Gabrielle’s shoulders lost some of their tenseness. Apparently, the two of them could have made changes to her before now but had chosen to use the safer method. “So, hey, what about getting rid of a tattoo at the same time?”
Gabrielle noticed Bethany Anne’s inflection change. “You have a tattoo?”
“Yeah, a bad choice in the 1970’s on my ass.”
TOM was speaking again, “Actually, the nanocytes you have in you right now could have taken care of that issue. I will work to teach you how to use your nanocytes to their fullest when we get them fixed. I’ll leave the tattoo as a practice opportunity.”
“I want to see!” Back to Bethany Anne.
Gabrielle looked exasperated, “You know, this talking to two of you in one body is a pain. And not only no, but HELL No. I am not showing you something that will be gone as soon as I can learn how to get rid of it!”
“Ivan got to see it!”
Gabrielle stuck her tongue out, “Not from the position we were in. Ok, I guess I feel as comfortable as I can about this. When do we want to start the process?”
Bethany Anne considered her response. TOM seemed to have left her head for now. “I don’t know why now isn’t as good time as any to start. We get a day head start and it isn’t like if anything happens being in the Pod isn’t the safest place on the ship. So, now?”
Gabrielle just nodded her head in agreement and stood up. Bethany Anne put a hand out, “Sorry, but you have to get in the pod naked.” Bethany Anne’s smile told Gabrielle she wasn’t getting in the pod without divulging her traitorous and embarrassing tattoo. She rolled her eyes and started to take off her clothes. Bethany Anne turned around and started programming the pod.
Once she was finished with the full programming but before she hit the final button to open the pod, Bethany Anne turned around and faced the now naked Gabrielle. Bethany Anne pointed her finger down and turned it around. Gabrielle rolled her eyes and started to turn as fast as she could with her vampiric speed. Two hands grabbed her shoulders as she was halfway turned. Holy Crap! Bethany Anne had stopped her as if she was a normal human.
“Nice, were you having trouble with guys figuring out the right location?”
Gabrielle tattoo was right in the center of her tailbone area below her pants line. It was a very floral spelling of “Enter Here” and a heart that ended with an arrow at the bottom pointing down.
“Believe it or not, I’d never had a tattoo and I was in Paris at the time. My flame and I were very drunk after seeing some of the sexy shows on the Boulevard de Clichy and one thing led to another…” Bethany Anne let her shoulders go.
Bethany Anne smiled, “I think it's hilarious. I’d leave it alone; but then I haven’t had to live with it for as long as you. However; if TOM says you can get rid of it already, you can take that to the bank. I imagine you can even put it back if you want.”
“No thank you, getting rid of it is enough.”
Bethany Anne turned back around and hit the two button combination that started the pod opening. “You get in, put your arms by your side and close your eyes. I’ll be here when you get out. Sweet dreams!”
Gabrielle had been getting in the pod while Bethany Anne gave her instructions. She tried to smile and get over her anxiousness. The pod door closed and she heard two small knocks and then the lights went out. Seconds later, at least to her, she woke up.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Carpathian Mountains, Romania
John and Eric were leaving the craft. Bethany Anne had told the guys to get out of the craft and go stretch their legs for a while, they were driving her insane.
John set out for the caves area and Eric dropped in behind him. John found what he was looking for, a rock they could rest against and talk without getting snow all over them but still out in the light. He stopped and leaned against it. He looked over at Eric, “Hey, why are you being so grumpy lately?”
Eric looked surprised. He hadn’t acted any different than he normally would, had he? “Not sure I follow big guy.”
John looked at Eric a little closer to see if he was truly ignorant. Yup. “You're acting like a guy who is falling for a girl but doesn’t know how to tell her.”
Eric’s face scrunched up, “Who… Ah. Gabrielle?” John just shook his head. He had been with John on too many ops to ignore John’s comment. He must have really been acting the ass. “Really? God, ok. When did I start?”
John thought about this, “Maybe after the Costa Rican op?”
“Yeah, after she saved my ass. Probably, that would make sense. Shit, I was dead John, you know that? That guy was looking down the barrel of his gun and my ticket was punched when all of a sudden she got his attention enough he turned his pistol just a smidge and shot her straight in the chest. It knocked her clean off her feet and I thought I had just caused my teammate to take my bullet, you know?” John just shook his head, he knew. “By the time I realized she was still moving so did the other guy who was able to plug her in the leg before I snapped out of it and shot him. The blood was all over her leg and she was in full vamp mode. She was still fucking beautiful, you know? I had the blood so I made sure we were safe and held her while she drank.”
Eric paused in his story, just looking around at the beauty in the valley he would see because of Gabrielle.
“I guess it was at that time she wasn’t just one of ‘them’ but one of our team to me. It’s the first time I’ve been in a firefight with a woman.”
“What do you call Bethany Anne?”
Eric smiled at his brother in arms, “A scary mother-fucker? Death with the legs of an angel? The last beautiful smile you see before Hell takes you?” They both had to laugh at that a little. “Yeah, I get you. Yes, she’s a beautiful woman as well, but she isn’t the same, you know? She carries that mantle of leadership that let’s you know she’s off limits. I’m not sure if it’s destiny or some other guy that is meant for her, but I know she’s untouchable on the romantic side. Holding Gabrielle made me realize that she was one of us.”
“You realized she was approachable?”
“Yes, no. Shit, no. I know she’s with Ivan and I didn’t think my playing had gone past team camaraderie. How bad have I fucked up?” Eric just continued staring out at the valley.
John punched him in the shoulder, “Not too bad, ass-wipe. But I can’t have romance in the Guardians, especially not the Queen’s Bitches you know?” Eric just nodded agreement. “I know that Gabrielle probably has a long history of relationships and has been through this, so I doubt you’ve done anything that crossed any line with her. Well, except the bonbon comment.”
Eric smiled. “God, you know how freaked out I was when she pushed my ass out of the helicopter?” John laughed at this. “All I heard was ‘thanks for volunteering’ and then I was ejected like a shot. I hit the ground before I could think a coherent thought.”
“Well, just imagine the stories you can tell one day. All of your grandchildren will gather around you to hear about when you told the scary vampire lady she was too fat to get into the helicopter!” Eric had to laugh at that visual. Him with grandchildren was a trip.
Finally he just slowly shook his head back and forth just a little, “No. I think that story will be for just for the four of us. I won’t compound my mistake by sharing that story with others.”
“Keeping her reputation safe?”
“Brother, I’ve got her back and that includes her reputation. I know she’s got mine, right?” They fist bumped and John decided this conversation was done. The team was good.
Back in the ship, Bethany Anne closed the external microphones TOM had directed her to use. She swallowed a lump in her throat and had to blink her eyes to clear them of the weight of Eric’s feelings, and the loneliness she felt as their leader. She would fight through it, she always had. This time, she wasn’t fighting to achieve justice for someone that had already passed away, but for the future of little babies yet to be born.
Sacrif
ices had to be made and Bethany Anne knew she would bear the weight of many sacrifices to come. She calmly continued bringing the ship online with TOM and making sure the medical pod was working effectively on Gabrielle.
The Queen Bitch’s Ship SEA AXE 150 Miles East of Bahamas
Captain Maximillian Wagner had requested Bobcat come aboard early and check out the Sikorsky S-76 and make sure it was ready for the swap with the alien craft later that night. The captain was pretty methodical with his crew and if he had to, would triple check to make sure everything was ready to go.
He had pulled the crew, all ex-Navy, together to let them know they were going top secret that night. Everyone on the ship had been vetted by Bethany Anne, so they had no moles. Max Wagner was a believer in everyone pulling together and you couldn’t do that, in his opinion, by hiding the biggest piece of news that would certainly be all over the ship in micro-seconds after Bethany Anne landed the craft.
Fortunately, it was going to be an overcast night. There was a chance for the weather to get a little violent, but they were in the Bermuda triangle, there was always a chance the weather could be violent.
He had a good crew. He had expected to be under Captain Thomas, but since the SEA AXE had the right hold for the space craft, the ship was needed right away.
The ship had a super-yacht exterior paint job, but had a commercially painted look and feel in most of the major compartments. The ship was focused on the comfort of the crew and the gentle handling of the toys. This was good as their latest toy was unique in the world as far as Max knew. If the major world powers had their own alien toys, they weren’t talking.
He looked over at his crew. They were in the main galley area which could feed thirty around the tables. He told them to all take a seat at the three tables nearest where he stood.
He had 14 personnel on board, including himself, which left 7 berths available. Bethany Anne was bringing four more people with her. He was sure that he was probably going to have to figure out how to refit his ship for more people. That was fine, he had a shit-ton of space below decks for the sort of jet-set toys that he doubted they would have to ferry around.
He raised his hand and his crew stopped their talking. He looked over the three tables. The engineering crew had four team members, the deck crew had three and Chris Billings from the deck crew could actually ferry the Sikorsky around in a pinch. He wasn’t a pilot of Bobcat’s level but he could have gone commercial had he wanted. He had four marines on his team and his second Natalia Jakowski. Natalia was about five and a half feet of spunky red head with piercing green eyes to go with her alabaster skin.
He had just informed Natalia what was going on with the space craft two hours ago. He started with the story of the team in the swamp and the terrorist takedown. It was good that Dan had arrived during the discussion as he was able to tell a few more of the stories with either first hand or at least immediate second-hand knowledge. Dan had felt he needed to be on the ship to give the same overview he provided the first team Bethany Anne recruited. Everyone on Max’s ship had met Bethany Anne, but it had been short and to the point when she tested their dependability and personal ethics.
Dan sat a few feet from where Max was talking to the crew. “Ok, everyone. It’s time to give you all of the details. You were all vetted by one of the best in the business before we asked you to join the company and specifically this ship. I hope you are ready for this because your life is about to change in immeasurable ways.” There was some muttering in the group. They all knew that they were a part of something a little clandestine. No one brings together two super-yacht caliber ships with all ex-Navy crews where one of the transport helicopters is a damn Black Hawk. They had either personally met, seen or heard about the Queen Bitch’s Guards. Some had laughed about the name, but certainly not to their face when they saw them.
Todd Jenkins had come on board the day before to work with the three marines Max had on board. He was one tough nut to crack and the story got around that he had had some war-games of his own with the bosses team. He wouldn’t admit much except to say that his team always won, but then had to admit that he was usually out pretty quickly due to the superior abilities of the other team. When Todd and the three other marines did some of their own scrimmages, Todd took out the three other marines each time pretty easily.
If Todd took their marines out, and the bosses people took Todd out, just how good were those guards?
“Indescribable,” was Todd’s answer.
Now, their Captain was getting ready to lay it all down and they were anxious.
“I know that every one of you don’t want to go back to a civilian life. You were made Navy, you lived Navy and by God you want to die Navy.”
His second, Natalia piped in, “Let’s just make sure I die after I get laid again, is that too much to ask?” Everyone laughed at Natalia’s comment and it helped ease a few of the jittery feelings in the crew, which was her aim. Max saw the wink she gave him.
“Indeed. Notwithstanding my second’s prurient request, I can tell you I am signed up to this Navy to fight a long battle that you are not going to believe. Unfortunately, it is all true. I’ve vetted this information and Dan Bosse is going to provide the same presentation that the first team watched as we came aboard the Polarus. The purpose of this is to give you the background to understand the craft we will be receiving tonight and why it is a ship that you never saw and never heard about. Am I clear?”
Everyone gave him their agreement. He had a good crew and they understood when it was time to get serious.
Dan stood up and took Max’s place. “Men, women, I’m used to running agents on clandestine operations inside the United States fighting a foreign race which our police, national guard and SWAT teams aren’t prepared to handle.”
Dan noticed a woman sitting in the third table to his right raise her hand, “Sir?”
“Yes?”
“Lt. Michelle Granger sir. Well, ex-lieutenant. Wasn’t your operation to support the SWAT team against terrorists in Miami?”
“Good question Lt. Granger. The short answer is no. We actually were called in after an op we did in the Florida Everglades. We had been coming off our op the day before and most of the team was enjoying some down-time at lunch. The terrorists had a two-way plan. They attacked north of Miami and accomplished getting the Miami SWAT stuck in. It was the terrorists in downtown’s bad luck my team was available because our fight was equivalent to the high school B team going against the Super Bowl Champions. The terrorists were taken down inside of two minutes flat across three floors without one injury to my team or the hostages. As far as we were concerned, it was a cakewalk. Here, before you guys start with more questions, let me show you some video.”
The lights went down and Dan stepped to the side so he wouldn’t be in front of the screen that had descended from the ceiling.
“Let me first explain I’ve been fighting these bastards one way or another for three decades, the last fifteen years as the AIC. In the last eighteen months I’ve lost every man I’m about to show you. Here we go…”
Then, Dan gave them the same show with the extended video selection Frank had provided tacked on to the end. When Bill’s vampire visage came up, he heard the expected epitaphs and indrawn breaths.
By the time the lights came back on, everyone was torn between somberness for the loss of Dan’s agents and the unreality of vampires and Nosferatu being real.
Max stood back up. “Ok, team. Here is the foundation of information you must understand. The reality of a vampire is a mutation implemented through nanocytes within their bloodstreams. This technology is not from earth.” Here, Max had to wait a minute to let the mutterings calm down. “As I was saying, the actual mutations these humans have undergone were the efforts of an alien group trying to create people to help them in a war they have in their own galaxy.
Unfortunately, as humans tend to do, the vampire group didn’t get the message about a possible alien i
nvasion and some of the bastards decided to figure out a way to take over the human race and it became an underground war. This is the war Dan and his group have been fighting. No one had a clue that the purpose of mutating humans had to do with an alien war in another galaxy that could end up here. So, now we are trying to shut down the first vampire war while figuring out a way to get to the stars in preparation to defend the earth.”
Natalia put her hand up and Max just nodded, “Do we have a time frame, skipper?”
“We don’t know. The original date of the first landing by the alien was over a thousand years ago.” This caused everyone to sit up a little straighter. It might seem far fetched that aliens in another galaxy might ‘come to get you’ until they had a thousand years where you had no idea what they had been doing. It caused a lot of those listening to realize it could be another thousand years before anyone had to worry, or they could be fighting an invasion tomorrow. “What we know is that we, and by ‘we’ I include every one in this room, is part of a group that is working to protect the earth. Our first mission is to protect our people from the Nosferatu and the Forsaken you saw on the video behind us. For most on the Polarus, that is the only mission they are aware of.”
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