Disclaimer: This chapter is brought to you by "sand" it's Everywhere, Get used to it. (that's an Alladin reference if you get it, good for you, if you don't watch it!) (And I'm not Stephenie Meyer)
Discliamer Deuce: Simple and clean
"Ironman" Jack Elzam's POV
"Mr. Elzam." I heard on the phone.
"Mr. Green." I responded neutrally.
"So you remember my voice."
"It's unfortunate, yes." I responded callously.
"You treated all your other bosses like this?"
"I knew who all my other bosses were. I trusted my other bosses."
"I suppose I had that coming." Mr. Green said obviously not apologizing.
"Regardless of your feelings for me I have a new recruit for you to train."
"I have my team." I said defiantly.
"That's good Mr. Elzam because he won't be for your team. He's just to receive vampiric combat training from you, also any intel necessary for killing Vampires."
"You said he won't be joining our team, that information is classified." I stated.
"Yeah well He's going to start his own team." I didn't like the sound of this.
"I don't agree with this." I said flat out.
"Well fortunately for me whether you agree with it or not really doesn't matter."
"And why is that?"
"Because I control your funding and I decide that you will do this dance or your whole division will be shut down." I weighed my options. I didn't like it but had no other choice, our division had to continue.
"I'll do it."
"Good, he'll be there later today." I hung up and groaned.
"What is it Davis?" Williams asked.
"Don't call me that, Red." I responded harshly.
"What? I like it more than Jack."
"Davis Johnson died, Jack Elzam is who I am, and who I'll always be."
"It isn't you." She argued.
"It has to be. It is how I will right the world."
"So you alone will right the world." She sneered.
"I'd be a fool to think I can do it alone. I need all your help."
"So you're going to keep acting like someone you're not?" I shook my head.
"No… over time I've become Jack Elzam."
"Aren't you afraid that you'll lose who you really are?"
"Who I am is who I am. My hair color, my face doesn't change who I am, just what people perceive me as, I was German before my hair was long and blonde. Stop looking in to the past to find someone who died. Davis Johnson is just an alias now. I am Jack Elzam." I think I got through to her to her but it was what happened next that stopped me. She reached out and gently grabbed my arm.
"If you need to talk about it, I'm here… I might be the only one who understands." I nodded.
"Thank you Private Williams." I said formally. Her arm moved from my like she was scorned. I had a professional appearance to keep up. I was her commanding officer; I couldn't have a relationship with her. I watched her leave and White walked in checking out her ass as she passed. After the door closed he finally spoke.
"Damn… I want to tap that." I snorted.
"Go right ahead, I'm not stopping you." He smiled.
"Yeah and I haven't figured out why that is."
"She's my subordinate White, you understand why I shouldn't." I said. I swore to myself. Shouldn't… I should have said can't… no way he'll miss that he's trained to well.
"Shouldn't? My my, commander, is that a hint of desire."
"Whatever will get you to shut up."
"Is there anything else you need Commander?" he said returning to a serious tone.
"Yes in fact. We have an unwelcome guest coming to us later today."
"Shall I take care of him?" He asked not understanding my meaning.
"No, he was sent by Langley. We need to play nice… We're supposed to teach him everything we know about vampires… he's going to head up another division."
"I see… Why does it make you suspicious?"
"My… financial backer in the government is threatening to close down our unit if I don't help him."
"Why?" White asked.
"My guess is that I took too much control in the recruiting. Each of you has loyalties to our job, but all of you also have a moral code to follow. I couldn't let this team exist if we weren't more loyal to doing what's right as appose to what we're told to do."
"So you think this 'Arthur' is loyal to them?"
"It's only a guess, but yes that's what I think."
"So what exactly do you want me to do?"
"Keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn't get anything he's not supposed to…" White nodded.
"Send Schmidt over, I need him to pack up the Zealot and all its parts. I don't want Arthur seeing it if it can be avoided." White nodded.
Leah's POV
What the hell am I even doing here? I need to know what the hell is going on. I can't believe I've waited a week to do this. Why? I couldn't come up with an answer but I knew I needed to have one. I knocked on the door. I heard a loud cry. How long has it been since I have seen Emily? It's been a long time, since before her baby was born. I heard Emily coming and then the door slowly open. I barely recognized her. It appeared she never lost the weight from birth and looked like there were bags under her eyes. Her face looked dry like she was recently crying and it was quite honestly hard to look at her as the best friend from my childhood. I didn't say anything at first.
"Leah! It's so good to see you." She said almost reanimating herself. It looked like she'd aged five years in one. I hugged her.
"Emily… you look like hell." She smiled a weak smile.
"Thanks Leah… Damn you look good, I bet all the guys are checking you out." I grinned.
"Yes, I've noticed." I smiled. Damn right they do. I thought about the looks some of the single wolves gave me, the looks Embry gave me. He looked at you that way when you were pregnant too. I know. I thought back to myself and blushed.
"Where's the kid and Sam?" I asked faking a look in the house.
"Oh… Sam… he's not here. And my princess is at daycare." Why do I need to know so badly?
"I know Sam is living at Embry's… what happened?"
"He moved in at the Call's?" she asked before bursting in to tears. She didn't know? What the hell is going on? He tells her everything! She fell in to my arms and sobbed in to my shoulder awkwardly. This would have never been awkward before Emily took my ex, but now I wanted to push her away but didn't. I swallowed hard and waited while she continued to whine.
"It's all my fault!" she moaned between gasps of air.
"If I wouldn't have made him choose between me and fighting the war… I just… never… thought… he'd… pick… the… war… over… me!" she said heaving for air between each word. Pathetic. I wanted to scream at her. She gave him a stalemate? She always was selfish.
"You tried to make him stay home by saying he's not welcome if he left?" I asked again trying to get bearings.
"Yes… I thought he wouldn't go." Emily… you really don't know Sam… you know this hallowed out version of him. The one you can bend to your will… You don't know Sam at all.
"When he came back from the war I expected him to come back to me begging for forgiveness… I might have even gave it to him, but… but…. He hasn't." Come to think of it he wasn't complaining about missing Emily the entire time. What the hell is going on. What am I supposed to say? 'I'm sorry this happened to you? I'm not. Any better ideas?
"I'm sorry this happened to you." I said attempting to sound as honest as possible. She laughed.
"Really Leah? That's the best you could muster. Come on you think I'm stupid? I know exactly how you feel, and it tears me up inside that I did that to you."
"Obviously not that much because you still did it to him, My God you fucking bore my ex's child!"
"I'm sorry Leah." I put my finger up.
"Bullshit! Don't lie, you're not sorry. You're not sorry at all." I finally screamed."
"Leah."
"No, don't even try Emily, for all these years I've taken your bullshit but not anymore. Stop trying to act like you're sorry, you're not sorry that it happened. You're so fucking happy in MY happily ever after. "I couldn't stop myself and before I knew it my hand had slapped her. I stopped myself and looked down at my hand.
"Leah..." Emily said quietly.
"You stole my life Emily…" I said and turned around and walked away. You're really over him aren't you? Shut up bitch. I told myself as I left my cousin with a warm cheek from the slap.
Mike's POV
"Darn Jasper! I want to see my family!" I roared. He smiled.
"I know you do but you can't… you're leaving… and even if you weren't we still don't know if you can resist the blood."
"I know but… I miss Mom and Dad… I miss James." I said honestly.
"I know Mike… but you know why you can't see them."
"All they're all suffering because of me." I said sadly.
"I love them… I miss them… They're everything to me." I said honestly almost begging Jasper to let me see them.
"I know they are Michael." He said calmly. I felt an unnatural calm but couldn't get rid of the pit in my stomach.
"I didn't have friends, I had my family. I got excited when my brothers came back. I might have missed friends I never had, but I always knew my family was always there. They'd stand behind me no matter what, and now you're telling me I have to leave them behind?" I saw him struggle.
"You don't get it. How Bella obnoxiously says she needs Edward or she doesn't know what she is, and all that annoying crap?" Jasper laughed again.
"Yeah."
"That's how it is with my family, they've been my only validation, my only friends, the only people in the world who have never, and will never betray me."
"I haven't betrayed you."
"Yet…" I finished his sentence.
"And why do you believe I will?"
"Every friend I've ever had turned their backs on me, both women I had feelings for were using me… everyone, except my family."
"I don't think Tanya was using you."
"Well then she was being used by Rosalie… I'm not her first choice, she'd still take Edward." Jasper momentarily shook his head and muttered something.
"What Jasper?" I said interested.
"Nothing, it's between you and Tanya." He responded.
"I will find a way to help you Mike… I promise."
"Ironman" Jack Elzam's POV
Now I get to meet this guy. Get to? You make it sound like you're looking forward to it. I wasn't He walked in the door like he owned it. I could tell he was strong and in good shape by how he walked.
"So you're this 'amazing' Jack Elzam huh? You just look like a guy past his prime to me. I put my arm out to stop Briggs from stepping forward.
"Wow, you need to keep your dogs in line, I'd have them neutered in no time. I can't believe you'd pick these five nobodies instead of someone who could have really helped you five Vampires."
"Nobodies?" I heard White laugh. Coming out from the next room.
"Yeah nobodies… why the hell would he want the 'second best' sniper in the world when he could have the first?" I was watching my team get angrier by the minute. At least they'll stand together. I smiled.
"What are you smiling at old man?" He taunted. I laughed at him.
"I'm not even thirty." I responded.
"I know… but this is a young man's game. That's probably why they didn't recruit you for their Vampire division, you'd be too old to be useful." I could take his barrage of insults about my age but apparently my team couldn't.
"How about this Arthur… You and I settle this in a little fight?" he laughed.
"You keep up with me old man?" he laughed.
"Then you shouldn't have a problem with this old man right?"
"Fine." He said removing his jacket, then his shirt. Yeah he was in good shape. He stretched his waist back and forth. He rolled his shoulder back. I sighed and followed his lead taking off my sweatshirt. I left my sleeveless undershirt on. They didn't need to see all my scars from my decade of service. Unlike his body, I didn't look like I could be a model. I had marks, and lines from surgeries past. He moved back and forth lightly on the balls of his feet. He was taller than me, and by the way he was moving… it looked like he was also faster. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that he was stronger than me too. I knew I'd have a hard time beating him. I would need to wait for an opening.
We said nothing but he turned to check Lisa Williams out. I took the opportunity and threw a front kick as fast and hard as I could he stumbled backwards. He was in his ready stance.
"What the fuck was that?"
"You expect Vampires to wait for you to be ready? If you can't keep up take your ball and go home." I taunted hoping to make him angry. He charged at me with a hooking punch I ducked under it getting under his arm. I He threw his foot at me. The hook was a bait and I took it. I took his foot and didn't let go. I spun my body weight and dropped hoping to disorient him as I set up for an ankle lock. Before I could I felt the spit get kicked out of my mouth by his other foot. Before he could land another I rolled out and stood back up to face him.
He wasn't making mistakes… he was really that good at fighting pretty soon I realized he wasn't aiming for a target… he was hitting my blocks trying to soften me up. I'd lose eventually and we both knew that. I took a sweeping hook punch. He spun and put me in a sleeper hold. Perfect. Now it's the time to show him the other rule about fighting vampires… there's no such thing as off limits. I pulled the heel of my foot up in to him and he groaned in pain. He bent over. I drove my elbow in to his solar plexus then my feet in to his toes then threw an elbow to his throat. He fell over. I climbed on top of him immediately and grabbed his throat with one hand and pulled my other arm back to punch him in the face.
"I won."
"You fought dirty."
"It's called surviving, I survived, and you died. I won." I saw it in his eyes he was just starting to understand.
"This your first lesson?"
"Yes, there's no such thing as dirty fighting against a vampire… everything is permitted.
Assassin's Creed reference… but then again I'm betting no one who reads this has played it… cept maaaaaybe Fusedtwilight. Anyway, Thanks for the continued support from my favorite five reviewers, you're the best. Hope you liked this chapter… Arthur is going to be a big character in the last book… I'm getting to the point where I realize the last book is going to be CRAZY LONG, like twice as long as anything I've written so far maybe…. Well I look forward to writing it… here's a hint… Arthur's going to pick up a friend named Gavin… Well and Lance. Thanks for reading, remember to review, high five, give rolls of twenties, knucks, and take care… Spike your hair.
