A/N - Le gasp, an update, so soon?

Just because I can vent, I'm going to. I hated writing chapter 25. Stupid thing had to be rewritten four times, and I still don't like the way it turned out. Maybe I need to torture myself with more time around politicians and bureaucrats. Maybe then they won't be so hard to write.

Oh yes. Fair warning: I'm employed again... so add the time I spend on campus and the time I should be studying and time at work and those rare hours with friends... That leaves about zero time for writing. Unless I stop sleeping. That may happen. Glad we got that settled. Carry on.

Chapter 26

Honor

Most all of Haven turned out to say goodbye. Hundreds stood outside, basking in the early dawn haze. Anise inhaled deeply, listened to the world waking up, and trembled. She was under the open sky again. No stone nor dirt sat between her and the sun any more.

Suddenly, Anise was beset by fear. Outdoors, there weren't any solid rock walls to protect her and Buck from zombies and other T-virus monsters. Great. Just fucking great. Anise palmed her face.

Buck poked her. "What?"

"Finally above ground again, and I'm afraid. Fucking got used to the solid protection."

"Didn't have to worry about things trying to eat us all the time."

"Yea."

Their discussion was cut short by a vaguely familiar woman walking up to Anise and hugging her, gushing a teary goodbye, then turning and jogging away. A man wrapped his arms around the spontaneous hugger and nodded at Anise's confused glance.

"Uh?" Anise looked at Buck.

The teen shrugged and watched as another random person wished Anise farewell, hugging her and patting her shoulder. Then the man, Drake she recalled his name, shook Buck's hand, and asked him to make sure that Haven's favorite troublemaker came back safely. This continued with many other residents. Although the majority were people that Anise remembered from the journey across the country, some were original Havenites, and others were those that had been been initiated since. Embracing a couple that she clearly remembered hearing talk about the enhanced woman being a freak of nature and how afraid they were of her, Anise wondered when the hell that attitude had changed. They moved away and another from the long line of well-wishers took their place.

Several expressed profound gratitude for Anise's contributions to Haven, most especially her heroic battle with the Council the other day. Anise groaned to herself, realizing someone had told the populace that she had been willing to sacrifice her own time outdoors to ensure everyone's chance at sunshine and fresh air. It went on like that for what seemed hours. When it stopped and no other teary eyed Havenite stood waiting to invade her personal bubble, she swayed on her feet.

Buck was still by her side. "I am so glad we said the important goodbyes already. Exhausting much?"

"Yea." Nodding in agreement, Anise glanced around for her chosen team. Jenkins and Berger stood beside their Humvee. Their goodbyes having been far less extensive, they looked bored and more than ready to leave. Berger noticed Anise's regard and gave her a thumbs up. Jenkins dipped his head.

The other duo of their small group was a pair of the captain's scouts. Chelan and Hoffman were reasonable, experienced, and very capable men. They had volunteered for the journey, saying that the recon around Haven was getting dull. After a half hour interview, Anise, mostly with Morrison's encouragement, had accepted them into her team. She looked over Hoffman, taking in his tanned features, unremarkable Caucasian face, no obvious accent, and lean frame. Hoffman seemed an average sort of guy. He was friendly enough, had adequate courage and acceptable hygiene, and a casual manner. Easy enough to get along, he would readily followed her orders, didn't matter to him who commanded.

Chelan was a little thicker, larger framed, with Native American features. His jet black hair was kept in a short, shaggy cut, under a Yankees ball cap. He had a New England accent, maybe New Yorker from the way he lengthened his 'O's' or Bostonian from the way he said kah instead of car. Not that it mattered, except to Anise's curiosity. Like Hoffman, he would take orders from Anise without question. His exact words had been 'I know you aren't big on being in charge, unlike the cap'n, which was half the reason we asked to join you.'. Both of them appeared eager to hop in their Humvee as well.

Satisfied and more than ready to hit the road, Anise started to move toward the Jeep Cherokee she had decided to take. It was the same one she had almost run away in, before Tanya had stopped her that fateful day. The sight of Morrison jogging toward her made her pause. He came to stand a few feet away, looking at Anise expectantly. "Ma'am."

"Yea?"

"I didn't get the chance to say goodbye earlier." Morrison offered his hand to shake. Anise glared at it until he dropped it, his brows knit, lips slightly pursed. He was hurt.

Idiot.

Anise grabbed the man, pulling him into a hug. "Didn't think I'd settle for an impersonal handshake goodbye? Come on now."

His arms tightened around her middle, and she could hear him swallow heavily. "Wouldn't dream of it, ma'am."

She leaned back, hands on his shoulders. "Brad."

His voice caught. "Anise?"

"Keep 'em safe, OK?"

"With my life."

"Of course you'd say that."

He smiled

She rolled her eyes.

"I hope you find answers out there."

"Me too." Anise felt a sob try to close her throat. She made a joke to break through it. "I'll look for a hot piece of man-meat for you while I'm at it."

He chuckled, eyes damp. "And we thought the dating pool was slim before the world died."

They looked at each other. She studied his face, taking in his nicely groomed beard, handsome features, and familiar, loyal eyes. She was definitely going to miss the man. Wind played with Anise's hair, sending locks of it into her mouth and eyes. She tucked it back behind an ear, growling when the wind snatched it up and sent it back into her face. Morrison grinned at her losing battle.

Anise gave up fighting her hair. The wind let up. She cursed Mother Nature before giving Morrison her attention again. "See you in a couple months."

"Yes, ma'am."

They stepped apart. Morrison inclined his head toward the people of Haven, milling around the area. "You should say something."

Pouting, Anise faced the crowd. She didn't have a clue what the hell to say, and stood there like an idiot. Sunlight broke over the horizon, bathing them in gold. Many pairs of eyes closed and faces tilted toward the burning globe. A new day had dawned, full of possibilities and tender new hope.

Hope. Ah hell. It was so damn cheesy, it would do. She filled her belly full with air and cried out. "For hope!"

The crowd cheered wildly, and the sound of it instilled something wonderful in Anise. Somewhere inside, a warmth began, spreading out until it touched every part of her. How she loved those people, every damn one of them. She'd bring them back their promised hope.

Eight days into the journey found Anise once again covered in zombie gore. A routine stop at a gas station in a small Iowa town had gone about the same as usual. Anise and her team had carved their way through a small horde to get in, fought off dozens while gas was plundered, and then battled their way out of town again.

"I miss my shower." Anise complained while scrubbing herself in the cool creek water.

"Never thought I'd hear you say you missed anything about Haven." Berger chuckled as she brushed her wet hair.

"I miss lots of things about Haven. It's the part where it's under-fucking-ground that I don't miss."

"What about the noise?"

"Huh?"

"What's it like, having ears like a cat?"

Anise looked at Berger for a moment. "Are you asking what it was like to become a mutant?" Her tone was not accusing and the other woman nodded thoughtfully.

"I suppose I am."

"Did you ever spend any time in a big city after a long period somewhere quiet?"

"As soon as I turned eighteen, I moved to L.A. from a small town in Oregon where I grew up. So, yes."

"The noise of the city was overwhelming at first, right?"

Berger nodded. "I got used to it."

"So did I. The extra noises became background. Novelties like hearing heartbeats became everyday things."

"What about headaches or anything? Wasn't it hard for your brain or something?"

Anise's lips curled and her eyes squinted. She was a little confused on how to answer. "Wait. Are you talking about that Daredevil movie?"

A light blush tinted Berger's cheeks. "Yea. Ben Affleck was such a stud muffin in that leather outfit. I had to replace my DVD after it got scratched from watching it so much."

"Jennifer Garner was pretty yummy in her own leather."

The women both chuckled at their respective sex-driven motives.

"You didn't, don't have the issue that Murdock did? Sounds invading your head don't give you migraines?"

"Nope. I'm glad a comic book wasn't a guideline for my mutations. My enhancements just became part of me. My brain adjusted just fine to the extra information. I suppose it was odd at first, comparing the new sounds to memories of old ones, but the changes were gradual, smooth, easy. Knowing someone's bowel movements by sound is not my favorite thing in the world, but hey, I can hear heartbeats. And those," Anise inhaled, smiling happily, "Are cool."

They were in the foothills of the Appalachians when Anise cocked her head, hearing something. The wind whispered in her ears, bringing sounds not quite matching their quiet surroundings. After telling her team to keep a sharp eye out, she went to investigate.

The woman crested the hill and looked down to see a biker gang in the valley. Every one of them was heavily armed and looked ready for a fight. OK, so most of them were in suped up trucks and SUVs, but they looked like a biker gang with their dark leathers, American flag bandannas on their heads, Harley Davidson and skull tattoos proudly displayed on biceps and forearms. She was too far away to hear what they were talking about, though she imagined it was the usual daily shit and crude jokes. While she looked down, gaping and trying to decide if she should go down and say 'hi', she heard a scuffing and someone's sharp intake of breath. She turned around, ready to snap at Buck for following her again. The snarl on her lips died upon seeing a man standing not fifty feet away, wearing camouflaged gear and a compound bow in hand, its string drawn taught. An arrow glinted in the midday light. It was seeing him release his held breath that had Anise jumping behind a tree before the arrow took flight.

As the guy snarled about missing, readying another arrow. Anise thought about drawing her gun, but realized the man had a good reason to not shout for his friends. If either of them made enough noise to draw their groups, a bloody fight would follow, with many deaths on both sides. She wished she had not left her ax in the Jeep while she drew her knife. The man's eyes widened a little, seeing her ready herself for a fight, then he smiled and stood there, waiting.

Anise ran at him, eyes on his, hoping she could dodge or deflect the next arrow. He let it fly when there were no large trees nearby for her to duck behind. She blinked, and her knife arm twitched. The arrow's head sparked on the blade, and it whistled harmlessly past her. The man dropped his bow and drew his own knife, settling into a crouch. His casual ease would have scared Anise if she wasn't already so hyped on adrenaline that the thought of a good fight made her smile. At the point where she was close to enough to leap, like the heroes in movies would do, she instead made like a baseball player and skidded.

The success of her knife slicing open his inner thigh when he belatedly tried to jump away was a good enough reason for her to not act like an action movie hero. Behind him, she hopped to her feet, twisting for a backhanded slash at him. Again, her knife drew blood. Too bad it was shallow and had been hampered by the sturdy leather vest he wore. Her opponent growled as he counterattacked, moving fluidly despite the blood soaking his pants. They parried and dodged, dancing across the forest floor. Anise had to wipe sweat from her face so she could see. His blade caught her on the forearm a breath later.

"Shit," she hissed.

His response was a menacing smile. The man was a veteran, she realized. Not just a veteran knife fighter, no. Fuck no. Her luck was way worse than that. On his left forearm was bold ink: Semper Fi. And above that was a globe, eagle, and anchor. Motherfucker was a former Marine! While they stood panting, glaring at each other, Anise took a moment to thank Morrison for his sparring sessions. This bandit may be a tough son of a bitch, but Anise had Joyce and Deon's training, Morrison's experience, Project Afterthought's enhancements, and her own unique style.

Anise started laughing. She hadn't had so much fun in ages. The Marine didn't seem disturbed by her abrupt laughter, in fact, his smile widened.

"However this ends, ma'am, it's been an honor." His tone and freely offered respect was so much like Morrison, it sent a pang of sorrow through her heart. Anise worried if she could kill this man when it came time for it. She thought of Buck, waiting for her to return with a report. Her worry was assuaged. Anise would kill to protect her brother.

She nodded. "It has been fun."

"Yes." He licked his lips and flexed his fingers around the knife hilt.

A heartbeat later, and he moved. Anise had lost her knife to a lightning fast blow before she realized the guy was in her face. She slipped out of his reach just as his blade ripped across her shoulder. A millisecond slower and that knife would have opened her throat. Hissing and regretting her earlier arrogance, she rolled away, popping back to her feet in time to block with her left hand, followed by a punch with her right to his throat. He choked and bent forward, free hand coming to his damaged throat even as Anise kicked low, connecting her foot to his knee.

The man crumpled, though he still held onto his knife. She brought her own knee into his jaw, snapping it back and sending his body to the ground. His blade fell from his hand. Anise snatched it before he could and drove it into his face. It did not kill him immediately, having missed his brain. The knife had gone only through his sinuses, and he started nails-on-chalkboard screaming.

Heart thumping hard enough to break through her chest, she looked at him in horror. "Oh shit!" She whimpered, pulling out the metal, hearing it slurp, and slamming it into him again.

He stopped screaming, and his body grew still. Anise fell away from him, her chest heaving for air. Her eyes were glued to his destroyed face, and the bloody hilt sprouting from his forehead. With great effort, she forced herself to look away and stand. She hurried to look back down into the valley. The gang had not heard their comrade's death throes. She forwent her radio, figuring that she had no idea if the gang was listening to their frequency.

"Lucky break." Anise moved to run back to her Keepers, saw her own knife flash in the sunlight and hesitated a moment before grabbing it. Her eyes switched to the body of the archer, and a shudder passed through her. "Freak out later, save lives now." Muttering to herself, she slipped her knife into its sheath.

Ignoring her screaming shoulder wound and conscience, Anise bounded down the hill.

The team babbled excitedly, tossing ideas back and forth, wondering what the other group might do, if it was worth the risk of exposing themselves to make new friends.

"If they're waiting to ambush us, there's no way we can get past them without a fight. Not unless we backtrack thirty miles and try to find another highway."

"That could mean days of extra travel."

"So, we go through them?"

Hoffman chirped. "Hope they're just the attack first, ask questions later type instead of highwaymen?"

"Assume they're bandits trying to kill us, steal our supplies, and rape our women." Chelan's addition to the discussion was delivered in such a dark tone that killed the conversation. Suddenly furious, Anise mentally dared someone to try and rape her or Berger. Said woman glanced at her, eyes just a little too wide, jaw a little too tight. Anise's anger dissipated, realizing the stark reality that if caught unaware, subduing either of them would be all to easy. A simple rope would be all it would take to make them both sickeningly vulnerable.

The guys must have noticed the womens' shared thoughts because their faces lost the excitement brought on by the idea of battle. Her team was remembering that people who weren't infected could be far more dangerous than a horde of zombies or a T-mutant ever could.

Expression stony, Buck spoke. "We assume they're ruthless bandits and act accordingly. Their scout did attack without provocation, and Spice's description of them sounded like they were waiting for a fight. Chelan and I will snipe from the hill. Anise, since you can move like a ghost, make sure there aren't any hiding in the shadows, cause chaos from behind. The rest of you, drive the vehicles and stop just before the bend in the road. Jenkins and Berger will guard Hoffman while he uses the mounted gun. Let them think we're all in the cars. Guerrilla warfare, everyone." Standing in his Keeper gear, speaking with such authority, Anise could barely think of her sidekick as a teenager any more. He had grown up a long time ago, and she wasn't referring to his bear-like frame.

The two new Keepers looked taken aback by Buck's command and glanced at each other, then to Anise. She nodded. "Unless you have a better plan, get your asses in gear."

"Yes, ma'am," sounded from every Keeper's mouth. While her team busied themselves, Anise grabbed her ax and a flashbang grenade that Buck had squirreled away. Buck, Anise, and Chelan moved up the hill. Halfway up, Anise looked back, wondering why the others hadn't started driving yet.

"I told them to wait a few minutes, give us time to get in position." Buck said.

Anise faced him. "Oh."

They continued up, Anise in the lead. On the peak, she avoided looking at the corpse by beelining to the overlook. The biker gang looked agitated, moving restlessly. Several heads kept looking up toward their position. "I think they're worried about their scout."

"He must be late."

The sound of moving vehicles reached Anise, and she relayed that info. Buck nodded. Chelan found himself a nice position facing where the vehicles would end up. A steadying breath, and Anise looked at Buck. Her hand clutched his forearm, feeling his solid warmth. She took a moment to listen to his heartbeat. Feeling his larger hand cover her's, she opened her eyes.

Buck smiled at her. "I'll stay alive if you do."

Anise grinned back. "Deal." Before more words could ruin the moment and put their lives in more danger, she sprinted away.

"Please don't kill me." The greasy haired gang leader was on his knees, groveling before Anise. She wiped blood and sweat from her chin. Four others like him were still alive, also on their knees and awaiting the tall woman's judgment.

"You were going to kill us all." She said.

"Nothin' personal, just trying to make a living. Ain't you seen the shit world we live in now?"

"We live in the same fucking world," she spat. "None of us have any intention of acting like medieval bandits, ambushing and killing travelers for their meager possessions. Why the hell would you turn to this when there are thousands of empty stores and homes with plenty of supplies?!"

"There's demons, the walking dead in those places." He sobbed.

"Pathetic piece of shit." Berger growled quietly.

Anise glanced over her shoulder, nodded in hearty agreement. "And what about how you treated the women in your group, huh?"

Grease-head seemed confused. "We ain't got no women."

"Exactly. What's a group of healthy men doing tramping about without any decent women when there's no place to call home, no ports to sail back to?"

He swallowed.

"You aren't all gay, are you?"
Anger flushed his cheeks. "Are you calling me a fucking queer, you bitch? When I get outta this, I'm gonn-..." He trailed off on seeing Anise's fury etched into every feature and quivering muscle.

It took every ounce of self-control Anise had not to bury her ax in his head. She leaned close and hissed into his freshly terrified face. "Bastards like you give men a bad name."

"If we let them live, they'll come after us for revenge." Buck spoke quietly, too low for the prisoners to hear.

Anise looked away from the prisoners to the distant horizon. She knew he was right. But, killing these men now, was it right?

"They didn't give us much choice." From beside Buck and Berger, Jenkins softly added.

Anise brought her gaze down to look at Chelan and Hoffman on the other side of the kneeling men. The two scouts couldn't have heard the others' opinions, yet they obviously realized Anise's silent question. They exchanged glances. Hoffman shrugged. Chelan looked at his rifle for a moment before he spoke loudly. "Your orders, ma'am?"

Chewing her cheek, she watched the prisoners squirm as they realized their fate rested in the hands of a woman they had previously thought to use as a disposable plaything. That thought helped make her decision a little easier. These men, if left alive, would threaten the lives of her team, other innocent survivors, and possibly the people of Haven some day. Anise leaned her ax against the Jeep and drew her pistol. One of the bikers pissed his pants and began sobbing, crying for his mommy.

Anise felt hot tears sting her eyes. She flicked off the safety and pointed her Ruger at the man she had spoken with. "For the attempted murder of my people, I sentence you to death." That sounded proper, right? She asked herself, stalling from pulling the trigger.

He stared at her, dumbfounded.

Just do it, she told herself, working up the courage to do what was needed.

"Aw, come on, lady. We won't cause you any more trouble. Honest. I'm sorry we..."

BANG.

His body fell to the pavement. Tears dripped down Anise's face. She pointed her gun at the next man, yet the weeping blurred her vision, and her arm trembled. One of the prisoners got to his feet and tried to run. Someone shot him.

"I've got this, ma'am." Chelan spoke. His rifle reported another death. And then another. And another.

Through the sobs, Anise managed to speak. "Let's get their bodies off the road. Their vehicles too. Check the cars and bodies for anything useful, especially dry goods. We're short on those." Hell, they'd always be short on food with her metabolism.

Without any of their usual banter, the team obeyed her orders. She worked alongside them, combing through the gang's former belongings, picking out useful items and stowing them in her vehicles. After driving the trucks out of the way of the road, she had their tanks siphoned, then made her way to the Jeep. She waited for Buck, and when he was beside her, asked if he would drive for a while. He nodded. Anise gave the Keepers orders to start looking for a place to camp within the next couple hours. Once they were all strapped in, she put a hand on Buck's shoulder. "Thanks for staying alive with me."

"You too." His expression was strained, but he did not look ready to collapse into a shivering balls of tears yet. "Now eat something and take your nap. You need your strength to cuddle with me later."

"Oh, do I?"

"Yes." He dragged a bag of jerky from under his seat. "Eat."

"I love you too."

A real smile softened his features, returning them to a young man instead of the wizened soldier that had just left a battlefield. "Yea." Buck turned the key, released the brake, and put them back on the road.

They sat around the fireplace of the vacation cabin. The windows had all been covered to keep the firelight from attracting unwanted attention, so Chelan and Hoffman were outside on guard duty. Buck and Anise were putting together a puzzle they had found half-finished on a table. Talk was limited to things like 'hand me that piece', 'report', or 'dinner's ready'. It was not an uncomfortable quiet. In fact, the cabin felt very cozy with the dinner fire crackling, and the complicated jigsaw puzzle distracting the duo. Berger was reading a book she had picked up the day before, and Jenkins was cleaning his guns.

Even though the fire made it too warm inside the cabin, it was still a comforting thing after their difficult day, and no one moved to put it out. Besides, sitting in a tank top and shorts instead of the hoodie and pants Anise would have been wearing in Haven was still a novel change that she loved. Buck snagged the piece she had been holding and plugged it into the puzzle.

"Hey, that was my piece!"

"I figured out where it went."

"It was my piece, dammit."

"Pay more attention."

"I swear you two are worse than my little brothers ever were." Peeved, Berger peered at them over her book.

Anise snorted. "Sorry, didn't Mom and Dad pay you enough to put up with babysitting us, old woman?"

"No. I'm demanding another twenty bucks when she gets back." The book became her focus again.

Buck and Anise exchanged glances. As they stepped away from their puzzle, Anise grabbed her full cup of water.

"What're you reading, Berger?" Buck asked, stepping into her light.

Anise slunk around him, made a shushing motion at the silent Jenkins, and waited eagerly for her chance.

"I was reading Fifty Shades of Gray." She grumbled and made shooing gestures at him.

"Really?" Anise plopped herself in Berger's lap, arm with the cup slipping around and above her shoulders. "I've heard about that. Does that stuff get you all hot and bothered?"

"Get off me, you horse." Berger glowered at Anise, who smiled.

"Sure thing." She upended the cup over Berger's head and hopped out of her lap.

Berger's screeching was worth the possible trouble it could draw, and the pain her in her ears. She bounded away from the woman's outraged swipes, but didn't notice the flying book until it whacked her upside the head. A little dizzy, she swayed. Jenkins pushed at her from his spot beside the door where he had been sitting all evening. Berger caught her, twirled her around, and shoved her out the door that Jenkins had casually opened.

"You too, get your gear and her's. It's so your turn for guard duty." The blonde barked at Buck while Anise held her aching head.

"What the hell did you do?" Chelan laughed as he approached.

Hoffman looked unsure if he should laugh or not.

Berger's face appeared in the doorway. She leveled a death glare at them all. "Tonight is a practice in silent operations." She withdrew into the cabin. A moment later, Buck stumbled outside to join Anise.

"I'd rather face zombies." Hoffman muttered. Anise heard his stomach growl, then he entered the cabin. Hunger won over fear every time, she chuckled.

Buck handed Anise her a bundle. It was her jacket wrapped around her boots, utility belt and all its accesories, and her headlamp. Anise plopped to the ground and began to tie on her hiking shoes. Her sidekick joined her and tied the laces of his hastily thrown on boots. "At least it's not as hot out here."

The cabin door opened briefly. Anise's ax was tossed out to join them, sending both troublemakers hopping away from their spots where the ax was aimed. "Oops. Sorry." Berger's vindictive smile just visible in the dim light. The door shut soundly.

"Bitch." Anise hissed.

"We deserved that." Buck said.

"Yep."

The siblings started laughing, leaning into each other when their merriment stole their breaths and pinched their sides. After Anise caught her breath, she nudged Buck.

"What?"

"Wanna see if that burrow we found earlier has anything in it?"

He flipped on his headlamp to the soft red light. "Maybe it'll be a zombie badger."

Before they started off on their little adventure, Anise spoke softly. "Hey, Buck?"
"Huh?" The young man paused and looked back.

"Am I still a good person?"

He scratched his jaw. "You remind me of Batman."

Anise thought that was a compliment.

"He started out fighting for revenge, but along the way, fighting bad guys and protecting the innocent became his new mission. In some universes, he was even celebrated as the hero he really was, took on an orphaned child as his own, protecting him and teaching him the ways of honor and truth and family. Robin was a badass sidekick, too." Buck smiled.

That was way more than a compliment. His comic book reference settled her nerves far more than the philosophical discussion she had been expecting. She smiled back.

"So, zombie badgers?"

Anise put her foot on a rock and pointed her ax like a sword. "Onward, my good man. Let's see what trouble awaits us in these foreign lands."