Authors: C. E. Martin
"Oh, no you don't!" Dean Johnson yelled, sprinting after him and leaping into the air.
The stone soldier was nowhere near as graceful as the German, but he made the leap, passing clumsily through the open portal, legs apart as though running. Just as he entered the opening, it abruptly winked out.
Colonel Kenslir leapt through the opening in the wall Johnson had made, pistol in hand and just in time to see a leg plummet to the ground, cut off just below the right knee.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Laura Olson felt much better now. She was whistling happily as she walked into the briefing room, drying her long, red hair. The vampire was wearing a large robe, with oversized bunny slippers, bringing all conversation to a halt when she entered.
She finished with her hair and draped the towel over one shoulder. "Howdy, y'all."
"Glad you could join us, Doctor Olson," Colonel Kenslir frowned. He was once more in multicam uniform, sitting at the head of the table, reading printouts and a tablet computer while the rest of the team looked on—those capable of it, exhausted.
"I just had to wash off all that icky neo-Nazi," Laura said, scooping a Danish off a plate beside the Colonel as she walked past. She smiled and nodded to everyone as she made her way to the opposite end of the long table and took a seat.
"What I'd miss?" Laura said, setting her Danish down. She began digging in the pockets of her robe, pulling out hair brush, compact, lipstick, eyeliner and nail polish. To either side of her, Victor and Colonel Phillips just shook their heads.
"This is why he got away," Javi Wallach said, arms crossed over her chest. She was furious, about to explode. "And you call this a military unit."
Chad Phillips tried to suppress a smile. The informality of the Detachment had indeed changed from years gone by, before he was a stone soldier.
"Oh, good grief," Laura said around a mouthful of Danish. "Would you get over yourself already? You'd have been torn to pieces if Mark had let you come along."
Javi glared at Laura, so angry she couldn't think of what to say.
Dr. King spoke up. "We believe that Commander Johnson may still be alive. The cleanliness of the edge of his limb suggests it was not cut, per se, but rather removed by the collapse of the portal."
"So he jumped through and it closed on him?" Laura said. She finished off the Danish and began to lick her fingers, one by one, winking at Colonel Kenslir as she did so.
"All the hybrid bodies have now been incinerated," Kenslir said. "We do not believe there are any others in the area."
"On to Antarctica," Captain Daniel Smith said. He slid a tablet across the table to Dr. Olson.
"A vacation!" she said, picking the tablet up and reading it. "How exciting!"
"We anticipate a location within the hour," Kenslir said. "I've assigned everyone to a team for deployment. Dr. Olson, you and Ms. Winters will accompany me and Mr. Kane on Sleipnir. We'll be leaving in just a few hours."
Javi blew out a breath of air and looked at the ceiling. "Why do they get to go?"
"Dr. Olson and Ms. Winters-" Kenslir began.
"Are freaks, I know," Wallach said. "I can handle it. I may not have any weird abilities, and I'm not made of stone, but I'm better trained than anyone at this table."
"You do realize we're going to Antarctica, right?" Chad Phillips said. "Coldest place on earth?"
"I'll wear a jacket," Javi said.
Laura Olson laughed as she brushed out her long hair.
"It's not that simple, Ms. Wallach," the Colonel cut in. "Aside from the coast, we're talking temperatures that can reach well below zero. People can die in those conditions."
"It's summer in Antarctica, right?" Javi countered. "When all the scientists fly in and out and can actually go outside? I'm sure I'll be fine."
"Well, I'm happy to stay here in Miami," Alvarro Sierra said. "I appreciate being included in this, but the south pole is a bit out of my jurisdiction."
Pam Keegan, seated beside him, nodded. "This is what this team was made for, Ms. Wallach. Harsh conditions no human could survive. We can watch the mission progression from here, just like this morning."
"No," Javi said. "I am not going to sit back and let you screw this up again. I am going along and I'm going to make sure these bastards are put down once and for all."
"Make sure you have a will filled out," Laura said, now putting eyeliner on.
"Ms. Wallach-" the Colonel started to say.
Dr. Guerrera looked up from her table. "Actually, Colonel, there may be a way." She swiped her hand across her tablet, sending a file to the Colonel.
He looked down at it and read it quickly, cocking an eyebrow.
"What?" Javi demanded.
"You're not going to like it," Kenslir said, almost smiling.
***
They were in another vault in the basement of Argon Tower, barely an hour from lift off. Javi felt a little self-conscious, but took her robe off.
"This will monitor your core temperature," Dr. King said, starting to attach sensors to her. The Mossad agent was now in shorts and an athletic bra, her hair back in a ponytail, still not believing she was even considering this.
Dr. King finished with the sensors attached to her stomach and chest, then began attaching more sensors to her, this time to her forehead.
"What are those for?" Javi asked.
"To see if you have any brain activity," Josie said. She was standing to the side of the door into the room, away from Dr. King and the table his equipment was set up on.
Javi glared at Josie but said nothing.
"Why do you hate us so much?' Josie asked. She was in multicam now herself, ready to head to the nearby Airbase and board a plane to the south pole.
"I believe," Dr. King said, interrupting before Javi could answer. "That after the War, when it was discovered the Germans had used paranaturals and supernaturals to track down, capture and experiment on the Hebrews, that they first began to show some distrust.
"Later, after Israel was formed, further intelligence was shared with the beginnings of what would become Mossad. Intelligence confirmed the experiments in the camps trying to create parahumans."
"So?" Josie demanded. "I'm no Nazi."
"Neither were they," Javi said. "But that didn't stop them from hunting down my people."
"Yes," Dr. King said, now slipping a Blood pressure cuff on Javi's arm. "Most of those working for the SS were gypsies. Paid in gold for their services."
"Gold taken from the prisoners in the camps," Javi added.
"So you're going to blame us all for what a few did?"
"Do," Javi said. "The Nazis weren't the only ones to turn to the supernatural."
"Right," Dr. King said stepping back and checking the connections to the equipment on the table. "Why, in 2008, the Colonel and Captain Smith encountered a Fire Elemental in Iraq, under the control of an insurgent."
He saw the look on Javi's face and realized she'd been talking about him and the Detachment. "Oh."
"And you think you can take on threats like these überwolves without a little help?"
"We are prepared for anything," Javi said.
"Still, you could fight fire with fire."
"How American," Javi responded. "We don't need to resort to trickery to triumph. Israel will endure because of the hard work of its people and the grace of God."
Josie was going to say that God made parahumans, but her own abilities weren't exactly something she'd been born with.
Further debate was stopped by the arrival of Dr. Guerrera.
"Ah, Maria!" Dr. King said. "You found it!"
Dr. Guerrera carried a small metal case with her, roughly the size of a briefcase. She placed it on a table and opened it.
"What is it?" Javi asked, worried what the answer might be. These Americans could turn men into golems. There was no telling what exactly they had in mind for her.
"This," Dr. Guerrera said, holding out a bracelet. It was fairly worn, a band of flat, reddish-brown leather, almost three inches wide. A number of symbols and letters from some long-dead language were stamped into the leather.
"What is that? Alligator?"
"Dragon," Dr. Guerrera said.
Javi's hand hesitated just short of taking the bracelet. "What does it do?"
Dr. Guerrera smiled and slipped the band on Javi's left wrist. "When worn, it keeps the user from ever getting cold."
Javi felt it—a hot flash that radiated out from the bracelet, all over her body. It was like stepping into a hot tub. In seconds, the sensation passed.
"Apparently," Dr. Guerrera said, "Not only is dragon skin fireproof, it also helps them generate the internal heat they need."
"Where'd you get it?" Josie asked, walking over and straining to see the bracelet.
Dr. Guerrera pulled a second bracelet from the case and held it out. When Josie reached for it, she jerked it back. "I don't think that's a good idea.
"And it came from a dragon."
"Why?" Javi asked.
"The idea," Dr. King said in his excited manner, "was to enable soldiers to operate in harsh environments without any of the physical side effects."
"What happened?" Josie asked.
Dr. Guerrera smiled. "It was too expensive, and difficult, to make more. And the protection didn't extend to equipment."
"Make more?" Javi didn't understand. "As in, there are more dragons?"
"Fountain of Youth," Josie said, all but adding a
duh
to her statement.
"Well, shall we begin?" Dr. King said, stepping away from Javi. He put his hands gently on Dr. Guerrera's shoulders and led her away.
"And this will keep me safe?"
Dr. Guerrera had a tablet out, watching the readouts from the sensors attached to the Mossad agent. "We never tested it in Antarctica. But it worked perfectly in arctic climates."
"Here," Dr. King said, taking the second wrist bracelet from Dr. Guerrera and then handing her a coat. "You shouldn't be wearing those things in your condition."
"Thank you." Dr. Guerrera slipped the coat on and nodding to Josie as she did so. "Go ahead."
Josie smiled evilly at Javi. "My pleasure."
Nothing happened.
"Looking good," Dr. King said, watching his own tablet computer.
Josie concentrated. Javi could taste the air she was inhaling—it was colder now.
"Any discomfort?" Dr. Guerrera asked.
"None."
Josie continued to glare at the agent, concentrating. Something fell from the air. Then another something. Specks—small and white.
"Is that snow?" Javi asked, surprised. The falling ice crystals were in great number now, dropping from the air all around her.
"Frost," Dr. King said, not looking up from his tablet. "Water vapor in the air freezing. Keep going, Josie."
Josie was squinting now, and her fists were balled at her sides. Javi thought she heard something and looked down. Ice was forming around her, radiating out on the surface of the floor, from under her feet.
A trickle of blood began to come from Josie's nose.
"Are you all right?" Javi asked.
Josie wiped the blood away and set her jaw, redoubling her effort.
Suddenly, the frost forming in the air stopped drifting down.
"Something's wrong..." Dr. King said.
A brilliant orange ball appeared before Josie, several feet across, racing toward Javi. The Mossad agent ducked, throwing her hands up to protect herself. The flaming orb passed over her like a breeze, rustling her hair. It splashed against the cold wall behind her, sizzling and dissipating.
Josie exhaled, not realizing she had been holding her breath. She grabbed onto Dr. Guerrera's coat to steady herself.
"Absolutely amazing! " Dr. King exclaimed.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
It was past sunset when the team arrived at the south eastern corner of Homestead Air Force Base. Colonel Kenslir, Javi Wallach, Josie, Jimmy and Laura Olson all rode together in a single van, all dressed in multicam, with assault vests and large duffel bags of gear.
The van pulled up to a set of hangars where a black B-1 bomber sat, being prepared for takeoff.
"Is that our ride?" Wallach asked. "I thought they only seated four."
"Forward bay has a crew module," Jimmy said, reaching past Wallach to grab two duffel bags from the van. Josie and the Colonel were already headed for the supersonic, sweep-winger bomber, its crew standing by the front nose gear.
"Crew module?" Javi thought back to what she knew about the aircraft. A cold War-era, supersonic bomber with three bomb bays, capable of low altitude penetration of enemy airspace or high altitude, precision bombing. But she didn't remember anything about a crew module.
"Relax, dear, it's like riding in a bus," Dr. Olson said smiling. She had her hair back in a thick ponytail, her tactical glasses hanging on the front of her vest. Like Jimmy, she grabbed two bags of equipment from the van then hurried to catch up to the Colonel and Josie.
"Sir!" a female pilot by the bomber said, saluting as the Colonel approached. She and three other officers were standing by to receive the team. Her rank tabs revealed her to be a Major and her name tape read KARR.
"Major," Kenslir said, returning a salute. He nodded to the remainder of the crew and handed a small packet over to the Major. "Are we ready for takeoff?"
"Yes, sir," Karr answered tucking the packet under one arm. "I'm eager to put this one through its paces."
"Sorry, Major, simple air drop on this one," Kenslir said. "But we will be refueling in the air."
"Yes, sir!"
Laura Olson walked up looking the plane over. "Looks like the last one. I thought this was a new one?"
Karr smiled politely to the vampire. "Welcome back, Doctor."
"Hey," Laura said. "I hope this flight goes smoother than the last one."
"Yes, Ma'am."
Javi had finally made it over, struggling with the two large duffel bags she had been assigned. She noticed that the plane was configured for a single forward bomb bay, the removable bulkhead between the forward two bomb bays removed—something normally meaning large ordinance. But instead of long missiles on a carousel launcher, she saw a ramp extending down out of the bay.
"Need some help with that, ma'am?" one of the crew, Captain Bradford, asked, reaching for one of the heavy duffels Javi carried.
"I can manage," she said, walking around the Captain. Jimmy was already headed up the narrow ramp into the plane.
Javi followed him up, noting the ramp was barely five feet wide. Once she was on it, she realized how steep it was, angling up into the aircraft. Sure enough the bomb bay had been fitted with a single, large module that filled the large bay.
Javi marched up the ramp, nearly dragging her duffels until she finally reached the level deck of the crew module.
The module was almost teardrop-shaped, narrow from floor level up to about two-and-a-half feet, then widening. The ceiling was curved and low—with about the same headroom as a van.
"Pick a seat," Jimmy said. He was already in one of the many large, leather seats that ran down the left-hand side of the plane. The right was an empty aisle, with cargo nets along the starboard wall, holding equipment cases and the team's duffel bags.
"This is it?" Javi asked, surprised. The interior of the plane couldn't be more than six feet across. She'd been in helicopters with more room.
"Hey, c'mon," Laura Olson said behind her on the long ramp. "Some of us would like to sit down."
Javi nodded and picked the seat closest to the end of the ramp. It, like all the others, was swiveled around to face the rear of the plane and looked more like a large recliner than something she expected to see on an airplane.
"How long is this flight going to be?" Javi asked as she struggled to stow her duffels into the cargo nets along the starboard wall of the crew module.
"Ten hours," the Colonel said, coming up the ramp behind Josie. He had to duck inside the small confines of the crew compartment. "And you're up front with Josie."
Javi frowned but stood, waiting for Josie to pass her. At the forward bulkhead, Josie opened a small hatch set three feet off the deck. A ladder was mounted below the hatch, up which Josie easily climbed and ducked through the hatch. On either side of the opening, two folding seats rested against the back of the bulkhead, facing toward the rear of the plane.
"C'mon," Josie said, reaching back out of the hatch.
Javi ignored the hand and turned to give the Colonel a questioning look. "I thought these were four seaters?"
"This is a new model," Kenslir said. "Modern avionics take up less space, so we have two extra crew seats. Since you and Winters aren't as durable as us, you'll ride up front."
"Uh, ten hours is a long time," Javi said. "Where do we, you know..."
"Potty?" Laura Olson asked, grinning mischievously. She was in the second seat from the front of module. She looked up from a magazine and pointed to the rear of the plane. "Chemical toilet."
At the back bulkhead, hanging over the open space where the ramp would serve as a floor when raised, there was what looked like a sink and toilet.
Javi gave her a shocked look.
"Don't worry, the boys won't peek."
"Everyone get buckled in," the Colonel said. He moved to a control box on the wall of the module and turned a lever. Hydraulics in the plane came to life and the long ramp began to slowly cycle up.
***
The two extra seats in the front of the plane were standard ejector seats, the same as the rest of the crew had. Javi felt a lot less comfortable in them than the oversized recliners in the crew module, especially once she was strapped in. There were no windows anywhere near her, making the seating position a bit claustrophobic.
A large touchscreen panel was mounted on the bulkhead in front of her. At least it would give her something to do on the long flight.
"All buckled up?" Josie asked. She'd just crawled through the very narrow passage leading from the two seats, through the avionics bay to the hatch leading into the cockpit.
"Fine," Javi said. She rubbed at her wrist and the dragon-leather bracelet she was wearing.
"Once we're in the air, we'll get the all clear to move around," Josie said. "I know it's not that easy, but you can come and go as you please to the rear module or if you want to go up front to the cockpit. There's a hatch sealing us off from the cockpit, and the one we crawled through. Only one can be open in flight at a time."
"Why would I want to go back there?" Javi asked.
"Well, it's not much more room, but you can walk around, stretch your legs."
"I think I'll stay here."
"Suit yourself," Josie said, sitting in her own ejector seat on the starboard side and buckling in. She slipped on a set of headphones with a boom mike and thumbed a switch on the panel under her own bulkhead-mounted display. "All clear for takeoff."
Javi could feel the engines of the plane rumble to life. The touch screen panel in front of her flickered on, revealing a forward-looking view, past the nose of the plane.
"You can change the view," Josie said, reaching over, across the narrow aisle between the seats, just barely able to touch the large screen. A menu appeared along the bottom. "All the important stuff is password protected, though."
She pointed to a small panel with toggles and switches under the screen. "These are for in-flight communications. You can talk to the flight crew, me, or the passenger module."
Javi nodded and pulled down her own pair of headphones hung on the wall beside her. She switched the toggles to listen to REAR JUMPSEATS so she could hear Josie—not that she really felt like talking.
The plane began to roll forward now, slowly. It steered out onto a taxiway building speed as it moved to the main runway. Once there, the plane turned, the pilot lining up for takeoff. The engines increased in pitch, sending vibrations through the whole airframe.
"This is a lot of fun," Josie said into the boom mike on her headset.
Their wait wasn't very long, then the plane finally lurched forward, shooting quickly down the runway. Javi tapped an icon on her screen and the same headup display a pilot would see came into view, displaying a pitch indicator, airspeed and altimeter, superimposed over the forward camera view.
The runway and the lights on either side of it rapidly became a blur, then the nose of the plane slowly lifted. Javi could feel the rear wheels lift clear, then the huge supersonic bomber was in the air.
"Wake me when we get there," she said, muting her headset then leaning back as best she could and closed her eyes.