Forever Until Tomorrow (War Eternal Book 5) (4 page)

"I still can't believe you couldn't find a handsome Corporal or something to bring you," Michael said. "I'm not exactly gigolo material."

"And I'm not exactly into gigolos," she replied, laughing.
 

It was true that Michael had only added to his already large frame as they had moved from childhood to adulthood. He was at least three hundred pounds, with a round body and a wide face, and they both knew he was going to stand out amidst the cut physiques of the other military that would be in attendance. It was the main reason for his discomfort. At the same time, she couldn't help but blame him for his lack of self-restraint when it came to high-calorie, caffeine based drinks. Not with the control she had needed to master to make it this far.

The elevator slowed to a stop, and the doors slid open. The Ball was being held in the Rainbow Room, a classic icon perched at the top of Rockefeller Center. Once upon a time, it had been one of the best views around. While these days it looked into the sides of all the super-scrapers around it, it was still a symbol of American glory, and of better days everyone on the planet believed would come again. The pacts that had led to the construction of the Dove had all but eliminated most of the conflict on Earth and had brought human civilization together in a way nothing else could have.

"Here we go," Michael said, breathing out. He tucked his handkerchief in his pocket and held out his arm to her. She smiled as she took it, allowing him to walk her out into the space.

She had been expecting a crowd, a dance floor filled with Admirals and Generals, Presidents and Prime Ministers. Even so, walking in and spotting so many of the dignitaries she had read about or seen on the streams was more than a little intimidating - even for her. The naming of the Dove's crew was that important, and the stream cameras arranged around the area confirmed it.
 

"Keep breathing," Michael said.
 

To himself, or to her? She wasn't sure. Either way, it was good advice.

They made their way deeper into the room. Some of the assembled took notice of them, smiling at her as they passed. She shifted her arm to take Michael's hand. He was cold and clammy.

"How are you staying so cool under this pressure?" he asked.

"I've been shot at," she replied. "Multiple times."

Michael let out a nervous laugh. "True."

"I think our table is over there," she said, pointing toward the front. She could see Yousefi already sitting there, his pregnant wife at his side. He looked her way, raising his hand in greeting when they made eye contact. "There's the Mission Commander."

"Yousefi?" Michael said. "The one you told me about?"

"Yes."

"He looks taller in person. Maybe we can dance first?"

Katherine tugged Michael by the shoulder. "You hate dancing."

"I like it better than meeting Admirals."

"Major Asher, is it?" A voice asked from her left. Katherine turned toward it, finding Vice President Nelson standing beside her.

"Vice President," she said, giving him a light curtsy. He took her hand, expertly kissing the back of it.

"Since you're here, I assume you were selected?" he said.

"Yes, sir," she replied.

"Good. I was worried the American contingent would wind up getting shut out."

"That would have been against the rules."

He smiled. "You know how rules are, don't you, Major?"

Katherine made a split-second decision to decide she knew what he was talking about. "Of course, sir."

"Are you going to introduce me to your husband?" Nelson said, looking at Michael.

"Uh. Not husband, Mister President. Mister Vice President, I mean. Just. Just a friend." Michael smiled, his face turning red.

"If I weren't a married man, I would thank you for that," Nelson said, laughing. "Roger Nelson." He put out his hand.

"Michael Stickley," Michael replied, hesitant to present his clammy hand to the man.

"A pleasure." Nelson reached out and took the hand anyway, shaking it. He moved close to Michael as he did, but Katherine could still hear what he said.

"If you want her, don't let her leave without saying so, son."

Michael's color deepened even more. "Yes, sir," he muttered, glancing uncomfortably at Katherine.

She was amused by the whole thing. There was no possibility of that happening. She was married to her career, and he was married to his technology.

Nelson turned back to her. "I know you'll do us proud, Major."

"Yes, sir," she replied.
 

Vice President Nelson wandered away, replaced a moment later by Rear Admiral Yousefi.

"Major," Yousefi said.

"Admiral," Katherine replied, coming to attention and saluting.

Yousefi smiled. "At ease, Major. This is a civilian event. Besides, you're forgetting the new regulations. The UEA settled on bowing, remember?"

Katherine returned the smile, relaxing her posture. The fledgling oversight group had wanted to change things up a bit to better integrate the various members of the armed forces from all of the member countries. One of their bright ideas had been to homogenize formal military greetings to a bow instead of a salute. She had no idea how they had come to that decision, but it was proving to be a hard habit to break.

And that wasn't the only one. Applicants to the program had come from nearly every branch of nearly every military around the globe, with the unintended consequence of creating a level of confusion in organizational structure and ranks that had yet to be ironed out. After all, there were no Majors in the Navy and no Admirals in the Air Force, and yet here they were.

"Yes, sir," she said. "Admiral Yousefi, I want you to meet my friend, Michael."

The Admiral turned to Michael, who put out a slightly shaky hand that had recently been wiped dry on the back of his pants.
 

"Admiral," Michael said.
 

"Please, my name is Ben," Yousefi replied, taking Michael's hand.
 

"Nice to meet you, Ben," Michael said.

"Likewise. Your friend Katherine here is quite talented, isn't she?"

"She used to have a stack of trophies in her room to prove it," Michael said. "Running, swimming, karate, violin. Is there anything you're bad at, Katherine?"
 

"I'm not much of a dancer," Katherine said.

"Really?" Yousefi asked. He put out his hand. "Do you mind if I ask you to prove it?"

Katherine glanced at Michael, and then at Yousefi's hand. She had been hoping to get through the night without getting out on the floor, and she had just said the exact wrong thing to accomplish that mission.
 

"I've never known you to be shy, Katherine," Yousefi said. "Besides, it will make a good photo op for the media."

"I can picture the caption now," Katherine said. "Admiral uses pilot as floor mop."

Yousefi laughed at that, pushing his hand forward a little more. Katherine bit her lip and decided to take it.

"That's better," Yousefi said. "Shall we-"

His voice was drowned out by the explosion.

It echoed across the crowded room, the force knocking Katherine to her knees, while Yousefi crouched down over her, instinctively trying to protect her. She turned her head, looking for Michael, finding him on the floor his hands over his head. She was relieved he was okay.

People were screaming and crying, and smoke was rising from the corner of the room.
 

What the hell was going on?

"Are you hurt?" Yousefi asked.

"No," she replied. "We need to help these people."

"Yes."

They stood up. She could see now that part of the window had been blown out, and there were at least four people on the ground who weren't moving. Others were injured and bleeding, their faces covered in debris.
 

"Michael," she said, leaning over him. "Are you okay?"

He uncovered his face to look at her. She could see the fear in his expression. He didn't say anything. He didn't have to.

"It's okay," she said.
 

Was it?

The elevator doors opened, and a squad of soldiers poured into the room. They were wearing U.S military issue tactical battle armor, ready for a fight.

Had someone been expecting this?

She saw Vice President Nelson getting to his feet, surrounded by Secret Service. He had been close enough to the blast that he had blood and debris on his clothes and face, but hadn't been hurt himself.

"What's happening he-"
 

He didn't get to finish his sentence. The soldiers opened fire, heavy slugs tearing through the secret service and the Vice President, who flopped backward like a dead fish.

Katherine felt the fear rise into her throat.
 

"Stay down, don't move, whatever happens," she whispered to Michael.
 

The soldiers swept into the room, scanning it. Katherine reached down and pulled off her heels, holding onto one of them. With enough force, the stiletto would make a serviceable weapon.

She expected the soldiers would corral them, stick them in a corner and hold them hostage. They wanted something or they wouldn't be here.
 

She was surprised when they started shooting into the crowd.
 

The deafening roar of gunfire, the thumps of bullets hitting flesh, the screams of the wounded and dying. The entire floor turned into an instant war zone. Katherine had never been on the ground during the Xeno War, but she could imagine this was something like it. Fortunately, they were obscured behind a table and away from the others. She glanced back, finding Yousefi under the table behind them, hovering over his pregnant wife. He saw her looking and held up a gun that he had produced from somewhere. He put it on the floor and slid it over to her.
 

She understood why he didn't want to get involved. He had a baby to think of. She picked the gun from the ground, only moments before one of the soldiers appeared over the table.
 

His eyes widened as she swung the weapon toward him. He scrambled to bring his rifle to bear, his surprise making him slow. The tactical armor covered most of his body. It wasn't covering his face. The bullet hit him square in the eye, punching through and into his brain. He dropped in an instant.

"Get under the table," she said to Michael.
 

He immediately began scrambling for it on all fours.
 

The other soldiers hadn't noticed her in the commotion. They continued advancing on the gathered crowd, shooting into the press. How many heads of state were already dead? How many of the most important people in the UEA had been killed?

And who had organized it?

It's true there were people opposed to the Alliance, and to the construction of the Dove. Plenty of people didn't want to make allies out of former enemies, and they certainly didn't want to be tied to them in a common goal. It was stupid as far as she was concerned. An alien ship had crashed on their planet. That meant there had to be more of them out there, and who knew if they were friendly? It was true that nothing that could be construed as a weapon had been found in the wreckage, but maybe that ship had been a scout. The possibility couldn't be discounted.

She circled the table quickly, kneeling next to the downed soldier and grabbing his rifle. There weren't many people still moving, and the soldiers were shifting their attention to the rest of the room. A woman near the back tried to make a run for it and was gunned down a moment later.

Katherine watched the soldiers, running back toward the elevator when they weren't looking. She dropped behind a buffet table, coming to one knee and using it to balance the rifle. She had managed to get behind the soldiers, who were fanning out to search for the remaining survivors.

She started shooting.

Bullets tore into the soldiers, hitting them in the back where the armor wasn't as thick. They raised their own shouts of pain and alarm, three of them falling before the rest could spot her. She had been hoping to catch them all. The table wasn't thick enough to protect her.
 

She felt a pang of sadness as she watched the muzzles of the soldier's rifles flare, only instants before the bullets began raining in on her. Her entire life had been spent in preparation to travel to the stars. She had survived countless combat missions, she had made it through the grueling training, and now only weeks before she was going to be gunned down at a party, of all things.

She felt the warm pain of a bullet hit her in the leg. Another hit her on the side, and she fell over onto her back. She couldn't believe she was going to die this way. So was Michael. She was even more scared for her friend. She had convinced him to come with her. He should have been at home playing Xeno Troopers.
 

She struggled to get back to her feet. She couldn't just let him die like this. She ignored the pain in her side, and the feeling of warmth spreading from the wound, her blood soaking through her dress. She managed to get to her knees.