by Mark Tufo
Matt turned to Laura and nodded. She hit a button on the side of the wall and the door slid open. Evan didn’t move. Matt and Laura walked in and opened a backpack. Laura pulled out a lab coat and a change of clothes for Evan and she handed Matt a bag. The bag held the cremated remains taken from a mortuary of unclaimed human ashes. “Let’s get you out of here and back to doing what you do best,” she said as she handed Evan the clothes.
“We have to make it look like you didn’t survive being down here, though,” Matt added.
Laura picked out a can of self-tanner from the bag and had Evan spread-eagle against the wall. “This is supposed to be the best there is on the market.” She began to spray his skin. “Let’s hope it works well with dead skin, too.”
“Please, please, please, let it be copper and not orange,” Evan muttered.
“Why, Doc, I never would have taken you for the egotistical type.” Matt grinned.
“Not egotistical, colonel,” he replied. “Survivalist. Unfortunately, in my case, a bad tan job could be my undoing.”
“Or if it’s too dark, you might have to learn to talk with an Indian accent,” Laura quipped.
“There’s plenty of 7-11s that need night managers,” Matt tossed in.
“Oh, please. Let’s just all have a hearty laugh at the vampire’s expense!” Evan groaned.
“I really don’t know why you’re bitching. You’re getting a spray tan from a pretty girl. I’m stuffing your years old underwear and prison garb with human ashes to fake your death. I think you owe me a bottle of scotch.”
“I think you owe me three years back pay, plus pain and suffering,” Evan shot back.
“I think you boys need to stop griping and focus on the task at hand,” Laura scolded both.
“Yes, mom,” Matt deadpanned.
Laura finished applying the spray tan as evenly as she could. She picked the most realistic, light colored bronze she could find and even snuck into the morgue and tested it on the leg of a cadaver to see if it would work on dead flesh. It seemed to work well and she hoped there wasn’t anything ‘special’ about vampire skin that would cause a reaction and so far, there wasn’t one. She had picked a fast drying tanner because she feared time would be against them, but Evan assured her that nobody ever came down there. Still, when both the CO and the XO were missing at the same time, somebody was bound to come looking.
Once Evan was dressed and the death scene prepared, they left as quietly as they could. Laura took Evan back to her office and cut his hair in a military buzz cut. He showered and presented himself as Dr. Peter Evans. Not the most ingenious of aliases, but all agreed that when he was deeply focused on a project, it would be difficult for him to remember that his name was supposed to John Muckenfuch if somebody were to yell it from across the lab. However, if they yelled either his first or last name, he would pick up on it and his attention would be turned. The only people they really had to worry about were the Oversight Committee, namely Senator Franklin, and since they rarely if ever came to the base, it shouldn’t be a problem. Evan was just happy to get his lab out of mothballs and back into operation and get back into his work. He had plenty of time to think while incarcerated, and he had many theories he wanted to put to the drawing board and then to prototype so the field agents could test them.
“It’s still risky,” Matt said, the ice in his glass tinkling in his hand.
“I’m willing to risk it,” Laura said flatly. They both stood at the rail outside the administrative offices overlooking the lab and R&D areas. They could see Evan diligently setting his lab back up and pulling his research back out of the lockers, taking up right where he left off.
“I don’t like the idea of you getting out of date blood from the clinic. Somebody will put two and two together,” he said.
“If I’m caught, I’ll explain that it’s for his research.”
“That much blood?” He gave her a look of disbelief.
Laura turned to him. She was going to argue, but she knew she didn’t have one. She turned back to the rail and studied him. She knew she had to do something, but what could she do? “It’s better than nothing. And we can’t get animals anymore.” She said. “I won’t let him starve again.”
“Neither will I,” Matt said. “That’s why I’m going to go in-house.” He turned and walked into his office. Laura, confused, followed him.
“What do you mean, go in-house?”
“I mean, we’re going to supply him ourselves. Fresh human blood.”
Laura was dumbfounded. “How?”
“Volunteers.”
Laura stood in Matt’s office, her mouth open. She watched as he worked his computer for a bit. He sat back and studied it. “We have just under two hundred personnel with the team, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Not counting the actual squad members, since we don’t know what the augmented blood would do to him, that leaves a hundred and eighty-three actual people. So, let’s say we can get a hundred volunteers. They can donate every eight weeks, so that will be close to two units per day. If we get more volunteers, that would be more blood. If we get fewer volunteers, it would be less, but either way, at least we’ll be in-house and nobody is the wiser.”
Laura was dumbfounded. “Do you think our people will do it?” she asked. “Will we tell them what it’s for? Surely some of them will recognize him and…”
“Those who knew him, liked him. They all thought he got a raw deal,” Matt sat back in his chair. “The new people either won’t know or can think it’s for researching new anti-vamp weapons. I don’t give a shit what they think. I’m not going to twist anybody’s arm to do this.”
“Word of mouth or…”
“Post it on the break room doors, the rec room, the snack machines, the latrine doors, anywhere people frequent. Make it flyers. I don’t want emails going out on this. Make it ambiguous, too. Let them think it’s for the R&D department,” Matt said. “If we can’t order fresh human blood, then we’ll use our own. Either way, make sure it’s known that we gotta have it and we need a steady supply of it.”
“Mission essential?”
“Eh, don’t play it up that far. Not yet. If we don’t get the participation I expect, then we can step it up.”
Laura plopped herself into the chair opposite Matt and sighed. “We really did it, didn’t we?”
“We stepped in it.” Matt laughed.
“When you began this journey, did you ever think you’d be sitting here like this? I mean, not only did you have one of the ‘enemy’ working for you, but you just went against your orders to free a prisoner…one of the enemy…and put him back to work for you?”
Matt looked at her over his still untouched scotch. The ice had long ago melted. “Do you consider Evan an enemy, Laura?”
She didn’t quite expect that question. She looked down at her hands and saw that she had been picking at her nails nervously. “No,” she answered quietly. “But I’ve never blatantly went against so many orders before, either.” She sighed and took a deep breath. “Honestly, I’m a bit scared.”
Matt sat up and looked her square in the eye. “Well, don’t be.” This time he took a drink from his Scotch. “Those orders were bullshit and we both know it. Evan was no threat. Franklin had a hair up his ass, and Doc out there was a threat to his agenda.” He hooked his thumb out the door to indicate the lab area. “Whatever the doc is learning out in his lab has Franklin running scared, and I want to know why.”
Chapter 246
“I don’t care what the weather is going to be like, I need to be on a plane to Oklahoma City,” Senator Franklin stated.
The voice on the phone said something back, and Franklin’s face turned red. Why did people in the military always assume that because he was a politician, he must be stupid? Tornadoes meant nothing to him, he was a senator, for crying out loud!
“Then make it a civilian transport! In fact, I prefer civilian carriers, they’re more comfortable.”
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The voice argued that the airports in and around Oklahoma City were closed due to the weather and would not be reopening until the weather passed. One of the largest storm cells in history was about to hit the metro area, and air traffic was grounded from Dallas to Kansas City in anticipation of it. Nothing was taking off or landing due to the extremely high winds and threat of tornadoes.
“My dear boy, you do realize you are talking to a United States senator, don’t you?”
“Well, senator, your constituents must be proud that they elected someone who thinks he can control the weather, but the fact remains that the airports are still closed until further notice!” And then he hung up.
The Distinguished Gentleman from Illinois seethed at the insolence of the peon who dared hang up on him. How dare he?! Franklin screeched as he ripped the phone from the cradle and threw it against the wall. It shattered the framed photo of him standing with his wife before her illness and Damien when we was six (or was he seven?), before stretching the cord to its fullest and careening back across his desk and hitting him in the wrist, cracking the crystal of his Rolex.
Franklin rubbed at his wrist, nursing his wounded pride and his wounded wrist. His pride and joy, the watch that, he felt, helped to distinguish him as a mover and shaker amongst mere mortals had been damaged in his fit of rage. He was just about to blow up again when his secretary stepped into his office, “Senator? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine!” he snapped. “Did you clear my agenda?”
“Yes, sir,” she answered. “I’ve got all of your appointments moved and your meetings are rescheduled.”
Through clenched teeth he said, “Move them back another day. It seems Mother Nature has decided to toss a monkey wrench into my works.” He grabbed his overcoat off the hanger and his briefcase from the side of his desk. “I’ll be out of the office for the rest of the day.” And he pushed his way past her leaving her staring at his back.
“What does a full moon have to do with any of this?” Jack asked.
Nadia sighed and took his hands into hers. She was surprisingly warm to the touch, and her hands were soft and gentle. Her thumb rubbed against the side of his hand and the butterflies returned to his stomach. Jack felt his face flush a little, but he tried not to show it. He squeezed her hand gently and looked at her face, the curve of her cheek, the shape of her eyes, the curve of her nose, the arch of her brows, and for a moment, he forgot that they were supposed to be talking.
“Jack, how long have you been taking the dark pills?”
“Huh?” His confusion at the question surprised himself. He had to think for a moment to remember how long he had been with the squad. “A few years, I suppose. Does it matter?”
“The length of time? Yes.”
“Why?”
“Do you know how big the pills are that they give you?”
“Nadia, what’s going on? What’s with all the questions?” Jack asked, his hands still in hers.
She looked directly into his eyes and he saw sadness there. Genuine concern laced her face as she spoke. “We found a live virus in your blood, Jack. It is not what we thought we’d find, yet not exactly surprising.” She shrugged slightly. “We do not have the equipment necessary to identify it, but we had our suspicions, so I came to you with these questions.”
“A virus?” Jack knew that a virus usually meant a cold or flu, but he hadn’t been sick since he joined the team. “What kind of virus?”
“There are many kinds of virus. Some make you ill, some can kill. All viruses cause mutations to the host’s DNA through—”
“Whoa, hold on a second! Mutations?”
“Yes. They inject their own DNA material into the cells of the host,” Nadia said. “The body usually fights off these foreign invaders through fever.”
“But I haven’t been sick a day since I joined the squads. In fact, other than getting busted up during the last op, I haven’t felt better.”
“I understand. And if you will allow me to explain—”
“What’s to explain?” He pushed away from her. “Your tests are wrong. I’m not sick.”
“Jack, you are most certainly not sick,” Nadia stated. “You have been infected, though.”
“Infected?!”
“Yes. And those black pills you take keep it from taking full effect. We need to get you taking it again to prevent unspeakable things from happening to you.”
“What are you talking about, Nadia?”
“Jack,” Nadia said calmly, “you were infected by your own people. The infection can be kept in check, but only with the black substance you have been taking regularly. Otherwise, very bad things can, and will happen to you. Bad things, that…once they are done, cannot be undone.”
Jack’s rapid breathing began to slow. He was forcibly calming himself. He had been pushing himself further from her as she spoke, but now he sat and calmly placed his hands back in his lap. Nadia tentatively reached for his hands and caressed them again. “Am I a vampire, Nadia?” Jack asked.
She smiled softly. “No, Jack, you are most certainly not a vampire.”
Jack looked at her long and hard. Her soft smile broadened and slowly he started to grin. “Are you sure I’m not?” He smiled bigger.
“I am certain.” Her smile grew larger.
“Oh, thank God,” Jack let out a deep breath he hadn’t realized he had held. “You were starting to scare the crap out of me.”
Nadia laughed softly with him. “No, Jack, you are not a vampire.” She laid her head against his shoulder and they sighed together. “You are a werewolf,” she stated. Jack suddenly went stiff. “Like me.”
With the weather outside growing nastier by the minute, the squads were forced to train indoors and underground. The majority of the Monster Squad’s facilities were under the hangar; this included CQB training areas, indoor firing ranges, the gymnasium, basically everything that shouldn’t be seen by the outside base or could possibly be stumbled upon. But whenever they possibly could, they squads would train off-base in real world scenarios. ‘In the muck’ as they put it. Without getting the sand in your teeth and the mud between your toes, it’s hard to train for real-world situations. Popo argued that training during the storm would sharpen their senses, since they might one day be called to take down something in that exact situation, but the colonel shot down the request. The team was on stand-down. They basically had R&R if they wanted it, but each of the squad members were feeling restless. They wanted to get out from under the hangar and run in the rain. They wanted to feel the ozone charged air on their skin and howl at the thunder.
Lamb put it best when he said he felt like he was amped up on a dozen Red Bulls, even though he hated the taste of the stuff. TD said he felt like he could do a thousand pull-ups and still run a marathon. Spanky sat in a chair and stared at a crack in the wall as if he expected something evil to crawl out of it at any given second. Hammer, Donovan, and Dom all opted to hit the gym and take out their excess energies on the heavy bags and kickboxing dummies. Marshall, Tracy, and Mueller joined them rather than sit and let their energies build up like a pop bottle that had been shaken to the point of explosion.
Apollo slipped off to the showers. He snuck out of the locker room, straining his ears to listen for the footfalls of his teammates. When he was satisfied that they were on the other side of the facility, he slowly closed the door to the shower facility and opened the faucet to as hot as he could stand it. He let it blast across his neck and broad shoulders to try to release the built up tension. It seemed that at least once a month, tensions would build up in all of his team mates and they would all get antsy, as if their energy levels were amped so high they couldn’t release enough. They couldn’t work out hard enough to reach exhaustion, sleep was impossible to find, and sexual frustration was…well, now it was nearly impossible with that incredible little Latina SWAT girl and her sweet little ass that had started showering with them all. He wanted to just reach out and squeeze that ass o
f hers, to bite it, to pick her up and impale her on himself so many times…but she was a squad member now. A team mate. His team mate. He could no more make a move on her than he could make a move on the Padre. He lathered up as best as he could, but noticed that just the fleeting thought of Sanchez had his manhood standing at unwavering attention.
What the hell am I supposed to do with that? There was no way he was going to get caught dead spanking it in the shower. But he never had a chance to make any more decisions as a warm set of hands wrapped themselves around him from behind and he felt the distinct impression of soft breasts press into his lower back.
“I never thought I’d get you alone,” Sanchez growled from behind him. Her searching hands ran down his soapy abs until they found what had moments before embarrassed him. “Madre de Dios!” she whispered. She grabbed him by the hips and spun him around to face him. This time, she didn’t look up. Her eyes widened. And she smiled. When she did look up, she licked her lips and growled, “I’ve always loved a challenge.” And her eyes grew darker as she tiptoed and raised her arms up to his neck. He bent down and grabbed a cheek of her ass in each hand and lifted her up to him and took her mouth with his. Apollo could feel her small muscular body sliding against his and it engorged him that much more. He could feel his need throbbing against her.
She let go of his neck and used her hand to guide him where he needed to be. She had to use her thighs against his hips and lift herself high enough to get him started. He helped by lifting her ass higher. When he was placed correctly, she relaxed her legs and he slowly lowered her. She gasped in his mouth and he covered her moans with his kiss. Slowly, so slowly he entered her tiny body until finally she placed her hands against his chest.
With stuttering words she said, “Wait.” She shivered and her eyes glossed over. She shook there and he could feel her convulsing around him for quite some time. He was only halfway inside her. After what seemed an eternity, she relaxed and opened her eyes and stared at him. “Incredible,” she whispered.