Bethany Anne realized both men were starting to get overwhelmed thinking about all of the steps they needed to accomplish. “Hey, guys, slow it down a bit. We can’t eat this elephant right now. We take small bites consistently. I have a shitload of resources that we are all fighting to get our arms around. My father, as you know, is a general who had to deal with a lot of bureaucracy, so he’s working on the business side. You guys need to focus on the navy side of this and Dan is working to pull together all of the military side. With his experience, and Frank’s as well, we have a lot of knowledge that will help. We’re trying to stay under the radar as long as possible. But if you have people you think can get on board with protecting the world from Forsaken right now, and then from aliens in the future we probably need to know about it now. It won’t be a quick fight. It will be long, arduous and it will take the tenacity of everyone on the teams.”
Thomas spoke up, “This is what you were saying about signing up for the next fight?”
“Yes. Yes it is. The group that vampires belong to is known as the UnknownWorld. I’m not even fully clued in to that aspect yet. The UnknownWorld includes Weres and other things. They don’t suffer from lycanthropy, or at least I don’t know of any yet. They have also been affected by aliens from what I can tell. Just not the same group of aliens that changed me. We have so much to accomplish I haven’t spent much time trying to figure them out yet. I need to go to Europe now and I need the SEA AXE moving there as quickly as possible. With a crew that you absolutely trust to keep their mouths shut. I will test everyone under oath as soon as possible.”
“What happens if we get someone onboard that fails that test?” While Captain Thomas asked the question, both showed interest in the answer.
“Provided they aren’t actively against us, I will adjust their memories and we will fly them back to their home with a small severance package. If they are actively against us we will have to take that on a case-by-case basis. We aren’t a government, so we don’t have the power at this time to keep people off of our backs until we are in outer space. At that time, we’ll have the ability to speak softly, but carry a much larger stick.”
As military men, they understood the concept well enough. “Who is the ultimate authority?”
“It all comes down to me, gentleman. I hate to say it, but there really isn’t any country I trust to deal with this that I feel comfortable leaving all of the decisions to right now. In the future? Maybe. We are going to be offering so much to the world in short order that I hope we get left alone. Otherwise, we are going to need political capital to spend. On the plus side, if we’re able to keep the major pieces under wraps we have a few years before the world at large learns anything. By that time, I hope to have enough accomplished that we have our protections in place and a big enough stick to keep the major powers off of our backs.”
They talked a little while longer and it was decided that Wagner would take the SEA AXE as soon as possible and start heading towards Italy. The two of them would sequester themselves with Frank and start sending out requests to those they knew that were either out of the military or were due up soon. First priority would be to those without families.
Bethany Anne left the discussion to the three men and went up to Shelly after stopping by her room. Her team was at the Black Hawk with Pete. She threw her go bag into the chopper and jumped on. The helicopter took off. There were two boats with tourists watching her ship and taking pictures. A couple had telephoto lenses on their cameras. The stalking had started. She thought about getting some eye candy to hang out on the ship to focus the camera’s attention. She looked around her group, all pretty buff men. “Hey, who wants to walk around with their shirt off for me?” She smiled at all of their confused faces. Hell, she had no HR department to worry about. They made the Nassau airport without any issues and Bobcat sat the bird down like a feather, again.
The team was back in protection detail mode. John and Eric in front, then Bethany Anne and finally Scott and Darryl. Pete stayed with Bobcat.
The five of them went over to the plane. John and Eric split up. John went up the stairs while Eric went around the plane. Darryl and Scott stayed with an impatient Bethany Anne.
John popped his head back out and nodded. They boarded while Eric finished his check of the aircraft and closed the door behind them. Paul Jameson had the craft moving just a couple of minutes later.
It was a quiet flight to Romania. The team considered the tactics they would need to employ to take a queen with decades or centuries of preparation out of her nest. None of them thought this was going to be easy. It became obvious why Michael’s group didn’t do this much themselves.
The only way to make this happen was Bethany Anne’s ability to slip through the etheric. The team would stage an attack and get everyone entrenched defending the attack while Bethany Anne went solo. While she would prefer to just blow everything up, it wasn’t considered the best solution.
21
Constanta, Romania
The plane landed smoothly. Eric and Scott got the nod to stay with Paul on the plane. Stephen, Ivan and Gabrielle met Bethany Anne at the airport with two vehicles, both Mercedes Benz. Each had the VIP protection package added.
They smelled new. Gabrielle, Stephen, John and Bethany Anne took one. Darryl and Ivan took the other.
The ride over to Stephen’s house was a short catch up for Bethany Anne and the introduction to Gabrielle. Gabrielle had to rethink her opinion of humans after meeting Bethany Anne’s team. All of the big Americans knew what she was, but had marked her as a minor threat. It wasn’t that they relied on Bethany Anne, but rather they had been tested and felt they had a chance against her. They were certainly professional in their dealings and were vigilant.
Then there was Bethany Anne herself. She radiated power to Gabrielle. She walked as the wind but didn’t use her power to awe and overpower her and Stephen. She hugged Stephen as an old friend all the while quickly getting off of the tarmac and into the vehicles. In short order the team was moving towards Stephen’s house.
Stephen was the driver and Gabrielle rode beside him up front. Even this was directed quietly and quickly by John as they approached the car. Gabrielle briefly considered just jumping in the car with Ivan, but she needed to be in this car to be a part of the conversation with Bethany Anne.
Bethany Anne spoke from the back, “Gabrielle, has Stephen spoken to you about making it so you can walk in the sun?”
Gabrielle turned in her seat. “Yes, I can’t say I don’t have a hard time believing, but he has told me about it.”
“Good. We have more to talk about, but I have a vessel that will take a couple of weeks to get close to Italy. When that happens, I need to come back over to Romania and fetch another ship that we will fly down to the SEA AXE. When this happens, you’ll need to come with me. I’m told the treatment will probably take about a week. You sleep through most of it. You will be with me and my team. Before that happens, you will need to have some tests done so we can prepare for your surgery. When you wake up, your nanocytes will be modified and fixed. Your inability to go out into the sun is due to malfunctioning nanocytes. Consider them a genetic problem if you are having difficulty following me.”
“No, not difficult except that nanocytes are what, exactly? Aren’t they like little robots in the blood?”
“Yes. The scientific discussion goes something like this: Communication of living systems is done by molecular recognition. This central principle of the living world is performed at the contact sites of different objects such as single macromolecules or highly complex supramolecular assemblies as living cells may be described. Molecular recognition capabilities are evoked by the nanocytes. Every vampire has nanocytes in their bodies coming from the original, Michael. Unfortunately, the nanocytes in Michael’s body had not been adjusted to deal with human DNA correctly so each generation takes the mutations from the previous generation and provides less ideal modifications to the generation
they produce. The original effort on Michael was not adjusted and it was very painful. It seems that our sun caused the first mutations to the nanocytes, so it is very rare that the ability to walk in the sun is carried forward. That Stephen has the ability to walk in the sun was due to something in his own DNA I’m sure. That human DNA trait is what was passed to you.”
“So, these little machines are what make me a vampire? Why do we need blood, then?”
“Well, the machines need energy, and they get their energy through sources in blood. It isn’t completely required, but it is the fastest and most highly effective method.”
“Is this why my father now drinks only bagged blood?”
Bethany Anne looked at Stephen’s head as he drove, “This is true, Stephen? You don’t drink from humans anymore?”
He spoke from the front seat, “I don’t. I haven’t gone out too much since I last saw you. Ivan has been at the house and I’ve been learning so much technology that I haven’t felt a need to. So, Ivan is off limits and I never preferred to drink from guys anyway. It was easier and frankly I liked the fact that I wasn’t needing to hurt humans to keep myself alive. It is something that has bothered me deeply for hundreds of years.”
“I’ve noticed you look strikingly younger than the last time we met. You’re quite a dashing man, Stephen.”
Gabrielle laughed at the blush creeping up Stephen’s neck. “Ah, thank you.”
“Yeah, just so you know, Momma is watching you, young man. I won’t accept you running out and breaking hearts everywhere with your wicked good looks and vampire mind tricks.”
Stephen laughed this time, “Believe it or not, I never did that to get dates before. Now, I have the biggest attraction possible to get female attention for myself.”
“Really, what’s that?”
“You. If I walk into any restaurant with you on my arm, every woman there would immediately want me.”
Gabrielle was just nodding in agreement. John was trying not to smirk and failing miserably.
“What?” Bethany Anne was stupefied for a second.
“Why, didn’t you know that, Bethany Anne?” His smile wasn’t hidden from his voice.
“No. What are you talking about?”
“If a man comes in with a woman, other women will absolutely notice him. It is something that has always been true. The prettier the woman the man has, the more other women want him. You women are very predictable.”
She considered his point. Yeah, if she saw a man with an attractive woman it did tend to bring out the competitive bitch in her. “So, not your debonair looks and scads of money?”
“Why, those just close the deal.” They all laughed. Human or vampire, it seemed women still acted the same.
“I meant to ask, this car smells new.”
“Yes, I bought both when you said you wanted to have transportation. I am not going to be reduced to borrowing cars for my queen, that is not permitted. I paid to have these delivered from town. My cars will replace these in two months.”
“What’s wrong with these?”
“Why, they aren’t brand new, of course. Just mostly new.” He smiled at some joke she just didn’t understand. Maybe it was an age thing.
They arrived at Stephen’s.
It was a good two days. As the team started asking for insights about how to work against Clarita from Stephen and Gabrielle, they pointed out that their opponents would be trying to find the female vampire in the group and you couldn’t just use another human.
Bethany Anne was shocked when Gabrielle offered to be the target for her. She explained, “I could say because of the way you took care of my father, and now myself.” Bethany Anne had helped Gabrielle use the bagged blood to reduce her age. “But, the truth is I don’t like to be given handouts when I can pull my own weight. You have already done this,” she waved up and down her now very youthful figure, “And I have your promise to help me enjoy the sun again. I have a very vested interest in you staying alive.” She smiled at that.
“Well, you might die and not enjoy the sun again, you know?”
“It is ok. Nothing good comes without cost and I think it will give me time to get to know your team. I think I’ve been too lax for the last hundred years. I need to get my edge back. I’m not so bad with a weapon or a sword.”
Gabrielle smiled and Bethany Anne saw the dimples that were driving Ivan nuts. Bethany Anne had taken a selfie with Gabrielle and sent it to Ecaterina with nothing but the picture and ‘This is Gabrielle.’ Ecaterina wrote back, ‘Oh no! Dimples are his kryptonite! ;-)”.
Ivan had a hangdog expression the rest of the time there. Bethany Anne noticed when Gabrielle grabbed Ivan and snuck into a room as others were putting together their luggage for the airport. They came back out five minutes later and Ivan looked gobsmacked. He had a little lipstick on his cheek that she quickly rubbed off. She missed a small amount on his collar. She caught Bethany Anne smiling at her and Gabrielle blushed, shrugged her shoulders and smiled back. Ivan seemed lost in a daze as he wished them all good bye and personally closed Gabrielle’s door.
Bethany Anne told Ivan she wanted a picture with him. She later highlighted the lipstick and sent it to Ecaterina with a smiley face.
It was a tight fit; they only took one car back to the airport. Shortly thereafter, the team took off for Jamaica.
The Queen Bitch’s Ship - Jamaica
There were five boats surrounding the Polarus when Bethany Anne landed. Gabrielle had started dressing to match Bethany Anne and it was decided that the team would start ‘protecting’ Gabrielle. Bethany Anne waited in the chopper until she got word from John that her room was clear and she slipped through the etheric to her room.
John knocked and she opened the door for him. He handed her the go-bag he had brought from the chopper. It bugged John not to have been protecting Bethany Anne, but there was little choice. Acting as if Gabrielle was Bethany Anne for now was the best he could do. Regardless of how different they looked. There were so few female vampires that the only logical conclusion was that Bethany Anne now had a tan. Since so few vampires could go in the sun, who’s to say it would or wouldn’t happen?
Ecaterina came down the hallway, a huge smile on her face. Bethany Anne could hear her walking and so stuck her head out of the stateroom to peer around the corner at her.
Ecaterina smiled broadly when she saw Bethany Anne and pursed her face as if sad to see Bethany Anne in such a horrible room. “Why is it you sleep in this paltry room? Why don’t you come see the new suite!” Bethany Anne’s face was alight in smiles and she pushed the go-bag back into John’s chest.
“Come John, my room awaits!” He closed her door and shook his head. He quickly caught up to the women, being very circumspect about just where he let his eyes roam. He didn’t doubt she might have mind reading abilities and he sure as hell didn’t want to upset Nathan either. That was why he preferred operating up in the front. Even the latest knockout was another vampire and it looked like Ivan was hooking up there. What was he going to have to do to find a single human female around here? He smiled at that and kept on walking.
The suite was huge. They had taken in additional rooms around the original and made it into an operations room and meeting rooms. There were business rooms, and then the inner personal area for Bethany Anne and her protection detail. John had made sure that the team’s rooms were nearby along with facilities for the two active protection guards detailed to her when on ship. Bethany Anne just accepted the situation as fact without arguing this time.
Huh, John thought, vampires can learn.
Gabrielle joined them halfway through Bethany Anne’s review with Ecaterina. Her eyes were round and she was gawking. It wasn’t like Gabrielle didn’t have a substantial amount of money herself. But she hadn’t been a vampire as long as Michael nor had she applied herself to building out businesses. This kind of wealth was even beyond her.
They were finishing the tour in Bethany Anne’s new roo
ms when she calmly informed John he wasn’t permitted to come into her personal bedroom and closet. He just shrugged and went to step outside the door into the sitting room.
Ecaterina gave Bethany Anne a puzzled look. Bethany Anne walked in the closet and nodded as if seeing something she was expecting. When Ecaterina and Gabrielle joined her they both just oohed over the large walk in closet with space for clothes and racks upon racks for shoes. She pointed at the massive amount of shoe space and told Ecaterina, “If Nathan mentions one thing about how many shoes I can put in here, I will beat him senseless and you will have to nurse him back to health. Do you understand?” While Bethany Anne was smiling, Ecaterina knew she wasn’t joking. Ecaterina pantomimed zipping her lips. Bethany Anne turned her head to look at Gabrielle who was enjoying this ladies moment at Ecaterina’s expense. Her smile started dropping when she realized that she was also being held accountable for not mentioning the large closet and shoe space. She decided zipping her lips was a good response as well.
It didn’t stop them from laughing with their eyes when they left the closet.
The Queen Bitch’s Ship - Jamaica
Having spoken with her team while still in Romania, it had been decided to completely close up Miami except for William and have everyone else come to Jamaica. William was responsible for the cars, the leftover helicopter and the houses. Paul had dropped them off in Jamaica and then after a short nap, flown back to Miami to pick up the General, Killian and Nathan.
Bethany Anne slept for a while in her new bed. It was a very comfortable double height. She didn’t, quite, have to jump to get on the bed itself.
Ecaterina had gone shopping for her while she was gone, so there were plenty of her basic clothes. Ecaterina had even picked up a few suits while in Nassau and some of her favorite shoes. She had pretty decent taste. Gabrielle, however, took it up a notch. She was able to take the basics and weave artistry for Bethany Anne. Just by adding a little something here, or there or even suggesting she pull her hair back was the little difference that made an outfit sing.
Kurtherian Gambit Boxed Set One: Books 1-7, Death Becomes Her, Queen Bitch, Love Lost, Bite This, Never Forsaken, Under My Heel, Kneel or Die (Kurtherian Gambit Boxed Sets) Page 59