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Chapter -19- March of the Damned

Friday, October 1, 2049 - 12:45 San Francisco, California ...

Karla and Reno stood side by side with their arms folded. Reno, at six foot tall, towered over the demure stature of the succubus, more than six inches shorter in her flats.

Tamamo stepped into the hall outside of the storeroom with the mirror. She nodded respectfully to her friends.

Karla grinned at the kitsune. "Tammy, you look badass. That's some seriously outdated armor, though. Why not talk to the Parkers about using something more modern?"

"I handmade this with Sinopa's help. It is tailored to my build." Tamamo abruptly corrected herself. "For Tamae's build."

Reno tilted his head. "Why not let Sinopa..."

"Iie," Tamamo said firmly. "It is my honor to battle for my home."

"It's her home, too," Karla said.

A familiar voice joined from up the hall. Sinopa joined the group with a nod of respect to Karla and Reno, and a slightly deeper bow to Tamamo. "Karla-san, Reno-san; Tamamo-sama."

"Sin-chan." Tamamo smiled.

Sinopa turned to Karla and Reno. "I will take the mirror safely into the bunker beneath the house. There is no time to move it. If the city is in danger, we cannot lose it. Raul was kind enough to take our friends out of the city. They are now are in Los Angeles and will leave for their destinations from that point."

Karla smiled, glad everyone else would be away from San Francisco. "My uncle can be pretty useful when he's sober. So why didn't he take you?"

"Because the mirror cannot be teleported. Karla-san, you should know this - it was beyond your power to teleport it in 1999."

"I ... I guess I forgot." Karla frowned. "It's been fifty years."

Sinopa nodded in understanding. "How are Raul's shakes?" asked the younger kitsune. "I noticed his hands tremble at times."

"It was day-by-day for a while, there. I told him not to go cold turkey but he did. He is getting better, though." Karla placed her hands on Sinopa's shoulders. "Why is Tamamo going? Tamae is a human. She is not nearly as safe in that realm."

Sinopa tilted her head, looking at Karla as if confused. "If you take me, you have one set of hands to help. If you take Tamamo, you have two sets of hands. She will be separated from her host when she arrives in the Celestial Realm. Tamae will be protected by armor. Tamamo-sama will wield the kogitsune-maru blade, forged by Munechika-sama, a master blacksmith."

Karla and Reno exchanged glances. Karla dropped her hands from Sinopa's shoulders and stepped back. "Well, then. My mistake. That's pretty wicked, having two samurai babes with us."

Tamamo arched her brows. "Tamae has trained since I have inhabited her body. She is highly skilled with a naginata." Tamamo nodded towards the open storeroom, where a spear with a blade on the end leaned up against the mirror. "She is trained with a katana, kaiken, and the art of tantojutsu. I have also trained her in the art of tessenjutsu. She will come home from this battle alive."

"Female samurais, awesome," Karla said with a slight grin. "I can't wait to see you two in action."

"Onna-bugeisha," Tamamo corrected. "Women warriors of the bushi class. The term 'samurai' is masculine." Tamamo paused and leaned close to Karla and whispered into her ear. "I assure you, we are most badass, Karla-san."

Karla grinned and elbowed Reno. "We're going to destroy those jötnar losers. I can't wait to see what a real frost giant looks like."

Tamamo smiled to her friends. "Some are monstrous creatures, bizarre in appearance. In contrast, some are strikingly beautiful or handsome. There are many kinds. Clay, fire, frost ... behead your enemies if possible. End their suffering, and end their ability to pose a threat. Are we clear?"

Karla nodded firmly. "I'm ready. Where is Sekhmet?"

Tamamo stepped into the storeroom and retrieved the naginata. The pole was nearly seven feet long. The blade atop was curved and slightly longer than a foot.

Reno eyed it, impressed. "That thing is huge."

"The largest I have used was two hundred forty centimeters long with a sixty centimeter blade. This is obviously smaller, balanced for Tamae to wield efficiently."

Reno sighed through his nose and forced a smile. "Right. Centimeters. I'm from America."

Karla rolled her eyes with a grin. "Okay, let's bring Sekhmet up here and get ready. I want to kick some ass."

Tamamo nodded to her friends. "I will retrieve her. She has been ... meditating. She will be leading the charge." Tamamo carried her spear-like weapon down the hall and left the group.

Karla snorted in amusement after Tamamo was out of earshot. "Meditating huh? So that's what the kids call it these days."

Sinopa frowned. "She has not been meditating. She has been drinking."

Reno smirked. "Drunk Lion, Hidden Dragon - showing in a realm near you."

Karla grinned at Reno. "I don't think there's going to be anything 'hidden' about a drunk deity. Props, though, you beat me to the joke."

"I knew you were going to make it," Reno said. "Sinopa, go and announce to the hunters to get in their lines. Then bring'em in. I can't wait to get this over with."

"I can't wait to fight," Karla said. "Why are you in such a hurry for it to be over?"

"This battle, or war, or fight, or whatever you want to call it," Reno trailed off with a shrug. "It's just getting in the way of flattening Aris Falcon. That's the one I'm looking forward to."

Karla leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed the corner of Reno's mouth. "Soon, babe."

"Soon," Reno repeated.

Karla waggled her brows. In an eerie, playful voice, she said, "Hashtag soon."

"Hashtag - not soon enough, Karla. I want to finish this shit so my brother can be back on the surface, and I can relax."

Karla nodded in understanding. They both looked up from one another. Neither saw Sinopa. Karla shrugged. "I guess she went to get the hunters. You're sure one of those guys didn't attack Natalia? That's what they do, you know."

"Yeah, I'm going with my gut on this one."

"Mm. They tracked supernaturals sometimes, for the EC. But mostly, they're known for hunting werewolves and vampires." Karla cleared her throat, adding, "And demons. This includes incubi and..."

"They won't hurt you," Reno said. "These guys think they're going to Heaven to rescue 'Gods Angels.' They're so focused on that, some of them are acting obsessed with this fight. Sinopa says there really are angels up there. That should be interesting."

Karla nodded. "Lore and faith created them. Rafael, Gabriel, Uriel, and Michael. Oh, and Phanuel. And, let's see, there are more archangels - Azrael, Israfil, who might just be another name for Rafael, uh ... I used to remember more. Chamuel, Jophiel, Haniel, Zadkiel, Metatron..."

Reno eyed Karla and shook his head. "Okay, I get it, you're four hundred years old. You grew up surrounded by religion. Who are the ones we need to rescue?"

"You're sweet to take five decades off my age," she said. "Michael, Gabriel and Raphael are just about always mentioned in every branch of faith that believes in one God. Those are the three we'll want on our side."

"Okay, why?"

Karla shrugged. "Raphael can cure disease and heal our wounds. Michael is always depicted with armor and a sword, brutally slaying evil creatures. It's written he defeated Satan in battle, in the first Celestial rebellion. They kicked Satan out for being a dick and trying to overthrow Heaven."

"Uh huh, and if Satan climbed out of Hell and they killed him, where would he go? Back to Hell? Doesn't seem too bad."

Karla grinned. "You've been hanging around me too long. I'm starting to rub off on you. But seriously, babe, we may need to know who's who when we rescue these slobs. So it's good I know their names."

"How do you remember all this stuff?"

"I'm smart and I read a lot. And now all these fantasy novels and TV shows like using this stuff. Keeps humanity from forgetting about them."

"Right." Reno looked up, seeing Sinopa. She led the line of hunters in through the back door. Reno turned back to Karla and kissed her forehead. "See you on the other side."

Tamamo came up the hall from the opposite side with Sekhmet.

The Egyptian goddess wore a silky red gown, accentuated by armored plates layered overtop. She wore a headdress that covered the back of her neck, made out of metallic beads. A circular armored section went over her shoulders and came down over her chest, decorated with the ankh, covering a rosetta pattern over each breast.

No one spoke.

Karla glanced back at the hunters. Everyone stared at the lion-headed woman walking up the hall from the other direction, standing tall at Tamamo's side.

Behind Tamamo, Kuda trotted in a rhythmic cadence. Upon seeing Karla, he ran around Tamamo and hurried up the hall.

Karla reached her arm down and the small animal dashed up on her forearm and sat on her shoulder. Karla reached up and rubbed her fingers behind his ears. "Hiya, baby boy!"

Everyone else kept their eyes on Sekhmet. In the lioness' left hand, she carried a Khopesh - an axe-like sickle sword. The claws of her right hand were fully extended.

Sekhmet nodded to Sinopa. She nodded to Karla and Reno. Her eyes shifted to the line of hunters, extending down the hall, through the large room, and out to the courtyard. "So, this is our army ... excellent. Humans who fight for a good cause are a most welcome sight."

No one spoke.

Sekhmet addressed the front of the line of hunters. "Fight with the ferocity of the lion. With luck, the wings of Isis will protect your injuries - and may the milk of her bosom heal your wounds. For the ones that she cannot, I will. Find me in battle and I will mend your wounds. I am pleased to battle by your side.

"I have seen many wars. My hot breath formed the acrid desert of Egypt. Even there there were wars.

"Those of you, here, who are female, may have noticed your menstrual cycle has changed. I rule over this cycle, and I have changed your body's cycle so you will not be hindered in battle.

"Several days ago, I spoke with Trajen, Tamamo-no-Mae, and Natalia Kincade regarding a strategy. Tamamo has a brilliant plan. We will rescue the fiercest warriors of several faith bases. Ares, the Greek god of war, Michael the Romanized archangel of Heaven, and Mut-Nekhbet of the Thebes cult. Mut-Nekhbet is the final iteration of Mut-Sekhmet-Bast-Menhit, a fierce lioness goddess warrior, born from a lore that assimilated many of the greatest stories Egypt told of its deities.

"I would also like to find the Norse god, Thor, and Shinto god, Takehaya Susanoo-no-Mikoto, if possible. These warriors give us the greatest chance to strike down the invading enemy."

The line crowded into the rear room, trying to hear her speech. Sekhmet continued, seeing the group gather to listen. "Once we have found Ares, Michael and the Shinto deity, I will dispatch them to locate other warrior gods, like Huitzilopochtli, the Morrígu, Thor and Tyr, and anyone else capable of assisting our cause.

"These gods will be tasked with defending and rescuing those in their appropriately assigned pantheon.

"Many of you will _not_return home. But this is a war for heaven. Earth will not be safe without securing this realm.

"For many thousands of years, it has been our job to protect humanity. We have failed to protect ourselves. So on behalf of the divinity of our race, I fight with you to free the Celestial Realm from the Jötnar.

"Many of you may wonder how the Norse creatures could secure the Celestial Hub and lock down its many worlds within. I am ashamed to say their blitz was successful in locking away powerful gods, weak against such a numerous opponent because we are weak from a lack of worldly faith.

"For the handful of you who return from this battle, you are an unsung hero. Humanity will not recognize your skill. Humans of Earth will call you insane. They will mock you if you sing of your deeds. Please accept my apology. That is the way of humans.

"You are sacrificing your friends, your lives, and a piece of your humanity when you walk into that portal. You will see gruesome images that will break your heart, your spirit and your mind. But the gods will remember your sacrifice. The gods will sing of your bravery. The gods will honor you."

Silence.

Sekhmet turned to Tamamo, Karla and Reno, and Sinopa. "I am prepared to return home." She glanced back at Sinopa and added, "Remind everyone passing through that they will emerge in the shallow end of a pond, according to Tamamo-no-Mae. Expect this battle to last several days and several nights. We will break into camps as necessary."

Sinopa bowed to Sekhmet.

The lioness lifted her head. Her tail flitted about from pent up energy. Sekhmet nodded to Karla and canted her head towards the mirror. "We will secure the arrival area for those following us through."

"I remember the plan," Karla replied. She moved towards the mirror. The succubus cracked her knuckles, keeping her eyes on the reflective surface. "Fifty years ago, I risked everything to get this thing back for Natalia Kincade." Karla turned to Sinopa and added, "Keep it safe until I get back. Stay alive, Red."

Sinopa bowed to Karla. "I am honored you will fight for my birth-realm, Karla-san. Arigato, my friend."

Karla smiled at Sinopa. She glanced back at Reno and said, "See you when you get there. You'll be walking into a lot of confusion. Just keep your chin up, babe."

Sekhmet stepped through the mirror without another word. She disappeared through it as easily as if she'd walked through a doorway.

Karla watched the reflective surface. "I really expected some sort of fancy weird effects. Like, ripples, or warbling, or some sort of flashy glow. That's kind of disappointing."

"See you soon, kiddo." Reno smiled a bit. "Don't get yourself killed. Tamamo and I will be following you in after the first wave of hunters."

"I remember." Karla blew him a kiss and dove into the mirror, hands first, as though she were diving into a swimming pool.

The mansion storage room dissolved around her. Karla felt a splash of water meet her body from the waist down. Her hands and forearms met soft grass. Her arms cradled her breast from striking the ground.

Karla looked up, lying in the edge of a shallow pond. The warm water surrounded her legs. She got to her feet, smoothed the wet front of her knee-length skirt, and rang out the front of her blouse.

"I am such a dumbass. I should have walked through like you did." She climbed up into the grass and approached Sekhmet. "No sign of Jötnar?"

"No." Sekhmet sniffed at the air and tilted her head. "I am not sure just how far we are from the heart of the Celestial Hub. But I do not smell the stench of any Jotunn. There is a hint of death on the wind, but it is in the distance."

The first of the hunters began pouring through. They emerged in the pond, marching up onto the grassy embankment.

Karla pointed towards the surrounding forest. "Spread out and make sure we've got the area secured. You've gotta keep moving so people coming through don't bump into you."

She pulled aside a young black woman in her early twenties. "Hey, what's your name, sweetheart?"

"Octavia Wilson."

Karla smiled. "Pretty. Listen, you look like you're really organized. Am I right?"

Octavia smiled a bit. "I pride myself on being organized."

Karla grinned. "Right on, girl. You've got the most important job right now - if we don't keep these people moving as they come through, we'll turn into a mosh pit of pushy people. I want you to keep directing people to spread out and secure the immediate forested area. We're in a clearing. I want people to keep moving through. Don't let anyone standing around in the grass. Keep'em flowing through. You got it, Octavia?"

"I can do that. I've got this."

Karla grinned. "That's what's up, sister. If you lose your voice before everyone gets through, deputize someone to help."

Octavia turned towards the pond and, from the demure black woman, she belted her voice out with a tone of authority that impressed Karla. "Keep it going! Move forward, don't stop! Head into the forest, scout the immediate area! Don't stop, keep moving! Don't block the people coming through! Weapons out, eyes sharp! Move your butts into the forest! Keep it going! Don't stop! Keep moving!"

Karla turned to Sekhmet, brows raised. "She's better than I'd hoped. Girl power."

Sekhmet nodded approvingly. "She speaks to her peers with a warrior's spirit."

"Yeah. She's spirited alright." Karla tilted her head at the sound of someone shouting from the left. "What's going on?"

Sekhmet lifted her head. Her feline ears perked up. "Someone says they have located a footpath. Follow me."

Karla fell into step behind the lioness. "I can't wait to stomp my first frost giant." She moved through the densely forested area until emerging on a surprisingly wide dusty trail.

"We need a way to signal to those coming through." Sekhmet pointed towards a faint glow in the sky. "We follow this trail towards the heart of the Celestial Realm."

Karla reached for a tree. She tensed her forearms. Her palms glowed a brilliant pink with glyphs becoming illuminated just beneath the surface of her hands and wrists.

A large tree bowed sharply.

"What are you doing?"

Karla cut her gaze to Sekhmet. "I'll make a giant arrow out of a tree, fuse it with several others, and split one end, the curl it back to look like an arrow."

Sekhmet frowned. "You could ask for another hunter to point people in the right direction."

Hunters began coming out of the woods, finding their way to the footpath. Karla turned to the group and pointed down the trail. "Head towards the glow. Fight any creature that doesn't look godly. Let's show'em we humans can handle our business, people!"

A man approached Karla. "I saw you asked a woman to direct traffic. I was a cop a few years ago. I know how to keep a crowd flowing."

"The job is yours," Karla said. She turned to Sekhmet and motioned towards the path. "Shall we?"

"Yes." Sekhmet used the Khopesh as a walking stick and headed up the foot trail.

Karla followed. Kuda sat up and put his paws on Karla's head, sniffing at the air. He barked as if excited. Karla reached up and pulled the little fox into her arms. "What's wrong, Kuda? You smell a bad guy? Huh, do ya'?"

Kuda dove out of her arms and hurried up the path.

Karla frowned. "What the hell?" She followed the fox, back off the path and into the woods.

"Karla, we should not split up!" Sekhmet called from behind.

"One sec!" Karla called back. "Let me just grab him and..." Karla emerged into a forest clearing. Up ahead, Kuda sprinted through ankle-high grass towards Evan, Kalen, and Laura.

Karla glanced back over her shoulders and shouted, "Sekhmet! I found them! I found our people! Get over here!"

A moment later, Sekhmet emerged into the clearing. She recognized Kalen Kincade immediately. "You're alive. Have you encountered the Jötnar?"

Kalen stood up first, followed by Evan and Laura together. Kincade cleared his throat and said, "The Jötnar have been defeated by a new enemy. Laura tells us that they were biological weapons, created by Aris Falcon. They were failed attempts at creating a super soldier."

No one spoke.

Kalen frowned, adding, "If you remove any limb, including the head, they grow into two enemies. They are disorganized, but they are highly effective enemies."

Karla approached Evan. They shared a hug. She turned to Kalen and asked, "Are they like the ones I found in Marseilles, France, in 1999?"

Laura nodded, answering the question. "They are from France. Dr. Falcon kept them in cryogenic stasis in a laboratory beneath Marseilles. He shipped them to the Kincade Manor and sent them through the mirror. They crushed the Jötnar, but now they're tearing up this ... world, or whatever we should call it."

Karla hugged Kalen. "Glad you're okay, babe." She turned to Laura. "I fought those things. If that's what we're up against, we're in real trouble. They can't die."

"I figured out how to beat them," Evan said. "There's two ways. If you shut down the heart or brain, but leave the body intact, they shut down. They don't die, but they become inactive."

"How?" Karla picked Kuda up and cradled him in her arms. "I tried removing their heads fifty years ago. It just made more of them."

"I stuck a glass pole in the head of one. I left it there. The creature shut down. If you leave the object in their brain, they don't heal until the object is removed."

"Evan!!" Her eyes widened. "You realize these things are considered unbeatable? And you beat them!? That's amazing!" Karla said, delighted. "What about the heart thing you mentioned, babe?"

Evan smiled, glad to receive the positive feedback. "If you stop the heart from beating, they can't pump oxygen-rich blood to the rest of their body. They just, well, lay there, squirming for a bit until their limbs lock up. They can't create a jolt necessary to start their heart again. So that means if you stick an object through their heart, like a pole or an arrow, and if you leave it there, the heart won't beat."

Karla hugged Evan again. "You little freaking boy-genius, you!"

Evan grinned. "I've been creating glass weapons and taking these things down left and right. There's a lot of silica in this realm. I have an unlimited supply of ammunition."

Karla laughed and ran her left hand back through her canary blond locks. "Okay, change of plan. Evan, you stay."

Kalen folded his arms with a frown. "It appears I'm not as useful, here, as I'd thought. They cannot be beaten by normal means of combat, like the Jötnar."

Karla passed Kuda into Kalen's arms. "Kalen and Laura, Kuda will guide you back to the pond. Natalia was attacked by someone. She's in torpor. Kalen, you and Laura go back and keep Sinopa and the mirror safe. When this whole thing blows over, I want you to bring Natalia back from her vampire-sleep thing."

Kalen drew Kuda to his chest, supporting the animal's hindquarters with his left palm. "The man called himself Laufeyjarson. I've thought about the name for the last few days. Evan and I agree on the lore. Laufey was the name of Loki's mother."

Evan nodded. "Loki is a pretty important bad guy in the Marvel comics universe, Karla. I did a book report on him in high school. It would explain why the Jötnar were the initial invading force here. I think Loki used Natalia to get to Earth."

Karla frowned. "Shit." She immediately frowned, and then offered Evan an apologetic expression. She turned to Kalen. "So, what you boys are telling me is ... there's a deity walking around Earth right now?"

"This is very bad," Sekhmet told them. "Loki is an impressive warrior. He is known as a trickster, a pervert, and a stubborn jackass. However, he has seduced many women, and struck down many men. It is written only one other warrior will sucessfully defeat Loki, and only by giving his own life."

Evan nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Heimdall! He's supposed to be even more awesome than Idris Elba played him in the movies. God those are classics. And, for the record, Idris Elba was one of my favorite actors. So, yeah, Heimdall - way awesome."

"Enough with the chatter," Sekhmet told them. "We have to focus. Loki is certainly capable of securing a human nuclear device."

Evan blinked and turned to Sekhmet. "Wait, what?"

Karla frowned. "Two sources claim Natalia's attacker want to get their hands on a nuke and use it on San Francisco."

Kalen narrowed his eyes. "Sinopa and the mirror are in grave danger. They would be safe in the Parker Mansion bunker. I understand it is designed to filter air. But someone has to try and search for Loki and stop him."

Laura stepped out from behind Kalen. "I am immune to fallout. So long as I am not at ground zero, I will survive a thermonuclear detonation."

"Jesus Christ, really?" Karla eyed the girl. "You can seriously survive having your face half-melted, and the effects of radiation?"

"Yes. Vincent and Dr. Falcon have shown me my limits. I am confident I can survive above ground so long as I am not at ground zero. I will look for Loki. How did he attack Natalia?"

Karla swallowed emotion welling up in her gut. "I forgot, she took you in. Listen, Laura, she's not dead. She's just ... really hurt."

"What did he do to her?"

The succubus sighed. "He separated her spine, paralyzing her. Then he bled her out by gutting her, and by stabbing her legs. If that wasn't bad enough, he left his knife in her chest, and strangled her with a piece of rope. He stuck the ends of it into the wound at the back of her neck. I guess to keep her spine from healing."

Kalen narrowed his eyes. "Laura, I will accompany you in finding Loki."

"No," Laura said, turning to Kalen. "Save Natalia. Keep the mirror safe incase we have to return to this place and help our friends. I will find Loki. He is afraid of the beings released here by Dr. Falcon. I am an evolved version of those beings. I will handle this."

"Are you sure?" Kalen asked. "Laura, a nuclear warhead is serious."

"Keep the mirror safe," Laura said in a demanding tone. She turned to Karla. "Thank you for bringing us Kuda. I will make sure he and Kalen make it back to San Francisco. When they are safely in the bunker, I will find Loki. I will kill him."

Sekhmet approached Laura and looked her over. After a moment, Sekhmet smiled, causing her fangs to become exposed. "Do you not fear me, girl?"

"Would you like to test me? We're wasting time," Laura said in a firm tone. "No, I do not fear you. I have been throw into arenas with werewolves. I have been attacked with blasts of radiation. I have been bombarded with artillery. I have fought captured supernatural men and women in groups. Either step aside, or make this battle quick."

Karla held her hands up. "Whoa, whoa, hold up guys. Sekhmet, Laura is no joke. You may not have seen her fight before, but she's an evolved version of the things we're fighting. And I've seen those."

"We should go. Now." Laura reached for Kuda, drawing the fox from Kalen's arms. She put Kuda in the grass. "Lead us back to the portal, so we can protect Sinopa, save Natalia and find Loki."

Sekhmet tilted her head. Her tail swished with irritation. "Can such a little creature possibly understand you?"

Karla offered a sidelong grin at Sekhmet. "He understands. He's smart as hell."

Kuda dashed off through the grass. Kalen and Laura followed the tiny fox out of the clearing.

Evan turned to Karla and Sekhmet. He waved, somewhat nervously, to the lioness. "She's not afraid of you, but I find you pretty intimidating."

"I _am_intimidating."

Karla grinned. "You're just a big playful kitty cat. You're probably too smart for the laser pointer thing, but..."

"Karla, I respect you as a capable warrior, but ... save your boisterous personality for an appropriate time. We are at war."

Karla folded her arms. "Summer of 1908, Tunguska Siberia. Now that was a war."

Evan frowned. "Karla, the Jötnar decapitated a lot of those creatures. They ripped arms and legs off. Needless to say, there are a lot of those zombie-creatures out there."

Karla frowned. "I turned one into, like, two or three. And they were no joke. How many is a lot?"

"Two or three hundred," Evan said. "How many hunters do we have?"

Sekhmet answered before Karla could speak. "Not nearly enough. We must find a way to contact them and tell them what you've learned."

"Let's move," Karla said. "Evan, make me a glass object real fast."

Evan created a small pointed object from glass. It immediately disappeared. It reappeared in Karla's hand, and then disappeared again.

"What was that about?" Evan asked.

"I needed to test the landing zone, babe." Satisfied, Karla put her left hand on Sekhmet's elbow, and her right palm on Evan's shoulder. The three of them vanished from the clearing, headed back towards the footpath, in an area safe for teleportation.

X

X

Friday, 5:50pm Seattle, Washington ...

Vincent felt Nichole stir against him. He slid his hand back, from around her waist, to her arm. No fur. He felt her move again. Vincent drew his arm away and rolled onto his back.

Nichole sat up and shifted about. She reached towards the nightstand, fumbling with something Vincent couldn't see.

A moment later, the TV on the wall came to life. It was an older-model flat panel screen. A parade of commercials brightened the otherwise dark hotel room.

Vincent sat up and stretched. "How'd you sleep?"

"Good, actually," she said. "Uhm, really good."

He feigned a smile. "Glad to hear it."

"We've worked together how many times in the last ten years?"

"More times than I can count. You're my boss," Vincent replied.

"Not anymore. I quit. We've been on assignments before. I never thought that this would happen."

"It was just a mid-afternoon nap, Nichole."

"Nikki," she said. "I just ... yeah. Nikki."

"Alright. Well, it was just a nap, Nikki. Nothing happened. You don't regret it, do you?"

"Actually, nevermind. There's something weird about Nikki. Call me Nichole after all."

"Reno used to call you Nicky. Sorry, I didn't mean to bring that up."

"I don't remember that ever happening, Vincent. Rufus called me Nikki and I liked it at the time. But now, when I hear it, I'm reminded of him saying it."

"Oh. Right, sorry." Vincent frowned.

"Did you sleep?"

"Actually, yes. I thought it was going to be weird, too. But it wasn't."

"Why, because I used to be your boss?"

He shook his head in the dim illumination cast by the TV screen. "No, because my brother being engaged to Nichole Parker. But you're not her. You don't act like her - you never have. Being her clone is akin to being a twin sister. But that doesn't make you the same person. You're not Reno's Nichole; you never were. So it's not as weird as I expected."

"Oh." Nichole shifted her weight and sat up, leaning her back against the headboard. "I thought you were going to say because you're married."

"Like I told you earlier, I'm in an open relationship. I share Topaz and Fox. Topaz occasionally has a thing with a female she doesn't bring to the collective bed. Like Karla a few times, two decades ago."

"So you've been conditioned that it's okay so long as you're honest with your other partners about it?"

"Yeah," Vincent said with a nod. "Exactly. We don't lie to each other. Topaz sounded encouraging of me being close to you. Look, I don't want to hurt you. It sounds like you're not over Rufus and that's fine; I'm sorry it happened like that, I just..."

"I_am_ over Rufus. I never had feelings for him to begin with. I liked having someone around. But it was confusing to me. I feel stupid for letting it happen."

"Okay, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"Stop apologizing."

"I think that's my go-to reply about things, sometimes." Vincent pushed the blankets down with his feet. "Topaz hates when I say it a lot, too."

Nichole frowned. "She does, huh?"

"Yeah. She tells me I apologize way too much."

Nicky turned to him, looked him over and shrugged. "Topaz isn't here. Look, you can say sorry all you want. It's okay with me - I was just being on edge. I'll tell you what."

"Yeah?"

Nicky pointed the remote at the TV. "I'll stop bringing up Rufus. You stop bringing up Topaz and Fox for right now. I get it, they're okay with you putting your arm around your old boss, now. Fine, great. But let's just ... not talk about them. How's that?"

"They don't exist until I see them again. You have my word."

Nichole nodded. She looked away and thumbed the remote. The TV's volume increased.

"...And our top story tonight is an exclusive from our affiliates in Chicago, Illinois. It has been confirmed by an anonymous source familiar with the Presidential Situation Room, that a nuclear weapon may be unaccounted for at a US Navy Military Base in Alameda, California. And now, reporting live from the Nation's Capital, Vincent Guzman."

Vincent watched while the news station played an animated logo as a transition while waiting to connect to the constituent in Chicago.

"A nuke?" Nichole frowned.

The screen changed, showing a handsome man with a microphone, wearing a winter overcoat, suit and tie. He held one hand to his left ear, listening for his audio cue.

Vincent looked at the ticker at the bottom of the screen. The reporter shared the same first name. "Guess you have to be handsome to be a news reporter. Ah well, at least he has a good first name."

Nichole glared at him. "You're handsome, Vincent. You don't even look your age. You look thirty-five."

Vincent grinned. "Yeah? You look younger than thirty. You definitely win in the looks department."

"Heh. Smooth." She looked back at the TV screen.

The reporter nodded as though hearing something in his earpiece. "Reporting live from Chicago, I'm Vincent Guzman, and tonight I'm standing outside the office of the Secretary of the Navy. An hour ago, we tried speaking to the Secretary. He declined to comment. Since then, however, an official who wishes to remain anonymous, but has ties to the President's cabinet, has confirmed a nuclear warhead is not accounted for at the Alameda Naval base. We do not know what kind of missile is rumored to be missing - whether or not it is from a submarine, or if it was designed to be deployed from an aircraft. Now, at this time, there is no reason to panic. But some pundits are speculating on the possibility that the Government could, possibly, be considering..."

The reporter paused and brought his free hand to his ear again. "One second, please..."

Vincent and Nichole exchanged glances. They looked back at the TV in silence.

"This just in, the Defense Readiness Condition has just been escalated from DEFCON 5 to DEFCON 3. I say again, the Federal Government has changed their defense readiness status to DEFCON 3."

Vincent swallowed. "That was unexpected. You sure you don't want to go home? If there's a missing nuclear warhead, we would be safe under the Atlantic."

Nichole kept her eyes locked on the screen. "Vincent, I never want to go back."

Vincent glanced at her briefly. His eyes returned to the TV. "I could find it."

"You really think it won't just appear tomorrow? I mean, this is big news right now. Tomorrow, they'll announce it's been recovered, it was a clerical error, and they'll say someone is resigning from their post to take blame. But media ratings will be through the roof."

Vincent folded his arms. "That guy looks genuinely upset. Look at his face, Nichole."

She studied the reporter's face. "Yeah. You're right."

"His anonymous source is someone he trusts. That guys is legitimately not comfortable reporting this story right now."

She looked down at the bed and sighed. "I'm not going back to New Atlantis. I'd rather be up here with a nuke in the hands of some terrorist or something. Falcon kept me around to hurt people. The minute he couldn't put me into a medically induced coma, he kicked me out of the city. Fuck him."

Vincent frowned. "Yeah ... you genuinely don't want to have anything to do with Dr. Falcon anymore, huh?"

"I've been doing a lot of thinking, Vincent. The guy was using me. He made me feel like I was there to do some good, but why cause that earthquake twenty-four years ago? Millions died, Vincent. Millions. More than a nuclear bomb would kill. There were over ten million people in New York City at the time of the tsunami. What about Boston? Baltimore and Washington DC? Miami? Millions and millions of people, Vincent. How could I have been so naïve?"

Vince unfolded his hands and turned to face her. "What if it was one of Falcon's people who stole that bomb?"

Nichole opened her mouth but no words came out. She licked her lips and looked away. "He would have the resources to pull it off if he wanted. But why would he steal one? Why not just cause another earthquake, or build his own bomb."

"He wouldn't ask me to do that," Vincent said. "He knows I would refuse. And Steven Milford left. He's the only guy I know that could build a detonator and delivery system."

Nichole rubbed her face. "Steven Milford left? He's not coming back?"

"No, he went looking for my brother. He's angry with Dr. Falcon."

Nichole pursed her lips, watching the TV screen. The Evening News went to a commercial. She turned to Vincent and glared at him. "Are you a spy?"

"A spy? I was down there because I'm in a relationship with..."

Nichole narrowed her eyes. "You said you wouldn't bring up her name."

"You're right." Vincent fidgeted. "Sorry."

"Are you a spy? Are you working for your brother and his friends?"

"You're so different from who you were twenty-five years ago, Nichole. You had a serious addiction to powers back then."

"That was twenty-five years ago, okay? I'm still trying to figure out who I am. Because we both know I'm not Nichole Parker. Let's just face facts, right? I've been struggling with this for a long time. I've been wondering."

"Really? You were?"

"Yeah."

"So have you figured out who you want to be, yet?" he asked.

"No." She paused and shrugged. "Maybe."

"I'm not going to judge you. Just talk to me. We're friends."

"Are we?"

"We just took a nap, snuggled up together. What else would you call that, Nichole?"

"Yeah. I guess."

"Who do you want to be?"

"I liked stopping that power plant from melting down. That was close, too. When we met your friends, out by the main road, I was a royal bitch to them. But I really liked stopping the meltdown."

"Yeah?" Vincent smiled. "That plant was going critical when we arrived. We saved all of Washington DC."

She reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze. "I have your power when I'm near you."

"Well, yeah. I sense radiation and I can absorb it. If I focus, I can create certain types of radiation in dense, brief bursts. But I can't create nuclear blasts or anything."

"That's not what I mean," she said. "Between the two of us, we could find that missing bomb."

"You think it exists now, huh?"

"Like you said, Vincent, that reporter looked scared when he found out about the DEFON level changing. I have to wonder if he told us everything he heard on his little earpiece thing."

Vincent gave her hand a return squeeze. "When you're near me, you borrow my power. We could find it together."

"If it really is Falcon, we could stop him from killing more people. If it's someone else, we would be heroes, Vincent."

"I have a credit card provided by Dr. Falcon. We could travel anywhere on his dime, because he wants me to find you. We could leave right now on the first plane to Oakland."

"Really? You'd do that?" she asked, as if surprised.

"Yeah. We've worked together lots of times, Nichole. We're a team. We're friends. And we could find that bomb - you and me."

She brought her hands to either side of his face, and without thinking about it, pushed her mouth against his.

Vincent froze. He was surprised by how soft her lips were. At first, it felt taboo to kiss his brother's fiancée. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized she was not the same woman.

This girl never kissed his brother. They never had a relationship. Reno's Nichole was a different person.

Nichole frowned. "I ... I didn't mean to do that. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, Vincent. I won't do that again."

Vincent reached up and placed his hands atop of hers, on his cheeks. He offered her a soft smile. "It's okay. You surprised me."

"Yeah, sorry about that, I just..."

"No," he said, cutting her off. "I liked it."

"Oh."

Vincent leaned forward and kissed her back. She didn't resist. It was a nice kiss. Chaste, gentle, and different from Fox or Topaz. Vincent's husband and wife had a way of kissing - both twins liked kissing firmly, as though with passion and intensity. But Nichole had a gentle, unsure kiss.

He never expected her to be like this. Having seen her nasty, hateful, and having seen her obsessive in the past, it seemed completely out of character for her to be so gentle, now.

They broke the kiss. He whispered, "That was nice."

"Yeah. You have soft lips, Vincent."

"You're so different than I thought," he replied. "I don't mean that in a bad way. I've just seen you angry. I've seen you obsessive and hateful. I like this side of you."

"When I'm fighting someone, I know how to act. I know what to say and how to intimidate someone," she told him. "But when I kiss someone, I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know how to act. It's so new to me. I become this ... this scared, stupid girl who makes terrible decisions."

Vincent afforded her a soft smile. For once, he was the experienced one, with self-confidence in a bed. "You just kissed me. Do you still want to go find that bomb and save everyone?"

"Yeah. Absolutely."

"Then you're wrong."

"How ... how so?"

Vincent placed his hands on either side of her face. "You said when you kiss someone, you become a scared, stupid girl who makes terrible decisions. You're wrong. You kissed me. And you know we're the only two people who can sniff out that weapon and find it in time. If you ask me, that's a great decision. So, you're wrong - kissing doesn't make you stupid."

She looked down, genuinely bashful. "I can't believe we've worked together so many times over the years, and this never happened until now."

"Do you like me, Nichole?"

She put her hand on his chest and gave him a shove. "What? No, ew." She looked away and coughed. "It's weird when you put it that way."

"So you just liked the kiss? Or was it that bad?"

"It wasn't bad, I liked it. But you're a silly boy, Vincent." She shyly looked back at him. "What the hell is wrong with me? Why can't I look at you?"

"Let's go find this bomb. How's that?"

"Good idea." She dropped her hands to her side and slid to the edge of the bed, putting her feet over the side, on the floor. "You must think I'm so weird, and confused, and stupid."

"That's how I felt about myself for years. I was always rejected by girls for being nerdy and awkward. I didn't know how to talk to girls. I was confused about my emotions, because my hormones were raging, and I was completely stupid and weird."

"Yeah..."

Vincent put his hand beneath her chin and met her eyes in the dim lighting of the TV. "I'm just saying, I know what it's like to feel weird, confused and stupid. And I don't think those things about you. I think it's nice you have a sweet side. I like this side of you. It's genuine. I think we'll be an even better team, now. We have chemistry. We're friends. We can trust each other, right?"

She reached for his wrist, guiding his hand down from her chin. "You never really answered my question earlier. Are you a spy? Are you reporting to your brother?"

"Do you judge me?"

Nichole shook her head. "No. I would have attacked you in the past. But I'm seeing Falcon for who he really is, now. You've been doing the right thing. You're not one of his blind followers like Jasper or Wilhelm. Hell, I never liked Steven Milford, but hearing he left makes me want to give him another chance. Maybe he's not so bad, you know?"

"I don't really know him," Vincent told her. "I promise not to be weird or awkward, and kiss you anymore."

She smiled and looked away. "It wasn't _that_bad, Vincent." She stood up and walked away from the bed. "I scraped and saved to get myself clothes. Those towels were expensive."

Vincent fished his wallet out of his pocket. "I have Falcon's credit card. You really hate him? Let's make him pay for whatever you want."

She laughed softly. "When you put it like that..."

"Is this really you?"

She put her hands on the towels, standing next to his shoes, in the kitchenette. "How do you mean?"

"I've never seen this side of you. Is this really you?"

"I've changed. I don't know who I am anymore. I hated myself before. I hated everything and everyone. All I wanted was more powers. And now that I've had an extensive amount of time to be awake, I've had a lot of time to think."

"What about?" he asked, climbing across the bed. He slid out of it.

"I realized more powers never made me happier. I know I have an addiction problem. But now I have this new one that I _don't_want. You sure you're going to be okay if I turn into a dog in the middle of the night?"

"Why does it have to be bad? I mean, you have claws and teeth, and you're awesome. Super strong, right? Sounds cool to me."

"It happens if I let myself sleep too deep. Sometimes it's hard to change back. It scares me. What if I'm like this forever?"

"We'll figure it all out. First, let's find that bomb and stop it."

Nichole turned back to face him. "You're not so bad, you know that?" She smiled.

"I was wrong about you. You're pretty cool, Nichole." He walked towards her, stepped into his shoes and said, "Let's go to the front desk and have them call a cab for us. We'll go to the airport and leave right away."

"Where to?"

"Oakland. We'll start there." Vincent opened the door for her. "Leave the towels. And while we're at it, are you hungry? We could get something nice to eat on the way to the airport."

"You're thoughtful. I never ... this is all really new to me. I feel socially awkward."

"You're fine, I promise. I like this side of you. You should be like this more often."

Nichole smirked. "What? Tripping over my sentences and kissing you?"

"That's nice, too," he said with a grin.

She stepped through the door and headed for the main office.

Vincent closed the door to the ratty, roach-infested efficiency. He didn't even bother turning off the television. He followed her to the main office.

His eyes dipped to her shapely backside. She wasn't as athletically tone as Topaz, but she had more curves in more places, and that wasn't a bad thing.

He stuffed his hands into his pockets. Maybe this wasn't going to be such a bad assignment after all.

He was making Topaz happy by gaining Nichole's trust. He was making Nichole happy by helping her figure out just who she was as a person.

Even better, he was making himself happy, having a traveling companion to find meaning in his own life. Finding this bomb was a great place to start.

And, right now, the view was nice. He liked the way she sashayed her hips when she walked.

---

Next Chapter: https://www.sofurry.com/view/804385