Max hemmed about. “I do not know. Your mother is convinced that the crazy old bitch can see into the future.”
“She can, Maxwell, and you know it. She foresaw my being born a wolf. She foresaw our union. She foresaw her finding the droplets of youth. She foresaw Viktor’s birth. She saw you leaving us. She saw what would happen if he challenged your seat too soon!” She pulled herself to her feet and shakily stood before the two of them. “She has never been wrong.”
“Wait…your family is not wolf?” Viktor asked.
Victoria shook her head. “No.”
“Your mother comes from a cursed line, my son,” Max said.
Viktor’s eyes flew wide again. “All this time you led me to believe that I am natural born!”
“You are,” Max stated. “You are of my line.”
“But she is cursed.”
“So?” Max retorted.
“So?” Viktor was practically trembling now. “So you don’t tell me I am of the family Veranus, you don’t think it important to tell me that mother is cursed and not damned…what else have you not told me?”
“Well…” Max said.
“Well what?” Viktor all but yelled.
“You were born a female.” He scratched at his beard. “I blew really hard into your bellybutton and made you into a boy.” He grinned at him.
“You are incorrigible,” he fumed.
“Relax, my boy. You just become Pack Master. You should be celebrating.”
“How can I celebrate when I find out that my entire life is based on lies?”
Max stared at him and set his jaw. “Is that so?”
“Yes!”
“Truly? Were you not raised by two loving parents? Were you not trained to be a Lycan? By the founder of the Lycans? Were you not classically trained as your mother wished? Were you not given the best that both the human and wolf worlds had to offer?” he asked. “How can you say that your life was based on lies?”
“The very foundations of who I am were withheld from me,” he argued.
“And now that you know, does it change WHO you are?” Max stared deeply into his son’s eyes. “Truly?”
Viktor thought about the question a moment. As much as he hated to agree with the man, he couldn’t argue. He was who he was because of his life experiences, not because of two pieces of information that wouldn’t have mattered in what he made of himself. “No,” he answered quietly.
“Then quit dwelling on things that don’t matter and take your rightful place as master of the pack,” Max said. “The moon is almost upon us and we have a battle to fight.”
*****
Sheridan had gone over the maps every possible way he could think of and he simply could not find a vantage point that could possibly give him access to Thorn. Nor could he find a location that might give him a sniping position into the building that he knew Thorn would be in.
As much as he hated to admit it, the ONLY building that even got him close was the very building he fought against defending in the first place. He slapped at the maps and sent them flying across the table. “Fuck me standing!” he yelled.
“What’s the trouble, Major?” Sergeant Bigby asked.
Sheridan sighed and shook his head. “I find myself caught between a rock and hard spot, Sergeant.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time, eh, Major?” Bigby smiled at him. “We’ve handled worse, sir.”
“Well, this time I may well have burned some pretty important bridges with the yanks.” Sheridan sat down hard and rubbed at his eyes.
“Fuck ‘em, Major. You know the yanks. Give ‘em a heartfelt apology and they’ll bend over themselves trying to kiss your arse!”
Sheridan sighed again. “Aye, maybe, Big. I just don’t know if I’m prepared to eat this much crow.”
“Aw, you can handle it, Major. Just toss a little catsup on it and you’ll choke it down alright.”
Sheridan nodded and reached for his radio.
“Jack, do you have a secure channel mate?” Sheridan waited a moment before Thompson came back over the air.
“Go to 127.3. Over.”
Sheridan punched the frequency in and waited for Jack to come back over the air. “What?”
“Look, mate, I just wanted to apologize for earlier. I’ve got no excuse for being an ass,” he started. “It hasn’t been easy since…well, you know.”
Sheridan waited for him to respond but he didn’t. “Anyway, I just wanted to tell you, if you truly think that my men and me being at that HQ would be the best place, then I’m all for it. We’re ready to throw everything we have at these bloody bastards…if you’ll still have us.”
Sheridan waited again for what seemed a very long time. Finally Jack came back across the radio, “Report to the HQ building and check in with Apollo. He and Pablo pretty much have all the breach points covered, but maybe you and your boys could cover the roof.”
Sheridan smiled and nodded. “Sounds like a hell of a plan to me, mate.”
“Thompson out.”
Sheridan looked at the radio and then turned it off.
“See, Major? That wasn’t so hard, now was it?”
Sheridan didn’t even look up, “Didn’t fix anything, Big. Just put us back in the game.”
“Well, that’s better than where we were two minutes ago, now isn’t it?”
*****
Dominic packed a go-bag and loaded extra magazines. He had no idea what he might encounter, but he knew he had to make a VERY wide berth around the incoming sea of vampires and work his way to where the train sat idle. He pulled the satellite photo of the train and the car circled by the technician that best met the description of a caboose. It was the closest thing to a transport type car in the entire train. All the rest were cargo cars, probably packed to the brim with vampires.
He walked across to where the SCOUT vehicle was parked and found Hammer waiting for him. “Didn’t think you were going alone, did you?”
“What the hell are you doing?” Dom asked as he shoved the go bag into the back of the SCOUT.
“Waiting for you.” The large Swede pushed off from the side of the vehicle. “XO said to wait here for you and provide support.”
Dom shook his head. “No way, buddy. You got a job to do here.”
“You’re right. I do. Provide support for you,” he replied. “Look, dumbass, I got my orders. They come from the same guy that gave you yours. Now, we can either stand here and argue about it or we can go talk to the man himself, OR we can go run this op?” He shot Dom a cheesy grin. “What’s it going to be?”
Dom smiled at the large man and shook his head. “Welcome aboard the crazy train, brother.”
“Aye, aye, aye…”
“Funny. Let’s roll.”
*****
“Uh oh, lover. Better look alive. They’re getting ready to make war,” Rachel sung in his ear, jarring Damien from the edge of sleep. “Remember…anybody older and more powerful than you are…eat from them!” she hissed. “Even if it’s just a little.”
“I remember,” he whispered in reply.
“It doesn’t matter which side they are from…our side or their side,” she added. “Foster, Thorn, Medici, any of them who gets close to you, eat as much as you can in the confusion. Build your strength for the REAL prize.”
“I remember, my love.” He worked his way toward the steel blast doors.
Foster was in mid-speech, and Damien ignored most of it, listening instead to Rachel. He did hear mention of something about a satellite and sunlight, but he was listening to her. She promised to direct him, guide him, lead him to the richest bounty. The added strengths of all of her chosen targets would strengthen him and prepare him for the real prize.
“Remember to stay to the edges of the dry lake. Do not let any get past you,” Foster repeated. “The satellite will be making random swinging patterns so if you are thrown into the fray…well, it was nice knowing you. The odds of you making it back to the edge are slim. We wi
ll take this, the northern side and we WILL hold it.
“The Sicarii has not been able to break our will and call us into his service so far and with the assistance of the others, we will keep him distracted enough that hopefully, he’ll never realize we were even here.
“Once this is over, we can go back to our lives. The way it should be. The Blood Alliance will be satisfied.
“Now, go forth and fight!” he yelled to an uproar of screaming vampires as the doors were thrown open and two hundred and fifty thousand vampires fled into the early night.
*****
Mitchell entered the underground facility while Viktor was addressing the wolves. He was explaining to them, many of whom were hearing for the first time, that if they shifted prior to the moon’s pull, that they could retain their mind over the wolf.
Mitchell worked his way over to where Max now stood, waiting to address his people, dressed in his Roman Guard uniform. Matt couldn’t help himself as he sidled up next to Max. “Nice legs.”
Max simply nodded. “Thanks. I work out.”
“I think we’re about ready. I have the operations center set up and my XO is holding the fort. Are you sure you can control me once I shift?”
Max turned to him and gave him a sad smile. “Colonel, I have plans for you tonight.”
Matt gave a slight shake of his head. “I don’t understand what you’re—”
Max grabbed Matt by either side of his face and held him tight. As he stared intently into his eyes, he chanted something in a language that Matt didn’t understand, but he felt his wolf struggle slightly inside him, then subside. He felt a slight nauseous feeling that quickly passed and he got slightly light headed just before Max released him. Matt wobbled slightly and tried to shake it off, but Max hooked a thumb under his chin and held his head up so that he could stare into his eyes. He nodded and then shot him a smile. “Excellent.”
“What the hell did you do to me?” Matt asked.
“I asked your wolf to take a vacation.” He smirked. “Go back to your command center and lead your men, Colonel.”
Matt’s eyes widened, “Are you nuts?” he exclaimed. “When I shift, I’d put them all at risk!”
Max smiled at him. “You won’t be shifting tonight, Colonel. And as soon as I’m done addressing my wolves, neither will my granddaughter. She is with child,” he stated over his shoulder as he worked his way forward.
Viktor was winding down in his speech. He had just announced that any wolf in their pack who could not swear allegiance to him could feel free to leave at any time, but not until this threat was addressed.
Max paused and turned back to Mitchell, “I can’t make this permanent, Colonel. There is no cure…other than a silver bullet. But, you knew that already, didn’t you? For tonight and tonight only, you have a reprieve. Now go lead your men!” he yelled as the crowd cheered his son.
Max stepped up on the small impromptu stage and raised his hands to lower the voices of the wolves assembled. “Wolves, countrymen, lend me your paws.” He laughed. “I cannot think of a better army to go into battle with than this one,” he said solemnly. “We face an enemy like none we’ve ever faced before…”
Mitchell listened to him a moment longer then headed back to the OpCom. As he walked across the soon to be battlements, he stared up at the sky and noticed just how large the full moon appeared in the desert sky. He felt his wolf pull slightly within him, then instantly settle down, as if going to sleep. He sighed deeply and took a deep breath of the cool night air to invigorate himself.
Time to make the doughnuts.
22
Tufo was just getting into the groove and coordinating the different strike teams when Mitchell walked in the door. Those who were in the know froze and stared at him. Matt stared back with a half-assed smile then ordered, “Carry on!”
He approached Evan. “Do you have my speech ready?”
Evan blanched. “Honestly, sir, I thought you’d be…”
“What?”
“Well, Colonel, I thought you’d be covered in hair and drooling on yourself about now,” he admitted. “I didn’t write it.” He said sheepishly.
Matt smiled at him and nodded. “Honest to a fault, Doc.”
“I am that, Colonel.”
“Very well.” Matt nodded. “XO, when you have a chance, will you please pass the word to our supernatural guests that we truly appreciate their assistance and that they have our undying gratitude. You might include that they have nothing to fear from the human hunters as long as their kind make no overt threats to humanity.”
Mark smiled at him. “Already taken care of, Colonel. Since I had the big chair, I took certain liberties.”
Matt raised a brow at him. “Remind me never to underestimate you, Major.”
“I’ve been telling you that for ten years, Colonel,” Tufo shot back. He turned his attention back to the big screen and tapped something on the pad beside his chair to magnify part of the screen. “Infrared that section, now,” Mark ordered. Approaching the dry lake bed from the east was a wave like formation that could only be described as a dry tsunami of bodies. “Get me Thorn in here.”
Evans stepped out and a moment later Rufus was standing next to Mark. “If you were this Sicarii, how would you set this wave up?”
Rufus studied the wave. “Do you mean the hierarchy?”
“Yeah. Would he put the strongest vampires in the front of the wave or the rear or mix them or…”
“Non. The strongest will be the oldest. He will hold them to the rear. The youngest will be at the forefront.”
“That way if we mow them down, there’s fewer progeny to die with them.” Mark nodded in understanding.
“Oui.”
Mark thought a moment then keyed his mic. “POD stations, hold fire until the wave is halfway past your mark, copy?”
He received four affirmatives from the POD stations, then he keyed for the C130 circling high overhead. “Hawkeye, OpCom Actual.”
“Go ahead, Actual,” Gregory radioed back.
“Hold fire until half of this wave formation is in the dry lake bed. Then I want you to bring the rain on the eastern most part of the formation, copy?”
“Roger that, Actual. Targeting now.”
Mark watched the movement on the screen and zoomed out to see the bigger picture. He’d never seen so many bodies moving at such speed before and it sent a chill up his spine. Somebody in the room muttered, ‘oh my God’ and without looking he ordered, “Cut the chatter.”
Matt stood back and watched Tufo take the reins on this ‘save the world’ operation and he felt a pride like he hadn’t felt before. His desire to rush back and lead was quelled as soon as he came in and saw his friend filling the role that he knew he was made for. He stood toward the rear and watched as Mark allowed the vamps to fall deeper and deeper into the bear trap.
Mark keyed the mic and left it open to all frequencies so that there was no mistaking the goal here, “Remember, the Hercules brings the rain from the rear and drives them further forward for the PODs to chew up, the ground forces keeps them from scattering into the hills and the dry lake bed is the killing field. Between the drones, the satellite and the rain from above, we leave nothing but the head vampire himself. Key to copy.” He received numerous key clicks back and didn’t bother to count them. He knew everyone was onboard and everyone had gone over the plan numerous times. He just wasn’t sure if he repeated it again for himself or in case anyone was nervous and forgot.
As the wave reached the mark, Tufo keyed the C130 Hercules, “Go for rain.”
Gregory replied, “Roger that!” just as the night sky lit up with strings of light from above and the heavens began raining fire to the earth. The Lockheed C-130 Hercules fired both of its 20MM rotary cannons loaded with chain fed silver jacketed ammunition with tracer rounds interlaced amongst them that made the night sky appear to be on fire. With the cannon fire concentrated toward the rear of the attacking horde, the older va
mpires disintegrated into ash, their progeny dropping and turning to ash along with them further ahead in the advancing army.
On the monitors in the OpCom, little circles of fire and ash popped in and out of view of the attacking horde in increasing numbers as the C-130 rained silver jacketed destruction on the vampire horde.
“Engage the drones,” Tufo ordered.
“Drones engaging,” an operator replied.
Predator drones swept either side of the attacking throng along the edges of the lake bed from rear to front, ashing huge numbers of the vampires with each pass. The third drone circled high above sending data back to the command center, and waited to take another drone’s place should one fall out of commission.
As the vampires realized that they were being attacked from the air, many made mad breaks for the fringes, climbing the steep banks of the hillsides to escape the deadly silver bullets raining down from above, only to be met by howling werewolves that rent them limb from limb or large packs of waiting vampires ready to sink a stake deep into their undead heart or rip their heads from their bodies.
“Sir, they’re passing the outer marker,” the technician monitoring the ground sensors announced.
“Very well,” Tufo noted. “Activate the satellite.”
“Satellite activated. Focused beam, sixty percent for fifty seconds. Zigzag pattern within the pre-set boundaries,” the tech said. “Firing.”
Mark looked up at the screen and could see the beam slicing through the picture in infrared, vast quantities of vampires going up in ash and pockets of others following. “Switch to real view.” A moment later, the screen, mostly dark, showed waves of movement and orange and red flashes of ashes floating up into the night sky. He panned the camera back and caught the swath of the beam as it sliced through another massive path of vampires.
“Hell yeah,” somebody commented.
Mark nodded. “What’s the recharge time at this level on the satellite?” he asked.
“Right at one minute, sir.”
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