The Gathering Storm Page 17

  She sighed. “I am a trained intelligence operative. Of course I was trained in how to get into locked rooms.”

  Torbin re-sheathed his Ka-Bar. “So, what’s next?”

  “Come here, my Torbin, and find out.”

  An hour and a half later, he was holding her close in his bed. She was gently caressing and scratching his chest with her fingernails.

  “Thank you for defending my honor, my Captain. It has been ages since a concept like honor has been part of my life.”

  Torbin stoked her lush hair. “You deserve better, Aleks. Life since the first rock strike has made things hard enough, without us humans treating each other like bovine excrement.”

  “You mean bullshit?” Aleksandra replied.

  Torbin chuckled. “Here I am, trying to be all gentlemanly and correct, and you go all earthy on me.”

  Aleksandra raised herself up from Torbin’s shoulder and looked into his eyes. She kissed him on the lips, slowly and sensually. “You deserve better also, Torbin. Give me a chance, and I will show you ‘better’.”

  “Promises, promises.” Torbin mumbled as he put his arms around Aleksandra and pulled her close.

  Suddenly, there was a loud banging on the front door, and someone called his name.

  “What the hell?” Torbin exclaimed as he rolled out of bed. He grabbed his Ka-Bar, and padded naked to the door. “This had better be good,” he yelled as he yanked it open.

  Two large Military Police Officers were at the door. They took one look at Torbin’s state of undress, and the Senior Sergeant asked “Are you alone, Captain?”

  “No, he is not,” Aleksandra called from the bedroom door, sheet wrapped around her.

  “Sorry, Ma’am, but I must ask how long you have been here with the Captain.”

  “An hour and a half at least. Why, Sergeant?”

  The second Military Policeman was relaying the information on his radio. He informed the Senior Sergeant, “It happened within the last half hour. Even Captain Bender can’t be in two places at once.”

  What happened, Sergeant?” Torbin demanded.

  “Ma’am, Sir. The Russian Colonel was found dead with a broken neck. It looked like it just happened.”

  Torbin was stunned. Aleksandra broke the silence first.

  “The General is at his office?”

  “Yes, Ma’am.

  “Come, Captain, we must go there. Thank you, Sergeant.”

  “Yes, Ma’am.” The two MPs left. Five minutes later, after some rapid dressing, the two Captains were en route to the Commander’s Office.

  The other Russian officers were already present when Torbin and Aleksandra arrived, as was Colonel Tanaka. Torbin entered, and saluted. “Sir.”

  General Reed saluted back. “I understand you have an ironclad alibi, so there is no reason to ask you what you’ve been doing.” He gave Aleksandra a knowing look, which she returned with typical Russian stoicism.

  “Now we need to start a full investigation.”

  The Russian second in command, Major Romanov interrupted. “With all due respect, General, that is not necessary. We have more important things on which to focus.”

  General Reed looked at the Major like he had lost his mind.

  “Major, how in the hell can I explain to your government what happened without an investigation. My own Madam President will have my ass if I don’t and dot the I’s and cross the T’s, so I can imagine what your government will want to do to me.”

  Major Romanov sighed. “General, they will say nothing. My cousin was a pig, always had been a pig. Yes, he was my cousin. But he was a pig who survived because he knew where the skeletons were hidden, and he abused his underlings. No one in my family liked him. He was sent here hoping he would screw something up so badly that he could be shot before he could use his information to blackmail his way out. So trust me, General, you will be doing everyone a favor by agreeing that the drunken ass fell and broke his neck.”

  The Major paused. “Or, you can start an international incident by accusing foul play and setting back plans for a counterattack on the Tschaaa back months, if not years.”

  Silence. General Reed then let out the air had been holding in his tight chest. “Major, I do not usually agree to not searching for the truth. ‘The Truth Shall Set You Free.’ I believe that. But, the Mission takes precedence over my belief. I agree with you. I ask that you communicate directly with your government.”

  He turned to Colonel Tanaka. “Any problem with the Major’s proposal, Colonel?”

  “No, General. You both have more say in this matter than I. I yield to your decision.”

  Major Romanov then spoke again. “I do have one favor, General.”

  “And what is that, Major?”

  “The three young female officers will need to stay here on detached duty indefinitely. I know my pig cousin has already communicated via our secured radio relay some remarks questioning their loyalty. They will be, shall we say, pressured, about his death, whether they know anything or not. I do not want them harmed unnecessarily.”

  General Reed rolled his eyes and sighed again. “What in the hell have I gotten myself into? All right, that’s it. No more deals. Now, shall we all go back to bed? I’ll have my mortuary officer prepare an accidental death finding and prepare the body for shipment back to Russia.”

  As everyone began to leave, the General called Torbin back. “Captain, since you have such a way with women, especially Russian women, your additional duty is to get the three young officers integrated into our command structure and mission. They will also need to be quartered near other women, if possible. But bottom line is this: everyone works. Hard. Capisce? Clear?”

  “Crystal clear, Sir.”

  “Now, get some sleep. That’s an order.”

  Torbin saluted smartly and left. General Reed sat in quiet contemplation for a few moments, then removed the picture of his wife and son from the desk drawer. “Darling, days like this, I wish I was with you instead of here. I miss you, and the presence of all these Russians makes me miss you more. But I know you would want me to fight the good fight. So, I stay.” The General kissed the photo, and put it back in his drawer.

  Time for rest. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

  CHAPTER 11

  KEY WEST, FLORIDA

  Joseph Fassbinder woke early, before the sun had risen. He was surprised to discover Sarah, sleeping next to him, in the darkness of their shared quarters. It took him a moment to recover, and to recall the events leading up to their reunion.

  The previous day, Joseph had stayed at his new office until almost 6:00pm. His new boss, Mike Jones, had been incredibly generous to him, letting him know that whatever he needed he would get, no questions asked. Mike had given him the distinct impression that if Joseph wanted to take over as supervisor of the Aeronautical Physics, Engineering, and Space Travel Section, he would be on cloud nine. Like Joseph, he was a scientist first, and administrator second. Joseph did not rise to the bait.

  After work, he dreaded the walk back to his quarters. He had no idea what Sarah had decided, or if he would see her again. No matter what happened, he was not looking forward to the possibly that his relationship with his wife would probably never improve. As angry as he had become, he still loved Sarah.

  Joseph passed a large food van, known around the office as the “roach coach”. He remembered seeing some signage that beer and alcohol was available starting at 4:00pm, aka Happy Hour. He decided he would need some liquid courage.

  He walked up to the serving counter and saw the comely Jolene sitting on a chair on the other side. She was holding a large bag of ice on her scar. Joseph had started to retreat to the front door, when she spotted him.

  “Good afternoon, Professor Fassbinder. Can I get you something?” Jolene stood up, still holding the bag of ice to her face. Joseph tried to avert his eyes, feeling that he was staring at her injury.

  “My crystal ball tells me that you might in need of a stif
f drink. It also says that you are wondering about my scar but are too polite to ask.” Joseph only managed to clear his throat in response. Jolene laughed; hers was a pleasant and gentle sound. “First, a shot of home brewed whiskey on me. Then, the story you want to hear.”

  Joseph blushed. “How did you know my name?”

  “The three of us ‘roach coaches’, as we are called, have free access to the base. We Conchies hear and see everything. But, we are friendly and respectful, so no dirty laundry will be aired. Here, take your drink.”

  Joseph took the highball glass containing poured brown liquid over ice. He sniffed, and then sipped. It was surprisingly smooth for home brew, and still had a good kick.

  “This is quite good for homemade whiskey... Jolene, is it?”

  Jolene smiled. “Distilling secrets of the Admiral, my adoptive Father. Actually, he calls all us young ‘Conchettes’ his daughters, and treats us like we were his own. Woe to the person who disrespects one of us.”

  Joseph sipped his drink. “I’m not in the habit of disrespecting young ladies.”

  Jolene flashed a wide smile at him. “I like being called a lady. I think I’ll like you, Professor.”

  Joseph started to blush again, and Jolene gave a bit of a belly laugh at his discomfort. “Relax, Professor. You’ll get used to normal human interaction. You don’t have to look over your shoulder here, contrary to rumors.”

  Jolene held the ice to her face again. Joseph sipped his whiskey, enjoying the simple pleasure of a pre-Squid normal activity.

  Jolene then put the ice bag down. “The ice is to stop phantom pain I get sometimes. Doctors tell me there is no reason why my pain still occurs, other than nerve memory of some type from my original injury. I’m still lucky. I should be dead.”

  Joseph raised an eyebrow. “Dead?”

  “Yes, dead. About a year after the first rock, a member of the new Church of Kraken decided that he wanted a piece of me, both sexually and literally. The early members decided that they needed to eat human flesh like their new demigods, the Tschaaa. They wanted to be a Squid.”

  Jolene poured herself a shot and freshened up Joseph’s drink.

  “I owe the Director my life.” She threw the shot back. “Whoa. That is smooth, isn’t it? Just as the asshole was beginning to cut me, hence this scar on my left jaw line, the Director showed up out of nowhere. He had apparently just been contacted by His Lordship Neptune a week or so prior, here in the Keys.”

  Jolene’s eyes had a bit of a faraway look to them. “I have never seen anyone so angry before. But it was a good anger, the kind the heroic have from seeing the weak and innocent being hurt, and then they step in to stop it.”

  “Anyway, Director Lloyd wound up hacking the asshole to bits with a machete. He took him apart piece by piece. Then he and the Chief bandaged me up. The Admiral showed up, saw what had happened, and he has respected the Director ever since, Tschaaa or no Tschaaa.”

  Jolene stared into Joseph’s eyes. “The Director has saved everyone he can. He saved me, he saved many others in similar situations. All that shit about him being a monster is just that. Shit. He saves who he can. And I am living proof.

  “He offered to fix my scar once the Tschaaa started providing their superior medical supplies. I said no. It serves as a reminder of what could have been. Besides, I think it gives me character.” Jolene laughed.

  “Now, Professor, one for the road, take a couple more beers with you, and go make up with your wife.”

  Joseph’s mouth dropped open. “How…”

  “I told you we hear everything. I’ll see you here tomorrow.”

  Sarah was waiting for him when he arrived at their quarters. There had been a sea change in her. She now had a job, was determined to stay, and almost begged him to forgive her. There were some more tears, from both Joseph and Sarah. He realized that he still loved the woman he had married.

  Ten minutes later, after such a long dry spell he couldn’t remember the last time, they made love. Afterward, he stayed awake and watched the sleeping woman next to him. They were quite good together in bed, always had been. Life had just gotten in the way. Now, it was changing.

  After everything that had happened today, he was beginning to wonder if maybe there was something in the water.

  CHAPTER 12

  ATLANTA, CATTLE COUNTRY

  While some groups of humanity attempted to retain or re-discover basic cultural norms and morals, others sank into a morass of depravity and bizarre behavior that is hard to comprehend by many. Possibly a citizen of Ancient Rome from the reign of Emperor Caligula could more readily accept and understand what occurred on parts of 21st Century Earth.

  - Excerpts from the Literary Works of Princess Akiko, Free Japan Royal Family.

  A couple of days had passed since his meeting with Malcolm whatever the hell his real name was. The Mayor did not care, for tonight was Fight Night.

  In an old sports auditorium, Mayor Johnson’s version of bread and circuses was about to begin. He had soon realized after he took over as acting Mayor that base entertainment helped take people’s minds off of reality. Fights and violence seemed to attract the populace more than most things. Add alcohol, fresh from the monthly supply drops, and he put on quite the party.

  The last three fights had shown a pattern of success. Mayor Young had found that catfights floated everyone’s boat. And the prize for winning was the almost irreplaceable. The woman who won obtained complete protection for her children. No chance of any veal being seized from her family. Thus, there were no shortages of volunteers.

  Tonight, two small, but apparently fierce women were fighting. Their only protection was eye goggles to protect them from gouging each other’s eyes out. Blind women did no one any good. The referees would keep them from actually killing one other. But, Mayor Johnson knew that this fight, like the previous ones, would be a bloody biting, scratching, hair pulling, kicking, punching and screaming bitch fight. And it was the first of a three fight scorecard.

  He tried to keep the fights within ethnic groups as there was enough animosity already without adding to it. His technicians had managed to get the jumbotrons to work, so everyone could have a good view of the gory details when the women went after each other. He was also burning DVDs for sale to the highest bidder. The winner received freedom from having family members eaten, as well as a few bucks and other incidentals. The loser met whatever fate the Mayor was in the mood for that evening.

  The roar of the crowd told him that the two combatants had entered the arena. The two women were so evenly matched they could have been twins. They both were rather good looking, so he hoped his medical staff could keep them from suffering any permanent scarring.

  The two attractive women entered the arena from opposite ends. Other than the goggles, the only other adornment was a red or blue thick ribbon tied on their left arm. This was to help in identification, primarily for betting purposes. No one really cared about their names. The announcer ran through the standard litany of their respective sizes, weights, etc, as well as general rules, which were almost non-existent. Then, in the time-honored tradition, he yelled over the PA system, “Let’s get ready to rumble!”

  Both women, their black, shoulder-length hair thick and loose, charged each other like two wild animals. They slammed into each other in the center of the arena, breast to breast, clawing their sharpened fingernails into each other’s faces and necks. They screamed and cursed as they tried to kick each other, and fell to the soft grass as their legs became intertwined. Clumps of hair were ripped from each other’s heads as they rolled around on the ground. The crowd roared with approval as the fight intensified. Blue managed to use her legs and feet to flip Red up and over her, resulting in a short break in their grappling. Both women sprang to their feet, then began to circle each other with clawed hands.

  Red lunged and dug her nails into Blue’s shoulders. Blue screamed and began kicking Red to make her let go. Red slapped Blue hard across th
e face with her right hand, and tried to follow up with her left. Blue tucked her chin to her chest and began throwing hard punches into Red’s tanned body, smashing her fists against the woman’s rib cage. Red backed up, covering her chest with her arms, and then lashed out with her feet, aiming at Blue’s lower body. Blue wrapped her arms around Red’s right leg as she kicked, digging her fingernails into the soft skin of the shapely thighs. She pulled the leg up, throwing Red off balance. They tumbled to the grass, Red clawing at Blue’s soft skin as they fell.

  They began to roll on the ground again, arms wrapped around each other in bear hugs, clawed hands gouging and scratching each other’s back as well as buttocks. Suddenly, Red let loose with a high-pitched scream. It was soon evident that Blue had clamped her teeth onto Red’s left breast, and began to worry it like terrier with a rat. Red screamed again and dug her fingernails into the neck and throat of her rival, tried to force her to release her bite. A trickle of blood was evident from Red’s breast, as she clawed at Blue’s face with her free hand. Red hooked her nail into Blue’s left cheek, which finally resulted in release of the bite. Otherwise, Blue would have had her mouth ripped open.

  Blue managed to dislodge Red’s finger, and bit the offending hand. Red cried out and began beating Blue on her head with her free hand, the hammer-strikes eventually resulting in the hand to be freed.

  Red pushed herself back from Blue with her legs and feet, and tried to stand up. Blue threw herself at the other woman, her hands again clawed. She raked Red’s breasts, now smeared with blood. But Red was still in the fight. The two battered and bloodied combatants managed to regain their feet, but were clearly winded. The red bloody scratches and gouges on their bodies were mute testimony of the sharpness of their fingernails and the savagery of their attacks.

  They circled, cursing at each other. In a sudden move, Red made a dive for Blue’s legs. She managed to dig her nails into the other’s thighs for a moment. Then Blue smashed her elbow down on the back of Red’s head. The stunned woman went to her knees. Blue trapped Red’s head between her strong, shapely thighs, rolling to her side. She bent over and reached down to claw at the undefended thighs of Red. Red, still partially stunned, tried to pry herself loose from the trapping thighs. She regained enough of her senses to use her own teeth. Blue yelped as Red sunk teeth into the inner thigh area. Blue responded by hammer fist blows to Red’s back, until the pain and damage to her thigh forced her to release the other woman’s head. They rolled apart, both clearly the worse for wear.