The Gathering Storm

by Marshall Miller

  “It eats almost anything, and its very strong gastric acids can break down anything short of depleted uranium. It reproduces asexually. After it has stuffed itself several times in a row, it buds two young from its back, which ‘hatch’ about a week later. The young remain around the adult just long enough to see it feed. After they comprehend the concept, they are capable of hunting for their own food. They will not eat their own kind.”

  Adam kept examining the picture. “Why are you showing me this picture, your Lordship?”

  The Tschaaa Lord wiggled its arms in a sign of consternation and embarrassment. “Some Lords had brought examples along with them, trying to hunt them in specially designed areas on our large ships. The limited area greatly reduced the sport to a quick one on one fight, so that the activity soon fell out of favor onboard.

  “It was decided that releasing them on Earth would result in two things. One, there would now be room for the traditional hunts. Two, the Tschaaa Lord that made the decision saw it as a means to displace some of the Chinese populace, which had displeased him in the first year after the rock strike by refusing to cooperate and harassing his coastal breeding areas.”

  Adam knew that harassing breeders and young was a death sentence. Now, it appeared as if an entire culture might be sentenced to death, not for meat but for revenge.

  Lord Neptune sighed. “Unfortunately, Eaters breed like your rabbits, and are constantly on the move. It has been an Earth month since the introduction of a dozen or so. There are reports of sightings in Eastern Russia, and they seem to be moving toward Europe and former areas of Korea.”

  Adam knew the Korean peninsula was almost barren of life, thanks to the North Korean resistance. The Eaters would soon move on.

  “Can they swim, Lordship?

  “Yes, they can, although they are land creatures. They seemed to have originated in our ocean.”

  “Well, I suppose I now have an interesting and unique subject for Kathy Monroe to discuss during a broadcast,” said Adam.

  “Excellent!” His Lordship exclaimed. “The primary subject will be the Crèche Ship movement?”

  Now it was Adam’s turn to sigh. “I will start with a story that the Tschaaa are exploring the solar system and asteroids for usable resources. I will hold off on mentioning the sun dive for as long as I can. I need time to get set up for panic and violence.”

  His Lordship gave a sign of compassion.

  “Director, Adam, I have one more question. It is rather… theoretical in nature.”

  “Like we humans say, shoot.”

  The Lord paused for a moment. Then he asked, “Could you be my friend?”

  Adam was caught off guard. What brought this on? He had to be careful in his answer or he may suddenly disappear.

  “Well, we refer to our dogs as ‘man’s best friend’. Most humans stopped eating dog meat decades ago, and we bred them to be our companions. Dog and man both greatly enjoy physical contact with the other. But that took many thousands of years of development, of change from wolf to dog and primitive man to Homo sapiens.”

  He could tell that Lord Neptune was in deep contemplation. Then, his Lordship spoke. “I hope you and I can find a way to speed up the process. Thousands of years is much too long a time. Once your species can accept the division between client and cattle, man and meat, dog and wolf, I think the next step will result in humans being the Tschaaa’s best friend.”

  The rest of the conversation was small talk. Adam did say that Talbot and his Krakens had asked to go to Atlanta in Cattle Country to see who was behind the organized breakout that had just happened.

  “I will leave the details to you, My Director. Just ensure they have communications with a Falcon or two in case some… harvesting takes place. I dislike wasted meat.”

  “Yes, your Lordship.”

  The Tschaaa Lord looked at Adam intently. “Just for your information, I contemplated at one time making Talbot a Director.”

  “Oh?” Adam said.

  “Yes, I held that idea for a brief time. He lacks what you humans refer to as finesse, what we Tschaaa refer to as ‘gill cleaning’, the ability to clean another’s gills quickly and efficiently with pleasure, not discomfort.”

  “Yes, your Lordship. It goes without saying that I am glad you chose me instead.”

  “As I am glad, Director. As I too am glad.”

  Adam left soon thereafter, with assurances that Andrew, the robocop assigned to Key West, would soon be by with new nanotechnology, and to assist in beginning preparation for the dissemination of information about the sun dive and its aftermath.

  As Adam left, he thought of Andrew. He was one of two hundred fifty successful modifications of more recent Earthborn humans to what was almost a total cyborg interface. Of the two hundred fifty-four volunteers selected, two hundred and fifty were successful, an extremely high success rate. As far as Adam was concerned, the end results were superior to the original cyborg warrior, developed from Gigantipithicus and Homo Erectus DNA. Not only did Andrew and his brothers have higher natural cognitive ability, independent of computer interface, but as having grown up as a human child, he had the natural understanding of the human experience on Earth.

  Did Andrew see Adam as a “friend”? Now that was an idea to ponder. Andrew was still basically human, though the computer brain interface produced a very fast and varied mental process, the abilities to handle various tasks and different lines of thinking all the same time. Adam wondered if he still really ‘thought’ like a human. It was surprising that only four of the human/information system interface attempts failed. His Lordship said all four went insane and had to be ‘dismantled’. Adam believed it was due to a tight selection process from thousands of applicants, and that volunteering to become something both less and more than human led to an initial good mindset for success. All the applicants also had to accept the fact they would be completely subservient to the Tschaaa, twenty-hours a day, no private life. They were literally ‘wired in’ to the massive Tschaaa information, communication and data processing system, with instant contact. This meant they could have no secrets. They also had to accept harvesting dark meat personally. Therefore, a large percentage of applicants must come with a preconceived notion of racial superiority. Due to the size requirements, close to a seven foot minimum upon complete modification, most were of Nordic stock from Northern Europe and the former U.S., with a few tall Irish, Scottish, and light-skinned Spaniards and Italians. Adam had gotten word that a call for more volunteers had just been released in Europe. Knowing the rather limited amenities and creature comforts, especially decent food, Adam was pessimistic they would find a dozen applicants who could meet the size and health requirements.

  Maybe they would extend the call to North America.

  Adam was escorted by El Segundo back to the dock. The Tschaaa offspring of His Lordship gave him a respectful wave of his tentacles and disappeared beneath the waters. Adam sat in the boat for a few minutes, eating one of his sandwiches and drinking a bottle of near beer. Out here was one of the few places left where he could be truly ‘alone’. He still needed private time, wrapped in his own musings, which hard to find at the Key West Base, the New Capital of North America.

  Adam stretched, looked at the abused boat engines and shook his head. Well, here goes. He turned the blowers on, which sounded as if the fan bearings were shot, then waited. After a couple of minutes, he cranked the engines. They started up, and then the port one literally burst into flames. Luckily the fire extinguisher still worked. He shut everything down, and sat on the bow. He looked at his watch. He was already past due for contacting the Chief, so he reached for his radio phone.

  Then he heard an engine. It sounded like a Sea-Doo, or WaveRunner. He shielded his eyes from the sun and caught sight of the sea craft approaching from about ten o’clock to his reference. It was a large two-seater, with one figure on board. He stepped to the stern of the open fisherman and waved to the Sea-Doo. At that, the driver acc
elerated toward him, cutting the engine back to idle at just the right moment so that the craft coasted to a near stop next to Adam’s boat. Adam used his boat hook to hold the craft near.

  “Ahoy, Captain. I guess you must be the Director.” A slightly sultry and strong-sounding female voice emanated from the pilot’s seat, and told Adam the operator was a woman.

  “Yes, Sailor, I am the Director. You must be my ride.” Adam looked at the young lady. She was a strong and curvy woman, with dark brown hair tied back in a bun.

  She flashed him a small smile. “Begging the Director’s pardon, but I’m a Coastie, so I prefer Guardsman. We are bit sensitive about being lumped in with swabbies.”

  Not only fit, capable, but a bit feisty. Adam smiled back. He did not readily recognize her, but he knew he would soon come to like her.

  “Sorry, Ma’am. I’m a former propellerhead, Air Force. We get confused on the water.”

  Her smile disappeared as her gaze traveled past Adam. “We have visitors.” It was then that Adam noticed the Coastie had a Beretta M-9 in a shoulder holster, with a magazine pouch and large fighting knife balancing the opposite side of the rig. She reached for the pistol as Adam turned and saw two adolescent Squids pop out of the ocean, each having a large-edged weapon pointed at the humans. Adam knew the two Squids were doing the equivalent of demonstrating their ‘maleness’ by challenging a couple of humans near a Tschaaa breeding area, authorized or not. And sometimes, like human teenagers, they acted out with violent results.

  “Stop right there, fishheads!” the Coastie bellowed, quite authoritatively. The Squids stopped, moving their arms to stay afloat and in place. Their eyes focused on the Coastie, ignoring Adam. He had the boathook in his hands, still hoping the situation did not come to blows. Once before it had been necessary for Adam to let fly with a black powder load in order to scare an agitated Squid away. He knew injuring one could lead to problems. But he was not about to be slapped around, or watch one of his people get skewered. Adam thought he heard some Squid clicks, a couple of low tones. The two youngsters then blew their gills in the Squid version of a belly laugh, and flipped a sign with their social tentacles that Adam had come to understand. Adam snickered as the two Squid disappeared beneath the waves.

  The Coastie looked at him quizzically “What was that about, Sir? Was something funny?”

  How not to offend a professional woman? “What is your name?”

  “Heidi Faust, Petty Officer First Class, Sir.” She smartly saluted him, her hand no longer on her pistol.

  “Petty Officer Faust, please do not be offended, but the Tschaaa think that all… well-endowed human females are breeders. They do not understand our sexuality. To them we are a bunch of randy monkeys. The sign they gave meant something similar to apologies for interrupting mating.”

  Heidi’s face flushed. “I should have shot the assholes. I was born with big breast genes. What’s their excuse, asshole genes?”

  Adam began to laugh, and after a couple of seconds, so did Heidi. He did not get a reason to laugh like this very often. It felt good.

  “I take it, Petty Officer, that you are my ride.”

  “That would be me, Sir.”

  “Well, let me stow my briefcase and ditty bag, and we can get moving.” Adam, while Heidi held onto the side of the boat for stability, secured his items in a hatch beneath the rear seat. “Here, Ma’am, have a near beer. Not enough alcohol to worry about.”

  Heidi flashed Adam a smile that lit up her eyes. “Thank you, Director. It is getting warm out here.”

  Adam clambered on behind her as if it was a large motorcycle. Heidi began drinking the near beer. “So tell me, how did a former U.S. Coastguardsman get here?”

  “The Chief, Sir. He found me up the coast by Miami, trying to survive by fishing where the Squids would let me. A couple of swabbies and I, plus some civilians, hooked up after everything fell apart, staying where it was warmer when the nuclear winter kicked in. I had my Coast Guard cutter blown out from beneath me by an underwater mine the Squids were so nice to place. I was the one and only survivor.”

  Adam watched her profile as she finished off the near beer. “So why work with the creatures that killed your shipmates?”

  Heidi tossed the empty bottle purposefully at where the Squids had been, a sign of protest. “They stopped eating us, I got tired of living hand to mouth, and the Chief made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.”

  Adam grinned. “He has a way of doing that. Can you use that knife?”

  She gave him a sideways grin. “My folks ran a gym and dojo outside Palm Beach. I was doing judo and gracie jiu jitsu from the time I was five. I met my boyfriend there later. He taught me Filipino eskrima knife fighting. We joined the Coast Guard together.” Suddenly her face and eyes clouded. Adam had seen that look a thousand times before.

  Everyone she was talking about was dead.

  “Sorry. Didn’t mean to pry.”

  “Not your fault, Sir. Every survivor I’ve met has lost someone. After a while, you are just glad to be alive.”

  Heidi had an attractive face, with full lips and a strong German nose that looked good on her. She had hazel eyes that flashed when she laughed. How had he not noticed her before? The base wasn’t that crowded.

  “I do not remember meeting you, Petty Officer. Why not?”

  “You were supposed to, right after the Chief recruited me. That was a bit over a year from me losing my cutter. You were really busy then... ”

  “Well, it was my loss. It’s one of the reasons I instituted the initial briefings and socials, so I could meet everyone. Somehow you slipped through the cracks.” Adam grinned.

  Heidi grinned back. “So, Director, I think we need to head back before the Chief thinks we are goofing off.”

  “Hell, the Chief knows I goof off every chance I get. Let’s go, then, Petty Officer.

  “Aye aye, Sir.”

  Adam wrapped his arms around Heidi’s waist to hold on. He felt the strong, supple strength in her stomach muscles. She accelerated and they were soon hauling ass back to the Key West base.

  The close proximity of an attractive woman and the vibration of the Sea-Doo, soon produced an embarrassing reaction that Adam attempted to hide from Heidi Faust. However, he had to hold tight as she was hauling ass with a competency born of experience. Adam kept hoping that the Petty Officer would not notice. He was wrong. Just under an hour later, as they were about a mile from shore, Heidi cut their speed to an idle. She turned her head back toward Adam. “Director, if I may be so bold, is that a gun in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?”

  Adam then did something he did not do often. He blushed.

  “Please, don’t take it the wrong way, Petty Officer. I don’t take advantage of my position...”

  Heidi let loose with a strong, throaty laugh. “With all due respect, then you are the first person I have ever met that hasn’t at one time or another, including me.” She winked at Adam. “I’m not offended, Director. A good man is hard to find. Or is it a hard man is good to find?” She laughed again.

  Adam laughed also. Damn, she had a good sense of humor.

  “Seriously, Ms. Faust, if you are as good as you say with that knife, I could use the lessons. Chaperoned, of course.”

  “Anytime, Director. But just remember, I’ll be one of the most dangerous things to a man with an erection–a woman with a sharp knife.”

  With that last comment, Heidi accelerated again suddenly, Adam grabbing on tight to keep from falling off. Smart ass Coastie.

  Back in his office, Adam found himself alone, grinning like an idiot. He would definitely would take Heidi up on her offer, if for no other reason than she made him laugh a lot. He needed the reminder that he had a sense of humor these days.

  He looked at the time, and headed to his quarters. He turned and quietly walked out the door, down toward the suite where Kathy resided. He lightly knocked on the door, and she opened it immediately, dressed in a short, sheer
robe and nothing more.

  “Adam, I thought you would never get here.” she whispered. She pulled him in, and quietly closed the door behind him. Placing her arms around his neck, she leapt up and wrapped her strong legs around his waist.

  “Come here, you,” she ordered.

  An hour later, he extricated himself from Kathy’s arms, kissed her cheek, and quietly padded to the apartment door. He put his trunks back on, and returned to his office. As quietly as possible, he went to his private bathroom and took a shower. He made sure he washed all of Kathy’s scent off him, then got out and dried off. He then walked nude back to his master bedroom.

  Mary Lou was sleeping in the oversized bed alone, slightly snoring. He slid into bed, and spooned up next to her. He kissed her shoulder, and fell into a deep sleep.

  CHAPTER 10

  MALMSTROM ALLIED ARMED FORCES BASE, MONTANA

  Whether they resided in the Feral areas, Tschaaa-controlled areas, or the Free States and Countries, humans still discovered or rediscovered the concepts of love and of family. This is a constant of the human condition, sometimes resulting in often strange and stressful situations.

  - Excerpts from the Literary Works of Royal Princess Akiko, Free Japan Royal Family

  Torbin was tired. These long days, in addition to some of the recent emotional upheaval, were finally getting to him. Despite his excellent physical shape, everyone had their limits. He was beginning to suddenly feel old. However, when he approached to the door to his quarters and found it unlocked, a jolt of adrenaline woke him up. He unscrewed the nearest hallway light. Then, his Ka-Bar in his hand, he pushed the door open, and low rolled into his darkened front room.

  “I am unarmed, Captain.” It was Aleksandra.

  He stood up, and saw the Russian sitting on his sofa in the dark.

  “How, may I ask, did you gain access to my quarters?”