Gateway To The Universe: In Bad Company

by Craig Martelle

  And Kurtz, but he was now one of them. He wouldn’t spar again until he could control his power.

  “Come one, come all. Your next beat-down awaits!” Edwin bellowed.

  CHAPTER NINE

  A warrior of similar size, a relative giant of a man strolled into the ring. “I’ll bite,” the man said in a deep baritone. They’d sparred before and Edwin had always handed the other man his ass. But it had been awhile and they’d both kept in shape. Maybe the contender had learned some new tricks.

  The warriors lined the outside of the ad hoc ring and shouted encouragement. The two big men squared off. They bowed to each other as Terry Henry Walton had taught them to do.

  Always respect your opponent.

  They started to circle, neither crossing their feet as they kept their arms wide, using more of a wrestler’s approach than anything else. Edwin darted in, dipped, dodged, and tried a reverse leg sweep. The opponent kicked the approaching leg and stopped it cold, then dove forward to deliver an atomic flying elbow.

  Edwin rolled out of the way and back-flipped to his feet, then charged in.

  The big man rolled to his back to catch the incoming and expected blow, but Edwin twisted sideways and back-kicked the man in the top of the head. He followed with an overhead chop, hammering the man’s exposed nose.

  Blood shot to the sides. But the big man was hardly finished. He rolled up, kicking his feet over his head and catching Edwin in the middle of a second pile-driver. The toes of two boots caught Edwin in the chest and threw him into the spectators.

  The big man rolled sideways and came to his feet. Blood streamed down his face. Edwin shook off the heavy blows he’d taken and waded forward, fists up and ready.

  The forward kick came too slowly. Edwin twisted just far enough to avoid the impact. He grabbed the man’s leg and swung an uppercut into his groin. He lifted the big man and turned, driving him headfirst into the thin mat.

  “Enough!” Colonel Marcie Walton ordered. Edwin took a knee next to the big man to see if he was conscious. “Maybe next time,” the warrior told him. Edwin helped him to his feet and the crowd cheered.

  ***

  Valerie leaned against the wall, arms crossed as she watched the shenanigans. Back home in New York, they had never put on shows like this, or really bothered to fully test each other. There was martial arts training and some grappling, but it was always about making sure everyone was in tip-top shape, ready to take on the challenges of the world outside the city’s walls.

  They hadn’t wanted to hurt each other, and even more so once the violence was over. Hell, at that point everyone wanted to see as little action as possible. Everyone, but her and Robin. They wanted to get out there and save the universe, and here they were.

  Of course, back then there wasn’t the amazing healing pod that this ship apparently had. And she supposed that going up against aliens was an entirely new affair, one that pushed them to new levels of preparedness.

  “Ladies, ladies, ladies,” Garcia said, walking over to stand in front of them, eyes narrowed mischievously. “I think we all know it’s your turn.”

  “You want me to fight,” Robin leaned in, smiling to show her Vampire teeth, “it’ll be to the death.”

  “Not here,” he countered.

  “Then we best not,” she replied flatly.

  Valerie simply watched the two with a smile. Garcia was a tough nut, but him against Robin? Yeah, right. She’d quickly earn herself the title of “The Nutcracker.”

  He considered this for a moment, eyes darting back and forth to each of them. “Maybe the two of you could put on a demo. Give the others something to aspire to?”

  Robin shrugged, her eyes moving to Valerie curiously.

  “What the hell, it’ll kill twenty seconds,” Valerie said. “But…” She lowered her voice as she addressed Robin, “…are you sure you can handle this?”

  “Let’s see what you got, old lady,” Robin shot back with a mischievous smile.

  "Old...lady?" Valerie stood, shaking her head. “You’re in for a world of pain, little one.”

  The warriors cleared the ring and lined the space, giving the Vampires room.

  Valerie circled her friend, this young woman who had been so much more to her, as they squared off. Not used to fighting for fun or show, Valerie had to pull back the first punch as she lunged forward.

  Robin caught it and countered with a knee, holding her tight as she said, “Quit the bullshit. No holding back,” before shoving her away.

  Valerie rubbed her side where the knee had hit, watching Robin circle around her like a lion ready to pounce. Okay, that was how it was going to be?

  This time, Robin came in, but pulled back at the last minute in a feint. Valerie over-committed and Robin came in with a leg sweep that caught her off-guard but didn’t trip her.

  Right—the woman had been trained as an assassin, of course she was going to use trickery and not simply come in swinging. Not her typical opponent.

  This time, Valerie decided to be tricky too. As Robin recovered, Valerie came in with a leap to her left, but just as quickly pushed off and came around to the right, bringing her leg up for a roundhouse kick to Robin’s ribs that sent her flying onto her back.

  “Holy balls,” Robin said, pushing herself up and turning to stretch her neck with a crack. At first, Valerie wondered if she’d gone too far, but then the younger woman smiled and added, “That’s what the fuck I’m talking about!”

  Valerie was caught off-guard by her friend swearing, but she guessed that was how she knew this was for real. The woman rarely went there, but now she was on the balls of her feet, moving around Valerie with hands held up, one slightly in front of the other.

  “You sure you’re ready for this?” Valerie asked with a cautious glance around at the others watching.

  “Don’t kill each other,” Garcia called out, earning him a bit of nervous laughter from the others.

  “Just a bit of fun,” Robin countered, and had that same look in her eyes she used to get right before Valerie went in for a kiss. Was she getting a tad too much into this? It almost made Valerie laugh, but when Robin had suddenly come in with a reverse elbow that caught her on the lip and drew blood, followed by an uppercut and push-kick that sent her stumbling back, it wasn’t so funny.

  Valerie recovered from the moment of shock and caught the roundhouse kick, throwing Robin back over herself. When the younger woman landed on one knee, Valerie was there to catch her with a kick to the side of the head, instantly straddling her and putting her into a leglock.

  “Tap out!” Valerie shouted, but Robin was just laughing like a crazy person.

  “You gotta do better than that to tap this,” she said, pushing through the pain as she called Valerie’s bluff and pulled free from the hold.

  As much as Valerie was getting into this, she wasn’t about to break her friend’s leg.

  They both sprang into action, moving around each other on the ground and taking one hold after another, each breaking out to deliver blows before the next hold, but neither willing to break the other’s limbs or even snap tendons.

  When Robin took Valerie in a triangle hold and hit her twice in the face, Valerie pulled her into the air and slammed her onto her back, breaking the hold and knocking the wind out of her.

  She was about to leap onto her with a downward elbow, when Garcia shouted, “Whoa, whoa.”

  He stepped forward, waving his hands. “Ladies, I think that’s enough. Okay? Okay?!”

  Valerie stumbled back, caught off-guard and realizing she had been too close to losing herself in the fight. A glance around showed nervous expressions.

  “I…I wasn’t going to really hurt her.”

  Robin pushed herself up to sitting, a look of confusion on her face that Valerie imagined matched her own. “It was just some fun, guys. No biggie.”

  Colonel Marcie Walton nodded toward Garcia, then stepped forward and helped Robin up. “Whatever you two want to call
that, it’s enough. Great demonstration, ladies. We all now know that you can kick some major ass, and that you have a little tension built up between the two of you.”

  Chuckles from around the room.

  “Had,” Robin countered, winking at Valerie. “Am I right?”

  Valerie nodded, horrified at the blood trickling down Robin’s brow where she must’ve busted it at some point. It would heal soon enough, but it suddenly hit her that she had caused the younger woman to bleed. Not her finest hour.

  “Had,” Valerie agreed. “Past tense.” As she reached out to shake Robin’s hand, she added, “Good fucking fight. I mean it.”

  “Right back at you. Though I still say you took it easy on me.”

  Valerie smiled and found a place away from the others where she could lean against the wall. Right now, she just wanted to be alone to clear her head from this mess. Maybe she had gone easy on her, maybe she’d lost control. It was a bit of both, and neither made her proud at that moment. Not that the actions were wrong, but that neither had been from a point of strategy. Rather, she’d been reacting to her emotions, letting them take over. She would have to learn how to control that.

  ***

  “Whoa! Did you see that shit?” Nick Rixon shouted. “That was the bomb!”

  “Come on, Colonel Walton. You got skills. Pair off and show us,” somebody yelled.

  Marcie strolled into the ring and the warriors started to cheer her on. Garcia felt bad because the cheers were so one-sided. No one knew who Valerie or Robin were. Garcia had been on detached duty with them for nearly a year. He returned right before the War Axe picked them up.

  He’d been too busy to tell anyone about the Vampires.

  She held her hands up, but the warriors continued to yell. “QUIET!” She stared down the group, turning slowly.

  “Do you know who this is?” Marcie asked. Most shrugged.

  “Valerie and Robin. They’re like Akio, but they’re new to the FDG. Have any of you besides Garcia made them feel welcome?” The warriors wouldn’t meet her gaze.

  She took a deep breath, put one hand in a pocket, and used the other to make an expansive sweep. “Terry Henry Walton started the Force de Guerre one hundred and thirty years ago to deal with a gang of raiders who were threatening New Boulder. Terry, Char, and four warriors rode out on horseback to take the fight to the enemy, better to fight them away from what the FDG was trying to protect. Sawyer Browne was killed and Char took the pistols she carries to this day from his dead body. Many of those in Sawyer Browne’s band were rescued and brought into the fold.”

  Part of FDG training included the history. All the warriors had heard it before, except for the two Vampires.

  “Since that day, Colonel Walton has been the moral compass that we follow. Honor. Courage. Commitment. Saying those words doesn’t matter. It’s living up to them that we strive for, every single day. Do you do the right thing when no one is watching? Only you can answer that, but we would like to think so. We’d also like to think that you’ll do anything for your brothers-in-arms. That includes Valerie and Robin. Now make them feel welcome, bitches! And then run through level three Marine Martial Arts, first-degree black belt techniques. Fitzroy, lead them.”

  Marcie looked at the group as they formed rough lines within the confined space. Corporal Fitzroy was a stout woman with a mean bark. She took her position in front and started issuing commands. Marcie looked at Valerie and pointed toward the door.

  Without looking back, Colonel Marcie Walton walked into the corridor. She took a few steps and stopped, waiting until she heard the other two and the door to close.

  “Welcome to the FDG,” Marcie said. “For the record, I’m not a big fan of lone wolves. I wasn’t raised around any and for good reason--the loners never survived. We made it because of teamwork. Fought some bad-asses and we fought some candy-asses who had big guns. We’ve lost people, good people, a Vampire, Werewolves, and too many warriors. We almost lost Akio, too. No matter how big and bad you are, there’s always someone who can bring more. It grates on my soul to be vulnerable in this ship because space is the great equalizer.”

  Marcie smiled and chuckled. Valerie and Robin watched her, emotionlessly, without responding.

  “I’m not challenging you and I don’t want to fight, but we will spar. We all need to improve. And it’ll help pass the time as we travel to parts unknown. Well, unknown to us anyway. I want you to be a part of the team, but I don’t know what that looks like. Help me understand how to make this work for you,” Marcie said in her most tactful voice.

  Valerie chewed on the inside of her lip before answering. “I came up here for a reason, and that’s to kick ass and do my part to save humanity. You want me to train so I’m a better part of the team? I’ll do it. You all want me to play friendly and maybe even teach some of the others up here a thing or two? I’m your gal.” She took a breath, considering how much she should spill. Whatever, she decided. “And Michael invited me, so I assume he had something in mind. Something other than…sparring.”

  “We all have a greater purpose, but we all spar. We all train. The time will come and I’m sure we’ll all get the action we’re looking for.”

  “Wonderful. I’m just saying that I had friends, a family in a way. So did Robin. We left them behind for that action, so the sooner the better.”

  Marcie looked at the two Vampires, unsure of their commitment to the team. She knew that she’d have to talk with TH about how to handle them.

  “Everyone has to start somewhere. Or start over. I was married with two kids when I finally decided to take the plunge. I did it on a whim because my husband said he had to join. We’re not in a male-dominated society anymore. Why did I have to stay with the kids?”

  “But you answer to TH, and he’s a man,” Valerie said softly.

  “He’s in charge because he’s earned the right to be in charge, not because of differences in chromosomes, but he promoted me to an equal rank. For fifty years, I led the FDG. He’s the right one to be in charge. He saved Earth,” Marcie said proudly.

  “There were a lot of people fighting to save Earth,” Robin interjected.

  “I’m sure. But Terry was fighting to save it for everyone else. He preferred not to fight, but to win the people over. If someone gave me shit, I’d punch them in the face. Easy day. Not TH. He fought as a last resort and that is what makes him great. He wins people over, makes people want to do what he asks. And when the bad guys call down the thunder, well, that’s what they get. I watched the colonel jump three stories into a pack of Weretigers because they were threatening his wife. He killed them all. He killed a Vampire with his bare hands, after being tortured. That Forsaken was a powerful one that could read minds. Never underestimate the colonel. I’ve heard that you’re as fast as Akio. That’s all well and good, but we still win as a team.”

  Marcie pinched her lips together as the two Vampires watched her. Neither attempted to reply. Marcie nodded once and headed toward the stairs. She wanted to check on the status of the Pod Doc, maybe talk with Terry Henry and Char.

  Marcie took one step and heard the furious barking of the German Shepard.

  ***

  Kurtz sat on his bunk, holding his head in his hands. Terry and Char leaned against the opposite wall, holding hands and unsure of what to do.

  They were in the small room that had been assigned as the lieutenant’s quarters. They watched the fledgling Were struggle with the emotions simmering within. He wanted to unleash his fury, but he was a well-trained warrior, disciplined. He wanted to explore the boundaries of his new powers.

  “I feel like a volcano that’s ready to blow. Does that ever go away?”

  Char leaned forward. “It gets easier to control over time. You change form when you want to, not when the Werewolf takes charge. You can never let the Were run free. The more you do, the easier it will be to lose yourself. If that happens, the animal has taken over and you’ll never be able to change back into hum
an form. If that happens, you’ll be hunted down and killed because you’ll be a threat to humanity. Change on your terms and never, ever let the beast run free.”

  Kurtz threw his legs on his bunk and laid back. He draped an arm over his face to block out the light.

  “Is it always this bright?” he asked.

  “At first, yes.”

  The lieutenant inhaled deeply, held the breath, and slowly exhaled.

  “I want to thank you for everything you’ve done for me, Colonel, Major. I didn’t know that I wanted this, but maybe the technician was right. I feel that this was inside of me all along and has now been liberated. But I’m a Colonel Walton-trained warrior. I have you to thank for my self-discipline. I will not let the beast take over. I am in command.”

  Kurtz removed his arm and sat back up. He purposefully looked at Terry and Char, his eyes glistening. “I am in control,” he stated confidently.

  “As a Pricolici, you’ll be able to talk while in Were form. This will help in your training,” Char explained. She had heard that they could talk but had fortunately never met one, not in the wild where the Pricolici would have been difficult to handle.

  On a good day.

  “When can we start?” Kurtz pressed.

  “We already have.” Char watched him closely. She looked for any telltale signs that he was a Were.

  Nothing besides the yellow eyes. “By being able to keep yourself from changing, you’ve passed the first and biggest test. We’ll set up some kind of obstacle course in the landing bay and then we’ll run you through your paces. I expect you’ll bounce off the ceiling a few times before you figure out what you’re capable of,” Char explained.

  “Come on. We’ve got a lot of shit to do, not the least of which is getting everyone else an implant without turning them into Werewolves.” Terry waved at the door to open it and stepped into the hallway.

  Dokken was sitting there. “Good call, buddy,” Terry told his new pal.