The Gathering Storm Read online

  “Good. Get back to work. Both of you.”

  The two women hastily did some damage control to clothes and makeup. Kathy wanted to say something, to try and apologize for her behavior but she saw Mary Lou was seething. They each left the ladies room separately.

  CHAPTER 26

  KEY WEST, FLORIDA

  DAYS LATER

  The workout with Heidi was kicking his ass. She had already helped Adam lose ten pounds of fat and tone up muscles that were getting soft. She didn’t even begin the martial arts and weapons training, until after she had given him one hell of a warmup. He stood breathing hard, feeling his age. Heidi was sweating also, but had a big grin on her face. “Ready for another round, Director?”

  He took a moment to catch his breath. “You’re getting a sadistic glee out of kicking my ass, aren’t you?’

  Heidi laughed. “I just like to see a man sweat. But seriously, you need to train like you fight. Otherwise, you are just playing and wasting time.”

  Adam final began to slow his breathing. “I think I need to get some of my female staff in contact with you. Not only will they get in serious shape, but they will learn some fighting skills as well.”

  Heidi had a wry expression on her face. “I don’t know if they need any more push in that direction. From what I’ve seen and heard recently, there are enough catfights in the ranks already.”

  Adam’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean, Heidi?”

  The Coasty hesitated. “I don’t want to cause problems or be a rat, but, well, not only are many of the woman on base getting into nasty scraps with each other, but…two of your ‘ladies’ had another brawl recently.”

  Adam stood quietly. For a moment, Heidi was worried that she had just stepped in it. He continued, “Sorry to put you on the spot, Petty Officer, but I need to know exactly what happened.”

  “Well, Director, from several sources, it was like this…”

  After he had received the full story, Adam had Heidi run him through a series of doble daga and doble baston exercises, both against her and the large fighting dummy she had managed to have produced. For the first time, using live blades in doble daga, Adam had no nicks. In double baston, stick technique, he laid a couple of nasty hits on Heidi for which he apologized.

  Heidi shrugged it off. “Hey. I’m the instructor. If I’m doing my job right, eventually you get good enough to smack me once in a while. So, I must be doing something right today.”

  Adam let a small grin show. “My anger is getting the best of me, Heidi. Don’t feel like you did anything wrong by telling me. It has been building and I thought I had nipped it in the bud. Apparently not.”

  “Well, in their defense, it seems that women here are all suddenly throwing down on each other. It’s like something is in the air or water, making them all eager to fight or, well, you know.”

  “Why not you, Heidi?”

  “Honestly, I think it’s because you and I have been working out, sparring a lot lately. It seems to help me expel my aggressive energy. And, of course, my martial arts-based spiritual training helps me keep my feelings centered, controlled.”

  Adam shook his head. “I’d like to accept your concept, but, since I already dealt with it, out in the open, they knew what was at stake. Now, I have to end this one way or another.”

  He took a deep, grounding breath before assuming a sparring position. “One more short round, okay? Then it’s time to get back to work.”

  The next day, Kathy received a call on her radio phone. “Yes, Boss.”

  “Kathy, could you come to my office? There’s something I need to discuss.”

  “Sure, Boss.” Kathy had been so busy she’d hardly seen Adam. She sighed. It was unfair, that bitch Mary Lou slept with him almost every night. Oh well, she couldn’t complain. She walked up the stairs to Adam’s office entrance door and met Mary Lou who was arriving at the same time.

  “Kathy.” Mary Lou’s voice had a nasty edge to it.

  “Mary Lou.” Kathy gave Mary Lou a taste of her own medicine. The last attempt at a tussle with Mary Lou in the ladies room was just a short while ago. But no passage of time, no matter how long, would seemingly ever fix things between them.

  She let Mary Lou knock and announce the both of them. Kathy frowned. Why both at once?

  “Come in, Ladies.”

  “Director.”

  “Boss”

  They both walked in and stood several feet apart in front of Adam’s desk.

  “Take off your clothes.”

  Mary Lou’s mouth dropped. “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me. Both of you. Now.”

  “Director...”

  “Now!”

  Kathy had no idea he had this level of red rage in him. She began to strip as if she was getting ready for another day in the adult film industry. Mary stood, frozen, until Adam rounded the desk and stood an inch from her face. In a harsh whisper, the Director instructed, “Now. Or I will do it for you.” Mary Lou began undressing.

  Within five minutes, both women were nude where they stood. Adam had them hand him their clothes, which he unceremoniously bundled together and threw behind his desk. “Do you really think you can hide things from me? How incompetent do you think I am, that I would be totally unaware of what is happening on my base, and behind my back? You two ‘ladies’ have embarrassed me for the last time. A catfight in the restroom?”

  “Boss…”

  “No. I don’t care who started it. The Squids think our species is already too violent, too unpredictable, without two of my closest associates rolling around on a bathroom floor. I need my personal staff fighting like five year olds like I need a hole in the head. Today, we are going to adopt some Tschaaa concepts that seem a little more civilized.”

  “You two. Today. A personal duel. Here. No weapons but your own bodies. Rules? Squid duels are not to the death, so no eye gouging, no fists to the face, no karate kicks, throat strikes, rabbit punches.

  “Instead, you two will use your god-given female talents only. Biting is fine, blood is fine, but no removal of flesh. Start doing that and you both lose. You wanted a fight so badly–now you’ve got one. This timer goes off in three minutes. When the timer goes off, the fight begins. Submission only, unless someone is unconscious. The winner decides whether the loser stays or goes. I will be filming this for posterity. Start warming up.”

  As the two women began to stretch and loosen up, Adam noticed for the first time just how closely they resembled one another. Was that why he had chosen them both? He also knew that leaving here would be devastating for one them. He grit his teeth. They chose this path, not him.

  The women finished their warm-ups just seconds before the timer went off. They had taken Adam’s instructions to heart. Both exploded, lunging at their opponent with nails and teeth, slamming their bodies together. Adam had never seen two women tear at each other like this. Their pent up anger must have been enormous. They dug fingernails into each other’s faces and bodies. They rolled on the floor, kicking and hitting each other’s core. Adam thought Mary Lou was going to win as she went for a schoolyard pin but Kathy jammed a thumbnail up a nostril, drawing blood and forcing Mary Lou off her body. Kathy then bit Mary Lou’s left shoulder, drawing blood. Mary Lou clawed Kathy’s breasts, leaving red and bloody scratch marks. They attacked each other’s extremities, trying like animals to inflict as much pain and damage as possible. Sharp nails left mute evidence of the attempts.

  Both women randomly yanked at head hair, strands evident on the carpet. Kathy’s right hand clamped down even harder, putting a vice grip on her opponent’s blond hair. She began to try to pull and push Mary Lou around the floor. Her left hand clamped on her rival’s throat.

  Mary Lou tried to kick and scratch herself free. Kathy released her left hand and bit Mary Lou’s throat. Mary Lou screamed louder. Before Adam realized it, Kathy was straddling Mary Lou, choking her with both hands. Mary Lou’s lower body squirmed, helpless, while her hands sti
ll reached for her opponent. Kathy ignored Mary Lou’s fingernails digging into her arms, and her wrists, now bloodied.

  Saliva from Kathy’s mouth drooled onto Mary Lou’s face. Somehow, Mary Lou managed to croak out, “I give.” Kathy immediately rolled off of Mary Lou. After struggling for breath, Mary Lou began to sob. Kathy sank to the ground, exhausted, bloody scratch marks adorning her body. She began to cry also.

  “Chief,” Adam radio phoned.

  “Yes Boss.”

  “Could you have Dr. Fredericks, our senior surgeon, come to my office? I have a special project for her. Have her bring that Tschaaa medical and nanite technology we recently received.”

  “Will do.”

  Adam approached to Kathy. “You won. Decide.”

  Kathy sobbed. “She stays.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “She stays! It’s just as much yours as my fault it that it went this far.”

  Adam paused. She had a point. Adam had never dissuaded competition for his attention since he became Director. He had chosen his bed partners with little contemplation as to consequence. Now things had blown up.

  “Fine. But you two live together, from this point forward.”

  “Work it out or leave. Kat, you and Mary Lou will move into the spare suite bedroom. Tonight.”

  “Jamey. Jeanie.” They had been quietly watching the fight, unnoticed by Kathy and Mary Lou. Their faces both registered shock and concern.

  “Take Kathy and May Lou to the spare suite. Clean them up. Help them move their stuff in. Medical attention will be there shortly.” When they didn’t react, he yelled, “Now!”. They moved quickly, each taking a woman in tow.

  Approximately two hours later, Dr. Fredericks called him.

  “Director, may I speak with you?”

  “Sure, Doctor. Come up to my office.”

  About twenty minutes later, an attractive middle-aged red-headed woman was standing in front of Adam. The doctor, Brigitte (Gitte) Fredericks was fifty-something years old with a slight German accent. When Adam had found out that the developer of new plastic surgery techniques was still alive three years ago, he had insisted that the Chief literally kidnap her from one of the few operating hospitals.

  Dr. Fredericks burst through the door, closed it behind her, and literally marched directly up to the front of Adam’s large desk. “Mr. Director, I must be blunt. I do not know what you believed you were doing, but those two ladies are in extremely bad shape. A fight like that... I have only ever seen one that nasty before in a whore house in Zambia. What were you thinking? Are you having a breakdown? Is this a new sport? Because, let me tell you...”

  “Halten sie, bitte.” His use of his limited German cut her lecture short. “First, Herr Doktor, I did not start this fight, they did. I just finished it. And second, did the nanites and other things work?”

  “Why yes, they did. Quite fantastic. The nanites are healing all the bites, scratches even old scars as we speak. They should be healthier than they were a week ago.”

  “Perfect. Third, and last, this was the perfect test case–nicht wahr, as you’d say?”

  “Yes, Herr Director. It was.”

  He stood up, walked around the desk, and shook Dr. Frederick’s hand. “Thank you. You’re a miracle worker. I’d like you to return to your clinic and write an in-depth report. Now, if you excuse me, I have something else that has to be taken care of.”

  Dr. Fredericks left, convinced that Adam was having a breakdown. But now it was not her business.

  About 8:00pm that evening Kathy woke in her double bed in the spare suite. She looked over and saw that Mary Lou was waking up as well. Kathy–now Kat, since Adam had called her by that name–sat up. The nanites made her feel like she had been infused with some magical potion. A quick check of her breast revealed that her old scar was gone, like it had never happened.

  That was a wonderful notion. An idea came to Kat all at once. “Mary it never happened.”

  Mary Lou lay silent, refusing to answer.

  “Look at your body. It’s like it never happened.”

  “But it did. You kicked my ass, humiliated me in front of Adam. How can I ignore that?”

  “Because, dear Mary, you have to. We are in this together, now, thanks to our own selfishness.”

  Mary Lou answered, still lying with her back to Kathy, “We are both less in Adam’s eyes than before. He needs your skills. I’m just the interchangeable pretty face at the front desk.”

  Kat sat up, and then stood up. Mary Lou turned and saw she was naked, and realized she was also. Mary stood up, and both women looked more closely at each other’s bodies.

  “Correct if I’m wrong, Mary,” Kat began. “But... isn’t everything just a little bit.... tighter? Less sagging. Fewer wrinkles. Hell, I’m a new woman. Like a virgin.” Kat began to giggle. Finally, Mary Lou did also. The nanites and other Squid medical technology might have even helped their mental health.

  “You keep calling me Mary, not Mary Lou, my full name.”

  “Adam called me Kat. New name for a new beginning. Likewise, Mary, instead of Mary Lou. We are different now.”

  Kat walked over and took Mary’s hands in hers.

  “Truth be told, Mary, I only beat you by a few dirty tricks and pure luck. Straight up fight in the gym, you’d probably have knocked me out. Now please. Truce. Honestly and truly --I need your help. If we don’t make this work, we are both gone. Then he’s left with the Barbies.”

  Mary began to laugh, hard, at that thought. Jamey and Jeanie taking over? Forget it.

  Both women laughed until they fell over on Kat’s bed. The laughter ceased, and unexpectedly, they hugged. Mary kissed Kat full on the lips.

  “Mary, what brought that on? The nanites? Or, have you always wanted me? Is that how we make our truce official?”

  Mary sighed. “I agree we seem to be new women. Maybe we can start over. We have to if we are going to stay here, and stay with Adam.”

  “Thank you,” Kat replied, laying her head next to Mary’s shoulder. “Since we are starting over, time for a history lesson. How did you and Adam meet?”

  “He saved my ass, literally. Twice in one day.”

  “How so?”

  “About three years ago, I was trying to stay alive in San Diego. Food was still scarce, various gangs were trying to run the city, and there was no government or police force. Groups of scavengers were grabbing attractive women, boys, and girls off the street and basically selling them for meat–either for sex or food. Yes, a certain segment of the population decided that if the conqueror could eat human flesh, why not the conquered. Some sick assholes even tattooed images of Tschaaa on their bodies and tried to emulate their own twisted vision of alien society.”

  Mary shivered. “I was grabbed and drugged. I woke up in some crap hole former hotel. Nude. Not only were there live nude humans there, there were the human equivalents of sides of beef hanging from hooks. All ‘white meat’, of course, so as not to unduly attract the attention of the local robocops. I was just about to discover my fate at the hand of my captors, when someone kicked in the door. It was Andrew–our cyborg–Adam, the Chief, and their security team. Adam and the Chief shot a few, the security team smashed a few, and the bodies were harvested–every one of those assholes.

  They tried to take me to a security convoy. It seemed Adam had convinced the Lordship that this lack of local control in Tschaaa controlled areas was leading to disintegrating human populations. If our Lordship really wanted a productive client species, members can’t be allowed to indiscriminately abuse each other. Bad for business. I tried to flee from Adam, and was almost captured by one of those ATV-looking robots attached to the harvesters. Adam whacked the robot before I was dragged to my death.”

  “Why did you run, Mary?”

  Tears began to stream down Mary’s cheeks. She sat up in bed. “I had a boy, a girl, and a husband waiting for me in a small compound we had secured with some friends. They were gone when I g
ot there. Just blood, no other trace. Could have been harvested. A couple of our friends were mixed race, with darker skin. That’s why I did a lot of the scrounging. That’s what I was doing when I was grabbed.”

  Kat sat up on her knees; she took Mary’s face in her hands. “Mary, I owe you an apology. I thought I had it rough. The only person I had to worry about after the first thirty days was me, myself and I. My experience in using sex to wrap people around my finger helped me obtain a lot of benefits the past few years others didn’t. Like...Adam.”

  Mary took Kat’s hands in her hers, and kissed them gently. “That’s why I didn’t want you here. I thought I was going to lose Adam. He saved me when I lost everything. He brought me back here, gave me a reason to live, to start over. He could have kicked me out of bed for the proverbial eating crackers, but he didn’t.”

  “You actually ate crackers in bed?” Kat giggled.

  Mary looked at Kat. “You have a way of relaxing tense situations. I wished I was able to do that. I’m afraid, I am Adam’s ‘Girl Friday’, but that’s it.”

  “You’re more than that, Mary. Adam told me he was careful who he selected for important matters. I can tell by the way he looks at you. He wouldn’t want to lose you.”

  “Then why did he put our fates in each other’s hands? Do you honestly think I would have hesitated having you killed if I had won?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  Both women paused, looking at each other. Finally, Mary said “I wanted you gone. But, not dead.”

  “And now?”

  Mary sighed. “I realize that I don’t own Adam. It is just that I have everything vested in him. If he failed horribly and was gone tomorrow, I’d go with him. I have no one else.”

  Kat put her arms around Mary, gently hugging her. “I think we have each other also. I think we need each other. To use an old hackneyed saying, er women have to stick together.”

  “Do you need, want Adam, Kat?”

  “I want him as a man. I also know that if anyone can pull his weird balancing act off, between alien and human, it’s him.”