It's Hell To Choose (The Kurtherian Gambit Book 9)

by Michael Anderle

  “No” the young boy cut in, “He doesn’t.” Now, the boy turned and glared towards Boris.

  “Not true” his sister rebutted. “Mom said it was Knight or something.”

  “Do you mean ‘Nacht’?” Boris questioned.

  “Yeah, that’s what she said” she agreed. Todd elbowed his sister who elbowed him back, hard.

  Boris nodded, then turned around and walked to the front and stepped down to the concrete. Then, he sat on the stairs of the bus, using them for a chair.

  It was Boris against these well-trained and very focused mercenaries. However, behind him were a bus-load of children who apparently knew Michael himself. Why they didn’t scream in fear of Michael was puzzling, but that didn’t matter. Boris owed the Archangel, and whether it was something owed from last week, or centuries ago, Boris remembered. If it took Boris’s dying breath, he would pay his debt.

  If Boris died, he just hoped Michael would support his town in some way. Those were good people there. If too many of these children died and Michael did not know Boris tried to save these children, then the town and the people he had protected for generations might be wiped off the map. Because when Michael was finished, there wouldn’t be a living soul left in his town.

  —

  “Michael, I am ten thousand feet above the roof of the building which has the bus,” ADAM spoke through the Pod speaker.

  “ADAM, show me the roofs, and highlight the one with the bus.” Michael viewed the picture on the Pod screen in front of him. “Please zoom in, I can’t tell them apart at this size.” The roofs became distinct, and Michael was able to figure out a few unique characteristics. “So, the roof you have in yellow, that is the building?”

  “Yes,” ADAM replied.

  “Ok, then open the door,” Michael commanded.

  The doors to the Pod, ten thousand feet above the city opened, and Michael slipped out as myst. The Pod door closed.

  Michael sped as quick as he was capable of down to the roof and then down the side of the building towards the ground. Arriving, he circled the building until he found the garage entrance and went down the ramps until he came to an area with a large steel door covering it. He slid through a crack and started circling the large area.

  There were seven other men in the place, all with heavy weapons besides Boris, who was his own living weapon. Two men were bickering about the lack of police activity so far being a bad sign.

  Michael noticed the wires and went inside the stairwell to see the explosives. He solidified and cut the wires. Slipping back to myst, he went back into the room.

  Boris, Michael called.

  Michael, Boris replied in his mind.

  You do not seem surprised to hear from me.

  You have a fan club.

  I do?

  Boris sent a mental chuckle. Yes, there is a young male cub that supports you. Although I think his sister is more of a Bethany Anne fan.

  Ah, that would probably be Tina and Todd, then.

  You changed, Michael. I would not have expected you to know much of human children.

  Yes, I have changed. I hope for the better. Life is good when you look forward to waking up with someone.

  You have found love, Michael? The surprise in Boris’ mental voice humored Michael.

  Yes, believe it or not, old bear, I’ve found love. A pause, then Michael continued, I presume since you are sitting on that bus that none will pass?

  Nyet, none will pass me, Michael. Or I will be dead.

  That is what I told those back at the base, that I already had my support inside.

  How did you know I was here?

  It was on a video tape.

  So much for operational security. Boris grumped, it annoys the professional in me.

  Well, the individual won’t make any more mistakes, soon.

  They are looking to attack your base, this was supposed to be a feint to catch the base off guard.

  They never expected to harm the children?

  You have to ask? Boris seemed offended.

  Boris, you are known for doing most anything for those people who you love back in Siberia. Michael reproved him.

  Extenuating circumstances. Life is full of gray. But then, I’m speaking with a Vampire, who only sees in black and white.

  No, not anymore. Now, now I see in color.

  She must be amazing to change you so, Patriarch.

  Yes, yes she is. Michael admitted.

  How do you want to play this?

  Oh, you would have to say ‘play’ Boris…

  I’ll tell the people on the bus to get down.

  They should hide their eyes, yes. Michael agreed.

  The first scream of pain was heard just seconds later.

  “What the hell!” Birk turned towards Gunther. He was grabbing his stomach, unsuccessfully trying to hold in his insides through the massive cuts in his abdomen. Birk looked to his left and just noticed the second figure by Eli when his short scream was cut off by gurgling as he grabbed at his throat, trying unsuccessfully to stop the blood from spurting out as he dropped to his knees to collapse on the ground.

  The figure was gone.

  There was a gunshot from behind Birk, with the ricochet sounding like it missed him by only a few feet. Birk recognized that the shot came from Matt, whose eyes were wide open, but his eyes lacked focus.

  Fucking meds!

  “Shit, Matt!” Birk yelled as he started towards the bus. “Don’t fucking shoot your own team!”

  Another scream could be heard from behind him. Matt wouldn’t be shooting anyone, anymore.

  Terrence was shouting “Come get some!” as his shotgun went off. His boisterous speech was cut off mid-word in a painful scream.

  Birk noticed Boris standing in front of the bus, his arms open and staring at him. He pulled up his rifle and yelled at Boris, “I know we said no children, Boris. But if it is going to be the children or me? Well, life sucks for them!” Birk heard two pistol shots and saw they hit the big Russian. He looked to his left and saw Patty running towards the bus as well.

  Apparently, Patty wasn’t in a negotiating mood, right now.

  If Birk hadn’t turned back in time, he would have missed the most incredible view of his life. One moment, there was a massive Russian, bleeding from two pistol shots, the next a nine-foot tall bear roaring his defiance at the two men. Birk skidded to a stop and pulled his rifle into position. He pressed the trigger twice quickly, the rounds screamed towards the bear before the rifle was jerked out of his hands and he turned to see Death staring back at him from a foot away.

  “You! You’re just the-the…” Birk spit out before feeling pain ripping through his chest.

  “Yes,” the man with red eyes answered. “What, did you think I was just a boy-toy too?” He grinned, “ah, you did believe that. Trust me, Bethany Anne would never have agreed to a date with you.” Birk couldn’t feel any more pain than he already suffered. So when Michael crushed his heart with his hand, it was a moot point before his eyes closed the final time.

  Patty noticed two bodies fleeing out the side passage… Fucking Mansel and Hans had bolted. His pistols weren’t going to do anything to that fucking bear. Trying to overcome the fear he felt watching a man turn into a bear, he angled towards the table to grab the explosive controller as he heard two screams down the exit shaft.

  So much for Mansel and Hans. Patty could hear the bear coming up behind him. He turned quickly, pulling up his pistol to have it knocked out of his hand. Patty screamed as his hand was shredded by four-inch claws.

  “Boris” a cultured voice spoke from behind Patty. So focused on the bear in front of him, Patty could not see who was behind it. “Don’t leave too many clues.”

  Patty went from looking at a thousand pounds of bear to looking at the visage of an angry Russian again who turned to speak over his shoulder. “Michael, the bullets might not be silver, but they still hurt like bitch!” Boris growled.

  “Perhaps, frien
d, but we have to go.” Michael walked near the merc who was holding his bleeding hand and casually flicked his arm out, halfway severing Patty’s head from his shoulder’s. The look of surprised on his face complete as the body collapsed to the floor. “We need to go back to the base” Michael pronounced.

  Michael sent a mental message to the three adults on the bus. Keep everyone down, there is blood everywhere. Darryl and Scott will be here shortly.

  He sent out calming feelings to all of those on the bus. He didn’t have the time to do much, but it should help, and it was the most he could do for them at the moment.

  Michael grabbed Boris in his myst and left, traveling back up to his Pod.

  —

  Fortunately, Darryl and Scott’s Pod was nearby. Michael hadn’t considered the difficulty of how to communicate with ADAM when he couldn’t physically manifest, and the Pods were too damned air-tight for him to get into them. Darryl passed on Michael’s request to open the Pod and to angle it slightly backward so Boris wouldn’t fall out.

  Michael was able to get Boris in the Pod and grab him quickly enough to sit him down on the other seat as the doors shut, the Pod then twisted in the air and immediately screamed in the direction of the base.

  “Base, this is Michael, what is the situation?”

  “SNAFU” Lance came back. “We got hit hard, Michael.” There was a pause, “We got at least ten inside the base right now, unknown live outside, sixty enemies dead along the grounds and a minimum five dead on our side. Further, we have twenty-four of our own in need of some medical help for damn sure. We would have more dead if …well, you know.”

  “Any other intel?”

  Boris spoke up next to him, “They have a munitions package of some sort they are supposed to be bringing on base.”

  “Who is that?” Lance asked. “Did he say a munitions package?”

  “Yes” Michael confirmed, “that was Boris. I couldn't leave him there so I grabbed him; plus, he will be useful for the base attack.”

  “I never said I would…” Boris started to negotiate his fee for jumping into this firefight when he took a look at Michael’s eyes, “…not help. Vhat do you need me to do?”

  “Kill,” Michael replied.

  “She hasn’t trained you very vell if you still like killing so much,” Boris commented.

  “No, that is where you are wrong,” Michael said. “It is more that I hold her back.”

  Boris considered Michael’s answer, “You mean she is just as bloodthirsty as you?”

  Michael shrugged, “If she’s mad, more so.”

  “Somebody just opened what Americans call a can of whoop-ass on themselves, I think” Boris said.

  “Truly,” Michael agreed, “that is an understatement.”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter

  “Jeo, we will be arriving on station within forty-eight hours.”

  “Hmm?” Jeo looked up from his project plan to the wall. He had Samantha create a digital creation of a woman and told the program to display the ‘talking head’ up on his wall to the right of wherever he was working. The simulation wasn’t perfect, but it did allow him to feel a little less lonely at times.

  He hadn’t realized he needed a little interaction with real people before he took this position. Now, he made a point of seeking out the people on the Space Station to chat after he stopped working.

  The crew had adopted the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), and now they had three shifts. Jeo worked as he needed and wanted, so he ignored the shifts. When finished with work for a time, he went looking for a little company just to talk, or ‘be separately together’. This concept was common now with architects when they designed buildings for multiple non-family units on Earth.

  Jeo was informed that a group of younger, but smart, people would be joining him soon. William told him that from his experience, the usually reserved Jeo might just be considered one of the most outgoing. Bethany Anne had ‘captured some amazing strays’ and before the group knew it, they were swept up into her orbit. Well, almost all of them.

  One of the girls took the chance to ask one of the guys in the group to marry her since he apparently couldn’t be counted on to make the move himself. He agreed, and they decided to try to stay on earth to raise children.

  “Do we have the first response from Prospector?” Jeo asked Samantha.

  Samantha responded in a slightly less frosty tone than his second voice choice. He had decided something between clinical and ‘melt my brain’ was the best solution for her voice, so far. “Yes, the Prospector probe has located several meteoroids which fit our size requirements and potential raw material needs. It has landed and extracted two core samples which should be analyzed within the next six hours. Additionally, it has laser surveyed three additional meteoroids which also fit the characteristics we want. These five meteoroids numbered M1-M5 are now being transferred from their locations to the temporary mining and fabrication facilities en route.”

  “Perfect” Jeo muttered. “What about the team?”

  “So far, there are no concerns placed by Bandile Annane and the fourteen members of his team. They have passed both classes for safety and know how to use the equipment. They will leave the training facilities within twenty-four hours enroute to Location Mining Facility 01.”

  “Samantha, please modify name Mining Facility Zero One to ‘MF01’.”

  “Understood, Jeo.”

  Jeo looked up at the second clock he now had on the wall. It was a timer counting down to when it would be his turn to leave.

  He had less than twenty-four hours to go, himself.

  Outside TQB Base - Colorado

  “This isn’t going well, Sir.” Captain Julien Karet spoke on the phone. “They aren’t nearly as weak as we expected, and they apparently did not get the police involved in the children’s hijacking.”

  Presently, Julien Karat was in a SNAFU. What should have been a simple operation had grown exponentially worse, and now he had no idea how to extract his men. That there weren’t a lot of police and media involved was surprising him. It worked in his favor, as he didn’t have to worry about someone locating his team here, but he didn’t like what it suggested to him, either. The other side didn’t want any police involved fighting his group.

  It was just them against his group.

  Julien continued speaking on the phone, “No, the package is not yet inside the base. Yes, some of the drone communication sniffing technology has been dropped off close enough to move forward on their own. We are …”

  Captain Karat’s teeth ground together, “Sir, that would be unlikely to make enough confusion inside the base to help hide the data extractors, but it will kill all of my people nearby. The affected area is still hundreds of yards in the open air.”

  “Yes…Sir…” he ground out. “We are continuing to review the location of the package and will manually detonate should that be deemed necessary, Zàijiàn.” He hung up the satellite phone.

  Julien commented to his second, “Damned commercialists, worse than communists. They sell ‘piece of cake’ to our leaders who then use us to implement this debacle.”

  “I hate to say it, sir, but there are too many bodies on the base. We aren’t going to be sterilized enough” his second, Kathen, responded.

  Julien shrugged, “There isn’t enough data to point back to us. Too many mercs in the mix. So, if they happen to get any information from those on Op 1, it won’t provide a target, just the tools.”

  He walked over and looked out the small valley they were using to run the forward operations. It was shielded enough that the detonation wouldn’t hit them. Now, if his men could just get the damned thing into the base, grab those that were still alive, and fall back at least half a mile, they could blow the thing and get the hell out of here. With the need for the bomb to be inside the mountain, this was as far away as they could get and still be entirely sure they could manually send a detonation
signal.

  He would hate to be the team that was carrying that son-of-a-bitch.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Turkey

  “My Queen,” Akio walked over to Bethany Anne, who was making sure that every head had been cut off, “what would you have us do with the weapons?”

  She looked up and contemplated his question. She considered and dropped the idea of trying to put them into a car and lifting the car far enough to drop them into a large lake or something. She could only imagine the news people talking about a ‘magic car’, or whatever social media might say about it.