Commander

by Mel Todd

  McKenna leaned forward and glanced up the stairs.

  ~Us too. Time to get to the game faces. Perc, Toni’s never gone to warrior. Can you help her?~

  ~If I can. Not like I did it before consciously.~ His voice had a wry quality and she wanted to laugh.

  ~I have faith. Let me know if either of you have issues.~

  ~Glad you have faith, I’m a bit freaked.~

  ~If both of you would quit flirting, can we get this done with?~ Toni’s voice had annoyance and amusement mixed together.

  Wait! What? I… Oh I was.

  With desperate effort she jerked her attention to what they faced.

  ~Let’s change and do what we came here to do.~

  She didn’t wait for assents, she just focused, looking for the warrior and started to shift. The form came to her with ease and she felt the weird settling of bones, slower this time than the first time. The need to rush it didn’t exist so she let her self flow, it felt like less of an impact that way. But a few minutes later she stood there, turned to look backward and blinked hard as she took in JD and Cass.

  Chapter 39 - Kill Squad

  With Halloween a few months away, drama is already starting with people ordering animal costumes. The University of California Sacramento is banning all animal costumes at campus Halloween events labeling them acts of potential micro aggressions against otherly abled individuals. Already protests are forming on campus both for and against this ruling. ~ KWAK News

  JD looked like he had before, big and covered with fur, impressive fangs and claws. But Cass caught her eye and had McKenna backing up a step. Something about how the wolverine shifted, made her compact body tighter and muscled, the paler fur stripes making her look lean and dangerous. Then there were her claws. All of them in warrior form had claws coming out of their fingers, long and deadly, but Cass's looked like knives.

  ~Wefor, are our claws sharpened?~

  [Yes. The shift to warrior form takes natural weapons and makes them deadlier.]

  McKenna looked at the deadly daggers that were at the end of Cass's fingers.

  ~Remind me not to get in a fight with you.~

  ~I was thinking the same thing,~ Cass thought looking at McKenna eyes wide. ~You're scary looking and yet oddly sexy. And that is just disturbing.~

  JD snorted and shook his head. ~Enough. We need to go before anyone notices dude didn't come back.~

  His words snapped her attention back to the matter at hand and she mentally chastised herself, turning her back to the door.

  ~Perc, Toni, we're going in. Be careful.~

  ~You too.~ Their voices overlapped, worry and intent clear.

  A quick glance back at JD and Cass to make sure they were ready, she pushed open the door. No knob, just a push had it swinging open. Moving in she listened but it had gotten late as they waited for shift change and she couldn't hear anything.

  Maybe we'll be lucky, and we can be in and out quickly.

  Even as she thought that she cringed and continued forward, exiting into a hall. McKenna swallowed hard, and pushed back her reservations and worries, and committed to the action. Rather than creeping down the hall, she headed into the residential area, figuring that would be the most likely location to find her target. Manuel Ocasa.

  Sounds of men talking, the smell of gun oil and cigar smoke lead her down the hall. As she exited the hall, she turned into a room with three men sitting at a table, computer screens behind them showing the compound in night vision colors. They looked up at her, eyes wide and a scream of terror slipped out even as they began fumbling for the guns leaning against their chairs.

  She darted forward, her claws ripping out a throat and ending the man's scream. The other one kicked the table, cards and currency flying everywhere as he fell backwards, scrambling away from them. He jumped up and tried to run, but froze, a shocked look on his face as he looked down and saw claws jutting out of his chest. He slumped down and Cass pulled her claws from him, her wolverine face unreadable.

  The third had managed to grab his gun and swing it to them but before he could get anywhere near being ready to pull the trigger McKenna shoved her claws directly into his chest. A gurgle of pain and shock spilled from his mouth along with blood. Pulling back her hand, she resisted the urge to lick it off her claws.

  ~We need to keep moving, someone might have heard something.~ She glanced once at the cameras but they still looked quiet, no alarms.

  She spun and headed out of the room, only to slam into someone headed their way. His eyes widened and he started to babble something even as he fumbled for the gun at his hip.

  [That is one of the lieutenants on the list.]

  ~Got it,~ McKenna replied and attacked, swinging both claws towards the man.

  "Monster, I'll kill you." His voice hit a high shriek as he dodged one claw but the other snagged him across the belly. The claws sliced through his shirt and undershirt, laying open the flesh beneath the clothing. He dropped his gun grabbing his belly as he tried to keep the blood in. He screamed in pain and horror even as he tried to back up.

  McKenna didn't allow herself to think, just ripped out his throat. The squirt of blood caught her in the face, splashing in her mouth. Pleasure at the flavor had her closing her mouth, even as her inner mind recoiled in horror. She pushed it down hard.

  I don't have time for this crap.

  She shook the blood off her claws and kept moving, trusting Cass and JD to tell her if they needed something. Already she could hear movement and tried to figure out where the leader would be. She stopped in the middle of what looked like a great room, fireplace on one side, swinging doors to what she assumed would be a kitchen or something, and a hallway.

  ~I'm headed this way. Split up and don't get shot.~ Her words brusque as she headed towards the hallway.

  ~Will do.~ The thuds of their feet sounded as they went separate ways. She didn't let herself think, just moved, the purpose to kill anyone in her way and to kill the men she had to kill.

  A woman, older, with gray in her dark hair and sleep in her eyes, stuck her head out of a room. Her eyes went wide and then rolled up in her head; she slumped to the floor.

  McKenna barked out a laugh and stuck her head in the room which was a narrow bed chamber, making sure no one else was there.

  Guess that is one way to deal with them.

  [Killing her would be the most secure way to proceed.]

  ~I know. But I don't want to be that type of person. I'll take the risk that the woman who passed out when she saw me probably won't grab a gun and sneak up behind me.~

  Wefor didn't reply and McKenna kept moving. The next room held a bathroom, just a toilet and sink. Moving on, ornate double doors faced her and she could hear movement - a harsh male voice and the soft murmur of females.

  She knew the longer they took to deal with this the more likely these people were to get a resistance together. While in hand to hand combat they could win every time, from a distance guns would kill them just as easily as if they were human.

  She grabbed the handle twisted and pushed into the room. With a quick pivot of her head she took it in. A naked man scrambling out of the bed, fumbling for something in the nightstand, and two women screaming and burrowing under the blankets.

  [Manuel Ocasa, verified.]

  "Die, monster," he yelled as he came up with a gun. McKenna dove to the side as he fired and she kept moving.

  No pain, so he didn't hit me.

  Coming up on all fours, she lunged at him even as he screamed and tried to target her. She didn't give him the chance. McKenna slammed into him her teeth sinking into the juncture between his shoulder and neck as he toppled backwards under her weight. Blood gushed into her mouth and she sunk her teeth into the hot, delicious flesh and ripped her head backwards. His hands beat against her as the clatter of metal against wood told her his gun had fallen to the floor.

  It took more willpower than she wanted to think about to spit the chunk of meat out onto the floor.


  [That is viable protein, you should eat it.]

  ~I am not a cannibal.~

  [You are not human. It is not cannibalism.]

  McKenna ignored the AI and instead looked at the two women cowering under the blankets, the smell of urine strong in the room that already smelled like sex and fear. Narrowing her eyes, she reassessed her assumption. Not women, girls. Barely in their teens. Any lingering guilt at killing the man disappeared.

  ~We have the second lieutenant, but we have men running towards the building.~ Perc let her know and she nodded to herself.

  Now what? How do we not have to kill everyone here?

  A scene from an old movie sprung into McKenna's head. Before she over thought it too much, she used her razor sharp claws and strength to remove Manuel's head. Ignoring the whimpering girls, who probably thought she was going to eat them, she stalked out of the room, holding the still dripping head.

  ~Which direction are they coming?~

  ~From the outside, headed to the main door.~ Cass fed her the information, her voice icy calm. It worried McKenna but now wasn't the time.

  ~How can you tell?~

  ~I back in the computer room. Am monitoring. All of them are headed this way. ~ Cass replied.

  ~Everyone else get to the front room, I'm headed that way and about to make a point.~ Even to herself her voice felt off, distant, but right now all that mattered was proving to the watcher that their targets were dead. Then she'd worry about everything else.

  She strode down the hall, the clicking of her hind claws a weird accompaniment to the pounding in her head. Dripping sounds from the blood falling from the head in her claws accented the surreal experiences. The rich intoxicating scent of the blood proved the hardest part; she wanted to lick the head, taste that sweet blood. Perc, Toni, and JD waited for her at the double door to the outside.

  Perc stood a bit taller than JD, his dappled fur creating patterns that grabbed her eye, longer teeth than any of them, making him look wilder and more savage. But his eyes locked on her hers even as she heard the sharp intake of breath from Toni and JD.

  "Open the door," her words were slightly mangled by her muzzle but Perc leaned forward and pulled it open.

  Men stood milling about outside, clutching guns and talking, gesturing wildly. They spun around as Perc pulled the door open and then they backed up, eyes wide as she stalked out, holding up the head of one Manuel Oscosa.

  "Your leader is dead. If you attack I'll kill you too." The words came out in Spanish, and she saw JD and Perc stare at her.

  ~Wefor?~

  [Communication should prove easier if you speak in their language. Nanbots are translating what you say into the language you need and overriding your tongue and vocal cords to create the appropriate sounds. It is a Commander benefit.]

  ~We will talk about this later.~ The idea creeped her out, but right now seemed a bad time to throw a fit.

  "Ocelotl," one man whispered.

  "We are in charge here now. Everyone will drop their guns. Now!" McKenna made her voice crack like a whip, and Perc and JD stepped out of the house. A clatter of noise as guns hit the ground. But when Toni stepped out, her black body reflecting the lights of the compound, half of the people hit their knees, whispering ocelotl over and over again.

  ~Anyone know what that means?~

  Toni replied her voice slow and thoughtful. ~Those were the jaguar warriors and gods for Aztec Mayan stuff. Their gods had weird names that don't translate well but those of the Jaguar warriors were called that.~

  ~I'll take it. But now what.~

  ~We need food and the damn watcher. Where is he or she?~ McKenna fretted, though none of the kills really bothered her, and that bothered her more.

  They looked around at the people, women had crept out of the huts and were huddled with their children in at the edge of the bright lights. A whirring sound grabbed their attention and they all spun, snarls erupting from them as four red lights appeared over the fence and sailed towards them.

  ~What the fuck?~ McKenna didn't know if she said it or someone else, or all of them at the same time as a drone flew over to where she stood with the head and hovered there. A blue light came up on the front of the drone, and a voice she recognized began to speak.

  "I must say this is a development I did not expect. Much less such graphic proof of the success of your little test. I'll stand by my word. I have no more interest in your families, they are no threat to me. Though I suppose in the future some of the children might be useful, it will be a while." His voice smirked, and McKenna could feel the fury building in Toni. "But for now our bargain is concluded. Good job. And I'll definitely remember this new form and try it out. I hope you die quickly but I suspect you won't."

  With that the drone went straight up and shot off towards the northwest at a rate faster than any of them could run.

  All eyes were on her and all McKenna wanted to do was scream. Her body hurt, her mind ached, and her spirit and soul were in absolute turmoil.

  "We need food. Who can bring us food? Animals, protein." Her voice growl as she pushed back everything.

  "I will serve the oceloti."

  A young voice spoke behind her and she whirled. One of the girls from the guys bed stood there, dressed in a simple shirt, her body trembling. The older woman who had fainted stood behind her wringing her hands, but she nodded in jerky motions.

  "We both will."

  ~Dining room is to the right,~ JD offered though he continued to glare out at the men.

  ~Good. Cass, can you stay in that room and monitor? Tell us if anything is happening?~

  ~Yes.~

  McKenna looked at both women, she knew she probably had blood all over her but didn't care. "Food, lots, cooked. Tell them," she jerked her head to toward the open doors, "they are free to go. Make sure they get the gates opened and that they take their children. We will burn the drugs and drug making equipment when we leave."

  Smiles lit up their faces, but they murmured, "Yes, ocelotl," bobbing their heads. The young one rushed to the kitchen while the older woman a smile creasing her face, rushed to the door and began to babble.

  Perc crossed his arms looking at her, and she had to fight back nausea and saliva.

  ~Mind standing there and looking impressive for a bit? I need to sit down.~

  ~Sure, but it’s catching up to me too. Our families are safe though.~

  That thought kept her going as she staggered to the chairs in the dining room, JD slumping down next to her, the chair creaking under his weight.

  [The poison is past what the nanobots can repair. The blood of Toni is needed for final calculations.]

  ~Really, the amount of human blood I’ve had today wasn’t enough.~

  [Human blood is immaterial. The blood of Toni is needed.]

  ~This is getting weird, Kenna. But here you go.~

  Of all of them Toni seemed the perkiest, and she cut her arm, letting McKenna lap it up, though she noted the scars on Toni’s arms still remained.

  [That is plenty. Report will be provided when completed.]

  Wefor fell silent and McKenna closed her eyes and paid attention to the noises around her and sent a prayer to Charley.

  Chapter 40 - Changing

  The Roe vs Wade argument has heated up. In New Mexico a woman raped by a man who later proved to be a shifter, is demanding she be allowed to abort her late term baby., The possibility of it being a shifter terrifies her and she states should not have to carry an animal in her body. The court is arguing that there is no evidence that it is translated via sex, but the defense is arguing there isn’t any evidence it doesn’t. What do you think, should an exception be made for this abortion? ~ Harvey Stein Talk Show

  The pain she’d been ignoring, the worry about everything crested at once. To her relief this form didn’t have tear ducts, which she counted as a good thing as she fought back the desire to crumble into a hot mess of tears.

  Blinking rapidly she looked around. JD an
d Toni sat across from her, JD’s whiskers and ears slumping. Perc stood in the doorway, but he had a gash down his side, and he leaned against the frame, looking like if it wasn’t there he wouldn’t be standing. With Cass in the security room, she couldn’t see her but she got a sense of exhaustion and pain, though none of them had said a word about the pain.

  [Data has been verified. There is a possible solution.]

  Everyone in the room jerked to attention, and her mindscape vibrated with interested.

  ~Well, don’t hold out on us! Tell us, how can we beat this so we can get home!~ McKenna didn’t bother to moderate her voice, the slim hope Wefor offered caused her heart to leap as she grabbed on to the possibility she might get home to Charley.

  [It is not guaranteed. But the forced back to back changing Toni did caused significant reduction in the poison. The bots are programmed to redo cellular structure and discard any molecules that are not needed for that change and use them for energy to drive the change. While they have been trying to defeat the poison, it is slower than the wholesale change. Evidence exists that if you did approximately ten back-to-back changes, burning up every spare bit of energy in your bodies, the poison would be eaten to support those changes. However, at this point the poison has attacked many cells and the energy to tear them all apart and rebuild them is extreme.]

  Though reading facial expression in warrior form created complications, McKenna could read the hope there in the body language of her friends. Except for Toni, whose ears were down and shoulders hunched.

  ~Toni, you don’t look as excited.~

  ~I did what three changes? No four - cat to human to cat to human to cat. By that last one it hurt to change, I mean bad enough that I didn’t know if I could do many more. Ten? As fast as you can, burning energy, when we are already low on it? And it would make us vulnerable. Even walking took more effort than you would think. Don’t get me wrong, we can do this but be prepared; it is going to hurt and we will need the highest protein foods we can get, and fat, lots of fat.~

  Toni’s words caused everyone to subside a bit and McKenna shook her head trying to focus.