Not Dead Yet

by Dennis Young

  “Maybe both,” said Talice.

  “I asked before… how much is in the estimate for the winner’s take? Off the top?” Mac waited.

  Tomlinsen shrugged. “Could reach five million. With rebroadcasts, maybe six.”

  “I could retire pretty well on that,” said Talice, chuckling again.

  “Or you could die,” replied Admeyer.

  Talice gave the woman a look from lowered brows. “Don’t let the nice clothes fool you.”

  The TWN people glanced one to the other. “We’ll talk it over and let you know,” said Admeyer at the last.

  Talice looked to Mac, then back. “Fine. But don’t take too long. I’ve got other things to do.”

  They rose and exited, leaving the room with tension and disbelief permeating it.

  The lift echoed with chuckles, then laughter, as it descended. Talice and Mac still had grins on their faces as they exited into the main lobby and onto the walkway.

  “I don’t know about you,” said Mac, “but I’m staying far away from this part of town for the next several days. When Jance hears about this…”

  “She’ll contact me.” Talice shrugged. “Her opening statement may be a grenade through the window of my apartment.”

  “Then let’s get back to Base today. Maybe she’ll think twice about taking on the entire Corps.”

  “Don’t bet on it,” replied Talice, and they laughed together again.

  In her mind, she hoped her words wouldn’t become prophetic.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  The Dreams in Which I’m Dying

  (Part One)

  Outside the Shadows

  “Attack is the secret of defense;

  defense is the planning of an attack.”

  Sun Tzu, “The Art of War”

  Northland Marine Base, Southwest Hangar…

  Bird One was still several days away from being airworthy, based on Abie’s assessment. But Jamal had done a good job of getting TacOps up and running once again, with the help of Nikolay.

  “Niky’s here?” Talice looked to Mac, who shook her head in amazement.

  “Checked in three days ago. Little Tanja is with Bělinka’s folks for a while, but Nikolay said he needed to get back to the team. He’s in the hangar ready room.”

  Talice turned to Mac. “I’ve got to see him. Then I’ve got an appointment with Fawkes. Can you call the team in?”

  Mac nodded. “Give him a hug for all of us.” She grinned. “Niky, that is.”

  Talice laughed as she headed out the door. She almost ran down the hallway, stopping at the ready room entrance where she peeked around the corner.

  “Niky?”

  Nikolay raised his head from his arms crossed on the table. “Captain. I did not hear you come in.”

  She rounded the table and sat, then took him in her embrace. “I’ve had you on my mind. And I’m glad you’re here.”

  He drew slowly away and nodded. “I could not stay. Tanja wonders where her mama is. Bělinka’s parents urged me to get away for a bit. And since I did not have my companion for drink, as in the past…” He gave her a small smile.

  “We have things to discuss. Stuff coming up that’s… stupid.”

  Nikolay shook his head, not understanding.

  “When the team gets in tomorrow, we’ll hold a briefing. Right now, I have a meeting with Colonel Fawkes. But tonight, maybe we can all get together for a bit. Mac’s here. And I’m gonna need your expertise and advice.”

  “Captain, you know I am at your service.”

  Talice held him close again. “Thank you. And I may need you more than ever, Niky. Things have changed. The team… honestly, we’re together, and that’s a wonder in itself. It’s got to mean something.”

  Nikolay met her eyes for a long moment. “I cannot know exactly what you mean, but there is… how do you say? A finality in your words. Truly, Captain, I will do whatever I can.”

  “I know. And so will I.” Talice straightened, then stood. “Right now, the colonel is waiting. And my meeting with him may answer some of my own questions. Then I can pass along whatever is needed to the team.” She kissed his cheek, a formal gesture. “Take care, we’ll talk later.”

  She hurried out the door, flagged down a passing jeepster, and begged a ride to HQ. She arrived realizing her dress was still civies. Oh, well. Let him wonder.

  Sergeant Lallement greeted her with a smile. “Ms. Wyloh, good to see you again.” She gave Talice a once-over.

  Talice shrugged. “Business meeting this morning, and I didn’t have time to change. Sorry.”

  “No, you look great. Slimming down, I see.”

  Talice flushed. What the hell does that mean?

  Lallement opened the corridor door and led Talice to Fawkes’s office. She knocked, cracked the door, then opened it on Fawkes “come in”.

  Talice stepped inside. The door closed behind her. She stood, waiting for Fawkes to acknowledge her.

  “Good to see you again. Have a seat.”

  “I’ll stand, thanks. Too much on my mind to sit still.”

  They regarded each other for a quiet minute. Finally, Fawkes spoke. “You said official business. What’s on your mind?”

  “Several things, really. First, our ship will be ready to leave in a few days. We’ll head back to the training facility and get back to some routine.”

  Fawkes nodded.

  “Your help during our return was much appreciated. All the… formalities have been taken care of. Now, we find ways to move on.”

  “Getting back to business will help that, hopefully,” he replied.

  “Third…” Talice swallowed hard. “I’ve received an evaluation from the doctors. I’ve been given a year, at most. I thought you should know.”

  “Talice, I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say.”

  Well, that’s about as generic as you can get. After a moment and a nod, Talice continued. “Colonel… Hal… I know you’ve been seeing someone else. And that’s fine, because… well, we haven’t exactly been an item lately. And I know what you want in a relationship, and I can’t give it to you.”

  “We had this discussion some time ago, didn’t we?”

  “Yes. Still, it’s part of the issue between us. I know that now.”

  Fawkes rose, refilled his coffee cup at the sideboard, and turned. He nodded and sighed at last. “No disagreement. Again, I’m sorry. I thought we were doing well for a while.”

  “We were… we had to give it a shot. And I’m sorry, too. Maybe in the next life.”

  He smiled gently at her comment. “So what now?”

  Talice closed her eyes, then met his gaze again. “I’m going after Jance. I can’t let her run loose. We think she might have been responsible for the attack at the nightclub.”

  Fawkes nodded. “I surmised that as well. How can I help?”

  Talice licked dry lips. “Just let us do what we have to do. And if I don’t come back, the team will have orders how to proceed. The best thing is for the Marines not to get involved.”

  “What do you mean, not come back? Talice, you’re as good as any Marine I’ve ever known when it comes to a fight.”

  She nodded and shrugged. “Still, this is my one shot to go out… like a Marine. And I have to do it, for all these reasons. Even if I take her down, there’s no guarantee I’m coming back.”

  Fawkes gave her a stern look.

  “I don’t mean I’d suicide or anything like that. It’s just… Hal, I can’t live the rest of my life waiting to die of these damned bugs! I can’t!”

  They kept each other’s gaze for a long time. Finally, he asked, “What about locals?”

  Talice shook her head. “This will be out of their jurisdiction. And likely off-continent.”

  “Going to the Outback again? I would have thought you had enough of that.”

  “I can’t say. In fact, this is really all I can tell you now. Except… thank you. For everything.” Talice felt the lump in her throat gro
wing.

  Fawkes nodded at the last. “Take care… Captain.”

  Talice drew a breath, straightened. Saluted.

  He set down his coffee cup, faced her squarely, and returned it.

  She nodded, pivoted on her heel, and exited the office. Stood in the corridor for a moment. Ran her hand across the nameplate by the door. Sighed, and walked out, for what she knew would likely be the last time in her life.

  * * *

  Talice headed for the infirmary. Sergeant Lallement’s comment about her appearance played back in her mind. She gave herself a cursory glance. I’m losing weight. Babs didn’t even mention it, and I simply haven’t noticed. Yeah, my clothes don’t really fit like they did. Bugs. Gotta be the bugs. Muscle, but no fat.

  She paused halfway there. So what? What the hell is Babs going to tell me I can’t figure out just by looking in the mirror? Fuck this.

  She turned about and headed back to the hangar. We need to get out of here. Back to the training facility. Away from the city. I’m gonna need backup, not just in the field against Jance, but for Mac.

  She broke into a trot, thinking. If Jance was responsible for the attack at the nightclub, that’s murder. And the locals will want to know where she is. They’re likely to snoop around here, once they learn she was a Marine. That means we’ve got to get away from Anchor Prime. Otherwise, they’ll work their way down to us, eventually.

  It took fifteen minutes to jog her way to the hangar. Tooley and Jian were there, talking with Abie at Bird One’s deployed ramp. Talice joined them. “Abie, can we get out of here tomorrow?”

  “I’ll have to check with Jamal. Why so much of a hurry?”

  “Let’s just say it has to do with an upcoming mission. Anything waiting to be repaired can be done at the training base, right?”

  Abie shrugged. “Again, I’ll check. What about the team?”

  “Everyone is on the way.” Mac answered from the top of the ramp. “They’ll all be here before 1200 Hours tomorrow.”

  “See what Jamal needs to get us in the air by 1400 Hours tomorrow, then,” replied Talice. “In the meantime, Tooley and Jian are your slaves. Do with them as you will.” She gently nudged them both.

  They headed up the ramp as Talice turned, looking back toward the headquarters building, lost in thought. Then made her way up, to Mac’s side.

  Mac caught her arm. “We’ve got a lot of planning to do.”

  Talice nodded. “I’ve got to contact Jance. Let her know I’m ready.”

  “You didn’t sign any agreement, Talice. There’s no payout on this.”

  “So? It’s not about money, Mac. I’m out of time. Look at me, I look like a fucking mannequin. I’m losing weight, meds aren’t working like they should, I can’t drink enough S-H to quench my thirst.” She sighed. “The bugs are winning. I’ve got to make sure I do this before it’s too late.”

  “Jance won’t go for it.”

  Talice smirked. “Wanna bet? When I say I’ll give her name to the locals regarding the attack, she’ll go ballistic. Oh, yeah, she’ll go for it.”

  Mac considered, met Talice’s gaze again. “Nasty. I like it.”

  “Come on, I’m hungry. Gotta have my last meal, you know.”

  * * *

  Bird One lifted away with the team on board at 1400 Hours sharp the following day. While the Briggs, Dosu, and Ollie rearranged gear, repair parts, drones, and ATVs in the hold, Mac sat at TacOps with Rory, giving him a crash-course on its operation. His leg would prevent him from going into combat.

  Nikolay was assembling new comm gear and integrating it into the TacOps board. He, as well, would be sequestered. Talice was going to need all of them to keep her sane, informed, and alive. Jance wouldn’t be alone, she knew, and every bit of help would be essential.

  Tooley was in the cockpit with Abie and Jamal, doing his best to provide whatever copiloting assistance he could muster. Abie had opted for a full-feedback prosthetic hand until her new one could be grown, and she told everyone she was still getting the feel of it. Her pun did not go unnoticed. Groans and raspberries followed en masse.

  Talice sat with Jian in the ready room. “You and Tooley are going out with me. You’ll be my cover, but under no circumstances are you to engage Jance. Stay the hell away from her. Cover me, and if you return fire from her, just don’t kill her.”

  Jian looked her in the eye. “That’s a pretty tall order, Captain. Didn’t you tell me once before to shoot first and ask questions later?”

  “That’s why I’m taking you in particular. You have the calm to do this. Tooley has impressed me with his understanding. I’d take Briggs, but the ship needs cover, too. Rory can man the miniguns if necessary, and Jance still has that fighter craft she escaped in.” She paused for breath. “Jian… this may be my last mission. My last… anything. I have to do it.”

  He sat back and nodded. “HCSs are clean and prepped. Weapons, too. Where is this all going to take place, by the way?”

  “Not decided yet. My next step is to contact Jance once we’re at the training center and under cover. I don’t want any chance she can locate us and try to take out this ship. This is all confidential until our briefing. I don’t want it spread around.” Talice thought for a minute. “Is Bělinka’s pulse carbine still on board?”

  Jian paused before answering. “Yeah, it is. Cleaned and ready to go. I hadn’t thought…”

  Talice put a hand on his. “I want it. With luck, I can finish Jance off for Bělinka, with a shot from it.” She waved off his look. “Don’t worry, I’m taking my pulse rifle, too. Just in case, you know.”

  She leaned in and kissed him gently. “Whatever happens… thank you.”

  His hand stroked her thigh. “What happens if you come back alive?”

  Talice smiled. “Then you can help me change my patch again.”

  * * *

  Bergan-Okafor Marine Training Facility (decommissioned)…

  They made approach and landed safely at the training center. Bird One was wheeled into a hardened hangar quickly, and the team made the trek to the barracks fully geared and double time. Abie and Jamal would sequester in the hangar, in the small bunk-slash-conference room and commissary there. Talice had called ahead, once they were an hour out, ordering the staff to stock it as necessary. And make sure the sheets were clean.

  She called for an evening of rest, with their briefing scheduled the following morning. There were questions all around, about the mission, about Jance, about the attack in Anchor Prime. Mostly about what the hell was really going on, with this air of secrecy and security.

  “Answers tomorrow,” Talice had told them. “Hush-hush stuff, just like in the Marines.” Then she disappeared into her quarters.

  She sat on the bed, composing the message to Jance in her mind. A message she knew would not be received well. Too fucking bad.

  She drew her knees up, the wristcom in her hand, and began to type. You out there, Jance? Let’s get this party started. Talice.

  She waited. Poured tea from the pot she’d brought in, and drank. Waited some more. Finally, the wristcom dinged.

  Where the hell are you? My man Emil is fucked! What the hell did you tell them at the TWN meeting? Jance.

  Talice nearly laughed out loud. Then typed. I told them the truth about you. Now you’re the one who’s fucked. But we can still have our date, if you’ve got the guts for it. Talice.

  Ding. Fuck you, Talice. You do this my way, or you’ll have bodies by the dozens. Nobody is going to cheat me out of this, especially you. Jance.

  Shit, she’s willing to kill these people because she thinks they’ve betrayed her. She’s so demented, she’s actually insane. Now what?

  Talice thought for a few minutes, then typed again. Then you’d better get in touch with them and straighten things out. Maybe they’ll pay the penalty clause (laugh). Talice.

  She drank more tea. Jance is probably clenching her butt about now. And I still haven’t said anything about the att
ack. She poured the cup full again.

  The wristcom chimed. You do this my way or else. So help me, I’ll bomb that building into rubble and tell them you did it. Jance.

  Fuck! I didn’t even think about that! Shit, now what?

  Talice stood and paced, thinking. No choice now. Gotta play my hole card.

  She typed again. No you won’t, because you’ll be dead before then. I know all about the attack at the nightclub. I know why you did it and who your next target is. So either play this straight, or the info goes to the authorities now. Maybe even the Marines. Talice.

  Talice waited. Her tea pot was empty. She was still thirsty. She cracked open a bottle of S-H and downed it. Damn, I hope I didn’t scare her away.

  Ding. Fuck you, then! Fine, just killing you will have to be my reward, right? But I swear, there won’t be enough of your body left for them to bury! Jance.

  Talice smiled to herself. Got you, bitch.

  She typed. When and where? Need details, or I turn my wristcom off and you never hear from me again. And the next sound you hear will be the Marines knocking down your door. Talice.

  The answer was back in seconds. My rules, my say. I’ll send you info by 0800 Hours tomorrow. Goodbye for now. Jance.

  Talice set away her wristcom. She was trembling all over. She’d put on a patch only a couple of hours before, so knew it was nerves. Yeah, every, single, one. Fucking Jance. Damn, that woman is gonna be the death of me one way or the other. So I’ve got to be sure I’m ready for this.

  She stood. Dizziness hit her like an HE round. The room spun. She tried to sit on the bed and missed. Went to the floor in a heap, cracking her face into the nightstand. Rolled, and licked blood from her lips. Fumbled for her wristcom, knocking over the tea pot and cup.

  Fuck! Not now! Not now!!! Fuck…

  * * *

  Talice woke slowly. That she woke at all was a surprise. Thought I’d wake up dead.

  The face before her came into focus. “Babs? What the hell? Where am I?”