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Chapter -9- Unwelcome Guests

Saturday, December 26, 2049 New Atlantis ...

Fox opened the door to his apartment. He made his way through the living room and approached the bedroom. He slung the door open forcefully.

Vincent, Topaz and Nichole were on the bed, engaged in foreplay.

Topaz sat up, eyes wide. She immediately relaxed, seeing her brother. "Fox, I thought you were forced to work a shift for..."

"I walked off the site," Fox said, urgency in his voice. "I just found out that Falcon has some sort of ... freaking creature. It's enormous. He is releasing it into the Atlantic Sea."

Topaz gently gave Vincent a pat on his hip. Vincent shifted his weight, letting Topaz the rest of the way up. He sat back against the headboard and drew Nichole close.

Fox ran his hands over his face. "Get dressed, you guys. Falcon thinks the city is about to be under attack."

"What?" Nichole looked up from Vincent. "Who would attack it?"

"Who else?" Fox said with a half-hearted chuckle. "My son. It has to be. The city just issued an order for people to return to their homes, except for essential personnel. They're claiming it's the hurricane, but we all know that this place is a mile-and-a-half below the surface."

Vincent released Nichole and slid off the side of the mattress. "So they're locking down the city because ... what? How would they know we're about to be under attack? And why would they release countermeasures for Conner? Falcon wants him alive."

Fox nodded. "Yeah, you're right. That creature is disturbingly ... big. I didn't even know it existed until I was ordered to help with prepping the containment pool so they can let the damn thing out."

"What do you know for sure?" Topaz asked.

Fox tugged on the hem of his shirt and shrugged in pent up frustration. "Sensor buoys are registering a disturbance that can't be caused by the storm. I overheard one guy saying we're going to fight a leviathan with a leviathan. But that thing I saw ... it looks like something out of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. It has tentacles and such. I can't describe it any better than that."

"A huge squid?" Topaz asked.

"Sort of. Maybe ... part squid." Fox sighed. "I don't know, it was a really big creature and it had a few long arms, but it wasn't like an octopus. It only had a few long arms. I can't really describe it. Anyhow, I think this thing is sentient and..."

Vincent slid his legs into a pair of pants. He cupped the front of his jeans, adjusting himself. "Wait, wait. Fox, hold up. Sentient? Like ... it's intelligent?"

Fox pinched the bridge of his nose the way his sister often did when frustrated. "Falcon was talking to it on some sort of ... handheld device. He told it to leave the bay, and it left the bay. He told it to head north. How would a squid be able to take vocal cues, let alone know which way is north? I've never seen anything like this."

Topaz pulled a pair of underwear up her legs. She picked up a bra but it was too large for her. She passed it to Nichole. "Fox, slow down. You're freaking out, babe. I've never seen you like this."

"Who do you know that could make a big enough scene to make Falcon react this way?" Fox's question caused the room to fall silent.

Topaz pulled a sports bra over her head and reached for a shirt. "Karla."

Fox sighed. "And whose children were abducted by Falcon?"

Vincent frowned. "Karla."

Fox folded his arms over his chest. "And I'll give you one guess who is with her. Who else's children were abducted by Falcon? Here's a clue - her home was all but nuked."

Nichole said, "Sinopa. All she could talk about, while I stayed in her bunker, was that she wanted to find her children and save them."

"Yeah," Fox murmured. He dropped onto the mattress with a huff. "So you've got two angry mothers who want their children back. A demon and a deity - I have a feeling they're the ones who are coming here. And if that's the case, they probably brought Reno and anyone else they could talk into coming with them."

Topaz pulled a pair of pants on, sat on the bed, and slid her feet into a pair of sneakers. "This is just a hunch, but Rufus would probably follow her into this mess, because he wants Collobulous back."

"What about Evan?" Fox asked. "I know Patty escaped, God only knows how, or if she made it, but what if Evan doesn't know that? Karla would want him because of his ability. Plus, he's already familiar with the city to a degree."

"True," Topaz said. "That wouldn't be enough. It wasn't enough last time. Even if they found us and we joined them - it wouldn't be enough."

Nichole tilted her head. "Who is Collobulous?"

Vincent cut in. "He's in suspended animation."

"Ah. Do they have any other friends in suspended animation?"

Vincent nodded. "Nearly every one of those cryogenic pods contain one of their friends from the first attempt on this city, almost twenty-six years ago."

"There's your army," said Nichole. "And if the three of you join the fight, I'll join the fight. I still have all my abilities."

Topaz shook her head. "I wish they would have found a way to warn us first. I hate doing things unplanned." She reached over and passed Nichole her shoes. "Here, hon."

"Thanks." Nichole sat down on the far end of the bed and slid her feet into each of her shoes. "So I guess it's happening after all. I was freaking out about seeing Reno and Rufus. And now it's going to happen. I just wanted to spend Christmas with my loved ones."

Topaz moved across the bed and wrapped her arms around Nichole from behind. "Hey, it's going to be okay. I promise. We'll all pull through this and retire together. I'm happy so long as I have the three of you in my life."

Nichole sighed and leaned her head back, resting it on Topaz's shoulder. "I know Falcon is the bad guy, but I'm happy here with the way things are. I don't want them to change."

Vincent frowned at Fox. They exchanged glances.

Fox nodded in reply to Vincent's unspoken gesture. He sat down next to his sister and new girlfriend and put his arms around both of them.

Vincent sat down on the other side, placing one hand on his wife's lower back, and his other on Nichole's knee. "We're getting through this. But we can't go acting like something is up, or Falcon's people will take notice."

Nichole nodded in reply to Vincent. "That's true. They had me spying on you guys for quite a while. At first I wanted to hate you guys so much because Falcon's police force has a way of filling each other's heads with hate. They hate anything that's different. Homosexuality, class, race, and especially supernatural people. They hate everything and anything. I'm this city's old enforcer. Jasper Cunningham and Wilhelm Snipes will expect me to fight with them against an invading force. Should I blow my cover?"

Topaz shook her head. "No, not yet. Fox, you get your ass back to work. If anyone asks, you came by the house because you had a migraine. You took some pills, drank a bottle of water, and you're back on your feet. You wanted to be at your best in case something catastrophic happens - that is what you tell anyone who asks where you went. Go, babe."

Fox and Topaz shared a kiss. Fox left the bedroom and made his way out of the apartment.

Vincent, Nichole and Topaz sat in silence.

Nichole rubbed her face. "I haven't seen Cunningham or Snipes in a while. They know I'm here. But I have no idea if they're lead enforcer, or if it's someone else entirely. But what if it's something else? What if it's the US Government bringing warships?"

Topaz shrugged. "According to my intelligence, Aris still has you listed as the head enforcer of this city. You're on 'hiatus' after coming back from a 'surface mission.' But you still have all your access to the city."

Vincent gave Nichole's knee a reassuring squeeze. "Go on. Find out who is running the show and take charge. If it's some country's government, they might have followed Loki here. He nuked a city. Last I heard, he's threatening to nuke another. Aris is working with that kook, and the way I see it, it is only a matter of time before people come after Loki with their pitchforks and torches."

Nichole gave Topaz's hand a squeeze. She slid off the bed and turned to Vincent and Topaz. "Just for the record, I know I attacked you guys months and months ago ... but I'm not that person anymore. I was a miserable bitch. I was hateful and lonely, and I saw how happy you were, Topaz. I was jealous. Bitter." Her eyes lowered. "I still think about how I acted back then."

"Hey, hey," Topaz stood up and pulled Nichole into her arms. "Hey, now. Come on, babe. What brought this up?"

"I think about it sometimes," Nichole said. "And now that someone might be threatening to take it away ... I just..." she shrugged, burying her face into Topaz's shoulder. "I was so stupid. I was so judgmental and I said mean things. I hurt the two of you. I lashed out and mocked the relationship you have with Fox. I just didn't understand it at the time."

Topaz shook her head. She tightened the hug and kissed the side of Nichole's face. "We can talk about this later, okay? Go back to your old place, okay? Dress the way you did when you were enforcing the city. Then find out what's going on. Find out everything you can."

"Topaz," Nichole drew back from the hug. "I don't _have_a 'place' here. They kept me in stasis. I wasn't frozen; I slept in a nutrient solution."

"Well, you have a home now," said Vincent.

Topaz added, "Home is wherever all of us can be together. Home isn't the walls or the roof over us. Home is where the family feels together. Home is where those most precious to you feel safe. So long as we're all together, we can make our home anywhere."

Nichole looked away and rubbed her eyes. "Jesus. You're going to make me cry."

Vincent frowned. "Cry?"

Nichole sniffled with a half-chuckle. "It's a good cry, Vince."

"Oh." He put his arms around both of them. "We'll get through this. Nichole, I'll keep an eye on Topaz. Where will you be headed?"

"Central," Nichole said, adding, "It's basically headquarters for the paramilitary police force. They oversee the police operations and investigations in the city, but they also train the Guardsmen for the city. They stockpile the weapons ... my office is there. I have a locker and a little storage unit. Clothes and such. How should I contact you when I know what's going on?"

Topaz shrugged. "We can't use anything that can be monitored. Just say you want to patrol the grounds. If you're the head enforcer on paper, then you can do whatever the hell you want. Stop by and tell us what's going on in person."

Nichole nodded. "I love you. Both of you." She shared a kiss with Vincent, and another with Topaz. "See you guys in a while."

Nichole left the bedroom.

Vincent took Topaz's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. A moment later, they heard the apartment door close. Vincent sat down on the bed and pulled Topaz onto his lap. "What if Fox is right?"

"You mean, what if Karla and Conner are coming down here with my mother?"

Vincent nodded.

She shrugged and hooked an arm loosely around his neck. "I don't know, babe. Carmen and Conner are smart kids, but Carmen was caught once. Hell, even I was caught with Fox."

"I think we've proven stealth isn't what will win this thing." Vincent cupped her face and brushed his thumb over her lips. "The only way to win is an all-out assault with the right people in the right places at the right times."

"Well, we have people in the right places. That's a good start."

Vincent nodded in agreement. "I just wish the two of us didn't have to sit on the sidelines for this fight."

Topaz smirked. "Sidelines? You and I are power players, Vincent."

"My power would kill everyone down here. Vaporizing one person would still make everyone else in the area sick, and then it takes time to decontaminate the area where I used my ability."

Topaz frowned. "Yeah, well, I can still..."

Vincent cupped her face with both hands, and placed his thumbs over her mouth. "You. Are. Pregnant."

She looked down. Her words were muffled against his fingers. "It's not like I'm in the third trimester or anything."

Vincent sighed. "I'm only saying this because I worry about you. But, statistically speaking, stress is hardest on the pregnancy early on."

She scoffed. "You're just trying to find a way around telling me I'm fifty and knocked up. Falcon wants this kid to happen. He's not going to let anything..."

"Stop," Vincent said in a firm tone. "You're my wife and I love you. We've been over this - I fight the monsters, and you stick to the shadows and sneak up on people undetected. But there is no reason for you to jump into the middle of a bloodbath. And if that's what's going to happen next, we'll both wind up dead if we don't stay smart about this."

"Both of us dead huh? You're a real optimist."

Vincent grinned. "If you're in danger, I'll be distracted and I'll do something stupid. I get emotional when it comes to you. I can't help it. So, until we know what's going on, our job is to sit on the sideline."

Topaz huffed and reached a hand up through his hair. Her fingers trailed down the nape of his neck, over the back of his shirt. She could feel the raised bumps of flesh where he was once eviscerated by that creature all those years ago. "You're still the bravest man I've ever met. The bravest person, man or woman ... that I've ever met."

"I've not been able to take my eyes off of you since the day we met. I still remember it, Topaz," he told his wife with a fond smile. "You were fumbling around for the light in that gutted office room. Soaking wet, unconscious for over a day ... yet I couldn't take my eyes off you."

She grinned at him. "You know I'm weird about flattery."

He shrugged. "So? You're my wife. I married you just so I could flatter you whenever I want."

"You're sweet. I was so nasty to you that day."

"You were just trying to keep my safe. You saw I was distracted by..."

"Don't make excuses for me," said Topaz. "Back then, I was rude to anyone with a penis, except Fox. I did a lot of growing up that year."

"We both did."

Topaz glanced over at an alarm clock on the nightstand. She sat down on the bed, and then scooted back and gestured for him to join her. "You know, it's been a long time since we've made love - just us and no one else."

Vincent nodded. "You're right. Usually Fox, Nichole, or both are with us."

"Yeah. Come here." Topaz lifted her shirt up and over her head. "Be my husband."

Vincent pulled his shirt back off and tossed it on the floor in roughly the same spot it was before Fox came into the room, earlier.

Topaz reached for him.

Vincent knelt on the bed and moved towards her.

She used her right hand and unfastened the front of his pants. Their lips met. She laid back, guiding him atop of her. "I love you," she told him in a soft, muffled voice against his mouth. "I fucking love you."

"I love you too, Topaz." He helped her by kicking his pants away, along with his shoes.

"After all these years," she said, lifting her chin to give him access to her neckline, "I think it's time you just call me Paz. I'm your wife. I'm the mother of your children."

He began to nibble down her neck. "I thought that was a special nickname reserved only for Fox?"

"I love you both so, so much. You two have made me a better person. You've loved me unconditionally for my entire adult life. You've earned the right to call me whatever you want. I love you, Vincent. I love you so much, I don't even know how to act sometimes. When you two aren't around, I don't even know who I am."

"I love you, Paz." He cupped either side of her face.

She guided his pants the rest of the way off, unfastened her own and lowered her head, so that her lips met his. In this moment, she wanted nothing more than to make love to her husband.

Maybe it was the hormones from the pregnancy. Maybe it was Vincent's words and actions. Maybe it was her way of deflecting how afraid she felt for the unborn child, for the possibility that her children could be in danger, or that her mates could soon be in danger.

But all she knew, in this moment, was that she wanted to have and to hold Vincent. She wanted to feel a connection. And, right now, she wanted no one else but him.

X

X

Meanwhile Bottom of the Atlantic ...

"You doing okay?" Karla asked. "If you need to hand over the wheel for a while, just say so."

Reno turned to Karl and grinned. "I've seen you drive less than five times since I've met you."

"Have I driven you around before?" she asked. "I can't remember for sure."

"Yeah, in 2023," Reno said. "Wasn't that long ago for me. You were in a rental. My Monte Carlo was out of commission."

Karla nodded. "Right. I think I took you to that stupid club where Falcon was running his surface operation."

"Pages Lost," Reno replied with a grin. "Yeah, seems like another lifetime ago."

Karla snorted. "It was. It was twenty-six years ago, babe." She glanced back at Charles, whose eyes were shut. She shifted her weight and leaned towards Reno, gazing back at James.

Parker was awake but tuned out to the world. Or, perhaps, he was sleeping with his eyes open. Either way, Karla couldn't be sure.

She turned back to Reno and grinned. "They're both..." she made a gesture with her hand. "In another universe. You want road head?"

Reno laughed. "I'm not whipping out my junk with two guys in the back seat. That's just weird."

"Dudes do it all the time in the movie theater."

"I never thought of it that way, but I'm still not doing it now."

Karla grinned. "Ah well. I'm just being bad."

"Yeah, you're a bad girl alright."

"You gonna spank me for being bad?"

Reno chortled. "Yeah, when we get the hell out of this place alive, I'll spank you all day and night."

"Reno..." Karla looked away, gazing out the window. Water streaked over the side of the car in long rivulets of salty water. "What if you find Nicky in suspended animation down there?"

"You're asking what happens to us?"

"Yeah."

"Then we figure it out. But right now, you're not tethered to me. You will never be tethered to me unless it's what _you_want. We keep each other company. If you want more, we'll talk about it when you're ready. If I find my fiancée, then you and I will talk about it when I'm ready."

"That's why we work," she said. "We talk things out."

"We work because I'm not intimidated by you."

"You think I'm intimidating?"

Reno chuckled. "To some."

"How so?"

He shrugged. "You're smarter than most guys. You're able to break most dudes in half in the blink of an eye. You're attractive, and you're immortal. You can't be controlled or tamed. Your sexual appetite makes you want to hunt, when some guys prefer to be the ones who do the hunting - some guys don't know how to handle a girl that is hunting them right back."

"What about you?"

"I just said we work because I'm not intimidated by you."

"Right, right. Yeah, you said that. Sorry, heh. I got girly for a second."

Reno grinned at her. "Did the world's most confident girl just have a split second of insecurity?"

"Shut up, before I bend you over and make you Bottom Cop, Nevada."

"You might find it to be a ... shocking experience."

"Worst pun ever."

"But a fact, nevertheless."

Charlie sat up, eyes wide and heart pounding. "It's going to attack us!" His outburst startled everyone in the Chevelle.

"What?" Karla looked back at him. "Relax, it was a dream."

"I'm not sure that it was," said Charles, adding, "It's intelligent."

"What's intelligent?" James replied.

"I don't even know what it is," Foster told them. "But it's huge, like a sea creature of some sort."

Reno cut his glance towards Karla, grinned a bit, and looked back at the huge aquatic trench stretched out before them.

"I'll check it out. Stand by." Karla disappeared from the Chevelle and made her way up towards the surface. She teleported in rapid flits until appearing high above the ocean.

In the distance, insalubrious lightning branched out in small forks, highlighting the powerful hurricane to the north. She couldn't see the heart of the storm from so far away, but it was windy and still raining, although not as hard as earlier.

Karla looked down, squinting over the dark ocean. Far below her, in the trench, she could see the bright illumination of the flood lamps on all sides of the Chevelle and trailer.

The sun was just starting to come up in the eastern sky. The sky was starting to become colorful. She could still see the blackness of the storm further north. The skies to the southeast were completely clear, however.

She swiveled her head, looking around the general area. "The sagacious succubus surveyed her surroundings, searching for psychotic soldiers of sardonic..." She trailed off and blinked twice. "...Squid??"

Karla teleported lower, closer to the water's surface where a pair of massive arms flailed about in the ocean. "Holy shit, look at the size of that thing."

She levitated above the creature's perceived reach and crossed her arms over her soaked blouse. "There's no way that's what Charlie was talking about," she told herself. "It's probably searching for the Nautilus."

The behemoth creature headed towards the large split in the ocean water. "Hey! Stupid! Nemo's not down there! Go away!"

The creature rose up from the water, revealing its truly colossal size.

Karla, for once, was speechless.

X

X

Meanwhile In the trailer behind the Chevelle ...

Kalen Kincade had his hands folded."You can tell a true first age immortal because their teeth fall out, and new ones grow in every thirty-to-forty years."

"Ah." Conner nodded. "Well that's something I never heard before. So their bite and dental records change. What about retinal and finger print?"

"Retina patterns were not viable ways to identify someone until the past few decades. Finger prints - that is a concern with a growing database worldwide." Kalen shrugged and, as an after-thought, he added, "There are only two left, now. Neither are very active people. Keeping track of them is no longer a priority."

Sinopa released a yawn with an effeminate squeak. The kitsune brought a fist to her mouth, finished the yawn, and rubbed her eyes. "I'm wide awake, I assure you all."

Rufus looked out through a porthole with a chuckle. "Dang, foxy, how can you be bored by all that going on out there?" He lifted a hand, gesturing to the walls of water. "That ... this ... all of it."

Sekhmet lay on her back on a section of the floor, happily buzzed on alcohol. "I suggest you pass the time in your own way, fox spirit." She peered over at Albert, slumped in the corner, snoring. "Like my warrior, there."

Albert didn't reply. He had a half-crushed beer can in his left fist. The aluminum was wrapped around his thumb from the way he'd squeezed it, so that the can clung to his grasp.

"I don't have any coffee," said Conner, his eyes also shut. He kept his hands together and concentrated on keeping his heart rate low, as if in a state of rest. "We should practically be there all ready. Last I looked, the sky is starting to get lighter. The hard raining has stopped."

"Hai," replied Sinopa in a tone of agreement. "And now that the rain has subsided, I am able to discern the curvature near the top of the water walls. It is decidedly beautiful. Any force of nature with such power always is. Susanoo would understand my fascination, surely."

"To which I am in agreeance," said Evan.

Kalen grinned at Evan. "The renaissance fair does not teach proper grammar."

"Oh?"

Kalen nodded. "In agreement. Agreeance is the act of agreement. It should not be preceded by a preposition unless you are trying to convey that such things are in the act of agreement with one another. I do not hold it against you; Mistress Natalia blended archaic and modern speaking until the beginning of the twentieth century."

"Maybe people misuse the word because we've heard the phrase 'in accordance with...' I'll remember, though." Evan grinned. "Thanks."

Sinopa smiled at Evan. "This is why I have always liked you, Evan-san."

"Oh?"

Sinopa nodded. "You have such grace and show such acceptance in regards to something as simple as being corrected. I have always enjoyed your maturity."

"Aw." Evan grinned again. "Thank you."

Conner's eyes snapped open and he sat up with a start.

"Conner?" Sinopa glanced over at her grandson.

Parker touched the intercom panel and said, "Uncle Reno, eyes on the path!" He turned to Evan. "Make the top of this rear panel into a hatch-glass window. It's important."

Evan blinked and reached a hand up, touching the back panel of the trailer. It transitioned into something akin to a hatch glass door. He opened the door by sliding it in a rapidly redesigned sapphire track. "What's wrong, Conner?"

Conner leaned through the window and glanced out, reaching for the cane that was leaning in the corner. "Holy crap, what is that thing?"

Rufus glanced out the window.

Sekhmet sat up and gazed out as well.

Reno replied over the intercom. "Karla is having a look."

Rufus rubbed his nose. "Conner, relax. You must have dozed off during your 'meditating' because there's nothing out there."

Without further warning, a bright purple tentacle, laced with a vein of blue, swished through the gap as if swinging at them. The enormous arm splashed back into the water and disappeared, followed by another slimy tentacle.

The tip of the lengthy arm had a diamond-shaped end with dark blue circular sections along the bottom - fleshy suction cups that grasped into the air, looking to gain purchase on something.

"Christ Almighty!" Albert shrieked. "What the fuck!?" he added, shouting at the top of his lungs. "Did you see that??"

Evan grimaced at the cussword and armor-plated the rear hatch panel.

Conner touched the intercom panel. "Tell Karla to keep an eye on me... if I fall, she knows what to do." He began to climb out the window, headed up to the roof.

He was startled to see Karla standing on the top of the trailer. She didn't have her handbag on her. Instead, she was using a few scrunchies to tie her hair back. "Hey, you saw that thing?"

"Goddamn right I did. Was that a squid?"

"I think so." Karla appeared iridescent in the softer lighting, which reflected back from the walls of water. The sides of the trench glowed beautifully due to flood lamps mounted all the way around the trailer and lower sections of the Chevelle.

Sekhmet, now fully awake and full of adrenaline, climbed halfway out of the hatch panel, adjacent to Heimdallr. "Do you require a weapon?"

Karla grinned at Conner. "Tell her there's something good under their asses."

Conner looked down and nodded at the deity. "There's one in the cargo space beneath the seat. Evan or Rufus will recognize it."

Sekhmet disappeared back into the hatch panel.

Back inside the trailer, Sekhmet fidgeted with the seat cushions, trying to pull them up in order to get into the storage compartments.

"What are you doing?" Albert asked, somewhat calmer.

"Fetching a proper weapon," said the Egyptian goddess.

Rufus reached up and touched the intercom panel. "Hey, buttercup, keep your eyes forward. Things're about to get right dicey."

"Yeah," said Reno over the intercom. "I got it, 'sweetheart.' We have some sort of RPG back there. Conner'll know where it's at."

Rue replied, "Just don't make motions that are too sudden or Conner'll fall and, right now, I cain't see him."

"You got it," Reno replied. "James wants his nephew alive, pass that along."

Sekhmet withdrew a tube with a shoulder-mount about a third of the way down the length. "What does it do?"

"I despise feeling helpless," whispered Sinopa.

"Just relax," said Rufus, "They got this under control."

Sekhmet carried the tube to the hatch panel.

Up on the trailer, Conner reached down. He leaned into the wind to keep his footing, and carefully reached back, behind himself.

Sekhmet started to pass up the tubular weapon, but paused at first, due to the wind drag against the tube. She tightened her grasp upon it and said, "Your grandmother wishes me to tell you that you had better not lose that cane on your back."

"What is it?" Karla shouted over the roar of the wind. Her ponytail whipped about behind her body. She was partially crouched to one knee. "Unless it's something that goes boom, it's useless up here!"

"Yeah, it goes boom!" Conner called back to her. He lifted an elongated tube and shifted his weight to keep his balance. "Thank God the rooftop is rubberized and textured!"

"Yeah, no kidding," Karla said. "Someone thought this out, huh?"

Sekhmet called back up, again, from below. "The others wish me to tell you to use it sparingly!" She paused and listened to someone inside the trailer. After a moment, she added, "they request me to pass up ammunition!"

Parker reached for the tube but, out of the corner of his eye, he saw another swinging pass of a tentacle. He leapt forward into the wind, performing a loose somersault.

Conner dropped back to the roof of the trailer, causing the roof to buckle slightly.

In the trailer, Rufus and Kalen stood up, using their combined strength to push the dent up. Evan reinforced it with his ability.

Up on the trailer's roof, Conner used his cane to cling to one of the many mooring cleat-like handles. They ran along the top of the trailer.

Conner held his cane in one hand and leaned in the direction of the rushing wind, while stretching his free hand out towards the weapon Sekhmet offered.

"You want me to teleport..."

"No!" Conner called back to Karla, "Just watch my back; I'm good!"

The succubus called back to him, "Tell them to stay in the trailer. We can't have too many cooks in the kitchen. Also, make sure you time your shots or ... something!"

Sekhmet passed the tube upwards. Conner received it.

Shocked, Conner announced, "This thing looks like it's a hundred years old!" in disbelief.

Karla immediately recognized the design. "Yeah, those things have been around since the end of the Second World War. You don't mess with perfection."

Conner turned around and tucked the tube against his chest, so as not to drop it in the hard wind and slick saltwater spray.

"I knew it was down there, but I've never seen one of these things up close," he told her.

Karla grimaced. "It's a cinch to use! Point and fire! Don't screw this up!"

Conner checked the weapon. Everything was labeled with brightly painted warning signs and simple white lettering. "Okay, I got this."

"You got this," she repeated to him. "You can do it, Conner."

He knelt over the Carl Gustav m5. Conner checked the hinged breech and saw that it was latched. Attached to the side of the tube was a laser rangefinder and an electronic image intensification system.

Conner swallowed down his worry. He hefted the piece up onto his shoulder. He wedged his cane into the sheath-like loop on his back.

Parker brought his free hand up to the secondary handle on the front of the rifled rocket launcher. "I've never..." He trailed off, took a deep breath, and said, "I've never fired one of these things before!"

"It's simple, I promise!"

"What if it doesn't hurt that thing?" Conner asked, looking around for the creature.

The downward force of air pressure kept him firmly positioned on the rubberized roof of the trailer. Conner silently praised the design of the hover pads. It was better than any vehicle suspension ever.

Karla laughed with a reassuring smile. "Those rounds are freaking eighty-four millimeters! So as long as you hit the damn thing, you'll be fine! Then you unhinge the back section, reload it, re-latch it, and then fire again!"

Conner looked around for the creature but didn't see it anymore. He leaned towards the back of the trailer and yelled down to the group. "How many spare rounds did we bring?"

Down inside the trailer, Rufus called up, "I've got a few here - not enough to test your accuracy, though! Just make sure you don't miss the first time, son!"

Sekhmet made her way to the hatch panel again with a bag, filled with ammunition. She sat down in the seat nearest to the hatch and pulled the bag into her lap. She opened the end and counted.

Rufus leaned over her, also counting. He leaned back out the hatch panel and shouted over the ambient roar of wind and water. "Okay, three FFV441's and four FFV551's... One is labeled 'thermobaric-NE', I think that one explodes on impact!"

"I've got one loaded in here already," Conner shouted back down. "Quoting model numbers doesn't help me, Rue!"

Rufus stuck his head back out through the rear hatch and replied, "Some of these are rocket propelled, some of these are lobbed so they don't hit as hard or as fast. I don't know which one is in there already. Then I've got one that just... blows the hell up. It's designed to go all the way into a target and explode... Let's keep that one for an emergency, okay?"

"Okay! Right now, I don't see the creature-thing!" shouted Conner. He swiveled his head, watching all around himself. "What the hell was that thing? Was it seriously a squid?"

"Yeah!" Karla stood behind Conner. "Who the hell knows - we're dealing with 'Doctor Moreau,' here! Just use the RPG and, blow that thing up!" Karla shouted over the rush of wind. "You can do it, Captain Nemo!"

"I thought it was Ahab?" asked Conner, trying desperately to use a hint of humor to keep his nerves under control. He figured if it worked for the succubus, he'd give joking in the face of danger a try.

"No," said Karla. "Nemo fought off squids outside of the Bahamas as well as discovered Atlantis." She lifted a hand keeping the water spray away from her face. "That's you - Captain Nemo. You're going to kill a squid and take us to Atlantis. Ahab was the guy who hunted Moby Dick."

She and Conner exchanged glances. The look on each of their faces was the same message, meant for the other - 'stop screwing around and get ready for battle.'

They nodded to one another, almost at the same time. "We good?" he asked.

"We're good," she replied.

"I can do this," he said, looking around for the creature.

"You can do this," she said. "You're offense, I'm defense." Karla headed to the front of the trailer. She teleported herself to the rooftop of the Chevelle and used telekinesis to keep herself perched on the otherwise slippery roof. "You okay down there, Top Cop?"

Reno glanced down at his hands on the wheel. White knuckled at first, he loosened his grip somewhat and tried to relax. "That was just one arm ... it was huge. I hate being the driver - I should be up there fighting that thing with you two!"

"Yeah, well ... anyway, Captain Nemo has this."

Reno kept his eyes on the sand in the trench ahead. "You calling him that because Nemo had priceless art and stuff?"

Karla grinned in spite of the absurdity of the situation. "Yeah, among other things. Let's just hope Conner is successful as Nemo in the 'hero' department."

"Forward!" Reno exclaimed.

Karla looked up and saw a towering being. It peered out through the water wall, where the ocean receded from the steady blast of wind up ahead.

Karla blinked at it. "How fast can that thing travel? He's matching our speed!" She flinched, hearing the rocket launcher fire.

A round flew forward, leaving a light smoke vapor in its wake. The round struck the towering squid-like creature and exploded with a brilliant flash.

Karla regained her excitement. "That'a boy! That's the way to do it!" She teleported to the edge of the trailer, peered down into it, and then teleported into the trailer. Karla reached down and fished out a round from the bag on Sekhmet's lap. The succubus heaved it up to the roof.

Up top, Conner pulled it from Karla's grasp and sat down on his knees, fidgeting with the breach of the weapon. He slammed the round into the tube as far as possible, aligned the little tab into the guiding hole and pressed the round home.

Down inside the trailer, Karla turned back to the group. "Stay calm, everyone," she said. "This thing is an abomination of life, I swear to Christ."

"What is it?" asked Evan.

Karla grimaced. She rang her hair out. Her blouse and skirt were completely sodden. "Fuck that water is cold. But not as cold as it should be."

Rufus took a large towel out from beneath the storage space under the seats. He wrapped it around Karla and put his arms around her from behind, helping her to warm up and dry off.

"Karla?" Evan frowned. "What's out there?"

"Some sort of giant squid creature." Karla sat on Rue's lap, letting him warm her.

Sinopa reached over and placed a palm on the towel. It grew warm from the kitsune's touch.

"God that's like ... an electric blanket," said Karla.

"How big is it?" Albert demanded.

Karla shrugged.

"Can you describe it," Evan asked. "Can I help?"

Karla rubbed her forehead. "He's a giant, nasty, purplish-red squid." She sighed. "Stay here, Evan. You'll make this thing a bathysphere if the creature swats us into the damn ... just stay here."

"Okay." Evan grew quiet.

Albert quirked his brows. "You really gonna let her tell you what to...?"

Evan glared at Albert.

"God, I'm kidding. Jesus. I don't even know why I'm here with you weirdoes anyway."

Karla sighed. "Conner shot the bastard with a goddamn rocket thing. How do we freakin' beat it?" she demanded.

Sinopa gazed out through a porthole with a frown. "Like any creature, physical injury works best. Conner should continue to try. Evan and I will try next, when Conner has exhausted his ammunition, or needs a break."

"It's cold as hell out there, but it's not December cold like it should be." Karla leaned through the window and shouted, "Keep it up! You've got seven rounds left! Don't waste'em!"

"Yeah, yeah," shouted Conner in reply. "Is that thing seriously keeping up with us at forty miles an hour?"

Karla leaned back against Rue, glad to feel his warmth. "Just remember to wait until you see him before shooting... don't go making any guesses!"

"Let me concentrate!" he called back.

Albert smirked. "Did you really fuck that kid?"

Karla narrowed her gaze. More than half the trailer glared at Albert in reply. He held his hands up. "Just askin' a goddamn question. Whatever."

"It will never be the time, nor the place to ask that question," Karla said.

"You two argue as though you used to fuck. That's the only reason for someone to put up with someone else's shit."

Karla glowered. "What are you trying to say, Albert?"

Al scoffed. "He's an arrogant kid and you put up with him. You _do_realize he's under age, right?" Albert smirked, adding, "Then again, you look his age, so maybe that's why you've convinced yourself it's okay to..."

Karla pinched her fingers together and pulled her hand back. She telekinetically pulled on his tongue, causing him to bite it, mid-sentence.

Albert abruptly stopped talking. A little blood dribbled over his bottom lip. "You did that didn't you? Well excuse me for asking about your boyfriend while you cozy up to Rufus. The kid is married, yet you share a room with the guy driving. Just stating facts, thank you."

Karla replied with an angry gaze. "You're here because Sekhmet needs you as a Red Shirt. You're fodder at best. I don't know you, I don't like you, and I have no respect for you. You're a drunk, you smell bad, and you laugh at your own jokes. Please be quiet until the emergency has passed, thank you."

Meanwhile, up on the roof, Conner quickly brought his left hand to his face and wiped the sprayed water from his forehead. He combed back his hair with his fingers to keep the dripping out of his eyes.

Conner leaned into the wind and waited for another chance. "I'm going to blow a hole right through this thing..." He licked his lips and grimaced from the salty taste.

He looked around but the creature was hiding behind the roaring walls of water. The noise was obnoxious yet its consistency made it easier to deal with.

Conner's grace and agility was dependent on equilibrium, balance, and being able to hear. But the roar of the water, for some reason, did nothing to interfere with his supernatural abilities. However, it protected his ears from the loud roar of the weapon, which was always welcome.

Despite the trailer's smooth ride, due to utilizing hover suspension, it still wagged to the left and right. Conner kept his stance open for balance.

He leaned back and shouted down to the others. "Maybe that one round did it or scared him off!"

"Conner!" Karla shouted up at him. "Don't jinx it! You know if you say that, he's going to..." And with that, another tentacle reached for the car and trailer.

This time, the gigantic arm emerged from the wall of water high above them and came down like a hammer, striking wet sand directly behind the trailer.

Another arm came down in front of the Chevelle. The tank-like design of the treads made its way over the squishy arm with ease. Reno's car raised up somewhat as it passed over the tentacle, then it adropped again once it was on the other side.

"Okay, okay," hollered Conner in frustration. "My fault, okay? Let's take another crack at this thing!" A monstrous face emerged from the wall of water. Its eye was twice the size of the car, glaring down at Parker. He rolled onto his back and aimed the weapon straight up.

Karla, curious to see what happened, pulled herself up, through the hatch, and spied Conner holding the weapon in such a precarious way.

She reached a hand up, using telekinesis to force the weapon out of his grasp. It became pinned to the rubberized rooftop.

He looked back towards her and blinked on confusion.

"Don't ever fire it like that!" she called to him with a firm tone. "If you fire it straight up like that, there's blowback behind the weapon! Just wait..." She glanced up at the enormous head poking out of the water. Karla squinted her eyes.

"Thanks ... uh, Karla." His words went lost over the roar of the water all around them.

"What the hell is that," asked the succubus, hollering up to him so he could hear her.

Karla's hand lifted, pointing at a large metallic cap upon the creature's head. A metal top glinted in the morning sunlight, which was starting to make the sky lighter, high above.

Conner gritted his teeth. "I don't know ... but it reeks of Doctor Falcon. Maybe I can hit it."

"How do you plan to do that?" she shouted back over the roaring water.

The telekinetic pressure on the weapon dissipated.

Conner picked it up and got to one knee. "Maybe you can use telekinesis to better aim the rockets. But how am I supposed to hit that thing if he's above us if I can't fire straight up without damaging the trailer?"

"I'm thinking!" she replied.

"What if I get on the Chevelle? It's made of compressed carbon!"

"Forget damaging the car," she said, adding, "The blowback will shoot a goddamn blast against the roof, which will come in through their windows. God only knows if the upholstery will set on fire..." she trailed off, keeping her eyes upwards. "What is that thing doing? Is he looking at us?"

"I have an idea," said Conner. "I'm going to fire a rocket forward. You direct it up and hit him in that smug looking face!"

Karla nodded. She adjusted her weight, bracing herself in the hatch panel. "Do it!"

Conner aimed the rocket forward and fired.

Karla turned her head and watched it. She tensed her arms and used her mind to arc the round's path. The self-propelled rocket headed up in the air. It hooked back, heading towards the creature.

The enormous squid began to draw back into the wall of water. Karla jerked her hands out, throwing the rocket into him before he could get away.

The round struck and exploded. A splash of water hammered the Chevelle and trailer from above, soaking Conner and Karla's upper body with cold seawater.

Karla gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. "I don't see blood, guts or body parts ... that thing is still out there! This is getting on my nerves."

"I hope this thing will fire when wet!" called Conner.

"It'll be fine," she called back. Karla sighed and ducked her head down into the trailer. She grasped a towel from Rue's hands and dried her face. "I swear. This thing is starting to piss me off. I'll be right back."

"Where're you going?" asked Evan, tightening his hands on a glass handle he mounted to the trailer wall. "Can I help?"

"Just stay here, Evan. If explosives don't kill this thing, glass projectiles won't do any better."

"What's the plan?" Rue asked.

Karla afforded Rufus a wan smile. "You'll see, hon." The succubus tossed the towel back to the southerner and climbed halfway out the hatch again. Her eyes lifted, seeing the giant squid peek from the wall of water again. "Damn that thing moves quick in the water."

Sinopa reached up, placing a hand on Karla's hip. "Please, be careful, Karla-san!"

The succubus watched, waiting for her moment. The squid moved forward, until its enormous head filled the gap between the walls of water.

"I got this." Karla disappeared.

There was a metallic cap perched upon the squid's head. It was approximately the size of an economy automobile. Karla reappeared, standing atop of it.

She used telekinesis to stabilize herself upon the squid. Chilly water spray and a windy downdraft toyed with her wet hair and skirt.

She knelt down and tried wedging a finger between the metal base and the massive squid's flesh.

Karla cursed beneath her breath in realization that the unit was surgically attached halfway into the body. "This isn't going to be as easy as simply teleporting this thing, now is it? It would have to be difficult, wouldn't it?" She pursed her lips, keeping a tight hold on the base of the antenna. "Okay ... new plan. Let's see..."

A tentacle reached out of the water from directly above her, coming down upon the succubus' body. A slimy suction cup caught her on her backside and lifted her into the air. As it pulled her away, she struck her head on the side of the antenna.

Karla went limp and groaned, unable to struggle or teleport.

The world went blurry all around her and she drew in a deep breath out of instinct.

However, the squid never pulled her back into the ocean. Instead, it lifted her higher into the air. The squid climbed the water wall near to the surface.

For a brief moment, Karla could see the shining blue ocean in every direction, sparkling in the soft morning light. To the north, in the far distance, she could barely make out dark storm clouds.

To the south and east, the sky was beautiful as the sun rose from the horizon. Her vision cleared but she still struggled to regain her motor skills.

With all coordination gone, her limp body hung from the suction cup. Her ponytail whipped about, coming into her view only to disappear again.

Her skirt billowed in the wind and her legs dangled back and forth like a toy doll swung about by an angry child.

Far below, she could barely make out a tiny, shiny black dot... The car and rubberized trailer roof. It was surrounded by a bright aura of light - the flood lamps.

The tiny dot was perfectly centered in the wind pocket created by James' biblical stick. Everything felt surreal.

Another purple arm lifted from the brine and, over the roar of the wind and water, Karla heard a faint shout. Her eyes rolled to the left, watching as the new arm moved adjacent to the one that held her.

She blinked, seeing Conner in the creature's grasp. The tentacle wrapped all the way around his body like a massive snake, squeezing the life out of him. He lifted his hands, banging his fists on the fleshy appendage that coiled fully around his torso and legs.

Another sigh escaped Karla's lips. "...Bullshit," she whispered. It came natural to repeat a phrase she'd heard so many times from both Nathanial and Reno.

The wind began to settle; she realized that the monster, as well as the Chevelle and the wind pocket below, were all coming to a stop. Karla squinted, unable to make out much more than a brightened black dot beneath her dangling legs.

For the first time since the fight began, she realized that the Chevelle had been on an incline for a while. She squinted.

The car was less than two thousand feet below, which meant they had to be on an incline for a while now, as though traveling up a shallow mountainside. Her mind raced with useless information to deal with the shock of being dazed.

"This ... thing," shouted Conner with a disenchanted tone, "Is making me tired. It's like..." He continued to struggle but from the looks of things, he was fighting a losing battle. "The more I struggle, the more tired..." he trailed off.

The tentacle folded in around Karla's torso and legs, making contact with her skin. It squeezed her whole body.

Finding it difficult to breathe, Karla began to struggle in an attempt to loosen its grip. Instead of giving her breathing room, the creature tightened its grasp.

Its other tentacle brought Conner somewhat closer, until the two were only fifteen feet away.

Karla's body ached but the pain began to fade, as did everything else. Her breathing slowed but she continued to struggle in order to keep circulation going in her body.

She wiggled her arms and hands from its slimy grasp. Once they were free, it became easier to breathe. She brought her forearms down on the fleshy tentacle, which was snaked around her body like a Boa Constrictor.

The suction cups on her skin fed on body energy in an unexplainable way. She could feel it sapping her physical strength and her will. A mind-altering pheromone was emitted from the tendril.

Karla's eyes lowered as a tinge of depression overcame her.

Something caught her eye. A shimmering flash of light ... it began to grow closer.

She blinked, rubbed her eyes, and squinted at the distant moving star, below her. "Oh ...God." She fought the growing sadness washing over her and struggled for control of her emotions.

Karla took a deep breath, and then with all of her might, as weary as she now felt, she called over to Conner. "Someone fired the Gustav! Hold on tight." She cut her gaze back down, watching the wavering rocket.

With the last of her strength, she focused on the shiny little star-like twinkle of light. Karla telekinetically directed it into the squid's face.

Enraged and startled, the monstrosity released both Karla and Conner from its grip. Wind rushed through the bangs of her hair, and caused her wet clothes to billow up around her limp body.

Freefall. She headed for the shimmering dark blue plane.

As Karla fell away from her captor, her energy returned. She felt reinvigorated by the fresh dose of adrenaline that coursed through her form.

Mere seconds before striking the water, her body vanished.

She reappeared high above the ocean, looking down to get her bearings. Kalra disappeared once more.

She teleported to the passenger seat of the Chevelle. "Fuck!" Her heart raced.

Karla stuck her head up through the window, trying to locate Conner. "It dropped Conner into the ocean. Jesus Christ. It just tossed us like..." Her eyes widened.

Conner Parker was high above. He sailed gently down with a black parasail open behind him. He worked the control ropes and came about. His feet brushed against the starboard side seawall, creating a line in the water wall.

He came about, angling a bit, and then sailed back down towards the car and trailer. Just beneath him, the squid's head popped back through the waves, once more.

The teenager disappeared from view.

Karla opened the door and looked back up at the trailer. She could see Evan working on loading another round. "Wait up, Conner is on that thing's head!"

Ecstatic, Evan glanced down at Karla and shouted in delight. "You're alive!" Both of them lifted their gaze back up at the squid just in time to see kits massive body jolt wildly.

A magnificent blue flash enveloped the squid's form. The water waves all about them shimmered with an arc of electricity, which coursed through and around the creature.

Karla looked back at the Chevelle's driver's seat but it was empty. She leaned out the passenger door and looked up. Nevada was on the roof of his car.

A plume of thick smoke poured from atop of the squid's head. It flailed in anger, drawing one of its tendrils from the water wall, belching a splash of water.

The chilly wave drenched Karla, Evan and Reno. The water hit with such force it knocked both Evan and Reno to their backsides.

Reno slid down onto the hood of the Chevelle.

Evan got back to one knee with the tube-shaped weapon.

Karla, dazed from the hard, cold wave, found herself half-pressed into the wet sand on her hands and knees.

James climbed out of the backseat with his staff. He dropped down to Karla's side and helped her up.

A shout of fear caught everyone's attention.

Karla squinted, seeing Conner fall head over feet, spiraling down from high above. He lacked the control necessary to open his parasail again. It seemed to be half-wrapped around his legs.

Conner spun wildly end over end as he fell from a lethal height. There was no longer any sign of the squid.

Karla threw her arms up and Conner vanished. She teleported him instinctively, without consideration of his speed or distance.

Conner reappeared, velocity and all, directly above the Chevelle car. He slammed into the roof, mashing it down to the headrests. Having broken his fall, he emitted a low groan, lying in the enveloping wet metal.

Reno scrambled up the windshield and came to his nephew. "Conner! Oh my God, Conner!"

Parker lay on his back, legs and arms spread out. The parasail was wrapped around his waist and left leg. His cane hit the sand adjacent to James.

Conner groaned again, long and low. "Ow," he murmured.

Karla appeared on the trunk, standing over Conner, with concern in her gaze.

Conner looked up at her "Wow." Karla's hourglass figure was accentuated by the way her wet clothes clung to her form. The succubus was silhouetted against the background of the sunrise, which peeked over the wall of water. She looked like the shadow of an angel. "That was much harder than sand..."

Sinopa, having come from the trailer, hopped down to the trunk and approached her grandson. "Thank Inari you're alive!"

Karla wrung out her wet blouse with a grunt. "What did you do to that thing, boy?" She offered him a weary, apologetic smile. "The sand wouldn't have caved. I meant to set you down on the car roof, but that thing exhausted me. I'm sorry, I meant to set you down gently."

Parker drew in a slow breath, groaned one more time then said, "I tried to fry the receiver up atop that thing's head."

Reno looked up, and then back down at Conner. "Yeah, I sent him a bolt of lightning to his cane. He channeled it into the creature."

Karla snorted with a half grin. "I think you electrocuted the hell out of the thing." She shoved a wet, tangled mess of blonde over her right shoulder. "Jesus, how much further is this damn place?"

The succubus tensed her forearms, bending the dent back up from the Chevelle's roof. It popped back into place with a thud, which went unheard over the roar of water.

Evan called down from the trailer roof. "Is he okay?"

"Yeah!" Karla shouted back. "You kidding? That giant calamari thing can't beat a traveling superhero convention!"

Evan made an 'OK' hand gesture.

Sinopa took Conner's hand and helped him to sit up. "We are surely close. We drove on an incline for an hour, and were starting on a descent for the duration of our battle," the kitsune said.

Karla looked back up, scanning the area for the enormous squid. "We must be close if we're fighting against genetically engineered, brainwashed, psychotic sea creatures. Obviously that thing is Falcon's newest defensive measure."

"Yeah, it wasn't here last time," Reno added.

James climbed back into the car. "We should hurry."

Sinopa's ears perked. She looked around but saw nothing. "Where is Charles Foster?"

James called from within the car. "He's in the back seat. I think the roof struck him in the head. He's breathing, but is dazed."

Sinopa grimaced. "Help him out. Let's move him to the trailer so he can lie down on the floor."

Karla sighed. She dropped down to the sand and held her hands up. Charles' body levitated from the back seats of the Chevelle. He favored a bruise on his forehead.

Sinopa made her way back up to the roof of the trailer with Evan. "Are you well?"

"I'm fine," Evan said. "How's everyone else?"

"Charles and Conner were hurt," Sinopa told him. "They will be fine. We'll be moving again shortly. Come back inside and dry off. We should stow the weapon."

Evan helped Sinopa to the edge of the trailer rooftop, down into the back opening. Rufus reached up to guide Sinopa safely to her feet within.

Karla stood in the sand, below, having just delivered Charlie to the group inside. "He'll be okay," Karla told them. "He won't let me see his eyes - somebody check him for concussion."

"Thank you, Karla-san," Sinopa called down. "We should move as soon as possible."

"Right." Karla made her way back up to the Chevelle, pulled herself up into the passenger seat and pulled the door shut.

Reno climbed into the driver side. James held Conner slumped in a one-armed embrace in the back seat. Both of their staffs were across the floor in the back, resting on James' feet.

James worked to cut the remaining cables from around Conner's body, helping to free him of his ruined parasail.

"We good?" asked Karla.

"Yeah," Conner murmured.

Karla grinned at him. "I would say, 'you'll live to get married,' but you already did that."

"That was weird," Conner told the group. "I heard Charlie Foster's voice in my head. It was a little disorienting at first. I was up on that creature, and I felt his presence in my head."

"Same here," Reno said. "What'd he tell you?"

Conner draped his right wrist across his face. "He said you were going to send a bolt of lightening up to me and that I should stick my cane out and channel it into the thing mounted on his head. It's weird."

"What's weird?" asked Karla.

"I was trying to interface with the computer thing. I wanted to try and talk to the squid by gaining access to his computer transponder equipment. But I couldn't do it. How would Falcon know to make it foolproof against my ability?"

Reno put the car into gear. "That's proof your father is still alive, Conner. Falcon didn't want Fox to be able to take control of it."

"Oh." Conner grimaced. He reached back and rubbed his sore shoulder. "Good work out there, Karla."

"You too," she said.

Reno eased into the accelerator. The Chevelle began moving again, headed down a sloped decline along the seabed.

"Are we all going to die?" asked Conner. "I have a wife back home. I have a baby on the way."

"I don't know," Karla said with an equally dejected tone.

"What is wrong with you two?" Reno quipped. He reached over and gave Karla's knee a firm pat. "We're going to kick Falcon's ass! We beat his stupid squid. We've got this!"

"Yeah, no doubt," James agreed. "We no longer have the element of surprise, I'm sure. But the guy is probably shaking in his shoes right about now. That was a quick fight, all things considered."

"I guess," Conner said. "Sorry. I don't know what's come over me. You're right, guys." He closed his eyes and sighed. "Thanks for saving my life, Karla."

"Remember when Kuda brought us bottles of water while we were under Pendleton's warehouse?"

"What about it?"

"I kept making you drink. That wasn't easy, you were unconscious. I had to teleport it into your belly little by little. Look, I won't let anything happen to you if I can help it. Do you trust me? Are we friends again?"

"I trust you," he said. "How about we survive this, then we can try being friends again."

"Fair enough." Karla reached for her handbag and sighed. The outer fabric was wet, most likely from water that splashed in at some point. "Great, it's ruined." She reached into the handbag and frowned.

The part of her that wanted to be comforted missed feeling Kuda, who was not allowed to come on such a dangerous mission.

She fished about until finding a Ziploc bag full of survival bars. She opened it up and stuffed the obnoxiously sweet, chewy bar into her mouth. "Stupid squid," she said with a full mouth.

"What?" Reno said, picking up speed. The speedometer passed thirty-five.

"We should have brought breading. We could have made fried calamari out of him." She offered Reno a wry smile and stuffed another chunk of her high calorie survival bar into her mouth.