“You, are why I am here. Why so many are here, alive, and free.”
“And so many are dead,” Sandra answered
“You think, Madam President, that the deaths are your fault? How? Some seven years ago, did you ask for the misbegotten Squids to come here? No? “
Brynhildr lifted the President’s chin up, so she could look into her eyes. “People die in War. And people die in war when they fight for their freedom. And their survival.”
“I…”
“You are our steel. Our Spine of Steel. Without you, we would be fighting among ourselves, as the Squids and Krakens pick us off, one by one. We would soon be joining the others in the abomination of Cattle Country. For eventually, Protocol of Selective Survival or not, the Squids would soon realize that meat is meat. Under our skin, all our blood is red. There is no Plague here, so all human flesh is desirable.”
Brynhildr took a deep breath.
“So, no, you cannot quit. No more than I could. You need to lead us, to be our backbone. Our Spine of Steel. The Sisters of Steel, the Banshees are your daughters. You and what you have done helped to birth them. You showed the way. Not the Director or his minions, nor his promises of peace and safety under the tentacles of the Squids. You showed the way for our freedom and our survival. Now, you must finish it. Madam President, cry, feel sorry later. Today, you must lead.”
The room was oddly silent. George Williams stood back, watching all this unfold.
‘My God,’ he thought. ‘How many more like Brynhildr are out there? How could the Krakens, the Squids defeat them?’
Sandra Paul had stopped crying. She straightened her back, gazed firmly at Brynhildr for the first time. “Thank you. Can you help me up? I still feel a bit shaky.”
Brynhildr helped Sandra to stand, then Madam President took the Shield Maidens hands in her own. “God must have sent you, as I was told long ago that God would not challenge us with anything we could not handle. You just reminded me of that. As the saying goes, that which does not kill us, makes us stronger.”
“We are strong, Madam President, together with you. As I said, you are the Spine of Steel we use for support as we swing our weapons. And by the Old Gods, together we will send these demons and devils back to the Pits of Hell from whence they came.”
The President began looking for one of her signature handkerchiefs to wipe her eyes but for the first time in recent memories could not find one.
“Here, Ma’am.”
She looked at the handkerchief in Brynhildr’s hand.
“That is a pretty design.”
“It was my mother’s design. She is now in Valhalla. Keep it.”
“I usually give these things out. Now it is my turn to receive.”
She grabbed Brynhildr and hugged her hard. “I would be honored to have you as my daughter.”
“You already have me, mother. As you have all of us.”
They parted, and Sandra looked at the large, strong yet feminine young woman. “When the Commissioner is done with you, I would like to offer you a special job.”
“After the Squids are defeated, you may offer me anything, Madam President. Now, I must go and check up on my friends, family and comrades.”
“Yes, of course. But my door is always open.”
“Yes, Ma’am. See you soon.”
After Brynhildr left, Madam President looked at George.
“Sal…”
“Sorry about that, George. Everything just…got to me at once. But that young woman just gave me a good kick in the butt. I guess I needed it.”
“Sal, all I care about is that you are all right.”
“Yes, my good friend. Thanks to a bunch of daughters I did not realize I had, until Brynhildr just told me, I am. Now, I need to get my butt back in gear. I can’t let all my new found family down.”
She squared her shoulders a bit. “George, see if you can locate Colonel Bardun among the living. It is time.”
Torbin Bender put his telephone away. The telephone call to Madam President was rough, but she needed to know the full extent of damage and casualties. He looked around. Things were coming together, the Base was becoming secure.
A few minutes before his telephone call to the President, the Russians had arrived. Three armored transport vehicle crammed with Spetsnaz troops had driven up in front of the Hospital. Colonel Anton “Crazy” Popov had jumped down from the first one. Torbin knew his “Crazy” title came from his Charge of the Technical Brigade in Bloody Kansas that had expanded the Sisters of Steel caused rout of the Krakens. Not to mention his promise to duel with anyone who tried to punish the much unauthorized attack by the Sisters of Steel, now codified as the Banshees. Supporting large violations of orders was not a known characteristic of Russian Senior Officers in the last one hundred years or so.
Popov was to receive his first Generals Star any day, so Torbin walked up, expecting to turn his command over to the Senior Allied Officer. But before Torbin could say anything, Popov saluted him. “My President has informed me that you are the Senior Allied Commander. What are your orders, Sir?”
Now Torbin knew he was stuck with the Responsibility of Command. Damn.
“Well, Colonel Popov, my wife, Colonel Smirnov could use some help in the Base Housing Area clearing out Eaters and Krakens. Some have apparently gone to ground there. Then we can go off base and help secure Great Falls.”
Popov had grinned. “That second part will probably not be necessary, Colonel. You crazy Americans and your Second Amendment love of all firearms meant that I met a virtual army of armed citizenry as I entered Great Falls. And your Law Enforcement Commissioner Paul Miller had already organized most of them and started clearing the surrounding areas. Indications were that Eaters were already producing young, so it will take days if not weeks to find them all, no matter who does it.”
“Well, Colonel, that is good news. I was afraid that we would have to secure the entire city with our limited forces until reinforcements arrived.”
“Not yet, Sir. Now, I am off. I am on the common Tactical Frequency if you need to contact me.”
“Again, thank you for coming so quickly. We were caught flat footed. We all thought someone would try and attack during the wedding when everyone was in one place. We were wrong.”
“Not the first time that has happened to the best of us. Nor the last, Commander.” Colonel Popov saluted Torbin, then clambered on board his vehicle, yelling orders. The vehicles roared into life, the senior man on each saluting Torbin as they drove off.
He was damn glad the Russian were on his side.
Torbin was jerked from his wool gathering by the crackle of his radio.”
“Colonel, Sergeant Wall here. Could you come to the E.R.? We have a pissed off Japanese Princess here.” In the background, Torbin could hear angry Japanese voices. Shit. He hoped Ichiro returned soon. He could use a Japanese speaker to help deal with the retinue that had responded with Princess Akiko.
Somehow, the Princess had arrived in the mix of things, her handlers trying to catch up with her to dissuade her of participation in the violent activities. Fat chance.
Akiko had come in a side emergency exit that some Beast had broken through and immediately was in the mix of a bunch of screaming hospital personnel trying to fend off the monsters with limited weaponry. The Princess had let out her own version of a war cry, or scream, and began to lay about her with her family katana. Orderlies and medics had reported she had been like a wraith, everywhere at once. Limbs, heads, legs of Beasts and Eaters were soon spread out in various rooms and hallways, arterial blood and alien ocher splattered on walls and ceilings. More than one person reported she had saved their lives by gutting some creature just before sharp teeth had a chance to do serious damage. She had shown Ichiro developed techniques on the Eaters, slashing their appendages and then impaling their so called brains with a thrust through their large eyes.
But a one person attack had its limitations.
Lt. Dagan M
cDowell found Princess Akiko on the second floor during her team’s initial sweep, trying to tie off a nasty leg wound just as a baboon creature was rushing her. Dagan shot the modified primate through the head, watched as it slid to within inches of the Japanese female Samurai, dead.
Akiko looked up at the four approaching Banshees. “Thank You. I was distracted by my wounds.”
Dagan looked at Akiko and saw several smaller wounds in addition to the leg one, which was bleeding profusely. “Captain, allow me.” With that, Dagan again demonstrated the EMT Training Abigail had provided.
“Just patch me enough to stand. Then I can join you in the fight…”
“Sorry, Princess Akiko. Yes, I recognize you now. If I let you get killed, both Major Yamamoto and Colonel Bender will tan my hide.”
Akiko looked at Dagan. “You…speak a bit differently.”
“Texas accent, Ma’am. I’m from Texas.”
Akiko’s face brightened a bit under the blood covering her.
“Ah, a cowboy. You herd cows. Or did, before the Takos arrived.”
Dagan tried not to laugh. “Cowgirl, Ma’am. We differentiate between the genders. And you herd cattle and steers. But I was a soldier when the first rock hit.”
“Another experienced American Warrior. Sadly, my combat experience has been limited. Until today.”
“And I think you are done for today. You have lost a good amount of blood.” Dagan looked around and saw a nurse and an orderly coming from a side room
“Excuse me.” She called out. “Wounded Japanese Princess here. She needs some plasma.”
The two medical personnel saw both the Banshee and the Princess, realized they could not be ignored. They walked quickly up the hallway, found a wheelchair, and soon had a protesting Akiko headed to the ER on the main floor.
“I must protest, Lieutenant…” the member of the Free Japan Royal Family began.”
“Won’t do any good, Ma’am. Here, wounded follow the orders of the medicos. Sorry.”
As they wheeled her away, Akiko called out, “I did not get your name.”
“Dagan McDowell, Ma’am. A Banshee. Just ask for Texas, they’ll find me.”
And now Princess Akiko was in a heated argument with two Japanese Senior Officers who had the bad luck to be assigned to keeping her out of trouble. SSgt. Wall had apparently been pulled off to handle something else, or had decided a non-Japanese speaking NCO could do little
Torbin walked into the ER and saw the Princess grabbing for her katana that one of the senior officers had a hold of, trying to keep it from her grasp. He did not understand much Japanese, but he could tell the Princess was spitting nails.
“Excuse me, lady and gentlemen. But could I be of some assistance?”
“This is a Japanese matter,” one of the Japanese officers spat out, then returned to arguing with Akiko. The dismissive tone the apparent Japanese Colonel had used was the wrong tack to use. Before the Japanese Officers knew it, a rather large Gaijin was in their faces.
“Excuse me, Gentlemen, but this is not Japan.”
With a syrupy tone of voice, Princess Akiko broke in with English, “May I present Colonel Torbin Bender, Acting Allied Force Commander here at Malmstrom.”
The two handlers of the royal personage stepped back gave short bows.
“We must take the Royal Princess from here,” the older of the two spoke. “It is not safe.”
“Well, Colonels, once she is stabilized and the Docs let her go…”
“No. That is unacceptable. She must come. Now.”
Torbin was not in the mood for this martinet to tell him what was going to happen, Torbin was bloody and dirty, and this guy looked like he had barely broke a sweat.
Torbin’s face began to display a feral grin as he once again stepped closer.
“Now, guys, do you really want to take that tone of voice?”
There was an explosion of Japanese behind Torbin. Both of the Officers, with shocked expressions, looked up as Ichiro approached, saying words that Torbin recognized as not nice or used in polite conversation. The New Samurai had his katana out and had blood in his eye. Somehow, Akiko managed to maneuver her wheelchair and grabbed her katana, twisting it from the other officers grasp.
“You dare to question the Allied Commander, here, on this day of death and destruction?” Ichiro yelled in English. Torbin did not remember seeing him this enraged, except for the time the now deceased Russian Colonel him called him a monkey. Ichiro slashed with his katana, causing the two Japanese officers to jump back. The younger of the two started to reach for his sidearm.
“Not a wise decision, Hoss,” sneered Torbin.
And then Abigail was there, next to her husband Ichiro.
“Pull that pistol, and this Avenging Angel will send you both to your ancestors.” Her voice was cold as arctic ice. “We are on our honeymoon and I do not intend to allow anyone or anything to harm my Bbloved. You may complain to my Government in Deseret later, that you were insulted by one of the Nation States Diplomats. That is, if you are able.”
The two Japanese Colonels knew that they could both back off and try to preserve some ‘face’ or risk dying. On this Day of Hell, their deaths would be just two of many.
The elder Colonel bowed deeper. “Please accept my apologies. We were just concerned about the Royal Princess and her well-being.
“Well, Gentlemen,” said Torbin. “Come back in about an hour and maybe the doctors will release her. Until then, she is under my hospitals control.”
The two Japanese Officers saluted, mumbled, bowed and left. Torbin smiled. He knew both he and the Princess would catch royal Hell. As would probably Ichiro. But, damn. They were all still alive.
Torbin looked at Ichiro. “I take it my wife and my children are safe.”
“Yes, Torbin-san. Sue Brown and Hannah Weitz fought as Samurai of old, killed many Eaters. It was glorious, worthy of legends and later tales.”
Abigail frowned. “Hannah took it hard. I’ll explain it all to you later, my Big Brother. But what is important is that everyone is safe. And we passed the Russians heading into the housing area, so I take it they are there on your orders.”
“Yes, Ma’am. They showed up at just the right time. As you all did.”
He felt Abigail’s eyes boring into him.“What is it, little sister?”
“Remember when I said you were part of something bigger, would play a very important role in the future, my big brother?”
“Yes, I did.”
“Well, this is part of it.”
Torbin looked at her. He felt a little change in the air, as if there had been a shift in the reality that surrounded them. Then he realized that she was right. As right as Andrew had been. He shivered a bit. ‘No rest for the wicked, he thought.
“Well, whatever the final “something’ you mentioned is, right now I have other fish to fry. So, I need to check with Security Control, see how the Big Picture is developing.”
At that moment, Torbin’s radio crackled again. “Sir. Need you on the third floor, ASAP. It’s Stalin.”
“Shit.” He keyed his mike. “Responding.” He looked at Ichiro and Abigail.
“We will insure the Princess is treated well, Torbin.” Abigail said before he could speak.
“Thank you. You are both godsends.”
Abigail smiled. “We aim to please, My Commander.”
Torbin bounded up the stairs and burst thru the stair doors. A few yards away, a mixture of Banshees and MPs were trying to hold down an extremely angry Senior Training Instructor. Sitting against the wall were two Krakens and a captured paratrooper, holding various parts of their bodies as if they were in great pain. Something told Torbin that Stalin had much to do with their condition. He strode over and stood looking down on to a cursing and swearing Russian. Their eyes met, and Stalin stopped his cursing.
“Colonel Bender. Could you please have your people release me?”
“Not if you are going to try and tear ou
r prisoners apart.”
Stalin’s face flushed with anger. “You don’t understand. They hurt My Sally. My Sally!”
For the first time ever, Torbin saw a tear run down Stalin’s face.”
“Where is she?”
“In the next examination room, Sir,” responded SSgt. Wall, who was sitting on Stalin’s legs. “They’re patching her up.”
Torbin stared at Stalin. “I expect more control from the Senior Training Instructor.” He glared a bit. “You are disappointing your Acting Allied Commander.”
Stalin froze in the midst of his struggles. It was as if Torbin’s words had been a knife.
“I…am sorry, My Commander. I beg…indulgence.”
“We’ll see. Stay there on your back. That’s an order.”
Torbin walked into the examination to find two medics cleaning up a nasty leg wound on Sally Reid.
“Well, you can’t blame that on me, Miss Reid.”
“Colonel Bender. Is Stalin okay? I hear him yelling and cursing.”
“He has been in better moods. What happened to you?”
“Too close to an Eater while trying to get a live story on this attack. It latched onto my leg as it died, so I got some of its acid vomit on me.” Tears came down her cheeks. “I’ll never be able to wear a short skirt again.”
“Yea you will. Hacked Tschaaa technology and nanites can do wonders. Now, you calm down while I try to calm your man down before he does something we will all regret.”
The reported grabbed his hand and kissed it. “You a great human being, you know that.”
“Right now, I’m just putting out fires and holding things together for General Reed. Once he is patched up, I can go back to being just Torbin Bender.”
Sally looked into his eyes. “You don’t get it. You are not “just” anything. You never have been.”
Torbin let a small smile leak out. “I disagree. But I seem to be in a minority today. You, get better, hear?”
“Yes Sir.”
Torbin turned and walked back to the hallway. Stalin seemed calmer, was sitting up.
“Stalin. Stand up.”
Typhoon of Steel Page 37