Don't Cross This Line

by Michael Anderle

  They found the outside protective details over the last couple of days and their drones could not go any further. Team BMW decided that an organic drone might be advisable, but impossible to create anything quick enough to support them in this operation.

  So, the choice was go in by foot or leave the whole thing for another generation to figure out.

  Bethany Anne snorted.

  That sounded like the political hacks of just about every country down there. Vote for more taxes and refuse to tackle the hard problems that might get them voted out of office.

  “Fucking posers, I won’t shirk the hard decisions,” she muttered as she walked into her closet. “ArchAngel?”

  “Yes?”

  “Tell the Bitches to suit up. Tell my father to drop the ships and remind those on the G’laxix Sphaea that they need to drop off the cache of gear in Europe once they are done with Yuko and Akio.”

  Bethany Anne stripped and grabbed her skinsuit. Her armor had most everything she needed on the outside of the suit, even special swords and protective scabbards.

  Cancer doesn’t leave the system peacefully. When you find it, you fight it tooth and nail. The U.S. had a cancer, and it was up to her people to fight it.

  She put on the skin booties, then took a step and disappeared.

  —

  Bethany Anne stepped out of her receiving chamber, rooms now known as TC’s or teleportation chambers, into the armory. She didn’t teleport, but it became a shorthand for what she did and she had learned to just go with it, the truth was too annoying to beat into everyone’s head.

  “Hey, look what the cat dragged in!” Darryl called out as he allowed Eric to snap his chest protection into place.

  “I’ll find a cat to pee in your suit and shut the last lock if you keep that up,” she retorted.

  “Ooohhh GROSS!” Darryl’s face showed just how distasteful that thought was to him. “Have you smelled cat piss?” Bethany Anne tapped the side of her nose, “Yeah, then you know,” he told her as he shook his head, trying to get rid of the thought.

  She nodded and walked over to her foot locker looking down at it, “So, this is it huh?”

  “Yes,” came Jean’s muffled voice from behind John. Bethany Anne leaned over to see Jean on the floor with a few tools messing with something on John’s left knee.

  “Problems?” Bethany Anne asked.

  “Fucking second shift failed to reset a catch on the last test and we didn’t have any code to catch that failure. I’ve got to reset fifteen of these cherry-assed-twat-muffins before I can reset…the…” there was a loud SNAP and then Bethany Anne saw pins around his knee connection all disconnect, then reconnect and lock in place. “There, that will teach you to fuck with me, you metal mutant,” Jean muttered and started grabbing her tools and stood up.

  Jean smiled like she was about to fire off one of her big guns her team had dreamed up. “Alright my Queen, let’s get YOU suited up.”

  Bethany Anne snickered. You had to love a person who enjoyed their job and was made for it. Bethany Anne was pretty sure Jean Dukes’ name was going to be admired on a lot of worlds.

  If they weren’t busy cussing her out.

  NORAD - USA

  The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is a United States and Canada bi-national organization charged with the missions of aerospace warning and aerospace control for North America. They had been having fits trying to track TQB ships for the past four years.

  Now, they had incredibly sensitive tools someone quipped could find a pimple on a bird’s ass.

  Like always, they were on alert to see who might spot a TQB incursion. Since no TQB requested flights were on tonight’s report, it would be a feather in anyone’s cap to be the first to find and confirm an unapproved approach.

  Days later, NORAD’s best would be going through all of the recordings from this evening to figure out how they had missed all of the activity.

  Because, apparently, TQB hadn’t been trying before to stay off the radar and NORAD had no idea just how good TQB’s new anti-radar ability truly was.

  NORAD might be able to spot a pimple on a bird’s ass, but apparently they couldn’t spot over twenty massive shipping container sized ships flying down from outer space toward an area in New Mexico.

  At least, not when TQB didn’t want them to.

  ArchAngel - 300 Miles above New Mexico

  General Lance Reynolds watched the data coming in from the drones and the ships that had landed. There were three landing zones to split up those heading into the caves system. They had figured out the likely main entrance to the base, but Lance told everyone not to focus on trying to attack at that location. The main entrance would be well defended, or well protected somehow.

  That didn’t mean they would ignore the location, on the contrary once the drone confirmed their suspicions they would have a very small group attack up top.

  Carefully.

  Twenty minutes later, ArchAngel verified Lance’s suspicions. “General, we have confirmation from our drones that there is explosive residue outside of the main entrance.”

  “How far outside the front door?” Lance asked as he nodded to a support person to bring up the three dimensional view of the building.

  “Up to thirty-three meters, sir,” ArchAngel replied. An orange line started drawing itself around the hologram as the drones figured out where new dirt had been unearthed. Twice, the drones had sniffed unknown chemicals. The mix was something ArchAngel didn’t have the characteristics for in her database.

  “ADAM?” Lance called out.

  “Yes sir?” he replied.

  “Do you have anything on those two unknown chemicals?” he asked, highlighting the two rows of unknown data.

  “One moment, General,” ADAM said.

  It was actually almost two minutes later when ADAM came back, “I have spoken with the Yollin Scientist Royleen and he has tentatively identified that chemical makeup as an explosive used for mining operations. Depending on the quantity, he says to stay a least a hundred meters away from any location with it.”

  “A hundred fucking meters?” Lance said, shocked. “Shit.” He saw ADAM draw a circle a hundred meters around both locations directly on opposing sides of the main building. “That would kill everything inside the building and outside as well,” he commented aloud.

  Lance looked again and pointed out two areas in the hologram. “I bet you the drones have missed two more locations equidistant from these two locations. Basically the four poles in a circle,” Lance remarked more to himself, but ArchAngel took it as a command.

  “Checking, General,” ArchAngel replied. Less than a minute later, ArchAngel confirmed the additional two locations.

  Lance wanted to spit, but there was no where to spit in his operations room. “Dammit. If we go knocking on this front door, it’s going to be blown away.” He grabbed a cigar and unwrapped it, stuck it in his mouth to chew on, unlit.

  “ArchAngel, patch me into Dan.”

  Immediately, he had Dan on the comm. “This is Dan.”

  Lance got right to the point, “Dan, ArchAngel is downloading data related to new chemical traces we found up near the main entrance. Make sure the drones and other chemical sniffers know it and mark it. Royleen says to stay a hundred meters away from this shit.”

  “Wow, that bad?” Dan asked.

  “Yes and more so for you guys underground. He says it looks like mining explosives,” Lance explained.

  “Well…fuck.” Dan answered, “Understood and thanks.”

  Lance changed channels, “Bethany Anne?”

  “Here,” she replied.

  “ETA?” he asked. He had barely finished his request when a holographic digital timer, counting down, appeared in his operations tank.

  Two minutes till Midnight.

  —

  Captain Kael-ven T’chmon, First of the Yollin Mercenary Group DeathBringers turned when he saw Kiel look up.

  He smiled. B
ethany Anne’s new dropship design for his people was very nice. It took into account both those in mech suits and those without, such as himself. They were locked into the Etheric Empire’s communication comm suite and if he was honest with himself...

  It was frightening.

  These humans knew war, and they knew war like a species designed by the gods for it. If these humans had been, or could be, roped into fighting for one of the Seven Kurtherian Clans? Well, perhaps he and his people needed to support Bethany Anne.

  Because with Kurtherian technology he wasn’t sure he knew of a species that could fight them if their whole world was involved.

  It was a problem now. For his species to survive, did he need to make sure this particular woman was able to defeat his own people?

  Kael-ven pushed the concern aside, and focused as the dark crimson painted dropship slowed to a stop. The ship had her vampire skull design painted on the side and a zero one beside it.

  The door opened and Kiel mumbled a particularly impressive set of Yollin expletives. Bethany Anne jumped off the dropship and her men followed behind her. All of them in their mech suits. The suits relied less on massive motors for speed and power like theirs, but instead used Kurtherian Etheric driven motors that were much smaller allowing for more refined suits.

  Kiel turned to his Captain, “I will give up my whole pay for this operation if they will build me a set.”

  Captain Kael-ven turned to his military leader, “Are you speaking ahead of yourself?”

  Kiel shook his head, “Captain,” he nodded towards the humans, “I’m military, through and through. I need one of those suits.” There were agreements muttered behind Kiel as his people, in their own suits, grumbled. They went from being the Mighty Yollin Mechanized Unit with advanced suits and abilities to feeling like they received their mech suits from the used spaceship yard on the third moon of Asht’rix.

  And everyone knew you didn’t trust anything that came from Asht’rix without checking it out.

  Twice.

  “Told you,” came a male human voice from behind them.

  Captain Kael-ven and his people turned to see Peter and two of his men behind them, “Tonight, you guys,” Peter nodded to the few females in the group, “and ladies, are going to find out what it is like to fight behind the most fucking badass leader in the Galaxy.”

  “Aren’t you getting in a suit, Guardian Peter?” Kiel asked.

  “Oh, I am,” Peter admitted, “But it isn’t good for me to hold my form just sitting around doing nothing.”

  “You are going to change, and then get into a mechanized suit?” Kiel asked, shock plainly evident as his mandibles hung open.

  “Kiel,” Peter shook his head, “How the hell do you think I plan on keeping up with my Queen?” He laughed, “Dude, you are about to go on the operation of your life. Trust me.”

  Peter started undressing and the two guys next to him opened the cases they had with them. “She’s here, so I won’t try to go off the reservation now.” He twisted his neck left and something popped. He did the same thing going to the right. Then, his voice went deeper, “It’s time to take the fight to the enemies of my QUEEN!”

  Kiel wanted to take a step back as the huge Pricolici suddenly stood in front of him, its eyes piercing yellow in the dim light watching him like prey.

  The two men next to Peter quickly started yanking components and fitting the Pricolici standing there impatiently waiting for them to get the suit on him.

  Kiel watched as Peter’s men put on the armor. He turned to his Captain as if to say, “Even he get’s the special armor!”

  Peter started growling when another, deeper growl emanated from behind him. “Peterrr,” Nathan’s voice deep and malevolent in his form, walked into the circle. In his jet black mech-suit with a paw print on his left breast plate he finished his threat, “Sttannnd or I willl make you stanndd.”

  Peter stopped his growling as the last three pieces of Armor were locked in place and bent down for them to lock on his helmet.

  Bethany Anne, helmet off, walked over to this group with her team and Dan following behind. “Are my Yollin Mercenaries ready?” There was a sparkle of amusement in her eye.

  “No,” Captain Kael-ven admitted, “It seems we are having a bit of Mech-Suit envy here and their minds are not on the operation.”

  Bethany Anne pursed her lips, “We finish this operation, and depending on how you perform in your suits, we will talk, Captain Kael-ven. Amaze me, and we will upgrade your suits.” She nodded to him and his people and then she and her team continued walking towards the large cave entrance.

  Dan stopped next to Captain Kael-Ven as the Yollins followed Bethany Anne and the two Pricolici into the darkness.

  Kael-ven looked down at Dan, “Did she just take my people’s heart?” he asked as he noticed his team standing a little straighter, listening perhaps a little more closely.

  “Yup,” Dan answered, “welcome to my world, Kael-ven.”

  —

  Ztopik had never adjusted to the wake and sleep cycle of these humans. He might spend days awake on his research, only to go to sleep for the same amount of time when done.

  His body required approximately a one in five ratio of sleep to wake time. For him, it wasn’t sleep so much as reducing his mental processes significantly to allow the rest it needed. He would dim the lights and choose a simple problem to consider as he spent the time rejuvenating the energy necessary for his brain to operate efficiently.

  Helping the humans with the trap above had been a little challenging. He hadn’t worked with that type of science in a very long time. Unfortunately, he had to mix the chemicals. If he had tried to use the slaves to accomplish this, there was a good chance it would have destroyed a perfectly useable room within his area inside the base.

  Then, he would have had to suffer additional humans in his domain and that was … distasteful.

  They always created trouble and the last time some of them worked in level six it required an extermination event for both a quarter of his slaves and another sixty humans.

  A waste of good slaves, not to be done again if he could help it.

  Now, once this issue with the potential of attack was overcome, he should consider replacing Patrick Brown and Eva Hocks.

  Their effectiveness over the last few years had dropped, and this present issue with TQB was a prime example. Patrick’s efforts to hide information that Ztopik needed to continue with his plans could not be allowed to continue.

  Ztopik flipped the page over and finished writing his thoughts. A few moments later, he stopped writing and watched as the ink faded, the final information was stored in the secondary crystal and could be reviewed now at any time.

  He set down the writing instrument and started walking towards the exit. A few steps from the door, he heard a beep.

  Ztopik turned slowly and his mouth drew together.

  There were alarms going off for the lower, not upper, levels.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Half mile inside Entrance 3 - Dulce Lake, New Mexico

  “I’m telling you, I smell something.” Sadhi told Ken as the two of them worked their way left around a large outcropping, the rest of the team behind the two. The minimal light their hats projected was all that was needed to help the two Wechselbalg see well in the dark.

  Ken put up a hand and his group of six stopped. He breathed in deep a couple of times. He didn’t want to stop right now. After the ass chewing he and Sadhi received from Peter for their failure to recognize the Queen, he was really hoping to make a good impression on this operation.

  Being cowards, jumping at every little sound or bad feeling wasn’t going to get them to the base ahead of them, either.

  He pulled up his tablet and tapped the command to have a drone come to their area and confirm the next hundred yards.

  Being dead wasn’t going to get them to the base at all. He gave them a hand signal, and they all took up positions looking o
ut. Moments later, three of those in the group turned their heads when a tiny little insect went through their group, heading towards the direction of their path.

  The seconds seemed to crawl by for Ken, who was belittling his decision when his tablet vibrated. Looking down, the map showing his path updated. He and his team had been re-routed around their original path and the area ahead of them had been marked off with a skull and crossbones symbol.