The second dark ages box.., p.72
The Second Dark Ages Boxed Set, page 72
part #1 of The Second Dark Ages Series
The trees in the distance moved gently, the wind rustling in their limbs as the shadow solidified.
The black box touched down for the umpteenth time next the abandoned aircraft hangar. None of the military had been here in years, not since the fall of China. Shortly after WWDE things like their defense budget took a hit, along with most of their economy and people.
Mark was the first to hop out of the cabin, and he stretched as he looked around, taking in the scenery. He turned back to watch Jacqueline as he rubbed his arms. “You know, a hot shower and some hot chocolate would really be a treat right now.” He jumped up and down to keep warm.
Jacqueline felt the cold and scooted back into the box for a blanket, which she wrapped around herself before going back outside.
“Thought Weres didn’t feel the cold?” Sabine asked, trying to make conversation rather than antagonize her.
Jacqueline pulled a face. “I’ve gotten soft,” she shot back dryly. Mark started to snicker and then, realizing he was out of line, gave her a hug while the others disembarked.
Eve and Yuko pulled the last crate from the box, this time managing to carry it instead of dragging it. Sabine’s senses searched their surroundings, peering into the darkness for any signs of movement.
Jacqueline noticed and wandered over to stand with her. “You think we’re still being followed, don’t you?”
Sabine shook her head slowly once, her attention only partially on Jacqueline. “I think it pays not to get complacent. And besides, my trigger finger is tingly.”
Jacqueline frowned. “And that’s a sign?”
She shrugged. “Could be.”
Jacqueline gently exhaled through her nose in response and ambled into the hangar after the others.
Eve had been monitoring the place for several days before this day came—the day when the team finally united all the boxes that had been hidden by the Sacred Clan.
It wasn’t much, but it was in a secure location and had electricity from a local generator. Power was still an issue in these parts, but it paid for the Chinese to still fund a precious few locations locally for clandestine operations, and for the sake of having servers and data centers in remote and almost untraceable areas.
The door closed automatically, leaving Sabine outside on her own. She started walking around the building, listening for any noise on the wind.
The heating clicked on inside in specific locations that Eve had earlier deemed to be most efficient.
No point in freezing their asses off before they got this mess assembled. And besides, the workspace needed to be fit for humans by the time Michael and Akio finally stopped killing people and got around to bringing them some geeks and engineers.
“So, uh, when do you think Michael might return?” Jacqueline asked Yuko and Eve as she followed them through the expanse of the place to the far end.
Eve cocked her head. “As soon as they’re ready.”
“And not a minute before,” Yuko added playfully.
“Right,” Jacqueline said. “But what about... I mean, we need to make sure we have food and stuff.”
Yuko grinned at her. “Beautifully volunteered!” she exclaimed. The pair placed their heavy burden next to the other crates.
Yuko looked at the array, oblivious to Jacqueline’s exclamation of protest at her latest assignment. “You know, I think we should start opening these in the morning. Get a start on it when we have proper light.”
Eve glanced up at the old florescent lights, whose ballasts were barely able to function with most of the current being drawn by the heaters. “Probably a good idea,” she agreed.
Mark had already started fondling the nearest crate. “You mean you’re just going to let all this tech sit here unexamined for anyone to waltz in and steal out from under our noses? Without us getting to even touch it?”
Jacqueline growled. “No one is taking these from us. I’ve got this, Babe.”
Mark grinned and winked. “You can be so romantic.”
The whole hangar shuddered and all heads turned toward the door. Sabine was trying to close the enormous door behind her.
“Damn thing is so noisy,” she grunted, tugging at it irritably.
Jacqueline visibly relaxed and called, “Nearly got your head taken off there, love.”
Mark grinned. “Sounds like you’re antsy, which means that you’re hungry. How about we go find food for everyone and unwind?”
Yuko agreed and sent them on their way, with permission to use one of the Pods and take their time getting back.
Mark and Jacqueline, who still had a blanket wrapped around her, headed back across the hangar floor, passing Sabine on the way. Mark smiled, but Jacqueline mostly just nodded in her general direction.
Yup, she’s angry all right, Mark thought, hurrying her along before anything else kicked off between the two women.
The Pod took off, barely visible beyond the perimeter of the airfield. All was calm…peaceful almost. A faint glow emanated from the hangar, again hardly visible.
Unless you knew what you were looking for.
Several hours later a black-ops stealth chopper flew into the vicinity, depositing a number of dark figures. The figures moved like shadows, but were armed to the hilt like the samurai of old—only with the most modern tech the Chinese government could afford.
They started hiking silently in the direction of the airfield.
Chapter Nine
Japan, Mount Fuji in the distance
Akio looked down at the mountain lion, who looked back up at him.
Food?
Michael smirked. “No, not food.”
Akio’s eyes narrowed. “Are you speaking to the cat?”
“Yes.” Michael nodded at the three of them waited for transportation. He looked down. “Her name is Demon, and she was a science experiment for Raiden back there.” Michael jerked his head in the direction of the orange glow reflecting from the clouds and smoke in the night sky. “Apparently he was doing research into programming things with nanocytes, and injected her with enough of them that the nanocytes have been trying to help her.”
Akio bowed slightly to the cat. “Welcome, Demon. I am Akio.” He waved a finger. “And I am not food.”
Demon sniffed and looked around. I wasn’t asking if you were food.
Akio could just detect the mental connection. It was solid, if faint, and she seemed to have a dry sense of humor. I was asking if there was food.
“Oh? I seemed to have misunderstood.”
Michael looked around, a smile playing at the very corners of his mouth.
Akio glanced at Michael, his eyebrows pulling together in thought. “There is a park approximately three miles in that direction.” He pointed north. “There should be something there.”
Michael’s head swiveled in that direction. “We will head there to see if she can find anything.” As Akio nodded his understanding, Michael and Demon disappeared.
Akio looked around in the night, his hands behind his back. He had considered sending them five miles to the west.
There was an amusement park in that direction.
He could always explain that he had gotten his parks confused.
Michael stood under a large tree next to a moonlit clearing fifty yards in diameter as the X-wing Pod silently lowered itself in the darkness.
Akio jumped out of the ship and made his way over to him. “She is almost done,” Michael answered the unasked question. “It seems she doesn’t like to be watched as she eats fresh kills.”
Akio turned his head in the direction of the sound of the crunching of small bones in the massive jaws of the cat. “Am I to assume you have adopted a cat?”
Michael shrugged. “Bethany Anne has Ashur, or at least I assume she still does?” He glanced at Akio, who shrugged in his ignorance. “Well, she had Ashur in the past, so I don’t think it will be a problem.”
“You know that cats do not have masters, unlike dogs, correct?” Akio asked. “They have slaves. Or if you are lucky, they have housemates who fetch them water and open their food containers. They go to the store, clean out the kitty litter—”
Akio stopped speaking for a moment, then snorted. “That’s going to be a very large litter box.”
Michael opened his mouth to argue, then shut it. “We will adapt, I’m sure.” The two of them could hear rustling as Demon finished her meal. “Plus, I will explain outer space and what it means to have to walk back.” Michael smirked. “She is smart enough to understand.”
Demon walked through the park, enjoying the sensation of the grass on the pads of her feet. A slight feeling of sadness swept through her as she considered her paws, which had no claws.
They had been removed.
Even finding and killing this whatever-she-had-just-eaten had been a challenge. One of the chases had found her turning quickly, only to have her legs slide out from underneath her. She had rolled over and over before hitting a tree.
While capturing her own food had been nice, acknowledging the loss of a part of her was difficult.
She could hear Michael speak to the non-food, Akio. So he had arrived. Demon smiled, and shrank, willing herself to become as small as possible as she slunk through the undergrowth, her tail twitching.
Both men looked at the tablet. “Eve connected us with the police,” he updated Michael. “The one we seek has a team of fighters who killed some high-level political figures right after Yuko had tied them up. They will need to be notified of any takedown we accomplish so they can close the case.”
Michael glanced at the map. “This is the middle of downtown?” When Akio nodded, Michael asked, “Does it not seem odd that such a Clan would have their base in the middle of town?”
“Not really, no,” Akio answered. “This group fights well, but they probably sell their services. It is easier to hide in the middle of the city than to have us track them to a remote location using vehicles.”
Michael nodded his understanding.
Akio glanced at the time. “We can do this tonight, or we can wait.”
Michael leaned back to peer at Akio from a distance. “Wait?” He smiled. “What is this ‘wait’ you speak of?”
Demon had made it to some bushes just two pounces away from the men. Michael had his back to her, and Akio could not see through the man.
It was perfect.
Akio was about to answer Michael’s question regarding the meaning of “wait” when Michael blazed into action. He twisted and ducked as a figure leapt over him, headed straight for Akio.
Akio set his legs, his right arm reaching up and under the head of the cat as his left braced to catch the rib cage.
The cat slammed into him, making a gurgling sound as Akio whipped Demon against the Black Eagle.
Ouuuuuch! Demon keened as Akio dropped her. My heeeeaaaad!
“And that is why Akio is not food,” Michael told the mountain lion as she wove in a crooked line while trying to catch a breath.
You did that on purpose? Akio asked in surprise.
I’ve been working to cover her noise, Michael admitted. She has to learn she isn’t the apex predator anymore.
The big cat laid on the ground after Akio released her. That was painful.
“You should not have tried to sneak up on us,” Michael reprimanded her. “You could have been killed.”
She sighed. I was playing! Who knew Akio was so fast? She turned her head to look at Akio, who was staring at her with one eyebrow raised. And what happened with your eyes?
Akio didn’t answer. He merely glanced to Michael, who answered, “They flashed red.”
Oh.
Akio pointed to himself. “I am a vampire, as is Michael. Occasionally, when we are angry or surprised, our connection to the Etheric will cause our eyes to flash red as you saw.”
Like the others flashed the color of the daytime?
“Yellow,” Michael told her. “Akio’s were red.”
I caught red the first time. She licked a paw. It’s not like I’m a dog, here. My lack of claws doesn’t make me stupid.
Akio glanced at Michael.
Michael sighed.
Getting her acclimated to Ashur might prove to be a challenge.
“Let’s look at your paws, Demon,” Michael told her as he walked over to where she was laying down. “And if you so much as look at me wrong, I will backhand you so hard you will roll until you hit the sea.”
She looked up at him. What’s the sea?
“Large body of salt water,” Michael replied.
What’s salt water? she followed up.
“Water with salt in it,” Michael answered, turning her paw over in his hand.
How far away is that, and in what direction? she asked, trying to twist her head to look around.
Michael’s shoulders slumped and Akio turned around, not allowing Michael to see him cover his mouth or the glint of laughter in his eyes.
Downtown Tokyo, Japan
The black Pod slipped through the upper atmosphere toward the massive city of lights. “They have full holographic advertisements?” Michael asked. He didn’t bother to hide his shock as he watched enormous holograms a hundred feet high—or higher, in two cases—spread their marketing messages in the night.
There was no need for the sun. The sheer amount of light in the city was enough to permit them to walk around.
Shadows, he surmised, might be hard to find on the major streets below the massive skyscrapers. Everywhere he looked, he saw floating and flying vehicles.
The two had dropped Demon off at one of Akio’s safehouses just south of the city. Michael had promised that eventually he would get her claws back for her, and Akio had just happened to have his tablet in a position to take a photo of Demon licking Michael’s face in appreciation. He had grimaced as the cat’s tongue scraped the side of his cheek.
It was good blackmail material for the future.
“Yes, there were some movies back before WWDE which imagined the reality of what Japan is now.”
“Very impressive,” Michael commented as Akio took them around the largest area of lights and ads and dropped them onto a medium-height seventy-five story building that was in the shade of a larger two-hundred-story building. “Just pop the hatch. I’ll take us down,” Michael told him.
A moment later the black Pod shot into the air to hide amongst the clouds as two men appeared on the roof of the tall building. Looking over the side, Michael pointed. “Is it that one?” he asked. Akio followed his finger.
Pulling up his tablet, Akio used the zoom feature. “That building with the blue lights?” Akio asked.
“Yes.”
“No.” Akio shook his head. “It is the older-looking building to the side.”
“Of course it is.” Michael nodded once and the two of them disappeared into his Myst.
Orochi nodded as Aoi walked by him. He was standing in the sacred area inside their true base of operations.
The building next to them was a plant. While he had excellent contacts inside the police force, you never trusted any party whose purpose put them at odds with your own. At some point you would be enemies.
It was just a given.
He had tried to get hold of Raiden twice before his contact alerted him to a very suspect fire at one of Raiden’s businesses. Orochi sighed.
Raiden wasn’t the only one who had the ability to uncover secrets. He had probably gone to ground at that building at the instigation of his partner. Unfortunately, it seemed that the Diplomat—or others—was smarter.
Which left him with his own challenge. Should he withdraw his people, or just himself?
Cut off the root, the vine would die. Cut off the vine, the root can grow again. He nodded sharply to himself.
As the root, he needed to stay safe. Decision made, he stepped toward his office. He was walking down the underground hallway when the lights dimmed and the red safety lights turned on.
Something had tripped his security next door.
His lips pressed together as he reached his office. He grabbed his wakizashi, the shorter of his swords, which was designed for inside work, and also pocketed a few extra tricks as he readied himself in case the attackers were to successfully repulse his first response and figure out how to make it into this enclave.
There was no running from a fight. While not the most tactically sound business choice, there was no way he would fail his teams by running like a coward.
He held his sword by the sheath and walked toward the security room to watch what happened next.
“Yessss.” Michael stood in the middle of a large practice area, slowly rotating to scan for enemies as Akio, only five feet away, watched the hallways. “I do believe we have kicked over an anthill.” Reaching under his jacket, Michael pulled out a short sword. “This might be a little fun.”
Do you have a connection to the leader?
There was a lag before Michael answered, Got him. He isn’t going to run from the fight. Interesting, they aren’t in this building.
Hai! Akio looked around. As far as he could tell they would come through the four entrances into the large room. However, he’d rather be safe than either dead or painfully mending while Michael laughed at him with a big fat, “I told you so.”
Not that he expected Michael to say that, in so many words.
“Eve is going to be pissed she got the address wrong,” Akio whispered. “She prides herself on accuracy.”
“Pride comes before the fall,” Michael answered. “I should know, I coined the phrase.” He chuckled. “It wasn’t about me originally, even though I just proved it.” He finished as they heard the rushing footsteps whispering through the hallways and they got themselves into position.
Akio limbered up. “I count eighty-eight.” He sighed. “Somebody must have been expecting us.”
“Probably a reaction to Raiden’s death,” Michael answered as the entrances vomited fighters. Soon they had four groups of just over twenty men each. “I’ll take the first fifty. You can have the rest.”
