by SK Benton
"Now, now, my dear daughter. Please. We shall need the cooperation of the news media on Azul in order to avoid epic quantities of bloodshed once our operation begins," said Michael.
"Dear daughter? Are you Jen… Mrs. Gunnarsson's father?" asked the reporter.
"No. I am Max's father."
"Yeah, Maria. You said you're Catholic, right?" asked Max.
"Yes, and?"
My father's… um… St. Michael."
"¿San Miguel Arcángel?" she gasped.
Michael stood up and spread his wings out wide. Beautiful, obsidian feathers gleamed in the low light of the commissary, as the woman stared at yet another being she thought was legend all her life. She had been raised to believe, but belief only goes so far. Now she was hit in the face with reality, and it had a profound effect on her state of mind. She had a sudden realization that she was doing the right thing, and that she was in good company.
"Two angels in a day. Wow. Okay. I'm in. You can meet my underground. How can we help?"
"Well, would you like to have your lycan genetics activated so they'll work properly back home?" asked Max.
Chapter 12 - New Alliances
Reporter Maria López was dropped off on Santiago, at the same exact moment she had left. No surveillance camera detected her departure or arrival. However, due to Len Johnson's earlier orders, she was seen accompanied by two ghostly images in the café. Draagh's typical method of feigning invisibility was fine in areas of lesser technology, but Johnson's spies were loaded for bear, in a manner of speaking.
"Sir, we have analyzed the vid relay and Miss López wasn't alone. She was probably with Commander Gunnarsson. It is exactly the same readout as the vid from his mother's and her home. And look when we activate the new infrared filters."
Ensign Piotr Jakovich was a bright technician, doing his job, as all were expected to do. However, he had an unsettling feeling about the direction the government was taking. To his credit, he was extremely intelligent and had a great sense of self-preservation, so he kept his mouth shut about his personal beliefs and simply reported his findings. Still, he found it fascinating that there were people running about, basically invisible to most sensors. But now they saw the heat signatures of two very large men sitting in the middle of a café.
"Good work, Ensign. I expect a full report on my desk by the end of your duty shift," said Coby Worthington, Chief of Staff to the missing Len Johnson, and unwitting spy for the resistance. He had earlier learned of his lycan heritage, had vid cameras implanted into his eyeballs and was then brain-wiped, eliminating all knowledge of his off-world adventures and making him an excellent source for real-time data on the dictatorship.
###
"Are you kidding? They can see us now?" Max cried out as he stood in a plush office in New Sydney, having just been informed that the standard invisibility cantus was no longer effective. They would be required to use, in the future, a much more taxing cantus that would make their molecular structure extra-dimensional and no longer emit heat, nor even have to bend light. It would simply not be there, in a manner of speaking.
"My son, I shall be there with you every step of the way," said Draagh, who had just informed his grandson of the unfortunate turn of events. "Now that the father of the headless Ryder Johnson is gone, I believe it will be necessary to restore the memories of Mr. Worthington. He appears to be in a position of substantial power. Let us hope it has not gone to his head."
"One wrong move on his part and I cut it off," mused Jennie. Max wrapped his arms around his wife and nuzzled her ear.
"You always say the most amazing things, baby," he whispered, prompting her to calm down.
"So, Pops, how do we approach him? Do we… oh, hello Coby," said Max.
Worthington stood motionless, paralyzed with fright, as he looked around and slowly recognized everyone while his memories returned. He had returned to his office, with Max, Jennie and Draagh fading into view as soon as he shut the door.
"Oh man! I'm so dead! Oh man!"
Jennie pulled away from Max, walked over to Coby and punched him directly in the face, knocking him flat on his back.
"Shut up, boludo! We brought you here for a reason. You know who we are… Draagh, does he remember us? Oops."
"Yes, my dear girl. He should have recovered his memories by now."
"Yeah, I know. I remember. Why did you make me forget?" asked Worthington.
"For your protection, Coby," stated Max. "How many times has Johnson put you under the engram extractor?"
"Oh god, twice a week?"
"Damned good thing he's gone now, isn't it?" asked Jennie.
"Well, we don't know yet. It would be better to know where he's gone off to," replied Max, and he was right. No one knew where the dictator was - not even Coby. Johnson only notified his pilot and copilot, coopting them from a flight deck without prior notice.
"Well, my head feels a hell of a lot better now. Oh damn, why didn't you guys just take me with you? The dude's a maniac."
"Coby, we're really sorry, but we were looking at the greater good. However, now that Johnson's gone I'll promise you this - we'll let you keep your memories as long as you willingly work with us. And if he comes back we'll take you and your family with us, ok?" said Max, feeling badly about having left the man in the clutches of a wanton torturer, but willingly lying to the man. If Johnson indeed returned they would need Coby to act as the unwitting spy again.
"Yeah, just don't puss out on us, got it, spunky?" advised Jennie.
"No problem. I'm with you guys. Now, what are we gonna do?"
Draagh and Max went over everything they had been doing with Worthington, including the transport of the Saxman Haidas and the Tokyo Samurai lycans. Coby found the concept of Native Alaskan and Japanese Samurai lycans to be the coolest thing he had ever heard. After going through all of the details for their planned conquest he made an odd, but logical request.
"Um, if I'm lycan, are my wife and children?"
"That depends, my boy. The odds are in the favor of your children. The inactive genes are either passed along full force or not at all, unlike other genetic qualities, but they are usually inherited. Your wife is a completely different situation. In any case, we shall need to analyze them all," said Draagh.
"Will it hurt?" asked Coby.
"Oh man, not at all, Coby. In fact, we have a new device that shows you anyone's subspecies," said Max. "My dad made this device, and Draagh here just decreased its size to that of a contact lens."
"A contact lens can be detected by any of our surveillance devices," said Coby.
"Not this. It's organic, and would be detected as merely a pterygium," responded Max.
"What that? A pterygilala whatever?"
"Pterygium. It's inflamed tissue outside the sclera, common in surfers. Do you surf?" asked Jennie.
"Um, no, not lately."
"Well, you're starting again. Plus, it'll be a great way to snag you without being nailed by surveillance," said Max.
"Here, my boy. Hold still," said Draagh, as he brusquely held the man's head and poked a finger into his eye.
"Ouch! Crap, I thought you had magic and stuff!"
"Oh, stop being a pussy, Worthington. My god, do I have to punch you again?" yelled Jennie.
"No, ma'am. Sorry. Ok, what next?"
Draagh looked at Coby with a thoughtful gaze. He knew the time was nearing for the first part of their battle to begin, so Coby needed to stay activated.
"My boy, I am taking you back to Azul. However, before I do so we shall need to supply you with a comm, and you shall meet your commanding officer," said Draagh.
"Commanding officer? Who would that be?"
Before he could even take another breath Luigi Bagatelle and Alicia Vasquez walked into the commissary.
"Hello again, Coby. Please meet your commanding officer and point of contact in Azul System, Commander Alicia Vasquez," said Bagatelle.
"Admiral, Commander. I'm… um… he
re to help."
"You'll follow the commander's orders spot-on, got it, Worthington?" demanded Jennie. She had little patience for wishy-washy people, and Coby had a lot to prove in the near future.
"Worthington, you are a lucky man," said Alicia.
"How's that, Commander?"
"First off, you're lycan. Secondly, you get to work with me."
"Ok, I'll bite. What do we do?"
"Assign me to your team in the Chairman's office. He's gone at the moment, so if he returns you'll have a great excuse - you needed reliable military assistance in his absence. If he doesn't return then it's even easier for us."
"My boy, hold still," said Draagh, as he approached Coby and placed a flat, oval broche on his lapel. Coby flinched and squinted his eyes, expecting something painful to transpire. He only realized the process had been completed when he heard everyone's laughter.
"This is your comm. With this you will be able to communicate with us… telepathically. And it is invisible to all of your devices and sensors."
"Um, are you sure? I just saw you and the king guy sitting in a café with Maria López."
"I've been wearing one for weeks," said Alicia.
"Seriously? Sounds awesome. Ok, I'll test it."
"It shall not function until you have been inoculated," said Draagh.
"Um, inoculated? Like, a vaccine?" asked Coby.
"Yup, that's the deal," answered Max.
"What will that do? What's its purpose?"
"You'll retain your lycan skills on Azul, or any other world," said Jennie.
"And more. But there is a down side," said Bagatelle.
"What is that, sir?"
"Azul has a double full moon. Luna for a day, and Sienna the following day. You'll need to take a trip. Make plans to visit one of the moons. We'll make your cover story and hide you at our base on Vera for 48 hours. Then you can go home," responded Bagatelle.
"But sir, what will happen if I stay on Azul?"
'You'll murder your wife and children, and possibly all of your neighbors," said Alicia. Make plans, and take me with you as your aide-de-camp."
"Got it, Commander. I'm ready for my inoculation."
###
Coby Worthington sat in in a luxurious, leather Eames lounge chair in the expansive library of his palatial estate in New Sydney. Political life had been good to him, and it showed. But now he felt a bit guilty, sitting across from his new commander, who was posing as his assistant, or aide-de-camp. He and Commander Alicia Vasquez had just discussed the plans for their temporary absence from Azul. Max had gone to his house with them to make sure there was no active surveillance in the home, of which none existed. Further, his inoculation had unleashed his lycan abilities, and while he needed to learn to harness his new skills (which would be addressed during his convenient two day vacation), he was able to use his new comm, as well as the subspecies identifier lens Draagh had put on his eyeball. To his relief, not only were his children lycan, but his wife was as well. Subspecies tended to be drawn toward one another, and it was still a mystery how we was able to tolerate being in the presence of Len Johnson, a genetic vampire. Jennie thought it was because Worthington was an untrustworthy punk, and Max believed it to be greed. But Draagh attributed it to love - pure love. Coby loved his family more than life itself. He simply wanted to provide the best life possible for them.
"So, Commander, we'll say we're on a retreat during the full moons, but will actually be on Vera Base?"
"Correct, Coby. We're on the same team. So you can call me Alicia - but only in private. In public I'll always refer to you as Mr. Worthington. You can call me Commander or Miss Vasquez."
"Got it. Um, Alicia? I do have a question regarding my new abilities."
"Sure, go ahead, Coby."
"This may sound odd, but do they make you more… oh crap, how do I put it? I feel super, like… I want to… with my wife, um-"
"Do newly-activated abilities make you aroused? Yes, to the extreme. Mrs. Worthington's gonna be a happy camper tonight," stated a smirking Alicia.
"Good, I mean, I was hoping it wasn't just me getting all out of sorts. Well, I'm calling my wife in. She's to know nothing until we're ready to get out of town, right? Johnson could put her in the engram extractor at any moment, although he has yet to do so."
"Yes, better safe than sorry. Your family stays in the dark for the time being."
Coby nodded at Alicia as he pressed a symbol on his tableside intra-estate communications array.
"Margaret, honey, could you come to the library? I would like for you to meet my new assistant."
Two minutes later, Margaret Worthington entered into the library, carrying a tray with three glasses of extremely rare and expensive cognac. She wasn't the jealous type at all, but she was raised in a very bacho society and wasn't accustomed to seeing degos in her home. It wasn't that she was racist - it was just a matter of what one was used to. However, she would do anything for her husband, so she overlooked the fact that there was a darker person in her library. Despite Alicia being dega (and quite beautiful), Margaret felt completely comfortable with the woman, although she had no idea why. Unbeknownst to her, it was due to their shared genetic heritage.
Margaret was a mildly attractive woman, blonde hair, blue eyes, and slightly plump. Her racial makeup was less common (as was Coby's) for an inactive lycan, but it didn't matter. There were even vampires of Old-Earth African descent on Azul (though extremely rare) - race played little in the appearance of the recessive genes. They were inactive, but many still maintained a touch of their ancestors' characteristics.
"So, you have to leave on an inspection of the security apparatus on the moons, sweetie? You do what you need to. Everything will be fine here, my love. And Commander Vasquez, thank you for your assurances that my husband will be protected."
"You have nothing to worry about, Mrs. Worthington. Your husband is our top priority, aside from safeguarding Azul System," responded Alicia, who was lying while wearing a big, pearly-white smile.
Chapter 13 - PAH Fun
At first nobody noticed any sound. It was a rhythmic vibration - a cadence that could have been mistaken for heavy machinery in the distance. But it grew in intensity, unlike any such non-existent machinery.
Neko children were the first to detect the disturbance, their hyper-tuned senses alerting them to something approaching. Something large. Scattering, the furry little cat-girls screeched loudly, bringing the barely apparent disturbance to everyone else's attention.
"Oh crap, what the hell is that? I think we're in trouble," cried Adam, ready as ever to hide, never having been the brave sort. His fellow clan member Marko, however, was more than willing to confront, no matter how stupidly, any impending danger. But this time there was no need. Marko was lycan and had a good sense of smell - a sense of smell that told him the approaching sound was not that of danger.
"Mage - punk is a pussy. That's not trouble. That's Max Gunnarsson!"
The two went bounding down the street, a small group of neko children following in the wings, until they saw a massive throng of soldiers marching in perfect rhythm, their friend Max Gunnarsson at the forefront.
"Holy crap! It's Max! Why the hell is he coming with an army?" exclaimed Adam.
"You only find out if you ask, magic-boy. Let's go!"
Rounding a corner, the two were mind-blown when they saw not only Max, but Jennie and Bagatelle leading a group of a few dozen soldiers, some dressed like Max used to, with leather; some dressed in more modern clothing, and some others wearing what appeared to be archaic, alien armor from a time long-passed. All had katanas either slung over their backs or attached to their belts, and there was a group in the center with what appeared to be shoulder-mounted rockets. Running up to the approaching group, Adam was the first to greet the newcomers.
"Max! You came back! Um, you're not here to kill us, are you?"
Captain Gunnarsson nearly started laughing out loudly as he peeled off fro
m his troops, going over to greet Adam and Marko, both former enemies.
"Hey guys! We came for some training against demons, so I figured we'd rent out the hotel for a couple of days. Is Dons around today?"
Max was looking really well to the two Hollywood residents, but his wife was looking even better, and it was all Marko could do to keep from staring at her. "Hey Max! Um, yeah, he should be around. I'll shoot over and notify him of your arrival."
Max nodded to the formerly antagonistic lycan and gave him a toothless smile, turning back to his troops and leading them up the wide, repaired street.
"Hey baby, that's the guy who was such a jerk to you, isn’t it?"
"Yeah, why sweetie?"
"He's so checking me out. You should beat him up for looking at me."
Max gave his wide a quick glance, only to see she was snickering under her breath. During the breeding season lycan males tended to be hyper-territorial, and Jennie was merely reminding him of his heritage, even though it was tempered by his more angelic half.
Dons walked out into the street just in time to see the massive throng of lycan soldiers come to a full stop in front of the club. All standing smartly at attention, staring forward, Max broke formation and saluted Dons, who awkwardly saluted back.
"Heya, mate. Can't say it isn't good 'ta see ya, but why the show of force?"
"Hello, Dons. We're here for some training against your local demons. I thought you might like some revenues for renting out hotel rooms. There are rooms available, aren't there?"
"Oh yeah. Hardly even use the place. We use the kitchen a lot, though. Anyway, welcome and all that."
Bagatelle walked over and grabbed the diminutive clan leader's hand, shaking it vigorously. "It is good to see you again, Proprietor. I am hoping our unannounced arrival has not caused any sort of inconvenience for you."
"Eh? No, mate. Teeth is teeth, ya know? Anyway, it's been too long. Thought you all forgot about us here."