her body. I gazed once more at my wife as she laid her head down, breathed a deep breath and closed her eyes, the leather whip of her hair lying softly on her shoulder. I shut the top, and locked it down. The fans could not be heard and unless you looked very carefully, the holes for the airflow were difficult to see. I placed a second slightly smaller footlocker – the one containing the remainder of the gear and my own clothes – on top. A third locker holding the chair – now broken down for transport – was stacked on top of this. I buckled a set of heavy cargo straps around all three and put her suitcase on top of that, now re-tagged as my own. I sat down and enjoyed the breakfast, considering a number of options for my new pet before calling for a bellhop to assist me with my luggage. The large wheels bolted to the carriage attached to the bottom of my "pet carrier" rolled easily on the thick pile as the bellhop pushed the strapped-together lockers down the hall and to the front desk. I took my time settling my account, then accompanied the bellhop with the luggage and lockers out to my waiting SUV. I explained the lockers – nothing more than modified footlockers like the ones used by traveling bands to hold concert equipment - held electronic gear I used in my job as the bellhop and I hefted each into the back of the SUV and I lashed them down. Handing him a substantial tip, I breathed the crisp air deeply into my lungs and shut the hatch. I had already driven her car back to the house and taken a cab back to the hotel. Going through my mind, I made sure all was as it should be. In less than an hour, Drew would begin her new life in earnest.
*****
To find out what happens to Drew when she arrives at the house, check out The Ascendancy Chronicles, Volume I