Quaranteam: Remote Wor

The Quaranteam Universe is the creation of CorruptingPower, used with permission.

Also a huge thanks to Discert, author of 808 State, for helping me with the specifics of Hawai'i and its people. And the Pidgin. And... okay, for a lot of this chapter.

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Chapter 16: Massage Therapy

25 September 2020

The following week passed in a blur of preparation. Without knowing how their incoming team member preferred to sleep, the best they could do was guess and make it easy to adjust.

"Okay, let's not get too stereotypical with it, but by the same token a piece of home would probably be good." Adam was helping bring linens and pillows into one of the unused bedrooms. "Can one of you try to get, I dunno, a piece of artwork of a sunrise over the ocean?"

Shannon pulled out her phone. "I'll order it. How big?"

"Not enormous, but decent size. Pull out the tape measure and stud finder, we'll check and see what we can get away with."

Callie stood at the door while they measured. "Why would someone want to come here of all places from Hawaii? No offense, but it's a bit of a downgrade. Doesn't help that we're about to hit the season where the sun doesn't want to get out of bed, either. The art you hang up is going to be her main source of Vitamin D for a while unless we order some vitamins."

"She probably wasn't thinking of that when she wanted to come to the area," Adam replied with a shrug. "Did Esther add extra to the next grocery order? Not sure how much she eats but the least we can do is be ready to feed her."

"She did, we put it away yesterday while you were tutoring Athena." Callie's head sharply turned. "Someone's knocking. Probably the guest of honor. You need to be the one to open the door, but I'll be there for the paperwork."

"Thanks. Too easy to miss things, and they just keep trying to pull more tricks and stunts." They got walking towards the front door. "Though what else they could try to take, I have no idea. The US Government is getting direct blood samples from me already."

"Adam, I know of at least three other bodily substances they could get to before they even start with the painful stuff." As they got there, Callie reached into the basket they kept in place beside it, pulling out a couple of paper masks then handing one of them to Adam.

"Thanks, both for the mask and for that reassuring image." He got his mask on quickly and opened the door. Behind it, he could see the now-expected two soldiers in biohazard suits. "Apologies for the delay, we're still getting used to this."

The one on the left spoke, her voice seeming to be a bit tired despite the mid-morning hour. "It happens. We tried the doorbell, but I think it might be broken."

Callie giggled as Adam sighed. "Yeah, we have a request in. I assume from the suits you're here from Oracle, but I don't see... oh, hello."

A small, wiry woman with deeply bronzed skin, slightly canted eyes, and short black hair stepped around from behind them. Adam hadn't even known she was back there, both due to her size and silence. "You're Adam?"

"I am. You must be Lani."

"Leilani, but I prefer to go by Kaipo." She was dressed in jeans and a plain white hoodie, the hood drawn down in the warmer building. There was a black backpack on her back and roller luggage behind her. "The only people who call me by my first name are the government and people I owe money to." She thought for a moment. "And tourists who need to be reminded they're on the islands."

Adam chuckled. "Kaipo it is, then. Um, not to be too stiff and formal about it, but do you three have that form? I do need to make sure there aren't any more surprises, and you need to make sure whoever's checking your work is happy."

"Captain Bozeman's never happy, but here you go." The one on the left handed over a copy of the same DA 6969-R he'd seen three times before, two of the three boxes already filled out. All it needed was his own signature.

Adam knew he didn't even need to pretend to move. Callie reached over and nabbed the clipboard smoothly. "Thank you. I am Callie Ekecheiria, his lawyer. Just let me check this and we should be good."

"Oh,

you're

Ms. Ekecheiria?" It was difficult to make out the soldier's expression, but her voice had obvious admiration. "I'm a paralegal when I'm not out making deliveries, and I often get to hear our lawyers cursing your name with both vehemence and creativity when they come up against you."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, but thank you. No forms other than this one?"

"No, ma'am. Standard delivery today."

Kaipo seemed annoyed. "I'm standing right here, you know."

The soldier shrugged. "No offense, I've just done fifteen of these runs in the last month, averaging two or three people each. Mostly into Seattle or Olympia, but still."

The red headed lawyer looked back at their latest guest. "The form says Lani, not Leilani, and the middle name's spelling is different between the print and signature."

Kaipo shrugged. "If they got my first name wrong, I'm not surprised that they got the formal spelling of 'Ku'uipo' wrong right with it. You two sure that you got the right girl?"

"Your social's right, and that's what we care about."

Callie handed the clipboard to Adam. "Don't sign it yet. I'll be right back, just need to print off corrections. Kaipo, I'm assuming what you hand-wrote is correct?"

"Yes." She was looking oddly at Adam and Callie, as if trying to get a feel for what she was getting into... and failing.

"Of course. I'll be right back." She took the paper again and strode off to the office.

Adam looked back to the group at the door. "She won't be long. Can I get you anything?"

The soldier shook her head. "Unless you can get my chain of command to approve some passes? Probably not."

"Sorry, fresh out of miracles for you to use for that, I'll call you if any open up." All four laughed for a moment, the tension and tragedy held at bay by the absurd mundanity of it all.

As promised, Callie came back in short order. "Glad I got the template before today, finding the newest update would have been a pain. Alright, just need you two to review and re-sign before Adam does."

One of the soldiers did first, followed by Kaipo, then finally Adam. Callie made copies much faster than she did the initial form creation. The soldiers didn't notice the other trick she pulled, though Adam was watching for it: she handed them the copy and kept the original. Would it mean anything in the end? Probably not, but she did it. The soldiers left, Adam ushered their newest Team member in, and as soon as Callie closed the door the others came out from whatever hiding spots they'd been in. "Shannon, Esther, this is Kaipo. Kaipo, meet Shannon and Esther. You've already met Callie."

It was subtle, covered up quickly, but exactly zero people present missed her wince. Something about that simple interaction had struck a nerve. Still, Kaipo tried her best to keep going. "Hello, and thank you for accepting me."

Adam was swift to intervene. "I'm sure that Esther, our team Doctor, is going to want to take some measurements and ask some questions before we get started. Before all of that, though, do we need to talk? In private, if that will make you more comfortable?"

Kaipo shook her head in the negative. "I got my shot before leaving Waimanalo a couple of days ago, so if you want measurements before this is completed then leaving me alone with you isn't a good idea. We can keep talking while she's measuring. I just have some memories I have to get past."

Adam didn't have much experience with Pacific Islander accents beyond movies and shows, but a few things struck him. The first was that hers was pretty obviously practiced. The Hawaiian equivalent of a Newscaster English, like he had been taught to try to aim for in the classroom. The second was that she was lying about those memories being small things. "If you say so." There was no doubt to anyone present that he meant no such thing. "We can keep talking while Esther gets what she needs. You don't have to do anything you aren't comfortable with, we set up a bedroom for you so we can get everything there."

"I'm going to have to do ONE thing a bit faster than I like, but you're not the one forcing it." She took another breath, looking around the living room. "Right here's fine. Not the first time I've been seen naked."

Again, Adam didn't quite like how this was going, but didn't have a specific thing he didn't like. She seemed like a decent person, but something wasn't right. "Alright. Esther, guess it's time for you to be Dr. Kim for a bit."

She already had her kit and was pulling out the basics of what she'd need. "You may or may not have been told that things can get a bit odd with this Team. I will need to take several extremely thorough measurements. You will need to be nude for them, even half a pound of interference might throw off finding something."

In a somewhat resigned manner, she removed her clothes. What was revealed underneath was fit and trim, but very small. She stepped on the scale at a hundred pounds, and given the wiry muscle in her arms and shoulders that didn't leave much to cover her ribs. "I know you said you were being thorough, but this is a bit ridiculous."

Esther shook her head. "When I said things can get a bit odd, I mean it. I'm sure you noticed Shannon's most prominent features?"

There was that wince again. Something about Shannon's name was scratching at her brain. "I... ah, yes, I had. I did massage at a resort in Waikiki, and immediately thought of a dozen areas she'd want my help."

Shannon thankfully giggled a bit at that. "You're not wrong, but what Esther's talking about is that I was so flat I was almost concave before getting to Adam."

"WHAT?"

Esther looked irritated. "Hold still, please, I am trying to get measurements. And no, she is not kidding. Callie has dropped over a third of her body weight, and I am going through changes of my own. We need this information to know what happens if you make four for four."

"I know this is a lot to take in, Kaipo, and we don't really have a good way to say it more easily. Not exactly normal, even in today's world. So, at the risk of sounding flippant, mind telling us a bit about yourself? Why come here?" Adam was genuinely trying to be kind about this, but he had a point. There is no easy way to say something that far out in left field.

"Uh." She was clearly off balance, but just as clearly trying to help her new family. "I grew up in Nalo, saw buses of tourists from the Waikiki hotels pass by our encampment every day," there was that pause again, "on their circle island tour, or going hike Makapuʻu, or headed for Sea Life Park. Managed to get some training in massage therapy and went work for one of those hotels. Tourism. It drives the economy, even as it sucks Hawaiʻi people hollow. With everything going on... I needed a change. A big one. Why are there needles in that box?" She was looking at Esther's kit.

"Because the last thing I'm getting today is a blood sample."

"That would make sense," Kaipo answered in an absolute deadpan. "Are you getting a brain scan to go with the DNA sample?"

"I have no need to make a clone nor a desire to tattoo dots under their eyelids even if I could." Esther's voice also managed to change not at all during the exchange.

Adam interjected, "Hold on. What do you mean by 'encampment,'you didn't have a house?"

Kaipo shrugged. "Not exactly rare, you know how expensive those are in Hawai'i? I lived in a mostly-permanent encampment far enough away from town to not get harassed too often but close enough to get on a bus to work. It can be pretty comfy once you get enough people working together until someone gets it in their head to break them up."

"I guess that explains some of why you left the islands," Adam continued, "but I assume the rest of the story will be given in time if you don't want to share just yet."

At this point, she was sitting as Esther prepared to take the aforementioned blood sample. "I think I will wait on sharing that. This is a bit... surreal. Ow!"

"It'll be done in a moment." Esther had, again, demonstrated that phlebotomy was not her specialty.

"Thanks." Kaipo did not sound particularly thankful. "Am I allowed to put my pants back on? Or at least grab Adam to drag him to the bedroom I see over there?"

"Oh, that." Esther finished putting on the bandage. "Yes, I'm done."

Kaipo abruptly stood, then reached out and grabbed Adam's wrist. "Adam, is that your bedroom?"

"Uh, yes."

"Good, because I'm cold." As it turned out, when she said she'd drag him to the bedroom, she was not at all kidding. Adam had six inches and sixty pounds on her, but felt that this would not make particularly much difference to the wiry Hawaiian. In short order they were in the bedroom, and she was eagerly helping strip him out of his clothes. "Okay, you're not the hottest person here, but let's see what we're working with... okay, decent, that wasn't on your profile. Question is, do you know how to use it? Don't answer that, I'll judge. Get on that bed and under the covers, you have body heat and I need to borrow it before we can do anything."

Adam felt fine, personally, but once she practically climbed into his arms under the blanket he could feel her body. She felt cool, and was even shivering slightly. Both of these problems would just take a few moments to fix, and Adam held her close to his body to make sure of it. She wrapped her own around him. He thought it was cute in its own way. Then her hands started roaming, feeling their way around his back... and pressed into a couple of seemingly-random points.

Pain blossomed across Adam's back, shooting up along his spine and radiating outwards. He could feel it all the way down to his elbows and knees. This lasted mere moments before fading into a sparkly, warm feeling as muscles he hadn't realized were enormously tense released at the same time. He gasped, barely able to process the confusing rush of sensations. Against his chest, Kaipo smiled. "I try to turn that part of me off when I'm not working, but you need it and feeling the tension was distracting me. Remind me once I wake up and I'll give you the full treatment."

"I will definitely remember that. Are you ready?"

"Been ready. I expected you to climb up on me and pound me until I got warm."

He chuckled a bit. "If you want that, then ask."

"Said I expected you to do it, not that it's what I wanted. Now, what I

want

is for you to get to it!" As if to emphasize the point, she shimmied down a bit and wrapped her legs around his waist.

Nowhere to go but in, and Adam could take a hint after living with three horny women for a bit. She was small and almost painfully tight, but he was patient and in no rush. If anything, she was pulling herself onto him harder and faster than he would have. The feel of it was honestly a bit rushed... until that first drop of precum came. Her arms and legs around him grabbed tight, practically crushing the much larger man. Her insides flexed just as hard, and Adam was almost scared he'd get stuck before she came down off that high. What caught him most off-guard, though, was the scream. Thankfully, afterwards, she loosened up, letting him slip ever deeper in until he was bottomed out inside of her.

"Ai-YAH! Ho, dat was... an da nex one goin' be mo bettah?" Kaipo paused for a second, seeming to get control of herself again. She looked him in the eye. "I got mine, now use me until you blow your load inside and show me what they meant by 'the big one,' got it?"

Yep. That qualifies as a hint that he could take. Adam began a much more powerful rhythm, driving himself into her over and over. At first he was a bit scared he might be going too far. Then she dug her heels into his hips and started pulling him into her, harder and harder until he could hear the sounds of their bodies slapping together, like he was being applauded for the force. He was getting sweaty before long, but she was loving every second of it. He didn't have to hold back on her part, when he felt his own release coming he didn't even try to prolong what they were doing.

It was a good thing he got some warning from the first one, because a girl with that much strength in her limbs could have done some damage if he wasn't braced for it. The moment the first jet struck, she forcefully clamped onto him, her whole body joining in wave after wave of overwhelming power. And loudly! Suddenly, she stopped, practically flopping back onto the bed. He heard the familiar words coming from her. "Imprinting... imprinting... imprinting..."

"That never gets any less creepy, does it?" He shook his head, half to recenter himself and half to clear the ringing in his ears. There wasn't anyone in the room to listen but the bugs he knew were recording things. Adam stepped towards the door and called out to the others. "We're done in here, I'm going to take a shower."

Shannon replied. "Trust me, we know. I had to cut the sound from my stream for a bit."

"Got it. I'd apologize, but it wasn't my idea." Adam stood straight and tried to stretch. His back was marked up and feeling like he'd been pounded by a tenderizer. His ears agreed with the assessment, and the rest of his body was starting to give reports about what it thought of the events of the last thirty minutes. The general consensus was that the warm shower was helping, a painkiller would help more, and there would need to be some discussions about letting neighbors sleep and his eardrums stay intact. Once she woke up, of course. No telling quite when that would be.

Still, no denying that it had been fun. Different, and would take some getting used to, but fun.

After a few minutes and a few stretches, he pulled on some other clothing. Kaipo was doing fine, it was way too early to sleep, so he stepped back out to the living room. Shannon had her VR set on, camera on her and stream rolling, commenting on the random things happening and whatever the stream chat was saying. He took a careful, quiet seat on the couch. Stream camera was definitely a distant second to this view, especially since he knew that the purple tiger they could see was a distant second place to Shannon herself. He watched as she danced around, obviously still getting used to her new center of balance. When her torso moved, it took a lot more effort to stop these days compared to when she first came into his life.

Down the hall in a different space, he could hear Callie talking to Esther about something. The exact words were impossible to make out over the music, but it seemed friendly enough. His family had certainly come a long way, hadn't it? All of them were incredibly headstrong, all of this could have ended very badly, but they were getting along. It was looking like Kaipo would be more of the same. A bold and powerful personality, but one that could work with who they had.

Esther and Callie came to join him on the couch. Callie was nodding in time to the beat. "Can't even blame you for relaxing in the best seat in the place. Good music, nice view." She was keeping her voice down, making sure the mic didn't pick her up.

Adam chuckled, and as he did he saw Shannon's moves change, realizing that she was not alone in the room. He kept his own voice down. "I definitely debated going into chat to drop hints, but it looks like she's almost done. What do you think she's going to draw Kaipo as?"

Esther thought for a moment. "Coconut crab, perhaps? Maybe some kind of shark?"

Callie's head tilted for a second. "Maybe a cat of some kind since she's a masseuse? Nah, Shannon is one already with that tiger of hers. I think she's going to wait a bit to get to know her better."