Again his Lordship gave the equivalent of a sigh.
“Over ten thousand young have died due to the blast and radiation effects. Some took a lot longer than we realized. We initially did not recognize some of the damage done. Now we know. Add some two thousand adults and adolescents, and it shook our collective psyche. Another such incident and I may not be able to control the reactions of the other Lords.”
“But it happened to your Crèche, Lord Neptune. Why would it upset the others so?”
“We are from different Crèches, but we are still Tschaaa. We are a much closer as a species, as what you might refer to as a race, than you humans. We feel each other’s pain when it comes to the loss of our offspring. It has ever been so, will probably remain so. Unless our exposure to this world somehow warps us.”
Adam said nothing. He remembered the Tschaaa Lord, the first in hundreds of years, who had been executed for trying to secretly damage his Lordship’s holdings using Eaters. They were already being warped, did not really realize it.
The Lord seemed to relax a bit, pulling out a piece of sugar cane to chew on.
“Please keep those numbers to yourself, Director. You are the only human who knows the extent of the damage. But I tell you the importance of that not happening again. That is, if you wish any civilization, as you call it, to exist in North America.”
Not for the first time, Adam felt a bit of a chill on his spine. Things were getting much more dangerous, if that were possible. The tight rope he was walking on suddenly became longer, thinner, and higher off the ground. “As we humans say, my lips are sealed. Sir.”
“Good. How are your young, and your wives?”
“Fine, your Lordship. The four children are growing like bad weeds. My wives are healthy and sassy.”
Lord Neptune performed the equivalent of a human chuckle. “Bad weeds. Again the alien concept of a human lawn. Someday, I would like to spend time on a human lawn, see what it feels like. All of my time on Earth has been in the ocean.”
Adam quickly banished from his memory the sight of the Squids killed on the grassy area around his HQ Building by both the attacking USA raiders and his own troops. The Tschaaa Lord had probably never thought of where all of those deaths had occurred. If he did, the idea of a lawn might not be so attractive.
“Well, my Director. Keep broadcasting your information to the Ferals, and the U.S.A.. Soon, you will have even more things to broadcast. Occurrences that will demonstrate the desirability of cooperation with the Tschaaa Lords, rather than resisting them.”
“Until then, your Lordship, I remain your loyal Director.”
“I know, Adam Lloyd. That is why I chose you.”
CHAPTER 22
He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. If you gaze for long into the abyss, the abyss gazes into you. So said the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. He must have foreseen the coming of the Tschaaa.
-Excerpt from the Works of Princess Akiko, Free Japan Royal Family
MALMSTROM ARMED FORCES BASE, MONTANA
General Reed looked at the large print security warnings on the hard written copy of the video/DVD he had just viewed, hot off the proverbial press. Colonel Bardun had produced this in record time.
Top Secret Crypto. Eyes Only Authorization. NOFORN.
Unauthorized Dissemination of Information Contained
Herein Is Punishable by Death.
After viewing it twice, he saw why.
Sergeant Dark Wolf’s digital recording had shown a tableau more in common with a slasher movie of the late twentieth century than of the scene of a rescue operation. He read the description written by Colonel Bardun again.
“As was mentioned earlier in this report, Tschaaa originated modification and enhancements of K-9 Sergeant Fuzz and Captain Young created a new form of fighting soldier. Both had bones of uncommon strength and density, as well as muscles with added strength, mass, and efficiency not apparently attainable thru normal means. In addition, extreme speed, reflexes added by modifications of “fast twitch” muscle mechanics create a level of combat effectiveness never seen before, short of a cyborg like the robocops.
“The initial video record made by Sergeant Dark Wolf was excellent, despite the use of a basic digital camera. He should be commended for obtaining so much information with a single camera in a limited amount of time. A survey team was able to respond, including the author of this report, with in twenty-four hours. Sergeant Dark Wolf’s recording enabled the team to later reconstruct what had happened by adding its information to what the survey team had observed. This despite the movement of some of the bodies and body parts by scavengers and insects.”“It is surmised that the alien smell of the two nearby dead grays may have been off-putting initially for traditional scavenging or predation. This is supported by the observed fact that neither gray body seemed to have been disturbed. Why no Tschaaa or their supporters arrived to look for the grays is a mystery, since they were sent to the location to track and recover Captain Young. It may have been a case that they were considered expendable, that once it was realized they were dead, there was no reason to expend effort at recovery.”
General Reed now skipped down to the portion where Colonel Bardun went step by step, body by body of what had happened to the dead Krakens.
“Subject Bodies One and Two. Based on the location of the bodies and the recorded injuries, these two males came upon Captain Young while she was preoccupied with Sergeant Fuzz, either dead or dying. Subject One was partially eviscerated around the genital area, the partial blade of a switchblade knife belonging to Captain Young being recovered from his pubic bone.
“Subject Two apparently was able to fire his assault rifle at Captain Young, until she propelled Subject One’s body into him. He was found partially covered by Subject One, with his face completely caved in. Evidence points to impact from combat boots.
“Based on the distance of the next series of dead bodies from the first two, a group of ten Krakens and Ferals were apparently hurrying to the site of the gunshots from Subject Two. The group arrived in what seemed to be a bunched up file. Upon arrival, they were set upon and slaughtered.
“There have been suppositions that there must have been some other unknown person or persons helping Captain Young. At this point I must state unequivocally that neither the survey team nor I found any evidence of any other participants, other than Captain Young. The slaughter was accomplished by one, though clearly special and enhanced, warrior.”
General Reed paused in his reading for a moment to ponder this statement again. A young woman, whom he considered an adopted daughter, had single handedly killed twelve enemy combatants in hand to hand combat. He shivered a bit before he continued reading the report.
“Subjects Three and Four had their heads and faces smashed in by rifle butts and barrels. Four had a rifle, barrel first, speared through his right eye into his frontal lobe. Evidence points to a few rounds being discharged during this action.
“Subject Five, next in apparent line, had his throat ripped out. Exact instrument used is unclear.
“Apparently, at this moment, panic set in. Tracks and the position of the bodies point to a general panicked flight by the remaining combatants. Subjects Six, Seven and Eight became entangled while trying to flee, tripping over each other. A field machete, which must have been taken from one of the enemy as Captain Young had brought no such tool, was used to hack through necks. Two heads were completely separated from the bodies, with Subject Eight having the machete buried at the base of her skull.
“Remaining Subjects Nine through Twelve were more spread out back along the trail, trying to outrun death. They were unsuccessful. Nine appeared to have been picked up and rammed chest first into a broken branch stump some six feet above ground level. Ten and Eleven were slammed head first into trees as the killer caught up with them. The front of their skulls were partially caved in by the force of the impact on tree stumps. They were not wearing helmets.
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br /> “Finally, Subject Twelve made it some fifty yards further through the brush. At that point, she was caught, knocked down, and pummeled to death by a person’s fists. Her jaw was completely smashed and broken, as was her nose. Her right eye was knocked clear out of the respective eye socket by the attack.
“Captain Young must have then immediately returned to Sergeant Fuzz, as she was found by Sergeant Dark Wolf cradling her K-9 Partner. That is how she appears in the Sergeant’s recording.
“Attached in Appendix One of this Report is the After Action Report of the ParaRescue Team that extracted Captain Young and Sergeant Fuzz. Summarizing it, it took super efforts and substantial morphine to finally subdue and sedate Captain Young. Lieutenant Shannon Bell must receive special praise for managing to get Captains Young’s attention and to stop her aggression, at the risk of her severe injury and possibly death. Chief Thompson, Sergeant Mason and Sergeant Dark Wolf all suffered severe bruises, bites, cracked and broken bones.
“Based on these actions and her subsequent hospitalization, it must be clearly stated that Captain Abigail Young has been modified to the extent that she is near a superhuman level in her strength, speed and ability to absorb injury. The attack and the subsequent death of Sergeant Fuzz resulted her going into a form of a fugue state, where her whole purpose became the protection of Fuzz and the utter destruction of any threat. It took the quick thinking of veterinarian Emily Anders and the introduction of Young Fuzz to her in the hospital to bring her back to normal.
“So far, tests reveal that Captain Young seems much more in control of her physical abilities. Time will tell if that remains so. Major Yamamoto seems to have training and experience in using meditation techniques he used in Free Japan to control unrestrained violence. Based on Captain Young’s abilities, it is hoped that is reality.”
General Reed poured himself another scotch. He wished yet again that fate had been different and that someone else had gotten the job he held today. It was a constant balancing act between trying to help people and at the same time making sure the U.S.A. survived. Now a woman who was like a daughter to him had demonstrated the ability to kill and destroy at an impossible level. At least not without the use of firearms. And now he had to decide if she could really be trusted among normal people. Or was she a ticking time bomb of a creature that should be put down.
Just then, Master sergeant Johannsson buzzed him on the intercom.
“Yes, Sergeant.”
“Sir, Security Control has a General Huff from Deseret on the line. He says he has to talk to you about a very urgent matter that cannot wait for normal channels. It involves Captain Young.”
It dawned on him that Abigail should have finished her meeting with Deseret government officials by now. But he had not yet received any word from anybody, so his blood suddenly ran cold.
“Put him through, Sergeant. Time for me to find out what is going on with the Mormons.”
Abigail and Ichiro stopped again at Rock Springs to spend the night with the Bell family. Abigail needed time to depressurize after the violence and emotion of the meeting with the so- called Prophet. They would leave early in the morning and drive through to Malmstrom, where she would have to talk to General Reed about her future status. Abigail figured her position as a formal representative of Deseret was now ended. No matter what the Prophet had done, he was still the official Prophet, the leader of the Mormon Church, not to mention the President of the independent nation state. Plus, she had completely mangled his arm, and smashed him in the family jewels. She and Ichiro had killed some half a dozen of Deseret security personnel. If not for Doc Stubbs showing up, she would have loaded Mathew’s body up into her SUV and taken him to Malmstrom for burial. She was just as much family to him as any of the surviving Twenty. However, she knew that Doc Stubbs would take care of his funeral needs, and would not let anyone deter him from that task.
So Abigail assumed she would need a job and citizenship in the Unoccupied States, with both General Reed could help. She did not know if the civilian government would pitch a fit, though she knew that Madam President would probably be in her corner. But Congress? Who knew?
Abigail and Ichiro gave the Bell family the quick and dirty on what had happened. Cal Bell was quick to respond.
“We’ve got your back, Abigail. Need a place to live, you have it here.”
“After we marry, you will have status with Free Japan,” Ichiro interjected. “You are also becoming a legendary figure among the young women in my country.”
“I just wanted to serve God, the human race, and my country,” Abigail sighed. “Now, it looks as if I have to start over.”
“Then we will do it together, Abby-san. As husband and wife.”
Abigail leaned her head against Ichiro’s shoulder, Funny how, after all these years, knowing she could depend on someone, just touching them, gave her such a feeling of security. But then she had never really been in love before.
“I think I need to call it a night. I’m sleepy, and we have a long day ahead of us, Ichiro.”
“Whatever you wish, my love.”
“Your beds made up already, dear,” said Ma Bell. “I’ll get up and make you both a good breakfast in the morning. No, protesting will do you no good. I want to see you off anyways.”
Abigail hugged her adopted mother. Then, off to her bed she went.
Jean Bell looked at Ichiro.
“You will keep in touch, even if Abigail has trouble doing so?”
Ichiro bowed. “It will be my honor. You have done so much for her, given her a family she needed.”
With that, Jean Bell gave an embarrassed Samurai a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
“I will hold you to that promise, Ichiro Yamamoto. Now you are family too. I understand you still have family in Japan.”
“Hai. We were lucky. Our major problems have been to supply sufficient food for our people. We have lost only some one thousand of our civilians due to direct enemy action. Apparently some of the background radiation from Fukushima, the knowledge that we had two nuclear weapons dropped on us reduced our value as meat for the Tschaaa. Though my mother and father were among those dead.”
“I am sorry, Ichiro.”
He shrugged. “I miss my parents, but still have a brother and sister, not to mention all my aunts, uncles, and cousins. Unlike you Americans, who have had entire families wiped out and harvested.”
“Well, we have made do, and have survived,” interjected Cal Bell. “Many have created their own family units by just deciding they will be siblings, cousins, parents and children. One huge unofficial adoption process creating what would probably be like a Clan in older times.”
Ichiro bowed again. “And you do me honor…”
“All right, that does it. You’re family now, Ichi. Please, lighten up. No more bowing. We do each other honor by acting as family to each other. Do I have to get the moonshine out again to relax you again?”
“Well, Colonel, now that you mentioned it…”
“Mother. Glasses and ice cubes please. A couple of nightcaps, swapping stories, and we will all be ready for bed. Tomorrow will be a long, tiring day.”
Ichiro gave a half smile. “Not as long or as tiring as today, Cal-san.”
They left as the sun was rising the next morning, after having a nice traditional “farmers breakfast”—ham, eggs, bacon, pancakes, fresh biscuits, and fruit; washed down with apple juice and coffee, with a cup of fresh brewed tea for Ichiro.
Abigail had slept like a log, and finally felt rested. She and Ichiro said their goodbyes, had group hugs, and a few tears.
“Remember. No matter what happens, you two will always have a place to hang your hats,” Cal said as he shook Ichiro’s hand.
“Yes sir. We appreciate that. Hopefully, that will not have to happen.”
Then they were on the road, headed toward Malmstrom AFB. About an hour in, they received an escort of a Wyoming state trooper, who ran lights and siren in front until they hi
t the Montana border. They stopped for some fuel, and a Montana trooper suddenly appeared, ran ahead of them like the Wyoming trooper had.
The word had gotten out. The Avenging Angel, My Lady of Steel, First Daughter of the U.S.A.—whatever name they gave her. She needed to get home ASAP. They made record time, and were at Malmstrom AFB by sunset. Abigail was waved through the Main Gate, so she head directly to General Reed’s office at the Headquarters. He was waiting for them at the main entrance.
“Made it in one piece I see. Captain, Major.”
Abigail gave a slim smile. “Sir, I’m afraid…”
General Reed put his hand up. “Let’s cut to the chase. I already know what happened. A certain General Huff called me from Salt Lake City. Then he dispatched a VSTOL here with some items he said you would need. Plus he asked if the aircraft and crew could be assigned here.”
He shook his head. “Somehow, no matter what happens around you, it always turns out okay in the end. Sometimes, way more than okay.” He looked at Ichiro, then pulled a slim case from his General officer leather jacket pocket.
“Major, please, will you do the honors with your fiancé.”
Ichiro opened up the case, he began beaming.
“Ichi, what is it?” Abigail asked.
Her love took out two sets of special Major’s Oak Leaves from the case. Abigail’s mouth literally dropped open.
“You see, Abigail, General Huff told me the whole, dirty, nasty story. He was extremely apologetic. I could tell he had no idea what was going on with… you and your fellow orphans. He had believed the bullshit Prophet Smith had told him, because he wanted to believe it, that everything would be alright if he left everything to Smith, no questions asked.”
General Reed sighed. “I genuinely feel sorry for him, because I can tell he is going to carry a whole knot of guilt in his stomach for years. He realizes know he should have stepped forward, acted more like the Commanding General he was and less like the toady Smith wanted him to be. Anyways, you are still a Daughter of Deseret, still their version of Ambassador, and now a Major in their armed forces assigned to my command. That okay with you, young Major?”
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