Katherine pointed to the two facilities that were still active. One in Georgia, the other up North in Alaska. “The one in Alaska can’t give us any immediate help,” I sighed.
Katherine smiled. “Fuck, yeah they can. They are still fully manned and are three times the size we are. They have two airstrips, as well as a collection of cargo planes and fighters. They also have the pilots to fly them. They haven’t been decommissioned because the Pentagon level decision was made that they would be moved over to Homeland Security and they have a Joint Special Operations Command, JSOC team there. Those guys are badass!”
I chuckled at her comment. “Chun! Front and center.”
Chun ran up to my side and looked down at the little woman. “What the fuck do you want? Can’t you see I am busy?”
“This lady says they have a badass JSOC team up in Alaska.”
Chun shook his head. “I bet it’s Smalley’s team.”
“They gave that crazy fucker Mike Smalley his own Delta Force team?”
“I bet he humped an entire room of brass, both sexes if necessary, to get that job.” Chun snickered.
“He had to have,” I turned to Katherine. “Any way of having those guys ordered to the Facility in Georgia? They can swing through Indianapolis, grab your family and protect them.”
“Shouldn’t we have them assigned here instead? It would be good to have a JSOC team here.” I chuckled again which made Katherine’s face turn beet red with frustration. “Why do you keep chuckling at me?”
“Because ma’am, you have twenty-five former JSOC warriors present already. And another twelve more at our main facility to the South.” Chun answered.
Katherine whipped around and took Chun and me in. I nodded my head. “I am not former JSOC, but Chun and his entire team are retired SEAL Team Six. We also have an entire retired, in name only, Delta Force team here also. Most of the people on my team are former SpecOps of different branches. We are trained right to the edge, just paid way more than our brothers who are still enlisted.”
“So why do they all listen to you? I mean were you an officer or something?” Katherine enquired.
Chun started laughing and bent over to catch his breath as I shook my head. “I was a Sergeant in charge of a fire-team. I got hurt and was retired, a friend of mine told me to go talk to a company called Malleus and get on board with them. I worked my way to the top of team leaders, and now for some reason these guys listen to me.”
“How did you get hurt?” Katherine asked.
I reached down and removed my knee pads and pulled up my pants leg, showing off my titanium prosthesis. “IED took it off while I was trying to carry our wounded officer out if a fire fight.”
Katherine whipped her hand up to cover her mouth. “Oh, I am so sorry. I couldn’t tell, you never even limped once.”
“No sorry needed unless you planted that IED. I have had a lot of practice with the leg, and an iron will not to let it interfere in my job.”
Katherine turned in her chair to look at her computer. She changed the subject as most people do when they don’t know what to say. I put my pant leg back down and positioned the knee pad back into its place, velcroing it on tight.
“Uhm, okay I just sent an email to the Alaska facility asking for support. They should get back to me quickly. I’ll alert you once they respond back.”
Chun patted my back and moved off. I paid attention to the computer and figured out that the communications were done through it; no more old clunky radio sets like the old days. I took my radio out and showed it to Katherine. “Anyway, you can contact my friends on that thing?”
Katherine took my radio and looked it over and smirked. “Dude these things are dinosaurs.”
“We bought them last year as top of the line communications hardware.” I felt like I needed to defend my radio.
“Last year you all were non-essential civilians.” She plugged my radio into her computer and a black window opened on her monitor. She started typing commands and somehow downloaded our entire encryption key and codes from it. She then switched windows and brought up her communications program. “Who do you wanna call?”
I was flabbergasted, I was told by the rep when we bought the radios that their codes were unbreakable. No one should be able to do what Katherine just did. “I need to contact my bosses at Malleus.”
Katherine pulled up a file from the data she pulled from my radio and chose the correct frequencies. The phone on her desk rang. She motioned for me to pick it up. I slipped my hand around the black receiver and picked it up putting it against my ear. A voice came over that I recognized as Will’s.
“Dan report.”
“You will never believe this, but I am inside an underground facility that makes our bunker look like a shitty studio in Detroit.”
“What?”
“We need to empty Malleus and bring everyone here, there is plenty of space and supplies for the duration. I’ll contact Tasha and see if her helicopter wing can collect you all. Start packing everything up, ammo and all, but leave a little as a hidden cache if a group outside on patrol needs it.”
“I have so many questions right now, but I trust you Dan. We will get everything together. See you soon.”
“Katherine, can you connect me with Lieutenant Colonel Lowery.”
“I have a better idea Dan. Let me talk to her real quick. I have a way of cutting through all the shit.” Katherine brought up another program and started clicking on icons and files. Her phone rang, and she picked it up. “Lieutenant Colonel Lowery, this is NaRCoG. Your battalion has been activated, code word Groundhog, I repeat Groundhog. I will wait for you to authenticate,” Katherine picked up a pencil and started twirling it in her fingers faster and faster till a voice came back on the line. She listened for a moment and smiled. “That’s right, this is a Presidential order. Yes, your friend Dan and his men are here, yes, the same place you Apaches provided support. I promise we can accommodate your entire wing and all the rotary craft you can bring. I also need a favor, send as many Blackhawks , and your heavy lift helicopters to the following coordinates.” Katherine rattled off the coordinates to the Malleus bunker and explained that a couple of support Apaches should accompany them. Another minute past till she put the phone down, swung around in her chair, and clapped her hands two times.
“I couldn’t wait to do that. I wrote that entire process and am happy to see it is still in effect. I am now going to reach out to any surviving military groups on the run and bring them in. You have started something that has a mind of its own. So, what do you want to do now sir?”
“Sir? I am not in command here.” I answered quickly. “I am not even in the military anymore.”
“Sucks to be you, because the procedures that I have started the ball rolling, has your name attached to it as Commander. I have the power to recall all previous military service members. And you have been promoted, congrats Major Welko.”
When she said Major Welko, I felt an attack of deja vu. Like at some point that had happened to me before. I then heard a voice, a woman’s voice, “A leader of men, with the Spark to show who he really is,” I took a step back and then fell to my left knee. My head hung low while I tried to fill my lungs with oxygen. My head was attacked with images, of me, images showing me in a hundred different lives.
Then I was gone, there was nothing but blackness. I figured I had died, but I was still thinking. So, if this wasn’t death then, it had to be limbo. The darkness slowly started to dissipate as the blackness started to lighten by minute increments. When it became a muted red it finally hit me, my eyes were closed, and a bright light was shining on them. I opened them at a pace that even a snail would admire. Once my eyes were open, I had to squint and blink them quickly as the bright light I had been seeing, the sun, was hitting me full force in the face. My eyes finally adjusted, and I was able to survey my surroundings. I was on a boat, like one of those luxury ones you would see anchored off the coast of some tropical plac
e. I looked down at my body to find I was dressed in an unbuttoned Hawaiian short-sleeve shirt. Orange swim shorts covered my lower half, and I was wearing black flip flops. That made me stop, because I had two feet, real feet with skin on them. I couldn’t pull my eyes away from my feet. I reached down tentatively and touched the right one. I could feel my fingers as I prodded at the foot.
“In this place you are truly whole,” a woman’s musical voice came from my right.
I raised my head and turned it toward the owner of the voice. What I saw first were a pair of tanned bare feet that were connected to the longest pair of legs I had ever seen in my life. At mid-thigh, I could see the bottom of a blue summer dress decorated with colorful flowers printed on it. The woman was easily five foot nine, she had a curvy yet athletic body, full breasts and a long regal neck. Her blonde hair hung over her left shoulder. Something sparkled in hair, they looked like little jewels interwoven through the loose strands. The jewels sparkled and seemed to move, I watched them for a moment till I realized that stars twinkled in them. The jewels were galaxies, I just couldn’t believe what my eyes were seeing. It was then I raised my gaze further and discovered a pair of the most perfectly created lips, a pert nose, and a set of eyes, so blue that they sucked me in, mesmerized me. This young woman was the definition of beauty, she was perfect in every way.
“I hope you like what you see, you always have,” her voice settled over me calming my nerves.
I licked my lips and swallowed the lump that was lodged in my throat. “Do I know you?” I finally got out, but not more than a whisper.
She gave me a smile that if I had been standing would’ve buckled my knees. “You know me better than anyone in all the stars and worlds in Heaven’s universes,” she stepped toward me and stopped when she was next to me. She pointed to a seat across from me and raised an eyebrow. It took me a moment before I realized she was asking if she could sit. I nodded my head so fast I thought it was going to fall off and roll into the ocean. This woman was so alluring I just couldn’t speak, or act normal, whatever normal is.
“Okay, so I guess I know you really well. The problem is I can’t remember.”
She hid a smile behind her hand as she giggled. Her cheeks popped up and scrunched her eyes as she did so. Everything this woman did, would be normal if she was anyone else, but she was… again, perfect. I had no other way to describe her. Two names popped into my head, but, and I know this is going to sound stupid. The names travelled from deep inside my heart and flowed into my brain.
My lips opened, and I said the words. “Amira, Angel,” as I said the names tears began to pour down my cheeks. My heartbeat faster and harder.
The woman put a hand to her bosom over her heart and gasped. First one tear than others broke free of those blue eyes and travelled down her face and dripped down on her hand still over her bosom.
“You cannot know those names, it is forbidden,” she choked on her words and then flicked her gaze into the sky. She breathed in those little gasps of air quickly as if she was about to have a panic attack.
I came off the seat and fell to my knees as I placed my head in her lap and wrapped my arms around her as the dams burst as I sobbed. She put a hand on my head and rubbed it.
“Shh, my love, calm down.” her voice was strong and assuring.
I blew out a shaky breath and raised my head meeting her eyes. “It really is you, isn’t it?”
“Yes Dan, it’s me…” she raised her head to the sky once more and bit the corner of her bottom lip. She dropped her head and met my gaze, “We have only a couple of minutes, then I have to send you back. Do you understand?”
I thought I didn’t, but myriads of thoughts flowed through my head. It was like watching a movie in fast forward. I saw the many lives and many stories I had travelled through. I stopped on this woman, my Angel.”
Angel met me on the floor of the boat now also on her knees. She brought her lips down and met mine. Her arms wrapped around my body as I slid mine around hers. I kissed her with so much passion, I drank in her love trying refill a tank I never knew was empty. I pulled away and examined her.
“How?”
“Let’s not worry about that right now, let’s just enjoy it while it lasts. The Creator will be sending you back momentarily. Look Dan, I need you to know I have not regretted my decision even once as I have watched you go through your lives.”
“I don’t regret anything my love, I have you here in this moment, this reprise. I know I must go back, and I know I will not be allowed to remember this time with you. But I need you to know you are worth every pain, every emotion, and death I go through. I love you…” and like that I was pulled up and away. My last vision of Angel was a smile.
Angel stood up as her Dan was taken from her again. A man appeared in Jeans, and a flannel shirt, sleeves rolled up to the elbows. He was chubby, yet it looked right on him, his head was bald, and he had a slight beard. He gave Angel a sad smile and reached out with his hand. She took it and he pulled her into a hug.
“I don’t know how that happened. He was not supposed to remember you. It was best for both of you.” The man rubbed Angel’s back like a father consoling his love-sick teenage daughter.
Angel broke off the hug and took a small step back. “I told you Creator; Dan I are meant for one another. Our love has no boundary and will break free of any cage to be together. He is my love; he is my everything.”
The Creator reached up and scratched his beard as he listened to Angel. “Maybe you are right, but I am not sure if your love story will have a happy ending or not. I can’t seem to see the ending of that story.”
“That’s because our story is barely in the first chapter. There is so much more to be written, volumes worth.” Angel popped onto her tip toes and kissed the Creator’s scruffy cheek. “Thank you for giving us the time you did.”
“I am no opponent of love. I also once knew love, that is why I became a creator.”
Day 7
I woke up with a start not sure if the dream I just had was about, as it faded away like whiffs of smoke. I was in the infirmary with Apache looking down at me, then she pushed aside, and Brian’s face took her place. I closed my eyes for a second from the vision. “Fuck I hate waking up to your ugly Sasquatch face.” I moaned out jokingly a bit.
“Words hurt boss, words hurt,” he smiled down at me.
“What happened?” I croaked out.
“you’ve been pushing yourself too hard and fainted like a pantywaist.” Apache pushed Brian out of the way and rolled her eyes at me.
I ran my hands over my body and found that my weapons, armor, and clothes had been removed. I then checked my leg and found a bandage around my knee my prosthesis was missing. “Where is my leg Apache?”
“Dio has it,” Apache answered me.
I did a sit-up and looked down at Apache. “Why would you give my leg to a knuckle dragging shooter?”
“Because he has a master’s in mechanical engineering and says he can improve the leg. He wanted mine, but fuck that. I decided to let him work on yours as a prototype, since you didn’t need it right away. Then and only then, if he does a good job with yours, I might just let him touch mine.”
I shook my head a thought came to me and I whipped my head around to Brian. “When the fuck did you get here?”
“Eight hours ago,” he thumped me on my chest, his hit was like getting struck by a wooden mallet and it drove the breath from my lungs.
I had to cough in order to refill my lungs. “Do that again and I am going to order Apache to shoot you in both knees,” I finally coughed out as my lungs started working again.
“Damn, you are a grumpy little bastard when you first wake up,” Brian turned and walked away.
“Apache exactly how long was I out?” I asked,
“Twelve hours, or so. I was getting a little worried, but all the machines and readouts said you were fine. So, I was gonna let you keep sleeping.”
“Was I in a
coma?”
“Nope, I have no idea why you were out. Everything showed you were healthy and should be awake, but you refused to.”
“Okay, Give me a sitrep.”
Apache gave me an odd look. “You do realize you stuck my ass down here to fix boo boos, right?”
“Good point, call Doctor Creighton and tell her to get down here pronto.”
Apache picked up the phone on her desk and spoke to someone on the other side. She put the handset down and stared at me. “She is on her way down your Majesty,” filling her words with dripping sarcasm.
“Excellent, now fetch me my clothes and a wheelchair,” I spoke in a bad English accent.
“Right away your royal ass-ship.” Apache left the room, disappearing into what I guessed was a back room. She came back with my clothes and one boot. She caught me staring at the boot and hunched her shoulders. “Figured you had no use for the other one.” She quipped.
“You really that pissy, because I stuck you down here?”
Apache laid my clothes down on the bed next to me and helped me down onto my one leg. “Little bit, yes. I am a medic, not a fucking doctor. I should be upstairs planning hit and run missions on the Collectivus.”
I peeled out of the silly medical gown I was wearing and dressed into what smelled like freshly laundered clothes. It was nice to slide into clean boxers and ironed cargo pants. I had undressed and dressed in front Apache, as she had me, so many times we just didn’t care anymore. She was one of the guys with different parts. No one on the team reacted to it anymore. The last guy that did ended up needing a doctor and dentist as we peeled a naked pissed off Apache off his chest. After that everyone learned to not piss her off. She helped me finish dressing and rolled up my pant leg, so it wouldn’t drag around on the ground. I then plopped my ass down in the dreaded wheelchair.
I looked up at Apache. “Okay, find Helmut and switch positions with him. He is as much a trained combat medic as you are. Then get to drawing up plans to kick the Collectivus’ ass.”
Quantum Theorem Page 15
