“Do your job and let them do theirs. Everything will be fine.” He reached up and keyed his throat mic. “Sierra Team, switch to channel three. We don’t want to walk over their coms with cross chatter.”
He received a series of clicks as affirmatives then heard each of his squad members key in on the new channel. He keyed the coms again and directed his team to the obvious staging points. “Sierra Three, Sierra Four, western flank. Sierra Six, Sierra Seven, eastern flank. Five, take overwatch and keep your mags ready. Two, you’re with me.”
He watched as his team split up and disappeared into the darkening shadows of the woods. He sent up a quick prayer for each of them and gave a quick glance upwards. He actually felt a bit of relief as he barely made out Azrael’s black silhouette against the night sky, gliding overhead.
The greater elf trotted past him and caught up with Jack’s team. Dom watched as the elf continued to cast furtive glances toward both Sullivan’s sister and Jack. He knew something was going on, but he couldn’t begin to guess what. He just hoped that whatever was eating the white haired elf wouldn’t distract him once the fighting started.
Dom saw the saw mill through the thinning trees and set up with Marshall by his side. The two men staged behind a fallen old growth log and dug in. He watched through the thermals as Jack’s team effectively surrounded the large metal building. Dom keyed his mic once more, “Sierra Team, go silent.”
Each man attached the suppressor to their weapon and trained on their respective areas. Dom did a quick check with his team and verified the area clear. He switched to Jack’s frequency and reported the all clear. “They must be inside Phoenix. We’re all clear out here.”
“Copy that, Sierra One. We’re moving in now.”
Dom switched his coms back to his teams’ frequency then adjusted his ear bud so that he could listen in on Jack’s radio chatter as well.
Jack walked to the front double doors of the warehouse and kicked them open. “Hi home, I’m honey!” He leveled his P90 and began picking off the closest of the demons. He smiled to himself as the possessed practically exploded in balls of yellow light.
His team rushed through the doors and was met by a wave of demons intent on crushing them before they could reach their queen.
*****
Laura tossed and turned, her dreams more disturbing than she could have ever feared. Glowing amber wolf eyes glared at her, blaming her for trapping it for eternity. She saw a Halfling…a deformed version of one, writhing in agony, forever trapped in a crippled body, wracked with pain.
She sat bolt upright, sweat dripping from her body as she tore the blanket off and sat on the edge of the bed. She breathed heavily and tried to calm her racing heart.
Derek flipped on her light and stared at her through squinted eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“What? I, uh…had a bad dream.”
He flipped the light off and stepped into the room. He pulled the short chain on the bedside lamp and sat beside her. “I heard you yelling. I was afraid that maybe…”
She turned and stared at him. “What?”
He chuckled lightly and patted her leg. “It’s stupid, but I thought maybe Dad had come back and…” he trailed off, shrugging. “I know, stupid, huh?”
She shook her head and inhaled deeply, still trying to calm her ruined nerves. “Not really.”
“You don’t think he’d come back here, do you?”
She shook her head softly. “No. He’s where he wants to be.” She glanced out her window and watched the wind blow the lower limbs of the pines. “I just hope he’s truly happy.”
“Yeah, me too.” Derek stood and stretched his lower back. “I’m going back to bed.” He gave her a wan smile. “Maybe you could try some warm milk?”
“If Jack Daniels can’t help me sleep, I doubt Elsie-the-cow can.” She patted his arm as he walked by.
She listened for his door to shut and strained her ears to hear if anybody else might be up. She cast a weary eye at the bedside clock and sighed. Had she been back with the squads, she might be up for three or four days in a row. What was it about family that just drained her?
She laid back on the bed and stared at her ceiling. Her mind drifted back to the rusty old hangar that felt more like home than this house did. She smiled as images of Evan flashed through her mind. She could feel herself relaxing as she imagined him holding her, his cool skin against hers, soothing her as she fell asleep.
If she allowed herself to, she could almost imagine that she was floating above herself, with Evan, still in the hangar. She could see how he made her happy, how he loved her, how they seemed to fit like two pieces of the same puzzle. She could see how his quiet intelligence complimented her strong and commanding presence.
Her brow furrowed as she focused on herself. At the hangar, with the troops, she was strong, confident, imposing. Here, amongst her family, she had allowed herself to slip back into the role of ‘little’ sister. Her older brothers always thinking they had to protect her, to help guide her, mold her. In many ways, they still treated her that way…but why? She knew that they were aware of her accomplishments. Her career choices. How could they simply assume that she still needed their guidance, their gentle urgings to do things a certain way, or accept their judgments?
Her eyes opened as the realization struck her. Because she allowed them to…
She sat up and turned to face the mirror. The image she saw wasn’t the Laura Youngblood that was the XO of the Monster Squads…it was Laura Youngblood, teenage daughter of Jim Youngblood. She stood and walked slowly toward the mirror. She stared at the image and her head cocked to the side as she studied the reflection.
Instinctively, her hands reached for her long hair and pulled it back into the pony tail she so often wore at work. She leaned in and looked at the image more closely. In the low light of the room she couldn’t see how she had aged. How time and worry and stress had caused the fine lines around her eyes and the corners of her mouth. Laugh lines her mother had called them.
Slowly her mouth curled into a smile. Yes, she thought of Evan and how he could make her laugh without trying. She reached over and flipped on the overhead light and the older more confident woman she once knew stared back at her. Not the scared little girl that had taken over the moment she saw her father lying in the cold sterile hospital bed.
Laura straightened herself and squared her shoulders. She stared at the woman in the mirror and gave herself a stern stare. “What’s done is done. There’s no going back and changing it. Now pull on your big girl panties and deal with it.”
The image in the mirror became more serious and nodded slightly. It was time to take care of things here then get back home where she belonged.
*****
“Major, the Reaper is responding slugglishly.”
Tufo leaned across the arm of the command chair and studied the controls of the remote drone operator. “Have you run diagnostics?”
“Affirmative, sir. It says it’s all good, but…it’s like something is piggy backing our signals.”
Dr. Peters stepped into the OPCOM and gave Major Tufo a curious glance. “You called, sir?”
Tufo held up a finger to indicate ‘one moment’ and Evan gasped. He immediately pulled his hand down and hid it behind the arm of the command chair then glanced back at the drone operator. “Get the techs on it. I want that thing a hundred percent.”
“Yes, sir.”
Tufo slid out of the chair and pulled Evan to the rear of the OPCOM. “This is why I called you. As soon as the adrenaline started pumping…” He held his hands up and allowed Evan to study the thick pointed claw-like nails that had erupted from his fingertips.
“When?”
“Just a few minutes ago. Please, Doc, tell me it’s like that unwanted erection in fifth grade math class.”
Evan shot him a totally confused look and Mark gave him a knowing look. “You know…when the teacher wants you to come up and work out a problem on the boa
rd but you’d rather take the zero.”
Evan shook his head slightly. “I’m afraid I’m still not following you.”
Tufo leaned in closer and practically growled in his ear, “Tell me it will go away.”
Evan shrugged nervously. “I honestly have no idea.” He pulled Mark’s hand closer and studied his fingers. “I mean, I’m assuming it’s a fight-or-flight response but…I have no idea.”
“So, you’re saying it might be like a hybrid erection?”
Evan sighed. “No, Major, I’m saying I simply don’t know. Maybe you’re evolving. Turning into something…else.”
“Like hell!” Mark averted his eyes and pulled Evan even further into the depths of the OPCOM as the techs and officers gave him a curious look.
Tufo waved his hands under Doc’s nose. “Make it go away.”
Evan gave him a droll stare. “Like the unwanted erection? Have you tried cold water?”
“Not funny, Doc.”
“I’m not trying to be. And why are you acting like you need to hide this? Everybody that you work with knows that you were infected with both…”
“Because other than this I look pretty much normal.”
“That’s a matter of opinion.”
“Don’t push my buttons, Doc. I think I could filet you with these.” He waved them in his face again. “And, good lord! How am I supposed to pick my nose with these?”
“You heal very rapidly, you know.” Evan tried not to smile. He failed.
“You’re not helping.” Mark turned and wished there was more room in the OPCOM so he could pace or throw furniture or do something else destructive.
“My question is,” Evan cleared his throat and tried to keep his composure. “How will you wipe your bottom without shredding your cheeks?”
Mark exhaled hard and fought the urge to run a claw-like nail across the vampire’s throat. He was really afraid that Mitchell might get butthurt if he harmed his favorite blood sucker.
“Go away, Doctor. If I wanted lame jokes, I could have told Phoenix about this. Or Laura. Or…hell, any of the operators.”
“Major, I’m sorry. All I can tell you at this point is what we already know. Your blood tests from this morning were exactly the same as all of the others. Either this is a response to the battle or you’re evolving. Only time will tell.”
“What if I grow fangs or a tail or, or, or…”
“Calm yourself, Major.” Doctor Peters patted his shoulder and slowly walked him back to the command chair. “Finish your operation here if you must or call in Colonel Mitchell to take over and we can go to the lab and run more tests.”
“No more needles.” Mark slumped into the chair and glared at the screens. “Go on, Doc. It’s about to start here, and I need to be ready.”
“Sir, they’re about to breach.”
“Very well.” He regained his composure and squared his shoulders. “Doc, stick around just in case anything else pops up.”
“Like a second unwanted erection?”
Heads turned and curious stares came from nearly everyone in the OPCOM. Mark groaned and shook his head. “Strike that comment from the hardcopy.”
“Stricken, sir.”
“Doc, just sit down, shut up, and keep your eyes open,” he groaned as he watched Jack and his team approach the front doors. Tufo sat up straight and stared at the doc. “Erections? Oh, my God. Doc…how the hell will I…I mean with these?”
“Sir! They’ve breached!”
*****
Rufus sat patiently in the shadows and waited. When the roll up door opened, he looked away and waited while the Mercedes pulled in before he stood and dusted himself off.
The rear door opened as he approached and Viktor stepped out. “It is good to see you again. I was afraid you wouldn’t make it.”
“Oui, I had my own doubts. I fear that bridge is burned now.” Rufus slid into the back seat and waited while Viktor slid back in and shut the door. He reached over and pulled the small curtains that covered the windows then tapped on the glass separating them from the driver. “I take it you had no problem picking up the package?”
“No. They met me at the airport. We touched down, they handed me the case, claimed the instructions were inside. We left and came straight here.”
Rufus smiled. “Excellent. Did you inspect it?”
“No. I thought it best to leave that for you.”
“We shall have to test the device beforehand then.” Rufus leaned back in the seat and exhaled deeply. He tried not to think about the task at hand, but his mind kept racing back to it. He glanced to Viktor who stared through a sliver of tinted glass between the drawn curtains.
“Do you think we shall succeed?”
Viktor turned from the windows and gave a slight shake of his head. “I do not know. It is a bold plan, taking on the council with so few.”
“Your people need not be involved. You know that.”
Viktor nodded and turned his attention back out the window. “I know. But I fear I must insist. Even with the wolves we are so few and I fear that it won’t be enough.”
“They need only to distract the guards enough to allow us within. Unless they’ve increased security since our last meeting, we should be good on our own.”
Viktor pulled his cell phone and checked his messages. “The wolves are assembled at the staging area.” He clicked his phone shut and sat up straighter. “We should be arriving shortly. Within a few short hours, your edict will no longer be an issue.”
“We have to ensure that all members are present. Otherwise, this will be a wasted effort.”
*****
“You seem deep in thought,” Little John had to yell to be heard over the drone of the engines.
“You might say that,” Spalding responded in his ear. “I’m still spun up over Apollo.”
“With any luck, we can get back quick and you can hunt for the shooter again.”
Spalding shook his head. “Trail’s too cold. We’re gonna have to wait for him to pop up and make himself known.”
“Don’t let it distract you, bro. If this thing is as nasty as the major lets on, you’re gonna have to be on your toes.” He punched Spalding in the arm light heartedly.
Darren nodded. “No worries. My head’s on tight. You stay frosty out there, too. These things are quick and nasty.”
“I dug through the database. I’m not seeing much more than what the XO sent with us. Are they that rare?”
Darren shrugged. “No idea. All I know is what you’ve got. They’re fast, they’re cranky, and they’re lethal.”
Sullivan leaned back and stared at this PDA. “I hate to say this, but I almost wish I had some of the freaks from Thompson’s team with us.”
“You mean like your sister?” Darren gave him a sideways glance.
Sullivan opened his mouth to argue then quickly shut it. He nodded slowly. “Yeah, I guess I do.”
“Do you think they’re better fighters than us, Little John?”
Sullivan shook his head. “No, sir. But I tend to worry about Brooke. Maybe if she were with me, I could keep her safe.”
“You do realize that she’s your older sister, right? She’s been doing this since you were…what? Ten?”
“Yeah, yeah, rub it in.” Sullivan grimaced. “I can’t help it, boss. She still looks like a kid to me.”
“The advantages to not aging, I suppose.” Darren shook his head. “You know, I see Thorn and I think to myself, ‘I’ve got socks older than this kid’ but then I remember that he’s centuries old and it just floors me. Can you imagine living that long?”
“Are you kidding? In our line of work?” Sullivan laughed. “I thought our life expectancy was just short of two years?”
Darren shrugged. “I dunno. Something like that.” He leaned back and closed his eyes, doing his best to shut the idea out of his head. “Every day you wake up not dead is a gift. Enjoy it.”
“Copy that, boss.”
*****
Bigby shot around the corner of the office building and made for the maintenance buildings on the opposite side of the block. He hoped that whoever he’d seen coming for him was stupid enough to search the building he’d been set up in first.
He slid in the loose gravel and fell into the ditch beside the road, his head popping up to check for anybody following; his rifle to his shoulder and his eyes scanning the darkness for forms advancing on his position.
“Fooking cats.” He switched on his IR and checked for warm bodies. “I knew there was a reason I hated the fuzzy bastards.”
Satisfied that the trail was clear, he slipped down the slope and made his way across to the empty maintenance buildings. Thankfully these facilities weren’t a twenty-four hour operation. He listened intently at the doors, ensured that no lights were on, then circled the building while looking for any windows that might be open. He found one on the second floor and slung his rifle over his shoulder.
With a three step leap, he jumped and grasped the bottom of the window then hauled himself up and through the open second story opening. He sat crouched in the darkness and listened, ensuring that nobody was inside before dropping to the concrete floor below.
The smell of oil and metal shavings overpowered his senses. He knew this had to be some kind of fabrication shop. He also knew that they’d be open at the crack of dawn, and he’d have to make his getaway long before the first base personnel arrived for work.
Leave it to a cat to screw up his plans.
Big sat alone in the dark and tried to plan his next steps. Could the werecat have somehow warned the hunters of his plans before he expired? He really didn’t think so. It looked like a clean shot through the chest. Should have exploded his heart and lungs with that one round.
Still…he couldn’t be positive. What if the hairball had somehow spilled the beans? Bigby desperately wanted to kick over something. Perhaps tear something up. Destroy something. But he didn’t want to leave any evidence that he had been here either.
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