Email: sandborn@kc.rr.com
Or sandborn@microlink.net
Web: www.microlink.net/~sandborn
-- Attached file included as plaintext by Listar --
-- File: C6b.txt
"Well, we're finally done," Samantha said, wiping her brow
with the back of a hand. "I've never done such physical work in
my life."
"Even when you had to unload your own transport?" Katherine
asked.
"Nope. I just opened up the back and gunned the engines."
They laugh at the image of a big transport lumbering down
the tarmac, spilling its contents out the back as it went.
That ended when Daisy sidled up next to them. "Trouble,"
she said with a serious look, indicating movement in the distance
with a jerk of her chin.
The Fox sisters squinted at the vehicles approaching, their
ears straining for clues of the vehicles' identity. Some of the
other squadron members drifted towards the massive open doors
when they noticed the interest shown by the Foxes.
Quickly, the figures grew in size and the unmistakable whine
of hovercraft engines reached their ears. There was only one
service that extensively used hovercraft.
"GMP," Daisy snarled.
"How'd *they* get on base?" Samantha asked, looking to her
sister for answers.
"I have no idea but we better get the obvious targets under
cover." Katherine turned to look for Missy only to find the girl
standing right behind her, wearing a look of defiance.
"I'm not running anymore," Missy said in a low voice.
Glancing between the approaching GMP vehicles and the
resolute Missy, Katherine sighed and said: "Well, at least, let's
not make it easy for them. Move deeper in the hanger and stay
out of sight." She looked back at the approaching threat.
"We'll handle these guys."
Reluctantly, Missy did as she was told. She'd stay out of
sight, for now, but it wouldn't take much to draw her out,
especially if there was any trouble.
Katherine turned to the others and eyed them critically.
"Let me do the talking. I don't want any trouble but they're not
getting Lt Robins."
"I'm glad to hear that," Nancy said with a serious scowl at
the GMP vehicles. "However, I should point out that they're
probably packing some serious firepower."
Katherine looked to Daisy. "Do any of the lasers on our
rolling junkyard work?"
"No power," Daisy said with a disgusted shake of her head.
Wiping her hands on a large rag, Ona Parino wandered up to
stare out the hangar. "Watch out for their stunners," she said
in a low monotone. She was referring to the GMP's latest
horseshoe-shaped toy. They were deceptively innocent-looking
weapons. By pointing the open end towards a target, pressing a
thumb button would send a short but intense disrupter charge that
affected the target's central nervous system. The victim, if
lucky, would just pass out. If unlucky, there was usually a mess
to clean up once they woke.
The squadron formed a united line behind Katherine, blocking
the shortest routes into their hangar. The tougher ones, like
Nancy and Daisy, crossed their arms in a defiant manner while
other, less aggressive members just tried to look equally
resolute without all the posturing.
The GMP hovercraft slowed when they got to the squadron's
tarmac and coasted up to the hangar's entrance. Their engines
howling as they spun down, the vehicles settled softly onto the
concrete.
Before the last whine of engines died away, side hatches on
the vehicles sprung open and a half dozen black-clad and helmeted
GMP security officers hurriedly assumed positions in front of the
hangar. For now, at least, no weapons were displayed; relying
instead on their sheer intimidating appearance to assure
cooperation.
When the last GMP man was in place, the hatch on the lead
hovercraft hissed open and an imposing figure, also dressed in
GMP black and gray, stepped into the open. Removing his crested
helmet, he strode confidently up to Katherine and announced: "I'm
Major Marcus McKinney, Army of the Southern Cross Global Military
Police - Special Investigations Unit - Internal Security."
He paused as if to make sure everyone in the hangar had time
to truly appreciate his magnificence. All he got was Daisy's
groan of 'not again'.
"Welcome, Major," Katherine said politely, ignoring Daisy's
reaction. "To what do we owe the pleasure of this visit?"
"I'm here for the girl," he announced, his voice echoing in
the massive hangar.
Katherine looked around behind her at the squadron before
turning back to the Major. "I'm afraid you'll have to be more
specific."
"I'm looking for Lt M.J. Robins. We know she's been
assigned to this squadron. The Army of the Southern Cross wants
her for questioning."
"And for what reason would the ASC have for questioning and
RDF officer?" Katherine asked, her voice tinged with indignation.
Maj McKinney's eyes narrowed. "This girl took part in a
mutiny in which an ASC General was murdered. Until proven
otherwise, she's an accessory to that murder."
"I understand she's already been questioned about the mutiny
by RDF Security. Perhaps if you were to inquire with them. I'm
certain they'd be most happy to share what they've learned,"
Katherine said in a reasonable manner. She looked past the Major
to see other vehicles fast approaching. It was beginning to get
crowded in their little corner of Yellowstone.
"You will turn over the girl. NOW!" the Major barked. His
men responded by drawing their weapons. As Ona warned, they were
the newest versions of the standard GMP stunners.
Katherine planted her fists on her shapely hips and glared
at the Major, daring him to try and take the Lieutenant in
question.
Ona moved next to her Executive Officer and crossed her
arms. "The matter is closed. Lt Robins stays," she said in the
same low monotone as before. Her expression promised there would
be no compromises today.
The Major's response was interrupted by a pair of wheeled
RDF Security armored rovers stopping behind his hovercraft. The
door on one opened and a very agitated Captain O'Riley bounded
out.
"Just what the hell is going on here?" he demanded stomping
up to the confrontation just inside 13 Squadron's hangar.
"This is no concern of yours," the Major claimed in his
arrogant manner.
"Like hell. I let you get away with that crap before
because I was ordered to cooperate. But you're on *my* turf now.
Nobody comes on *my* base and arrests RDF people unless *I* say
so." Capt O'Riley's cubby little body shook with rage.
The Major, however, wasn't so easy to impress. "The GMP
goes where it wants and does what its ordered," he said calmly
without looking at O'Riley.
"Not here," the Captain snarled.
The two security men glared at each other, each waiting for
the other to back down. When it became obvious this was going to
be a stalemate, Capt O'Riley upped the ante. With a snap of his
fingers, the laser turrets on the RDF Security rovers hummed,
drawing a bead on the GMP men and vehicles.
"Your move, Major," he said.
Maj McKinney looked over his shoulder at the rovers
threatening him and his men. Turning back to O'Riley, he
growled: "You wouldn't dare."
"Try me."
The two glared at each other, each determined to make the
other back down.
"It won't look good if you have to shoot your way out,"
Katherine noted. "And that's exactly what you'll have to do to
get Lt Robins."
The Major shot Katherine a warning look before turning back
to O'Riley. "Very well, Captain. You win - this time."
He barked an order and his men scrambled to mount their
vehicles. Maj McKinney glared at each of the gathered squadron
members, saving his most threatening expression for Capt O'Riley,
before climbing into his hovercraft and ordering it to move.
A scream of engines, a blast of warm air and the GMP
vehicles sped off, leaving a cheering group of relieved 13
Squadron members and a still sweating Capt O'Riley.
"Good job," Samantha crowed, patting the Captain on his
broad back. His reaction, however shocked the women into
silence.
"I didn't do it for you," he snarled. "I don't like you
people. You made a monkey of me back at that mission." He
looked around at each of the women. "I won't forget that. As
far as I'm concerned, the sooner you renegades are off my base,
the better."
Turning on a heel, he stomped back towards his rover.
"You come back anytime, Captain," Katherine called. "Maybe
next time we'll show you how hospitable we can be."
Capt O'Riley paused in the open door to his rover and stared
at Katherine like he was trying to determine if she was putting
him on or not. Without a word, he slipped inside and slammed
shut the hatch.
The RDF Security rovers growled to life and quickly set off
the same direction as the GMP.
"Well, I guess you can't always choose your heros," Ona said
philosophically.
"Good thing he showed up or they would have taken Missy,"
Katherine acknowledged with a nod. As if invoking the
Lieutenant's name reminded her, she began looking around. "By
the way, just where is Lt Robins?"
The object of her concern slowly emerged from behind a
crate. Clutching a wicked-looking Colt Defender handgun and
wearing an expression that reeked of lethality, she stepped into
the light.
"Nice piece," Nancy said, leaning against another crate with
her arms crossed. "Yours?"
Missy's expression moderated only slightly as she unzipped
her flight suit and thrust the weapon back into its holster
nestled in the curve of her shapely waist. "I don't leave things
to chance anymore."
Nancy grinned, pulling up the back of her uniform tunic and
drawing her own chrome-plated Beretta. "My kind of girl."
Katherine frowned at the exposed hardware before turning to
Daisy. "And you?"
Daisy sighed. "Oh, hell." Unzipping her flight suit enough
to expose her bra, she pulled out a Glock 33 and held it up with
a shrug.
"There's enough room in there to hide a cannon," Virginia
snorted. Daisy's glare caused her to grin an retrieve her own,
Walther PPK. "Hey, a girl's gotta protect herself."
"With that?" Daisy said disdainfully.
"It looks small but packs a punch," Virginia shot back.
"Like me."
A general chuckle ringed the group as, one at a time, each
produced their own weapon. Katherine stared at them, her mouth
open. "Am I the only one unarmed?" she gasped.
Daisy reached over and patted her on the shoulder. "That's
okay. You did all the talkin'."
"Yeah, they would have gotten one shot and we would have
dropped the bunch," Gloria crowed, brandishing an odd-looking
pistol she retrieved from the top of another crate. It was so
large she had to hold it in both hands.
"You would have shot it out with the GMP?" Katherine looked
between Daisy and the others, clearly astounded at their
audacity.
"It didn't come to that," Daisy insisted, like she was
dismissing the entire matter. "But we were ready just in case."
"Where did you get all those?" Katherine demanded, her hands
going to her hips.
Everyone looked at Cindy. With a trapped expression she
confessed. "Ona and I just... borrowed them from the Armory.
Really."
Katherine's frown turned itself on the unconcerned-looking
Zentraedi. "You stole these weapons?"
Ona gave no outward expression to the question. "I don't
think 'stolen' would accurately describe what we did."
"We filled out the forms. I had to do twenty-two before
they'd even talk to me," Cindy said in a plaintive voice. "And
all I got for that was a promise to see what they had available.
Well, there were two cases on the dock out back. So, I kept
filling out forms while Ona - I mean, Capt Parino - loaded them
into the truck."
"Truck? What truck? We don't have a truck." Katherine
couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"We do now," Cindy insisted, like it should have been
obvious.
"Where did you get a truck?"
"The Motor Pool," Ona said matter-of-factly.
"Yeah, we filled out the papers and everything," Cindy
added. "It's really ours now." She turned to Daisy. "Isn't
it?"
Katherine followed Cindy's gaze and challenged the big
Lakota with her frown.
"Well, it *officially* belongs to 32 Squadron," Daisy
admitted with a sheepish expression. "I used my old ID Card and
codes provided by Gloria."
All eyes turned to the chubby little techie who squirmed and
hugged the pistol to her chest. "It wasn't hard. I mean, I've
been breaking into their computer system for months. They've got
the coolest games and -"
"Enough," Katherine demanded, raising her hand. "I'm not
sure I really want to know."
"Good idea," Samantha said with a smile while she twirled
her pistol on a finger. "That way they can't prove you know
anything about the heist."
"You too?" Katherine had never seen this side of her
sister. As far as she knew, Samantha had never even fired a hand
gun before.
"Why not?" The younger Fox sister grinned as she twirled
the Browning 40 like a pro. "It's the ultimate in feminine
protection."
Laughter ringed the group until they saw the weapon fly off
Samantha's finger. Time froze as it tumbled towards the floor.
Striking the concrete, it went of with an ear-shattering 'bang'.
The round ricocheted off barrels, steel trusses, and
concrete as the squadron ducked and threw themselves on the dirty
hangar floor.
It finally ended when the bullet smacked into the canopy of
the VF-1S, cracking it like an eggshell.
"YOU IDIOT!" Daisy screamed, springing to her feet.
"You could have hurt somebody!" Nancy added, wiping hangar
floor crap from her hands.
"Look what you did to my uniform!" Virginia moaned. "It's a
mess."
Bedlam ruled as everyone yelled objections, complained about
the results, and generally bitched about everything. Virginia's
distress was only intensified when Daisy wiped her dirty hands on
her sleeve. With a wail, Virginia scrambled for the office and
the restroom inside.
"That wasn't necessary," Ona admonished with a frown.
"No, but it was fun," Daisy replied.
Katherine grabbed her sister by the collar. "Montoya!"
"Yes, ma'am."
"You. Her. Range. Tomorrow."
"Yes, ma'am."
With a warning look at her sister, Katherine added: "If
you're going to handle a firearm, you're going to learn the
proper way."
Miserable, Samantha just nodded.
Jeff stopped his rover just in time to avoid being
broadsided by a trio of GMP hovercraft speeding through the
intersection, heading towards the main gate.
"What are *they* doing here?" Gail asked, leaning forward in
her seat to get a better look.
"Beats me," Jeff replied, checking both ways to see if there
were any other vehicles approaching. "But they sure are doing it
in a hurry."
"I thought you said they weren't allowed on base."
Jeff squinted at the receding vehicles and shrugged. "I
thought that's what Rolf said." He glanced at Gail. "Of course,
since he's gone up to Monument City, anything could happen."
"I wonder if..." Gail's voice trailed off as the color in
her face drained. "Missy!" she gasped.
Jeff knew what she meant. If the GMP was coming from his
squadron's area, they were no doubt still hunting for Lt Robins.
Their haste either meant they already had her or were following a
hot lead. Either way, it wasn't anything good for the
Lieutenant.
He started to turn onto the road leading to 13 Squadron's
area but slammed on the brakes, causing the rover to slide to a
halt. What if they *already* had Lt Robins? He cast a worried
look up the road the GMP vehicles had taken. He knew his rover
was no match for their hovercraft, their top speed was almost
double what he could coax out of his vehicle.
"What's the matter?" Gail asked anxiously, her pretty face
screwed into a worried frown.
"What if they already...," he said anxiously, still staring
at the road the GMP vehicles took.
"You think they got her?"
Jeff hesitated. "I don't know."
"There's one way to find out," Gail said, pulling out her
own cell phone.
It took only a moment for the connection to go through. She
listened to the phone ring for a few moments, her eyes tightly
closed. "Come on, you guys. Answer the phone," she said.
A dozen rings later, she looked at Jeff, her worried
expression telling him everything he needed to know. Something
was wrong.
That was all he needed to know. Urging his aging vehicle
onto the road towards 13 Squadron, he accelerated quickly. He
had to find out.
He'd just gotten the vehicle up to speed when a pair of RDF
Security rovers rounded a blind corner in front of him.
"Hang on!" he yelled, yanking the wheel over hard left and
forcing his vehicle onto the very edge of the shoulder.
His rover fish-tailed once before straightening out and
launching itself back onto the road. The nearest Security
vehicle darted left to avoid a collision only to bang into the
side of its companion, sending it off the road and into a
bordering field of weeds. It bounced once and spun to a halt.
Regaining control of his own vehicle, Jeff glanced in the
mirror in time to see a pudgy little Security officer bounding
out of his vehicle and angrily waving his arms.
"I think you made him mad," Anne yelled over the roar of the
rover's engine. Turning to look out the back window, she stuck
her thumbs in her ears and wiggled her fingers. "Nyaaa-nyaaa, ya
pig!" she yelled. Turning back she grinned while still chomping
her gum. "I always wanted to do that."
"I'm sure he'll take it well," Gail replied, looking around
all the stuff in the back to see if the other rover was turning
around. It wasn't.
"Will you two stop baiting them?" Jeff yelled. "We've got
enough troubles."
Gail rocked over against the door and crossed her arms.
"Well, it's all your fault."
"MY fault?"
"Are we almost there? I've got to go potty," Anne moaned in
a plaintive voice.
"You should have gone before we left," Gail said in a
motherly way.
"I know." Anne sounded like an adolescent who'd been in the
car too long. "It's hot back here."
Gail smiled. "I'll roll down a window."
Jeff just gripped the wheel harder. It suddenly occurred to
him exactly why he and Kay never had kids.
When 13 Squadron's massive hangar came into view. He urged
the rover to go a little faster. He had to know about Lt Robins.
"Slow down, dear," Gail said in a calm voice. "Whether Lt
Robins is there or not won't change if we arrive a minute or two
later."
A minute or two later? Jeff flashed an annoyed look her
way. a minute or two is a life time in combat. He couldn't see
how it was any different in this situation. If they'd arrived a
minute or two earlier, he might have stopped them taking Missy
altogether.
He slid his rover into the assigned parking spot and looked
back over her shoulder at the now empty tarmac. With a satisfied
grunt, he opened his door and got out. At least, the girls did
as they were told, he thought. Besides, having those hunks of
junk in front of his headquarters didn't look good.
Gail helped Anne get her bag and shepherded the young girl
into the office to complete her transfer papers. Jeff, however,
bounded towards the hangar. He had to know about Missy.
Just inside the hangar's massive doors, he found Katherine
conferring with Daisy and Nancy.
"Where's Lt Robins?" he shouted.
The three turned to look deeper into the building and were
rewarded by Missy Robins stepping out from behind a couple of
crates. Jeff was a bit surprised at how calm everyone appeared.
"What happened here?" he demanded, relief calming his voice.
Katherine shrugged. "Nothing we couldn't handle."
"Yeah, the GMP showed up looking for Lt Robins," Nancy said
with a saucy smile. "We asked them to leave."
"In our own little way," Daisy added. Her smile was
positively predatory. There was obviously more going on here
than they were telling.
"How?"
"RDF Security showed up right after the GMP and 'encouraged'
them to leave peaceably," Katherine said, filling in the gaps.
"Capt O'Riley's really a pretty decent person, outside of his
dislike for us."
Jeff drew a deep breath. "So the GMP gave up?" This was
disturbing. The GMP *never* gave up. That was what made them so
dangerous.
"Sorta," Katherine admitted with a grimace. "However, I got
the impression they don't consider the issue closed."
"That's what I thought." Jeff broke all military bearing
and thrust his hands into his pants pockets. Nothing had
changed. Missy Robins was still on the GMP 'hot list'.
Daisy looked past Jeff with raised eyebrows. "By the way,
who's the new kid?"
They all looked towards the headquarters building as if to
try and get another look at the person in question. Jeff could
see the curiosity on their faces.
"Another pilot. She's Veritech qualified."
"She's a Veritech Pilot?" Daisy gasped, sweeping her arm
towards the headquarters building. Her look of curiosity had
dissolved into astonishment.
"Yes, and from what I hear, a good one."
Nancy groaned. "Great. Now we're taking children."
"Well, I guess we'll just have to give her a chance,"
Katherine noted, her own expression betraying her lack of
confidence.
Jeff felt it best to change the subject before they asked
too many questions about Anne's qualifications. He had to admit,
he didn't really trust everything Steve told him. Of course, if
'Tex' Boyd thought she was good enough, that should have
satisfied him. Still, there were doubts.
"Good job getting that junk stowed," he said. "There may be
a use for them yet."
"What do you mean, sir?" Katherine asked as the others
glanced quizzically at the worn-out fighters.
Jeff explained about the unregistered Veritechs stored off
base and the plan on how to use them.
"Finally," Ona said with a sigh of relief. "It's about time
we got back in the air."
"There's more than just that," Jeff warned, looking around
hoping they weren't being spied on even out in the open. "There
are apparently some folks who don't want us in the Ozarks."
"Why?" Daisy asked with a scowl.
"It's a little complicated but there appears to be some
folks up in Monument City who don't like us."
Further discussion was broken by the sounds of crates
falling and a sharp scream that echoed in the massive hangar.
Jeff led the charge deeper into the building until they rounded
another stack of crates to see Ona Parino pinned under some
smaller cases with Karen Crowkiller standing over her unconscious
form.
Daisy and Nancy wasted no time, making a bee-line for the
startled older Crowkiller sister.
"Dammit!" Daisy growled as she slammed Karen's body against
another crate. "I warned you what would happen if you tried
anything."
Karen tried to raise her hand in protest but Nancy
intercepted her arm and painfully pinned it against the crate.
"This time, you're gonna deal with *us*."
Gloria and Mary rounded the mound of crates and skidded to a
horrified halt. "Oh, my God!" Gloria screeched. "I'm so sorry.
I didn't know she was on the other side."
Jeff glanced quickly between Katherine bent over the
unmoving Ona, Daisy and Nancy on the verge of terminating Karen,
and the terrified-looking Gloria and Mary. "What happened?" he
yelled to no one in particular.
"I was just trying to get the old aircraft tug working,"
Gloria moaned. "Moving those Veritechs by hand was such hard
work and I thought --"
"That's alright," Jeff snapped. Noticing the negative
effect it had on Gloria, he modified his tone. "That's not
important now. What *is* important is we need to take care of
Capt Parino." Kneeling down next to Katherine, he gently took
Ona's limp arm. He exhaled in relief when he felt a strong
pulse.
Daisy and Nancy slackened their grip on Karen, exchanging
surprised looks. The girl, trembling with anger, took advantage
of the inattention. Driving a knee sharply into Daisy's groin,
she shifted enough to snap a kick to Nancy's chin. The two
staggered back, releasing her. She paused only a moment to glare
at Jeff before bolting for the open hangar exit.
"Crowkiller!" Jeff called to no avail. Karen escaped the
hangar, disappearing around the corner. The sounds of her
running feet all that marked her escape.
Jeff started after her but was stopped by Katherine's hand
on his arm.
"You take care of Parino," she said looking out the
direction Karen disappeared. "I'll handle Karen."
It took only a moment and a single glance at Katherine's
serious face to nod an agreement. After all, she was the
Executive Officer. Personnel problems fell in her domain.
He watched only a moment as Katherine purposefully strode
after the wayward Karen before turning to Daisy and Nancy. "I
don't know what all that was about but it can wait. Get over
here and help me get these crates off." He motioned to the other
two. "Mary, go call an ambulance. Gloria, grab Ona's arms.
When we shift some of the crates, pull her free."
As Mary scurried to the office, Daisy limped over and eyed
the oversized boxes pinning her friend. "They look heavy," she
said, turning around and crouching under the uppermost crate.
Nancy, straddling Ona's body with her feet, put her shoulder
to the same crate. "We'll get this one. If you can just raise
the bottom one an inch or so, we can pull her free."
Jeff squatted in position, finding a sure grip on the
massive box. With a nod, the other two grunted as they rolled
the top box off the pile. It landed on the floor with a loud
crash.
It had been a long time since Jeff had been in a weight room
but some things remain in one's memory forever. Grimacing with
gritted teeth, he dropped into his lift, thrusting upward with
his legs.
At first, the crate refused to budge. Sweat rolled down his
face at the exertion. He had to get the crate to move.
He was about to give up when he felt Daisy and Nancy join
him, adding their muscle to his own. With a groan, the crate
moved. Not much but enough to encourage the rescuers. They
continued lifting, each certain they'd reached their limit, when
the crate suddenly gave way. Lifting it almost a foot, he looked
at Gloria. She had a good grip on Ona's wrists. Planting her
feet and throwing her head back, she gave a high-pitched groan as
she tugged on the comatose Captain's arms. There was a momentary
hesitation, before Gloria stumbled backwards, dragging Ona free.
Once clear of the crates, Jeff and the girls let go and dove
out of the way. The pile tumbled to the floor in a loud
avalanche, safely free from everyone in the hangar.
Jeff lay on the floor, staring up at the metal trusses
inside the hangar, gasping for breath. He could hear the other
two doing the same. "Good job," he was finally able to say
between gasps.
Rolling over, he crawled to where Gloria was sitting on the
floor, Ona's head cradled in her lap.
"She's gonna live, isn't she?" Gloria whined. "I mean, it
was an accident."
Jeff put a hand on her shoulder. "She's going to be fine,"
he said between gulps of air. "It wasn't your fault. Don't
worry about it."
Gloria forced a painful smile, like she was about to cry or
something. Jeff patted her shoulder and felt the side of Ona's
neck. The pulse was still there and still strong. In the
distance, they could hear the welcome sound of a siren.
Nancy gently probed the inside of her lip with her tongue.
"You know, Karen's got quite a kick."
"You're telling me," Daisy replied, wincing with pain as she
tried to sit up. "Sex is out for awhile."
Nancy started chuckling followed by Daisy and finally Jeff.
Soon, the three where laughing freely, broken only by Daisy's
wince of pain.
Gloria continued to cradle Ona's head and stroke the
Zentraedi's hair. "Please don't die," she whispered.
Katherine searched several minutes before finding Karen
Crowkiller behind an old outbuilding near the perimeter fence.
What drew her attention was the sound of someone repeatedly
striking the back side of the old wooden building. Her feet
making swishing sounds as she waded through the knee-deep weeds,
Katherine approached with caution. Karen had already decked two
of the toughest members of their squadron. She had no desire to
become victim number three.
Carefully stepping around the building, giving it enough
distance to allow her to see Karen while not presenting a threat,
she was greeted by the sight of Lt Crowkiller punching holes in
the aging wood. Each blow sent chunks of wood flying. Her fists
were bloodied by the impacts, her cheeks streaked with her tears.
"Karen," Katherine called softly.
There was no reaction. Karen continued punching the wall.
"Please, Karen. Talk to me." Katherine dared to step
closer.
Karen whirled and dropped into a threatening stance, her
blood-covered fists raised, her eyes wild. "Nobody will believe
me!" she screamed.
"I'll believe you," Katherine said, stepping closer.
"Stay back!" Karen warned, taking a step backwards but
continuing her threatening posture. Her whole body was
vibrating.
"Talk to me, Karen."
"There's nothing to talk about. I didn't do anything to
Capt Parino but nobody believes me because I hate Zentraedi."
"All Zentraedi?"
"Yes!"
"Even Ona?"
Karen started to answer. Words struggled to escape but
quickly found themselves blocked by... what?
"You don't hate Ona Parino, Karen. She just represents
something that happened to you in South America." Katherine
continued with a calm voice as she stepped closer.
Her move did not go unnoticed. "I'm warning you," Karen
growled, her body crouching as if to attack.
Katherine stopped and crossed her arms. "She's no different
than the rest of us; unwanted, unliked, alone. That's why she's
here. The RDF doesn't consider her or the rest of us worth
anything. They stuck us all together in the hopes we'll fail and
they can get rid of us all." She could see her words were having
an effect. Karen's guard dropped slightly. "So you see, we have
to stick together. We're a family now."
Karen's lip trembled. "I didn't do anything," she moaned.
"I was just talking to her."
"Then you don't have to run away."
"Those guys won't listen."
"What guys?"
"Montoya and Mills. They think I caused the accident."
"I'll handle them. Nobody's going to hold you responsible
for this."
"They did last time."
"Last time you really did hit Capt Parino. If they didn't
cover for you, you'd already be in the brig and on your way out
of the RDF."
Karen grimaced, her bloody hands holding her head. "You
don't understand!" she screeched.
"Karen, if this is about something that happened in South
America, you need to talk to me about it," Katherine insisted.
"Please, talk to me."
"I can't," Karen whined. "You won't understand."
"Karen..." Katherine stepped closer. "I want to help you."
Trembling, Karen turned towards the building, hugging
herself and bent over like she was going to be sick. "He wasn't
a threat to them. He couldn't move. They... " She swallowed
hard, her control slipping. "They..." In an explosion of blind
rage, Karen swung her fist at the wall once again. This time,
she must have struck a support.
The sound of wood breaking was different this time.
Screaming in pain, Karen staggered back, her knees buckling as
she held her bloody, misshapen hand.
Katherine lunged for the girl, catching her before she went
down. Together, they collapsed in a tangle of arms and legs.
Karen, however, continued to struggle, despite the pain of her
broken hand, striking the Executive Officer in every way she
could.
Katherine just hugged the girl, enduring the blows and
talking in soothing tones. "It's okay, Karen. You're going to
be alright."
The storm of Karen's anger quickly blew itself out. She
clung to Katherine, burying her face in the older woman's breasts
and sobbed.
"They just butchered him," she moaned into Katherine's
uniform. "He was helpless and they still killed him."
"It's okay. It's all over now." Katherine surmised this
person Karen was talking about had some importance in her life;
possibly a lover. In any case, the incident was obviously the
cause of her Zentraedi hatred.
"They're all killers. All Zentraedi. They just kill for
the pleasure of killing. I HATE them!" Karen growled with just a
hint of less conviction in her voice.
"I've never been in combat," Katherine said, cradling the
lieutenant's head and slowly rocking. "I'm not certain I can
ever even shoot at another living being. So I don't know what
you went through but I do know Ona Parino. She's not like that.
She's an isolated person, lost on a strange world with emotions
she doesn't understand. Those emotions cost her the life of
someone she loved very much. So you two have something in
common.
"Cindy Wallace is her roommate. She told me Ona is like a
scared little girl at night. She has no family, no friends
outside the squadron. We are all she has. We're her family
now."
Karen shuddered and sniffed, still clinging to Katherine as
if her life depended on it. Perhaps it did.
"Let's get you to the hospital so they can have a look at
that hand. We'll sort this thing out later," Katherine said,
stroking the girl's hair. "Okay?"
Karen nodded and allowed herself to helped to her feet.
Still holding her broken hand close to her chest, she shuffled
along next to Katherine as they limped back towards the hangar
and the rest of the squadron.
Jeff rode in the ambulance with Ona. Gloria, still holding
Ona's hand, refused to be left behind. The three of them and the
paramedic made the back of the ambulance a very crowded place.
Ona's sudden twitching and striking out with her fists didn't
help. The big Zentraedi silently thrashed about like she was
fighting for her life, punctuated by an occasional oath in her
native language. Only by Jeff pinning her to the gurney and
enduring her blows did they make it to the hospital in one piece.
The hospital, however, didn't go much better. Understaffed,
the facility struggled with its caseload as best it could.
Emergencies, like Ona's, came first. Still fighting unseen foes,
she was wheeled in while Jeff and Gloria remained out in the
waiting room.
Gloria refused to sit down. Even Jeff's strong persuasion
failed to dissuade the girl from standing at the door, anxiously
waiting for news.
"It's going to be okay," he said, standing behind Gloria and
putting his hands gently but firmly on her shoulders.
"It's all my fault," she said softly with a vacant stare at
the door. "If I hadn't tried to fix the tug, this wouldn't have
happened."
Jeff sighed and tried to turn her back towards the waiting
room. "It was an accident. These things happen. I'm sure Ona's
going to be alright."
Gloria resisted his efforts, twisting her shoulders to
escape his grip. "I shouldn't have listened to Mary. It was her
idea," she said bitterly. It wasn't clear if she was blaming
Mary now or just telling what happened in her own words. Either
way, Jeff felt certain there was going to be some serious soul-
searching for the foreseeable future.
"Well, you learned a valuable lesson about planning," he
added, hoping to turn the incident into something positive.
"Always plan for what *could* happen. That way you're less
likely to be surprised."
Gloria's shoulders sagged and she turned towards the waiting
room. "I'm always doing stupid things," she said, her voice
sounding lost.
"I don't believe that. You just forget to take proper
precautions." He patted her shoulder and felt her take a deep
breath, sagging against him when she exhaled.
"I just hope Capt Parino understands."
"I'm sure she does."
The human explosion in the Emergency Room took everyone by
surprise. Many voices were yelling, something heavy struck the
wall and two orderlies stumbled through the door, one with a
nasty-looking cut on his forearm.
"Call security! She's gone nuts!" one yelled, looking back
in horror. "She's going to kill everyone."
Jeff and Gloria exchanged looks before charging the door,
pushing aside whomever got in their way.
Inside, they were greeted by the sight of Ona Parino, her
flight suit undone so that one arm was free, her left breast
exposed, backed into a corner and holding a wicked-looking knife
in a threatening manner. Other orderlies and a couple of nurses
blocked her escape. Scattered around her position were trays,
bandages, and various other medical paraphernalia. She wasn't
escaping but no one was brave enough to take on the knife-wielding
Zentraedi. It was a standoff.
"Captain Parino!" Jeff barked. Ona just stared at him and
blinked. That act alone caused him to hesitate. He'd heard how
people struck on the head could lose their memories. They might
even forget who their friends were. He hoped this wasn't the
case with Ona. That would require killing her to prevent anyone
else from being hurt by an out of control Zentraedi.
"Colonel, do something," Gloria begged.
With an annoyed glance her way, he took a deep breath and
slowly stepped forward. "Ona, it's me, Jeffrey Lawrence. You
remember me, don't you?" he said in a controlled voice. "You
were in an accident. A bunch of crates fell on you. Remember?"
Ona blinked and shook her head as if to clear her memory.
It seemed to be working because the hand holding the knife
lowered.
"That's right. You remember me."
An orderly made the mistake of moving slightly, obviously
hoping to better position himself for a final rush. Ona's
reaction was swift and decisive. In a feat of superhuman
strength, she yanked the heavy examining table over on its side
and, in the confusion, scurried towards a door leading deeper
into the hospital. That wasn't good. Once through that door,
she could go just about anywhere, endangering everyone in the
building.
In what had to be a case of bad timing, a middle-aged,
slightly overweight woman doctor stepped through the door. Ona
snatched her in mid-stride, wrapping an arm across her throat and
placing the knife point just under her left breast. Everyone in
the place held their breath.
"Well, now, it appears we have a Zentraedi in our Emergency
Room," the doctor croaked in an unusually calm voice. "I don't
suppose any of you brave young men are going to rescue me." No
one moved. "I didn't think so." She swallowed hard as Ona
backed towards the door. "You know, sweetie, you're doing this
backwards. You're supposed to hold me around the chest and put
the knife to my throat."
Ona growled something unintelligible and halted her retreat.
Hesitantly, she glanced through the door's tiny window. What she
saw must not have agreed with her because she quickly moved away
from it, muttering something in Zentraedi.
"Okay, let's try something else," the doctor said, fumbling
in her pocket. Switching to fluent Zentraedi, she barked an
emphatic string of commands. It must have been something the
Zentraedi recognized because her grip loosened and the knife slid
away from the doctor's chest.
Popping the cover of a hypodermic she'd retrieved from her
lab coat pocket, the doctor jabbed it into Ona's thigh at the
same time she slammed an elbow into the Zentraedi's ribs.
The reaction was immediate. Howling in pain and fury, Ona
grabbed for her leg; the knife tumbling from her hand. The
doctor threw herself free and rolled across the floor.
Without hesitation, Jeff launched himself at the Zentraedi,
pinning her to the wall. A host of orderlies followed, wrestling
the still struggling Ona to the floor. Howling a string of
Zentraedi oaths, her eyes wide, Ona's struggles slowed before she
finally went limp.
In the silence that followed, two security guards burst
through the former escape door, their guns drawn. "Freeze!" they
yelled.
"Nice timing, Rambo," Jeff growled.
"Is she out yet?" the doctor asked while still on her back.
"Yes, doctor," one of the orderlies answered between gasps.
"Good." The doctor slowly got to her feet with the help of
a couple of nurses. Holding her back with both hands, she
stretched. "I'm getting too old for this shit. Now, somebody
tell me what happened."
The Head Nurse described the events leading up to Ona's odd
behavior. When she got to the part about drawing blood for the
lab, the doctor groaned.
"Which one of you morons tried to get a blood sample from
her arm?" she asked.
One young nurse hesitantly acknowledged the deed. "I didn't
think --"
"That's right, you didn't think," the doctor snapped. "You
can't take blood from a female Zentraedi's arm. It's akin to
rape in their culture. That's why she reacted like she did."
Waddling over, she bent over the prostrate form of Ona Parino and
examined her carefully. "Hmmmmm, looks like we got us a head
injury. Get her on a table."
Amidst a chorus of groans, the orderlies struggled to get
the limp Zentraedi on one of the undamaged examining tables.
Other medical personnel scurried about cleaning up the room. The
security men, no longer needed, holstered their weapons and
sheepishly returned to their stations.
Jeff stood alone where they'd wrestled Ona to the floor,
brushing off his uniform.
"Who are you?" the doctor asked in a tone that made it
obvious she considered him out of bounds. Not waiting for an
answer, she waved her hand his direction. "Who cares?"
"Excuse me but that officer is one of my pilots," he said.
"She belongs to you?" the doctor asked with raised eyebrows.
"Yes."
"My condolences."
"Look, she's just had a little accident."
"What'd ya do? Drop a fighter on her?"
"A six foot packing crate."
"That'll do it."
Jeff stepped closer. "Will she be alright?"
"They usually are," the doctor said with a sigh. "By the
way, I'm Doctor Nikki Takahashi and, no, I'm not related to
'her'."
Jeff shook the doctor's hand. "Colonel Jeffrey Stuart."
Dr Takahashi shot him an incredulous look. "Not THE Col
Stuart."
"You've heard of me?"
"Everyone's heard of you, Lighthorse," she replied, bending
over Ona, sliding open an eyelid with her thumb and shining a
light in the Zentraedi's eye. "I'm just surprised to see your
traveling circus in my Emergency Room."
"Like I said: We had a little accident."
"From what I've heard, you characters have been having a lot
of accidents lately. They're bringing in another of your girls
with a broken hand now. What, exactly, is it you do out there on
the fringes of civilization?"
"Putting together a new squadron. Did you say I've got
another one coming in?"
"Yes. Seems she went a couple of rounds with a wall and
lost. What kind of squadron are you putting together?"
"A very strange one," Jeff admitted with a sigh. "They're a
little frustrated right now."
"That goes without saying." Dr Takahashi yanked a sheet
over Ona's exposed breast. "Your warrior princess here is going
to take a little nap. She's got a full load of happy juice and
will probably sleep until dinner time. Why don't you go back out
to the Waiting Room while I check on your boxing champ."
Reluctantly, he agreed and started for the door.
"By the way, I want to talk to you before you leave," the
doctor called.
Jeff stopped at the door and looked back over his shoulder.
"Whatever you say, doc. It's your turf."
"And don't you ever forget it."
The ambulance soon arrived with Lt Crowkiller and Capt Fox.
Thankfully, the break was rather minor and easily set. That gave
Katherine time to fill him in on what happened while he was gone.
It wasn't the kind of news he wanted to hear. Karen wasn't just
xenophobic, she had a deep, personal reason for her Zentraedi
hatred. One that will have to be addressed before the squadron
deployed. Gloria continued to hover nearby, still fretting the
eventual outcome of Ona's condition. Outwardly, she seem to have
accepted the news that Ona would be alright but Jeff couldn't
shake the feeling that she would be another of his problems.
"We better find some way to get this squadron focused or its
gonna come apart before we even get in the air," he warned
Katherine.
"I know," she replied, her own frustration showing.
"All right! Where's my stupid sister!" Linda Crowkiller
yelled at the Emergency Room receptionist as she burst through
the door. She'd followed the ambulance in her own car and looked
none too happy about it.
"Great," Jeff said with a flap of her arms. "Another
problem child."
"I'll take care of it," Katherine said with a sigh.
"Just keep her from punching any walls. They look pretty
solid here."
Katherine responded with a sick smile before intercepting
the vociferous Linda.
Jeff watched the two argue for a few seconds before shaking
his head and turning away.
"Quite a little tribe you got there," Dr Takahashi said as
she approached, watching Katherine wave a finger in front of the
still angry Linda Crowkiller.
"You don't know the half of it," Jeff replied, casting a
disgusted look over his shoulder at the arguing pair.
"Well, why don't you tell me about it. I feel like a bit of
coffee and conversation."
Jeff hesitated, noting Katherine finally appeared to have
Linda under control, before following the plump little doctor
through another door, down a short hall and into an empty
doctor's lounge.
Dr Takahashi filled two cups from a coffee urn and joined
him at a small table. Groaning as she sat down, she blew lightly
on the steaming mixture and eyed Jeff with a curious expression.
"So, how's my Zentraedi?" Jeff never liked beating around
the bush.
"She's fine. Between the blow on the head and the blunder
with the lab work, I'm surprised we didn't have to kill her," Dr
Takahashi said as calmly as if she were talking about some
hypothetical training exercise.
"Will she be able to return to the squadron?"
"You sound desperate, sport."
"Doc, I'm taking kids and half-trained novices. That
Zentraedi in there is one of the few experienced pilots I've got.
I need her."
"Hmmmmm, that *is* desperate," she said thoughtfully.
"Well, I wouldn't worry. Our records show that what your little
alien is suffering from is quite common and usually passes fairly
quickly."
"How quickly?"
"Fairly quickly," she repeated, her irritation obvious.
"Usually."
They stared at each other, each challenging the other to
press the issue. Jeff was the first to break, slumping back in
his chair with a soft chuckle.
"Sorry," he said apologetically. "We're on sort of a tight
schedule."
"Understood. I hear you're going to be shipping out soon,"
she said with a smile that twenty years and fifty pounds ago
might have been considered flirtatious.
"If we go operational, yes."
"Rumor has it you're headed for a reactivated base down
south."
Jeff shook his head. Security wasn't what it used to be in
the RDF. "Good news certainly gets around."
"Yeah, the rumor mill is pretty good on this base," the
doctor admitted, shifting around to put her feet up on a nearby
chair. "I figure you're going to need a doctor at your new home
and I'm certain the girls will be more comfortable with a woman
doctor."
Jeff eyed Nikki suspiciously. "You have anyone in mind."
She leaned over the table and supported her head on a fist.
"Look, let's cut to the chase. I do things my own way. The
Administrator around here doesn't like my way. So, I'm not
exactly at the top of her retention list." She sighed and shook
her head. "Let's just say that I'm a lot like you."
"Like me?"
"We're both a couple of old war horses that have been ridden
hard and put up wet. We've been whipped, yelled at, and
generally treated like shit. We've been doing this RDF stuff for
so long we don't know what we'd do outside the service."
"Point of order," he said with a raised index finger. "I
*tried* to quit but Emerson wouldn't let me. And, yes, I *do*
know what I'd do outside the service."
Nikki sighed. "Okay, you're one up on me there. So, how
about it? You want company for your great adventure?"
"You seem awful anxious," Jeff noted, his uneasy feeling
about this doctor thinly disguised.
She must have thought so too because she rocked back in her
seat with an irritated expression. "Don't let my interest in
your situation confuse you. I'm thinking about those girls out
there," she said, waving a hand in the general direction of the
waiting room. "I've watched too many of our side die, men and
women. You want my qualifications? Fine. I graduated medical
school first in my class. Before the war, I worked in some of
the nastiest hell holes you can imagine, piecing together damn
near every kind of injury imaginable. In 2002, I got snagged by
the RDF. I served on the SDF-1 from its commissioning until it
returned to earth for the last time. I was Claudia Grant's
doctor. I also delivered Miriya Sterling's baby. So don't you
go around thinking I haven't seen just about everything."
"I was wondering how you knew the Zentraedi language," Jeff
said, keeping his expression as neutral as possible. If
everything Dr Takahashi said was true, she was a veteran of
unusual experience.
"I picked that up from one of our orderlies. He's
Zentraedi, ya know."
"No, I didn't know," Jeff admitted. "I didn't think
Zentraedi even had medical skills."
"They don't," Nikki said, getting up to refill her cup.
"This one, however, is an exception. He came from a crashed
Zentraedi cruiser down south. They found him in what we call the
'birthing chamber'. He was probably being activated as a warrior
but never received all his programming. About all he knew how to
do when he revived was exist. I taught him how to be an orderly.
In exchange, he taught me his language."
"I'm impressed."
"You should be. Damn near everything about that language is
bass-ackwards. I'll explain it to you sometime." She grinned
like this was going to clinch it for her to join the squadron.
Jeff finished his coffee in a single gulp, feeling his ulcer
protesting all the way. "Okay, you get a release from the
hospital Admin office and I'll square it with RDF Command.
Deal?"
"You got it, handsome," Dr Takahashi said, cradling her cup
in both hands while casting him a satisfied grin. She looked
almost demure standing like that; very Japanese in her guarded
manner. He couldn't help but think how she must have been
something in her younger days.
"Doctor, you have no idea what you've just gotten yourself
into," he said standing up and turning towards the door.
"Yes I do," she replied softly, still cradling the coffee
cup in her fingers and staring at its contents with a faraway
look. "And thank you."
Jeff stopped. "For what?"
She glanced his way, a mysterious twinkle in her eye, and
replied: "It's not important. Like I said; we're a lot alike."
His hesitation lasted only slightly longer than his
confusion over her answer. Dismissing it with a subtle shake of
his head, he left the lounge to Dr Takahashi and sought out Capt
Fox in the Waiting Room.
By now, Linda Crowkiller had calmed down, despite continued
muttering about how her crazy sister keeps finding new ways of
hurting herself.
Karen Crowkiller was released that afternoon, her hand set,
cast, and pretty much useless for much of anything. Ona Parino,
however, remained overnight for observation. Despite her return
to what passed for normal in her case, there remained some
concern that her head injury would cause her to go 'native' once
more and they wanted her in the security section of the hospital
in case that happened. Gloria stayed at Capt Parino's side all
evening, defying hospital orders and coming dangerously close to
irritating Ona into a relapse.
For Jeff, there was one more task before calling it a night.
Gathering the remaining squadron members together outside, he
went over what happened and made whole incident an object lesson
about not jumping to conclusions and always thinking about
possible consequences before taking on a task. He had an
attentive audience.
"That brings me to the last two items," he said, eyeing each
seriously. "It has come to my attention that there are elements
in the New World Government that don't like us very much. The
ASC, outside of their interest in Lt Robins, is probably
ambivalent, at best, but some of the civilian bureaucrats are
decidedly hostile to our presence. I believe most of our recent
troubles can be traced to them. I also have reason to believe
that we're being bugged. So, until we sweep the building for
listening devices, no conversations relating to the activities of
this squadron will take place inside. If the bastards want to
know what we're doing, they'll just have to hide someone under
the porch."
A ripple of angry conversation mixed with derisive chuckles
flowed through the squadron until Jeff held up a hand.
"I know what you're thinking. How can we function if
someone is working against us all the time?" He paused and
looked down at his feet, scuffing the sole of one boot on the
hard surface. "All my life, I've been taught to follow the
rules, know the regulations, and don't cut corners. Well, things
have changed. It's about time I did as well."
He turned to Katherine and said: "In my position, it's vital
I maintain my deniability. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
She nodded with an expression the confirmed the gravity of
his statement.
"I'm going to quote you something from my orders." He
opened a folder and began to read. "It is imperative that the
RDF form a new squadron at all possible speed. Therefore, the
appointed commander of 13 Foxtrot will take *all steps necessary*
to ensure the timely formation, training, and deployment of his
squadron." He looked up from the folder, directly into
Katherine's eyes. "Do you understand what I just read?"
"I think so, sir," she said with a concerned frown.
That was an unsatisfactory answer and Jeff's expression
accurately conveyed that point to Katherine. "All steps
necessary," he repeated.
With a sudden snap to attention and sharp salute, she said
with a knowing grin: "Yes, sir!"
Jeff nodded. "Just one more thing. We have two and a half
weeks before General Emerson has to decide whether or not to
activate this squadron. Make no mistake. This squadron WILL be
ready in time. That is all. Dismissed."
The squadron members saluted as a single unit as Jeff turned
on his heel and marched back into the headquarters building.
"All right," Katherine said in a perfect command voice.
"You heard the Colonel." She paused, adding a mischievous smile
and in a softer voice said: "Let's get organized."