Dialene

by John Van Stry

  They spent the night at his place. Once Samantha dismissed us for the night, Sabre set his team to watch and dragged me off to my room. The first time we made love was rather fierce, me because I hadn't had him to myself in so long, and him because he wanted someone else. After I bit him on the nose and made him yelp he slowed down and made love to me instead of a phantom. It was a much more enjoyable night after that.

  And that was our schedule for the next several months. I'd sleep with Cam, or one of the tigers during the weeknights. Saturday Samantha would have her date and I'd spend the night with Sabre. Oh, they didn't always end up at his place. Sometimes they went to the mountains or the coast, or New York or LA. In those cases Sabre and I ended up in a room down the hallway, but the only thing that changed was the location, not our passions. There were some occasional overnight business trips, and quite a few day trips to special meetings. And there were a few attempts on Samantha, most were pretty amateurish however and Sabre's security hardly flinched taking care of them.

  Samantha and I talked a lot more too. I was included in a lot more business conversations, and whenever her and Sabre had an argument, which did happen, she'd end up in my room of all places and we'd talk about Sabre of course. She wasn't very happy about the way their life was going either. She wanted to settle down with him, tell the world to go to hell, and raise a family. His family.

  Mixing species is never an easy thing, and it's harder if one is a human. I told her my own experiences, mixed species was more common among us animorphs. But I couldn't really give her any answers. All I could tell her was that I knew Sabre felt the same way. I'd had some of these same conversations with him as well.

  Sometimes I wondered what they talked about, or if they talked at all. About anything other then business that is.

  On about the fourth month I was there, someone made a serious attempt on Samantha's life. It was early Monday morning, we were on our way in to her office, and I was driving as usual. The first clue that something was wrong came when I spotted an explosion in my mirrors. My com unit came to life, it was one of the back up cars, it had just taken a rocket.

  I hesitated a second, and then acting on impulse I spun the car around and started heading against the flow of traffic. The limo could fly, it was modified enough, but I didn't want to try taking to the air right now. The main reason we drove instead of flying was that flying was highly regulated inside of the city. I didn't care for it much, but the mayor had been making a campaign issue of it so we had to comply. I weaved in and out of the on-coming traffic.

  "There a reason for this?" Sabre asked over my com unit, I noticed he had pulled a large nasty looking weapon out from under the seat.

  "Maybe, are both cars following today?" I replied in my mike.

  "No."

  "Damn."

  He popped the sunroof and stuck his head out of the car, a moment later I felt the car shake and could see bullet trails leading away from us.

  "Got a target?" I asked

  "Pegging the guys attacking our backup."

  "How bad's it look?"

  "Bad, but they're still moving. We can't stop."

  "I know. Hold on."

  I turned hard and slewed us down a side street, and through two more corners hard. "I'm gonna take us up, but not here, get your head down its low clearance."

  "Roger," and he popped back down on the seat.

  "Anything?" I asked turning to Slash, who was sitting next to me.

  "Well, Chuck is driving the other car and he doesn't see anyone else, Cam is scrambling one of the fighters and will be here in about five minutes. I got an air born feed from a TV station's traffic Camera that's following the fire on the road though, and two cars tried to pull a u-turn shortly after you did, I lost them off the screen as they zoomed in. So you can count on company soon."

  "Thanks. Hold on everyone!" I called out as I floored it. Samantha was laying down on the floor in the back, out of sight and I cut through three more side streets and back out onto another main road when I found what I wanted, a parking garage for one of the stores I liked to shop at. I cut the limo in, sending up sparks as we bounced over the speed bumps. It had a low ceiling and I winced as we clipped a few light fixtures.

  I hit the ramp to the next level and just kept us going up and up and up until we hit the open top level.

  "Get your guns out! And strap your ass in this time!" I called out as Sabre stood back up and laid that gun back on the roof.

  "Everyone secure?" I asked as I rocketed out on to the roof level.

  "Everyone's strapped in, now go!" Sabre told me.

  I fired the emergency rocket boost and got us in the air.

  "We got company!" Called out Slash who now had the car's low powered radar up and scanning. "Coming in fast from behind us."

  "I see him!" Sabre said calmly. "Standard aircar, they're only lightly armed."

  "Great, so where's the other one?" I asked diving down between the buildings and flying as low as I dared with all the wires and crap down there.

  I could hear Sabre's gun firing again. Short controlled bursts as we barreled down the streets, cutting left and right. Sabre told me they were firing on us, but I was moving too much and flying too low for them to get many clear shots.

  We turned left up a street and suddenly I heard Sabre growl excitedly and then Cam's voice was in my ear. "Splash one, and you'd better turn left now!"

  I hauled the stick over hard and a moment later saw a flash and felt us shake as something went off nearby. Sabre collapsed in the back and I floored it again."

  "What was that?"

  "Missile, Big one." Cam's voice answered. "Give me five seconds."

  I turned to Slash, "Unbelt and check him!"

  He nodded and dove in the back.

  "Got 'em!" Cam's voice came back. "Now, where to?"

  "Office. I think we may need a medic, Sabre's hurt."

  "How bad?"

  "Not too bad," Came Slash's voice from his com unit. "Nasty gash on the head, didn't go through the bone though, he'll live."

  "Any word on the backup car?" I asked Cam.

  "Yeah, two injured seriously, one casualty."

  "Fuck!" Came a very unladylike expression over the com in the voice of my boss. No one said anything for the next minute as I rose up higher and made a beeline for the company's offices. I knew they had a hospital there. I looked up and could see Cam shadowing us. He stayed with us until I landed us in front of the hospital. Then waggled his wings and went off to cover the other guys I guessed.

  Some security type came running over and started to tell me I couldn't park here, until he saw Slash hauling out a bloody Sabre. I didn't even get a chance to open my mouth before he was grabbing the other arm and helping Slash get him out of the car.

  "You okay mamm?" he asked Samantha, noticing that there was blood on her as well.

  "Yes, I'm fine. It's his."

  He nodded and then helped Slash carry Sabre inside. I reached under my seat and pulled out the sub-machine gun that was there and checked the ammo, then followed Samantha inside as well.

  "I don't think you'll need that here Dialene." She said.

  "I'll put it down when Sabre says I can and not a moment before Ms. Harten."

  She just nodded and we trooped down the hallway and into the emergency room. The entire staff was human and they looked very surprised to see us.

  The nurse looked up and said, "Morphs down the hallway." And pointed.

  Samantha walked up to her and said, "Not today."

  She replied in a soft voice that brooked no argument at all. "They need special gear mamm, special doctors, trust me, you want him there."

  Samantha blinked, then nodded and we trooped down another short hallway and by the time we walked in, there was a gurney, nurses, doctors, about what you'd expect from an emergency room.

  I could see what the other nurse had meant. Sabre would have crushed a normal gurney, if he could have even fit on it. It t
ook several orderlies on one side with Slash on the other to get him up on it. It didn't take long for the doctor to come over and check him out.

  "I can sew up the head wound and seal it in a few minutes. His skull's a little cracked, but not broken. Some bone glue will handle that as well. However he's got a concussion, and someone's going to have to watch over him for the next day. We can do that here, or lend you a nurse and take him somewhere else if you wish."

  "Patch him up, and put him in a room here for now. I'll have him moved someplace else later on." Samantha replied. "How long will he be unconscious?"

  "He's not actually unconscious now, he's semi-conscious. He can hear us, maybe even understand us. He just can't move or talk. Concussion's are like that. He'll be out of it until tomorrow unless I give him a stimulant. I don't recommend that though, could really mess him up."

  "Okay, we have some more injured coming in soon. You'd better get ready."

  "Already on it Mamm. I'll keep you informed."

  "Thanks Doctor." She smiled weakly.

  She leaned over and whispered something in Sabre's ear and then stood up and headed for the exit.

  "Don't worry, I'll keep her out of trouble," I said giving his leg a pat.

  "Come on Slash, we got the duty now."

  "What about him?" He nodded over at Sabre, not wanting to leave him defenseless.

  I looked him over, he had quite a bit of blood on himself as well, and an attack on Sabre would definitely hurt Samantha.

  "Good point, and you're probably too bloody to stand duty upstairs. Give me a status update every ten."

  He nodded and I trotted to catch up with Samantha before she left the room.

  "Are you going to carry that thing all day?" she asked nodding at the gun.

  "You going to change your clothes? You've got quite a bit of blood on them." I asked changing the subject.

  "When I get to my office."

  I nodded. "Follow me this way then."

  "But the car is this way."

  "And no one's been watching it. I have a better idea."

  She nodded and followed me. I took us around to the back of the building, where the shuttle vans stopped. I looked out the door and around. Then I dragged her down a side hallway and found a storage closet.

  "Here, put this on over your clothes, and wear this cap."

  She nodded and when we walked out to the Van, she didn't stand out like a sore thumb. Once we got inside I told the driver to skip the rest of his route and head straight to the main building. He saw the slung sub-machine gun and nodded. I think he also recognized Samantha once she dumped the doctor's coveralls.

  We got to the office without any further problems. Security was out in force and one had the gall to ask for my weapon. I just growled at him and he let me be. About twenty minutes after we had left the hospital the rest of the crew turned up there. Slash informed me that Tigg was the casualty, he had been sitting in the front seat next to the driver when the missile had hit the door. Pen and Al were the two seriously wounded, but it looked like they'd be okay now that they were at the hospital. Al had been driving and had to be pulled out of the seat so Chuck could take over. All of them were wounded, though the rest were still mobile. Chuck was Sabre's backup, and from what Slash told me he probably wasn't in any shape to fill in yet.

  "Clean everybody up, and let me know when you think they're ready to move. Don't rush anyone, take your time, make sure the doctor gets a good look at each of them. Keep a hold of Tigg's body too, we'll take it back with us."

  "Roger, out."

  I then called the estate and told Cam to fly out the Beta team, and to bring out some techs to sweep and recover the cars.

  "And I'm gonna need something to come home in tonight. Whatever it is, give it legs and firepower."

  "You can count on me Dialene!" he said and signed off.

  I looked up as Samantha came out of her private bathroom, I was in her office standing where I knew Sabre usually stood. She had changed her clothes and cleaned off the blood from when Sabre fell on her.

  "You okay?" I asked

  "Sure, how bad are the two who were injured?"

  "I haven't gotten any details yet, but they should be okay. The rest have minor injuries. I'm going to send them all back to the estate once they're ready to move."

  "And, who ... who died?"

  I sighed, "Tigg. It was instant."

  She nodded and sighed sitting down behind her desk.

  "Why?" She asked looking down. I knew she wasn't asking me, but I responded anyways.

  "I think they figured if they took out the car in the back, we'd run forward without thinking into their ambush, without any backup."

  "Is that why you turned around?"

  "I just wanted to do whatever I thought was the least predictable thing there was."

  She nodded. "This has got to stop."

  "There was a lot of this before Sabre got sent off, wasn't there?"

  She looked up at me and nodded again, "Four Attempts. But none after he left."

  "Really?"

  She nodded.

  "That's curious."

  "Very. We thought that we had gotten those in charge when Sabre took care of a few things. I guess we didn't."

  "I think that when Sabre gets better we're all going to sit down and have a long talk about this." I sighed. "I don't like being a target either."

  "If you want to be transferred, just ask," she sighed.

  "What, and let you have him all to yourself?" I grinned, "You're not getting rid of me that easily!" I laughed and she grinned as well.

  "You're going to have to do something about that gun you know." She said straightening herself up. "I don't think people are going to be comfortable with a fox who was raised by the competition holding a machine gun.

  I smirked, "Wait till the Beta team gets here and they have to deal with Pete and Sean. I think they'll be even less comfortable."

  "Not taking any chances, are we?"

  "Nope, after all, you're not just my boss, you're my friend. Besides, Sabre would kill me if I didn't."

  "Thanks, and you're probably right. Right after he tore me a new one."

  Then she settled down to work. It was only an hour before the backup team showed up. I stationed Pete and Sean in Sabre's office and her bathroom, which both opened onto the office. I stuck the other two in the outer office with the receptionist, who thankfully knew them and wasn't the least bit bothered. I stood right there the whole day and didn't get more then ten feet away.

  Sheer terror does a lot to help keep you awake, and I may have been joking before but I knew if they tried again today and I fucked up, that I would be better off dead then alive when Sabre caught up with me. Not to mention my own personal involvement in the matter.

  It was late afternoon when the hospital cleared everyone to go back to the estate. Sabre and the two seriously injured had to go by ambulance, Cam assured me that we not only had one, but we had a doctor and several nurses there.

  As for my day in the office, it was insightful, and a bit interesting. I got some looks at several of the meetings I attended with her, but no one said anything and Samantha acted like it was nothing out of the ordinary.

  When the time came to leave Cam flew cover. He'd had someone bring over an APC. I was surprised, but I wasn't complaining. We all piled in and I flew a dogleg course back, just in case.

  8

  I got the vehicle stowed and then went to see how Sabre was doing. Samantha was already there checking on him. Our own doctor, one of the Tiger's of course, filled us in on how everyone was. She gave us the short story which was everyone would recover, though for the two seriously injured it would be a few weeks. The company hospital had done an excellent job. Samantha then went with the doctor to visit personally with the other two. I went to find Chuck and Cam.

  "So what happens now?" I asked grabbing some coffee as the three of us sat in the kitchen. I wasn't worried about security here, Chuck had
ordered a sweep of the house and the grounds, starting with this room. So except for us and the cook, it was deserted. Everyone was still shocked by Tigg's death and upset over the attempt on Samantha's life, and being around a bunch of morose and angry tigers wasn't healthy for them or me. So he gave them some work to do to keep their minds off of things.

  "Good question." Said Chuck, "I guess we review our security."

  "That's a start," Cam put in, "But this attack was the heaviest we've seen since Sabre left."

  "Those attacks stopped when he left, didn't they?" I asked.

  They both nodded, "What of it?" Asked Chuck.

  "Doesn't that strike you as strange?"

  "You don’t think Sabre ..." Chuck growled.

  I gave him a dirty look, "Of course not. But it's too strange to be a coincidence." I stopped and thought a minute. "It means there may be a pattern. If we can figure out the pattern, maybe we can find out who's behind it."

  "We need a war room," Cam said.

  "A what?" I blinked.

  "A war room. A private room with charts of all the attacks set up showing different things. Dates, places, styles. So we can do trend analysis. We can't let anyone know we might have found a pattern, or they'll try to throw it off."

  Chuck and I nodded.

  "But what do we do for now?" I asked again.

  "Well, you're my boss, you tell me." Cam said.

  I looked over at Chuck, he nodded. "Fresh input is always good, so I'm all ears."

  "Well, I think we're safe for a few days, that attack cost money and took time to set up. They'll have to relearn our security processes which they know we'll be changing. So I have an idea or two.

  "First, lets come up with three different security processes, call them huey, luey, and duey. Duey will be a false front, everything we do, we'll make it look like duey to the outside world, we make sure duey gets run by someone, and we hire a body double to sit in for Samantha in the duey runs.

  "However, huey and luey will be the security we actually run. And we alter at random times between them, anywhere from two to five days, or in case of emergency, unless one of them gets compromised. We run them behind scenes, and we don't brief anyone outside on them."