William smiled, happy that the conversation hadn’t degenerated like so many before it. Just a shopkeeper? He loved that shop because it taught him about commerce, about people.
But Terry Henry Walton knew that, too. He had never said he was disappointed in the young man, but always that he was destined for greater. Maybe it was time to take the plunge and build a private transshipping facility.
“Where would I start?” William asked.
“We bought the rights to it and secured a certain amount of manpower. Just say the word and it’s yours,” Terry offered.
“How do you have money?” William looked confused.
“What do I have to spend money on? I learned that the council had approved a separate salary for your grandmother and I decades ago. We learned recently that we had a rather significant pile of cash. We gave all of it back to the city for the rights to the derelict area. It’ll take a lot more money to bring it up, but we know people. Once this fight is over, we’re going to have a great number of Force personnel available.”
William shook Terry’s hand and then hugged Char. “Let me think on it,” the young man said.
Terry and Char strolled to their next victim—Mary Ellen. Her boyfriend stiffened as Terry approached. “At ease, Private.”
“Grandpa!” Mary Ellen exclaimed in exasperation. She pushed the young man behind her to interject her body between him and her grandparents. “Play nice!”
Kaeden and Marcie worked their way closer. Judging by the looks on their faces, they didn’t seem to approve of the young man. “Can you give us a moment, please?” Marcie told the young man. Despite Mary Ellen’s protests, he was off like a shot, out the front door and into the street.
Mary Ellen glared at her parents and her grandparents, a teenage act from a thirty-year-old woman. It wasn’t pretty.
“What have we done to deserve your ire?” Kaeden asked. Marcie grimaced as she rubbed her hand comfortingly up and down Kae’s back. She was distraught.
“Really?” the young woman fired back.
“Really,” Marcie said softly. “We’ve always only wanted the best for you. We joined the Force a long time ago because it was the only way we could shape the world into something that you could get the most from. Tell me what I need to do to make this right.”
“And us,” Char added.
“You can stop looking younger than me, stop being more beautiful than me, stop being great people that everyone looks past me to see,” Mary Ellen blurted.
“I don’t know what to say to that,” Marcie replied. Char shook her head. Kae’s shoulders slumped.
“When we went into the pod doc, we never thought how it might affect you,” Kae admitted.
“Well, it has!” Mary Ellen stormed out the front door. They didn’t try to stop her.
“I’m thinking that time isn’t going to heal this wound. It’s only going to make it worse. I don’t understand,” Terry lamented. “She’s an incredibly beautiful woman, but that doesn’t matter as much as her mind. Why would she focus on looks? She can make so much more of herself.”
Char shook her head.
“I’ll talk to William. Maybe he can bring her into the project you just dumped on him,” Kae said, not accusing his father of anything, but appreciating what they’d done.
Kim and Auburn saw the lull and brought Kailin to his grandparents.
The teenager waved, but looked like he wanted to be somewhere else. “Don’t tell me, you too?” Terry asked.
“Me too, what?” the boy replied.
“Don’t really want to be here,” Terry stated flatly.
“Well, since you mention it. There’s a killer soccer match going on right now,” the boy said hopefully.
“We won’t hold you up, too long. HEY!” Terry yelled to get everyone’s attention. They’d scattered throughout the various rooms of the house. Ramses and Cory. Kaeden and Marcie. William and Kailin. Kae had yelled for his daughter, but she and her boyfriend were long gone.
Andrew and Joseph were there because Terry always felt sorry for them, even though they seemed happier than they’d ever been since he’d known them.
They also smelled like fish. Terry smiled and shook his head as they leaned against the wall looking smug.
“What?” Terry had to ask.
“You think you’re the only one with grand visions of the bay?” Joseph asked.
Terry rolled his finger for the Forsaken to continue.
“You may own the land, but we’re going to finance the construction.”
Char worked her way to them and hugged them both, holding her breath until she was clear.
Terry grinned and pointed at William with his thumb. “He and Mary Ellen own the land.”
“And we’ll need to have a meeting with our partners and the board of directors of “For the Sake of San Fran, Incorporated.”
“Forsaken, Inc,” Terry repeated. He looked to Char, then to Andrew and Joseph, and back to Char. “We’ll talk later, but I like it. Thank you both, my friends. One stinky-ass crab boat and you can build a whole new wharf?”
“They’re good crabs!” Andrew replied.
“In other news,” Terry said, looking at his family before sobering. “We’re going to war. Very soon. We haven’t always returned completely intact. We’ve lost some people over the years and on this one, we have to count on the members of the Force more than usual. We aren’t sure if there will be human conscripts in the way, but we can’t just kill them all. We remove the Forsaken and move on. We’ll have five or more primary targets each. We kill the Forsaken and leave. Speed is of the essence. If the humans get in the way, you have to convince them to move. We can’t let them drag out any single engagement, otherwise the infestation will survive.
“I can’t guarantee that any of us will come back home, so all I wanted was to look at my family and make sure that you all know, we’re doing this for you, for everyone out there, so William, Mary Ellen, and Kailin can do what they want, can work where they want, do what they want without being afraid. We’ve all sacrificed a lot over the years, but we have had incredible rewards, too. Look at you all. I wish Mary Ellen had stayed, so she could hear. I just wanted to tell you that I love you all.” Terry’s eyes glistened as he blinked quickly to keep a tear from falling. “All hands on deck in the morning so we can review the plan.”
Terry excused himself to go to the kitchen. He had a brisket in the oven, on low, and once past Andrew and Joseph, he could smell its righteousness. The post-WWDE world and they got to enjoy a nice brisket? Terry smiled as he pulled it out, not bothering with pot holders because his hands were tough. And there was always the nanocytes.
Char joined him. “What are you smiling at?”
“Family, brisket, and look at this.” Terry wiped his hands on a dish towel, opened their small Japanese refrigerator, and removed a beer that the latest Force rotation in Portland had brought for him. He cracked it and took a small sip.
He closed his eyes and reveled in the moment. Char let him go.
When she returned to the living room, she found that Marcie had recovered Mary Ellen and her boyfriend. “We own a dock?” she asked.
“Yes, whatever. Talk to your brother and those two.” Char waved toward Andrew and Joseph, who wiggled their fingers as they waved back.
“You!” Terry said, appearing from the kitchen and crooking a finger at the private. Mary Ellen stood aside as the young man walked slowly ahead.
“Now listen up. This family has one standard and that’s you fight like the hounds of hell are biting your ass. We’re going to war. You haven’t been with the Force long, but that doesn’t matter. Nothing matters besides doing your duty. Do it with honor and determination, and you and I will be good. There is no other option. Now get some brisket for Mary Ellen and stay away from my beer!”
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
San Francisco
The first one hundred and fifty warriors to deploy were standing on the athletic f
ields that doubled as a parade ground and landing zone. Each team consisted of ten people and a team leader.
Char stood at the head of her warriors. Kim, Kae, Marcie, and Ramses stood at the head of their teams, but they had to deploy with one from the Unknown World. Unless they could sense the Forsaken within the etheric, they were a liability.
Cory stood next to Ramses. Andrew and Joseph were each leading a team. The Forsaken had dug out their swords, cleaned and sharpened them.
Terry had his normal load out. His team stood to the side. He’d put Mary Ellen’s boyfriend in his group, ostensibly to watch over the young man, but hoping that he would come through on his own.
Sue and Timmons were at the front of their teams, unhappy at being sent to separate places, although they understood why.
Akio and Yuko would take teams, too. They were reluctant at first, but Terry’s argument was sound—the Force would remove human distractions so Akio and Yuko could expeditiously deal with the Forsaken.
Terry trooped the line, as commanders were wont to do before a big battle. Until the pods arrived, anxiety, fear of the unknown, and irrational exuberance would wrestle for control of their emotions.
The colonel stopped next to Marcie and leaned close. “Keep Gene safe. We don’t have time to play nice. Kill any Forsaken you find, with reckless abandon, like you know how to do. No hesitation.”
Marcie smirked. “Make no mistake. There will be no hesitation.”
Terry slapped her on the shoulder and moved back out front.
“We’ve been waiting for this day for what seems like forever. You’ve trained hard for years so that you would be ready today. You may not feel ready. Some of you may be scared. Some may question if you’ll fail in combat. Some of you may die. Remember your training. We drove you to the very edge when you had nothing left except your muscle memory, your training to do what needed to be done.
“Dig down deep and find what drives you. Seize hold and don’t let go! Look around you. Go ahead, look!” Terry ordered and waited as heads swiveled left and right. There was some murmuring from the assembled warriors.
“When the shit hits the fan, that’s who you’re fighting for. That person next to you. In your darkest time, as you’re covered in blood and your existence is measured in seconds, the only people who matter will be next to you, just as fucked up but still fighting. Never give up, never stop fighting until you’ve won the battle. Sometimes the only difference between enemies is who is more determined. That’s us, because we cannot be any other way. We don’t know how. Lock and load, people!”
The Force cheered, thrusting their fists in the air. Terry held his hands up and waved for more. He jogged back and forth in front of the warriors. The team leaders smiled.
He stopped next to Char. “Not my best?”
“No,” she whispered. “But it was good enough.”
She kissed him on the cheek, cupping his face in her hand. “I love you, Terry Henry Walton. Go be the magnificent son-of-a-bitch that ends the Forsaken scourge.”
“That’s the plan, lover.” Terry walked to his team, looking them over. They’d only had a few days to train together before Akio told them that he would arrive the next day.
It wasn’t the sixth of June, but this was the new D-Day. October fifteenth would live in infamy, if Terry Henry Walton had anything to do with it.
He knew that some would escape, but the last time he won a battle against the Forsaken, it had driven them underground for decades. He hoped this battle would deliver centuries of peace.
But Terry had to remind himself that hope was a lousy plan.
Dots in the western sky grew larger as they approached. Five pods, not gleaming like new ships, but flat in color to better hide in the open sky. They made no sound and without enhanced vision, they could not yet be seen.
They descended and landed without a bump, rear ramps lowering in unison.
Akio and Yuko stepped off and bowed to the group. Terry walked up and shook Akio’s hand. “It’s been too long, my friend.” Terry bowed deeply to Yuko.
“We’ll take this pod to pick up Butch and Skippy,” Akio said, “then we’ll return to pick up our force on the way to get Aaron and Yanmei.”
Terry knew the plan, but Akio was repeating it to show that he knew the plan and the pods would deliver the teams as needed.
“Canadian Teams,” Terry called and pointed. Two groups of fifteen warriors each loaded up. Terry had added extra manpower because Butch and Skippy were an unknown. He wanted to hedge his bet. The worst part was that they had six regions where the Forsaken had been discovered.
Canada, which Terry found disconcerting. Scotland and Ireland. Northeast China and eastern Russia. The southern quarter of South America, South Africa, and southeast Australia and New Zealand.
Terry broke out the groups, wished everyone well, and waved for the pods to button up. He squeezed onto his pod with Char and four smaller teams, thirty-three total people with their first stop being Cancun to pick up Shonna and Merrit.
The loaded pods lifted off smoothly and headed in five different directions.
Cancun
The pod touched the same roof that they’d landed on so long ago, but this time, they were greeted warmly. Shonna and Merrit shook hands with two well-tanned souls before running across the roof and leaping aboard. They each carried a small bag and wore big smiles.
“That’s not much to show for all the time you’ve spent here,” Char said as they maneuvered to find space to sit. Warriors stood to clear the way.
“When you’ve had a great experience, you don’t need stuff,” Shonna replied.
“I’ll second that, but I do love shopping. I actually have a wardrobe again and a variety of shoes.” Shonna looked at Char’s new boots. Shonna lifted her foot to show beat-up sneakers. Char shook her head.
“They’re new. We take a boat every now and then to Kingston. They make them there. Very stylish, for Cancun anyway,” Shonna explained.
Terry worked his way up front where the monitor was triple the size of the previous monitor, probably because of Terry always using them to conduct mission briefs on the way to a target location.
He pointed out the landing sites along Argentina’s eastern seaboard and one location in the Falklands, also called the Malvinas. Shonna was to be dropped off at the northernmost site while Merrit would start at the southernmost point. Terry would be in the middle and Char would take the Falklands site, keep the pod with her, and then return to the mainland to join Terry at the next location.
As formidable a warrior as Terry was, a Forsaken could be in the house next to him and he would have no idea.
The pod came in low from inland, swooping in when the Forsaken was detected. It descended quickly and the ramp dropped without the pod touching down. Shonna led her team out, bolting in the direction of the Forsaken.
The pod lifted off with Merrit looking out until the ramp closed and then he looked at the ramp as if he could see through it.
They flew south and dropped off Terry and his seven warriors in a remote area between two villages identified as having Forsaken. Terry would scout them out as he waited.
The pod raced south where they executed a repeat maneuver. Merrit and his team hit the ground running, making a beeline for small hamlet where they could feel someone pulling power from the etheric connection.
The pod turned toward the sea, heading for the island chain that sparked the Falklands War. It accelerated over the water toward a town on the west coast where Eve had located the signal. The pod settled into a small valley, out of sight of the town. The ramp dropped and the two designated guards were disappointed to stay behind, but they’d received their orders.
Char led the team out. As soon as she hit the ground, a hail of rifle fire greeted them. She was hit, but was still able to dive away and roll into cover. She looked back to wave the others to her, but they were all down. The two guards were returning fire from within the pod.
Niagara Falls
After picking up Butch and Skippy, the pod made the short hop to Canada. There were eight different sites they had to clear out. They’d hit them two at a time, leapfrogging as they traveled from east to west.
Butch and Skippy had worked out, but not to the extent that Terry and Char had hoped. They decided to attack the problem in Were form. They stripped and stood naked as the pod descended toward their first pair of targets. None of the warriors had seen that kind of thing before, even though they’d been briefed on the Unknown World and sworn to secrecy.
The presence of beautiful people who were standing naked, unperturbed, was disconcerting just until the pod hit.
“Two-story building, second floor. Follow me!” Butch called over her shoulder. She took one step, her bare foot hitting the ramp. The next step, she was in Werewolf form and her paws hit the dirt and tore up turf as she turned and rocketed ahead.
“Follow me!” Skippy called once the others were out. He ran down the ramp, hit the ground as a Werewolf, and raced away. The team dashed after him, losing ground as he opened the distance between them.
Yevpatoriya
Kae and Marcie stood on the ramp as they waited for Gene to board. He was leaving Fu behind for the first time in a long time. She had responsibilities and wanted to stay. Gene strolled toward the pod. “My friends!” he bellowed in his heavy Russian accent. A mountain of a man followed him. “You know Bogdan, my son.”
“Holy fuck!” Kae said as he was swept up in Gene’s embrace. Marcie looked at the young man, who looked like a combination of Gene and Fu, with every bit of Gene’s size and then some.
“My boy grow big and strong. He go with us.”
“Can he sense Forsaken?” Marcie asked directly.
Gene shook his head. The young man was big, but not Were. Bogdan carried a massive axe nonchalantly over his shoulder. Kae knew that he could lift it, but doubted any of the people on his team could, let alone use it as a weapon.
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