Under My Heel Read online

  “Why, who is the other one besides him and me?”

  Bethany Anne looked over at Gabrielle, no smile on her face. “You’re scared?”

  Gabrielle walked over and sat on the couch. She hadn’t meant to start this conversation, “Yes. Aren’t you? I’ve lived for… Ok, lots of years.”

  Bethany Anne snapped her fingers, so close!

  “It has been a wild ride before I met you. But you take, this, saving the world seriously. You are trying to make it better for so many people at the same time. I’m scared of a lot of things, but you losing your mind is probably my chief concern.”

  Bethany Anne walked over to the couch and sat with Gabrielle, pulling one leg up underneath her and sitting on her foot. “Losing my mind? Have I been making bad decisions?”

  Gabrielle shook her head, “No, and that is more troubling. We all make mistakes. But I worry that the longer you go without making a mistake, the bigger the mistake will be.”

  “Like some kind of Karma equation? Make lots of small mistakes or you save up the results for a big explosion?”

  “Maybe? Maybe not. I’m not sure. Do you realize that we took out one of Michael’s children? And as soon as we find that fucker David, his ass will be gone too. I’ve lived my… more than a hundred, less than a thousand, years with those two as pinnacles. You only got higher by going to Michael. And, I just got through watching him take on a female technician and he didn’t know what to do about it. You have the Patriarch, the absolute top of Vampires, who was never long-suffering to begin with, working with you as a partner. He even calls you for advice. Michael has never, before you, called anyone for advice.”

  “You did hear how that got him stuck in ’the container of death’, right? He had a long time to think about it, it has seemed to change him.”

  “Change. Maybe that is my problem?” Gabrielle sat back against the couch, arms crossed over her eyes. “When you are as … traditional … as I am.”

  “You mean old-as-fuck, right?” Bethany Anne let the smile creep into her voice.

  Gabrielle lifted her right arm to peak out and stab Bethany Anne with a look that would wither a lessor woman. “That right there is what appeals to me, and scares me. You are so young to have so much on your shoulders, what if those shoulders break?”

  There it was. That was what was bothering Bethany Anne. That was what she hadn’t been able to put her finger on. What if her shoulder’s broke?

  They are as strong as titanium, Bethany Anne. Well, not entirely, but it made for a good metaphor TOM thought.

  What?

  Remember? We adjusted your bone structure. Let the enemy come at us, we won’t bend, we won’t break, we will stand resolute and then, kick their ass.

  Bethany Anne whispered, “And let God sort them out, TOM?”

  And let your Deity of Choice sort them out.

  Gabrielle understood that Bethany Anne was having an internal discussion with TOM. But it was an existential moment as she watched the woman in front of her go from Bethany Anne the friend, to Bethany Anne, Leader. This was the woman who had first attracted her.

  Bethany Anne’s eyes flashed fire and her smile returned. “I’ve been so informed that it’s damn near impossible for my Kurtherian enhanced shoulders to break. However, we will take each challenge head on and steam-roll the fuckers over if they can’t get with the program. If they will talk, we will talk. If they want to yell, well then, we will slap the shit out of them until they want to talk or their jaws are wired shut. If they want to fight? Fuck ‘em. We have shit to do and no time to do it.”

  Gabrielle stared at her boss for a minute and then could feel the assurance seeping back in her bones. “You’ve been worried, haven’t you?”

  Bethany Anne nodded, “You know? I think I have. I’ve made some poor decisions lately, I might need to go to a confessional, perhaps. However, thanks to you and the rest of my team, I’ll never bow, I’ll never break. I will stand and let the fuckers come…”

  Gabrielle finished for her, “and then kill them all and let God sort them out?”

  “If they won’t talk? Yup.”

  Gabrielle stood up and offered her hand down to Bethany Anne, “Come on, boss. Let’s go find someone who needs to get fucked-up.” Bethany Anne quirked and eyebrow at Gabrielle who raised both hands in the air and turned around to walk out of the room. “Oh, for fuck’s sake! I can’t believe you turned that into a slut statement!”

  Bethany Anne hopped up and raced to catch her Guard’s leader, slapping Gabrielle on her ass as she ran by. “Three is the magic number!”

  Gabrielle stopped in the hallway, looking at the stairs where Bethany Anne had just disappeared.

  A smile curled her lips a tiny, so very tiny whisper breathing through her lips. “It was four, a girl has to have at least one secret.” She started walking again, “Well, at least one more secret.” But, she had been very drunk, which had taken quite a lot of effort. So maybe it was two and she thought it was just two sets of twins? Crap, for all she could remember, it was possibly just a dream, too.

  —

  Bethany Anne didn’t find her dad, but she did see Ashur laying out on the back grass, enjoying the sun. She trans-located over to her house next door. Unlocking the transfer closet she had here, she poked her head out and spoke in a loud voice, “Hello the house?”

  “I’m in the kitchen.” Her father’s voice called out. She could hear AC/DC blasting from the weight room in the converted garage, so that was where the rest of the team was, she guessed.

  Bethany Anne walked into the kitchen area. “What are you doing?”

  Her father closed the fridge door. He had bread on the counter, packages of cheese and meat in his hands. “Lunch.” He said, as he dropped the various packages onto the counter.

  “Where’s Patricia?”

  “She had an 11:30 appointment at what she called the ‘magical, magical’ place. When I asked for clarification, I was informed my security clearance wasn’t high enough. Imagine that, a General without a high enough security clearance.”

  Bethany Anne put out a hand, “Stop what you’re doing. We need to catch up and I don’t want,” she waved her fingers at his sandwich materials, “this. How about Joe’s?”

  Her dad smiled and grabbed the meats and cheeses and turned back around opening the fridge. “Damn, what a negotiator. Fine, fine, twist my arm and demand the concessions … I’ll do it.” Her dad finished putting away the bread and reached for the keys on the counter. “Which pair are going to shadow us?”

  She shrugged, “Don’t know, but we need to talk without extra ears, so they can take a second car.”

  “What are we going to talk about that those guys can’t hear?”

  “Father-daughter stuff.”

  Lance looked back at the kitchen, already wishing he hadn’t been so quick to throw away his safety line.

  As the two of them came up to the front door, it opened with Gabrielle walking in.

  “Going to Joe’s, tell whoever to grab the next SUV. We will drive the speed limit, so catch up.”

  Gabrielle saw the forlorn look on Lance’s face, so she could guess he had an idea this wasn’t normal business. “We will be along a couple of minutes behind you.”

  The door shut behind them, she walked to the garage and poked her head in calling out for John and Eric to throw a shirt on and did anyone want something from Joe’s?

  Lance was surprised when Bethany Anne jumped into the driver’s seat. She so often had her security driving, he had rather forgotten that she could drive just fine. Sliding into the passenger seat, he watched as she started the SUV and hit the button to open their gate. She was a better driver than he remembered.

  No time like the present to get the hard stuff out of the way, “What’s going on, baby?”

  “You, dad.”

  “Me?”

  “Yes, my loving father who is occasionally as dense as a howitzer barrel.”

  Lance considered wh
at she had just said, nothing came up that he should have figured out. “Did I forget a birthday? Do Nicht even have birthdays?”

  “Dad! Women after a certain age don’t have birthdays. They remind us that we are aging. Well, I guess I don’t want to know how old I am. Wait, how did we make this about me? That’s a woman’s trick.”

  “Also a General’s. Works to keep the younger officers on their toes.”

  “Good trick. Now, let’s talk about you.”

  “That’s what I’m avoiding.”

  “I can tell.”

  “So, let me know who I offended and I’ll try to make it up to them.”

  “Who you offended?”

  “Yeah, I can’t think of anyone I’ve pissed off. That’s something I probably would remember. So, I figure that I’ve been my usually tactless self and offended someone. But, I’ve got to tell you I wouldn’t have believed I could offend any of your team, and I’ve tried.”

  “Patricia.”

  Lance was caught unprepared. He was expecting to have to play twenty questions. He never would have though Patricia was the one person he would offend. He never would have wanted to do that. “How? When?”

  “For the last umpteen years.”

  “Then why did she come work for me?” Lance was puzzled, he thought Patricia was happy. At least, she always seemed happy.

  “Dad.” Bethany Anne made sure she had his attention as they drove towards Joe’s. “She loves you. You treat her like a secretary in the Army, friendly but untouchable.”

  Lance was shocked. His world just got twisted on its ear.

  Bethany Anne reached over and snapped her fingers to get him to focus, “Stay with me, dad. You aren’t in the Army anymore, you’re private. You can have a relationship or not have a relationship. But what you can’t do is not let Patricia know if you are available for a relationship. You can’t continue to ignore the love she has for you.”

  Patricia was available? Patricia loved him?

  Bethany Anne looked over again and noticed he was not tracking. She smiled and let him think about it for a couple of minutes.

  “You said she loves me?”

  The gruff Army General wasn’t in the vehicle at the moment. Her dad was, and Bethany Anne couldn’t be happier. “Yes, she certainly believes she does. But unless you’re willing to return her affections and see if the relationship can go anywhere, she is going to love this fake representation of you until the day she dies.”

  “Dies? Bethany Anne, can’t you help her as you have done for Frank and I?”

  “Certainly, but will she want that? Not everyone wants to take the oath to do whatever it takes to save the world. The benefits are great but the price is steep, dad.”

  He nodded. He had a lot to think about. This wasn’t the lunch conversation he had expected to have today. Or, frankly, ever.

  The Queen Bitch’s Ship Ad Aeternitatem

  William got up early. He figured that the other two, due to their quiet deliberation and a couple of beers last night, would follow him in an hour or two.

  He was surprised to find Marcus already in the garage, typing on the new laptop, communicating with TOM.

  “What’re you talking with TOM about, Doc?”

  Marcus looked up and smiled, “Life the Universe and Everything.” When he got no response from William, he continued, “Not a Douglas Adams fan?”

  “Who? Is he another Rocket Scientist? Because I have to admit that you’re my first, doc. I’ve popped my cherry on you, my friend.”

  A laugh erupted from Marcus, “I’m your first Rocket Scientist, William? You guys have some of the most puerile humor. I love it.” He looked back to the laptop.

  “Puerile doc? Don’t make me beat you senseless to find out it was something nice.”

  Marcus answered without looking up, “It means immature. I find the effort you and Bobcat make, to keep your teenage humor alive, enjoyable. As a scientist, too many of us spend our early years trying to be taken seriously. By the time we are old enough to wear ‘serious’ correctly, we’ve lost the ability to enjoy the youth we left behind.”

  “That fucking sucks, doc.”

  “That it does, William. That it does.” Marcus was typing furiously.

  William looked over the white board. There wasn’t anything new on it, that he hadn’t seen, from last night. He walked over to the coffee area and got out a fresh pad and pen from underneath the counter. Walking back, he pulled a chair out across from the doc and started doodling.

  William was perplexed. They had an original design for three people and after the big meeting with Stephen and the Captains, the team had talked with Pete and Todd. They had agreed that their fire teams were going to be based on three, and a shitload of equipment.

  That meant four per rocket when you included the pilot.

  “Damned shame that we have to put a pilot in these things.”

  “Hmmm?”

  William hadn’t been talking to Marcus, as Marcus was so absorbed in his communication with TOM. “I said, it’s a bit of a shame that we have to have four people on the ships. When you include the three from the fire team, plus a pilot and all of the gear we might as well design a SUV for these guys.”

  Marcus looked up from his typing. His eyes losing the, glazed over, look of someone who is just now starting to pay attention to you. “SUV? What is that, a Support Utility Vehicle?”

  Smiling, William replied, “No, Sport Utility Vehicle, like a truck?”

  Marcus grimaced, “I’m sorry, William. My head was nodding but no one was listening. What were you asking?”

  “I said, it’s a shame that we have to have four people plus all of their gear. Shoving all of these requirements into a rocket design is limiting. What happens when they land? If we assume they are all standing up when the fins land on the ground, then they step off. If we try to land sideways, then that’s all good, but taking off …”

  William realized that their whole discussion, from the previous evening, had made their first designs a moot point.

  “Doc, can you ask TOM what he would design for four people and a crap-ton of equipment as the most logical design for flight and for manufacturing?”

  “Certainly.” Marcus got to typing.

  The door opened and Bobcat called out a ‘good-morning’ to the group. William raised a hand as he heard Bobcat’s footsteps walk over to the coffee maker. Bobcat wouldn’t have a hangover. The man was too professional for that. But, he would be a little easier to talk with after a cup of the brown nectar.

  Bobcat came over to the table and pulled out a chair next to William, setting his coffee down. “What’s doc up to?”

  “Talking with TOM, asking him what the best design for four people and gear would be.”

  “Good idea, you come up with that?”

  William grunted.

  “Seriously?”

  William grunted again.

  “No way?”

  “Way.”