My Ride is a Bitch

by Michael Anderle

  There was a long pause before Hirotoshi said, “But?”

  She shrugged, “I just wish she would get a little more information between judgment and execution.”

  Tabitha sucked in a large breath and finally released it in a rush. She turned to her right, “Let me ask this question, Hirotoshi. Do we need this location any longer?”

  “This house?” he asked. Tabitha nodded, “No. We can operate from any location. Since the Queen has fixed our sun issues, nothing is keeping us indoors any longer. We can work anywhere.”

  Tabitha’s eyes drew together, “Are you saying we can stay out in the woods?”

  “Easily,” Ryu responded, “Most of our team learned to live off of the land as little kids. As vampires, we often would need to go underground to hide from the sun. You learn to get rid of any fear of bugs, snakes, insects…”

  “Stop!” Tabitha had her hand up, “I’m South American, we deal with lots of stuff. However, this PYT is not into creepy crawlies anywhere near my hair, or any location that can be considered an entry point. So, let’s focus on leaving disgusting methods of sun aversion for the history books and figure out how to procure what we need to sleep above the insects, not with them.”

  Tabitha, so intent on watching Ryu failed to notice a very small smirk form on Hirotoshi’s face.

  “Ok,” she took control of the conversation again, “We don’t need this location, then I want you guys to work with me on how we can stay mobile. We will designate any semi-permanent location our base of operations and I want us to be able to leave any place within fifteen minutes. I know you guys are lean so that probably isn’t your problem. However, I need to teach at least one of you, maybe two of you computer hacking skills. Do we have anyone on the team that would be interested?”

  “Most would be interested,” Hirotoshi answered, “when you live a few hundred years, you learn that curiosity solves a lot of problems.”

  “Ok, who has the most proclivity to learn it?”

  Hirotoshi and Ryu stared at each other. Tabitha pretended she could see the mental mind meld the two must be doing. It was a shame, she conceded, she couldn’t jack into it.

  Or, could she? It was something worth testing.

  Finally, the two broke their staring contest, “There are two,” Hirotoshi answered, “if you permit me, I will ask them personally, but on the side, so their answers might not be considered dishonorable if they do not desire to do this. May I?”

  “Sure,” she agreed. “I’ve learned my lesson before if you seek permission, it is usually an honor thing. Ok, make it so, Number One.”

  Damn, Tabitha thought, she was sure she was going to get Hirotoshi tweaked just a little by calling him Number One. She had spent two weeks setting up the plan to get him to accidentally see Star Trek - The New Generation and now…nothing.

  Dammit!

  “Next question,” she continued, “what do we do with this house.”

  This time, there was no pause. Both men said ‘burn it down’ at the same time. Tabitha shocked, stared at both of them, then first one, then the other. “Burn it?”

  Hirotoshi nodded to Ryu, who spoke, “Yes, there is too much evil and loss in this house. Further, we have not found any secret cache of the drugs used to change people. But just because we have not found it, does not mean it isn’t here.”

  Tabitha pursed her lips, “One second.”

  My Queen?

  What? Oh, Tabitha! Wow, hadn’t expected you to be calling. What’s up?

  Can I get permission to burn down Michael’s house…or rather, my house?

  It’s yours, so you make the decision. However, I’m curious as to why.

  My advisors, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum over here, suggest it because it is a house full of evil. And, there is a small possibility of serum still secreted somewhere in the house that we can’t find.

  Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum? Have you called them that, yet?

  Oh, HELL no! I’m Latina, we might get excitable every once in awhile, but we do know there are lines you don’t cross.

  So, what you are telling me is that you are just waiting for the right moment?

  Well, yes. But how did you know that?

  You’re Tabitha.

  Oh. Well, when you put it that way it makes more sense.

  It’s a gift. Is that all you need?

  Yes, thank you.

  And then, Tabitha was alone in her head again. She was a little lonely after she broke the link. Talking like this could become a drug if she overused it, she thought.

  Or, Bethany Anne would give her a mental bitch-slap and her head would ring for days.

  Never mind, potential issue solved.

  She spoke to her two guys, “Bethany Anne is good with the suggestion to burn this house down. So, I’ll spend the next few hours sleeping, then searching on the dark web. Let’s get your questions about who is going to learn hacking accomplished, and they can start with me tomorrow morning. Have the rest go through the house and let’s pull out what we want to give away, sell and stash the cash or whatever. Plan on us finding new digs and always able to move our headquarters at any time.”

  She looked around, taking in the room one last time, “Let’s do this.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Chapter 7

  QBS ArchAngel

  “What is that?” Bethany Anne asked as she sat down at the table. Scott, Eric, John and Darryl looked down at themselves.

  “What?” They chorused together.

  Bethany Anne’s eyes narrowed, “That!” She pointed to John’s neck, “The silver trophy pin on your lapel?”

  “Oh, this?” John answered so smooth ice wouldn’t melt in his mouth. “These are just, ahh,” he faltered when he noticed her look, “You want to see it?”

  Bethany Anne’s face turned happy, “Sure!” She held her hand out, “Let’s see all of them, shall we?”

  The other three guy’s eyes darted to each other, perhaps they overplayed their hand?

  The men each dropped the little silver symbols into Bethany Anne’s hand.

  TOM.

  Yes?

  Is it possible to change the energy I pull from the Etheric and turn it to heat?

  Sure. Wait, why?

  I want to make a point.

  You know that molten metal would get into your hands and your healing would or at least should heal over the wound, making it a problem to get out, right?

  Ok, how do I melt this metal?

  Ummmmm. TOM went quiet for a moment, probably need an iron crucible, and you would use the Etheric to create an electromagnetic induction wavelength causing an Eddy current to heat up the metal.

  Bethany Anne looked around the room, spotting a small mug used for decoration and took the four lapel pins the guys had given her.

  Grabbing the small cup, she lifted but apparently, it was strictly decoration and some smart individual had decided to glue it down so it wouldn’t fall off if something happened to the ship.

  TOM, is this thing good for me to use?

  TOM explained what she would need to do to create the correct field and it took only a couple of seconds before she felt some heat in the mug.

  Yup, the right stuff.

  The guys winced when Bethany Anne ripped the decorative mug off of the sideboard table, “Someone should fix that,” she said as she brought the gray looking mug to the table. “So,” she started and dropped the four pins into the mug, “I know that these might have looked like little trophy pins, so quaint and cute.”

  She looked around and spotted a towel, “Scott, would you mind bringing me that towel?” he turned to see where she was looking and stood up from his chair. A couple of steps there and back and they were good to go again as Bethany Anne held the mug in her right hand with the towel between her and the cup and her other hand on top.

  Then, it got weird…er.

  She concentrated and the guys quickly smelled melting metal as little wisps of smoke escaped out of the lid o
f the mug.

  Fuck, fuck fuck FUUUUCK that’s hot! Bethany Anne screamed mentally.

  To the guys, it looked like she just casually put the towel and the mug down on the table. John and Darryl leaned over the table and looked into the mug.

  Their four trophy pins were nothing but one puddle of metal at the bottom of the cup.

  “Those,” she exclaimed, “Are not approved Queen’s Bitch’s uniform pins. Are we clear?”

  “Sure, sounds good.” Eric chimed in. He noticed her look, “I mean, yes ma’am?”

  She nodded, “Now that we have that little discussion out of the way, I understand you have all spoken with Barnabas?”

  “Yes,” they replied.

  “Suggestions?”

  “Two go and protect each family. If they are attacked, step in and stop it,” Scott replied.

  “There are three families and who is going to stay with me? Or, are you guys willing to leave me alone?” she asked.

  “Not likely,” John agreed, “I pulled the short, ah…I mean, I am the designated lead on your protective detail.”

  Bethany Anne ignored his comment, “Who makes up the three teams?”

  “Darryl and Nathan for the Switzers,” John said, pulling up some notes on his tablet, “Scott and Barnabas get the McWhorters and Eric and Gabrielle have the Gants.” He sat down his tablet.

  “Barnabas is going?” she asked him.

  John shrugged, “It’s not like it wouldn’t be a good thing. The old man needs to get out and sometimes play, too.”

  “So,” she smiled and pointed her hand in a circle, ”those who are going to go do the guard duties are looking forward to it, right?”

  “Hell yes,” Darryl exclaimed, his teeth fairly sparkling, “We get to hide in the shadows, and then take out bad guys who have horrible intentions and completely fucking up the unsuspecting assholes.”

  Bethany Anne’s smile stayed on her face as the men chuckled at Darryl’s enthusiasm. She turned to John and asked, her smile dropping off, “and you drew the short straw, right?”

  The guy’s grins all faded off of their face.

  John shrugged and smiled back at her, “Hey, we can’t leave you alone by yourself. Otherwise, you go blow up houses and shit.”

  Bethany Anne shook her head and reached out to the mug. She turned it over and knocked it against the towel on the table. After a few blows, a small clump of metal dropped onto the small towel, and she put the mug to the side.

  “Your pins, guys.”

  She winked to the four men and stood up. Then, she disappeared.

  “Ahhhhhh...Shit,” Eric groused, “I don’t think she enjoyed the little trophy pins.”

  “Well,” John said, scratching under his chin, “I wonder what she is going to do when everyone in the ship wears theirs?”

  Tokyo, Japan

  “I know,” Yuko spoke softly, so Akio could hear her on the train, “you are not happy leaving the sword. However, I am very appreciative that you allowed me this chance to walk outside without fearing someone’s arm might get cut off.”

  Akio smiled, “I think you have more concern than is warranted, little Vicereine.”

  Yuko’s lips compressed, “That isn’t funny, I’m not anyone special.”

  “You are now, so learn from it Yuko. I have plenty of knowledge to impart, and I am willing to do so. You can choose to receive it in a manner that is easy to bear, or you can learn from mistakes. Either way, you will learn,” Akio told her, voice firm, “There are no other options. The Queen commands it, and we will obey. That is the title she is bestowing that you control her people in Japan in her place.”

  “She gives me too much responsibility,” Yuko argued.

  “She gives you what you can step into, not that with which you are comfortable. Notice how much support she has provided. Take the knowledge you have learned from your many efforts to seek knowledge, and now do so again. This time, we are here to protect, to defend, and to make sure those who would look down on our Queen, by looking down on her representative, are taught otherwise.”

  “Honor in life,” Yuko said, “and Honor in death.” Yuko closed her eyes and thought about what she had learned. She reached up and touched a button on her dress collar.

  “ADAM?” she subvocalized.

  >>Yes, Yuko?<<

  “Are we confirmed?”

  >>We are, Vicereine.<<

  “Oh, not you too!” she hissed. Beside her, Akio allowed a small smirk to show before his continued surveillance erased the smile.

  >>Why not me, too? You are still my friend, are you not? A title is a title. It could be Secretary Yuko or High Janitor Yuko, could it not? Think less of the title, and more on the project.<<

  “ADAM, what would I do without your understanding?”

  >>Probably whine a little more to Akio would be my guess.<<

  Yuko stood silent for a moment, “Ok, both of you, I will stop whining and do my best. This is another challenge, but one in the Outernet. I am Vicereine Arakawa Yuko for her Royal Highness Bethany Anne to Japan. I will not dishonor my charge by failing to give it my best effort.”

  >>And always my friend.<<

  “Always,” she whispered.

  —

  The train pulled into the station, and two people stepped off. Around them, a few feet cushion of space occurred without any obvious explanation. Those walking subconsciously felt a strong desire to stay away from the two. The woman, attractive and walking in a fashionably cut woman’s suit followed the taller man, dressed in a fashion that was both contemporary, and yet felt centuries old. He kept his attention focused towards the front and the sides.

  Few would notice the three men that followed closely in the wake of the two in front as they dressed contemporarily in suits and blended in. However, they seemed to slide through the crowd, keeping up with the two in front of them easily.

  They were the three Elite Akio had as a backup, protecting the Vicereine’s back.

  There were two operations actively in play right now for the Queen, and Yuko’s was but one. Akio had a second, and soon a third would join them.

  Their Queen rarely did anything half-assed.

  Unless, Akio thought, you count going out to search and rescue a small child without her guards. You could always depend on her to let emotions run those operations.

  And, in a way, Akio wouldn’t change Bethany Anne in the least if he could.

  She helped keep life interesting. Like now.

  Gangnam District, Seoul - South Korea

  The two Chinese men stepped out of the limousine and nodded to the driver who closed the door behind them. The streets were alive, as Gangnam had turned what was once a low-rent district to one that equated to Beverly Hills with a mixture of New York City or Tokyo thrown into the mix.

  The two men were shown in through the door to the club, past those that waited to get in and then ushered around the huge dance floor. Thus avoiding the young listening to the K-Pop beats and dancing on the floor.

  Neither of the two men or the gentleman leading them to the back spoke. Had they wanted to, it would have been a mostly unsuccessful effort to yell at each other.

  Chaoxiang hated clubs, but this was where he and his partner were told to come and do business. His Chinese bosses, those working in the intelligence area of the military, wanted the technology it was rumored the Japanese would get to access, and no Japanese Yakuza member would collaborate with the Chinese directly.

  They hated each other.

  It wasn’t that the Japanese liked the South Koreans either. But, the two countries had a formidable enemy in China. As the local eight-hundred-pound gorilla, they suffered to do business with a less distasteful ally.

  Now, Chaoxiang needed to hire Japanese Yakuza for a major operation, and also needed a cut-out to block any knowledge that China had a hand in this effort.