Author Part 18

(The FINAL Chapter of "Senses")

SAN FRANCISCO & ELSEWHERE

Well, that's the entire story of how our group came together and saved the world. That's all I promised to address and that's all that's here. Besides, we're well over 200,000 words now and the book is getting to be a bit long.

I will wrap up a few things as I know them, regarding the aftermath of the events at the U.N. Building, but for the most part our lives have returned to privacy.

First of all, there were the press conferences. Hundreds of them over the next several weeks, talking about ourselves, what we did, our roles in saving the world. We each had as much press coverage as Jim ever did on his own, and now I know how it feels. To be honest, it sucks.

There were the awards given by governments too numerous to count, all of which we turned down. There were the lawsuits filed regarding the damages we caused, but the United Nations paid for it all, allowing Paul to not worry about the additional legal hassles.

There was the funeral of Dr. Douglas Hopkins, which I attended. I felt I had to. I felt awful about what we had done to him, even though it was necessary.

(I've been asked before if we knew how Hopkins managed to get the resources necessary to undertake his plot, and to be honest, I don't know. The most logical answer is that he had help, because lord knows he wasn't rich. Will any others like him surface, or co-conspirators perhaps? I hope not.)

And we buried Rand and Constance. Relatives on both sides had shown up to claim the bodies (and reap the rewards of paid interviews - no further comment), and they were buried separately. Constance here in California and Rand in his native Michigan. People we know protested separating the two of them, but we knew they had already moved on together. That their sacrifice is recognized around the world is good enough for me.

After a few weeks we had grown tired of all the attention and decided to go to ground. The house in Rutherford wasn't dug up by the press (and don't try now; I lied about where it really is) so we decided to move up there permanently. As you probably know, we held our final press conference at the ruins of the old Portero Baths in San Francisco, mostly because there was a place we could set Janis down, and also because it allowed for a good sense of drama.

We were all in front of the ship, with the press corps a few feet away. Jim, our self appointed public spokesman, addressed the crowd.

"Loadies and rented men of the press," he began, eliciting a laugh. "We are all assembled here to say goodbye to you all. Our mission has been accomplished and it is time we moved on.

"We have said our words, done our deeds, drank the booze, and submitted ourselves to the world's whims. We have had enough of that and are moving on to do the things we have been doing all along; to research the things we do.

"Someday we may return, if needed, but we hope we're not needed like we have been. We'd like to be our normal selves again. Hopefully with a bit of absence we will be.

"Goodbye."

All fourteen of us climbed into the ship and we made it look like we took off for space. We did the four hour turnaround and landed at the Christophé estate, where we have lived ever since.

I've passed this manuscript around to the others to let them add comments of their own. Here they are, in no particular order.

Jim Christopher: Well, fuck me! I come off as the star of this thing! Thanks, Jace! Your bribe is in the mail! Anyway, for the record, I hope to have a new album out soon, and I've been in touch with Jason, Lee and Rex regarding a new Blue Shift project. No tour, mind you, because the security measures I'd need to take would fuck up the logistics, but a new album may be in the works soon. As for the rest of it, let the rumors grow! (Jim and Karen are actually considering moving out of here - Jace).

A.J. Christopher: Pretty much accurate, although it seems to me dramatic license has been taken in spots. I like the method used to tell the tale.

Larry Christopher: Not bad for a first novel. A bit wordy, but that's okay. An interesting concentration on dialogue. (Larry, by the by, still owns the bookstore, but now runs it from a distance - Jace).

Karen Price: Too much sex, especially involving me. However, the psychological characterizations of each of us is right on target. Good work.

Morgana St. John: I've been relegated to the role of a bit player, it seems. (Morgana played a key role in many things, and without her insights I would have broken my neck during that fall in the U.N. building. Besides, Larry certainly doesn't consider her to be a minor character. They got married a while ago and their first child is on the way! - Jace).

Carrie Fallon: I'm also a bit player, but at least I knew that going in. But I came up with plan B and a few other things, and they're accurately reported here. I can live with it.

Paul Cynic: Not even close! Oh, the lawsuits we're gonna face!

'drink Davis: I like the use of the tape transcripts, but they aren't here as I remember them exactly. A bit of license for the purposes of drama perhaps?

Debbie Davis: Don't change a single word.

Nicki Davis: Did you have to write about us? Oh, I suppose you did, but did you have to tell every detail? (Nicki, for her part, still seems to be younger than her relative age - Jace).

Scott David: Has the statute of limitations run out?

Matthias Gibraltar: Let them know I've shaved the beard off (he has, and he looks good - Jace).

Janis: It is sufficient for your purposes.

Angie Rameriz: Lots of good sex and drama here. I like it! Come back to bed? (Angie and I now share a room - Jace).

As for me, I'll say that I spent a good six months after our arrival in Rutherford writing this all out. I figure that the only good history you'll ever get of the events are right between the covers of this book, and it's the only one you'll get from the inside.

I've contacted my parents a few times since this all wound down. We're on speaking terms now, but it still seems strained. We all have our lives to deal with.

I miss Rand and Constance; we all do. I dedicate this writing in their memories.

Following this section is a complete listing of the lyrics to Jim and A.J.'s "R & D Project", in print for the first time. Enjoy.

Until next time.

THE END...

That's it for the novel itself. Thanks for working your way through all 71 chapters. Hope you enjoyed it! If you have any comments, you can E-mail me at jace@well.com. The R&R Project is a real collection of songs by the real Jim Christopher. If you'd like to read the lyrics to this collection of songs, click here.

If you'd like to read the afterword to the novel, which tells you about how I wrote the novel and the inspiration for the characters, click here.