TKG08 WE WILL BUILD Rel 01 (13 page)

The two introduced themselves and Cheryl Lynn did the same.
 
It took only a few minutes for Cheryl Lynn to realize a couple of things.

One, she was a bitch for being jealous. Two, her cousin could be a bastard, he hadn’t told her anything about the couple being Werewolves!

They talked for a while before Ecaterina asked Nathan if he should go and ‘help the Wechselbalg learn a few new ways to hit the floor?’.
 
Nathan bent over, kissed Ecaterina on her cheek and reached across to shake Cheryl Lynn’s hand. He told her he was happy to have met her, but he was taking this opportunity to go and get a work out.

He was gone pretty quickly.

“Don’t mind him,” Ecaterina said. “He hasn’t been able to get in any sparring for the last couple of days and he can get edgy.”

Cheryl Lynn was captivated, “You mean his, uh, his…”

Ecaterina smiled, “His wolfie side?”
 
Cheryl Lynn nodded.
 
“Well, I know that makes a difference, but he is just naturally an aggressive sort and we aren’t due to head back out on a trip for another couple of days.”

“Why did you come over here?”

Ecaterina smiled, “So I could answer questions about your new job.”
 
Ecaterina looked at Cheryl Lynn’s confused face. “Let me guess.
 
Neither Bethany Anne nor John told you that I was Bethany Anne’s assistant for the last couple of years?”
 
Cheryl Lynn shook her head.
 
“That figures, sometimes those two just assume everyone picks it all up through osmosis or something.”

“Wait,” Cheryl Lynn said.
 
“How did you become her support help?
 
I’m lost.
 
Aren’t you like, and forgive me if I’m out of order, Nathan’s wife or something?”

“I’m his mate, but it basically means the same thing.”
 
Ecaterina grabbed Nathan’s untouched dessert and pulled it in front of her.
 
She grabbed a spoon, “I tell you, between the ability to eat anything and the complete lack of needing bra support I’ll never go back.
 
I’ll return my nanites when someone sucks them out of my cold, dead and I hope very old, body.”

“Your nanites?”
 
Cheryl Lynn was getting hopelessly lost. “Aren’t those something like tiny little machines in your body?”
 
Ecaterina nodded her agreement as she ate another bite of the dessert.
 
She thought for a second, “So, these nanites are what make you different than me?”

Ecaterina answered, “Yes.
 
There are two groups of nanites that we are aware of so far.
 
I’m sure out in the universe there are a lot more, but right now on earth I’m only aware of those that create what are called Vampires and those that create the Wechselbalg, or the changelings.”

Cheryl Lynn looked around the mostly empty room, but still leaned forward even though no one was nearby. “Does it feel weird changing?
 
Does it hurt like on Michael Jackson’s video?”

Ecaterina grinned, “No one has shown you yet?”

Cheryl Lynn threw her arms up, sat back and huffed, “Hell no!
 
My own cousin, I’m learning, is way up in the organization and I’m trying to learn as much as I can.
 
I don’t even know what I don’t know so I can’t know how I can fix it.”
 
A look of determination came over her face, “But I’m going to figure it out, dammit!
 
Then I’m going to kick little John right in his damn shin.”
 
She crossed her arms in front of herself with a steely look of determination on her face.

Ecaterina smiled to herself, ‘that’s the spirit’, she thought.
 
She said aloud, “Well, let me give you some pointers on what you need to know and how to get more information from others.
 
I’ll also give you my cell phone number in case you need to text or call me.”

Over a hundred feet away hidden from the ladies by a door, a large man, easily topping six foot smiled to himself and then continued down the hallway.

Washington D.C. – USA

Barb had spent another two days on her report while also trying to find out more about whoever was behind the request.

Her questions to Don were fruitless.
 
It wasn’t that he knew the answer and was withholding it, she was sure that he just didn’t know.
 
They had the right request documents and that was enough for him.
 
His effort running the organization was taking the rest of his focus and it didn’t occur to him that the request might not be on the up-and-up.

Now, she had a report to file.
 
She was finished and she was pretty sure it could cause a few waves.
 

All of the evidence was circumstantial at best, but it was enough that a black group in the government would check it out and most likely believe everything that she had reported.
 
Which concerned her.

Barb was in her office, slowly twirling in the new chair that Don had provided three days ago.
 
She had never asked for it, but it showed up one morning in her office waiting for her when she had made it in by half past eight.
 
The team didn’t call in a ‘missing person’ with the cops anymore.
 
She had only one call when she missed nine in the morning.

She asked Don about it and he told her that everyone could tell she was working a lot of hours.
 
She asked how, thinking maybe someone was watching for her and his reply surprised her.

“It’s your hair.”
 
Don said.

“My hair?”
 
Barb was confused, “What’s wrong with my hair.”

Don looked to his best analyst, “It’s thinning Barb.
 
You’re so focused on this that you are losing weight and not eating right.”
 

Barb had left work early that day and promptly went to a hair dresser to give her a cut that would work with her unsatisfactory hair and then went to an Italian restaurant.
 
Because, what the hell?
 
If she was underweight there couldn’t possibly be a better solution to that than the carbs a nice pasta dish would give her.

She had two servings of lasagna that night and almost a complete bottle of wine. She called a taxi, then went home and crashed.

She woke up fuzzy-headed the next morning at half-past six.
 
She stepped on her bathroom scales and resolved to get some exercise later and start eating a little better.
 
She was almost ten pounds down.
 
No wonder everything she wore was so damn loose.

While not a good method of losing weight, it did allow her to indulge in a few treats over the next few days.
 
Hell, even the donuts hadn’t hurt her, apparently.

Now, she stopped twirling her chair in the one direction and spun the other way, circling back again.
 
She had figured that since she couldn’t identify the source of the request for the report, she was going to leave out a few important, key pieces of information.

Like the company’s name, for one.
 
Along with the main characters.
 
Oh, she would leave enough in to make sure that the data showed a large organization with power and influence. But she wasn’t going to give them her complete findings at this time.
 
They wanted a report, they would get a report.
 
It was actually a pretty damning report.
 

But it would be an incomplete report.

She figured the requestor would have two options.
 
Accept that no one could figure out who was behind the attacks, or ask her to continue.
 
At that time, she was going to beg off and tell them she had done her best work.

Satisfied that she had a good plan, she got to work compiling the relevant research to provide Don.
 
She always kept her data compartmentalized and safe.
 
She loaded information onto a USB drive and pulled her top drawer out.
 
Behind the drawer was enough space for about ten little thumb drives and so far, she had four hidden there.
 
She now added a fifth.
 
For good measure, she made a duplicate and decided to drop it off.
 
She wasn’t sure who she would give it too, yet.

She hoped she could trust somebody.
 
Don would be a natural choice but she had decided not to get him involved.
 
He would feel obligated to protect her, which was nice, but all he would do is get in trouble and she liked him too much for that.

It would be nice, she mused, if she had her own super-secret government agent that was a hundred years’ old who she could trust.
 
But even she rather doubted that particular conclusion in her report.

Because, she thought, what was the chance of that being real?

QBS Polarus, Mediterranean

Frank and Dan were sitting in the meeting room listening to Gabrielle over the speaker, “So, that’s about the end of it.
 
We got out when the machine guns started, left a present or two and we are regrouping.
 
I need a location for that bitch and I want John to join us.”

Dan asked, “No Eric?”
 

“Could we have him?”
 
She asked.

When Dan shrugged, he realized it wasn’t likely she was going to see that. “I don’t see why not.
 
It’s only going to be for one Op and we can have the Guardians step in if Bethany Anne is going to do something where she needs protection.
 
The biggest piece is making sure she doesn’t come along for the ride.”

Frank grumped, “If you take BA, there goes all the fun.”

“Funny you should say that,” Gabrielle said. “That’s what Darryl says about John.”

Frank asked, “Really?”
 
He reached over for one of his notebooks, “Why is that?”

“Oh no you don’t!”
 
Gabrielle said. “I’m not adding to your stories old man.”

“Says the lady who is…”

“If you want to live to the century mark, I wouldn’t say another word.”

Dan burst out laughing and Frank grinned, “Well, I’m young enough to be your son!”

“Hell” Gabrielle said, “Damn near the whole male population is but about one, two… Well, those guys are dead.
 
Maybe one or two I’m not sure about. Call it five men aren’t young enough to be my sons.
 
But, I can tell you none are.”

Dan was amused.
 
Gabrielle was much more open on this call than she had been before.
 
He wondered just what had happened so far on this assignment.

Frank said, “Ok, no ‘dirt’ on John this time.
 
But I did get Tabitha’s ok to ask you about your trip with her.”

“Fine, that works for me.
 
When you write about me make sure I’m pretty!”

Frank looked over at Dan who silently mouthed, ‘women!’

“I don’t think that is going to be a problem, Gabrielle.”
 
Frank answered.

“See that it isn’t.
 
Anyway, back on topic.
 
When do you think you can get me some idea of where that bitch is?”

Frank answered, “Not sure.
 
The satellites from Team BMW to track Etheric fluctuations have been through testing with Bethany Anne and seem to work ok.
 
TOM’s ship is in the process of moving them to your side of the planet.
 
I’ll do more research on this little special flower of yours to see what I can uncover.”

“Wait!
 
What did you say?”
 
She interrupted.

“I would do more research.” He answered.

“No, I heard that, what did you call her?
 
A special flower?”
 
Gabrielle said.

“Yes, why?” Frank replied.

“That reminds me of my Dad saying something.
 
Is he around?”
 
She asked.

Dan nodded and stood up.
 

Frank spoke, “Dan is going to go get him.
 
Why do you think ‘Special Flower’ is important?”

“Not sure.
 
I just remember that Stephen would laugh at Michael from time to time because there was a Vampire in Asia who had a name he couldn’t remember or pronounce easily, he never bothered to try and remember her name.”

“It was ‘Sunshine’.”
 
Stephen said as he entered the room ahead of Dan.

“Hi Dad!”

“Hello Gabrielle.
 
I understand that you are peeved with someone?”

“Yeah, a bitch tried to kill my guys and her people called them four letter words.”

“Dicks?”
 
Stephen asked.

“Humans.”
 
Gabrielle said, the smile in her voice coming through the phone.

“Perish the thought!”
 
Stephen replied.

“That was my thinking as well.”
 
Gabrielle asserted.

“Even if it is five letters?”
 
Stephen asked.

“Semantics.”
 
She replied
 

“Indeed,” Stephen said.
 
Then asked, “Why is Sunshine on your radar?”
 

“Just trying to remember what her real name is.”
 
She answered.

“It is Kamiko Kana.”
 
Stephen replied.

“Why in the hell is that so hard for Michael to remember?”

“Because she is the daughter of someone he doesn’t want to remember.
 
Michael knows the names; he just prefers not to say so.”

“Are we dealing with yet another one of his mistakes?”

“I don’t know if that is true or not.
 
However, remember that you might have more issues to deal with if they weren’t all dead.”