“Prepare the net,” she called out and the fishermen stood ready. They powered through, picking up speed as they went to catch and hold the most fish. When they pulled the net aboard, they found the biggest haul they’d made to date.
Anne could not have been happier. She considered it a good omen of her first trip as the captain. They made three more passes to fill the boat with fish, then she headed slowly back into the lake to give the men time to clean the fish.
She took her turn gutting them, too. No job was beneath the captain, Terry had told her.
Some were quicker than others, but it took a while to clean their haul, dumping the refuse overboard as they went.
“What’s that?” Alex called, pointing toward the eastern horizon.
Anne squinted, blocking the late morning sun with her hand.
“It’s another ship.” She wondered only briefly about what to do. She didn’t maintain Terry’s paranoia. She saw all strangers as potential friends, making her decision easy.
“Make ready for maximum speed!” she called, moving behind the wheel and adjusting their heading. “Helm’s a lee!”
They tacked across the wind, the sail refilling as the wind snapped it tight. She maintained that heading.
“No sails,” Anne said unnecessarily as she talked with herself. “She looks to be powered and running, so she’s not a derelict floating free in the lake.”
They tacked again and picked up speed on a heading directly for the other ship. Within moments, it changed course and accelerated into the wind.
Anne continued the chase, but when she looked back, the shoreline was lost in haze. “Bring her about,” Anne ordered. “Time to head home. I’m sure people will find this little tidbit interesting, and after we offload the catch, we’re cleaning this boat, gentlemen!”
Her order was met with groans, but she didn’t care about that. Anne wondered why the other boat would run from them, a sailboat with a minimal crew. What were the strangers afraid of?
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Terry had the platoon sitting on the ground, Mark and Char at his side. The oldsters from the motor pool were there. Eldie and the native volunteers had been fully integrated and were mixed in with the others.
Terry wanted the Weres to sit with the platoon, something he had pushed hard for, but there were too many issues for that to happen.
Gene sat to the side with Bogdan between him and Blackie. Aaron sat at the other end of that squad, but he had three kids piled on him.
Sue was far to the side of the group with Clyde and his adopted pack of dogs. She looked like she hadn’t slept in days. Timmons was at her side, resting his hand easily on her arm as she leaned into him.
Ted was in the back, looking impatient. At least his wolf pack hadn’t joined them.
Adams, Merrit, and Shonna were in the middle of the platoon, mixing with the humans as Char had wanted.
As usual, Kiwi was there, too. Terry was okay with that as she was the link between the old and the new. Why shouldn’t spouses know what was going on, officially, from the horse’s mouth?
Sometimes secrets had to be kept, but then there was the rest of the time.
“We need to organize a tactical team to go back to New York City and recon how they’re doing. Our goal was to save the humans so they could thrive. Are they, or did we create a shitstorm for them from which they can’t dig themselves out?” Terry waited.
“Volunteers,” he said and every human hand shot up. Finally, Gene thrust his mitt in the air. None of the Werewolves volunteered.
“Lieutenant. We’ll be traveling heavy, but we need to be quiet. I’d like Gene and Corporal Heitz, too. Find me five more volunteers and don’t include yourself. I need you to prepare for our next op, which will require the entire platoon.”
Mark saluted, and Terry and Char walked away. Terry headed for Aaron and the kids. When he turned around, he saw that Char was in Sue’s face.
“What is going on here?” she demanded.
“What?” Sue replied innocently. Char glared at Timmons’s hand on Sue’s arm, then at him. He refused to meet her gaze.
“Fine,” Sue started. “Not that it’s any of your business, but Ted and I have formally dissolved our relationship. I’ve moved in with Timmons.”
“How is that not my business? I am your alpha, and what kind of turmoil are you two idiots putting Ted through?” Char clenched her fists and jutted her chin as she leaned toward Sue and Timmons.
“Ted suggested it. The last time we, well, you know, was before the fall, Char!” Sue emphasized her last point by almost yelling it. “Sorry, but nothing was going to change. Ted told me he had too many projects here and that I was a distraction. He wouldn’t say it, but as soon as I told him I was moving out, he kissed me and went back to scribbling his damn calculations. He didn’t even help me pack.”
“How much did you have to pack?” Char asked.
“That’s not the point. He was Ted until I left, and I doubt he even saw me go.” A tear trailed down her cheek.
“You treat her right or I’ll take more than your hand, do you understand me?” Char growled.
Timmons looked solemn. “I wish I had met Sue before she and Ted became a couple. We have a lot of time to make up for,” Timmons said as he softly caressed her shoulder.
“And for fuck’s sake, would you two get some sleep. Take a break from the honeymoon,” Char cautioned.
Sue looked surprised. “It’s not us. It’s those goddamned dogs! Clyde and his fucking non-housebroken pack.”
Char felt vindicated and that karma had paid a visit.
“Just wait until the puppies come.” Char sneered as she walked away.
***
The nine-man tac team waited for the pod on the old parade deck in front of the mayor’s office. It had become a park and a playground. It was a place for any and all the town’s people to gather.
It was also centrally located and clear of vertical obstructions for pod landings and takeoffs.
Eight of the nine wore flak jackets and helmets. Gene never fought in human form, changing into a Werebear as soon as bullets started flying.
Corporal Heitz carried a small toolkit, in case they needed his mechanical expertise. Winning the hearts and minds of a conquered population usually meant providing something that they had a problem providing for themselves.
Sergeant James was there, as was Eldie. The native was graceful when he moved and the fact that the lieutenant and sergeant had picked him meant that they saw him for his abilities alone. No more natives, whites, blacks, women, or men. They were all FDG warriors.
Just like Terry wanted it.
Charlie was there and Jim, along with someone that Terry hadn’t spent much time with, a private called Bennie. He was dark-skinned and quiet. The lieutenant said he was the best with the rifle out of the whole platoon. Terry wondered how he’d missed the young man’s rise to marksmanship excellence, but accepted the lieutenant’s recommendations.
They all carried the M4s with grenade launchers, except for Gene. He carried extra ammo cans filled with loaded magazines. They traveled heavy, just in case. There were still hundreds of humans in that area who might be looking for retribution against those who took away their lord and master.
And that was what the reconnaissance, what they called a recce mission, was all about.
The pod appeared as a black dot in the northwestern sky and approached without a sound, settling to the ground effortlessly. The ramp opened and the tac team ran on board. As the ramp was closing, the pod lifted off, having been on the ground less than ten seconds.
***
With the addition of constant power, dinners were getting better since they could be planned ahead. Claire’s vision was a sit-down restaurant. They weren’t anywhere near that, but eventually, they would. She committed to unique meals for special occasions, like birthday parties for the children.
They lacked sugar, but with the promise of sugar beets from the
Wisconsin farmers, she had high hopes for cookies and cakes.
Her first duty was as a mother, and she wanted to reward her children for how they had become an integral part of the New Boulder community. Her oldest boys had been instrumental in bringing the herd of cattle to North Chicago. They remained with the herd to the west of town.
It would be a while before they could regularly butcher cattle, but Alabama, Clemson, and Eli’s kids were doing everything they could to help build the herd. The latest addition was the stud bull that arrived with the elephant. Next breeding season, he would be in high demand as they introduced him to the heifers, those who had not yet had calves but were of age.
The mayor kept track of everything, because it was all a valuable resource for the community. There would be a time when they could trade, reintroduce capitalism, but that time lay somewhere in the future. They still had barely enough resources for the people.
The fishing fleet that consisted of one sailboat had been a good investment in time. Each day’s haul was enough to fill the plates of the people, and when Ted got his way, the bottomless pits of his wolf pack. But they had to fish every day. No one could take a day off. Not yet.
Billy and Felicity watched the pod go as they were returning from the diner.
“Another day, another TH adventure,” Felicity drawled casually.
Aaron waved at Billy and Felicity as he sat, bouncing Cory on his leg while talking with a group of five children.
“You know that he was a teacher before the fall? Taught English in China and when he came back to the States, he taught reading and writing, or something like that,” Billy said as he watched the small class.
Billy had been with New Boulder before and after the WWDE and this was the first time he’d seen what looked like formal schooling. They had selected a building to use, but hadn’t gotten to the teachers or a curriculum yet. They’d only agreed a few days earlier that a school was one of the top five priorities, but only because of the others.
Billy’s experience with school hadn’t been a good one. He was indifferent to the education it provided, but he found himself alone in that camp. Felicity wanted better for their daughter. She wanted better for all the children.
As civilization returned, she’d be able to live more in the manner that she wanted.
“Let’s go for a drive, Billy dear,” she pleaded. Who was he to deny her when they’d waited so long to be able to do such things on a whim?
They turned away from Aaron’s class, walking casually in the direction of the motor pool, when they were intercepted by Anne and Alex.
“I forgot to tell you yesterday that we saw another boat on the lake,” Anne told them.
“There are lots of dead boats on the lake, unless you’re talking about one we might be able to recover. Our fishing fleet is kind of slim at present,” Billy joked.
Anne was not joking, but she was unconcerned.
“It was plenty alive. We tried to sail to it, but it turned and drove away. It wasn’t a sailboat, but powered somehow.”
Billy was all ears, forgetting that he and Felicity had been on their way to take a drive.
“You forgot?” Billy spluttered. “Terry and Char are gone. I need to talk with Mark. Somebody knows we’re here and we have to be ready if they come.”
Billy didn’t wait, he rushed off without asking Anne any more questions.
“I forgot because it didn’t seem like a big deal. It ran away when six fishermen in a sailboat approached, so how dangerous could it really be? Men! I swear.” Anne shook her head and Alex held up his hands in surrender.
“Glad I’m not one of them,” he replied.
***
“The plan is that we land in the planted fields northeast of our last engagement. We’ll land once they’ve headed home for the day. We’ll disembark and deploy as three sub-teams. Gene and I will be one. The major, Privates Eldie and Jim, will be another. Sergeant James, you lead the last group.”
They already knew their roles, but Terry started with the basics first.
“Standard load out, but this mission is stealth. It would be best if they didn’t know we were there. We will land under cover of darkness and infiltrate their compound here, here, and here,” Terry said, pointing to the diagram and picture displayed on his screen.
“Sergeant, you and your group will set up an observation post, an OP, in this location, but it also needs to be a blocking position in case the other two teams need to conduct a tactical retrograde,” Terry explained.
“You mean run away, right?” Gene asked in his Russian accent.
Terry nodded slightly. “Something like that, but be ready to cover us, just in case. Your primary mission is observation. If the shooting starts, then your mission will change, but not until then. If you are compromised, look for a non-combat solution to disengage. We can’t have you getting captured, but we can’t have you killing the humans at a cyclic rate of speed, either. Figure it out and do what’s best. If you do get caught, know that we’ll come for you. We will remain in place until recovery tomorrow at this same time.”
They’d been through it enough times that no one had any questions. They split up the ammunition and other supplies, each team carrying a can of extra ammunition on top of the load they already carried in their pockets and backpacks.
The pod started its descent, then hovered. Akio and Char reached out with their senses to confirm the fields were clear of people, then they continued their approach.
The inside red light turned off, plunging the group into darkness. The touchdown was soft enough that they didn’t realize they’d landed until the rear started opening. Terry kissed Char quickly, then ran out the back with Gene by his side.
Char went next with Eldie and Jim, disappearing into the darkness. Last off the pod was Sergeant James, Charlie, Bennie, and Max. They didn’t have far to go so they moved cautiously, taking care not to make any noise, while wondering what their footprints would look like in the soft dirt.
***
North Chicago
“Mark!” Billy yelled as he approached the barracks.
The lieutenant stuck his head out a window. “You called?” he asked with a smile. Billy didn’t bother going inside.
“The fishing crew saw another boat out on the lake today, powered, and it drove away when they sailed toward it,” Billy spit out quickly, then waited impatiently while Mark processed the information.
“Damn,” Mark finally said, poking fingers in the air to count off his recommended actions. “We’ll start a lake watch and let’s put Adams or Merrit on the fishing boat, because they can sense things.”
Mark didn’t know how much Billy knew, and he wasn’t too sure himself, but he thought that was what Terry would have done to give them an advantage.
Billy looked around to make sure no one was near since he didn’t want to get the town’s people excited, just in case it wasn’t a big deal. “That makes sense, and what did you have in mind for the watch?”
“Ivan. He’s probably wide awake right now, wondering what to do with himself for the rest of the night,” Mark replied, looking confidently into Billy’s eyes. “I’ll go with him and we’ll get this set up, then I’ll handle the rotation to make sure we keep someone there to sound the alarm just in case. You’ll let Adams and Merrit know to join the fishing boat?”
“I’ll take care of them. Get someone on the shore ASAP! This is information from yesterday. Anne forgot to tell me, if you can believe that.” Billy was still shaking his head in disbelief.
“Will do, boss. You can count on the FDG.” Mark saluted and closed his window. He ran from his room in search of Ivan.
Billy hesitated, admiring the man that Mark had become, certain that the Force de Guerre would protect them.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Queens, New York
Terry crouched by a rusted hulk of a long-dead vehicle before slowly moving behind the next. His target was a building that was half-rubble directly
across from the brownstone where the Forsaken had lived before Akio ended his existence.
Terry determined that the rubble across the street would be the best way to observe the buildings that had been used to house large numbers of people, and of course, their comings and goings.
In the stealth business, speed played a role, but sometimes patience and deliberate movement were better options. Terry moved slowly when in the open, to be a living shadow that didn’t attract the eye. Quick movements were easily observed, should anyone be looking. And then there were times where sitting still, even when not in position, was the best course of action.
Gene didn’t like either of those. He preferred to walk in and ask them how they were doing, but that went against Terry’s goal of remaining unseen, of not having the New Yorkers ever know they were there.
Terry waited while Gene caught up. He had to pull the large man down beside him. “Would you make an effort, for Pete’s sake?” Terry whispered harshly.
“No one watching. We are fine,” Gene said in a low voice, which sounded to Terry like it echoed from all the buildings.
Terry took two deep breaths while Gene waited.
“What do you sense?” Terry asked.
“Nothing. People doing what people do. If you expected civil war, there is no civil war.” Gene looked like he wanted to go home.
“Blackie will take good care of Bogdan,” Terry whispered.
“He is like son to me, an untrainable ruffian, just like I used to be,” Gene said sadly.
“Soon enough, we’ll be on our way back home. Then we’ll be going to China. We’ll take Bogdan with us on that trip,” Terry promised.
Gene slapped Terry on the back, slamming him into the car with a heavy thud. They both froze as Gene whispered, “Sorry, little man.”
Nomad Omnibus 02: A Kurtherian Gambit Series (A Terry Henry Walton Chronicles Omnibus) Page 48