by Siegel, Alex
Aaron walked around to Leanna's side. It appeared she was doing the same thing as her sister.
He fumed as he contemplated what to do. He couldn't exactly tell the twins to stop doing God's work. On the other hand, he was their commander and had the right to set their priorities. There was no obvious answer.
He went into his office. He configured the video conference system for San Francisco, turned it on, and sat on his stool to wait. Marina wasn't expecting him to call. He was prepared to sit a while if she were too busy to come right away.
She appeared in the video display a few minutes later. Her face was flushed and sweat dotted her forehead. She was wearing a gray track suit with damp spots under the arms. She still looked beautiful to him, even like this. The green in her eyes was spectacular on the high resolution monitor. He missed sparring with her.
"I'm sorry I interrupted your workout," he said.
"It's OK," she said. "I was working with Hanley, and he was just about ready to collapse. He needed a break."
"How is he doing?"
"Quite well. He's a real soldier. I'm certainly having better luck with him than the guy I recruited a couple of weeks ago. Maybe you can give me some advice."
"Sure," he said, "but then it's your turn. I'm having my own management issues. Tell me about your new guy."
She smiled. "A great fighter. A master of mixed martial arts and pretty handy with a gun. He's also polite, respectful, smart, hard working, and generally very nice. I really like him as a person."
"What's the problem?"
"He's a wimp. When we're just training, he's a star pupil, but when faced with physical danger, he folds up. He spent his whole life in the burbs. The closest he ever got to real combat was video games. I'm very frustrated. If he could just find some courage, he'd be a real asset to me. Right now, I can't trust him on a mission."
"Hmm." Aaron pursed his lips. "I suppose the best way to acquire courage is by practicing. It's like any skill. Put your guy into stressful, frightening situations until he learns how to deal with them. Make him climb a tall building at night, or walk through a bad neighborhood dressed like a clown."
Marina nodded. "I like it. That kind of training might be good for the whole team. Thanks. What's your problem? Is it Wesley?"
"He's certainly a problem, but that's not who I want to talk about. My issue is with a woman named Tawni. She's been on my team for just two days, and I've already had to threaten her several times. She's rude to everybody, including me."
"It sounds like she doesn't understand how close to death she is."
"I've tried to be explicit," he said.
"Be even more explicit. If she still doesn't get it, she deserves to die for being an idiot. That's how Ethel would handle it."
"Did she ever retire a recruit for failing to meet expectations?"
"I saw it happen once." Marina looked down with a sad expression.
Aaron hated the idea of killing Tawni. He desperately hoped he could avoid that outcome, but if it reached that point, he wouldn't hesitate. A strong commander didn't let problems fester. He certainly couldn't allow a disruptive team member to stick around for long.
"I really miss you," he said. "As soon as I can get away from here, I'm coming to San Francisco."
She smiled. "Or I'll come to you. Either way, we will definitely get together this month. That's a guarantee. I love you."
"I love you, too."
He got up and turned off the video camera.
* * *
Tawni was strolling through her old neighborhood, swinging a red plastic cooler with one hand. She passed a familiar beauty supply store on her right. She had purchased hair products from there several times. The two-story homes on the left had chiseled stone fronts. The sides were made of bricks which were crumbling in spots. The houses had been built back when this part of Chicago had been a desirable place to live.
Even though she had spent the better part of her life on these streets, they didn't feel like home anymore. The same dealers still stood on the street corners. The same cops cruised the avenues without getting out of their cars. The same loose garbage was still caught in the fences. The neighborhood hadn't changed at all.
Tawni had. She had met impossible people and seen impossible things. She could feel the change in her gut. Whether she liked it or not, she was a Spear now.
Norbert was walking beside her with his own cooler in hand. He was wearing a leather jacket, blue jeans, and soft hiking boots. Sunglasses with steel frames were a stylish touch.
It was getting dark, and they would head back to headquarters soon. He hadn't talked much during their walking tour of the west side of Chicago. She was grateful. He seemed to understand she had a lot on her mind. She was still carrying a heavy load of grief from the death of her mother.
Tawni decided to break the silence. "What is being a Spear like?"
"A lot of intensive training," Norbert said. "Real missions don't come along that often, but when they do, we have to be ready."
"How did you get sucked in?"
"Wesley was the cause, actually. I was leading an organization called the Brotherhood of the Luciferian Child. It was a Catholic order dedicated to killing the Antichrist. We believed Wesley was him."
Tawni stared at Norbert. "You thought that brat was the Antichrist? That's stupid."
"You haven't seen him use his gift."
"What happened next?"
"The Society wiped out the Brotherhood," he said. "I was the only survivor. Wesley decided I was worth keeping and made me a member on the spot. I had to kill my former boss to prove my loyalty."
She shook her head in disbelief. Her own story was starting to sound tame compared to the rest of the team.
"Why did Wesley save you?"
"I'm not sure," he said. "Later, God appointed me to be the twins' guardian. That may be part of it."
"God talked to you? Did He look like an old man with robes? What color was His skin?"
"He was just a ball of light and mist. No skin."
She contemplated his statement. Until recently, she would've assumed he had hallucinated the meeting with God. Now, she had to give him the benefit of the doubt.
"There might be one other reason," Norbert said. "When I first met Wesley, he told me I would save his life. That hasn't happened yet."
"The kid can tell the future, too?"
"Not really. He can't predict the score of a football game. He just knows certain things are supposed to happen according to God's plan. He knows what should be. Except the plan isn't always followed perfectly. The Gray Spear Society was created to deal with unplanned events."
"I thought God was omnipotent," Tawni said.
He shrugged. "I've given up trying to resolve that dilemma. One of the things Aaron taught me was to focus on questions that can be answered. It's a good lesson."
"You obviously like him."
"He's a great man."
"He's an asshole," she said.
"He does what is necessary, not what is nice. That's another good lesson."
She frowned. She didn't like being taught lessons all the time.
"Hey, Tawni!" a new voice yelled. "Who is that cracker? You eatin' white meat these days?"
She turned and recognized the speaker as an ex-boyfriend named Denzel. Even though the weather was breezy and cool, he wore no shirt. He had always been very proud of his pectorals. Old blue jeans hung low on his hips, exposing the tops of his plaid underwear. Three other men with him were dressed similarly.
"You know him?" Norbert whispered.
"We had sex," Tawni said. "We fought. It wasn't good."
Denzel and his friends crossed the street without bothering to check for traffic. He walked up to Norbert.
"We don't see a lot of your kind around here," Denzel said. "You lost, honky?"
Norbert offered his hand and smiled. "I'm Peter. It's a pleasure to meet one of Tawni's old friends."
Denzel glared at the han
d. "Maybe you didn't hear me, mayonnaise. Are you lost?"
Norbert turned to Tawni and said, "How do you want me to handle this? It's your decision." He didn't appear nervous at all.
She saw that something was wrong with Denzel. Smythe had described it perfectly at the meeting. Denzel's eyes didn't move naturally. His skin color and breathing indicated extreme anxiety. He wouldn't leave peacefully.
She realized the confrontation could turn deadly. Norbert was carrying at least three guns under his jacket. With his fighting skills, he probably didn't even need a gun to kill. If it came to it, she had concealed weapons of her own. After seeing her mother die, Tawni had sworn she would never be caught poorly armed again.
The lives of Denzel and his friends were in her hands. The weight wasn't comfortable.
"Let's scare them off," she said.
Norbert nodded once. "Good choice."
He drew a Smith & Wesson model 1911 from a holster inside his jacket. The classic pistol had a black finish and sharp edges, and a short suppressor added a sinister touch.
Tawni pulled out an OTs-33 Pernach. The weapon was so rare and illegal that Denzel probably didn't know it was a fully automatic machine pistol. Tawni was enjoying her access to the huge armory at headquarters. She was like a kid in a candy store.
"Go away," Tawni said.
Denzel glanced nervously at the guns. "When did you start packing?"
"A girl has to protect herself. I told you to go. All of you." She aimed at his chest and cocked the hammer on her gun.
His friends turned and fled.
Denzel still had that crazy look in his eyes. He stood his ground and flexed his pectorals. "You won't shoot me. I know you."
It was true. She wouldn't kill him in cold blood on a public street just for being obnoxious. He was a victim anyway. Whatever was affecting his brain, it wasn't his fault.
"Can you knock him out safely?" she asked Norbert.
He launched a straight kick at Denzel's jaw that struck like a lightning bolt. Denzel fell backwards and remained still.
"Yes," Norbert said. "Let's go."
He and Tawni continued walking down the street.
Once they were safely away, she said, "That was fucked up."
"I thought it went pretty well actually."
"Aaron should've known something like that would happen. I used to live here. Wait." She faced Norbert. "He did know! He expected it! That was another one of his damn tests."
He smiled. "You're a bright woman, even though you try to hide it."
"That was serious shit. Somebody could've been killed."
"It was a good test." He nodded. "I'll be happy to report to Aaron that you handled yourself well."
"You knew?"
"No, but it's obvious in retrospect."
She shook her head. "When will he stop yanking my chain?"
"Who says he'll stop? All of us get the same treatment. Testing and training every day. When we met you the first time the other night, what do you think we were doing?"
She had clear memories of that night. The men had worn black and gray camouflage which had blended into the shadows. Masks had covered their faces. They had emerged from the night like they were part of it. The experience had frightened and excited her at the same time.
"Will I learn how to knock out a man with one kick?"
He stared at her. "You'll learn how to kill a man with one kick."
"I like that."
"Let's circle back to the car." He looked around. "It's time to go home."
* * *
Tawni was back in the conference room in headquarters. This place was starting to feel familiar, which disconcerted her. She still didn't like these people, except for Norbert. He was nice. Jack was kind of cute, too. After some consideration, she realized she couldn't complain about the twins, either. For computer nerds, they weren't too bad.
The four red plastic coolers containing samples were lined up on the table. Aaron and the twins were the last to arrive at the meeting. Tawni, Norbert, Smythe, Odelia, and Wesley were already waiting.
"I have good news," Aaron said as he sat down. "We don't have to spend our time analyzing the samples. I spoke to the legate. There is a big lab down in Atlanta that will do the job for us."
"What kind of lab, sir?" Smythe said.
"It's a secret appendage of the Centers for Disease Control. The whole division can use the facility for tackling problems like ours."
"I'd love to see it. It must be very impressive."
"A personal visit won't happen," Aaron said, "but I'll ask the commander in Atlanta for pictures. I just need you to pack all the samples for shipment. We'll send them out tonight by special courier. We should start getting results within twenty-four hours."
Smythe smiled. "It's too bad that lab wasn't available when we were fighting the Order of Eternal Night. It would've saved us a lot of trouble."
"That's exactly why the legate created the lab. She makes a point of learning from her enemies. I don't have anything else for this meeting. Our investigation is stalled while we wait for the results of the analysis, unless somebody has another idea."
Nobody spoke.
"Then it's dinner time," Aaron said. "I want to make this meal a special event. We're celebrating our new headquarters and our new members." He nodded to Wesley and Tawni. "As well as our favorite guest." He looked at Odelia.
She grinned. "Thank you, sir."
"Let's have a real party tonight. Nancy and Kamal already started cooking. I want Norbert and Wesley to help them in the kitchen. Smythe, take care of the samples. Odelia and Tawni, change into workout clothes. Meet me in the exercise area."
The last order surprised Tawni. She had wanted to relax before dinner, but it sounded like Aaron had other ideas. She almost opened her mouth and complained. A sharp look from him kept her quiet.
Odelia and Tawni hadn't brought any workout clothes. They went to the costume supply closet next door to find some. The large room was packed with clothing on racks and in shelves. Space was so tight Tawni had to walk sideways.
As she browsed the racks, she became frustrated by the selection. "Most of this stuff is for men."
"The team was short on female legionnaires," Odelia said, "until now. You can go shopping when you have time."
Tawni grinned. "I can buy all the clothes I want?"
"Of course. Just pay with a credit card attached to a cover identity."
"Do I get to keep the clothes?"
"Who else would wear them?" Odelia sounded confused. "Back in Los Angeles, I keep half of my outfits in my apartment and the other half in headquarters. I must have hundreds of costumes. These might fit you."
She tossed a set of gray sweats to Tawni. She changed into them while standing in the closet. The pants legs were an inch too short but she could deal with it.
When Odelia stepped out from behind a rack, she was dressed identically. Tawni realized they looked a little strange together. Odelia was white with white hair, and Tawni was black with black hair, yet they had exactly the same clothes.
They walked out to the exercise area. Part of the large space was dedicated to free weights, and there were several types of stair climbers. Blue pads suitable for martial arts covered most of the tiled floor.
Aaron was waiting. He had changed into formal gray robes with braided hems. A layered hood went partway down his back. To Tawni, it looked like a medieval costume, but it probably had some official significance.
"Tawni," he said, "I want to watch you fight a skilled opponent. You'll spar with Odelia. Light contact only. Just show me what you can do. Don't worry about how good it looks."
Tawni took a moment to judge Odelia as an opponent. The white girl was in great shape, but she was two inches shorter and about twenty pounds lighter than Tawni. Physically, Tawni had a clear advantage.
She was a little concerned about her lack of formal combat training. She had taken karate for a year, until the instructor had thrown her
out for talking back. The National Guard had put her through boot camp, but that had focused on conditioning and guns. On the other hand, she had won plenty of street fights. She knew what worked and what didn't. She intended to educate Odelia on how disputes were handled in the 'hood.
Tawni came at her opponent with a flurry of aggressive punches. Odelia danced out of the way with a style so elegant, it was actually distracting to watch. Tawni quickly discovered the chick was very hard to touch. Odelia responded with kicks, and all of them found their mark. Tawni felt light touches on her face, ribs, and abdomen. Odelia's little white feet seemed to be everywhere.
Tawni tried harder. She pushed forward aggressively and put real strength behind her attacks. If she made contact, she wanted it to count. Odelia just dodged and twisted a little faster.
"Don't get frustrated," Aaron said. "Just keep pressing. I'm learning a lot about you."
"It's not fair," Tawni said.
"What isn't?"
Tawni stepped back and faced Aaron. "If this were a real fight instead of just messing around, I'd do a lot better."
"You really think so?" He raised his eyebrows.
"Yes, sir."
"Odelia is a battle-tested veteran. She's been training for five years. She could destroy you easily."
Tawni looked at Odelia and sniffed. "I'm not afraid of this bleached Barbie doll."
"I'm happy to let her beat you up," Aaron said, "if you insist. How 'real' do you want this to be?"
Tawni snarled. "I'm ready for whatever she's got."
"I love your bold spirit. Odelia, tournament rules."
Odelia's eyes opened wide. "Sir!"
"Why not?" Aaron shrugged. "We have both healers in the house, and Tawni wants a real fight."
"Yes, sir." She frowned and faced Tawni. "Are you ready?"
Tawni got into a defensive stance. "Go for it."
Odelia was suddenly a spinning white whirlwind. Tawni desperately blocked an attack to her face that almost knocked her over. She felt ripping pain as a low kick bent her right knee the wrong way. A second ferocious blow snapped the other knee like a pretzel stick and dropped her to the ground. Odelia jumped up and landed with her heels on Tawni's lower ribs. There was a sickening crunch as multiple bones broke. Odelia stomped on the same spot again, and Tawni felt her internal organs get squeezed into places they shouldn't be.