by SK Benton
"Men, please remember - this is not a competition to see who can kill the most. Pick a target, freeze it, and kill it. There is a natural order here and we already run the risk of misbalancing it, so we're in and out. Understand?"
"Sir! Yes, sir!" the entire mass cried out in unison. Max got a kick out of being in command, and even though he was technically beneath Bagatelle this was his world - and he knew how to kill Vrol.
Draagh and his offspring spread out to four corners of the regiment, where they split off into four companies, each going with their Primulus.
The mass of lycan soldiers appeared in what used to be a large parking area, and they weren't quiet - at all. In fact, their ruckus attracted a small group of Vrol fliers and some ground bugs. As they targeted the lycans for attack, unwittingly sealing their own fates, the men spread out breaking down into battalions, and then into companies, followed by platoons of specialized small groups of twenty soldiers each. Two platoons with shoulder-launched surface to air missiles took a center position and started to eliminate Fliers. The missiles functioned flawlessly, decimating the creatures instantly.
"G, watch the ground bugs every time one of our missiles takes out a flier - they're disoriented. They're connected to each other, so we'll need to use that to our advantage," informed Max, using his command comm channel.
"Max, I can't see that happening, being on the ground. Dammit - I'm so used to being on the bridge of a ship. How can I --"
Before Bagatelle could say another word he was suspended one hundred meters above the fight, Max at his side. Looking down he could barely see a transparent sheen - some sort of force field Max had created for him to stand on.
"Whoa! I don’t want to fall, Max," cautioned Bagatelle.
"Don't worry, Cuñado. You aren't going anywhere. You're actually in a bubble."
The troops were working together as effective units, and both Max and Bagatelle were pleased with their performance. Max moved them around to see the fight from different angles, and at the same time making sure no Vrol fliers snuck up on them.
The two listened to the soldiers communicate as each one made his kill. They were doing precisely as instructed, back and base of the neck. Everything was going along swimmingly until they heard some odd chatter going on over the comm.
"What was that?"
"I know! It was small, but… wow! It just took out a bug!"
"What the hell is it? One of those cat people?"
"No, it's lycan. I can smell it. And it… also… smells like… bubble bath!"
"Oh crap, she's in so much trouble. Come on, G, we're going down," said Max, as he slipped himself and the Admiral to ground level. Max instantly found Jennie, who had been working with a small group of her special forces from the Rhönen. Pulling her off to the side, he asked desperately, "Jen, did you leave Lili with my mom?"
Before Jennie could answer, they both heard Liliana's small voice howl out in victory, and turning around, saw her standing on the burnt-out carcass of an ancient automobile, sword hoisted into the air.
"That's the way you do it, bitches! Three! I killed three! Yeah!"
"Who is the little girl?"
"I dunno! But she kicks ass!"
"That is the Gunnarssons' daughter. She is one of ours! Of the Rhönen!"
Max shot over, flying to Liliana's position, and scooping her off the top of the car, disappeared with a light popping sound.
Standing in the restaurant of the hotel, Max looked down at his daughter. His precocious, disobedient daughter, who happened to be a formidable warrior in her own right.
"Liliana, who said you could go on this training mission?"
"Papi, no one said I could not go," she responded, wearing a face of pure innocence.
Michael slipped Jennie into the hotel and immediately ported out, leaving the mother to run to her family. Jennie practically tackled Liliana, grabbing the girl and hugging her tightly.
"Why? Why did you do that? You were brought here to visit and get away from the castle, not go into a potentially deadly situation! Lili! Answer me!"
The little girl gave her mother a meek look, and then simply said, "I only had one kill and needed to stay ahead of the troops."
"Max, wherever there's action Liliana's is in another timeline, another planet - I don't care. Another galaxy. Leave her in the Hub," yelped Jennie.
"I agree. Liliana, you're grounded."
"What? But why? That sucks! I killed three Vrol!"
Max looked down at his lovely child and quietly said, "For making poor choices."
"Max, I'll get her up to your mom. You go ahead and get the teams back," said Jennie, taking Liliana's hand and dragging her toward the stairs. Max was gone in a flash, but as soon as he left she looked down at the little girl.
"Three? You got three?"
Liliana smiled and nodded her head.
Jennie hesitated for a moment, trying to not show her pride, and then said, "Girl power! But never again, understand?"
"Yes, Mami."
The teams extracted Vrol teeth and collected them in a large bucket before starting to go back in small groups. Their work was done, and every soldier had at least one kill under his belt. However, the only one to have killed three was the young Gunnarsson. Liliana's tally rested at four, counting the one she had inadvertently killed during her first trip to PAH.
Once everyone was back on Santa Monica Blvd. in front of Seven Sins the troops lined up for morning chow. Clarisa had determined that breakfast burritos would be the easiest meal to serve in the field, as they could only fit a portion of the soldiers in the hotel's restaurant at a time.
Soldiers sat outside on benches, some discussing the morning's activities, and more than a few talking about Liliana and her lightning speed. The Rhönen lycans seemed especially pleased, and more than willing to recount her tale to their otherworldly counterparts. Liliana - the young orphan, her birth parents so tragically taken from her on the full moon. The disobedient little girl who saved Krynos' castle, then claimed by Jennie, who proposed to Max to bring the three together as a family. No one believed Jennie had proposed to Max, choosing to assume it was the other way around.
Michael brought a burrito up to his granddaughter, intent on having a talk with her. He had taken to the young girl, and only wished for her safety and well-being. Entering the spacious master suite, he saw her sitting on a couch, looking out of the picture window and watching the crowds below.
"Liliana, I brought you something to eat. May I sit with you?"
"Hello, Grandfather. Of course! Did you hear? I killed three Vrol this morning."
"Yes, I heard. You have skills beyond your few years."
Liliana's face lit up after hearing that from her grandfather, but then noticed he maintained a look of sadness.
"Grandfather, why do you look unhappy?"
"Because you took an unnecessary risk."
"Life is risk, grandfather. It is what makes it all worth living."
"Necessary risks, child. Not unnecessary ones. What you did was brave, but foolish."
"Why foolish, Grandfather?"
"Because you did it for pride."
"Pride?"
"Liliana, tell me… what are the seven deadly sins? I know they have been taught to you."
Liliana thought for a moment, and then blurted out, "Lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride… oh… pride."
"Yes. Liliana, none of us are perfect. I have been alive for eons, and have erred much in the past. However, while I am here I am making it a point to assure that you grow up to be a happy, productive adult. You have a long life ahead of you. Please, do not ever do that again. Can you imagine your parents' faces if something were to happen to you?"
"They would be sad, I imagine."
"Now, let me ask you… how would you feel if your mother died?"
"Mami? She is too strong. She will not die."
Michael waved his hand, conjuring an infoscreen that displayed a ground-l
evel playback of when Jennie noticed Liliana was in the middle of the fight. She turned and looked around frantically for her daughter, and while she did so a ground Vrol came up behind her. It had nearly used its pinschers to snap Jennie's neck when it disintegrated and fell into a pile of ashes. The vid showed Michael, hand outstretched, behind where the bug was only a second before. He had acted barely in time to save Jennie's life. Michael froze playback and looked at Liliana, who continued to stare at the screen in horror.
"Your mother almost died today, and she knows not. This is your fault, Liliana. Your mother nearly died because she was distracted by your irresponsible actions."
Michael stood up, waved off the display and exited the room without another word. He knew she would never tell her mother what she had seen. He also knew she would never do something as stupid as that ever again.
Oh shit, I had better cut it out.
The following morning Draagh called on Liliana, not only to see how she was doing, but also to let her know he was going to retrieve her friends who were born and raised only thousands of miles to the north on that same world. Tommy and Janie were good children, and could not be punished due to Liliana's manipulative actions. He was to bring them to their now-empty village where they could grab whatever they liked.
"Good morning, Grandfather. Would you like to join me for breakfast?" Liliana asked, her voice completely devoid of any guilt for her actions the day prior.
"Certainly, my dear. As long as it isn't one of your famous lycan smoothies."
Liliana giggled softly and shook her head. Making a blended concoction of rabbits and rats was a stunt she pulled, months earlier, to see who had the strongest constitution. Plus, she wanted to razzle Dons, knowing he was a mere normal. Of course, Draagh knew this, and delighted in her sense of humor, knowing it would be the one thing that helped her to retain a tenuous grip on her humanity when things went for the worse.
The two sat at the kitchen's breakfast counter and ate eggs, bacon (unheard of in that world) and sourdough toast, a favorite of the ancient Primulus. The silence was almost overwhelming as they enjoyed their breakfasts, Draagh peering at the young girl out of the corner of his eye periodically. After what seemed like an eternity (for her), Liliana turned to her great grandfather and said, "I acted irresponsibly. What I did could have resulted in Mami's death and I feel like shit."
Draagh felt his face pull back awkwardly. He had expected Liliana to say something regarding her actions the day prior, but never something on that scale. She was showing true remorse. Not Liliana remorse, where she would make everyone believe she is sorry for her actions. The child was truly affected.
"Why do you say that, my dear?" asked the old mage.
"I cannot say, truly," she responded, "but I had a discussion with Grandfather Michael and he showed me the error of my ways."
I wonder what he said to her.
"My son, may I have a moment?"
"Yes, father?"
"I am with Liliana. She will not say, but she has certainly suffered some form of regret, and I believe it is your doing."
"Oh yes. I told her Jennie was almost killed during the training exercise."
"You what?!?"
"I modified a vid, making it appear Jennie was about to be killed due to Liliana's distractions."
Draagh stopped for a moment, doing all he could to keep the young girl at his side from realizing he was having an off-room conversation with someone else.
"Why would you do that?"
"Better to have her believe it almost happened than to mourn with her if it truly did."
"Perhaps you are correct, my son. Very well. Your secret remains safe with me."
"Liliana, I am sure Michael had every right and reason to tell you what you needed to hear. Just please, I need for you to be obedient during these difficult times. It is best for all involved."
"Yes Grandfather. I shall."
"Now, that being said, would you like to go to Saxman with your friends Tommy and Janie?"
"Oh yes, Grandfather! Are they to come here?"
"We're already here, Lili," said Max, who had silently slipped in behind the two, with the Williams twins in tow.
"Hey Lili!" said Tommy, with Janie smiling and waving with equal enthusiasm.
"Hi Tommy and Janie! Or Janie and Tommy, depending on which one is able to vanquish the other in hand-to-hand combat!"
The twins gave Liliana an odd stare. They really cared for their friend, but her verbal utterances were indeed odd at times.
"Hey, how about friends? Is that okay?" asked Tommy.
"Quite excellent, friends."
Max walked off to the side with Draagh, wanting to ask a favor.
"Hey Pops, can you take them? I'm really up to my eyeballs with these guys, and it appears they had a betting pool going on for the highest number of kills. Unfortunately, Liliana ruined the odds, so there's a lot of infighting."
"So they do fight after all, my boy?"
"Over money? Yeah, you bet."
"I shall transport the youths to Saxman and do whatever is necessary, young Max. Do not fret. They are safe with me."
"Thanks, I appreciate it," said Max, right before he slipped out of sight.
###
Liliana, Tommy and Janie went bounding through the plush, spongy southeast Alaskan grass, into the now-abandoned Saxman village of the twins' birth. Looking around they only saw vacant buildings and totem poles. The residents had been extremely careful and had left no refuse behind, even though it was a world they would never return to. It was simply their way.
"What can we take? There's nothing left!" Liliana exclaimed to the twins.
"Mr. Draagh, our entire history is here. Can't we preserve it somewhere? Maybe take it to our new home? It'll only rot here," pleaded Janie.
The ancient Primulus winked at the twins and raised his arms. Suddenly, with a flash, the entire village was empty. The totem poles, the main lodge and the housing - all gone.
"It is in safe storage, children, for when you have located your new home on a new world. We shall then bring it back."
"Thank you Mr. Draagh!" the children rang out in unison.
Chapter 15 - Together
"Has anyone lost his mind yet?" asked Luigi Bagatelle, while he looked through the one-way mirror at the small dorm in the underground base on Vera. There were twelve soldiers from the Rhönen Dominion, as well as equivalent numbers from Japan and Alaska. It was a cruel, yet necessary experiment. If allied forces were to start slaughtering each other on the battlefield they would be doing the Vrol's job for them. Their only known weakness was money - they would fight over anything to do with money. Once this was discovered all manner of betting and wagering was banned.
"No, G. Aside from gambling, everything looks good. In fact, the Samurais have been teaching the other troops to play Go, a popular board game," said Max, as he looked out over the dorm room, feeling a bit creepy for doing so.
"Well, let's give them another 24 hours and then we'll go to the next training phase. Also, we have a full moon on Earth in four days. We'll need to determine who maintains sapience, if any at all."
Bagatelle and Max had both quickly graduated to being uncaged during full moons, mostly thanks to Max's assassin phase he acquired while stranded in Hollywood. Draagh created an inoculation from Max's blood, which enabled inactive lycans to become active, and as an added benefit, maintain sapience during the full moon. Practicing during Max's months of absence, Jennie was near graduating from her cage when they finally found him, but her inoculation brought her to the next level. While Max and Bagatelle were borderline violent, Jennie could practically do trigonometry in Phase 3 form.
"Hey, how are my boys doing?" Jennie asked sweetly, her low, sultry voice and slight dega accent making the two men melt a bit, each in his own way. Bagatelle adored his sister, and had secretly protected her for years, keeping her under his command while guarding the secret of their familial relationship, while she an
d Max met under less than ideal circumstances and eventually fell in love.
"Hey hun, we're just making sure our troops don't murder each other," said Max.
"They seem to be doing well, Hermanita," added Bagatelle.
"Well, to tell you the truth, they look kinda bored," said the gorgeous lycan.
"Yeah, they do, baby. Do you think we should stir up the pot and see how they behave?"
"Oh gawd Max, that's cruel… I like how you think," she said.
"It may be a necessary experiment. Perhaps we should confer with Draagh before attempting to do so," suggested Bagatelle.
"Agreed. Be right back," said Max, right before he popped out of sight.
"I don't know if I'll ever get used to that, G. He just… disappears."
"Jen, don't worry, he'll never, ever leave you again. Plus, he has a tracker - he can't get lost."
"I know, but I occasionally have nightmares. I am looking at him, and he's smiling. Then the world starts spinning around and everything goes black."
Bagatelle put his arm around his little sister's shoulder as he looked out over the dorm. He understood her anguish, and only wished the best for them, but could really do nothing about her nightmares.
"Draagh says there's nothing else we can do. They should be fine," stated Max, as he popped back to where he was only a minute before. "So, Jen, I'm gonna help Liliana with her algebra homework. You wanna come back with me?"
"Um, I don't know, sweetie. Maybe I'll stay here with G and go over inventory."