by Brian Cain
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The John F Kennedy carrier group approached Gibraltar and into the narrow Gibraltar Straight, Ward Pugsley was looking over the foredeck from the bridge, he had been nervously passing the bridge floor. There was a severe electrical storm, the radar officer yelled across the bridge. "Incoming, chopper, bearing in from HMS Rooke, that's the Gibraltar Rock British naval installation, ETA, two minutes."
Buck West took binoculars and studied the horizon in the direction of the naval base, he scanned the horizon several times, lowered the magnifiers and looked at Pugsley. "Nothing could fly through that, I can't even see the coast."
Prepare to welcome visitors, inform the chopper they are clear to land, pad one."
West looked at the communication officer and nodded. "Unidentified aircraft approaching the John F Kennedy, identify yourself please."
West pointed over Pugsley's shoulder. "There it is sir." He raised his binoculars. "
"JFK this is Greywolf, permission to land please."
Pugsley cracked a smile and nodded, the communications officer continued. "Greywolf you are clear to land chopper pad one."
Pugsley put his hand on West's shoulder and whispered in his ear. "Bring him direct to the conference room."
"Yes sir." They left the bridge as the chopper banked to land, West caught Pugsley's attention before entering the exit door, he pointed out the window. "That's no chopper."
Pugsley squinted with puzzlement. "What the hell is that?"
"Makes no sound."
"Good god, bring him to me soon as you can."
As the craft landed the storm broke to inclemency, West stood nervously as the door of the craft opened, it looked like a chopper but had no rotors and was of a sleek wedge design. Wolf confronted West, dressed in his standard grey leather jacket, blue jeans and redwing boots. "Pardon me if I skip shaking hands."
West nodded in acknowledgement. "Welcome aboard, follow me."
"I know more about this vessel than you do, I'll find my own way to the upper deck conference room." The marines flanking West went for their weapons, there was a blinding flash as magnetic energy melted their weapons. The two marines held their hands under each arm and limped around in pain. Wolf looked through West then stepped around him walking toward the bridge.
West assisted the injured marines and shouted across the deck. "Let him through!"
A captain entered the conference room after knocking, he addressed a surprised Ward Pugsley. "Sir, two marines have been injured by a lighting strike, a subordinate has breached security and is heading this way, you want for I should take him out sir."
"No I want for you to let him in here so I can talk to him."
"Sir I suggest I remain with a loaded weapon, this man may sent to kill you sir."
Pugsley sat back in his chair. "I'm not so sure about that, why don't you ask the man himself he's standing behind you."
The captain turned and looked down the barrel of Greywolf's weapon. "Get out."
The captain turned back to Pugsley whom gestured with his finger toward the door. "You want me to wait outside sir."
Greywolf interrupted. "What part of get out didn't you understand?" he cocked his weapon.
Pugsley stood abruptly holding his hands out in front of him. "Please, I want to speak to you far greater than you wish to speak to me." He looked at the captain and smiled. "They are trained, I'm sure you understand."
Wolf gently released the hammer of his weapon. "I don't want to see you again, I just want to talk and leave." The captain stepped around Wolf and left the room closing the door gently behind him.
Pugsley sat down slowly and gestured to a seat at the table. "Please sit down."
Wolf lent on the door holding his weapon beside him. "No thanks I'll stand."
"You look very much like your father."
"The similarity ends there, you have some questions?"
"Yes Emmm, I do believe you are in control of a weapon called ADAM."
"I do believe your right."
Pugsley played with his nose and picked his teeth with his tongue. "The original idea was professed in the US."
"So was the now recently defunct banking system"
Pugsley swivelled his eyes around without moving his head looking at his two counterparts. "We are not really concerned about the banking system, we deal with US security, at the pointy end in fact."
"Your uniforms are impressive, lots of colour on the left lapel, my father has one with colour many times longer, my grandfather the same."
"So you understand."
"Yes."
"Then err, how do we get a piece of this ADAM action."
"You don't."
Pugsley fiddled with his glasses and squirmed around in his seat. "Come now, we don't want things to become confrontational."
"Why not?"
"A world war would do nothing for either of us."
"This fleet is useless and you know it."
"I could cause a lot of problems with this fleet and you know it."
Wolf took out his phone and began to press buttons. "I am going to destroy the San Juan and the Yorktown in less than a second."
"Wow just you hang on a minute."
"You demand a confrontational deliberation, you currently have no understanding of whom is the law."
"I am merely negotiating via democratic means."
"The system is broken it wasn't built that way. Democracy is not a spectator sport it's a participation event, if we don't participate it ceases to be a democracy. The globe has ceased to participate or they would have attended your recent meeting."
"I'm not sure I understand."
"I have shut down your network and there will be no more war."
"You shut it down with a war machine."
"It's the only thing you understand, in fact it's the only thing I understand and that gentlemen is why we're here. How far do I have to go to have you realise I am the law."
Pugsley took off his glasses and began to clean them with a napkin from the table. "We don't take to being pushed around."
"Then you and your carrier group will have to go."
Pugsley stood and put his glasses back on. "You come here and stand over us you son of a bitch."
Wayne Truman stood looking fiercely at Pugsley. "You forget this is my carrier group Wade, ground forces operations have ceased."
Shipley looked at Wolf. "I don't want any of my pilots harmed, if the outcome of this meeting was to state you hold the cards then let it be."
Pugsley looked daggers at Wolf. "Get off this ship."
Wolf nodded with a smile, opened the door and left.
"What the hell do you think your doing Wade?" asked Shipley.
Pugsley walked toward the door. "Get me to the bridge, I'll take that son of a bitch out of the air with my own hands."
"Stay where you are Wade."
Pugsley looked around, Truman had a hand gun pointed at him. "Go to hell," Pugsley left for the bridge, he stumbled a few times on stairways making haste and finally looked over the bow of the carrier from the bridge. He yelled orders to West. "Target that chopper or whatever it is."
West became concerned. "Sir I don't think that's a good idea."
Pugsley glared at West. "Are you defying my orders?"
"Yes."
"Target that UFO now," Pugsley went red with rage and yelled at the weapons coordinator. "Target that UFO or I'll have you court marshalled."
The weapons coordinator began to punch data into his keyboard. Truman and Shipley entered the bridge, Shipley held a gun on Pugsley. "Stand down!" shouted Truman, the weapons system had already began to respond.
Pugsley leaned with his back against the window, he scowled at them all. "You weak minded fools." There was a blinding flash, glass scattered around the bridge, smoke filled the air, and it took a half minute for the bridge air to clear. Thrown to the ground, stunned and coughing from the smoke the bridge occupants began to climb to their feet. Waving his hand
in front of him to clear the air Truman looked around for Pugsley, he was nowhere to bee seen, he staggered to the bridge window, he noticed black carbon like crystals on the floor where Pugsley had been standing, he moved the crystals around with his shoe, they smouldered giving off a foul odour.
Truman held the hand rail and turned to the rest of the crew recovering on the bridge. "My god, West, cut power to one third ahead until we sort this out." Shipley had cut his forehead and hand, he was taken to sick bay and stitched up. Truman joined him once the bridge had been repaired and the fleet was back up to full speed. He sat down next to Shipley next to his ear. "Well Pugsley was right in a way, this Greywolf is the law."
"God damdest thing I've ever seen, took a man right out on the bridge of a carrier."
"Damaged nothing but the glass."
"Pugsley came up with a plan, we'll follow it, anger always got the better of him."
"We are contacting all the people Pugsley suggested, hopefully we can talk to them when we get home."
"I've been thinking about that, we'll have a party."
"We just lost an important man and you suggest a party."
"You remember the end of the millennium war games, Packard went to a party held for that Brinkly guy, we had to fly Packard there and back."
Truman thought for a few seconds. "Yeah, but..."
"If we hold a party the word party may attract little interest, if we hold a meeting that may be of interest."
"I don't get you."
"I've been reading the archives on this ADAM, it has a neuron computer, thinks for itself. Pugsley may have been on the right track, influence it with suggestions."
Mmmm, interesting, Fonteyn, Legrande and Rose Fleming are usually sent to parties, I would rather deal with them than that Greywolf bastard."
"I don't know the deck is stacked against us, besides' what has this Wolf guy done apart from hit the right target. If he attacked the fleet as suggested, then I may think different."
Truman looked at the floor and shook his head. "Well Pugsley was going to front an internal investigation about something when he got home, could be a bit deeper than we think, things have been upside down, hard to define trust or direction." He looked back up still shaking his head. "Pugsley was right about one thing, we need look at this a lot deeper than we have, Pugsley was taken out for a lot bigger reason than offending that Greywolf bastard."
"Mmmm, where there is a will there's a way, we may need side with this bastard until we find our feet, until then, this Greywolf is the law."
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Many years passed and the lines of wisdom became etched into the face of Greywolf, he stood in the grounds of the manor, tears crept from the corner of his eyes. A black horse, head bowed in a dull walk approached him, Wolf lent upon the wooden fence surrounding the horses range, the giant black thoroughbred gently placed his head on Wolfs shoulder and whimpered. Wolf held his head with both arms and sobbed. A few minutes passed in solitude and Wolf stroked Flaxmead's head and looked into his eyes, he whispered. "Only now do I understand your loss, for this loss is mine as well, when Storm and Meadow passed, I should have come to you, only now do I grieve along side you, I was weak when you were strong."
A silent black vehicle stopped along side them, the driver abandoned it and stood behind Wolf, Wolf could see his son in his glasses, and his son stepped forward and stood along side his father. "Is it true that my grandfather has passed?" Flaxmead muzzled Wolf's son and he in turn kissed the head of the thundering black equine. "You came to tell the horse?"
"He already knew." Greywolf stroked Flaxmead's neck.
"My mother, grandmother and Louise are devastated, yet you stand here with a horse."
Wolf looked at his son. "At your age I would not have understood, your grandfather would have wanted us to come here."
"There is much I don't know father."
"And you will need to know, your mother, grandmother and Louise were here, I linger for good reasons. Some things we can't control, my father has gone and it's up to us now. When I am down and oh my soul so weary, when troubles come and my heart burdened be, then I am still and wait here in the silence, until you come and sit awhile with me." Flaxmead again muzzled Wolf. "The words from a song, you raise me up." There was silence for some time, the oak tress rustled in the gusty wind, the grass whistled with tune, Flaxmead walked a few paces back and reared up, the cry of the banshee echoed across the meadows and the mighty horse thundered off. "The wind in the trees whistles his name, we all think about it and we feel the pain. We will hear his name in the wind forever."
They listened to the wind for some time, the smell of spring was carried on the warm breeze and they watched the mighty horse raise turf into the air as he pranced, galloped and threw himself around, screaming in defiance of loss.
Wolf lent his head on his fathers shoulder. "How did he die father?"
Greywolf held his son at arms length, a tear rand down the jowl below his sunglasses and he smiled. "How he died is not important Caen, Come with me, and I'll tell you how your grandfather lived."