Chapter 1
I do not own claymore
A week after returning from his surveillance assignment in Sherman Oaks, California, and his meeting with three of the claymores and several high ranking vampires, including their queen, Henrietta Maria.
George Bryce was growing more anxious, Roger Tate had recently been ordered out of Algeria. While not good news, it was far better than him being summarily executed.
Henri Du Valliere's Antonov had finally been confiscated by the Islamists and he was now out of a job, his pleas for restitution had fallen on deaf ears and he was told he was lucky to be alive.
Recent events in Mali and the French military intervention there also kept him on edge. While he tried to hide it from Mia, now in her fifth month of pregnancy, she still sensed it and finally, she coiled her long, powerful tail around him, wrapped her arms around him and said softly, "I know something is bothering you, I am your wife and I am a lamia, you cannot hide your concerns or feelings from me. It's about my family and what is going on in Africa isn't it?"
Unable to even wriggle in her velvety smooth grip, George said weakly, "You're right, I'm terrified of what's happening there. Roger's been kicked out of Algeria and they took Henri's plane. The Islamists are taking over remote areas in Mali and your family is in terrible danger. What's really killing me is that your mom doesn't seem to appreciate just what sort of danger she and her family are in. Your dad seems to know because he and Roger would talk about it, but your mom is still the 'queen' and he defers to her."
Mia relaxed her coils until he could wriggle a bit and she said quietly, "Dad's talked to me too. Remember, I was his 'little buddy' and followed him everywhere. My sisters were closer to my mom and would be on her side at times, although Natalie has gotten closer to my dad as she gets older."
George slipped his arms around her and they held each other until sleep overcame them.
As he had promised, George had been sending weekly reports of his life with Mia and his concerns about her family still in Algeria, to Henrietta Maria, Queen of the hidden realm. When the first of her replies arrived, Mia had looked at him curiously until after he had explained just who Henrietta Maria was, Mia then gaped and blurted out. "The vampire queen?! That's who she is? How?!... How did you become... her friend?"
George could only shrug and reply. "I'm not sure myself. When I was doing that surveillance mission and with her security people being amongst the best. They quickly found me out and "invited" me in for a little "chat" with her. Considering their size and strength advantage over me, I couldn't refuse her invitation."
"And?"
"I told her about you and our family and my concerns for your family."
"You told her that?"
"I just felt compelled to tell her about myself. Apparently, she has a soft spot for romantic tales and mine being the truth, really struck a chord with her. She asked me to keep her posted on our progress and one does not refuse, a royal request!" He finished with a wink and a grin.
Mia rolled her amber eyes and commented, "Mom was right! You are a true innocent." George smiled at her and said cheerfully, "I haven't told you the rest of the news... Anna Karlsen, the author. She wants to interview us for material for a new book she wants to write."
"Whaatt?!" Cried Mia as George took her into his arms and squeezed her in that special way. She squeezed him back and purred, "Why darling, I think you're all excited, let's talk about this in our bedroom!" By morning, Mia was agreeable to being interviewed by a famous author.
George opened the email Roger had sent the night before, it included a photo of him and Henri dressed in a French Air Force uniform, posing together in front of a French Air Force Chinook helicopter.
It turned out that he really was a reservist in the French Air force and with his experience in rough terrain landings and familiarity with the Sahara desert, getting his old rank back was a doddle. The text read:
"When you are ready to fetch the rest of your family. We have a plan for you, it will have to be done during all of the confusion in Mali over the next few weeks. Henri and I have done exploratory fly overs and think we can pull it off during the next new moon when all is darkness... Don't dawdle!"
George forwarded a copy to his boss Rachel Thompson, then he opened an email from Anastasia Karloff.
She was requesting confirmation and a date for an interview with him and Mia, their story was inspiring to her and she wanted to write a novel based loosely on it.
Glancing at the calendar, he noted the next new moon was in about three weeks. It would be close, there was no chance of Mia helping out, she would be well into her sixth month of pregnancy.
He would have to enlist Natalie's help in dealing with her mother, Ayesha. Phillip, her father was already on board about them all coming to Arizona. He started typing...
Rachel and George were studying the satellite photos they had gotten from the military.
Out in front of the lamias' cave was a clearing almost large enough for a big helicopter to land in, the most recent photos showed that the area was now larger.
Roger had assured them that Henri was a qualified chopper pilot as well as a fixed wing pilot and that given enough room, he could pull it off.
The latest email from Mia's dad was also encouraging, he and Natalie had discreetly enlarged the area in front of the cave for a chopper to land in and they had quietly gathered the family treasures for rapid removal.
Ayesha seemingly, had not caught on yet that something was up. Nevertheless, Roger during his last visit, had slipped Phillip some liquid tranquilizers to discreetly administer to Ayesha, just in case she was objecting.
Using the GPS coordinates, they planned the route from the border of Mali to the oasis. Flying by the route planned with the GPS and keeping below any possible Algerian military radar, they figured on slipping across the border, making the extraction and getting back before the French military caught on that one of their helicopters was out for a joy ride. The Cryptozoology Museum would have a Gulfstream G 650 ER jet on standby, courtesy of Henrietta Maria.
George arrived at the airport and boarded the Gulfstream jet, already onboard were Roger Tate as co-pilot and Rachel Thompson as museum liaison. A brief flurry of handshaking, backslapping and manly hugs later. Roger sat in the nearest seat and grinned at George before saying, "Well Georgie! We're finally gonna do what we should've done months ago. Kidnap the rest of your family!" He briefly glanced at his watch and remarked, "When we land in Mali, we'll hook up with Henri and about that same time, Phillip will slip Ayesha a mickey. It'll probably take all of us to carry her out to the chopper, but we'll get her out." George smiled slightly and commented wryly "And I'll have to face her when she wakes up in Arizona!" Rachel chuckled and said cheerfully, "All of us will have to face her! Though, there are times when it's better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission."
The cockpit door opened and an athletic, blonde haired woman came out, her hair was cut in a sort of pageboy look and her combat attire fitted her rather well. She grinned at them and said eagerly, "Is everyone here? We are ready for take off!"
George got a good look at her eyes and noticed the silvery gray tint to them. He remarked to her, "You seem familiar somehow, I've met a couple of other women that had eyes like yours."
She gave him a crooked smile and replied lightly "It could be just a coincidence, plenty of blonde haired women have gray eyes."
George grinned at her and replied, matter of factly, "That's true, these ladies were hard to overlook though. The tallest is named Sheila, then there was Galatea, she had to be possibly the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, almost otherworldly. The last was Miria, a real no-nonsense leader type."
The woman grinned at him again and said cheerfully, "Well, my name is Helen, Helen Larsen and I will be your pilot and close quarters combat specialist tonight!"
A short time later, the slender Gulfstream was rapidly accelerating down the runway and soon, it was airborne and climbing to cruising altitude. Once the seatbelt lights went out everyone unbuckled and relaxed. George studied the maps and aerial photos of the planned 'interventionary incursion' flight path, he wanted to memorize every nuance of the planned excursion just in case of unforeseen problems.
The sleek jet taxied to a halt at the Timbuktu International Airport just after dark, the long non-stop flight was over. Once outside the jet they gathered in a small group trying to seem innocuous, Roger had his satellite phone out and to his ear. A minute or two later he spoke, "Henri, we are here!"
Within minutes, a French military truck pulled up and stopped, the side window opened and Henri was grinning at them, he said cheerfully, "The chopper's warming up right now and waiting for you people!"
George quickly went behind the truck and dropped the tailgate, Roger helped Rachel up and when he turned to assist Helen, she grinned and jumped up into the truck with ease.
Roger grinned up at her and said sarcastically, "Okay, I won't help you then!" Helen just laughed and reached out her hand, Roger took it and nearly yelped when she easily hoisted him into the back of the truck.
George just laughed and said, "I thought you looked familiar, you're friends with those ladies I met!" Helen just grinned at him in her crooked way and replied innocently, "I have no idea what you're talking about!"
He clambered into the truck and it sped off towards the cluster of military vehicles and large tents outside Timbuktu.
Over the roar of the truck, Roger said to Helen, "I take it you're coming with us? You realize we could be in some real danger, I barely got out of Algeria with my neck in one piece!" Helen smiled at him and replied nonchalantly, "I've been in tough places before and you'll need an extra set of hands for this little party!" She reached up and caressed the hilts of the twin katanas slung across her back.
The truck pulled up and stopped next to a CH-47 Chinook helicopter with its rotors whirling lazily.
Moments later, they were strapping themselves in as the rotors gained speed until with the big helicopter rose and started forward to head off towards the Algerian desert with the thin crescent of the new moon setting in the west behind them.
Roger took out his satellite phone and after a few moments he said, "Phillip! Yeah it's me, we're on our way, we've just left Timbuktu and we're bringing a cargo helicopter. If you're going to slip her a mickey best do it soon, I'm bringing some help so we can grab your things and scoot. I've got your son-in law with me too, he had to leave Mia at home 'cause she's getting pretty big now! We'll see you in about four hours... What's that? Oh you'll know when we arrive... A Chinook is one big mother humper of a helicopter!"
Hour after hour the Chinook droned along, Henri flew with one eye on the GPS screen and one looking through the windscreen.
With their night vision goggles on, both he and Roger resembled something out of a nightmare, Roger sat in the co-pilots seat and called out the altitude figures as Henri expertly negotiated the desert terrain.
Helen was sitting between them peering forward into the gloom, her silvery gray eyes watching for hazards the others may have missed. George and Rachel sat silently, thinking of the coming extraction and just how they were going to pull it off.
Crossing into Algerian airspace, Henri brought the heavy chopper as low as he dared and called out, "We're now a military incursion into Algerian airspace! This bird is equipped with stealth mode rotors so we won't be too noisy. Still, we gotta watch our backsides!"
Roger called Phillip again. "We're in Algeria now, we should be there in a hour and a half or so. If you haven't given Ayesha the sedative, do it soon!"
