Richard about the families he’d found them. Richard was going to be there at 6pm later that day.

“So, do you all want homes? Before you answer, they will have computers I am certain no one is going to end up going through what #1 is dealing with over at Ethel’s home.”

In near unison, “Yes, we’d all like homes but Richard, err.. Mr. Gray said he could only place half of us. Wasn’t that right, Garrick?”

Garrick nods but holds up a finger, “Yes, however, I have further clarification on that topic. He has,” using finger air-quotes, “at the moment five homes and loving families. However, he is working on at least three more but it might take a few more weeks to a month or so. So a better questions is who is willing to wait for round two if you all want homes. Numbers: 2, 4, and 5 said they could wait for the second round of families. Numbers 3, 6, 7, 8, and 9 thanked them for letting them go first. Garrick explained that #3 was going to a lovely family in Philadelphia. #6 was going to live with the head of a major comic book company exec in Manhattan. #7 & #8 were headed to live with high up Avtran executives in Victory City, #9 was headed to Mission City on the west coast and a fitness guru / corporate mogul with that lost his child to a birth defect.

Garrick cleared most of his day to spend with them before Richard arrived. He made sure they would know how to connect to his Worlds Online servers. He also explained his simple plan to get #1 back online so they could all keep in touch and play together. Whenever anyone was hungry Garrick was the gopher for the group that day, he also used this time to keep Richard informed that everything was a go and 6pm was perfect for the pick up and transfer.

Katherine mercilessly teased him whenever he came upstairs, revealing outfits, leaping on him and covering his eyes, though when he tossed her over his shoulder she realized there was a style of joke that she just couldn’t do with him. Sneaking up on him was not hard, however, it immediately triggered a prison fight response. The look in his face when he realized how he had responded. She had to kiss him a lot to shut up the string of apologies. When came back up the last time before Richard had arrived she had tried to make it up to him by sitting on the table in nothing but a sheet asking if this was a good pose for art class? His face went so red when she threw him her sexiest look his knee buckled when he took his next step. Asking if he was okay he replied, “I thought I saw two of you and wondered if I had died and this was heaven.” She smiled and then realized she had learned more about his preferences even he may not have realized about himself. Garrick quickly stood up, and did not look in her direction except to blow her a kiss as he left to go back down stairs.

6:03 PM – Richard Gray arrived in his aircar with a social worker that was as hot as Miss Amazing, her name was Silver St. Cloud. She was helping Richard with the various agents that had facilitated the adoptions. Richard pulled Garrick aside and mentioned her main reason for being here was to get the boys to follow along with as little trouble as possible. Garrick commented it was a brilliant plan given how they react around Katherine. After a number of goodbyes and hugs, Richard, Silver, and the five Shorties sat in the luxury aircar as it lifted off and they headed to the airport on the ‘Hill’.

Art by: AZ_Artisan