Shine light into darkness 8: A half done halfway home

[ronfiction]

"New Hampshire has three seasons. Winter, Winter, Winter, and Construction."

It was probably the best line Lou had ever heard Jacob Carrier say about his home state. For Lou, the onset of spring was a welcomed change from the brutal cold winter they had this year in Coos county. He had gotten everything in place with his new company, all the funding, labor and government approval and was ready to go the second the snow stopped falling.

Lou had managed to win a major contract for his company for the building of Pine Bluff. Deputy director white and special agent Ackerman had put in good words for him. Lou's new company would be responsible for paving of the new roads in Pine bluff and would also be helping the New Hampshire high way department reroute the road from Whisper Hill to Pine Bluff. Lou had managed to secure a fair amount of equipment for the task and had labor supplied by the more 'traditional' union members of the 424.The portions of Lou's contracting firm that wasn't tied up in road construction would be put to work on his pet project; Shade Grove 2.

Lou was holding Allison to his word of building Lou a mansion, but Lou wasn't sticking him with the entire bill. Lou put a lot of his own money into the project and he got donations for the project from other sources as well. Jacob Carrier and Harry Davenport were also contributing to the project. Harry himself came up in late May to help with set up for Lou's internet connection as well as a system deck that Harry wanted Lou and whoever else was going to be at the house.

Harry had made a program that was a smaller version of the system that Lou would be able to excess without the help of a proper operator. Jacob and Harry spared no expense when it came time to outfit Shade Grove 2. Harry called the project a 'smart house', and while Lou said he wasn't sure if he needed to be able to control the heat of the entire house by speaking out loud, he was glad to see all his friends contributing to the project.

Since the incident at the gate had come and gone, life had slowed way down for most of the people who were fighting the good fight. Having more of the old gang back up in Coos county really made Lou feel like this place; Pine Bluff could be his new home. Charlotte and Mike had come up with Harry and spent a few weeks hanging out in the area. Ness and Rufus were settling down near by and Alice had taken Lou up on his driving lessons and now helped up with the paving projects around town.Towards the beginning of June, Harry had switched on Shade Grove 2's internet and an other member of their old gang was able to join them; Lili

Lili, the discovered AI had come to life over the course of the their time in Whisper Hill and once the incident at the gate had resolved, she was free to explore the world through the internet. Harry and Maxwell had done their best to make sure she turned out as a generally positive influence on the world. Lou's smart house set up had it so that she was able to keep track of all the functions of his house. Everything from security to being able to dial the local pizza place was something she would be able to take care of.

With the system turned on, Lili would actually be able to oversee most of the rest of the construction of the house and the completion of the smart house set up. Lou would have a hard time adjusting to the idea of an ever present room mate, but she offered Lou an additional sense of comfort in the form of security. Jacob and Harry had really out done themselves in that aspect of the house. Years of fighting everything from organized crime to darkness from an other dimension had worn on all of them, so Shade Grove 2 was outfitted with very advanced security systems. I made Lou feel good to know that a true AI was keeping her fingers on the triggers and that the local paper boy wouldn't accidentally test the systems one day.

When Harry and Charlotte went to leave, Charlotte pulled Lou aside one evening for a quick conversation. She had expressed her concern about Mike. Mike was still very much recovering from his 'hard reset' and she was worried that her and Harry were not up for the task of trying to help him. She talked about how Mike would occasionally show signs of improvement, but during those times he would just refer to his time with Lou. Lou and Dallas had really left an impression on him like no one else and she likened them to his new parents.

"Harry and Maxwell may have been able to raise an AI, but I think Mike gonna need a dad like you Lou." Charlotte said while they toured a half finished deck that would soon have a sweeping view of the valley where Pine Bluff was to be finished. Lou and Charlotte looked out at the construction lights in the distance and were careful to stay away from the edge of the deck that still lacked a railing.

"Mike talks about you all the time, he remembers things like tossing the Frisbee and football with you. Harry and I haven't made any progress with him. It would be good for him to live here with you. It'll be quieter here for him." Charlotte said. Lou considered the options and gave her a slow nod.

"Part of my idea for building this place was to offer people with no where to go a place to stay. I think Gus and the other at the half way home in Whisper Hill would have approved of the idea. There are some things in this world that shouldn't be just walking around. Normal people just wouldn't be able to handle it. Trust me on that one." Lou said with a smirk, thinking back on how hard it was for him to handle all of what he learned while in Whisper Hill.

"So Mike will stay with you?" Charlotte asked and gave Lou a glad look. Lou nodded and motioned back to the half finished mansion behind them. "I already have a room in mind for him." Lou said with a chuckle.