“I called my Queen, John is just coming along for the ride,” Tabitha admitted.
Ted, remembering the conversation from the coffee shop and turned to look out the pod window, the ground coming up quickly, “Oh… shit.”
Now, he was beginning to feel just a little worry for the poor sons-a-bitches down below. He knew that Tabitha had just taken out a small strike team and while he noticed the three marks on her armor, she didn’t seem to have been affected. Now, this woman was telling him that someone way stronger and deadlier than her was coming. That man, one of the Bitches, was able to take out this whole compound by himself.
But, he wasn’t the worst of them.
Her Queen was coming.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Ann Bradshaw had been working the security for the Empire State Building since 2012, and she was sure she had seen everything.
Until two armored figures appeared out of nowhere on her roof.
One was a female, dressed in a deep red armor. The other was a large man, dressed in black armor. Their suits seemed to flex with their bodies.
Not like Iron Man’s suit at all.
Ann wanted to reach for her pistol, but training always suggested that you tried to minimize the show of force and to reduce the chance of a confrontation escalating.
What the training didn’t explain was what the fuck to do when two bad-ass armored people appeared right in fucking front of you?
“Lady?” Ann called out. The woman turned, slightly off balance, she seemed a little weak. Then, the armor appeared to melt from around her face, and her black hair and annoyed glance were obvious.
So were the red eyes that were fading in front of Ann’s eyes. There were a lot of people now taking pictures of the two newcomers.
“Oh My God, It’s John Grimes!” a woman shrieked off to Ann’s left.
Ann wanted to spit, why the HELL was an actor up here?
Ann walked towards the two people as she watched the woman calmly wait for the armor on her right leg to open up, she slotted a pistol into the armor, and then the armor closed back up.
“We will be gone in about thirty-two seconds,” the contralto voice told her. “Sorry for using this place, but I needed a location I knew well, and I’ve been here a few times.”
“Who are you?”
The huge guy chuckled as two women hesitated then walked towards him, pens out. The auburn haired woman had a tour guide article she was handing the big man to sign. The second one pulled her coat and shirt aside, “Right above my boob. It’s as close to my heart as you can get!”
The red-armored woman turned to look up at the guy, “Really?” she asked the man, “If Jean hears about this, your ass is grass.”
“Hearts and minds, Bethany Anne,” he murmured, “What goes on during an operation, stays on the operation, right? Plus, we need to be moving, not arguing where I sign.”
“Whatever,” the woman told him before turning back to Ann and gave her a small smile, “Our ride is here, sorry to have bugged you.”
“Holy fuck, It’s TQB’s leader!” This time, it was a guy that called out. There was a flurry of more camera shots occurring.
“Like that shit isn’t getting on the news, John,” she told the big man when a floating pod dropped out of the sky. The doors opened, and the two people got in, they were busy locking themselves in as the Pod flew backward, doors closing and then turned and flew away, heading north.
—
“ADAM?” John called out, locking the last belt.
“Yes?”
“Please block all mentions of this event to the Etheric Empire.”
“Ok, a reason for archives?” ADAM inquired.
“No one needs to know the Queen was playing hooky,” he told ADAM.
Bethany Anne snorted.
Shit, he had her there.
“You know we are both going to be busted for this, eventually, right?” Bethany Anne asked John.
“C’mon. It was a signature. I didn’t touch her breast, Bitch’s Honor.”
“Like that will matter. Jean will react and before you can say ‘Bitch’s Honor’ your pecker might be gone.”
“You know, that’s not even fair. I did the calendar with a whole bunch of women pushing for it, and now that damned calendar could get my pecker shot off? That’s wrong on so many levels I can’t begin to count.”
“No, that’s emotions for you. You were attracted to a woman with hot emotions, so now you get to deal with them. She isn’t going to suddenly become a calm, well-reasoned woman just because you two got together. She is possessive as hell, and she isn’t going to share. I’ve already had to warn her I’ll be pretty damned displeased if she ever actually spaces someone.”
“Displeased?” John asked.
“I’ll space her ass, that good enough for you?” Bethany Anne replied.
“Oh, yeah, that should mean Dorene is safe.”
“Yes, she is safe, but don’t let Dorene know that. I don’t need Dorene’s pinching of your ass to become a real problem. Thankfully, we have pictures of what the ladies looked like before they were changed, and I’m pretty sure Jean finds it funny, now.”
“Pretty sure?” John asked.
“It’s Jean.”
“Good point.”
—
Tabitha’s Pod landed, and she was out of her harness before Ted realized he needed to unclick. He was turning in Tabitha’s direction when the inside of the Pod flashed white. Ted slumped over in his harness.
“I promised the bullets wouldn’t come near you, Ted,” she leaned over and kissed the man on his forehead, “this isn’t about you, or Monica. You are just caught up in some shit because you know me.”
The Pod doors opened, and Tabitha stepped out. She grabbed her suitcase and placed it on the ground. Unlocking it, she replaced her tasing gun for her second Dukes’ special and grabbed four inch-and-a-half triangles and slotted them inside her coat. Closing the suitcase, she shoved it back into the Pod.
Her coat flowed behind her she walked towards the house. Once she had put a couple of steps between them, the Pod doors closed with Ted still slumped over, then the Pod floated up into the sky.
Heckscher State Park area, NY - USA
“Movement, half a mile away,” Specialist Siemanowski called out, “Sector 112.”
“Speed?” Vic asked.
“Walking, sir.”
The toothpick went back and forth between Vic’s teeth. “Direction?”
“Here, sir,” Siemanowski answered.
Vic turned his head, “Still nothing from Alpha team, McGowen?”
McGowen answered, “Negative sir.”
Well, fuck. Vic thought. Go out or wait?
Atlantic City, NJ - USA
“SCRAMBLE SCRAMBLE SCRAMBLE!” The alarms blared, “We have bogies inside New York City, We have…”
The alarms all died, the power died. Around the airport, generators were coming on-line as emergency lights flickered on and off.
Then those generators were dying.
Those in the Air Force tower were slapping their desks in frustration as computers that had built in redundancy refused to power up.
Major Mark Milton, he rather liked the alliteration, was hastily pushing digits on his cell phone, trying to circumvent the useless phones in the tower when he was tapped on his shoulder, “What?” He bit out, frustrated when his cell connectivity plunged, and he couldn’t get a signal.
“Sir,” a voice called behind Mark, “You better see this.”
Mark bit off his next comment. It wasn’t appropriate. He took a calming breath and turned around. Everyone was looking out the East windows to the area where the jets took off.
There was a big ass alien spaceship floating just fifty feet above the ground.
“What the fuck…” someone in the group whispered.
“Awww, son of a bitch.” Milton spit out as he walked towards the window. He recognized the female vampire skull on the side of t
he ship. “Which of our imperious leaders went and pissed off TQB this time?”
Mark looked down and saw two guards down on the runway. One had his pistol out shooting at the ship.
He grumbled, “Somebody tell that spastic, dickless, one-eyed wonder down there to stop bringing a pop-gun to a space fight for fuck’s sake. It might just piss off the Captain of that ship.”
Washington D.C. - USA
Four Secret Service agents walked into the President’s office and calmly grabbed him, and ushered him out of the room. The five men now moved quickly to the underground bunker.
“What is going on?” The President asked. “And, is my family safe?”
“Yes to the family and someone has pissed off TQB.”
“Well, who the … Wait, did we do something?” He asked, trying to remember what commands he had given recently.
They walked into the protected room in the underground communications center, another seven individuals already there.
“We have a TQB ship, the G’laxix Sphaea sitting right on top of the 177th Fighter Wing at Atlantic City International Airport.”
“What are they doing there?” He grumped, sitting down at the table.
“Not letting our fighters take off, Mr. President.” Agent Alvin Carter answered.
“Yes, but why,” the President asked, “Someone needs to tell me why we have been invaded.” He barked out, “And get that self-proclaimed Queen of theirs on the line, or I’ll send their asses back to the stone-age.”
Heckscher State Park area, NY - USA
“ADAM, give me a schematic of the building,” Bethany Anne called out. The two of them reviewed the structure in three dimensions, “Change to wireframe,” she commanded.
“Two stories, with two ways into the basement,” John pointed out. “How do you want to go in?”
Bethany Anne tapped her finger on her lips, “ADAM, how are the gravity controls for these suits?”
“What do you wish to accomplish, Bethany Anne?”
“I’m thinking to drop out of the sky, right on top and busting through.”
“Sorry, that won’t be possible, the top has a concrete layer.”
“Well,” John cut in, “That was kind of out of the box thinking.”
“How about under the top level?” she continued.
“The building is made up of a steel girder frame, concrete between floors, approximately six inches thick and simple construction materials for the walls. Thin metal construction on the outside walls.”
“How thin?” Bethany Anne asked.
“Typical corrugated steel walls.”
Bethany Anne pointed to the two staircases that went to the basement, “I say we toss something here between these two locations at an angle. It takes out the middle of the building, and we race to see who acquires the girl first.”
“Ooookay,” John admitted. “Or, could you walk the Etheric if you got close enough in your armor and peak around now that you know where it is?”
Bethany Anne rolled her eyes, “Grimes, you take all the fucking fun out of things,” she bitched. “But then, I suppose it will help keep our primary safe.”
“It’s ok,” John replied, “You go in, grab the girl, then we do some damage because no one does this shit and gets away with a slap on the wrist.”
“No, not anymore they don’t,” Bethany Anne agreed.
The Pod stopped four thousand feet up in the air, and John noticed his boss just disappeared out of her seat, then reappeared outside the pod, falling.
“Damn,” he whispered as ADAM kept her on the screen for John, so he had a good view as she disappeared before hitting the ground. “She keeps getting better and better.” He turned and reached into the back of the Pod and pulled out a gravitational bar. “I got to go old school, this fucking sucks.”
The doors to the Pod opened, and John’s helmet locked back into place, covering his head. No one was going to hit Ms. Duke's prized man where it might take him out.
John jumped out of the Pod.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Dulce, New Mexico - USA
“And I am telling you,” Richard slid the gunk off of his shoe, “that this stuff is disgusting. Why are we going through caves again? It is ruining my Zamberlan Latemar’s.”
Samuel smirked, “Because the entrance up top was bombed to oblivion, and there are presently a hundred soldiers up there with big ass guns trying really hard to get in.”
“Well,” Richard put his foot back down and straightened his pants leg, “if you put it that way, I suppose I should look out for the bat guano.”
Samuel shook his head and tossed Richard his headgear, “Ok, ready to use the tools this time?”
Deftly catching the hat, Richard searched for and found the power switch. “So I forgot just how dark caves can get, I’ve become a little senile in my old age.”
“No, you have become lazy,” Samuel replied as he turned his light on and started jogging. In moments, Richard caught up.
“That’s not new!” Richard argued, “When have you ever known me not to be lazy?”
“From 1860 through 1892.”
There was a pause, “Oh good lord!” Richard complained, “That was eons ago. When have you not known me not to be lazy, recently?”
Samuel shook his head again, “Anytime Gabrielle comes around?”
“Says the man that is still trying his best to skip conversations about reliving the past with said woman.”
“She is still a bit miffed about the moonseed joke,” Samuel admitted. “Although I ease into the conversation all the time.”
This time, the smell alerted Richard and he jumped over a section of the cave floor, “You better hope that she doesn’t tell Eric.”
“Why?” Samuel had just jogged around the pit and had now caught back up with his friend.
“Cause I imagine he would kick your arse,” Richard grunted. A moment later, the two could see a large cavern open up.
“Why would he want to do that?” Samuel continued the conversation.
“Maybe because he and Gabrielle are an item?” Richard replied, slowing down to consider their next steps.
Richard felt Samuel grab his arm and he turned, squinting in the sudden light flashing him in his eyes, “Lord, would you PLEASE point that somewhere else!”
Samuel reached up and moved his light, “That’s not what she said.”
“Gabrielle?” Richard smirked.
“Oh, god no,” Samuel admitted, “Let’s not make those jokes again.” Samuel made sure Richard was paying attention, “Like, ever.”
“Ever is a long time.”
“Have you seen Eric?”
“Ahh,” Richard thought about it, “Yeah. Queen’s Bitch, Hispanic, eyes like coal …”
Samuel stayed quiet.
“Ok, agreed, never again.” Richard agreed before turning back to the area ahead, “How do we play this?”
“Well,” Samuel answered, paying attention to faint noises reaching their ears. Voices, from people they couldn’t see, were whooping and hollering. “I suppose we could…”
Heckscher State Park area, NY - USA
“Sir, we have video confirmation this is one of the targets. Female, wearing a helmet with goggles, some sort of armor and a coat.”
Vic tossed the toothpick into the ashtray, and slid a fresh toothpick into his mouth, “Turn on the speakers, let’s tell our visitor they need to continue walking, or we will destroy them.”
Vic heard someone hiss, ‘Trust me, no way that isn't a woman!’
“Remember gents,” Vic growled out, “We’ve lost a team to this person, so stop thinking with your small brain and realize she can kill you.”
“Give me the channel,” Vic called out and picked up the microphone, “Attention! You are now surrounded by agents who are ready to reduce you to ash, if necessary. You will submit to apprehension, and without violence, to constraint.”
Vic turned to his left, “Someone bring the go
ddamn video up better, she seems to be puking.”
The large tv in the middle of the room, previously had the figure as a small portion of the image disappeared. In the new view, the figure was bigger but was partially blocked by a leaf from a tree.
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