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Chapter -13- In Training

Thursday, February 1 - 11:30am Somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean ...

** "Do you recognize it?" ** Reno pulled his gloves off and brushed the sand from his suit then began to unzip and unfasten it. "It's definitely not American or Japanese. I've seen those on the History Channel enough times that I can tell you this ... ain't one of those."

Fox grinned. "That deductive reasoning never ceases to amazing me, Inspector. You'll be a member of the Vidocq society in no time."

Reno threw one of his gloves at the back of Fox's head. "Hush up, you. I'm just stating facts out loud."

"What's the vie-duck society?" asked Evan.

Reno threw his other glove at Evan, playfully. "Retired world glass detectives, so to speak. They come from all over. Scotland Yard, FBI, NYPD, ICPO - that one's better known as Interpol - just all over the world, and they get together once a month and solve cold cases. Fox is being a smartass, because Vidocq is the best-of-the-best at their most wise."

"Yeah, people who've seen it all." Fox smirked then picked up each of the gloves on the ground. "Reno's right, though. I can't even tell what that ship is. I don't recognize the ship class. But it's got American style."

"American style?" asked Reno.

"Just a hunch," Fox said with a style. "Wanna put ten dollars on it?"

"No, because you're the one with the eye for museums, floating, model, or otherwise."

Fox offered a cocky grin. "This is true."

Evan rubbed his chin. "I can tell you that it's kind of old. And it's straight, unlike the way most of the modern ones have angled decks ... but I don't know how old. However," Evan trailed off and switched his balled up parachute to his other arm, half dragging it in the sand behind himself. "It looks like it's pieced together. I see some new sections and some older discolored sections. And I'm going with steam boiler powered for obvious reasons. I mean, heck, look at the hint of steam rising above the tower. Like it's been used recently."

"Well," Reno walked over to where the brush started and stowed his helmet, gloves and the one-piece suit he used for skydiving. "There was no crazy storms in this area in the last few days because we've been local to the region. But it's possible that there was a storm before that. So ... if it's been here for a while, and you can still see heat rising out of the chimney thing, then there are survivors. I don't see any markings, flags ... nothing. These guys might be armed. We have to play it smart."

"Surely they saw us parachute in. Maybe they'll greet us as a rescue operation."

Fox ribbed Evan in the side with an elbow. "You're always so optimistic. I don't share in your view, here, though ... look." He pointed to a corner of the ship where waves were lapping at the aft section. The enormous propellers were half buried in the sand and silt and occasionally became visible between waves.

Evan followed Fox's finger up from the aft section to the back corner, towering above the water. Evan squinted in the sunlight and put his hand up over his eyes. "Is that a big gun sticking out on the corner?"

"Some sort of howitzer, yeah. I don't recognize the make or model."

Reno tilted his head and squinted as well then said, "It's old. There's serious corrosion on that thing. Oh, hey," he pointed towards the front of the ship. "There's a big gun barrel sticking up from the front corner, too. Seems to be one on each corner. They definitely aren't the same type of gun, though. Doesn't look very uniform."

"That's new, though," said Fox as they approached. "See up there, behind the ... whatever it's called, the conning tower or whatever ... there's a crane on the edge of the deck. That thing is brand new. Shiny."

"Man this is weird," Evan said. He pulled his cellphone out, adding, "No bars. Of course." Then he snapped a photograph of the carrier. "Pretty wild, seeing an enormous crack down the center like that." He sniffed at the air then shrugged. "I smell diesel. Man, I hope they didn't have gasoline spill all over the island. This place is so beautiful."

"Yeah," Fox murmured. "Gasoline or not, Vincent said this place won't be here for much longer. Not sure how that's supposed to work but there's one way to find out. I have a bad feeling, though."

"You worry too much," said Evan. "But you're right, we should stay alert. I mean ... if there are survivors, they might be armed and ... people can be pretty weird about pirating - maybe they're on edge. If they see us before we see them, we don't want to come off as hostile." Evan coughed into his fist. "Then again, Rufus and I were on that cargo ship back in early December. Last ship I was on wasn't exactly full of friendly people. And ironically it brought us here of all places."

Reno slapped Evan on the back with a chuckle, "We're superheroes now, dude. Chin up, back straight, and walk like you've got a three-foot cock because, newsflash, you're a badass. Confidence. Swagger. You're practically bulletproof. Walk like it."

"Bad feeling," Fox told them. "I wish I had mom's ability to foresee things. But yeah ... gut feeling, guys; we're walking into a shit-storm. Sorry, Evan. I'm calling it like I see it."

Reno buried his right fist into his left palm. "Then let's go investigate. Leave your crap in the bushes with mine. We'll come back for it."

"Reno, Fox," Evan shoved his friends towards the bushes and jumped in after them. All three popped their heads up, peering at a man coming from the brush, further up the beach, with an assault rifle on his shoulder. He walked out to the water, eased down the front of his pants and pissed into the ocean. Evan whispered, "That guy is armed with some serious crap. Look beneath the barrel of the rifle. Grenade launcher. And he has the rounds for it on a belt over his shoulder. He's like ... evil Rambo."

"Great," Reno sighed. "Now we have to do recon and ... how'n the world did they not see us? We had colorful parachutes."

Fox ducked back further into the brush. "C'mon guys. Let's head inland to the old warehouse. It's sealed off, now. We'll just wait them out. If they're still on the beach in a day or two ... then, you know, we'll worry about them then. I'm content to lay low and hope they'll call for a ride and leave. I'd rather stay out of sight than engage"

Reno tilted his head and cocked a brow at Parker. "Fox, dude, no offense but ... if they've already been here for some time - you know, considering the fact that there have been no storms capable of blowing a huge ship up onto a beach since I arrived on the east coast - then I'm thinking they're not going anywhere right away. They seemed to have fortified themselves and they've got walking patrols ... armed walking patrols."

Parker shrugged. "They might be waiting for an airlift. They might be setting charges or prepping this island for destruction like Vincent suggested. We can do it both ways. We'll lay low and see if they leave. If not, we'll change our strategy as necessary. Don't worry, we have supplies. Let's go."

Evan squinted at the ship through the brush then said, "I can sort of make out words on the side. It's called 'Rapture.' Gee, considering our proximity and this island's involvement with an underwater city ... you've got to see the irony in that ship being called 'Rapture.' Right?"

"Sorry, it went over my head," Reno whispered.

With a sigh, Evan said, "Bioshock. It's a videogame. Nevermind. It's old school - a classic. Where's Jules?"

Fox groaned and slapped himself on the forehead. "Obviously he's landing the plane somewhere on this island, once we radio in and tell him it's safe to land. Problem is, it's not safe anymore. We gotta make our way to the airstrip before he runs out of gas." Parker reached into his helmet and pulled out the headset, carefully, then put it onto his head. "Gambit, this is Reynard, over?" He glanced back at Evan then whispered, "I figured we'd need radio names ... sorta like you two need superhero names. Else I'm dubbing you two 'Bolt' and 'Pane.' What can I say? I'm unoriginal. So think something up or else..."

"Dis'a Gambit. Sure taking you long enough. Say ... s'that a Bogue Class US carrier on the beach with a broken back?"

Fox, Evan and Reno looked at one another. Reno shrugged. "Doesn't look American to me."

"Is it?" asked Fox over the radio.

"Ayup. That's an Escort Carrier from the 40's. Does it have a name? Like, y'know, USS Core or something?"

Parker smirked at Nevada and whispered, "See?"

"Uh," Evan leaned closer to Fox and spoke so that Jules would be able to hear. "I saw, 'Rapture' on the side."

Nevada passed Fox a ten-dollar bill. Fox handed it back with a grin. "Keep it?"

A short burst of static came over the radio. "What, like the underwater city in that old first person shooter from way back when?"

Evan pointed at both Fox and Reno and announced, "See?" in a loud whisper. "I'm not the only one that got that connection." He leaned back towards Fox and spoke so that Jules would hear him over the radio. "Yeah, like that. It's pretty much stencil spray-painted on the side. We can't get behind it to see what the aft plate reads. We're going to scout the island, then the landing strip because we saw an armed foot patrol. Then we can figure out the story behind this ship."

"Oui. Seen enough of'em. And I doubt they could get it fast enough to steam that far up onto the beach. They still got power, though. Seeing exhaust - more than likely from diesel generators, not the boilers. You boys let me know what's next. I'm gonna make another pass. Dun' worry, though. I'll use cloud cover. Just make it quick. No use waisting gas. I'm at five-eighths, now."

"Okay," said Fox. "Stand by. OH ... and before I forget ... how many people are needed to operate a, uh, Bogue class carrier?"

"Now, that there's a tricky question, m'ami. Typical compliment is probably 'tween six hundred 'n a thousand. But lotta' Bogue ships were turned into British ships on loan 'n lease programs. Reckon it was up to Her Majesty's Royal Navy to determine how many each ship'd get."

"We need a good guess for how many guards might be here."

"Mm, without a flight deck crew 'n pilots ... well, you could prolly get away with a crew of twenty-five using modern radios provided the cruise is a short distance. That'd be cutting out the kitchen crew, gunnery crew, all'a that. Just essential stuff - engines 'n bridge hands. Let's say forty to be on the safe side, since you boys're are estimating potential hostiles."

"Better than six hundred to a thousand," Fox murmured. "Okay. Thanks. More information than I needed, but ... still, thanks." He clicked his finger against the hands-free switch then pushed the mic boom away from his lips.

"What's the plan?" asked Reno.

Parker glanced back out at the man by the beach. "Alright, gang. Airstrip isn't far. Let's hoof it. We'll have to neutralize anyone we see along the way. Quickly and quietly, so they don't call for help. Reno ... can you, like, charge up and create a static disturbance so they can't radio for help?"

"I ... yeah, I suppose I could. Good idea, Fox. Jules won't be able to call us, but I can always lower it when we need to call him." He tensed his fists, causing his eyes to glow slightly.

Parker opened the radio channel again, but this time could only hear static. "Okay, awesome. Let's get moving, then."

X

X

February 1, 2024 - 11:30am AST Aboard the 'Busty Belle' yacht ...

** Karla pressed her index finger against her temple** and began to massage gently.

The image of Lance, on her laptop screen, tilted his head at her. He arched his brows then said, "As I was saying, that is the reason that Noah, Manu and Utnapishtim are the same person. No matter which author told the story for their audience, it's a recycled story about the same event. And don't ever fool yourself into thinking it can't happen again."

"So. We're all descendants of Noah, huh?" She opened an adjacent window, logged into her Facebook 'fan page' and uploaded three random humorous, which were saved on her drive. "All his children, many generations removed. Is that it?"

"Hardly, Karla. And besides, Noah was a character from a book based on a man whose true name didn't stand the test of time. However, the real flooding happened so far in the past that no ancient author could conceive of such a timeline. The original Ark was constructed from technology amassed during the first age. Animals were taken from a city that hasn't existed since God was a boy and dirt was still new. Fossilized proof isn't widespread enough; pieces that have been found have been controlled and kept secret by sect leaders that are now deceased. Truth will come to light soon enough if not handled carefully. Alright. That concludes our lesson for today. At first I was going to ask you for a thesis that compares and contrasts the Epic of Gilgamesh to the Genesis flood narrative ... but I've decided that you're a little too busy with life for an assignment on your studies."

"Good. I hate 'homework.' But, uh, thanks for agreeing to resume my education, you know? Have you heard from Steven?"

"He's well. Karla, listen - we both agree that you're too important in this situation to go up against Falcon. If you die, it limits our hand against Falcon. That man is working to unearth certain answers that are better off forgotten. Without a sect, let alone several sects, Steven and I live exposed and vulnerable. We've orchestrated sects over the years to protect ourselves. You're all that we have, now. You're our hand-to-hand champion."

"Well, there's Kalen Kincade," she mused aloud.

"No," said Lance from the computer screen. "He's in hiding with the Kincade family. I'm sure he hates hiding, but he won't go against Natalia. She feels there is an enormous change about to occur. She's been saying it since 2018."

Karla nodded slowly. "Just a few short years ago. I remember when she made that claim. It was just seven years after those cities were unearthed then reburied in Virginia and Colorado, due to those earthquakes."

"Mmm, they're not quite ... reburied. Just temporarily forgotten. Let's hope it stays that way for a while." Lance shook his head and shrugged. "Natalia initially funded those digs. We had no idea how well preserved those cities were. She's a child of the Dark Ages. Eleventh Century if you ask Baronius. Natalia cannot understand just how old of a city she paid to unearth back in the summer of 2011. The one beneath Colorado turned out to be a number of years younger but was still run with the same First Age technology. I wish I knew that Falcon intended to steal the energy cores. I cannot help but feel betrayed." Lance paused then changed topic in a rather abrupt manner. "What is your so-called 'crew' up to?"

"Why?"

"Because I've just received a text message from Steven. It claims that you've sent your boys to perform reconnaissance disguised as a training mission. What are you up to?"

Karla offered a smile then lifted the computer and tilted it down. "See Eric? See Kuda? My boys are in my bed."

"Fox? Reno? Evan?"

The demoness offered a glare in reply. "Okay. I'm busted. We are in the vicinity of that island. You know ... the one used to run supplies down to the domed city place. New Atlantis, or whatever that jerk-wad is calling the place."

"Karla, if you're going to get involved, please keep me in the loop."

"Yeah well, stop worrying. There hasn't been a soul in sight. Vincent Nevada said we should see what we can dig up there because Falcon plans to somehow destroy the island soon. It's scheduled for demolition or something."

"He's obviously trying to cover his tracks."

She nodded in agreement. "Mmhmm. This morning, we made the decision to look it over. If it's empty, we'll use it as a temporary base of operations. Anyway, I sent them out there to investigate closely, Methos. Deal with it."

"Do I need to remind you, Karla? It's Lance now. I've buried that name and reinvented myself. The software on my computer scrambles any third-party geometrics, just incase our feed is intercepted. You calling me by an old name defeats all of my precautions."

"Okay, okay. Chill out, babe."

He shook his head and sighed. "I'll never understand why the dynasty Loupe, the House of Myrell and the Kincade family refuse to change their name. It makes good sense to reinvent yourself every so often so that you aren't creating a pattern throughout history. Speaking of which, you kept your first name for three hundred years, and you've kept your current first name for the past one hundred and seventeen years. You've had the same last name since 1999."

"Maybe I will if Eric and I take our relationship to the next level," she said. "So stop being such a goober." Karla tilted her head, smiled, then said, "Earlier, you were all but begging me to stay alive. That was sweet. Why don't you do it some more?"

"If you face Aris Falcon ... you need to either broker a deal or avoid him. If you face him, you will not survive very easily. Your survival is required - it's part of an important variable in an equation I'm writing. Stay alive, Karla. Besides, you now have a fantastic reason to live; it's growing inside you."

"Ugh, don't remind me," she muttered in disdain. "Do you even know how tiring it is to grow a freakin' human being? Good God. If I had Reno's power, I'd surround myself with electrical things and feed off that. But nooo. I've got the mother-load of 'resistance' growing in my belly. Even Reno wouldn't be able to carry this many ohms." She paused then gestured in a meaningless way with her hand and added, "Speaking of babies, I'm going to go wake Eric up with some sex. Thanks for dropping the homework. I hate that crap."

"Crap?"

Karla offered a wan smile. "I, uh ... took a page from Evan's playbook. I'm going to be a mother soon. I'm starting to cut down on cussing for a little while. I just need to practice, you know, with the baby coming and all. Anyway. I'm going to get going. I'm keyed up and Eric looks way too peaceful, sleeping in my bed. See ya soon." She logged out of the video chat then closed the laptop.

X

X

1pm Atlantic Ocean ...

** Karla, jumping on her bed mattress** , announced, "I am She-Ra! Princess of Power! And, oh my God I need a scotch with some melatonin in it! I hope I'm not going to be hypoglycemic with this baby because I feel like I just had the biggest spike in sugar ever! Christ, I'm liable to give myself a black eye jumping on this bed without a bra."

Eric rubbed his face with his palms. "Karla ... I thought you promised to keep yourself relaxed after sex for now on?"

"Yeah, well ... I bottled up a lot of hyperness over the last few weeks. Time to let it out, Shadow Man. Hey! That should be your superhero name if we decide to follow Evan into that field! How awesome would that be? Shadowman! I can be the Demonic Dame! Or maybe the Devil's Damsel! Maybe we should hire someone to think up names for us."

"Really?" Eric brought his hands down from his face with a frown. "I was thinking something more along the lines of the Loudmouthed Assassin."

"Nice!"

He leered at her. "I wasn't ... nevermind."

Karla stopped jumping on the bed and paused then lifted her hand, finger up. "One sec." She reached for her robe. It appeared in her hand. She slid it on, tying the sash quickly.

The succubus disappeared from the mattress.

Karla appeared in the living room, behind Rufus. "Hey puppy. I saw you through the stained glass door; you were pacing. What's wrong?"

"Know me by my build now, huh? Nuffin. I'm jus' avoidin' Topaz, Patty 'n Sinopa."

Karla tilted her head. "Pardon?"

"I think they're cycling together. And no. I dun' mean bicycling."

The demoness snapped her fingers with a nod. "Understood! I'll do what I can!" She saluted then disappeared once more. Out on the upper deck, Karla appeared and looked around herself then she blipped out of existence again and reappeared up on the front of the yacht.

She found the three women out on a set of Evan's crushed-quartz chairs. "Ladies! What's going on?"

Topaz looked up at Karla then shrugged. "Just got into an argument with Rufus. I know Rue means well but sometimes he speaks out when he'd be better off staying quiet."

"DO tell!"

Patty looked out over the water. "Topaz had radio contact with Fox a half an hour ago. They're doing fine, by the way. Anyway, Rufus overheard her telling her brother that we're far from land and she's on her last..."

Karla snapped her fingers. "Say no more!" She waved her hands like a Hollywood stylized karate master then thrust her palm out, fingers curled down. "H'yah!"

All at once, several dozen tampons rained down over the three women.

Karla flexed playfully. "The tampon fairy delivers! I won't need them for a while, right? Take the whole stash. Now ... the tampon fairy isn't quite done yet..." The last of the tampon packs tumbled from above, becoming replaced by Dove chocolates. The little candies fell from above; their little red and blue wrappers glinted in the sunlight. "T'dah!"

Topaz leered at Karla for a moment then, after a brief stare-down, she cracked a grin. "Okay. That was pretty badass, I won't lie."

"Last I heard, Rue was okay with the Parker romance episode. He's not being weird or anything is he?"

"No, Karla." Paz shrugged. "Rufus is weird. He's okay with me and Fox. But he freaked out when he overheard me talking about tampons. Apparently that is somehow weird to him. But whatever. I damn-near chewed his tail off and he ran away."

The succubus nodded. "Ah - very nice, very nice. So what were you gals talkin' about up here?"

Patience offered a smile and said, "Topaz was just about to tell us her child-nickname for her brother."

Karla's brows rose. "Reeeeally. He still calls you 'Paz.' I'm dying to hear what you used to call him."

Topaz coughed into her hand to hold back a hint of a blush. "Well, uh ... I was really young. And I couldn't pronounce hard consonants very well. So instead of calling him 'Foxie,' I called him, uh..."

"Yeah? Spill it, girl," Karla said, leaning forward and leering.

Sinopa's eyes went wide. "I remember!"

"You do?" Paz asked, brows furrowed. "I thought you didn't remember hardly a darn thing about our family?"

"No, I remember. It has suddenly occurred to me. Fopsie; you called him Fopsie!" Sinopa beamed, proud of the breakthrough in her memory. "I have been trying so hard to remember raising my children, and I knew I could never give us trying."

Karla smiled. "That is freaking cute as hell." She grinned at Topaz then looked back to Sinopa and scritched her fingernails behind Sinopa's left ear. "Good for you for not giving up on trying to remember. That's the old Yamato spirit." The succubus turned back to Topaz and grinned. "Fopsie? That ... that is just way too precious."

Sinopa nodded with a smile. She murmured, "Hai, Yamato-Damashii. I am so very pleased I remember that." She looked to her daughter, beaming.

Topaz took a deep breath, sighed, and said, "Yeah. I called him 'Fopsie.' I chased him around the house until my growth spurt, going, 'Aww, I wanna play too, Fopsie!' Then, when I hit my growth spurt, for a little while I was taller than him, and I called him, 'My little Fopsie.' Then ... he got taller than me during our late teens."

The group of girls giggled over themselves. After a moment, Karla noticed Sinopa appeared in pain and turned her attention to the kitsune. She tilted her head then asked, "What's wrong, hon?"

Sinopa looked up from brushing one of her tails and sighed. "Imagine having one's monthly menstrual time ... and a toothache at the same time. But the toothache is coming from your lower spine. I may have a fourth tail soon. Not sure. It's quite painful. Karla? What is our plan of action?"

Karla rubbed her hands together, standing adjacent to Sinopa. The succubus stretched a bit then adjusted the sash of her bathrobe. "Well ... let's recap aloud, shall we? We've got Fox, Reno, Jules and Evan ... who took a flight out to the island where you and I met two months ago. And there's Eric and Rufus downstairs, avoiding you three because they're afraid of three women who are menstruating together. And ... then there's me. I'm hyper as shit." Karla froze then squinted. "Is that the Coast Guard? What in the world are they doing way out here? This is practically Navy territory."

Topaz stood up, causing several of the tampon packages and a few of the chocolates to tumble off her lap. She narrowed her gaze, squinting. "Yeah. That's the Guard. They're steaming right for us."

"That's odd." Karla folded her arms. "Okay. Hold on, let me clean up all this mess." She waved her hand. A plastic storage bin appeared and, all at once, the tampons and chocolates all appeared within it."

Patty chuckled softly. "Do you memorize where everything is on this ship, so that you can summon it at random in this fashion?"

"You know it!" Karla said in a boisterous voice. "One sec." She waved her hands again. Eric appeared on the deck. Karla grinned. "I see you haven't moved a muscle since I left. Rufus is pacing, so I couldn't grab him without being able to see him."

Eric held bedsheets against his body. He looked at the other women then wrapped the sheets the rest of the way around his body. "Really, Karla? Boundries?"

She shrugged with a measure of indifference. "Well, Eric, my dear, we might be having company soon." She pointed out to sea and told him, "The Coast Guard ... they're coming right for us. They's comin' right for us...! Man the shadow cannons! Arm the tampon torpedoes! Put the werewolf in the trebuchet! The sky's fallin'!"

Eric groaned. "Christ." He shook his head and took a moment to breathe away his frustration. "Karla, if you act like a teenager, they're going to think we abducted you or something."

"I could be a teenaged prostitute with Stockholm Syndrome! Man, the CGIS will have a field day with me!" Karla smirked and turned back to face him. "That was sarcasm incase you missed it. Get over yourself, Eric. There are more women aboard my yacht than men. And we're all hot! Relax."

Patty blushed, being the most modest of the group. "I ... thank you, Karla."

"Eric, how big of a shadow can you create, babe?"

"Large enough to cloud their vessel if that's what you're asking. But it will only be a cloud and I have to be in range to maintain it."

Karla rubbed her chin then shook her head. "No; I'm thinking we could cloud ourselves ... but that won't work. We'd need something to fool their radar systems. We can't exactly tell them that we're holding a position directly above something that shouldn't technically exist."

Patience added, "And the city is camouflaged to sonar, so they wouldn't believe us anyhow."

"They're moving fast," Eric said. "They're making good time, that's for sure. Let's get this over with. Should we head towards them?"

Karla smirked. "I wish we could anchor here. I doubt we have enough chain to even come close to the top of the dome. I bet that ship does, though. All right already, Eric ... take us towards them. The sooner we get this over with, the better." She waved her hand and sent him to the bridge. Bed sheets and all.

A moment later, the yacht came about. Topaz looked at the approaching ship then at the arc of wake in the distance on the port side of the yacht. Parker smiled. "Good. He's smart, approaching with a wide-arc intercept course, so as not to be mistaken as a hostile."

Karla rubbed her hands together. "Now the fun begins. Sinopa, Patty, you girls don't know ... but some of these Coast Guard boys are pretty freaking hot. A little secret of the sea, for ya'."

"What's the plan?" asked Topaz.

With a shrug, the succubus placed her hands on her hips. "Hell if I know. Let's see what the heck they want. I should probably fetch my man some clothes, heh."

"Isn't it obvious?" Patience mused aloud. "They're here on behalf of the US Government. Most likely, they wish to chase us away from something they will undoubtedly claim doesn't exist. They've been saying on the news for weeks that the shipping lanes in the Atlantic has been shifted for the so-called safety of maritime traffic."

Topaz snorted with amusement. "Yeah, I heard that, too. Some sort of disinformation story is on the internet, claiming that there's a 'Broken Arrow' at the bottom of the ocean in this area. Heck, I'm surprised we weren't approached sooner."

"It's a big ocean, girls," said Karla. "I wish Jules was here. Or better yet, Greg Watson. That guy could flash his CIA ID and say he's out here because of the submerged missing nuke theory that's all over the internet." She paused then changed her tone and added, "Don't you love how people come up with crazy assumptions like a 'Broken Arrow?' I swear ... people stirring the drama pot on the web."

Topaz folded her arms, keeping her eyes on the approaching Coastguard ship. "Actually, it's probably best if everyone else goes below deck. Karla, you and I should pretend we're ditzy billionaire chicks on a private yacht together. It's better to claim we're too stupid to realize we're in a restricted area. They'll chase us away and waggle their fingers at us."

"What about the truth?" asked Sinopa. "We can simply demonstrate ourselves to the ship's Captain in a private setting. We will explain our business and perhaps he will understand."

Karla and Topaz glanced at one another then back at Sinopa. Karla frowned then shook her head. "Sweetheart, you're such a genuine person..."

"To the group of you," said Sinopa. "Tamamo certainly doesn't see me in such a light."

"Yes, well, just the same..." Karla licked her lips. "Listen, hon ... Coast Guard is part of Homeland Security in this country. Has been for two decades, now - give or take a year. They don't play around. Expect guns to be pointed at us. If you go showing off for the captain of that ship ... he'll call it in. And it will quickly get back to someone who has been 'read-in' on our kind. Let's just ... smile and nod instead, okay girls?"

"It's for the best," Topaz explained.

Patty and Sinopa looked at one another then nodded in understanding, and left the sundeck together.

Parker unfolded her arms and looked back up at the rapidly approaching ship. "I'm not really looking forward to this..."

"Don't be so tense," Karla chuckled. "Just follow my lead and, worst case scenario, we'll come back later."

"Gee, this is exactly how I want to spend my Thursday afternoon."

Karla grinned. "I should go grab Eric some clothes real fast. Be right back, Parker."

X

X

Friday, February 2, 2024 - 6pm, CST Chicago ...

** Johann Foster rubbed his chin** in thought then glanced back up at Justus Loupe. Across the room, Gregory Watson walked into the room and shut the door. He placed a bag of fast food on the desk in front of Johann and nodded.

"You should eat, kid. Stop worrying about your brother."

"No. I won't."

Watson sighed. "Just have something to eat and get back to reading those files. I went through a lot of work to get them."

"Fine." Johann's gaze dropped back to the computer screen, reading over an email addressed from 'Sire' to 'Wilhelm Snipes.' He created a brief series of gestures with his fingers over the track pad and opened another email.

"And you believe me now, young man?" asked Justus

Johann looked back up at the shadow master then back down at the screen. "It's been way too long already. You two have had me here hiding out in some safehouse. I'm tired of it. I have family is missing. My best friend, the one who helps me through times like this, is in Florida with my other friends ... you've got me here looking at emails. What's your problem, man? It's just, you're completely entrenched in this crap. I'm getting tired of it."

"Mister Foster..."

"Just 'Johann,'" he said, adding, "And I'm not sure why you came to me to begin with. I'm not a fighter."

"Johann, then. You worked for the Justiciar. Think about that fact for a moment, young man. You. Worked for the Justiciar. Why is that?"

"Like I told you the day we met, I remember things. I'm good at organizing things. I'm pretty good at managing my time. He felt that I was helpful, so he kept me around."

Watson cut into the conversation. "And the autopsies you performed for him?"

Johann's eyes widened. "How'd you know about that?"

"Johann." Loupe folded his arms. "I knew the Justiciar. We both did. You weren't his intern, young man."

"Bull. Of course I was."

"No," Justus said, folding his arms. "He was training his replacement. That makes you the closest thing our dwindling kind has to a new Justiciar. We told you this already. We're not asking your permission, you are being given this responsibility. Embrace it. Do you understand? You need to take these emails very serious. Agent Watson went through great lengths to steal them before they could be redacted and digitally deleted."

"Fine." Johann flipped through several more emails before stopping on one addressed to the previous Justiciar from a name he didn't recognize. "I've got one here that's a little weird. Some person, here, was emailing my former boss?"

Justus knelt down on one knee, adjacent to Johann's computer chair. "Boss? Is that how you looked at Grand Justiciar Reinhardt? As your employer? He didn't pay you. It was never a job, boy. He was grooming you to eventually take over. You were a promising man but you lacked courage. You've now begun displaying that trait during your 'adventures' with Mister Balmoral. I need you to focus, Johann. These emails will explain everything. They may even lead you to your family."

Johann took a moment to read the next three very carefully then looked back up. "Pardon my language ... but what the fuck?"

"Go on," Justus said. "What stuck out to you?"

"You guys were right. The Director of the US Government's Paranormal Division sent out mass emails to ask groups of esoteric people all over the country to meet with him all on the same night at the same time. It looks like your conspiracy theory wasn't crap after all. I have no way to verify these emails, though. I was never invited to these meetings. I didn't even know about them until after the attacks. This is a mess."

Watson came alongside the computer table and held his hands outwards. "This is what I was talking about earlier. USPRI worked closely with many sects of the esoteric community. They were 'friends.' There was more than just a level of détente - there was extreme cooperation. We helped them solve problems. They helped us when we had rogue esoteric people breaking laws or worse."

Foster lifted his eyes from the screen and stared at Watson, listening to the explanation.

Greg continued. "As of last summer, the Government had a lot of trained operatives for this type of work. Over twenty-five hundred field agents alone, all over the world - all United States operatives. That's a lot of employees, if you also add criminal investigative agents, research and development people, and yes, clandestine operatives for wet-works missions. It was an enormous operation."

"Right. You mentioned that."

Justus stood back up, adjacent to the computer chair across from Watson. He put his hand on Johann's shoulder, nodding. "Do you need to take a break, Johann? You've been at this for two days."

"Just stop codling the boy," said Watson. "Foster, you have a lot to do in a short time. Read your screen."

"Fine, God." Johann flipped to the next email then another. "This one says there were orders directly from the Joint Chiefs to attack the supernatural community? How high up did this go?"

Watson folded his arms. "Now you finally get it. Sire forced the people in charge to give orders to attack on multiple fronts in a highly coordinated attack on ...all of your kind. The operation was so damn big, the director brought in mercenaries, people from several branches of the military ... Falcon's people ... even cops. It was an enormous undertaking and they attacked every known supernatural being they could find at nearly the same time."

Loupe added, "The Esoteric Community disappeared off the grid within a matter of days. Within two weeks there were less than a thousand of us. At the end of the month the US Government thought we were all dead. It wasn't until your half-brother manifested an ability that a spotlight was shed back on all of this."

Johann grimaced. "Justiciar Reinhardt didn't even live to see it. I nearly died getting out of there. I reached out to Karla and she saved my life repeatedly. This is one of the reasons I want to help her finish this mess. If I'm the new guy in charge, I want to give her everything available to me to help her finish this."

Watson sighed in frustration. "There's nothing available. The President disavowed any knowledge."

Justus cut back in, adding, "It's possible he actually _didn't_know about the operation until it was too late. But he was quite angry."

Watson patted the boy's shoulder and, in a softer tone, continued, "Like Justus said, when the current President found out ... he was furious. He never gave any order to allow for something as serious as genocide. A best-guesstimate count is approximately one hundred fifty-two thousand four hundred thirty-seven people dead."

"Jesus. I knew it was a lot but hearing it confirmed is horrible. What did the President do? Did he really order a cover up?"

The agent ran his hands up through his hair with a sigh. "Thousands were American-born citizens, Johann. Two members of the cabinet were silently put to death for treason. No one knew they were acting on orders from Sire. Just like nobody knew Sire cleaned up after himself by ordering their deaths."

"I don't understand that. Their Constitutional right is to receive due process. There was no trial, there was nothing like that."

"Yes, Johann. But so as not to upset - let alone inform - the American people, their deaths were masqueraded as..."

Johann groaned with a shake of his head. "Jesus, I get it now. The fatal crash in front of the FBI building. Karla and I saw the whole thing from across the street but I didn't know what had happened at the time. I was right there. I remember reading all the details in the paper. Car crash killed two cabinet members. The flags were at half mast the whole month of October."

Justus Loupe nodded. "Indeed, young man. It wasn't until rather recently that the President learned the whole truth - that people beneath him were coerced. And the coercion went layers deep in order to cover up everything."

"What does all of this conspiracy stuff have to do with my family?"

Watson eyed Johann for a moment. "The director was looking to find survivors of your kind. A member of your family has recently manifested abilities."

"Wait, how did they know Charlie manifested?"

Justus cut in. "An excellent question."

Watson unfolded then re-folded his arms. "We had people watching your family incase someone made a play. Our hunch was based on analysts making a good guess. Needless to say, Johann, the fact Charlie manifested was huge. It put the supernatural issue back on everyone's radar. There was an attack on your family; the new director sent two agents to rescue your folks. He wanted them placed into hiding."

"What?"

"If I tell you that I can prove your brother is safe, which I'm not supposed to do, will you stop being so damn stubborn? Will you work with me?"

"Charlie is alive?"

"I can prove it. But I'm supposed to keep that a secret until Sire has been terminated. He could force the information out of someone and use it to lure you out of hiding. We can't let that happen. So stop being so stubborn. I'm on your side and yes, your brother is alive."

Johann sighed with a measure of relief. "I wish you'd told me this days ago."

"I couldn't. I'm not supposed to have told you now. Are we clear?"

"Yeah. You were talking about how the agents went to my mother's house. What, uh, what happened next?"

"When they arrived, your family was already under attack. There was a firefight. I'm running the investigation. Your folks will be safe. They'll be in protective custody. The agents cleaned up the bodies of the attackers."

Loupe turned back to Watson and asked, "If they really are alive, why didn't you tell me any of this? Where is the surviving Foster family members?"

"USPRI has them on the move. Even I do not know their current location so that I cannot be coerced by someone, like Sire, to give up the location of Charles. Now, everyone calm down. I just need Johann to be focused," Watson muttered. "So, why are you here, Loupe?"

"Are you having selective memory, Watson? We're on the same team."

"Not what I meant, but I'm glad you so-called immortal people aren't all like Natalia Kincade."

"She puts on an act around people like you. She has more personality than you give her credit for. As do I." Justus narrowed his gaze then said, "I'm here because Johann is needed to take up the mantle of the new Justiciar, Agent. I'm here to train him for the job."

"Dammit." Johann ran his hands back through his hair then sighed.

The shadow master toyed with a cufflink, idly. "I know this is difficult to understand for a young man who doesn't believe in large conspiracies. But anyone left to spread rumors is now beneath the Atlantic."

"God it's like this started out of nowhere and turned into an enormous ... how'd this even start, anyhow?"

"Last August, Karla and Donovan were lured into one of those meetings. They were, to my knowledge, the only survivors to be invited to one of the meetings and survive."

Gregory cut back in. "No. Kalen Kincade went to represent his family's interests, what with Natalia doing the whole coffin vampire thing. He survived. Most of the vampires were wiped out. Only a few missed the meetings. And most of those were hunted down afterwards."

Justus furrowed his brows. "Donovan's survival and Eric's escape from South Africa meant more to me than the Kincade family, but yes I suppose I'm glad they are alive."

The agent rolled his eyes. "So you kept tabs on all your family members, even while you were helping Falcon at the time?" Watson folded his arms once more. "You don't have my trust because you guys were working together at the time this big mess started. I just want you to know that, Loupe. It's best we're honest with each other. None of this two-faced subterfuge shit."

Justus sighed. "Yes, I know what my decedents are doing. Yes, I knew the succubus rescued Donovan. Yes, I saved Eric on the rooftop of the Pages Lost nightclub from Falcon's forces when he was duped into taking Donovan to Falcon's doorstep. Yes, I know that Eric and Karla have started a relationship. I'm still waiting on confirmation that the baby belongs to Eric, but I have reason to believe it does."

Johann glanced back at the screen then rubbed his eyes. "I can't believe she's pregnant. So you really don't think it's mine?"

"No."

"I need to call Karla. I mean, just in case. If it's mine, I need to..."

Watson put his hand on Foster's shoulder. "I've been in contact with Patience recently. It's not yours. Karla has been exhibiting shadow control. It belongs to Eric."

Justus narrowed his eyes. "You couldn't have told me that sooner? First you withheld information about the boy's brother. Now this. That's two strikes for withholding information, Gregory."

Watson scoffed. "Again, you don't have all of my trust yet, pal. I'm here for Johann. I'm here because I believe there needs to be leadership when people start manifesting again. I respect this boy a great deal more than you, Loupe."

Johann held his hands up. "Okay guys, calm down. I'm exhausted. I don't want you guys arguing, okay? So let's get back on topic. Sire tricked the Government from a very high level, and caused an attack that was blamed on Justus, blamed on Falcon - basically it was blamed on everyone except the one who actually did it: Sire. Am I missing anything?"

Watson frowned. "I went over all those details when I met you at the morgue. I thought you had eidetic memory, kid?"

"Hey, to hell with you; I'm exhausted, my mother was just murdered and my friends are about to get themselves killed fighting a psychopath with a lot of power and influence. I heard you the first time. Give me a break. And I did hear you say that you had my folks - folk_s_, plural, in hiding. So who else is there?"

Watson frowned. "We have your half-brother, and your biological father. Please don't ask any more questions about that right now. I'll explain everything else later. Just know that they're safe and your father is getting along well with your half-brother.

"I'll want proof later." Foster turned back to Loupe and said, "You were talking about Karla and Donovan during the attack last August? How did they even survive?"

Loupe frowned. "Donovan was considered the biggest danger to the attack squad, so USPRI sent a fairly large attack force to that location. I had no idea they targeted him or I would have intervened. It seems I owe Karla a debt of gratitude for saving both Donovan, Eric, and mothering the next line of my kin."

"You're skating the question."

"Not my intent. We're all tired, Johann. So USPRI, the mercenaries and the police hired for the raid began their attack, assuming that all was in place. Little did they know that Karla would show up late and pose such an enormous threat. The dossier on her said she would be on time. They did not see her enter before the start of the meeting and assumed she'd teleported into the room."

"Punctuality is written in a profile about her?" Johann shifted his weight in the computer chair and rubbed his chin then nodded decisively. "Yeah. She's usually pretty punctual about things."

"She was supposed to be considered a very low threat."

"Seriously?"

Justus nodded. "They assumed a flashbang would make her an easy kill. She cannot control her abilities if she is deaf and blind. Then a sniper round would have killed her. But something happened that caused her to be late. Which, of course, is very out of character for her."

"Lucky for her. What happened next?"

Loupe cut his eyes to Watson then back to Johann. "After Karla survived the attack and took the situation personally, she became the focus of Falcon's forces at one point. Fortunately for us, they haven't managed to kill her. She's seen a great deal of combat in the last six months. She's fought through Falcon's agents, ex-USPRI workers, as well as supernatural people working with Falcon. She even trashed his warehouses, destroyed his prototype automated robotic sentries he was testing for use in his city."

"What? Falcon was testing freaking robots? Seriously?"

Watson cut in. "Yes. I understand that Falcon intended to use them in his city. But they proved to be easily destroyed by the succubus' control of telekinesis. I read a report that suggested she destroyed them in very creative ways, as though toying with them."

"He's right." Loupe shrugged and began toying with a cufflink again. "Karla's destruction of those machines is the single largest reason why Falcon turned the underwater dome from a village into a small city. Originally it was a bio-dome with rolling hills of grass and simplistic housing."

"Jesus. So the dome was originally for what?" Johann asked.

"Chosen supernaturals, robotic sentries as protection, and himself. He was going to have a Garden of Eden the size of a village, with enormous fields and trees. Karla flattened all the prototypes with ease; Falcon decided it would be safer to have a city of humans to protect him and his chosen supernatural survivors."

"So what's their plan now, Mr. Loupe?"

"Isn't it obvious, young man? Now they're simply waiting for her to deliver herself for a final showdown. She cannot beat Sire. That's already been proven. Apart from the immortals of the First Age, Lance and Steven, no one can ignore Sire's ability. Before I left Falcon's camp, Sire seemed highly irritated that Karla Howard was still alive and causing trouble for him. The next logical move is for Sire to engage her directly. Then we'll have lost footing."

"My friends are going to need help," Johann murmured. "I don't want them walking into something they can't handle. Okay, one more thought to consider," said Johann. "How could so many agents, operatives and mercenaries work together on an operation so large without someone in the Esoteric Community finding out? Even with Krys Monroe helping to point out each and every one of us. Did someone betray the Esoteric Council and help Falcon make this happen? Someone other than Justiciar Reinhardt's brother, Sire?"

"Surely you've met Sire," said Justus. "He spearheaded the operation, Mister Foster. He was the one carrying out Falcon's plan. It's possible that Falcon is actually carrying out orders to take the spotlight off of Sire."

Watson shook his head and interjected. "No. Sire has been playing the battlefield. Rufus and his friend went face to face with that guy several times. Sire's everywhere. Falcon is the one hiding himself away in a bunker and a lab."

Justus rubbed his chin. "That's all true. After spending time infiltrating their ranks, I've decided no one can kill Sire. The only two people that can ignore him will not engage him. They know better. He surrounds himself with people and does not leave himself open to attack."

"Why are Falcon and Sire even working together? To what end?"

Loupe frowned. "They have a mutual goal. The fact is, Sire is the linchpin, and he cannot be felled."

Johann listened, nodded, and then grinned. "We have Sinopa."

"You mentioned her earlier. Who is she?"

Johann's grin broadened to a devious smile. "And here I thought you knew everything that was going on. She's a Japanese Kitsune kami spirit messenger. A demigod."

Watson furrowed his brows in confusion.

Justus blinked. "A demigod? _They are _banned from this realm due to a treaty signed between esoteric humans and the celestial bureaucracy well over a thousand years ago."

"She's a three-tail. She isn't banned. The treaty is very specific. Her power is measured by tails. She can stay here until she goes beyond five."

Justus Loupe unfolded his arms and began pacing. "So you are serious? There is a Japanese Shinto messenger here on Earth?"

"Yeah but she's on our side. If I'm the only Esoteric Council leader, now, then I say we have her help us."

"Not sure that's a good idea, young man."

"Reinhardt has allowed her to live here for quite some time. She was married to Jon Parker for a while."

Justus sighed. "Over nine hundred years ago, another Japanese messenger girl was caught stalking around this realm against the permission of the Earthly Supernatural sects. She claimed she did it in secrecy out of her love for a young man, the leader of Japan at the time."

"Yeah. His posthumous name is Konoe-tenno."

"Correct, young man. Konoe. They were in love for a time. However, she was ordered to death by the Emperor. She was given the option to return to the Celestial realm, but she refused. I believe his birth name was Narihito."

Watson frowned. "Japanese stuff gets confusing. Let's just call him Konoe. It's easier to follow for everyone here."

Justus nodded. "Very well. Konoe. The kitsune decided to flee across Japan instead. At the time, a human woman of her stature would not have survived alone in the countryside. She out maneuvered an enormous army. That was further proof she was a powerful demigod."

Johann recalled the conversation he had with Sinopa on the sub on the way to Japan. He rubbed a sore muscle where his neck met his left shoulder. "Yeah, a supernatural hunter caught up with her."

"The kitsune was killed with a supernatural arrow fashioned by a supernatural weapon maker. Demigods have stayed away from this realm ever since the treaty except that singular incident. Those creatures are too powerful to stay on Earth. Why would they break the rules again?"

"Again, Sinopa is young enough that it is allowed. She faced a lot of racism, I'm told, but she has not been attacked by the EC." Johann frowned and leaned back in the computer chair then rubbed his face. "Besides, the sects can't do shit about Sinopa being here. They're all dead. And let's face it, Justus, we need her help. She is on our side, man. I mean ... think about it - this situation MUST be pretty dire for the deities to test the water after a thousand years, right? I'd say genocide of esoteric people on a global scale is pretty dire. As is Falcon's desire to start drama under the Atlantic."

"Quite so, Mister Foster. You've made an excellent point. Let us only hope that this lady fox spirit you've mentioned is capable of being responsible. Demigods are too powerful to be wondering the Earth realm."

Watson shook his head. "I don't believe in gods. Sinopa is just a woman with tails on her ass that can throw fire. You guys are looking into this a little too deeply."

Loupe turned back to Watson and narrowed his eyes. "I have seen them. All types of worshipped creatures. Some in the forms of demonic beings; some came claiming good intentions. The Greeks and Romans prayed to a group that disappeared and became legends and myths. They disappeared before the treaty that banned them from this realm. Nobody knows what happened to them. The Vikings prayed to a group that fought alongside the humans and treated every battle as a celebration ... but they, too, were eventually banned for inciting wars for their enjoyment."

Johann rubbed his face again. "It's hard to believe that some of these mythological people were real. Did the supernatural community fight them?"

Loupe shook his head and turned back to Johann. "No, young man. Our kind has only slain two deities. Pan, who was far older than the Greek pantheon, and was reborn in the Celestial realm, and, later, the Japanese creature I spoke of."

"So how'd our kind get their kind to leave?"

Justus shrugged. "Johann, they sat down with these deities and created laws and pacts. They simply asked the gods to leave. But there were conditions. If any otherworldly being came to this realm and started problems, they would be given only one warning then hunted. Because Pan was slain on this plane, they knew we were capable. The First Age humans created and bred people with abilities to put a stop to the deities. That's where our kind came from. But when we bred with humans, the gene skipped generations sometimes. Different abilities bred, creating mutts."

Watson rubbed his left brow then shook his forehead. "So supernaturals, in groups, can kill gods, huh?"

"When killed, those creatures simply awaken in the other realm. But yes, Supernatural humans, when combining their abilities, can hold their own. They've proven such against Pan's earthen physical form. And again when they enforced the rules against Konoe's kitsune courtesan."

"Tamamo was her name."

"So, she's really the mother of the twins? And they're completely human, yes? At least the genetic results I've seen show them to be." Justus turned to Greg. "Do you have anything on them in your file?"

"They're incestuous. Not a fan of that."

Johann sighed. "Don't judge. We have Ten Commandments, not twelve. I didn't see anything about sexuality or incest on it. I know it's a little weird but..."

Watson shook his head. "You won't convince me about incest. It's hard on the human body. Sure, we're programmed as people to look for someone similar to ourselves, but we're also designed to seek out certain difference."

Loupe nodded. "He's right, Johann. But so are you in defending them."

"I am."

"They were designed as Chimera. They have different genetics, and different immune systems, and different perspiration scents then they should. Even Topaz's tears were genetically altered to a degree. The average woman's tears have an effect on men that lowers their testosterone levels. The smell of them will cause a man to calm down. It's perhaps why a man cannot stand to see women cry. But Topaz will cause Fox's testosterone to increase, possibly to make him protective of her. It's all very strange. But one thing is for sure. Falcon has made them so they cannot stay away from one another for very long. It will disrupt their sleep pattern among other things. So if Fox gets a runny nose, he'll need to be around Topaz for it to stop, more or less."

"Weird," said Watson with a frown. "So was Sinopa a surrogate mother? No, the twins are Chimera. They're part Parker genetics and they're part another family's genetics. But other than their ability and their looks, the Parker genetics stay somewhat dormant. If those two have a child, the son or daughter will basically be a reborn replication of the last man to lead the First Age. Falcon needs this more than any other artifact."

"Great." Gregory rubbed his face. "Just great."

Johann stood up from the computer chair and stretched. "Okay, so how do we get back to Falcon's city? I certainly can't remember how to get back there because I have no reference point."

"Again," Watson said, "I thought you had eidetic memory?"

Foster grimaced. "Don't be so judgmental. I can read stuff about quantum string theory. Doesn't mean I understand it right off the bat based on a text book explanation."

Watson frowned. "Fair enough."

Loupe turned back to Watson. "I also cannot figure a way to return to that dome." Justus frowned. "I've tried. Agent Watson, how did you find it?"

"Rufus. He, like Johann, has a good memory but he's especially good with number patterns. He memorized the global positioning coordinates and we went to perform reconnaissance but it resulted in the apparent death of his best friend."

"Then we should go help them stop Falcon," Johann said.

Loupe shook his head. "You have duties as the new Justiciar."

"What should I do?" asked Johann.

Again, Justus smirked. "You can begin by finishing those emails."

"How come you don't sound like Mr. Donovan when you talk? If you're older, shouldn't you have an even more archaic speaking pattern?"

With a shrug, Justus folded his arms once more then said, "Because the oldest of us are smart enough to know how to blend and adapt. Steven, Lance, myself ... Karla on the other hand, well..."

Johann nodded in understanding.

Watson cut in and said, "She likes to be seen. She likes attention."

Loupe folded his arms again, mostly to keep himself from playing with the cufflink. "Indeed, she does. I cannot help but wonder what she's up to right now ... pregnant with Eric's child ... I cannot help but worry if she's getting in over her head. The pregnancy will be a distraction. She'll be swirling with emotions and hormones. She won't be able to..."

Johann held his hands up and shook his head. "I know you're old fashion but she can take care of herself. Remember, Mr. Loupe, that fifteen-year-old looking girl is over four centuries old. Karla only does what's best for herself first and foremost. She won't let anything happen to that baby, and she doesn't want to raise a child in a world that kills supernaturals. She's going to flatten that place before she builds a nest for the child. Don't worry about your next of kin. They'll be fine."

Watson rubbed his chin then began pacing. "And what if she puts herself and the baby first, leaving your friends at the mercy of something they cannot handle?"

Loupe nodded in agreement. "Watson is right. I worry for my 'next of kin' as you so eloquently worded it ... but I worry, also, that she will be distracted."

Johann frowned. "Let's just ... have faith in her, okay?" He reached for the bag of fast food and carried it across the room to a kitchenette. "And we shouldn't stay in this safehouse. We should be on the move or something. Staying in the same place for too long can't be good, right?" He opened a microwave and reached into the bag. He unwrapped a cheeseburger from the aluminum foil, put it onto a paper plate and set the microwave for one minute. "I know we don't have anything to help Karla. I'm a leader with no army. Not much of a leader, am I? But I want to show her support somehow. Let's figure that out, too. I think she's the key to winning this thing."

"You do?"

Johann nodded emphatically. "She's saved me. She's saved the Loupe family line. She's saved all of us. Well, in one matter or another. But if she doesn't think she can win, she won't risk the baby. So we gotta show her that we support her and that she can win this."

Justus Loupe walked into the kitchenette. "Johann, use your abilities to heat the food. Just heat the molecules the way you change a solid into a gas."

"I can do that?"

"Of course you can. I'll talk you through it."

He took the food back out of the microwave, canceled the timer, and set the plate on a counter. "Okay. I'll try it."

X

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Next chapter: https://www.sofurry.com/view/669176