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  “Fast,” she replied, “do you need a third pouch? You don’t seem to be able to think clearly.”

  Barnabas started to open his mouth before closing it again, “Why?”

  “You dared to question my love for Michael. You do it again Barnabas, and you will need to reattach your head.” Barnabas turned to regard the woman who now had red glowing eyes and fangs starting to descend, “NO ONE questions my love for Michael!” She hissed at him, “And manages to live.”

  Barnabas nodded and held out a hand, “Please?”

  Bethany Anne tossed a third blood pouch to him. “Why did you bring five?” She asked, working to get her anger under control.

  Barnabas grunted, “I wasn’t planning on five, I had packed two and Stephen came up and dumped three more and told me ‘don’t be a jackass and you won’t need them all.”

  “That comment should have been enough for you.” Bethany Anne stated.

  “I’m more of an experiential learner,” Barnabas supplied, “or I ask lots of questions.”

  “What have you learned?” Bethany Anne asked.

  “Not to question your attachment to Michael,” he said, then added, “And be careful of your right punch.”

  “Both. I hit you with my left the first time,” she told him.

  “Then, be careful of your left and be very, very careful of your right,” Barnabas said.

  “Other than telling your story, what was your additional reason for coming out here, Barnabas?” Bethany Anne asked, her anger finally pushed back into a mental box.

  “Well, I was concerned if I leave my chosen path of neutrality that you would not be strong enough to cage and kill me should I fall into another Time of Disgrace. I needed to know that someone could stop me from committing another such travesty to humanity,” he admitted, “I think I have the answer.” He looked up to her wearing a small smile and touched his forehead, “Experience.”

  “And what would I do with you, Barnabas?” she asked him as she moved over a foot and sat on a rock.

  “Well, I can stay a judge, but I’ve finally figured out the suggested punishments are all just. So, you are just guiding me to figure this out. I’ve never felt so disgusted having to learn about useless excuses for people in all of my very long life.”

  “Not everyone is an ok person, Barnabas. There are Mother Theresa’s, and then there are Hitler’s,” she told him.

  “How do you judge?” Barnabas asked as he worked himself to his feet and grabbed the empty pouches to drop into the cooler, “Maybe a fourth?” He said with a grin on his face, “No need to suffer the last little bit. I’ve had my ego handed to me, perhaps you knocked some sense into my brain.”

  Bethany Anne snorted but waved him to the cooler, “Drink up and one can only hope.” She stood up and walked a few steps away and looked up into the stars, “What can you do for me, Barnabas?” She asked while staring at the stars, “If you aren't being a patented pain-in-the-ass, what can you do?” She turned back to him.

  “My lady,” Barnabas said, “I wasn’t jesting with Catherine that first night. I might not be at your level, but give me a few weeks or maybe a month, but I promise you. I will be your death, your executioner.”

  Bethany Anne was quiet for a few minutes, “Barnabas, I don’t need an executioner. If I have need of that, there are plenty who are ready and willing to deal out death for me. No, I have need of another role in the group. What I have need of is a Ranger. One who is authorized to act on my behalf to dispense justice knowing how I think, how I feel with a core inside him that I trust to do what is right. Although you are a pain in the ass, I trust you to be just.” Bethany Anne waited to see how it felt, this gut decision.

  It felt right.

  “This Ranger, it is one who does what, go out on reconnaissance?” Barnabas asked, confused.

  Bethany Anne shook her head. “No, you are thinking a military ranger. I’m talking about something like what in the U.S. is called a Texas Ranger. More of a law officer who will go and investigate and in the old times, they would dispense justice if necessary. My Rangers will be exactly that. Investigator and judge. Right now we are working on just one world. In the future, I think it will be required for multiple worlds. So, you are the first, and you will be the highest ranking. It will be your area of responsibility to build a core team as we find more. We will send them out as we deem necessary.”

  Barnabas was letting his shock work itself out of his system. He was going to have to apologize to Stephen.

  “Shall I give you my allegiance here or back in front of others?” Barnabas asked as he finished the fourth pouch and placed it inside the cooler. There was no way he was going to drink five of those. He had little room for anything at the moment.

  Bethany Anne considered his question, thinking through the different permutations. “Back at the ship in front of the main group. I want to work on the wording first, but I will accept your personal word right now so we can get started. I have to check on how Tabitha is doing soon.”

  “You have it. What shall we do now, then?” Barnabas asked as he looked to see how many hours they had left of dark.

  “Well, you’re out of shape, no time like the present to start working out. Besides, you have another pouch left for later when you need it.” She grinned wickedly at him as her eyes started turning red and her teeth grew.

  Barnabas smiled, she was right, no time like the present to get back into shape.

  Even if the form he was going to be in was probably a pretzel. There was always next time.

  Fifteen minutes later, as he rolled off of his back to stand up again, he decided he might give himself two months to get back into shape. Because if he had to get his ass kicked every day, he might just beg to become chum for the sharks.

  At least the pain would be over quicker.

  —

  TOM’S Spaceship

  Your going to make her a Vampire?

  I prefer the term Kurtherian Enhanced Super Human

  So, a Vampire?

  For a Kurtherian, you can be a real dick.

  It’s the company I keep.

  Did you just get a zinger in on me? You titty fucking inbred barnacle fucker… Huh, actually, that was a pretty good zinger all things considered. TOM, make it to where she can pull from the Etheric and if she wants to use the enhanced powers, she can make the decision to drink herself. God help me, I hope we don’t create a monster.

  How?

  She’s going to be able to kick the ass of the names she uncovers on her computer searches all by herself. Gott verdammt … Oh… Wait a second, Barnabas is just going to love the fuck out of me.

  Why? How is it I’m right here, in your own body and I can’t follow you?

  Because you aren’t thinking about the new Rangers. We are creating the second Ranger in existence. Oh my God.

  Bethany Anne leaned over the glass to see Tabitha, eyes closed as she slept in a Pod induced coma.

  “South America, you just became my Bitch.” Bethany Anne stood back up and started walking out of the Medical room.

  TOM, tie her into me like crazy, but load her up. Those inbred fuckwad bastards in South America want to take over from Michael? Well, I’ll send them my response and before Tabitha finishes they will be begging me to call her off.

  Or they will be dead. Bethany Anne grabbed Ashur and they both disappeared.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Wuhan, China

  Stephanie Lee walked down the hallway in a proper business woman's suit. Her neckline was high. She wore pants, and her shoes had very low heels. She preferred the opportunity to dress less conservatively in Europe, but she needed to have a talk with the head of her clan. The one who stayed in the mountains and stuck to the old beliefs. The one who had told her that to leave was to forsake the path at this stage in her life and she still had walked out on him.

  Her father.

  When she left eight years ago, she had told him in no uncertain terms her return would be a
s the head of a powerful organization without his help, whatsoever.

  Unfortunately, she had been wrong.

  So far, two of the twenty-six leaders in her group had died under very mysterious circumstances, and their deaths brought back memories learned before she was steeped in the traditions of today. When mysticism was real to her.

  From her childhood.

  She had made a request through the proper channels, and had been told to arrive at two hours past noon on the last Wednesday of the month. In other words, arrive in three days at 2:00 PM. Biting down her annoyance at the old ways, she had replied politely.

  Now, she was stepping out into the final area before she would be taken up into the mountains via helicopter. She hoped that this meeting went well.

  She hoped that her father would accept her back, with as little disgrace on her part as possible. Because if he didn’t, she felt sure her neck was on the line. She had ignored Anna Elisabeth Hauser’s information about not attacking and so far, it had not gone well at all. It felt like the calm before the storm, and that was with two mysterious deaths and military results that were … bad.

  Polarus - Mid-Atlantic

  Cheryl Lynn was on the video-wall as Gabrielle put up a dress to show her.“ How about this one?” she asked.

  “Do you want to say ‘jump me’?” Cheryl Lynn asked, and Gabrielle pulled the dress away from her to look at it.

  “How does this dress say ‘jump me’? It’s just a beautiful red,” she remarked.

  “What color lipstick are you going to match it with?” Cheryl Lynn replied.

  “Well, a red of course.” Gabrielle looked back at the video screen. “You think maybe I should do black?” she retorted.

  “No, but I bet you ten dollars you pick a ‘fuck-me’ red lipstick,” Cheryl Lynn responded.

  “Which color is that?” Gabrielle asked. “I don’t remember that color in all of the choices,” she admitted.

  “It’s the color that says, ‘your hose is going to be hot, and I’ve got the water to quench it’.” Cheryl Lynn supplied. She looked down at a box beneath her own screen, “It’s the red on the far right second row in our case.”

  Gabrielle turned to look at the make-up boxes all of the women had procured and noticed that she had taken that red out as a possibility to wear.

  “Ok,” she said as she walked back into her closet, talking a little louder, “How about a little black dress?”

  Cheryl Lynn’s laughter rang through her room as Gabrielle walked back into the video camera’s view, “Stop laughing and start helping. I haven't been asked out in a while.”

  “Yes, you have!” Cheryl Lynn retorted.

  “Ok, not by someone intelligent.” Gabrielle argued. “Like, rocket-scientist smart,” she finished.

  “You can break men over your leg, and you are worried he is too smart for you?” Cheryl Lynn came back, realization finally dawning.

  Gabrielle put down the dress, “I’m five-hundred, not dead. I’ve dated all types of men, but most guys of Marcus’s character don’t ever ask me out!”

  “That’s presumably because they are never around friends like Bobcat and William, who probably put him up to it.” Cheryl Lynn retorted.

  “I don’t care. You should have heard his heartbeat, it was crazy; he was so embarrassed.” Gabrielle admitted, looking into the mirror. “You’re right, black is better. I’m going to wear my pumps with the red hearts on them, though.” She turned to look from the side, “When I told him ‘yes,' he got that dreamy look in his eyes like I had just made his life.”

  “Well, don’t break him. Bethany Anne might have something to say about that,” Cheryl Lynn snickered.

  “It’s a friendly date, you bitch. I’m not looking to break, or fix, anything on him.” Gabrielle retorted.

  “Well, I’ve had an earful from Jean wanting to know when she can hit up John, so maybe my mind is working itself into the gutter.”

  “Girl, Jean’s mind would have to work a month to get up into the gutter from the sewers she swims in,” Gabrielle said.

  Cheryl Lynn thought about that, “Ok, you are probably right. I have to keep Toni and Todd out of range if I take a call from Jean. She comes on the video immediately talking like that and leaves the conversation talking like that. I swear she is half the reason the Navy has such a bad reputation.”

  Gabrielle spoke while laying the dress on her bed and looking through the makeup. She put the ‘F-M-R’ tube back in the box. “I doubt it. I’m pretty sure the Navy had the rap from before women were allowed on the ships.”

  “Well, it’s funny is what it is. She almost makes me want to go take a swing,” Cheryl Lynn added a little wistfully.

  Gabrielle heard that note and carefully didn’t change her tone of voice. She did throw out an, "Oh? Who would you line up for?” as she looked at the mirror and dabbed a little of each lipstick on before wiping it off.

  “Probably either Scott or Peter,” Cheryl Lynn admitted.

  “Hey, which of these two lipsticks look better with black?” Gabrielle asked, getting Cheryl Lynn to change the subject and hopefully forget that she revealed anything to Gabrielle at all.

  Because there was no way, Gabrielle would be overlooking that tidbit of information. One was an indulgence for a mother of two, the other a catch who had a need to be protecting others. Now, they had two guys with dates and two to go. Then, they would start on the second group.

  This was more fun than slicing up Nosferatu.

  Near Shennongjia Peak, Hubei

  Stephanie Lee stepped off of the helicopter and ducked under the rotors as she stepped from the platform and into the cement building. She could hear the engines ramp back up and shortly the helicopter left the landing pad to return to civilization.

  Now she was stuck out here in the damned mountain wilderness she had tried to leave eight years ago. She resented the requirement to come here, but she was certain her father could give her information she needed. She might be prideful, but she wasn’t stupid.

  When she walked into the main room in the little building, she noticed a wrapped box with a flower on the top. The same flower her father would give her every Saturday.

  She walked over and picked up the flower to smell it. It reminded her of peaceful times. Times in the mountains when the biggest concern she had was whether or not she needed to help get dinner ready, or if she was responsible for cleaning up.

  She set the flower to the side. No one was here to greet her. She knew the way up the path, and this location was simply a way for those down in the coast area to visit and ask, or petition, for favors.

  There were all sorts of clans in China. Many had worked their ways into political power. However, the clans that were powerful among those outside of the cities wielded much authority and a lot of power. Those that didn’t respect the clan of the animal spirits, feared them. For her father, that was the same.

  She opened the box to find a beautiful dress and a pair of sandals appropriate for entering the sacred building up the path.

  She sighed, there was no going around it. So, she started taking off her business suit and changing.

  When you go to the mountain to visit the Clan Leader, you wear what the Clan Leader gifts you to wear.

  As she stepped out of her pants, she reminded herself she was prideful, not stupid.

  Camp David, USA

  General George Thourbourah was allowed inside the retreat after he and his car were searched. He parked and walked through the peaceful trail until he arrived at the quarters. He nodded to the men protecting the President and went to the meeting room to get ready for his update presentation.

  He was taking a long weekend, and they needed to meet. Since every meeting in the Oval Office was documented, and they had no desire to connect the two of them if it wasn't necessary, every attempt to minimize meeting in the White House was made.

  Ten minutes later, the President entered wearing shorts and a polo shirt, “Hello George
.” He held out his hand.

  “Mr. President,” George replied, “You’re looking rested.”

  “It’s all of this clean air that isn’t cluttered up with bullshit and ass kissing,” the President replied, “I swear we could get more done if half of Congress wasn’t incompetent, and the other half bought.”