Akio wouldn’t risk taking a pod inside. It was the enemy’s stronghold, and this was shaping up to be the final battle.
Terry’s Prison
Yanmei hurried down the corridor. Terry heard her coming, which was out of the norm. She had foregone stealth for speed.
That meant something was happening.
She entered Terry’s prison and shut the door behind her. She leaned her back against the wall beside it and waited.
“That’s different,” Terry said conversationally. He watched to see what else her body language would give away. She didn’t reply to his statement, so he took a more direct route.
“What’s happening?” he asked.
“I am to watch you, and if necessary, I am to kill you.” She talked without changing her facial expression. The rest of her body was stiff, as if made of wood.
At least she hadn’t changed into her Were form.
“So there is something happening. Why didn’t Kirkus come? Isn’t he all about domination and control?” Terry probed.
She blinked, but made no move to answer. Yanmei leaned over and put an ear to the door, then shrugged almost imperceptibly and resumed her position against the wall.
“Did you bring your chess board?” Terry wondered, knowing that she hadn’t.
She held out two empty hands.
“I’m sorry, too. I won’t make the same mistake I made in the last game,” he promised with a smile. “Since it looks like we’re going to be here for some uncertain amount of time, do you mind if I tell you a story?”
Yanmei looked at him, blinking slowly, expression unchanged.
“Cory was five years old, and everything in North Chicago was going great. Everyone had enough to eat. The power was on, and we were expanding the operational grid. Even as far out as the Weathers’ ranch, we had electric lights. We decided it was time for a little camping trip. Just me, Char, and our daughter Cory. We also adopted two kids that we found wandering the Wastelands, Kim and Kae. We took four horses and headed north toward Canada. We spent two weeks getting there because we weren’t in a hurry. It was an opportunity for Char and me to teach them some life skills, living off the land, that kind of stuff. We had a good life in North Chicago, and things were coming pretty easy. The kids went to school, and the adults went to work. Everyone ate in Claire’s Diner.”
Terry shifted his feet and rolled his shoulders as much as he could. He needed to let his arms hang at his sides, at least long enough to let the blood flow back into his fingers. He flexed his hands and tried to encourage the nanocytes to stretch their legs. His stomach started to feel better.
Yanmei watched him emotionlessly.
“You know what we found in Canada?”
Terry waited, but there was no answer.
“Peace. We found peace. A small cabin on a lake where the fish were always biting. Game that wasn’t afraid of humans. We stayed there for a week, then two weeks. It was like our own paradise. Char and I talked about staying. The FDG had competent leadership, so they didn’t need me.”
Terry hopped from one foot to the other as he encouraged blood flow. He expected that he’d take a beating soon and needed his body to be ready.
“But then we got a call from Akio. Do you know who he is? He’s one of the Queen’s Bitches, left behind when she went to space. She’s out there somewhere, protecting the world that tried to kill itself. Ain’t that some shit?” Terry looked at a spot on the wall and shook his head. Someone like the Queen risking their life for a belief that humanity deserved to be saved.
And humanity turned the world into a shithole. Terry had a hard time reconciling himself with what they found in the Wasteland. Humanity had tried to kill the planet, and Mother Earth was still reeling from the body blows. But she’d survived. Humanity had survived. Maybe the Queen’s faith wasn’t misplaced.
At least it wasn’t when it came to her faith in TH and Akio.
“Akio is here to help us save what’s left and rebuild. Anyway, he had a mission that only the great Terry Henry Walton could perform. Terry Henry and his partner, the Werewolf Charumati,” Terry said, tossing his head and smirking at the sound of his name coming from his own lips.
“You wouldn’t believe how much I love her. It physically hurts me to be apart from her. We’ve been together for something like twenty-nine years. Hear my soul speak. Of the very instant that I saw you, did my heart fly at your service, Shakespeare said in The Tempest. There were no truer words written. Or maybe, Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, and therefore is winged Cupid blind. Although she’s really something to look at, too. I’m pretty sure that I’ve never seen a more beautiful woman, no disrespect intended toward you. I see her looking over her shoulder at me, purple eyes glowing, and mischief in her face. CHAR!” Terry yelled all of a sudden, grimacing.
His body convulsed as he flexed his muscles, enraged at still being chained to the wall.
“Akio called and told us he was on his way to North Chicago to pick us up, along with Char’s pack. But we were in Canada, far to the north. He adjusted his flight and came to Canada. We had to leave the horses behind, and we had kids with us, but none of that mattered. The world needed to be saved. We flew to New York City, a place that Akio seems to have a hard-on for, as we keep going back there to make sure they are on the straight and narrow.”
Terry shifted his shoulders again, leaning one way until the chain would give no more, then leaning the opposite direction.
“Is there any way you could loosen this chain just a touch?” he asked. She ran her tongue over her lips to moisten them. Terry was thirsty, too. He wondered when he’d next get a drink.
He had remembered a classified terrorist threat briefing he’d once prepared regarding Brigadier General Dozier and his kidnapping by the Red Brigade in Italy. He’d avoided talking about religion and politics, but instead talked about those things where they had common ground. The terrorists started to see him as a human being and not as a prisoner in their silent war. The general’s guard, who was supposed to kill him in case of a rescue attempt, did not, and the general was freed and the entire cell captured without the special police force firing a shot.
“In New York City, we found a small group trying to act like a gang. Char, Kim, Kae, and I left the pod. Cory was with Akio. I thought it odd that he didn’t go, but he’s Akio and had his reasons. We confronted the gang. We let them encircle us because we wanted them in one place, you know, so we could talk with them all at one time. A couple thought Kimber would make a nice addition to their group. You should have seen her beat the crap out of those two knuckleheads. Once we showed them the error of their ways, which earned their leader two broken arms, they were much more amenable to a humane approach to rebuilding society.”
Terry watched the Weretiger’s reactions to see if he was having an impact, becoming a real person in her mind, but she gave nothing away.
“Cory healed the man. Five-years-old and she didn’t want to see him in pain. That made him a believer. The New Yorkers wouldn’t have stood a chance. Kim and Kae could have taken that whole gang by themselves. They learned at a young age that there’s nothing like being able to protect yourself. That gang leader? I think he’s the mayor of one of the biggest boroughs in New York. Last time there, we found them making it into a real city again. They have power, food, and even trade. In another fifty years, I think we may see New York City at the heart of a modern world. I’d like to be around to see that, visit there with my kids and their kids. And my wife, too. God, I miss her,” Terry lamented, eyes tearing, but he blinked them away.
He could smell a fight coming and needed to be out of his chains.
“Do you have anyone?” Terry asked softly.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Mammoth Cave Entrance
The ramp descended, and Char didn’t hesitate as she ran off the back and jumped. The two-story drop was through light branches. Char kept her legs together on her way down, one hand clasped over
her face. She hit the ground hard, but let her knees collapse as she pushed, rolling on the ground and coming up ready to fight. Akio was right behind her, then Gene, who was less graceful, crashed through the branches and hit the ground with a heavy thud. Aaron landed on a higher branch and bounced down the tree like an elf, landing lightly next to Gene, who he helped to his feet.
Gene angrily ripped his clothes off and changed into Were form. Aaron thought about changing and decided he needed to be at the top of his game. He looked sad as he became a Weretiger because he knew that he would remember nothing of what happened from this point until he changed back.
Joseph hit the ground and crumpled into a pile. His combat roll left a lot to be desired.
Another grunt drew their attention as Cory hit and rolled. She came to her feet and quickly brushed herself off. Char glared at her and Cory glared back, putting her hands on her hips for added emphasis. “Stay behind me,” Char conceded.
Akio drew his pistols and walked quickly toward the cave. The others fell in behind him.
At one time, the cave mouth had concrete steps leading down to an area called Houchins Narrows, a wide and high tunnel that led downward into the main part of the cave. That was before the fall. Afterward, the quake had opened things up, while also destroying the visitor’s entrance. It was now covered in boulders of all sizes, making for a rough climb to get past.
Cool air breezed past as they worked their way through the jumble at the entrance.
Akio stopped every few steps to look and sniff. He continued through the rubble at the entrance until he was first to the bottom, where Houchins Narrows spread out before him. This was the pod’s hangar, judging from the cleared space and netting on the cave’s roof to catch rocks before they fell on the aircraft.
Char stopped when she heard a noise behind her. Mark was waving with the warriors from the first pod. She cupped her hands around her mouth. “Follow us in. Third pod cover the entrance. Be ready to shoot that pod down if it comes back and tries to enter the cave.”
Mark gave the thumbs up and started sending the two squads down, one man at a time. They dislodged rocks and stumbled as they hurried to catch up.
Cory was the last one of the first group. She turned and glared at the squad leader. “Slow down and get yourself under control!” she snarled. He recoiled as if slapped. Cory was usually calm, the one every one looked to for keeping the peace.
She put a finger to her lips and he passed it up the line. Be quiet.
Akio raised a fist to hold the others in place as he remained still and studied every detail of the cave from near to far, low to high. Char froze while standing on the final rock before setting foot on the tunnel floor. The stone below the fall remained smooth from hundreds of thousands of feet walking over it, millions of gallons of water polishing it.
Akio took one careful step forward and then another. On his third step, he dodged as a massive explosion rocked the cave wall, sending debris flying across the path he was on.
Char was hit and rolled to the side. She was able to get her hands up, blocking her face with her pistols. Char let the force of the blast carry her before hitting and rolling into a ball, to minimize the beating.
Gene was behind her. The smaller rocks hit and bounced off the Werebear. He shook the dust off and roared his anger.
The Weretiger leapt the rocks and snarled as cats do, screaming as the dust settled. Cory jumped from rock to rock to get past Gene, but he held her up, blocking her way as he forced a path through the newly fallen rock. Joseph remained behind Cory.
Char was already getting up, cuts marked her arms from the chips that had sprayed across her, but she hadn’t been on the receiving end of the bone-crushing boulders like Akio had been. She worked her way through the fallen rocks, pistols out and ready, watching the tunnel carefully, wondering when and from where the next strike would happen.
She reached Akio, his body shattered, but he was still alive and already healing. His lightning quick dodge had saved his life, a maneuver that only one of his ability could have pulled off.
She cleared the rocks away and helped him to sit. He gurgled and wheezed with each breath. “I still live,” he whispered.
“For a long time to come, my friend,” Char replied softly, letting him rest his head against her hand. Cory finally appeared at Char’s side.
She started to put her hands on Akio’s chest, but Char stopped her. “He has his own nanocytes. They may fight against yours,” Char tried to explain.
“Then I’ll stop. Mother, please, let me do what I do,” Cory pleaded. Char removed her hand and nodded once.
Clovis tried to stuff his dog nose in between Cory and Akio, but Char pulled the big pup back.
Cory looked more closely at Akio, trying to determine which wounds were the worst. His arms and legs were battered, but the crushed rib cage and torn up lungs needed her attention the most. Her first impression had been right.
She spread her fingers as she gently worked her hands beneath Akio’s combat shirt. His body trembled at the touch, but only slightly. He was fighting to control the pain. Akio was attempting to meditate, free his mind and body to quicken the healing process.
Cory shuddered as her nanocytes started to interact with Akio’s. A spasm torqued her abdomen and she lurched forward. Char grabbed her by the arms, ready to pull her away.
“It’s okay,” Cory gasped, visibly relaxing as each moment passed. A slight blue glow emanated from beneath Akio’s shirt as his chest filled out, repairing itself at a fantastic pace. Cordelia sighed heavily and fell backward.
Char caught her and gently leaned her next to Akio. Cory was breathing slowly and rhythmically. Her hands continued to glow for a few more seconds before the light faded. Her eyelids fluttered as she struggled to wake up. When she forced her eyes open, they glowed blue.
“Are you okay?” Char wondered, not seeing anything unusual besides her daughter’s eyes.
“I am. Tired, but getting over that quickly. What?” Cory asked.
“Your eyes. They’re glowing,” Char said matter-of-factly as she kept stealing glances down the tunnel. “We need to go. You should stay here with Akio.”
“No,” Cory replied. She stood, took two deep breaths, and motioned for her mother to precede her.
Gene was fifty yards down the tunnel, turning his head back and forth as if one ear would hear better than the other. The Weretiger was standing between Cory and where the booby trap had been detonated. Joseph was standing next to Aaron, studying the cavern wall.
“What if there are more of those things?” Char asked Cory.
“Then you’ll need me more than ever,” Cory answered, gesturing impatiently down the tunnel.
“Leave one person with Akio and follow us,” Char ordered the captain.
Mark looked at Ayashe and motioned for her to remain.
“No way,” she argued. Mark almost came unglued.
“You’ll do as you’re ordered, Private!” he barked, before turning to follow the Were folk and the Forsaken into the cave. Ayashe stood in front of Akio and watched her fellow warriors enter the cave.
She wasn’t one for being insubordinate, but she realized what made her speak out of turn.
Ayashe was afraid. She was alone in the enemy’s stronghold, and she was afraid.
“Nothing to fear, Ayashe-chan,” Akio said softly from behind her. She jumped and then hung her head as she worked through the irrationality of it all.
“Yes, Master Akio,” she replied respectfully.
“Come, sit with me.” Akio patted the rock next to him, grimacing with the effort.
Who was she to turn him down? She joined him, sitting up and watching down the tunnel, her finger outside of the trigger guard and her thumb on the selector lever, ready to flip it off safe.
Terry’s Prison
The thunder of the explosion reverberated through the walls of Terry’s room. He could feel the vibration through the chains and into his arms. H
e smiled.
“They’re here, aren’t they?” he asked.
Yanmei licked her lips as she started to breathe faster, more the trait of a cat trapped where it didn’t want to be than a human waiting for orders from her master.
“Let me go and we’ll leave here together. We’ll protect each other and then, when we’re back with Char and the pack, we’ll protect you from him. We’ll protect the whole world from him, but you have to let me go first,” Terry told her in a gentle voice as he tried to sound rational, logical, when what he really wanted to do was scream in fury.
Char was close, and someone was blowing stuff up. He hoped the explosion was from breaching charges. He couldn’t tell. C4 sounded like HMX sounded like TATP through the bedrock beyond the walls.
It told him that he was in a cave. More importantly, it told him that he’d been found.
Yanmei knew it, and she was starting to feel the strain. Her once stoic features were starting to twitch.
“You can’t protect me from him. You can’t even protect yourself,” she blurted, smirking and waving a hand to take in a chained Terry Henry.
“Do you know how many of them came after me?” he asked coldly. She didn’t respond. “A dozen of them. Eight didn’t come back. I’m giving you my word that if you let me out of here, I will die to protect you, just like I would anyone facing an evil like Kirkus.”
She licked her lips again and chanced a look at the door. She reached for the knob, but it was already turning.
Flying in the Pod
Timmons, Sue, and Sergeant Allison had their eyes glued to the screen as the other pod slowed on approach to the former naval base that the community of New Boulder had taken over and claimed as North Chicago.
The pod flew low over the FDG barracks and the diner. It headed for Mayor’s Park, where it hovered for an instant and then dropped to the deck with the back ramp lowering as it landed.
“Hurry!” Allison yelled, and the pod lurched and pitched nose first as it rapidly closed the distance between it and the other pod.
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