Authors: Heath Stallcup
When Little John aimed the crosshairs of the targeting screen on a fleeing wolf and pulled the trigger on the joystick, the machine gun in the back of the truck destroyed itself. Bullets jammed in the barrel and the back-pressure destroyed the receiver. He slumped his shoulders and turned to Spalding. “I think I broke it.”
“I think the wolf broke it,” Spalding corrected.
“Maybe we could run them down? Put a wolf-shaped splatter on the front bumper?” John offered.
Spanky shook his head. “Unless Doc put a silver bumper on this thing, it wouldn’t do much good.”
The two men watched as their ground forces advanced, trying to take out as many of the fleeing wolves as they could. Those who were wounded or dying fought to the bitter end. Some dragged useless rear legs as they tried to bite or tear into the humans they had been sent to destroy.
Tufo pushed his way to the front of the crowd, putting silver bullets into the heads of anything he ran across. “Spread out. Make sure they’re all truly dead.”
He came across a pair of bloody wolves, their mangled bodies still smoking. He placed the barrel of his pistol to the head of one and squeezed the trigger. As he lifted the pistol to put down the other wolf for good, he noticed the slide locked back. He ejected his magazine and slid another home, racking a round as he did so. He straightened his arm, taking aim on the second wolf when a large hairy arm grasped his wrist and lifted the weapon up and away the bullet ricocheting off the girders.
“Live one!” Mark yelled as he struggled to pull his second pistol. The wolf pulled him down to face level, the smell of blood and bodily fluids strong as it growled directly into his face. Spittle mixed with blood splattered his face as he tried to wrestle his second pistol from its holster.
The wolf rolled to the side, taking him with it and pinning him underneath its massive body. Mark struggled with his pinned arm, but it was like trying to pull an appendage from a vice. He could feel the bones of his wrist being crushed as the wolf stretched his arm further away. He distinctly heard the clatter of his FiveseveN hitting the concrete floor of the hangar as the beast loomed over him. Rounds exploded over and around him and he heard someone scream to “Hold fire!” and “Don’t hit the XO!”
Tufo tried to get a knee up and between the beast and himself, but it sunk into the ruined remains of the beast’s abdomen. He felt the hot blood of the monster soaking into his uniform pants and down his thigh as he pushed harder to lift the creature from his body. “Get off me, you son of a bitch!”
The beast roared one long loud scream in his face, blood and spittle flying into his eyes and nose before it dragged a clawed hand across his torso from neck to navel.
Mark’s eyes shot wide as the most intense pain he had ever felt exploded through his body. He swore he felt the bastard’s fingers shred through his intestines as it dragged across his body, and his throat tightened to the point he couldn’t suck in air. He lost all strength in his upper body and couldn’t push back against the beast as it pressed against him.
He didn’t hear the pointblank gunshot that splattered the wolf’s brains across the floor next to him.
He didn’t even notice as his troops pushed the beast to the side then circled him.
He heard somebody scream for a medic.
He suddenly felt very tired.
So sleepy.
God, it was cold on that floor…
*****
A loud wailing sound echoed across the ruined courtyard of Rufus’ island home. The attacking wolves suddenly broke away and began rushing toward the eastern edge of the island.
Azrael landed next to Jack, his arm outstretched and pointing at the retreating attackers. “They’re escaping.”
“Let them,” Jack heaved as he sucked in air. The battle had been draining and he saw no benefit in chasing after the attackers in the darkness. “I doubt they’ll be back.”
“We have decimated their forces. We should finish them while the advantage is ours,” Grimlock added, his large body settling next to his brothers.
Jack patted the large gargoyle’s shoulder. “Leave them. We need to assess the damage and treat our wounded.”
“Something tells me we shall face these opponents again.” Azrael watched as the dark figures quickly faded into the night.
“Not if they know what’s good for them.” Jack tugged at the reluctant warrior. “Come on. It will be daylight soon, and we need to see what we’re dealing with.”
Mueller stumbled up to the trio covered in blood. He nearly collapsed at Jack’s feet. “I need to find Barbara and Bobby,” he panted, his voice hoarse.
“Bob!” Jack collected the man and helped him to the side of the building. “Where are you hurt?”
Bob shook his head. “It’s not my blood.” He pointed to a body near the collapsed veranda. “He got the jump on me. I shifted and ripped his throat out.” Pointing to his body he added, “Tends to get messy.”
Jack sighed and settled in next to the man. “I’ll find somebody to help you search for them.” Jack glanced at this watch then turned to the gargoyles. “Fellas, you won’t have much time before sunup. If you want to call it a night, I understand.”
“We’ll assist where we can.” Azrael turned to Mueller. “Your female? She would have your scent?”
Bob gave the gargoyle a quizzical nod. “She would, I think. She’s not a wolf, though.”
“I shall begin the search.” He stepped aside and lifted into the air.
Bob pulled himself to a standing position. “I thought this whole werewolf superpower thing gave us more endurance.”
“It does. But we were fighting werewolves.” Jack got to his feet, and the two worked their way to the front of the castle entrance.
Pedro trotted up from out of the smoke. “Jack! We need to talk.”
“Hey, buddy.” Jack waved him over. “Sorry about all this. I know you didn’t sign up for any of—”
“Jack,” Popo interrupted, “this is important.”
Jack paused then motioned for Bob to go on. “Okay, bud, you have my attention.”
Pedro sighed then pointed to the collapsed veranda. “We had a secondary mission. We weren’t supposed to mention it to you unless we came up empty.”
Jack gave his friend a confused stare. “Secondary mission?”
“Some of Doc’s notebooks came up missing. There was some scary, nasty shit in there that had Mitchell and Tufo’s panties in a twist.” Pedro glanced to the side out of habit to ensure nobody else was listening. “The only person besides Doc who had access to it was Thorn. Before Groom Lake. We were supposed to look for the notebook—”
“Wait a second!” Jack interrupted, waving his hand in Pedro’s face. “They think Thorn
stole
some of Doc’s notebooks? Notebooks?”
“There were plans for a Doomsday weapon in there, Chief. Like, kill off anything that isn’t ‘human’. They were afraid that…”
“And of course, they just assume that the vampire had to steal it.”
Pedro shook his head. “Jack, I saw Thorn with some kind of chromed out rocket launcher. That’s what blew up and took out the corner of the castle.” Pedro pointed to the rubble again. “He was aiming it at
me
.”
Jack paused for just a moment and stared at Popo. “Over there?” Pedro nodded, and Jack took off in the direction of the smoking debris. “You’re sure it was Rufus?”
“Jack, come on, of course I’m sure. There was somebody else with him, but it was definitely Thorn.”
“Where did he go?” Jack stood over the fallen debris and stared into the scorched hole in the ground.
“He just…disappeared. There was a huge explosion, a flash of light and then there was nothing. Stuff collapsing, and fire and…”
Jack jumped into the hole and began tossing out chunks of debris. Pedro whistled for Gus and the two stepped into the blast crater with him, tossing out smoking chunks. “Do you really think he may have survived?”
“He’s a fucking vampire,” Jack stated as though that explained everything.
Pedro paused and sighed. “Jack, Mitchell wants the notebook back regardless.”
Jack stood up and stared at Pedro. “Buddy, if it turns out that Thorn actually stole the plans for a Doomsday weapon from my teammates? He’s going to have more to worry about than just the vampire council.” The set of his jaw sent a cold chill up Pedro’s neck.
*****
“Medic!” Kowalski screamed as he dropped beside his XO. His hands shook as he peeled back the sides of Tufo’s shredded BDU blouse. “Holy…”
Greene slipped in next to him with a first aid box. “They’re getting somebody now.” He pulled open the white can and began ripping gauze bandages out and handing them to the staff sergeant. “He’s going to be okay, ain’t he?”
“Shut up and hand me more.” Kowalski tried to press them against the shredded remains of Tufo’s abdomen but the bandages disappeared and slipped inside his body cavity. Kowalski shuddered and pulled the soaked bandages back out. “This shit ain’t gonna cut it.” His eyes met Greene’s and he shook his head. “He needs a real doctor.”
“Make a hole!” Mitchell shouted as Evan Peters slipped in beside Kowalski. “Let the Doc at him.”
“We need to move him.” Evan whispered. “His pulse is weak and thready. His breathing is shallow. I need an operatorium.”
“Will your lab work?” Mitchell moved to the side as two men brought a stretcher in and placed it next to Mark’s prone body.
Evan shook his head. “I need a real operating room.” He pulled the stethoscope from the man’s chest and pulled him gently to the stretcher. “Something fully sterile. With the right equipment. We need a ventilator, monitors…hell, I need an anesthetist.”
“Where’s the closest hospital that can handle this kind of trauma?” Mitchell yelled.
Evan looked up at the man and shook his head. “There are no hospitals set up to handle a werewolf attack, Colonel. You know this.”
Mitchell clenched his jaw and his body trembled with anger. “I refuse to accept this. You have to save him!”
Evan pulled Matt aside and lowered his voice. “At this point, I don’t even know if trying to turn him will save him.” He glanced back at Major Tufo, a pallid blue settling in around his face. “He wasn’t bitten by the wolf, he was
shredded
. He isn’t infected. He was tortured. He’s—”
“Don’t say it, Doc.” Matt had a finger in his face. “He’s my oldest friend. You have to save him.”
Evan turned back and studied the man on the stretcher. “Take him to my lab. Get me five units of whole blood. Match it to his dog tags. Go!” Turning back to Matt, he lowered his voice again, “You better call his wife.”
*****
Apollo sat in the copilot’s seat of the retreating boat as it sliced through the waves. His mind raced as he replayed the events of the last few days. How could he allow Sheridan to pollute his mind? How could he blame Jack for something that Maria and Hank did?
He lowered his head into his hands and fought the urge to sob in the presence of the remaining wolves. Lifting his head again, he did a quick count. Their forces had been reduced to a fraction of what he’d started with. Eight wolves literally licked their wounds in the craft as it bounced along the waves.
Apollo watched as the first fingers of sunlight crested the horizon, and he suddenly felt dirty. Very dirty. His righteous rage had turned to a dishonor that he couldn’t rectify. Part of him wanted to shoot all of the remaining wolves and throw them overboard, but he realized they were just soldiers. Meat thrown into the grinder. They were taking orders. And he was the one who led them in the attack against an ally.
Apollo felt his rage rise again, and he knew it was Sheridan that should be made to pay. If he’d kept his damned videos to himself, if he’d stayed in witness protection, if he’d kept his plans of retribution to himself…
Apollo replayed events in his mind so many times that he made himself sick. There had to be a way to redeem the little piece of his soul that hadn’t been tainted.
Leaning back in his seat, he watched the wolves during the ride as his mind wandered.
Who did they work for?
He remembered Sheridan saying something along the lines of being hired to do this job. As much as he hated to admit it, Apollo didn’t pay any attention to him once he decided to join forces to get his revenge. Sheridan was a blowhard. A self-absorbed asshole that was only interested in his own agenda.
There wasn’t much he could do at the moment, but as soon as they returned, he intended to find out as much as he could about who had hired Sheridan. Surely they had an agenda of their own. Maybe if he could determine who the money man behind this venture was, Apollo could do something about stopping the real monster.
2
Paul dragged the burnt body of his brother to the Monterey cabin cruiser from the thick underbrush they had been blown into. He knew that the house was under attack and that the docks were the only place not seeing battle. He pulled his smoking body across the wooden pier and onto the boat, tucking him below decks and onto the bed.
“I’m sorry, brother. I don’t know where else to go.” Paul collapsed onto the bed next to Rufus and sighed. “All hell is breaking loose out there.”
Shortly, a wailing horn sounded, and the sounds of battle died down. Paul waited a little longer before opening the door to the cabin cruiser and sticking his head out. He could see the gargoyles circling the woods and people milling about the compound.
“It may be over.” Paul turned to Rufus, still unconscious on the bed. “What should I do with you?”
Sounds of somebody moving topside froze Paul in his place. He slowly tried to close the door to the cabin cruiser when Marco jumped down onto the deck. “Mr. Foster.” He looked over the vampire’s shoulder at the charred body on the bed. “Is that Monsieur Thorn?”
Paul swallowed hard. “It is.”
Marco nodded and cast a furtive glance over his shoulder. “They are searching for the two of you.”
“Well, it would appear that we have been found.” Paul squared his shoulders and prepared to open the door.
“No.” Marco pushed him inside the cabin. “They are not pleased.”
“What is the meaning of—”
“The soldiers are accusing Monsieur Thorn of stealing something from the human hunters.” Marco stared past Paul and shook his head. “He will need blood. A lot of it if he is to recover.”
“We have some here.” Paul indicated the blood bar.
“He will need human blood if he is to recover.” Marco glanced again back to the remains of the compound. “You and I both know that. Stay below and I will take you to the mainland. You can use the satellite phone to make arrangements. Have a car waiting for us below the dock. If we can get him someplace safe before the hunters can pick up our scent…” He gave Paul a knowing look.
Paul nodded. “Hurry then. Get us out of here.”
Marco pulled the door shut and made his way to the controls. He quickly cast the lines from the dock and pushed the craft away from the dock. He prayed that nobody noticed the small craft start and leave.
*****
Matt paced just outside of Evan’s lab while the vampire worked at a feverish pace. He attempted to stitch Major Tufo’s intestines with the smallest of stitches, trying to secure all bleeders and make his insides leak-proof at the same time. He worked with magnifying lenses and had three assistants handing him fine sutures while his hands deftly sewed the man back together.
More and more bags of blood were pumped through Mark’s body as Evan worked. With the lack of proper equipment, Evan literally held a silicone rubber hose in his mouth and would suction the surgical incisions with his mouth.
To their credit, not one of his ‘assistants’ complained or even commented. The entire team worked non-stop, trying to save their executive officer, swapping duties as needed, running supplies, or kicking the rapidly piling mess from the location.
Matt had volunteered his two hidden bottles of scotch to help sterilize instruments and didn’t even cringe when they pulled the top off the second bottle and began splashing it over Mark’s wounds.
Jericho Jones quietly approached the colonel as the surgical team continued. “Sir? We have the casualty list.”
Matt sighed and turned to face the young officer. “Do I want to know?”
Jericho shook head and handed him a list. “Fourteen dead. Eleven wounded. Eight critical.”
“Where does Mark fall on that list?” he asked rhetorically.
“Critical, sir.” Jericho turned and stared at the team working so diligently. “I’m not counting him out.”
“I was supposed to call his wife.” Matt’s voice was barely a whisper. “I don’t have the nerve.”
“Not sure what to say, sir?”
Matt shook his head. “You’ve never met her, have you?” Matt shuddered. “The woman has nerves of steel. And a temper like…well, imagine
any
woman that could stand to stay married to him for as long as they have.”
“Point.” Jericho honestly did not envy the man.
“I don’t suppose I could convince you to…”
“Not on your life, sir.” Jericho chuckled. “Besides, you’d never forgive yourself if you didn’t do it yourself.”
Matt groaned. “You’re right. I owe her that much.”
He glanced at the makeshift surgical suite then turned and headed for the door. Jericho fell into step behind him. “Sir? You’re leaving?”
“I’m going to go to their house and escort her here. Then I’m going to try to start putting the pieces back together. We
will
snap back from this, Captain.”
*****
Jack watched as the gargoyles circled the woods, their search pattern slowly tightening until Azrael dove into the woods. He kept glancing at the horizon and the soft orange glow that threatened to rise in the east as the other gargoyles continued to glide over the area. Within moments, Azrael could be seen lifting into the air again, two humans clinging to him.
“Looks like he found them.” Jack pointed to the sky.
“Just in the nick of time. The sun is almost up.” Bob was suddenly nervous of the damage that a stone gargoyle statue could do to his family when dropped from eighty feet in the air with them clinging to it.
Azrael landed deftly next to the pair and set the wide-eyed Barbara and the extremely excited Bobby on the ground. “Excuse me, please. It is time for the stone sleep.”
“Hurry.” Jack waved him off and watched as he settled next to his brothers along the parapet of the castle. Within moments, all three were still, their eyes cast out over the ocean. “Amazing…”
“I’ll say!” Bobby was nearly bouncing up and down. “Dad, when they wake up, can I go again? That was
so
cool!”
Barbara pulled her son close and squeezed him, “It’s rude to ask a…” she glanced upward and then shook her head. “A…gargoyle…for rides, son.”
Bob nodded. “Mom’s right.”
Bobby sulked and kicked a rock near his shoe. “Mom’s always right.”
Jack smiled and scuffed the kid’s hair. “You’re learning, kid.”
The sound of a helicopter approaching set them all on edge. Jack turned to Bob and motioned toward the house. “Put them inside until we know what’s going on.” He glanced to Kalen, “Can you see who or what it is?”
“Another of those infernal flying machines.” He pointed over the ocean toward the mainland.
“Is it the attackers?” Pedro asked, racking a fresh round into his receiver.
Kalen shook his head. “I do not believe so. They left by boat and…no. There is a woman in the front.” He suddenly smiled and turned to Jack. “Your woman.”
“My woman?” Jack pointed to himself. “My woman is with her parents.”
“No longer.” Kalen hopped from the tower and landed deftly in the sand. “My eyes tell me that she comes now.”
Jack sighed. “Great.” He looked around at the damage. “Rufus has disappeared, the place is blown up, and half the Lycans are dead or wounded…I don’t need this kind of grief right now.”
Gus stepped out of the house and held up a blue notebook. “Chief.”
Jack glanced over his shoulder and saw the large man approaching. “What’s this?”
“I found this in Thorn’s study. It was in his desk.” Gus handed it to Jack.
He thumbed through the pages and found a set that were more worn than the others. “Is this the Doomsday thing you told me about?” He held it out to Popo.
Pedro glanced at the diagram and shrugged. “That doesn’t look like what he was holding. The thing that blew up? I mean…not unless you could shrink it down. Way down.”
Jack closed the notebook and handed it to Popo. “I know who can tell us.” His eyes met Pedro’s. “Doc. He designed it. He’d know if it could be miniaturized.”
“You’re coming back with us?” Jimmy asked.
Jack glanced around the destroyed island compound. “With Rufus gone and unable to explain this, there’s nothing holding me here.” He glanced up and watched as the helicopter began its approach. “And I need some answers.”
“Somebody may have something to say about you just up and leaving.” Pedro pointed to Nadia gingerly stepping from the front of the helicopter.
Jack smiled when he saw her honey blonde hair and big blue eyes in the early morning light. “She can complain all she wants, but I have a job to do.” He started to walk across the destroyed courtyard then turned back to his old teammates. “And I can’t walk away from this until I know for sure where Thorn stood in all of this mess.”
*****
Laura sat quietly as the Brazilian team drove them to their mountainside compound. As they approached the underground enclosure, she was reminded of the NORAD base at Cheyenne Mountain, only slightly smaller. The concrete archway built into the side of the mountain looked nearly impenetrable. Armed guards saluted as the trucks approached the compound, and tall chain-link gates closed behind them. She suddenly felt more like a prisoner than a guest.
“Do not worry. You will be safe here.” Pablo smiled at her, and she didn’t feel any better.
Laura did her best to return the smile but she was nearly certain it didn’t come across as friendly. “Sorry, Pablo, I’m just exhausted from the trip. Please don’t think we’re not grateful.”
“I understand. You’ve been struck with quite a bit since your arrival.”
The truck stopped, and Laura looked out the dirty window. They were deep within the compound and men were disembarking the other trucks. Mick opened his door and held it for the two women. “Home sweet cave,” he muttered as they passed him.
“At least it’s cool in here,” Jennifer stated as she took it all in.
“You must mean the temperature, because it feels like a tomb to me.” Mick shuddered as they fell into step behind Pablo.
“Your quarters are down this hallway. They are not large, but there are beds and a place for your belongings if you have any. We will see to getting you a change of clothing. The lavatories are at the end of the hall.” He paused and sighed at the two women. “I apologize, but we are not set up for women. If you will let us know when you plan to shower, we will make accommodations for you.”
“Thank you, Pablo.” Laura gave him a gentle squeeze on his arm as she walked past him. She took the first door on the right and watched as Mick took the room opposite hers. Jennifer took the next room on the right. Laura opened the door and found a small room with a single bed and a small nightstand and a two drawer cabinet. “This will do nicely. Thank you.”
Pablo pointed behind them near where they entered the hallway. “The room there with the large glass windows. I will be in there. When you are settled, find me and we will get you to a phone.”
“I won’t be but a moment,” Laura said. She turned and went to Jennifer’s room, knocking as she opened the door. “I’m going to call and see if I can get through. I have to find out what’s going on there.”
Jennifer sat on her bed, her eyes staring off into nothingness. “Do you think he is dead?”
“Who? Matt?” Laura shook her head, giving the young woman a pat on the arm. “No, he’s far too sly to have fallen for anything sneaky like that. If I know Matt, he’s just fine. He’s probably kicking back right now, sipping a scotch and puffing on a victory cigar.”
“Please, Laura, let me know.” The concern in her eyes seemed genuine.
“Trust me, I will.” She stepped down the hall and tapped on the Plexiglas of the office. Pablo waved her in and Laura took a seat near the phone. She got the proper dialing sequence from Pablo for dialing the United States, then started going through the list of numbers that she had memorized.
*****
Sheridan pulled into the warehouse that they had been using as a staging area and shut off the headlights of the van. He heard the side door of the van open and felt the truck shift as the few wolves he encountered fleeing the hangar exited the vehicle. He sat quietly behind the wheel a moment longer. How was he going to explain their failure to his benefactor? With a silent curse, he opened his door and slid out from the seat.
He pulled his cane from behind the seat and hobbled into the abandoned office. He pulled the satellite phone from the charging station and punched the preset speed dial. He waited for the line to connect and then ring.
“Ah, Mr. Simmons. Yes, this is Sheridan.” He paused while listening to the other line. “No, sir, not entirely. We dealt them a pretty tragic blow, but I’m afraid that—” He was interrupted as the other end blew up. “Yes, sir. But you need to keep in mind we attacked with untrained soldiers against some of the world’s best. Considering the circumstances, we did some serious damage.”
Sheridan slowly sat in the chair next to the work bench and listened to the tirade on the phone. “No, sir, I haven’t heard yet how the attack on the island went. I can say that they wouldn’t have had the same degree of opposition that we encountered so I’m sure that they did much better.” Sheridan watched the wolves in the shop as they began tearing down their stations and prepared to leave the area. “Yes, sir. Once I know for sure, I will certainly be calling you again.”