I follow the soldier to a single tank that will transport me from the airfield to the underground. The Shadow Warriors line up in rows behind us to run the distance. My palms itch to run beside them. I look at the soldier instead. "I'm sorry I don't remember your name. I was so nervous when I left.""Officer Daniels," he says gruffly without so much as a smile on his face.It's not lost on me that he hasn't used my official title even though it was only part of the window dressing to get me to Cuba. Chances are good that my official position will be terminated. The thought sends my temperature rising. With a few slow, quiet breaths, I curb Ms. Beast in. We wait, we see, we calculate, we take action, I tell her forcefully.The ride to the president takes thirty minutes. I feel the presence of the Warriors running with the tank. It's a mental connection of sorts. I can't communicate telepathically or anything like that. I can however feel their energy and right now it's telling me the
Three planes and three hundred additional warriors take off on schedule. Beck is on one plane, Nokita on the second, and I am leading the third. We have different destinations with my plane delivering me and my men closest to Washington, though still about three hundred miles away. Beck is landing near the northwestern Canadian border, and Nokita will be in the Florida panhandle. We plan to gather information on the human population as we head closer to Washington. Mate, my beast whines when I try to fall asleep the first night without Marinah. I'm in an old barn with the men sleeping on mounds of hay trying to keep warm. The days are mild and nights cold. After living in Cuba with the wonderful year-round temperatures, cold is not in my vocabulary or at least it wasn't. From the look at the shivering Warriors, they agree with me.I miss Marinah and can't help being worried for her too. If our plan goes accordingly, she can handle herself. She also has Labyrinth for backup. It's the
I'm unsurprised at the early knock on my door. I quickly dress in military pants and a sky-blue T-shirt making me better prepared for what's coming today. I would throw the darned short skirt and see-through blouse away if questions wouldn't be asked. Officer Daniels's displeasure at waiting at my door has his lips pressed into a thin, unpleasant line. I'm also realizing he's older than he appeared at first. His snotty disposition brings his true age of around thirty to the forefront, pimply face aside. He isn't my friend."The Shadow Warrior's leader refuses to deal with anyone but you," Daniels says. "The president wishes you to solve the matter immediately."It's so hard not to snap my heels together and salute his idiocy. Instead, I scrunch my nose trying to act scared and concerned at the same time. "Oh dear, this isn't good," I say, wringing my hands for added effect. Okay that may be laying it on a bit thick. "I know I've been living with them, but they still make me nervous.
It's been a week since we landed in the U.S. We've moved slowly, skirting towns that could possibly be inhabited. It appears the Federation has gone after smaller groups of civilians. We found three destroyed towns with everyone dead, while they left mid-sized towns alone. They seem to be playing it safe and only going after the people in smaller groups. But why?Hellhounds have been more numerous the closer we get to Boyce, Va., our rendezvous point. We should arrive tomorrow and the other groups should follow within a few days. Boyce is seventy-one miles from the capitol and from earlier reconnaissance reports, deserted. There's a major abandoned railroad there that will provide metal sleeping quarters with safety from hellhounds. The rations we brought and what we've found along the way will keep us for months if needed.Mate, Beast whispers inside me.Yeah, months won't work for either of us.The America we're walking through now was blasted by bombs in the early days of the wa
I kick Labyrinth under the table when he doesn't answer quickly enough.The jerk still hesitates another long moment before intensifying his glare and speaking, "We trusted you once before and it didn't end well. How will this time be different?" His voice is clipped and the general's back stiffens subtly.King's council decided Labyrinth shouldn't roll over for the Federation and he should fight back enough to keep their suspicions down. I give him credit for not killing Smyth on the spot. The man is pure evil.The general scratches his chin and seemingly relaxes into his chair. The hard eyes give him away. "The Federation is no longer running scared. It took a little time for us to realize the mistakes of the past and we're ready to fix what happened. If we had standardized communication, we would have reached out sooner." The general glances momentarily my way to see if I'll call him on his lie about wanting to contact the Warriors earlier than they actually did. Much of the data
The frigid night air rolls over me, the small bite of wind unwelcomed by Beast. I'm sitting next to a small fire on a ledge in the hills, looking about thirty feet down from a cliff, with only one thought on my mind.Marinah.The separation has Beast boiling beneath the surface doing everything he can to force my hand. Claws rake my insides and squeeze my internal organs. I crave her like air and must remind myself that we're doing this for the greater good. That good has weighed on me since Greystone's death. I never felt I was good enough to take his place, I also knew I was the only one who could do it, so it became my sacrifice. A sacrifice I'm now regretting because of my separation from Marinah.Movement in the distance draws my attention and I wait until they're closer before notifying the men that one of the other teams has arrived. It's Nokita and his men. They're tired and hungry having traveled a greater distance than we covered. It's an hour before the men are situated a
I'm told by Officer Daniels that I need an escort to visit my friends at my old job. Friends is a loose term. I did my job, went home, and rarely socialized. It was easier that way, though they consistently invited me out. "Out" is anywhere they could find a drink. If I started downing alcohol, I wouldn't have stopped. It was better to stay away.The escort Officer Daniels arranged doesn't arrive until about an hour before the analyst shift is over. I'm sure it was planned this way. What they don't know is it could work in my favor. I need my co-workers to invite me out and I'm hoping after my long absence, they will. My guard stays at the door when we enter the small box-like room I called home during working hours. Stark gray desks with writing utensils fill the room. Nothing to adorn the walls and nothing personal scattered around such as pictures or mementos. This is where I worked and socializing as well as decoration of any kind was frowned upon. I never questioned why. Thad,
It's Landan's turn to look at everyone, though his expression is fierce and meant to keep them quiet."Landan." He glances at me and I see the disgust in his eyes. "They gave me the title, dressed me like a hooker, and sent me to Cuba to," I hold my fingers up and give my next word quotes, "'negotiate' with the Shadow Warriors. I'm lucky I survived, wasn't raped, or eaten for a midnight snack. I came to see you, my friends, because things aren't as they seem and I was hoping someone in this group would be honest with me." I give them time to review what I said.Landan speaks for the others. "Why should we trust you?"I straighten my shoulders and the poor little scared girl routine slides away easily. "Because with the little you've said, I could already have you arrested." If looks could kill, I would be dead."She's right," Kara says coming to my defense. "She has a guard who isn't fond of her. Do we have a choice about trust? We're all dead if she gives the say-so."Mila, who i