Under My Heel

by Michael Anderle

  “Everyone on these ships know what it takes to wear the badge, the badge of my personal team.” She laid out the six glasses. Gabrielle came up and took two, giving Bethany Anne the chance to open one of the bags and pour each half full. “In this bag is my blood, full of the nanocytes that have been keyed to me. The same blood I gave to John, with one addition.” Gabrielle took the first two finished glasses and handed them to John and Eric. Then picked up two more for Bethany Anne to fill. “This blood has the same modification I did for Stephen. If you are near me, I will know where you are. If you have been hurt, I will feel it.” She finished the two glasses and Gabrielle passed them to Darrell and Scott.

  Gabrielle picked up the last two glasses and Bethany Anne poured one with the remainder of the first bag, and then opened the second to pour into the final glass. This one she filled almost to overflowing.

  Carefully, she sat the bag down and took the full goblet from Gabrielle. The four men came closer, as close as they could in the tight room. “TOM has modified the Nanocytes that are in your glasses. They will propagate, create more of themselves before they stop. The amount you are going to consume will increase multiple times before they stop. It will take a few days to a few weeks to finish, but you will feel the effects in a few hours. In a month, I will have each of you in this pod-doc right here to finish and confirm the changes. That will keep you under for a week most likely. Time, I’m sorry to say, we don’t have right now until our fight with David is finished.”

  She looked each person in the eye before moving to the next, “If you elect to drink this blood, you are making a covenant with me to be here until the end, until you are released from your covenant or you die. If you agree that this is the path you wish to take, a future unknown except for the danger, then I can do no less than humbly accept your decision. Your desire to be the group that I use to protect my people, to protect this earth. To use as I deem necessary to accomplish the impossible. No matter where I need to send you, no matter how deep the pit of darkness we find ourselves. I swear to you, on my name, on my life and on my blood that you will be the most feared group of Guards this galaxy, or any galaxy will know. Right here, right now is the dividing line between your option to stay human, to stay normal, to have a real life. Or, you accept that your life is going to be harder, longer, and more dangerous than any man or woman in their right mind would consider.”

  “You are the Queen Bitch’s guards, you don’t run, you don’t cower, you don’t know the meaning of giving up or giving in. We are in this until Death takes our souls.” She looked over at John.

  “John Grimes, the guard who told me to go and save those back at the camp. I will give my life to see this earth safe. What is your decision?”

  John looked Bethany Anne straight in her eyes, “Bethany Anne. It has been my honor to know you, to fight alongside you, to do the dark deeds that no one will ever know that we have done, on their behalf. You have my covenant, my pledge on my honor, on my name and on your blood that I will be with you Ad Aeternitatem.” Continuing to stare into her eyes, he emptied the glass.

  With each man she swore the same thing, each man followed John’s pledge and holding her eyes as they drank the blood. She consumed a little from her glass with each one.

  Gabrielle felt the four men staring at her. She smiled and gently put the glass on the pod-doc and stepped over and stood in front of Bethany Anne.

  The men glanced at each other, what was she doing?

  Bethany Anne smiled, she had been here once before.

  Gabrielle spoke solemnly, “My father is an old sort, and I have to admit that I admire him for keeping to the old ways.” She got on her knees in front of Bethany Anne, looking up at her.

  Bethany Anne looked down at Gabrielle, “Gabrielle, I need you to be my eyes and ears here on Earth and out into the Universe. I need you to be strong for me, Gabrielle. For me, for Nicht, and for the world. Will you accept this gift of my blood? Blood that will strengthen you, connect you to me, and will you work with me to make this world better for Nicht, for the UnknownWorld and for the humans as well?

  Gabrielle bowed her head, “Yes, my lady.”

  Bethany Anne held out her wrist to Gabrielle, “Drink, Gabrielle. Swear your allegiance to me and I will provide you sustenance to come back to me. But, if you don’t stop when I tell you, I will put my fist through your skull, do you understand me?”

  You could never be too careful with vampires.

  Gabrielle looked back up at Bethany Anne’s face, a small smile playing at her lips. Stephen had apparently shared with her the full story. Gabrielle gently took Bethany Anne’s wrist as her teeth grew. The men watched as their Team Leader drank from their Queen’s wrist.

  There, inside a Kurtherian medical room on a ship in the middle of the Mediterranean Ocean on a planet called Earth, five people gave their oath to help change the galaxy.

  In the future, their original name would change. Still responsible for her safety, Bethany Anne would send them out on impossible operations. Trusting her people to get the jobs done that had to be done, no matter the cost. Others gave them their new designation. They became the Queen’s Own.

  May Hell have pity on you should you find yourself on the wrong side of any of the Queen’s Own. One was always a problem, when two came together people started leaving the area.

  Should all five show up, those with enough intelligence would leave the planet.

  Because if the five didn’t handle the issue, then their Queen wouldn’t be far behind.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Town in Turkey, 30 miles from the Border with Syria.

  Stephen was bleeding.

  The team had made it to the town, and had flown around the area before locating a place to land near the designated location the satellites suggested the remaining living had locked themselves. Everyone humped their equipment out of the helicopter quickly and the Wechselbalg team grabbed extra food and water rations for the survivors.

  The bait.

  Everyone had moved out quickly. Todd and Chet had held a perimeter while Ecaterina and Nathan tried to communicate with the people inside the cave, that they weren’t there to eat them.

  Finally, the door opened and one man stepped out before the door quickly closed behind him.

  He was the last American, the one that Frank had presumed dead.

  He looked at the group, “Thank god! I thought we were all written off as lost.” Todd stepped up and held out his hand to shake, “Todd Jenkins. Formerly with the Marines, now part of … “ he smiled, his group didn’t have an identifier. He finished shaking the man’s hand when Stephen stepped up. “My name is Stephen, Todd and the rest of my people here were sent by my boss. Your military asked for our help, you might consider us contractors.”

  The soldier reached over to shake Stephen’s hand, “Arthur DeTongass, don’t ask me who I am with, and I won’t tell you any lies.” The handshake was firm and the smile was genuine. Stephen liked this man.

  “Very well Mr. DeTongass…”

  Arthur interrupted Stephen, “No, just call me ‘Art’, my dad was Mr. DeTongass.”

  “Very well, Art. Can you tell us what is the situation?”

  Arthur looked at all of the people around him. Only four were looking at him, but he felt they were all listening. They had good field craft. “You know of my team’s effort?”

  Stephen nodded, “Yes. Your team came in after a team from Turkey was lost. You had two teams of four, you are the last survivor, but have been presumed dead.”

  “All true. We were supposed to find out more and report back. If there were no survivors, then command would get orders out and our boys would carpet bomb the place. Frankly, I’ve been surprised they haven’t done so already.”

  “They know about the survivors from satellite and infrared. It is believed by some on our side that if the survivors hiding behind that door are killed, then the GDFM’s hiding up in the caves will then leave the area.”
/>   “GDFM’s?” Art looked perplexed.

  Stephen smiled, “We have a computer specialist newly joined on our team. He calls them god-dammed freaky monsters, so the name has stuck.”

  Ecaterina spoke up, “Why do I hear children’s voices?”

  Art turned to speak to her, “That’s because we have four children from this small town and twenty-two that were kidnapped and placed in this town.”

  Ecaterina’s eyes narrowed, “There are children in there?” She pointed to the door.

  “Yes ma’am. Twenty-six children, four adults including myself and four chickens. I can’t suggest playing with the chickens, they scratch.”

  Ecaterina nodded her head, everyone knew that, didn’t they?

  Stephen considered the situation. “We need to get the children out of here. We will be enough to keep the GDFM’s in place. I’ll talk with Chris and we will fly them out on Shelly. It will be a tight fit, but if we send one adult to help them, it should work.

  Nathan noticed Ecaterina staring daggers at him, he put his hands up slightly and mouthed ‘never considered suggesting you.’ He turned back around to scan the area.

  Art spoke, “We have two women in the cave. Either or both would work well. We also have one minister in there who has been hurt pretty badly.”

  Pete spoke up, never taking his eyes off of the surrounding area, “We have medical supplies, food and water. Where do you want them, Stephen?”

  Stephen looked at Art, “Do we pass the test, Art? Will you allow us to help those inside?”

  Art nodded and turned back to the door, rapping on it. Three sharp knocks, and then two sharp knocks.

  “It’s me, Diane!” The door opened to a whipcord thin woman with red hair.

  “Art?”

  “It’s me, this group has been sent by my country to help. They know about you guys in here.”

  Ecaterina stepped closer, “We have food and water for the children, plus first aid for your minister.”

  The door opened, “You have supplies? Oh thank God!”

  Stephen pointed to Todd, “Keep the group on track, I’m going to speak to Chris about how many we can get on Shelly. Get ahold of Dan and find out where a safe place to land the children will be. Chris won’t need to go all the way back to the ships.”

  Stephen turned around and quick-walked back to Shelly. Chris and Tim had stacked the remaining supplies and armament forty feet away from the helicopter. The huge Wechselbalg nodded at Stephen. Chris stood up from placing his last box on the ground, “Damn! It’s good to stretch a little but making the pilot hump this shit should be against the Geneva convention.”

  Stephen answered his playful comment, “Chris, I never signed the Geneva documents, nor did Bethany Anne as she was not even alive at the time.” Then, Stephen turned his head lightning fast and focused up the valley towards the mountains on the left. “Fuck David in this life and the next.” He yelled out to the group back at the cave, “INCOMING!” Stephen ran to Chris, slowing down just enough so he didn’t hurt him too much and then ran into Tim who was starting to react. Stephen grabbed him around his waist and pushed him forward, “Get your lazy Wechselbalg ass moving!” They had almost made the safety of a large building made of cinder blocks when a rocket screamed into Shelly. Stephen threw Tim forward, he could heal. Then he put Chris in front of him so that Chris would be protected by Stephen’s body when the missile tore their ride out of the valley, apart.

  The explosion rocked the small town while the noise reverberated off of the valley walls. Stephen checked Chris’s pulse. He was knocked out, but he seemed to be ok. Tim got up, pushing away a piece of timber that had been thrown on top of him.

  Stephen turned towards the burning helicopter. He heard Tim come up beside him, “Bobcat is going to be pissed.”

  Stephen smiled, it seemed it took more than an exploding helicopter and a close brush with death to affect Tim. “That he is. But it was Bethany Anne’s helicopter, I hope her insurance is paid up.”

  Nathan, Pete and Matthew all came running up. Nathan called out, “Everyone ok?”

  Stephen motioned to Chris, “I believe he is knocked out, but otherwise ok. Take him up to the cave.”

  Matthew and Pete easily picked Chris up and took him back. Nathan joined the other two watching Shelly burn. “Well,” Nathan said, “I guess we just figured out part of David’s plan.”

  “Indeed.”

  Nathan mused, “Bobcat is going to be pissed.”

  Tim grunted, “That’s what I said.”

  Stephen said, “Fuck!” and moved into vamp speed. The guys realized he had gone after the supplies and rushed to help him.

  It took them three minutes to move the supplies to a better location. The heat had started to affect the boxes.

  When the last box was stacked, Stephen told Nathan, “If those rounds had gone off, that would have been annoying.”

  Nathan kept his mouth shut. Stephen was easily the easiest going vampire that he had ever been around, but he did have a very dry sense of humor.

  Nathan looked back towards the cave, “Now what?”

  Stephen followed his gaze. “Now we dig in, Nathan. Those children might have been the bait in David’s trap, but I can assure you my Queen would never forsake them. It is not their fault that they got pulled into our disagreement. We do not leave our own, Nathan. Ever. Let’s get all of our supplies into the cave. Someone needs to make sure there isn’t a back way into the cave. It would be just like David to setup a back door. We all rest, for tonight we shall kill until the moon runs red.”

  Stephen started walking back towards the cave.

  A minute later, Stephen found out the second part of David’s plan. Their communications gear was actively being jammed.

  Stephen looked up at the position of the sun and then back at his team, “Do we have enough blood?”

  Nathan nodded, “Plenty, on ice at the moment. Why?”

  Stephen reached out to Todd, who had the satellite phone. “Let me have the phone, I will travel as quick as I can until I either get a signal or my time runs out to get back here before dark. Get with Art, find out how many they have heard at night. You can bet we will have many more than that tonight.”

  With that, he turned and ran as fast as he had since the last great war he had been involved in.

  Except this time, he wasn’t a lone wolf, but a leader.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Stephen’s warehouses on Coast of Turkey,

  William looked at his ten first generation IZTA’s. “They are an ugly bunch, aren’t they?”

  Bobcat answered, “Hell yes, but they will work. We’ve pulled this off, now we need to get them to the ship.”

  William shrugged, “Why not bring the engines to us?

  Bobcat was silent for a moment, “Good idea, I’ll call the ship and ask them to have the engines ready, I’ll fly over and bring them back.”

  While Bobcat flew back to the Ad Aeternitatem, some of the crew moved the little metal cubes up to the landing area and were ready to help load them as soon as Bobcat put down. Marcus was waiting for him.

  No sooner than Bobcat had hit the pad, Marcus jumped in.

  Bobcat looked over at his team member, “Your acting like a first time mother! Everything is going to be fine. Come sit up here so they have enough room back there.”

  Marcus moved up to the front seat alongside Bobcat, strapped in and placed the headphones on his ears. “It was amazing!”