Blood Apocalypse - 04 (11 page)

He studied her face and smiled. “Those are the sweetest words I could ever hope to hear.” He nuzzled his face close to her neck and whispered, “I love you, too, Maria.”

8

Jack had left Nadia in their room to finish transferring her belongings to his Team Leader quarters. He didn’t know if it would cause problems, but she was his wife and he’d damn sure share his quarters with her or he’d move into the quarters assigned to her. He needed to be close to her, especially now that he knew she was pregnant.

Jack went down to the lounge area where most of the other hunters were now hanging out, talking, laughing, playing video games or table tennis. A few were swapping field stories and more than a few had broken into groups to compare tactics. As he looked around, he saw a lot of familiar faces from all of the different teams, and he missed a lot of faces that he knew should be here. It reminded him of his own missing squad members and a pang of remorse hit a lot closer to home than he expected. He debated turning and leaving, but decided instead to swallow the pain and he made a mental choice to enjoy the time with the ot
her hunters, to embrace
life
and celebrate the sacrifice that the other hunters made in order to keep the civilian populace safe.

He stepped into the throng of people and searched out Major Sheridan of Team One. The SAS operator from Newcastle, En
gland had been a very close friend of his back in his early days with the squad and Jack looked forward to seeing him again. When Jack couldn’t find him, he approached one of the other operators with the English teams. “Hey, Bigby, where’s Major Sheridan?”

The shorter redheaded man beamed when he saw Jack. “Thompson! You bloody yank, where were you hiding?” He seemed overly excited to see him again.

“You know how it is, Big. I had things to take care of,” Jack explained. “So where is Sherry? I don’t see him with the rest of your group.”

“I think he’s settling into his quarters.” Bigby waved over the crowd. “He’s been rather sullen since…well since we lost the other team.”

Jack nodded. “I know how he feels.” He stared off reflectively.

“To be honest, Jack-o, he may not join us.” Bigby clapped him on the back. “You may as well stay here and catch up with us.”

Jack looked around the numerous smaller groups sharing stories, laughing and catching up, some were meeting the newer members of the different teams, most were just enjoying the company of like-minded warriors. He shook his head. “Big, I think I’m going to find Sheridan and have a chat with him. Maybe I can help pull him out of his funk.”

“Good luck to ya, mate. You’re going to need it.” Bigby winked at him and turned back to the crowd he was with before Jack had entered.

Jack worked his way back up to the visiting team leader quarters and went room to room, looking for the Major. He found him stretched out on his bunk, counting the holes in the ceiling tiles. Jack poked his head in the room and smirked. “Knock-knock.”

Sheridan eyed him and smiled forlornly. Sitting up he m
otioned him in. “Jack Thompson, I should have known you’d hunt me down.”

“Am I disturbing you?” he asked as he stepped in and found a chair.

“Not really.” Sheridan rubbed his hands across his close cropped hair. “I just wasn’t in a very jovial mood.”

“Understandable.” Jack avoided his eyes. “I’ve felt the same numerous times.”

Sheridan shook his head slowly. “I don’t know how to get past it, Tommy.” He sighed and leaned back against the wall his bunk was against. “I trained every one of those blokes. And they were good men.”

“And every day I ask myself what made me so special that
I
was the only one from my squad to survive.”

Both men sat quietly for a while until Sheridan snorted and tossed a pillow at Jack. “Listen to us. We sound like a couple of rooks here, eh?”

Jack picked the pillow up from the floor and held it, a sad smile on his face. “I know. We do, don’t we?” He tossed the pillow back on the bunk. “It’s not like we haven’t lost men before.”

Sheridan nodded slowly. “Aye, that’s true,” he looked up to meet Jack’s gaze, “just never so many so quick.”

“Yeah,” Jack replied softly.

Sheridan perked up again, “But I hear you’re getting your man back that the vamps grabbed, yeah?”

Jack smiled. “Yeah, Dominic. He was supposed to hitch a ride with the Team 2 guys, but he ended up in a coma or something. They had to leave him in the hospital, and when they tried to call, we were already gone.” He shook his head and smirked. “Nobody there to answer the damned phone. Can you believe that?”

“You’d think somebody would think to roll the line here b
efore you left.”

“From what I gather, the commander of the base didn’t even tell anybody we were expected. Almost got my ass shot off when I showed up with the elves.”

Sheridan’s brows shot up. “You brought elves with you?”

Jack gave a low chuckle. “Some badasses too. They’re act
ually camped out in one of the hangars.”

“Sweet Mary, mother of…they’ll cook out there, Jack!” he exclaimed.

“I offered to move them somewhere else, but they insisted they were good.” Jack shrugged. “Honestly? I think they got some kind of magic something-or-other going on out there that they’re using for food and water and…well, whatever they might need. I couldn’t get them to leave.”

Sheridan smiled. “Are they doing that ‘invisible’ thing that the greater elves do?”

Jack sat up. “Yeah, they are. In fact, they are greater elves. From northern Canada.”

Sheridan shot him a knowing smile. “Yeah, they’re fine then.” He sat back against the wall again.

Jack waved him on with his hand. “Come on, buddy. Spill the beans. You know something.”

Sheridan nodded. “Okay, okay,” he chuckled. “Long story short, they move around in this…wavering light thing that looks like heat rising from the ground, right?” Jack nodded, knowing exactly what he was talking about. “Well that is sort of an echo of where they are on
this
plane. But in reality, they are in their own world. They can see into this world, so they know what is going on and it makes them very effective warriors because of it. But in effect, you could walk right through them and never feel them, but they can reach out and club you silly, slice you with a blade, shoot you with an arrow…whatever and you couldn’t do much about it.”

Jack sat slack-jawed as he considered what Sheridan was saying. “So, they have all the food, water, etc. that they need in their own world…”

“Probably, yeah.” Sheridan nodded. “Their world is pretty damned plentiful.” Jack shot him a knowing look. “Yeah, I’ve been there. It was accidental at first, but then it was by invitation.”

“Is it the same place they go to when they travel through the rocks?” Jack asked.

“They use the boulders when they want to move large groups to a single area. But once they are in that area, they can slip in and out on their own. The boulders move them from point A to point B on the planet…like an instant tramway.” He stared off into space a moment and shook his head. “What I wouldn’t give to be able to move like that…”

Jack laughed. “I said the very same thing.”

“Anyway, it’s all pretty neat and nifty, but they are very strict about who they allow to go to their world. If they let you in, you should feel special.” Sheridan shot him a cheesy grin.

“That’s one way to put it,” Jack fired back. “I was recruiting their help for this…mission.”

Sheridan snorted. “Suicide mission is what it sounds like,” he muttered. “I still have no idea how we’re supposed to stop a vampire who can’t be killed.”

It was Jack’s turn to give a knowing smile. “We have a few tricks up our sleeve for him.” He patted his buddy’s shoulder. “In fact, I was thinking about going and checking on one of them right now.” He stood up and nodded to him. “Care to join me?”

*****

Captain Roberts sat slumped in the chair across from Col
onel Mitchell’s desk, the bravado in him now drained along with the bottle of scotch that Mitchell had cracked open at the beginning of their impromptu meeting. Matt had explained the incoming threat to him and by using the files he had, the photographic evidence and the films shot by the hunters while on op, convinced him that the threats these special operations commandos faced regularly were more than just real, but
coming
!

“You see now why time is against us, Captain?”

“How is that, Colonel? Do you know when they’re going to attack?” Roberts believed the threat was real, but was still having trouble grasping the urgency of the situation.

Matt nodded as he drained the last of the scotch into his glass. Roberts’ head was buzzing after his third glass and he nursed the fourth long enough, but he watched the colonel drain the rest of the bottle and show no effect. Matt tossed the empty bottle in the trash and lean back in his chair. “We have a clai
rvoyant in our midst that told us to expect the attack at the full moon.”

Roberts gave him a puzzled look. “When is that, sir? I have no clue.”

Matt leaned across his chair and pointed at the calendar. The date was circled. “I have no idea what the importance of the full moon is to him, but he wants to use it. Maybe he has some werewolves that are familiars that he plans to use…I really don’t know.”

Roberts nodded. “But that one guy on our side…Max? He can control the wolves, right?” he asked. “So if he brings any, Max can turn them against him?”

Matt nodded. “That’s the plan.” He drained his glass and set it at the far end of his desk. “But we’re still going to need every man we can get our hands on who can handle a weapon.”

“That I can do, sir.”

Matt nodded and leaned forward. “And I can count on you to quash whatever this is between your men and mine?” He raised a questioning brow. “This…pissing contest?”

Roberts gave him a smile that Matt thought might be the first genuine one he had seen from the man since he’d met him. “Of course, Colonel.” He rose to his feet and shook his head a little then smiled again. “That’s some strong stuff you serve up.”

“Only the best.”

“Yes, sir.” Captain Roberts steadied himself. “But as for my men, I’ll keep them in line. And you can count on us. We’ll have your back when the chips are down.”

Matt stood and extended his hand. “I certainly hope so, Captain. Because it isn’t just the fate of the base at stake. Or our lives.” His face and voice were solemn. “It’s the fate of the world at stake here.”

Captain Roberts squared his jaw as he met the colonel’s gaze. “Understood, sir.” Roberts turned to leave then paused at the door. “Colonel? What we’ve discussed here…how much of it can I discuss with my men?” He saw Mitchell’s eyes start to widen, so he felt the need to explain. “What I mean, sir, is…here shortly, we’ll be facing down vampires and werewolves and…God only knows what else. Maybe they need to have a heads up on the threats before they actually strike?”

Matt nodded. “You’re right, Captain. They should.” He thought a moment, “Go ahead. Inform the men and let them know what they’ll be facing. I’ll have my training officer get with you when he returns and we’ll see about training you and your men in how to deal with these threats before they actually get here.”

“Excellent, sir. Thank you. I appreciate it.” He saw himself out of Mitchell’s office and had to use the hand rails to go down the steps to his golf cart. He kept shaking his head trying to clear it and breathing deeply of the cool night air.

As Captain Roberts sat in the golf cart and stared out across the campus of the Groom Lake facility, he found that he held a newfound respect for the colonel. He had totally misread the man this entire time and now, after this long conversation and finding out what he now knew, he discovered that he actually liked the man.

Roberts turned the golf cart back to the security building and with it, his thoughts to how best to break the news to his men. How do you tell grown men that ‘monsters’ are real? And not only are they real, but they are about to attack the base? The whole idea made his mind spin more than the alcohol.

Then Roberts thought of McDonald and his blood ran cold. After being held captive for those few hours by the Monster Squad, James wanted revenge. Roberts knew that without somebody’s head, he wouldn’t be satisfied…and the guy was just stupid enough to go against orders to try something. He sighed inwardly as he tried to bury the thoughts that ran through his mind. He really didn’t want to have to deal with him right now. But he needed to let his men know the truth and the sooner the better.

He pulled up to the security building and entered the man cave. “Call in all units that aren’t on priority assets,” he ordered. The duty officer turned and jumped on the radio to call in all the security officers. Captain Roberts looked at the clock and knew that a lot of his men would be in stand-down right now but he didn’t care. He needed to tell them what he learned. They needed all the time they could get to mentally prepare themselves for what was coming.

He went to his office and sat down hard into his chair. He shook his head and tried to clear his mind.
Where to begin?
he thought. He turned to the coffee maker that was always on and poured a cup of the black mud that passed for coffee there. It was hot, strong and loaded with caffeine to help counter the effects of the scotch that Mitchell had kept pouring. Roberts sighed as he sipped the coffee and ran over the information that Mitchell had given him.