Commander

by Mel Todd

  Armed guards, the long rifles a distinctive shape, stood at the gate through the fence and the doors to the main house. They could hear some low chatter and the occasional guard calling out but they weren't close enough to make out the words, not that any of them would know the language anyhow.

  McKenna strained to focus on the kids and the women. Seeing in the dark proved no problem, but distance created issues - everything was blurry and indistinct.

  ~Prisoners you think? The women are processing the drug and they keep the kids to make sure the women don't… what? Run? Steal? Making them strip makes it harder to steal.~ Her words added reality to what they saw.

  ~Yeah. I think you're right. They're holding the kids as hostages. Do you think the men are in on it?~

  McKenna answered Perc's question even as she felt the anger seething in the minds of the others.

  ~Maybe, or maybe everyone is being held as hostage against everyone else. We need to figure out where our targets are but from the way he's treating these people my reluctance level is lowered a large amount~

  ~Agreed.~ Cass's soft thought vibrated with power.

  Huh, trigger there I guess. Well we all have them.

  She kept the thought to herself but dismissed it as irrelevant and kept looking at the area, trying to match shapes.

  ~We have to get into the house but I'd like to do a bit more scoping out before we do any charging. JD, you and Cass stay here. Toni, if you and Perc would head towards the gate and if you can, see if they have anything other than low tech guards here? I'm going to head the other way and see if there is a way to get over the fence. Our claws aren't sharp enough or strong enough to cut through chain link and I doubt we could get over the fence without mishap. That's a good jump.~

  [All three of the cat forms can easily clear that distance. Most pumas can clear eighteen feet, while jaguars are known to jump upwards of ten. The structure of the Homotherium implies the six-foot distance would not be an issue in animal form.]

  Silence met Wefor's remarks, then Toni in a tone somewhere between disbelief and excitement.

  ~Can we test that first?~

  [There is a branch approximately nine feet above you, you should be able to leap up on that with a modicum of effort.]

  All their heads yanked upwards to stare at the branch up above them. Toni tilted to look at the compound in the distance, but they were too far away, and the darkness where they lurked too absolute to allow any human to see them.

  ~I need to try this before I go playing super cat over fences. While I'm a hell of a lot more confident now in this form, that is a huge distance. ~

  ~Agreed.~

  McKenna backed up, as did the others, as she watched Toni stare at the branch and crouch, bunching muscles. Her butt wiggled then she launched up and missed the branch because she sailed over it. Clawing wildly, she grabbed the branch above it, then looked down at them.

  ~I went past it. I guess we need to work on power.~

  McKenna tilted her head thinking.

  ~Maybe not. If we can leap and clear that branch and land cleanly on the other side, we should be able to clear that fence with ease.~

  ~Point.~

  Toni looked down at them from the higher branch, then leapt lightly to the lower one, then to the ground with a soft thud.

  ~Oooh, that smarts. We should probably practice. Good thing about the fence is if we over shoot there, isn't anything to whack us on the head.~

  ~Whack-a-cat, the new carnival game?~

  Cass's comment caught McKenna off guard and she started laughing as she turned to look at Cass curled up next to JD. Both were watching them with interest clear in their alert ears and rapt attention.

  ~So, we are just entertainment for you two?~

  ~Yep.~

  Even in the mental voice the sarcasm came through loud and clear. The cats snickered, then turned back to the tree and started to practice. It scared and amazed McKenna how easy and right it felt to leap over that branch. Landing took a bit more practice but after about five times she could land with ease and barely make a sound.

  Toni didn't clear as well as she did but the branch proved no issue and her leaps were elegant and smooth as she sailed over them.

  The leaps Perc made were things of beauty, each one perfect and light as he went over, almost in slow motion, landing with a soft thud she only heard because she listened for it.

  ~I think I'm jealous. Why did you do that so fast and so well? You said you hadn't spent much time in your cat form.~

  Her voice held too much emotion in the mind-to-mind communication and she blessed the lack of facial expressions in this form. His head turned towards her and she felt his eyes on her as she tried not to notice.

  ~Remember, I do have one advantage—professional athlete. I am used to judging how my body works and how much force is needed to do anything. The last few days in this form gave me most of the information I needed.~

  ~Ah, that makes sense.~

  McKenna cleared her throat turning to look at the compound. Dinner seemed to have finished as most of the women and children, and a few of the men, were headed into the hovels and the other buildings were dark with the doors closed. The work building the women had come out of had a guard in front though.

  ~We ready to do this? We'll yell if something goes wrong but I'd like to scope it out now and then discuss.~

  ~Works for me.~

  Toni and Perc chorused at the same time, and JD and Cass just stayed still.

  ~We should be able to hear if anything goes wrong but neither of us see that well at that distance in this form.~

  ~Yeah me neither. Cats aren't great at distance. Heck most of it is extrapolation and knowing what figures look like and using smell to fill in the rest. Which means we all need to be careful. Humans might see us before we see them. Stay in the shadows and if they have a gun, I'd say kill them. It'll look like an animal kill regardless.~

  McKenna gave them all a hard look but in the dark, she figured it probably didn't work as well as she might have hoped.

  ~Then let's go, and stay in contact, I think our range should be fine.~

  With that parting comment the cats slipped off into the darkness surrounding the compound.

  Chapter 38 - Showtime

  Cloning debate is sparking to new heights with the extinct animals now verified. A group of paleontologists are asking for the animals to be cloned. Research indicates the virus that allows humans to change to an animal is not replicated in the DNA and extractions from bone marrow should allow the cloning of these creatures without any moral issues as they would still be purely animal. Debate is raging across the science sphere as to if this is true and what the moral and ethical complications would be. ~ TNN Science

  Something about this skulking around the fence, listening to the sounds around her, made it almost a zen sensation. It took JD’s voice to bring her out of her hunt mode.

  ~You guys see anything yet?~

  McKenna snapped back into paying attention to what she should be doing, not just enjoying the hunt.

  She looked at the fence in front of her. The same height as the rest of the fence, with clear lines of sight on either side but the huts the workers were living in obscured a clear view. She watched the guard in the tower, fighting to see clearly.

  ~This distance vision thing really sucks. How come I never noticed before?~

  ~Because most of the time we're either in buildings or other places where our vision was blocked by objects and it never mattered before?~

  The snark in JD's tone tasted like popcorn, an odd feeling. The mental communication seemed to gain more nuances the more they used it.

  ~Fine. But it is putting me at risk.~

  [Warrior form does not have those limitations.]

  ~Huh, that's good to know but for now I'll stay as a cat.~

  There were murmurs of assent as she continued to prowl. A whiff of something caught her attention and she paused. Lifting her head, she breathed in and ca
ught the scent of gunpowder, slowing down even more she followed it. A few steps deeper into the jungle she froze.

  ~Guys be warned, I've found a guard in the jungle.~

  McKenna sent the message as she gazed at the man in the tree. His camouflage outfit blended with the shifting leaves in the trees and the shadows cast from the lights in the compound.

  She felt more than heard the muttered cusses as everyone went on high alert.

  ~I've got nothing. Perc and I split up taking different sectors but I can't hear or smell anyone outside the people in the compound.~

  Toni's cool voice informed them, even as McKenna tried to figure out how the man had gotten there. She hadn't seen or smelled a trail from the compound to this tree. With all the stealth she could manage she circled wide around the tree and caught his scent, leading away from the tree.

  ~I think I have something. Give me a few.~

  Perc's voice overlapped hers, both saying almost the same thing. She followed the scent to a depression in the ground.

  ~Wow, they have a tunnel out of here. Emergency escape for the big guy?~

  ~Probably, because I have one here too. We should probably check again but I'd be surprised if there were more than two. The ground here couldn't really support more.~

  McKenna sat back, thinking about what Perc said and looking at the tunnel then at the tree the man crouched in.

  ~So, do we kill these guys and go in via the tunnels? Or go with the original plan?~

  Silence as she listened to the sounds of the jungle, most of the animals they'd heard as they traveled through to this point either silent or missing.

  ~Well in the middle of the night the people we need to kill will be in the houses and this might get us in. But, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but I want to kill them all, let all their prisoners free, and burn the place down.~ Toni replied.

  There was a level of violence in Toni's voice that had McKenna raising her head but JD responded before she could formulate anything.

  ~Toni? What's wrong? That isn't like you.~

  ~They are raping the women and the older girls. I can smell the sex, the fear, and the blood where I'm at. Behind the building where they had the kids locked up. Never liked drugs but figured your body, your call— not my business. But this man employs monsters and I doubt he's any better.~

  Her words removed any enjoyment McKenna might have been experiencing. But she had to ask the question.

  ~Can you all live with this? Killing these people in cold blood, knowing they never hurt us specifically? Knowing we are pawns in someone else’s game? And that we might kill people that don't deserve it?~

  The silence in the mindscape had a sticky weight it, like honey that pulled at you but didn't stick.

  ~Yes.~

  Perc and JD answered at the same time, their thoughts clear unconcerned and McKenna wished eye rolling worked as well in cat form as it did in human. The men were much simpler but they also didn't have children. At least not as far as she knew.

  ~Cass? Toni?~

  Cass responded first, with a calm matter of fact aspect that made McKenna think she'd given this a lot of thought.

  ~Yes. These are not good people and while I may have nightmares about it, I am willing to kill them to save my niece and nephew. But I would prefer not to kill people we don't need to. But if they try and stop me, I'll kill them all.~

  Her voice remained cool and pragmatic but in the back of it there was a whisper of pain and sorrow.

  Toni growled in the mindscape. ~This asshole took me away from my kids. Every time I think about how panicked they must be, what must be going on with them right now I see red. I'll kill anyone and anything that gets in my way or tries to hurt my children.~

  The knife edge of grief and fear cut across her mind, and McKenna felt all of them wince.

  ~So be it. I'd like to give us as much time as possible to prevent an alarm from being raised, so I'm thinking we wait until these guys are relieved, kill them and go back in via the tunnels. We will probably be faster in animal forms and then we can shift when we need hands. Any issues or concerns?~

  ~Will I fit through the tunnel?~

  ~JD, I don't know. But why don't you and Cass come this direction and we'll see after we deal with the guards. If not, you can wait for a signal and go in via the front?~

  ~Works. Headed your way.~

  McKenna stepped back a bit more into the shadows and made herself comfortable.

  ~We're here.~

  JD's mental voice whispered in her mind and she turned to see his huge form materialize out of the darkness, no sounds to give away his movement.

  ~You're getting good at that silent moving thing.~

  She felt his assent as he settled down. Cass curled up next to him, the wolverine looking tiny compared to his mass.

  ~You two good? ~

  The thought directed more to Toni and Perc and they answered in the affirmative. McKenna closed her eyes, feeling the exhaustion and pain in her body.

  [The poison is building up. It is good your found your target now. Much later and your reaction times and strength would be diminished.]

  The mental sigh echoed through all of them.

  ~We'll deal with that after we have the observer verify our kids were safe. And if not, we'll have to try to get back to the US before the poison kills us.~

  [That will not be possible.]

  The growl so deep, so visceral, McKenna jerked her eyes open wondering if there'd be an earth quake. It took her a minute to realize it was Toni growling.

  ~Do not tell me what I can or can't do to save my kids. You have no concept of what my limits are when my children are at risk.~

  [Apologies.]

  McKenna hid her amusement, the AI sounded cowed. But she felt the same thing. What must Charley be thinking. How long had they been gone? The questions tormented her until a creak of wood moving and the depression in front of her lifted.

  ~We want both of the guards, the current sentry and his relief.~

  The door covering the tunnel lifted all the way back, a man stepping out of the tunnel, looking around. His eyes passed over the dark forms watching him, never stopping his pan around the area. With a grunt he pulled his gun up and headed over to the tree where the other man sat.

  "Miguel, Estoy aquí. ¿Listo para cenar?"

  The liquid language filtered in and she waited, figuring it was normal shift change stuff.

  "Sí. Muriendo de hambre. Un minuto."

  A rustling in the branches and the man scampered down the tree. McKenna frowned. There must be steps or something nailed into the side. Either way they were both on the ground and sure of their safety. Keeping low to the ground she moved forward; she sensed more than heard JD moving to the other side while Cass flanked them.

  "Anything para informar?"

  "Nah, was a quiet night. Even the animals are silent tonight."

  "You sure that doesn’t mean anything? Those damn birds are always shrieking."

  "Yeah, I’ve watched for ages. Nothing going on around here."

  It took a full thirty seconds for McKenna to realize they were speaking English. But they weren’t, she could hear the Spanish and the occasional word she knew.

  ~What the hell?~

  She paused less than ten feet away from them, her mind scrambling as she replayed their conversation.

  [Translation matrix has kicked in. Extended translation abilities to all squad members in vicinity.]

  McKenna wanted nothing more than to query Wefor about that statement, but the men had paused in their conversation and were looking around.

  "You feel that?"

  "What?"

  "Just felt like we’re being watched."

  ~Dammit, now JD. You take yours and I’ll take mine.~

  His assent wasn’t verbal, but she leapt, the tree branch practice helping her gauge her attack perfectly. Her full body weight slammed into the man even as she sank her teeth into the back of his neck biting down hard. Ric
h warm blood filled her mouth, and her mouth wanted at the warmth. The food had been calorie rich but something in the taste of mammals rated higher with her taste buds.

  ~I am not going to eat a human.~

  Even so, she fought with herself to twist her head with a sharp snap and release his neck though she couldn’t stop from licking her lips. She looked up to see JD standing over his… his what? Prey? Victim? Obstacle? Whatever. The man lay slumped beneath JD and she couldn’t hear breath nor heartbeat from him.

  ~Perc? Toni?~

  ~They are down. Is human blood supposed to taste that good?~

  Perc’s voice had a weird connotation to it and she pushed it to the side.

  ~That is something I’m not thinking about. We’re going in. Be careful, remember who we are here to kill. Shift when you feel it is best. And please, be careful. I can’t lose you.~

  She didn’t direct that thought to anyone in particular but the idea of losing any of them tore at her.

  ~Ditto.~

  McKenna couldn’t tell who thought it, or sent it, by the time she looked all the lights were dark. But the world had layers on it, layers she walked away from, stalking towards the hole into her own personal hell. With a soft leap she jumped down the six foot drop and started moving down the passage. It had been built well, with supports and tresses. She heard the thump as JD landed, a cloud of dust wafting down the tunnel from behind her. Faint lights, enough to see for a human but not much more, lined the top of the tunnel. A scramble, a slight oof of sound, and the click of her claws as she scurried down to catch up with them indicated Cass had landed.

  The movement quieted, McKenna trying to track how far they were moving but she still didn’t know. Even all the time in the jungle didn’t give her a good idea of distance in her cat form. The stairs leading up had her pausing.

  ~You two have stairs?~

  ~No. We’ve got another ladder here at this end. We’ll have to shift now.~