“Well, Mitchell wasn’t going to let you come back this time either.” Jack informed him. “It was MY decision to bring you in and I’m probably going to catch fifteen rations of shit for doing it. So just between you and me, I’d appreciate it if you’d knock off the pissed off Marine bit.”
Tufo shot him a look that would have busted the window if it had missed Jack and hit the door. “Don’t look at me in that tone of voice, Gunnie. I’m serious. If I don’t think I can count on you being a team player, then I’ll boot your ass to the curb this time.”
“You wouldn’t dare.” Tufo growled.
Jack pulled the Humvee to the side of the highway and stared the man down. “Try me.” He replied. “If you think for one minute that I’m bullshitting you, we can step outside and settle it right now. I’ll kick your old, wrinkled ass all up and down this highway until you see my point of view.”
Tufo cracked a grin. “I couldn’t shove my head far enough up my ass to see your point of view, squid.” He quipped. “And my ass ain’t wrinkled.” He mumbled. “Hairy as hell, but it ain’t wrinkled.” He pointed toward the road ahead. “Are you gonna drive this damn thing or are we gonna have a pecker measuring contest?”
Jack raised an eyebrow as he threw the Humvee into gear. “I’d win.” He said.
“In your dreams, Navy.” Tufo shot back. “My nickname in the corps was ‘Peter Dragon’.”
“Short legs, huh?” Jack shot back.
“Oh, you’re just full of come backs, aren’t ya?” Mark said with a laugh.
“If it means me not kicking your ass and sending you packing it back to Ohio, then so be it.”
“You just don’t want to have to tell Mitchell you got your ass kicked by an OLD Marine.” Tufo shot back.
“Yeah…you’re gonna fit right in.” Jack mumbled.
“Like I never left.” Mark sighed.
“Just remember, grandpa, team player or I introduce my boot to your ass.” Jack shot at him.
“No wonder Navy boys never could get a shoe shine worth a shit. That ain’t the way to do it, Sonny.” Tufo fired back. “Spit and lots of rubbing.”
“No masturbating in the truck, jarhead!” Jack smiled.
“If I were, you wouldn’t be able to see out the windshield.” Tufo shot back. “I’d offer you a pony ride, but you don’t have a saddle and I don’t allow bare backing.”
“I should have suspected you were a little ‘off’.” Jack shot at him. “You are a Marine.”
“Floating on the surface and crapping on the squids below me.”
Jack groaned at the bad pun. “How did Mitchell put up with you?” he asked.
“You don’t remember? He fired my ass.”
“Now I know why.” Jack mumbled. “You’re mouthy as hell for a toothless old fart.”
“Who you calling toothless? And I’m pretty sure that fart was fresh. May have had a lump or two in it.”
“Great. You’re more fun than a barrel of…eww, gross! I thought you were kidding!” Jack yelled as he reached for the window crank. Mark sat in the passenger seat and laughed to himself.
“Pickled eggs and beer. Did it just for Mitchell. Been cooking that one up all the way here.” He cackled, his eyes burning at his own flatulence. “Oh, damn. You might want to pull over. I think I’m sitting in something.” He said leaning to one side.
Jack gagged and tried to pull his undershirt over his nose. “No way, if you did, you’re sitting in it!”
“No, seriously, I think you might want to.” Mark said laughing. “Got any napkins? I feel something wet and warm.” Jack was dry heaving and flipping him the bird. “Okay, but it’s your upholstery.” Then gagged himself.
“I swear to Christ, do that again and you’re walking to the base.” But the two were almost to the main gate. Jack was fanning the air, fighting the urge to gag and Tufo sat in the passenger seat laughing as they approached. When the gate guard stuck his head in the window to look at Jack’s ID, he pulled his face back sharply.
“Good grief. Are you transporting a dead body?” he gasped.
“Not yet.” Jack muttered. The gate guard waved them through and Tufo burst out laughing again. “I wish you had saved that for Mitchell’s office. Seriously. The ventilation in there sucks nuts. He wouldn’t be able to go back for hours.”
“Good to know.” Mark laughed. And squeaked out another.
“For the love of Pete, roll down your window!” Jack yelled.
“I’m marking you with my man-scent.” Tufo stated, his arms crossed against his chest, eyes watering.
“You’re etching glass!” Jack held back a retch as he drove like hell for the hangar, his head hanging out the window. He shot across the gravel road and slid the huge truck up to the hangar doors, the guards opening them as soon as they saw him coming.
As soon as Jack was inside, he shut the engine off and jumped out as fast as he could, gasping for fresh air. Tufo laughed as he stepped from the truck. “Yeah, we’re going to have a blast.”
“What’s with you Gunnie?”
“Too many years raising English Bulldogs, I guess. Sinuses are all but burned out.” He quipped. “Never feed them anything with ‘soy’. Tears their tummies up.” He stated matter of factly.
“Yeah. Good to know.” Jack still wasn’t sure what to make of the man. For someone who was supposedly a top notch hunter in his day, first impressions must not be his thing. “Let’s get you caught up and geared up.”
As they made their way across the hangar, Tufo was taking in everything. His sharp eyes noticed every piece of equipment, every person who came and went, every activity that was underway. His childlike demeanor suddenly switched to one of a full-out professional. He began questioning Jack on each station, each person at every station and the operations going on. Jack gave him a brief overview as they walked through the hangar, and Tufo simply nodded then pointed out the next activity and asked about it. His mind was like a sponge, taking in everything. When they finally reached the elevators and started down, Gunnie reached over and hit the button for the next floor down. Jack shot him an inquisitive glance when Mark told him flat out, “I’ve got a lot to learn and a short time to learn it. We’ve got seven floors to go through. Might as well hit the next one and do them in order.”
Jack simply nodded and they did just that. For the next five levels down, Jack took Mark area by area and explained the operations and the personnel who worked there. Those who weren’t too busy working stopped to introduce themselves and Gunny made a point of learning their names, ranks and responsibilities. When Gunnie headed for the elevator again, Jack stopped him. “The lower two levels are restricted, Mark. I’m afraid access is denied to them without keycards.”
“When do I get my keycard?” he asked.
Jack was slightly taken aback. “I don’t think you will be.” He stated. “I don’t go down there either.” Jack lied.
Mark stared Jack in the eye for a moment then raised a brow at him. “What’s down there, Jack?”
Jack hesitated a moment then checked both sides of the hall to make sure nobody was within earshot. “Honestly? Not much. Dr. Evans quarters, and some cells that are made of silver coated bars.” He told him. “But the lowest level? I honestly don’t know. Nobody’s ever told me.”
Mark nodded, satisfied. “Okay then. Let’s get me geared up.”
“I’m beginning to feel a team player forming in you, Gunnie.”
“Keep your hands to yourself, Squid. Marines don’t swing that way.”
Jack smiled. “You’d never go back to women.” He laughed.
“Let me guess. ‘Come to the dark side. We have cookies!’ Right, Chief?”
Jack laughed. “Something like that.” Jack pushed open the door to the supply room and introduced Tufo to the supply sergeant. “Gear him up. He’s the new…er, well, the old…the new old guy.” Jack smiled at Mark.
“Funny.” Tufo responded flatly.
“Get your gear, get it
stowed then meet me back at the training area. We’ll go over some basics.” Jack told him. “Do you remember where it is?”
Mark tapped the side of his head with his finger. “Mind like a steel trap. I remember everything.”
“Steel trap, eh? Well, let’s hope it isn’t rusty.” Jack turned and headed down the hallway. “Meet you in twenty.”
Tufo yelled at him, “Chief! The training area is back that way.” And pointed the opposite way that Jack was headed.
Jack smiled at him. “And I have other business this way. Meet you in twenty, Gunnie.” Jack smiled and shook his head as he left. This guy was going to be a hand full, that much he was certain of.
Jack knocked on Mitchell’s door and heard a bark from the other side that he took as an ‘enter’. He stuck his head in “Colonel, just letting you know we’re back.”
“Come on in, Chief.” Matt motioned him in. “I just got word that Thorn and his people are on their way. I had no idea how many and had Evan prepare as many rooms as we could.”
“How many are coming, sir?”
“Four. Just Thorn and your in-laws. And Nadia, of course.” Mitchell dropped the file he was going through. Jack caught a glimpse of it and realized it was Tufo’s. “It seems that Mr. Thorn wants to be sure what our plans are before he commits his people to move to any one location.”
“I was thinking about that when I was waiting for the Gunnies flight, Colonel. If we’re talking hundreds of thousands of vamps…where the hell are we going to put them IF you can procure Area 51?”
“You mean Groom Lake?” Matt corrected. “I’ve wondered that myself. That’s a logistical problem we’ll have to discuss with Thorn once he gets here. Another thing to concern ourselves with is…how the hell do we feed that many vampires once we get them all there? We can’t very well just set them loose on Las Vegas. We’ve got a lot of things to figure out.”
Jack sat down in the chair across from Mitchell and hesitantly asked, “Any news on Dominic?”
Mitchell shook his head. “Nothing. Team 2 scoured the area and the video feeds came up with nothing. It’s like he just disappeared without a trace.”
“What does your gut tell you, Skipper?” Jack asked quietly.
“Honestly?” Mitchell didn’t like saying the words aloud, but he knew that the Chief would keep them to himself. “I think the bad guys didn’t like the results they got on their bullshit tests so they nabbed one of our boys to torture information from him.”
Jack sat back and gave Matt a surprised look. “Don’t sugarcoat it, Skipper. Tell me what you really think.”
Matt grunted. “You shouldn’t have asked if you didn’t want to know.” Matt poked at his desk and leaned forward. “It’s the only thing that makes sense, Chief. We both know that Dom didn’t break a direct order and run off on his own. I’ve tried to sow that seed with Laura to ease her guilt, but she knows it too. This whole mess is just…a mess.” He sighed.
Jack hesitated before he asked, “Have you written him off, Skip?”
Matt stared him down. “I didn’t write you off, Chief. I may have wondered, and I may have suspected, but I didn’t write you off. I’m not going to write off Dom until I see a body.”
Jack nodded. “Good. I’m sure the rest of the squad would appreciate it, too.” He stood and headed for the door. “I better go. I gotta get Tufo up to speed on our tactics.”
Matt rolled his eyes. “Watch yourself with that one, Chief. He’s still got an axe to grind.”
“Roger that, sir.”
25
Dominic was shaken awake gently, foul breath near his face, “Somebody’s coming.” He heard Jake whisper. He opened his eyes too quickly and even in the gloom, the light caused bursts of pain to shoot through his skull.
“Thanks for the warning.” He croaked back quietly. Dom tried not to stir and closed his eyes, letting the pain subside. Slowly he cracked his lids to allow his eyes to adjust, his ears listening to the footsteps scrape against the stone floors of the hall outside the cell. His head was turned just enough that he could make out a figure walking to the cell door and he heard the jingle of keys. He could hear the visitor try the lock in frustration and Jake scuttled along the wall and assumed the fetal position again.
“What the hell?” the voice asked as the visitor continued to try the lock. Dom continued to lie still against the stone floor, his eyes barely opened, watching the visitor’s every movement. The visitor, he could now see, was dressed in a nice suit, patent leather shoes and a shiny watch. Not your average jailor. He reached into his dress slacks and pulled out a folding lock blade knife and fiddled with the lock. After a few moments, he pulled out the broken piece of pen that Jake had lodged in there. With a ‘humf’ of satisfaction he tossed it behind him. “Did you really think that jamming the lock would keep me out? Or were you trying to pick the lock with that little piece of trash?” he laughed. Dom thought the laugh was heartless and without a soul.
The visitor swung the door open and stepped in. “Let’s see… pain and suffering or…pain and suffering? I’m sure this piece of shit has told you by now what lies in wait for you, yes?” he laughed again, this time with even less heart. Dom could hear Jake shaking in the corner, could almost hear his heart beating out of his chest. It took everything he had not to spring from the floor, but he knew he was in no shape to try to attack from that distance. “I think I should go with…pain and suffering!” he laughed again and stepped toward Dom. “Get up hunter!” he shouted, kicking at Dom’s outstretched leg.
As soon as he began his kick, Dom sprung like a coiled snake. He swept the other leg that supported the visitor and knocked his only support out from under him. As quickly as he could, he launched himself on top of the man and used his full weight to try to pin him. Dom found out quickly that the visitor was a vampire, and was quite strong. He rolled and took Dom with him, trying to find purchase to put him underneath him. Dom’s free hand came up and caught the vampire under the chin, smashing his lower jaw into his skull, breaking one of his fangs off at the base. His other hand grasped the man’s wrist that held Dom at the shoulder and pulled with all of his might to pull his weight off balance and used his own weight to drive his face into the stone floor.
Jake watched from the corner of the cell, pushing himself deeper into the corner, wishing he could become part of the wall itself. He watched in terror as the giant soldier attacked the smaller man and the smaller man used what could only be a supernatural strength to throw the large soldier around like a rag doll. He was amazed at how the soldier used tactics to gain the upper hand, and even more amazed how the smaller man had supernatural speed to overcome those tactics. The soldier…he said his name was Dominic, actually growled like a feral beast and threw the smaller man into the steel bars, rattling the steel wall, and…yes…bending them! But the smaller man got to his feet and rushed him, tackling him and taking him to the ground where they rolled until the soldier was on the smaller man’s back, his thick legs wrapped around his middle and squeezing for all he was worth. Jake couldn’t believe what he was seeing, those legs looked like they would crush a normal person and yet, the smaller man tried to keep fighting. The soldier had the smaller man…why did he keep thinking of him as a man? He was obviously what Dominic had claimed him to be…a vampire! Dom had the vampire in a head lock and was tearing at his shirt pocket while the vampire man was clawing at his arm, tearing the fabric of his shirt sleeve and drawing blood.
Dom pulled the flattened metal pen body from his shirt pocket and raked it repeatedly across the vampire’s throat, blood spraying around the cell and painting the walls. Riding the vampire until he fell to his knees, Dom continued to slash at his throat until he felt the pen blade hit bone then he reached further to the side and continued to slash at softer tissue. When he finally finished, the vampire lay in a pool of its own blood, body twitching.
Dom lay on the ground, breathing heavily and slowly relaxed his grip. He placed both feet against the
shoulders of the vampire and gripped him by the lower jawbones, his fingers slipping in blood but finding purchase under the jawbone. He then stiffened his legs and by using his massive back muscles, ripped his head cleanly from his body and threw it as far from the body as he could.
“Oh my god…” Jake whispered from his corner of the cell. “I think I’m going to be sick.”
“Better sick than dead.” Dom said as he rolled on to his knees and placed his head against the cold floor. Slowly he got to his feet and wavered a bit. He reached into his pocket and popped the pill bottle and slid a few more of the aspirins into his mouth and made a face as the bitter pills hit his tongue. He found the water bucket and ladled out a mouthful to wash down the bitter analgesics.
He went back to the body and frisked it. Of course, there weren’t any weapons. He was a vampire and vampires don’t feel the need for weapons. He pocketed the keys and used the expensive Italian jacket to wipe as much blood from him as he could. He did relieve the body of the watch. “Let’s see if we can find a way out of here.” He said as he made his way to the door.
Jake couldn’t move, fear gluing him to his spot. He just kept shaking his head and mumbling to himself. Dom walked over to the head and picked it up by the hair and carried it over to where Jake was curled up in the corner. “Look.” He barked. Dom pulled the jaw open and displayed the remaining fang. “This is a fucking vampire. They eat people. You are people. That makes you food. If you stay, you die.” He tossed the head back across the cell. “I don’t want to get rough with you, kid. But if you want to keep breathing, we need to haul ass out of here.”
Jake started nodding. “Yeah. You’re right. We got to go.” He picked up his pack and headed toward the open cell door on shaky legs. “What if we run into more?” he asked.
“We kill them before they kill us.” Dom whispered.
“How? They look pretty strong.”
“They are.” Dom whispered back. “They’re sneaky, strong and tough as hell.”
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