The news reporter’s nervous voice echoed. “The would-be assassin has been apprehended and is in police custody. We do not have a name for the assassin, but from what we’ve been told, he is in a state of shock himself and is incoherent. We’ve also been told that the would-be assassin has no radical affiliations of any kind at this time and has never been in trouble with the law before. The President has been taken to the local hospital where he is being treated for a minor injury sustained in this attack. It is not believed to be life-threatening...”
“I bet the assassin was shifted,” Mariya murmured.
Kat’s eyebrows went up.
Anastasia clicked to a different news channel. Basically, the same words in a different order were repeated.
Dimitri pointed to the ticking ribbon of news at the bottom of the screen. “Look at that.”
Kat turned her attention to the red ribbon and gasped. There had been massive cyber-attacks on two global tech mega-companies, both of which were so large that one of them had been forced to cease operations until further notice.
Dimitri rubbed his chin. “Put it on CNBC, Anastasia.”
Anastasia did as he asked. Meaningless charts and graphs filled the screen. They were only pretty colors to Kat.
Peter squinted and approached the screen. “This is bad. This is very bad.” He pointed to one of the graphs. “Do you see this?”
Dimitri nodded and kept his eyes riveted to the screen.
Although Kat didn’t understand the information, she understood the reaction. She gulped and grabbed Christopher’s hand. He squeezed her hand hard and pulled her to him.
“Is it starting?” Anastasia turned wide eyes on her father.
“Yes.” Dimitri took a deep breath. “I need to talk to Lila Mae’s tribe. Now.” He stormed off and went directly to Granny. He bent down and talked to her. Her face was grave, and she nodded. Dimitri helped her up and they made their way to one of the RV’s. Once he helped Granny into the RV, he turned to face the family. “Get packed up. We leave within the hour.”
“Where are we going?” Robert asked.
“I’ll let you know,” he replied, then disappeared into the RV with Granny.
Anastasia sighed. “Tick tock.”
Everyone dashed off to pack their campsite up at a frenzied and record pace. Oksana, Anna, and Julia packed up the kitchen with military efficiency. Kat didn’t keep to the light duty; there was too much to do for anyone to tell her not to. Even Christopher only frowned when he saw her lifting or moving something. The RV’s were loaded and ready to go in forty minutes.
Dimitri emerged from the RV and gathered everyone around.
“We must stay on the move.” He squinted at the sky, his eyes suspicious. “We can’t give the Barotkoffs time to find us. We will go to a campsite four hours north of here.”
“But we were just up north,” Steven replied.
“Yes, I know. That will take us close to the Barotkoff base camp. I am sure they’re still there.” He dropped his shoulders. “They’re making their move, so we will make ours soon, as well.” He nodded to Granny who had settled into a folding chair in front of her RV. “Lila Mae’s friends are working around the clock. They are discovering where the Barotkoffs keep their financial holdings, their investments, everything they can. It’s making a difference.” He smiled at Lila Mae.
She nodded and stroked Sweetie, who held court in her lap. “Yes! They found a Swiss account of theirs and drained it.” She giggled like a school girl.
“How?” Kat asked, bewildered.
Granny’s eyes shone. “The dark web.”
Robert laughed. “You know about the dark web, Mom?”
The old woman lifted her chin. “I’m hip.”
Dimitri waved his hand. “That doesn’t matter. What matters is that those hackers are making a difference. Now, let’s get moving, everyone. Take your places.”
Peter pulled the single earbud he had in his left ear out. “Dad! Wait!”
Dimitri lifted his eyebrows.
“The head of the European Union was just assassinated in Belgium.”
Several gasps went up from the group.
Mariya was the first to respond. “They’re not wasting time, are they?”
Dimitri cursed under his breath. “Let’s get moving now. We have planning to do before nightfall.”
The family scrambled into vehicles and RV’s for the relatively short trip. Christopher and Kat climbed into the vehicle he would pilot.
He placed his hand on her thigh as she clicked her seatbelt in place. “How are you feeling? You overdid it. Don’t think I didn’t notice.” His eyes lingered on the bruises on her face and neck, which were now green and yellow rather than black and blue.
Kat smiled at him. “I feel fine. Just a little sore. I’m telling you, Oksana is a miracle worker.” She glanced nervously around. “Do you think we can stop this? Stop any of it?”
“I don’t know, Kat.” Christopher took a deep breath and moved the vehicle along behind one of the large RV’s.
“I mean, they’ve gone global. And we’re, well, just us. What can we do?” She felt helpless.
Christopher turned to look at her. “We will do everything that we can do, Kat. All of us.” He turned his eyes back to the road. “We will take them down.”
“ALL RIGHT.” DIMITRI secured the hand drawn map on the tripod easel. “Can everyone see all right?” He glanced at the group. They had all gathered under a tent which was set up under a canopy of trees. They were as sure as they could be that there were no drones in the area, and there were certainly no other people in this remote campsite. They had rented out the entire site to ensure their privacy. The proprietor was easily convinced to close the site after a brief chat with Christopher.
Everyone nodded and murmured their agreement.
“Good,” Dimitri continued. “Now, Julia has done an outstanding job of detailing the compound as best she could. Thank you, Julia. We must launch an all-out assault against them. Shock and awe in its truest form. We are well-matched with our abilities and we have Christopher, Anna, and Julia fighting with us, too. I believe that is a tremendous advantage. Our greatest disadvantage is that we will attack them on their home turf. They know their territory better than we do. Julia admitted that there are portions of the compound she’s never seen, so that is a vulnerability. Tactically speaking, they have the upper hand. But strategically speaking, we do.”
Granny interrupted. “Dimitri, may I update everyone about my tribe before you get into the plan?”
Dimitri bowed slightly. “Of course, Lila Mae. The floor is yours.”
Granny smiled and turned to face the group, one hand leaning on her cane. “My tribe has grown. They’ve got contacts in several places around the world and are disrupting everything the Barotkoffs are trying to do.”
“How did they identify the Barotkoffs on line?” Alexander asked.
Granny’s eyes lit up. “Oh, they have their ways. If I tried to explain it to you, I couldn’t because I don’t understand it myself. Believe me, Ronny tried telling me – that’s a member of my tribe – and I told him not to bother. I’m too old! Anyway, what I did understand is that they found a key account or something that is directly linked to the Barotkoffs. Based on that, they were able to discover all the branches and links that came off that account. They’ve systematically been wiping them out financially and thwarting their ability to communicate or function electronically.” She leaned forward in excitement and lowered her voice. “They stopped them from launching two more cyber-attacks! Isn’t that wonderful?”
“It’s remarkable,” Peter murmured. “When this is all done, I want to meet some of these kids. They’re incredible.”
“They’re heroes,” Steven remarked. “I should game more often.”
Dimitri chuckled. “Let’s get through this first. Anything else, Lila Mae?”
Granny lifted her chin and shook her head. “They’re good kids and I’m so
proud of them.”
“Pass on our gratitude, please.”
“Oh, I certainly will!” Granny moved to the reclining chair they had reserved for her and sat down with a satisfied huff.
Dimitri rubbed his palms together and addressed the group again. “So, Granny’s tribe is taking care of the Barotkoffs electronically, and we need to take care of them physically. Here’s our plan...” Dimitri launched into the logistics and Kat tried to pay attention. Her mind kept wandering back to what Anna had said about the Barotkoffs coming after her. Her gut clenched, and she swallowed hard. She didn’t want to be a target, but perhaps she could be very useful, after all.
“Uncle Dimitri?” she interrupted him. He looked at her. “Why don’t you use me as bait?”
“What? No!” Christopher barked.
Dimitri shook his head. “No, Kat. We couldn’t risk it.”
Kat rushed on. “Think about it. They really want, need, me, right? If that’s the case, then they will do everything they can to take me back. We’re going to have the upper hand by attacking them before they can come for me. Let’s take full advantage of that. I can make myself visible to them to draw them to wherever you want them, so we can wipe them out.”
Christopher leaped to his feet. “No! I won’t let you do that! Dimitri, please talk sense into her.”
Dimitri’s mind worked, and Kat saw her chance. “I was able to work on my blocking while I was their prisoner. I can use that, too.” It wasn’t true, but she had to say something. She could tell her uncle was on the fence with a decision and she had to tip him over. It was the only way. Kat prayed he wouldn’t ask for a demonstration.
“We can’t sacrifice her like that!” Steven cried.
“They won’t lay a hand on me, Steven,” Kat countered.
Alexander shook his head. “I don’t like it. It’s too great a risk.”
“How will your blocking help us in that situation, Kat?” Robert blurted. “It won’t matter because they can’t shift us anyway. What would you need to block?”
Kat leveled her gaze at her cousin. “I can block the weather shifters. Remember the deluge they created that one time? That would cripple them.”
“She has a point,” Mariya conceded. Christopher glared at her, and she ignored him. “Dad, we have to do everything we can to give us the advantage. There’s too much at stake here.”
Kat grasped Christopher’s hand. “They could even have some humans there as potential cannon fodder. None of us want innocent humans to be hurt again, do we?” She hated herself for going so low, but it had to be done. Truth be told, she wanted the chance to take Boris and hopefully Mikhail out herself. She needed to finish what she started with those two.
For a split second, Christopher’s face was pure agony before he smoothed it over. His mouth turned down at the corners and he sat down and glared at the floor. She had hit his Achille’s heel.
Dimitri dipped his head and paced the small space. He looked up, then stared at Kat. “It would give us a tremendous advantage. They’ll gravitate toward you like a magnet.” He lifted a finger. “But if there’s any, and I do mean any, indication that they’ll be able to take you, we will come after them with everything we have, everything else be damned.”
The air seemed to suck right out of the tent.
Kat spoke first. “Then it’s settled.”
After the family discussed the strategic plans in detail, Kat hurried to leave. Christopher was hot on her heels. He grabbed her arm and rushed her into the trees and out of sight of the others. He whipped her around to face him and held her arms firmly in his grasp.
“Are you nuts?” he hissed and lowered his face to stare into her eyes. “They could easily kill you. Look at what they’ve already done to you, Kat. Broken ribs and almost a broken neck for starters.”
Kat stared up at him. “They won’t kill me, Christopher. I’m too important, remember? I’m their prized breeder.”
He shook her gently. “No! I won’t let that happen!” Kat could tell he worked to control himself. His breath came out in puffs. “Kat, it’s too dangerous. I don’t want you out there, vulnerable, with a target on your back. I...I can’t lose you, Kat. I can’t.”
Kat shrugged out of his grip and reached up to press her palm to his cheek. “You won’t, Christopher. I promise we will never be separated again.” Her lies piled up, indicting her. She reached up with her other hand and drew his mouth to hers. “I love you,” she breathed against his lips.
He groaned and crushed her to him. They kissed deeply, passionately, desperately, each clinging to the other. When their lips broke apart to catch their breath, Christopher murmured frenzied words of love to her. She gave him equal measures of devotion.
When they pulled apart to stare at each other, Christopher’s gaze bored into her soul. “As soon as this is over, we will be married, my Kat. I want you as my wife. No more waiting.”
Kat sighed. “I want you as my husband.”
“Don’t do this.”
“I have to. It’s the only way, don’t you see? They’ll be so focused on getting me that they’ll slip up, make a mistake. We will crush them.”
Christopher shook his head. “For the first time since I met you, I wish I could shift you and change your mind.”
“I know.” She stroked his cheek. “There’s a reason God made it impossible for you to do that.”
He grimaced. “Don’t do that, Kat.”
Her eyes widened innocently. “Do what?”
“Don’t blame God for your poor choice.”
“Just because you disagree does not make me wrong.”
They heard a shout come from nearby. They both looked at each other, then hurried back toward the others. Everyone was headed toward one of the RV’s, where the outdoor television was on.
“What’s going on now?” Kat asked Alexander.
He turned to her. “More bad news, I guess.”
Peter stood in front of the television with his arms folded and one hand over his mouth. Kat glanced at him, then turned toward the television.
“The electromagnetic pulse, also known as an EMP, was only successful in a small part of Belgium, but was centered around the EU headquarters, which is believed to be the intended target,” the animated news reporter stated. “Authorities report that they believe the attack was supposed to be on a larger scale, but that the device didn’t work properly and therefore was limited in scope. It is however, devastating to the EU. The building that houses the EU has been rendered utterly useless. As of the last report, all electronic devices to include cell phones, computers, and the like are destroyed. Several other buildings and all devices within a ten-kilometer radius around the EU have also been affected. This occurrence on the heels of the assassination of the President of the EU and the attempted assassination of the American President less than twenty-four hours ago has everyone on pins and needles. An emergency meeting of the EU nations, as well as most other heads of state is being convened in an undisclosed location. All residents are being asked to...”
“We have to make our move early in the morning,” Dimitri announced. He looked at his watch. “Let’s get our work done now, eat a good meal, and get some rest.” He looked around at his family and suddenly he looked much older. “We’ll head out around three for our scramble location.”
The group gazed at each other, couples laced fingers, and siblings hugged. They all knew this was a pivotal moment in history not just for them, but for all humanity.
Failure was not an option.
Chapter Fourteen
Kat barely slept a wink for the adrenaline coursing through her veins. She went over the plan in her mind until she was mentally dizzy. Out of the corner of her eye, Kat saw Oksana hurry from her bedroom and sneak out of the RV as quiet as a mouse. Soon after she saw her uncle’s form in the dark making his rounds in the RV to wake the others. Kat sat up before he got to her.
“Kat,” he whispered and sat on her twin bed next to h
er. “It’s not too late to back out, you know. We can still go with my original plan.”
She rubbed her eyes and shook her head. “No, Uncle Dimitri. This is the best way.”
He gathered her in his arms and held her tight. “Sweet, precious Katherine. So brave. Just like your parents.” He took a deep breath and didn’t verbalize that her parents’ bravery is what cost them their lives. He squeezed her tighter, kissed the top of her head, then released her. “Oksana is making oatmeal.”
Kat grinned in the darkness. “Quick. Perfect.”
Dimitri rose and flipped on a soft light at the front of the RV. There was an electric buzz in the air as each person silently slipped on their black clothing and skull caps. Kat felt Christopher’s gaze on her the whole time.
Kat tried to lighten the mood. “We look like the X-men.”
Anastasia snorted. “Yeah. But we’re better.” She tugged on her snug black boots and stood. She swung her arms back and forth for a moment, then left the RV in search of breakfast.
Kat turned to Christopher who was pulling the cap over his ears and tucking in the hair at the base of his neck. Their eyes met. Christopher pleaded with her wordlessly, and she reassured him the same way. They left hand in hand toward the makeshift kitchen. Although the RV’s were equipped with kitchens, the small stoves could not hold the large pots Oksana used to feed them all, so she preferred an outdoor kitchen.
Dimitri’s voice was somber in the harsh, artificial light that flooded the small area. “Power up, everyone. We’ll need it. And grab your equipment, too.”
On a long side table, small two-way earpiece/microphone combinations had been laid out for each member of the family. They also gathered their sidearms and ammunition. There was no reason not to take every advantage possible, including good old-fashioned weaponry.
Once they ate their fill and collected their equipment, everyone gathered around the map one last time, committing to memory each part of the plan. Kat’s palms began to sweat, and she rubbed them against her thighs. Christopher watched her every move and never left her side. She felt his warmth and strength when he placed his hand on her back. Kat spied Rebecca with Alexander. Rebecca stood behind Alexander with her arms around his waist. He covered her hands with his own. Kat pulled her gaze from the pair and focused on her uncle.
Revelations: The Shifter Series: Volume Three Page 21
