Ten years and that call never came.
Terry leaned outside the door to their quarters. “Cory!” he yelled.
“It’s like you’re calling the dog. Would you just walk down there and knock like a civilized person?” Char stood up, tired of sitting and ready to go, too. She missed being on the fly with TH, living by the seat of their pants and fighting bad guys.
It had been too long and she was itching for a good battle.
“Come with me?” Terry asked innocently. Char strolled up to her husband, tickling his chin to make him smile. They kissed, long and passionately, until they heard someone clear their throat.
“You bellowed?” Cory stood there with Ramses, her mouth twisted sideways as she tried to look nonchalant.
“Why yes, he did,” Char replied. “We’re mobile again!”
Terry nodded and beamed with joy.
“I didn’t think the new pods were ready,” Cory said, wondering what her parents meant.
“They’re not. I guess they’re years from being finished, but Akio finally cannibalized two to make the third airworthy. I wonder what took him so long.”
“Maybe he believed that Bethany Anne would be here by now,” Char suggested.
“Why, doesn’t matter. They are Akio’s to deploy as he sees fit. I’m glad he finally took the plunge.” Terry hesitated as Cory rolled her finger so he’d get to the point, the reason he had beckoned in the distinct Terry Henry way. “Two weeks. He’s coming for us and we’ll be going on a tour of the world, checking in on our people.”
“And you’re telling me, because…” Cory dragged out the last word.
“You’re going,” Char said, removing the dramatic pause.
“Yes!” She clapped her hands and then pointed to Ramses.
“Ramses, go tell the others. We’ll need a hand-picked group of twenty. The very best will go. We can’t overload the pod as we may be picking some people up, so only a crack team. The kids, of course, and then choose wisely. Be ready in two weeks.”
Ramses and Cory walked away, then started running.
“I’m happy to see that it wasn’t just me.”
***
Two weeks later, after the dust settled and the food fight to be on the first flight in ten years out of North Chicago had been resolved, Terry, Char, and the twenty hand-selected warriors stood in the LZ and waited.
Felicity and Ted walked by. They were holding hands, which had been a new development in how natural they looked together. Char wondered how Felicity had made that happen. Sue hadn’t been successful over the course of fifty years.
“Ready to go on one of your special adventures, TH?” Felicity drawled.
“We’re just stopping by to say hi to our friends. I don’t expect anything,” Terry said casually.
Felicity looked pointedly at the warriors, fully armed, wearing body armor, and wound tightly like coiled springs. “Really?”
Terry followed her eye. “Give the people some air time, that’s all.”
Lacy walked slowly from the barracks. She didn’t wear a uniform anymore. She considered herself off active duty, but she came out for this. Gunnery Sergeant Nickles looked at the other warriors, unhappy about not going.
“Sergeant Ayashe!” the gunny said, loudly, without looking at the assembled group.
Ayashe jogged from the group to catch up with the gunny. She was miffed more than the others because her little sister was going, but the sergeant was hiding her angst well.
“You’re acting gunny now, so take charge and keep the people settled. When we get back, we’ll pick the next group. Everyone will get their chance to deploy. In due time. Make sure they know that. The easiest way to stay here forever? Be pissy and stop training. Do you get me, Gunny?”
Ayashe smiled at Nickles. “I get you, Gunny,” she said softly. Ayashe wasn’t one for yelling when it wasn’t called for. She was getting more and more in touch with Mother Earth, which made Kiwi more and more proud.
The chief was worried that her gift wouldn’t pass, ending their native traditions and understanding. Kiwi considered Ayashe as next in line to be the chief.
Ayashe wasn’t sure she wanted that. Her life was with the FDG. But she wouldn’t refuse her parents, and it was their wish.
If she stayed as the company gunny, she would support the deployments from North Chicago. She could do both, but she’d have to take herself out of a combat role. She wanted that. She was good at it.
And she knew what her answer had to be.
Chief Ayashe.
She took a deep breath. “Will do, Gunny. I’ll keep the chair warm for you, but don’t be gone too long or when you get back, there won’t be a place for you!”
Nickles smiled and patted Lacy on the shoulder. “Keep your eye on that one,” he told her.
Lacy laughed in reply.
Auburn finished one final check of the deploying team’s gear, double-checked the extra supplies, and then put his arm over Kim’s shoulder to wait. The FDG’s logistician had filled his role admirably. Terry could not have been more pleased after Kimber approached him with the idea. It worked best for her, which meant it worked for Terry and Char.
The FDG had become a family affair, and Terry wouldn’t have it any other way.
The pod appeared as a dot in the northwest sky. A collective sigh filled the air. Terry grinned and started to rock as he always did before a tactical movement.
“Just a joyride,” Char reminded him.
“Can’t help it, lover. I’m torqued. Been way, way too long.”
“That it has.”
The pod set down and the back ramp opened. Terry waved them forward. Every single one of those selected had flown on a pod before. Most of them were on the pod that went into the ocean. If they were afraid, they didn’t show it.
With shouts of “oorah,” they boarded the pod and took their seats. Terry, Char, and Nickles were the last to walk up the ramp. Akio hadn’t bothered to get out. He knew they wouldn’t be on the ground long. Terry strode boldly to him and offered his hand. The two shook firmly.
“Shall we, Terry-san?” Akio asked.
“Thank you,” Terry replied, keeping it simple.
As soon as they took their seats, the pod lifted into the air. The rear ramp closed as they flew away.
First stop, New York City.
***
The pod came in low through the fog and landed in a rough area of what used to be Central Park. The pod hit quickly and Kim led the warriors out to form a defensive perimeter.
Char pointed toward where she sensed the two Werewolves. She walked casually, since no one else was around. Butch and Skippy emerged from the shadows.
To Terry, they looked soft. He wanted to say something, but Char intercepted him. “Whatcha been up to?” she asked in a friendly voice. They approached, wearing forced smiles. As soon as they were within arm’s reach. Char grabbed them both by the throat. They struggled but quickly gave up. They’d offended their alpha and it was time to pay.
“Look at you! When’s the last time you worked out? Training? It’s been years, hasn’t it?” Char spit in a series of condemnations disguised as questions.
“The steel mill is producing twice what it was before we arrived. And the steel is better, too!” Butch replied defensively, holding her arms in front of her, creating a barrier between her and Char.
“They’re rebuilding the subway and elevated train. They need the steel for the rails and the train itself. Look around! We’re bringing New York City back!” Skippy exclaimed.
Char shook her head. “You have what, ten, fifteen more years before people notice that you’re not aging? And then you’ll have to leave. Don’t fall in love with this place,” Char warned.
Skippy threw his head back and forth in dismay. “This is home!” he pleaded.
Char’s shoulders sagged. It had been her home too, and to find out that it was coming back made her long for it. “There will be a time when the draw is so grea
t that I, too, will have to be here. While you’re not working out, make sure you get the delis running like they used to. You could never beat a good deli. And for fuck’s sake, take care of yourselves.”
A commotion drew Terry’s attention. There was grumbling, the sound of a rifle’s butt impacting something hard, followed by the sound of a body hitting the ground. The muffled grumbling was too much. Terry bolted toward the sound.
“You were followed!” Char said accusingly.
“We weren’t!” Butch retorted, looking afraid because she wasn’t completely sure. They hadn’t been as careful as they should have. The alpha was absolutely correct. They’d gone soft.
***
Kimber stood over a massive badger. She’d used her rifle to pummel it into submission. One of the warriors rubbed a bite on his hand.
Terry slowed as he approached, Kimber motioning for him to calm down. He knew that his war face was peeking through. He stopped for a moment to gather himself before finding out what happened.
He didn’t have to ask. Kimber started as soon as he was close enough for her to whisper. “Dumbass thought it was a good idea to pet a wild badger,” she said with disdain. The man shrugged, keeping pressure on the injury.
Terry leaned close and whispered in Kim’s ear, “Don’t call your people dumbass.” She tried to pull away and he grabbed her collar. “You hear me?”
Kim relaxed and nodded.
“Cory,” Terry said in a normal tone of voice. She approached casually.
“I wondered what happened,” she replied, leaning toward the warrior. “Let me have a look at that.”
He showed his hand where the skin was ripped and the muscles torn.
“Nasty,” Cory commented before putting her hands on the wound. The man winced but held his hand steady. A blue glow escaped from beneath Cory’s hands. The man exhaled slowly in relief.
When Cory stood up, the wound was gone, not even a scar to remind the man not to pet badgers.
Char arrived to look. The warrior felt like an idiot with everyone looking at him.
“Time to go,” she told Terry.
“Move ‘em out,” he ordered Kim.
Yevpatoriya
Gene and Fu waited outside the city in a forested glade. The pod came in from the north, low, away from prying eyes.
It landed and the ramp descended. Kim sent the warriors to establish a defensive perimeter. Many of them nodded to the Werebear as they ran by. Cory ran at him and jumped to get her arms around his neck.
Fu smiled as she held the hands of two children who tried to hide behind her.
Cory let go, dropped to the ground, and hugged Fu, before turning her attention to the two little ones.
“Look at you!” she declared with a big smile, hugging each of the children. “What are your names?”
They both leaned in behind their mother. “Bogdan,” Fu said, pointing to the boy, before turning the little girl toward Aunt Cory, “and Anastasia.”
“Congratulations!” Terry said loudly as he approached.
“Yes, yes. It happens. I think number three is on way. Once it started, it will not stop!” Gene joked in his heavy Russian accent. He turned toward the children. “Bogdan, vnimaniye! Oni moi druz’ya.” Pay attention, Bogdan. These are my friends.
“Skazhi zdrastvuite,” Fu added. Say hello.
“Zdrastvuite,” the boy said.
“Not bad for three, eh?” Gene beamed proudly.
“Only three? He looks six.” Char studied the boy before shaking her head and picking him up. He squirmed until Gene took him and put the boy back on the ground.
“Good genes,” the Werebear said.
Akio left the pod this time as he had always found the Werebear interesting. Char saw that Gene was rock hard. He hadn’t missed a day of working out over the past decade. Gene noticed the alpha’s critical eye.
“Hard as woodpecker lips,” he said, flexing a massive bicep. “I wish I could show you our home. I build with own two hands.”
“I’m sure it is magnificent, my friend,” Terry said.
Akio leaned down to be closer to the children. They both came to him. He smiled as he draped an arm around each. They shared no words. The children looked at him for a while before they both hugged his neck and returned to their mother.
“Report,” Char asked.
Gene shrugged. “No Forsaken. No Were. Not here. Not Petersburg. There is no Moscow. Between here and Petersburg, mostly Wasteland.”
“As we figured,” Char replied. “I wish we could stay and play with the kids, but we have a world to fly around. We’ll be back, and next time, it won’t be ten years.”
“I hold you to that.” Gene pulled Fu close as he watched the FDG recover. Marcie, Kim, Kae, and Ramses stopped to greet Uncle Gene before they had to go.
Terry turned toward Gene for a final word. “Can we recruit for the FDG from here?” he asked.
Gene shook his head. “Not enough young people. Russia was hit hard in WWDE. Very hard. Only small towns like this. Maybe someday, but not today.”
Terry nodded after Gene confirmed what he suspected. TH and Char waved to Gene, Fu, and the two children as they boarded the pod and the rear deck lifted into place. In seconds, the pod lifted off and raced skyward, flying low until it cleared the area, then climbing like a rocket and turning east. Eight time zones away, Aaron and Yanmei waited.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Tianjin
The Port of Tianjin sat on the Bohai Bay, a natural inlet off the Yellow Sea. The early morning was calm, undisturbed by shipping. The world rested until it was time to go to work. Two people ran through the densely populated area on their way out of town. They ran quickly, as if driven by a pack of wolves.
The truth wasn’t that far off.
Aaron and Yanmei had catnapped too long and they were late. They ran as fast as they could, but sensed the alpha on board the incoming pod. The pod would land before the Weretigers would arrive.
“They’re not going to be happy,” Yanmei said.
“It’s been ten years. What’s a few more minutes,” Aaron said as he increased his stride. Into the foothills they ran and over, into a valley where the pod rested with the FDG deployed, weapons ready. Char stood with her arms crossed while Terry waved them to him.
As if they were headed somewhere else.
They slowed to a walk and Aaron chuckled. “Oh hey! There they are! You’d think we were at a crowded football game.”
“How’s it going?” Char asked calmly.
“Quite well,” Aaron replied. Cory and the other children crowded around their old teacher, elbowing their mother out of the way.
“Uncle Aaron!” they called, hugging the Weretigers.
Char smiled. They looked lean, as if they weren’t eating enough, but their muscles looked well-defined. They were in shape and their fingers and knuckles were calloused from hard workouts.
Terry pointed to Aaron’s hands. “Don’t you work in an office?”
“We joined a kung fu studio. We train every single day. We are both fifth degree black belts. We’d be higher, but we haven’t put in enough time.”
“Kung fu!” Terry exclaimed. “I need to get me some of that!” Char elbowed him in the ribs to dampen his enthusiasm.
“We will introduce you and invite you to a sparring session. Our master would enjoy a bout with a true believer in the power of the body, such as yourself,” Aaron suggested.
“We can’t stay long. We’re just checking in. I believe you asked for some beef jerky.” Terry produced a bag that Akio was happy to have removed from the pod.
Aaron didn’t hesitate. He opened the bag and dug out a large piece, biting off half as he closed his eyes and chewed slowly. Yanmei shied away, closing the bag for him. “You Americans and your beef jerky.” Char couldn’t relate. The Werewolf in her demanded meat. She was good with it raw, grilled, or jerked.
“Good on the training,” Terry told them. “Anything at all?
No bad guys you need me to go take care of?”
He was fishing, but there were no bites. There were no fish to bite.
“No Vamps. No Weres,” Yanmei replied, since Aaron was still chewing. She poked Aaron in the arm. Startled from his ecstasy, he swallowed the half-chewed piece and looked longingly at the chunk in his hand.
“How much traffic goes through here? This place looks like it could get busy.” They’d used the pod’s sensors to show them the shipping and container traffic in port. Although nothing was moving early, the potential was significant.
“Hundreds of thousands of tons and tens of thousands of people,” Aaron replied. “If the Forsaken were hunting, this would be the place.”
Terry exhaled heavily. They’d been calling regularly. He knew that they hadn’t seen anything, but seeing the look in their eyes crushed his desire to find an infestation. He knew they were out there, like cockroaches, waiting for Terry Henry Walton to turn the light off so they could scurry into the kitchen.
He had no intention of turning the light off.
“They’ll show up and you’ll be ready for them. Damn! You guys look hard. Maybe your sensei can come home with us and school us up right goodly!”
Terry loved to butcher the English language on occasion, but Aaron and Yanmei hardly ever spoke English anymore. Terry’s efforts were lost on them.
“In China, we call him sifu, but I don’t think he’ll go with you.” Aaron was speaking softly, trying to let TH down gently.
Terry almost said, “no shit,” but his sarcasm warning light went off just in time. “I understand. Too bad. We’ll need to be going. Keep up the good work, you two. When the time comes, we know you’ll be ready. When the dead rise, we’ll see what the living are made of.”
“Forsaken aren’t dead, Terry-san,” Akio added.
“Just a saying, Akio-sama. When the Forsaken come out of their holes, we’ll be there to blow holes in their skulls.” Terry’s lip curled of its own accord.
His hatred of the Forsaken had not lessened over time. Akio could sense the rage. He put a calming hand on Terry’s shoulder.
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