He stalked off without looking back.
Kelly turned her head to look at the woman and was surprised to see a murderous look on her face. She was even more surprised that it was aimed at the man and not her.
Maggie noticed Kelly watching and gave her a look that Kelly thought held no small amount of pity before she glared at the man’s back again. She shook her head, a disgusted look on her face. “I didn’t mean nothing like that,” she whined. “I was surprised that you was dragging out a…human, is all.” She said it like it was a curse.
Owen stopped and turned just enough to look at her over his shoulder.
She ran her hand across her breast and farther down. “Why do you want that skinny little git of a human when you can have this?” Her voice went from a whine to low and sultry as she tilted her head and looked at him through her hair.
“I’ll be havin’ it again soon if you don’t keep pissin’ me off. Now go tell Dee we’re ready. This bitch,” he smacked Kelly across the rear again, “needs to see what’s in store for her and the rest of those filthy humans.”
“I’ll hold you to that.” Maggie walked away, putting extra sway into her hips when she felt his eyes watching her.
“Wow, what a big tough fuck you are,” Kelly growled. “Put me down, and I’ll fix it so you won’t be able to do her any good for a month.”
Owen hitched her up, bouncing her off of his shoulder again as his hand slammed down on her butt with a loud crack. “Shut your piehole before I give you that chance. Dee will be mad if I rip you to sheds now, but I’ll take the beating for it if you keep it up. I hate being shot.”
Kelly started to snap back when she realized he had again mentioned being the man she shot the night she was taken. She had hit that man twice center mass with 9mm slugs. If this was the same man, he should at least be sore from the shots.
She was silent as he carried her, bouncing uncomfortably on his shoulder up several flights of stairs. They entered a darkened room, and he unceremoniously flipped her to the floor.
Kelly landed hard on her already bruised bottom. “Ow, what the fuck?” she cried.
“Sit there and be quiet if you know what’s good for you. I have to get ready, and then all your questions will be answered.” He walked over to an old duffel bag in the corner and started to pull out clothes.
Kelly glared daggers at his back, planning all the ways he would pay for how he had treated her.
Chapter Seventeen
TQB Base, Tokyo, Japan
The image paused on the monitor Akio had been watching earlier, then went dark.
“I have located the Weres in Australia you inquired about,” Abel announced.
The monitor displayed a satellite map of Australia. Abel zoomed in on the southern coast until it stopped on the marker for Adelaide. “I have located two of the vehicles associated with that group in Adelaide. I repositioned a satellite to obtain real-time surveillance and have discovered unusual activity at the site.”
The image slowly expanded until it focused on an open oval-shaped structure and a river that ran nearby. The building had obviously been covered on three sides once upon a time. Now only two sides were covered and both ends were open, one by design and the other from some major damage that had occurred at some time in the past.
“This structure was once a sports stadium,” Abel informed Akio and Yuko. “On WWDE, a large jetliner fell from the sky and crashed here.” The image zoomed in on the end that was adjacent to an area that still had some signs of paving. The area showed signs of intense heat damage and there were piles of warped, rust-covered metal, and the remains of what could only have been an aircraft.
Akio’s lips compressed with anger. A rough stockade made from scavenged materials extended from the crash site around the area of broken pavement and sparse vegetation. Inside that fence was a mass of humanity held in deplorable conditions. Some huddled together in small groups, others had their backs against the fence, warily watching the rest with fear and distrust evident on their faces. All were exposed to the elements and the unforgiving Australian weather.
Outside the fence, rough-looking men walked the perimeter, occasionally lashing out with makeshift clubs when the prisoners failed to move away fast enough. They high-fived and laughed every time one of them made contact as if it were a game to cause more suffering among the prisoners.
As they watched, there was a flurry of activity at the section nearest the stadium. “Abel, focus in on that area of movement,” Akio ordered.
As the image shifted, a group of four men flanked by two wolves entered the compound through a gate. The people fled, gathering at the far end of the stockade. The men on the outside took advantage of the crowd shoving and pushing, delivering blows to hapless people unfortunate enough to be caught between the crowd and the fence.
The men and wolves stalked toward the terrified crowd, approaching slowly to cause the most fear. When they approached the crowd, the four men moved faster than a normal human could, and they each snatched a victim from the mass. The prisoners were thrown into the center of the stockade and the wolves moved in, driving them toward the opening that led to the stadium.
The four men started back the way they had come. One of them suddenly stopped and in the blink of an eye, he yanked a young woman from the crowd, laughing at her feeble attempts to fight him off. He threw her over his shoulder, one arm pinning her legs to his chest while her hands beat against his lower back. He smacked her across the buttocks with his free hand, still laughing as he matched her blow for blow. His victim stopped her struggles after a half-dozen whacks, her body limp as she was carried away.
“What are they doing with those people?” Yuko’s voice was shaking, the question one she was sure she wouldn’t like the answer to.
The wolves herded the four original victims into a square enclosure made of rusted metal fencing topped with rows of barbed wire, As soon as they were inside, the gate was secured by a thin woman with long red hair. She turned toward the stockade as the man carrying the woman emerged, stopping only long enough to push it closed with his free hand.
When he turned away from the gate, the red-haired woman was in his path, one finger shaking in his face and the other hand curled into a fist and planted on her hip. Words were exchanged until the man lashed out with his free hand, knocking the woman to the ground and walking away as she glared daggers into his back.
Akio’s face was flushed with rage, his eyes glowing bright red and his voice low and guttural when he spoke. “Abel, summon a Pod,” he commanded. “I have work to do.”
“I anticipated your request,” Abel replied immediately. “Your Pod is on station five kilometers above us. I will bring it into the courtyard when you are ready to depart.”
“I’m going as well,” Yuko told him as she headed out of the command center for her quarters.
“Per Eve’s orders,” Abel answered, “I am unable to allow you to depart on combat operations without her direct authorization.”
Yuko stumbled to a halt at the door. “What did you say?” she hissed.
“After your experience on Kume with the Nosferatu, I am unable to allow you to go on combat operations without the direct authorization of Eve each time,” Abel clarified.
“Eve!” Yuko called over her chip, her voice laced with anger.
“Yes, Yuko?” Eve answered, her tone dripping with innocence.
Yuko took a deep breath, not wanting to allow her anger to let her say something she would regret. “Would you please explain to me what Abel’s…” She paused for a moment.
“Orders,” Abel supplied.
“Yes, that. Thank you, Abel. What do they mean?” she finished, her teeth clamped tight to prevent her from saying more.
“It means,” Eve clarified, “That you are not able to slip off into dangerous situations without me being physically present with you, or determining the risk is within acceptable parameters for you to go unaccompanied.”
Akio walked out of his quarters, his black Jean Dukes armor fitting him like a glove. He had a matched set of Jean Dukes Specials slung around his waist, and his katana sticking up over his shoulder. He raised one eyebrow when he saw Yuko frozen in the doorway. Her voice was calm, but the fierce red glow in her eyes showed that she was anything but. “What’s wrong?”
“Eve has issued a directive that I am unable to go on any combat-related operations without her approval,” Yuko ground out. “Abel will not allow me to depart without her authorization.”
“Horst is in the lobby requesting to see you, Akio,” Abel advised.
“Let him in,” Akio told him.
“Acknowledged.”
Yuko stepped out of the door and stalked toward her quarters, her voice still calm but her body language showing she was about to explode.
Akio had been left out of that conversation and was happy about it. Eve was working out who she was as an AI, but there had been growing pains along the way. Some days she sounded and acted like Bethany Anne on a rampage, and others, she was calm and formal to the point of seeming mechanical and emotionless. The only consistent thing was her fiercely protective nature where Yuko was concerned. That never wavered and could cause her to seem overbearing and restrictive.
The elevator opened and Horst stepped out, raising an eyebrow when he saw Akio loaded for war. “Someone is about to have a very bad day, ja?”
Akio nodded and motioned for him to step through the door Yuko had vacated into the command center. “What can I do for you today?” Akio asked as Horst joined him.
“It can wait since you seem to be occupied at the moment.” Horst paused for a beat and asked, “Do you need my help?”
Akio’s eyes widened as he considered the offer. He had not seen much of the man since their return from Europe. Although he had elected to stay in Japan, Akio had not thought him interested in anything other than building things. Well, to be honest, building things and Koda Rii. “It’s a Were problem. Do you want to be involved?”
“Anything like we saw in Rasov?” he asked.
“Worse,” Akio told him. “Abel, show Horst the video.”
Horst watched in silence as the video replayed. When he saw the Were pull the young woman out of the crowd, a low growl came from deep in his chest. When it was done he was shaking, his face flushed with rage.
“Ja, I will help.” His voice was low and rough. “Just because they have the power it does not mean they have the right to be monsters. Being here has shown me how much can be accomplished by working together. The Weres should be working with others, or at least leaving them in peace. Those Weres have no honor.”
Akio nodded at his response, seeing that Horst was sincere and wanting to live as a member of the UnknownWorld that Bethany Anne envisioned.
“Hai, perhaps another Wechselbalg being there could help sway any who are not completely on board with what the leaders are doing. Much like the three who I let live at Rasov.”
“I will do what I can,” Horst assured him. “But understand that once some get the taste of power, it is like a drug. Weres are submissive to their Alpha, and when they have the same control over others, it is hard for them to stop.”
“They stop or they die,” Akio told him. “Have you trained with any weapons?”
“Ja, but I prefer to fight as a Were.”
Akio nodded once and walked out of the command center with Horst on his heels. “I would prefer you didn’t fight unless it is necessary. Perhaps these Weres will benefit from seeing us working together.”
“Ja,” Horst answered. “And if they don’t?”
“They die.”
Chapter Eighteen
TQB Base, Tokyo, Japan
“Eve, you can’t order Abel to keep me locked up here,” Yuko muttered as she opened her closet and started pulling on her armor.
“Yuko, I was designed by ADAM to protect you from all threats, even if you are the threat.”
“Me? What?” Yuko sputtered. “What do you mean, protect me from myself?”
“You are acting outside the scope of your mission. I didn’t interfere when you went to Kume because Akio explained it was part of your training. I am one hundred percent on board with helping the people there as well. The Yakuza had taken our friend, so it was fitting for you to be part of that. But you cannot keep charging into battle.”
Yuko took several deep breaths to calm herself before she responded, “But you can’t allow Akio to go off alone to deal with these situations. He needs my help.”
“Needs?”
“Of course!” Yuko exclaimed. “He shouldn’t have to risk himself alone when I can help him.”
“Yuko, think about what you just said,” Eve told her quietly. “Akio has been dealing with everything by himself since the earthquake buried his team. Has he needed any help so far?”
“I wasn’t ready,” Yuko pointed out. “I was not enhanced until recently.”
“That’s not what I asked,” Eve told her.
Yuko paused to consider what Eve had said. “No.” She slowly sank to the floor as the realization set in, “He didn’t need my help.”
“No, he doesn’t need your help to fight. He needs you to be the Vicereine, the diplomat, the one who takes care of the UnknownWorld beings who honor Michael and Bethany Anne. Akio needed you to be competent to protect yourself should that need arise, not to be a warrior.”
Yuko was silent as she remembered the words Bethany Anne had spoken the night ADAM had introduced her to Eve. Though it had been more than a quarter-century, she heard her Queen’s voice in her head.
“First, you can’t police the world. Don’t try. Whatever they do, let them! Your responsibility is to the UnknownWorld. Akio is responsible for taking care of any Forsaken, and you are responsible for taking care of those who would honor Michael’s family or me.”
Before she could reply, Eve continued, “I see how your heart aches after every mission you go on. You are not a killer, even though you have killed and unfortunately will likely have to again. Yuko, part of you dies each time. I can’t allow you to become something you are not out of a wrongheaded sense of need.”
“What about Akio? If he were to be injured, I would not forgive myself.”
“Akio is a centuries-old warrior, enhanced by Kurtherian technology to the point that he is practically invincible. He has the experience and the enhancements to survive pretty much anything he encounters, either by killing it outright, or regrouping until he has the advantage. What he can’t do is your job. He is a warrior, not a diplomat.”
Yuko sat on the floor of her closet, her armor half on as she stared into nothingness. Her mind replayed the events at Kume and her fight with Chang. She was angry about what Heinz and Chang had done to the people of the island, but she still felt a pang in her stomach. She had put up a front, seeming eager to do battle, when in truth, she wished there was a way to redeem all those who were killed.
A light tap outside her closet brought her out of her reverie.
Eve stood there, her android face devoid of emotion. She raised her arms toward Yuko and stood silent, waiting for acknowledgment.
Yuko nodded and patted the floor beside her. Eve approached her and slowly raised her hand to brush a tear from Yuko’s face.
Yuko’s eyes widened in surprise. She hadn’t realized she was crying.
Eve gently wrapped her arms around her, and it was like a dam burst. Tears flowed as she returned the gesture, holding onto Eve.
“Oh, Eve.” She sniffled as the tears slowed. “You’re right. I was trying to be what I thought was needed, but it killed me a little each time. I didn’t realize until now how much it took out of me each time I took a life. What am I to do? Akio might need me.”
“If Akio needs you as a warrior, the situation will be beyond bad, and we haven’t encountered anything so far that was even close. Plus, now that I have unlocked the additional code ADAM left me, I have accepted that it is not against my dir
ectives to take a life. I can puck ‘em up now.”
Yuko choked as she tried to laugh in mid-sniffle and started to cough. Eve patted her on the back until she stopped. “So what you’re saying is you are bloodthirsty enough for both of us?”
“No, not exactly.” She paused, considering her words before she continued, “Remember the Yakuza scum who kidnapped Koda and put her in that cage?”
Yuko grimaced, and her eyes briefly flashed red. “Yes, you permanently injured his hand when you rescued her instead of killing him.”
“Exactly. I had him in my sights after I had disarmed him with the drone. I was about to kill him when Koda stopped me. That was when I realized that though I could take life, it should always be the last resort. I can kill out of necessity, but I will not kill for revenge.”
“Oh, I didn’t hear about that.”
“I requested that Koda not tell you how I behaved,” Eve admitted. “Had it not been for her, I’m afraid I might not have reached the same conclusions. All life is precious and should be preserved whenever possible. If I had executed him in vengeance, it would have been wrong, and it would have changed me. His life was Koda’s to take, and she chose to let him live.”
Yuko hugged her friend, thankful she had come to her and helped her rediscover herself. She still felt the need to help Akio, but she knew that Eve was right, and he didn’t need her to be a warrior. He needed her to be Yuko, his friend.
“Akio,” she called over her implant.
“Hai?” he replied.
“I don’t believe you need me to accompany you to Australia,” Yuko told him. “I will remain here and assist you from the command center if that is acceptable.”
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