"Is Commander Taylor in?" Chris Christiansen, the emeritus chaplain walked into the outer office of General Washington. Mathew Perkins still kept operations around the base running smoothly even with most of it deployed.
"He's in the main conference room where the large screens are. He's been looking at satellite footage that is coming in daily from California and specializing on the area around Houston Base Units. Someone has to do it and it's his way of contributing. Once we got the choppers back in operation, General Washington has been getting daily reports to Cintrex and long range planning has been easier."
Nathaniel was sitting in a swivel chair with every screen lit up. Some were frozen, while others played live footage in a loop. Chris stopped inside the door and looked at the scene. In the room was Taylor's entire unit, all watching with rapt attention. Instead of interrupting the proceedings for an informal chat, Chris took a seat and watched Nathaniel conduct his orchestra of soldiers.
"Increase the clarity settings on screens one and three," Taylor spoke. That's when Chris noticed Alicia was sitting at the control panel. She ran her hand over the board and a shift was seen on those screens. All Chris could see was open expanse of fields, long abandoned as food growing centers of North America. "When was this image taken, Wash?"
"Two days ago, Sir."
"What was the weather doing at that location two days ago?" Nathaniel asked and Chris wondered where Nathaniel was going with his questions and also had a sneaking suspicion he already knew the answer.
There was a pause while his Lieutenant looked up the information. "Three inches of snow. It is December now and that part of California has been getting snow for about fifty years in the Central Valley according to NOAA, after the weather patterns shifted with the obscuring of the sun."
"Major Tate." Nathaniel didn't stop looking at the still shots. "Do you see snow?"
Alex looked carefully. "No, Sir, I see brown, but there should at least be snow in the shaded areas if snow is supposed to be on the ground. Where are you going with this?"
Nathaniel didn't answer. Instead he spoke to Washington again. "Wash move the stills until you find us snow. They watched her move the image to the edge of the valley where the hills were starting and snow abruptly entered into the picture. "Stop," he ordered.
"Sergeant Reilly, what do you see?" Taylor called out.
"I see snow, Sir."
"Why does the snow abruptly stop?" He threw another question out.
"I'm not an expert in snow, Sir," she retorted.
"I'll remember that if we encounter snow in the past and you'll be assigned to learn."
Reilly shook her head at the laughter and pats to her body from those sitting closest to her. "What did I do to get singled out for this honor?" She spoke just loud enough for everyone to hear, hoping it wouldn't reach to the platform housing the Command team, but it reached Chris' ears clearly and he smiled.
Chris watched Nathaniel make notations on his plexpad. "Wash, can you pick up the Tenth." He made it an order. The screens blanked out and a camp with soldiers moving about popped up on the screen and there was snow on the ground. "What is the date this was taken?"
"Yesterday, Sir."
"When's the last time we've been in contact?"
"General Higgins checked in three days ago to Cintrex. We haven't gotten a report so I'm assuming no causalities."
Chris wasn't in the loop on day-to-day operations, but last he heard the satellites were all but rendered useless. "Nathaniel, how are you getting such clear pictures?"
Nathaniel spun his chair to the unit and searched until he spotted Chris near the door. "We're using choppers flying high, out of the range of missiles and they have special cameras that cut through the smog. Are you here on business or pleasure?"
"I don't want to interrupt your meeting, but if you have time this afternoon, I'd like a word."
"It'll be a little bit. We've volunteered to analyze the surveillance footage and track the movements of the enemy. Only we can't seem to find them. An army in this area of about two hundred thousand and they've disappeared." He pointed to the tenth on the screens. "Our army is in plain sight. The only thing keeping them from being blown to bits is we've managed to keep anymore of the flotilla from landing and taken out all aircraft so they can't do their own surveillance." Nathaniel had a sudden thought and turned back to the screens. "Wash, put the other pictures up." He stared at them a long time, then stood up and faced his unit. "I'm going to put my suspicions that the army is right there." He pointed to the valley. I need to get to California today." He looked at his wife. "Lieutenant, get a chopper ready to go. Meet me at the airstrip with overnight bags and armor. We're going to test my theory and will stay with Apollo tonight. We'll tell Cintrex if it works. If not, we were never there."
Wash stood to carry his orders out and looked at the unit. "You're dismissed until we return, and remember, not one word." She filed out with them, leaving Chris and Nathaniel alone.
Chris went to the front row and Nathaniel rolled his chair close. "We get another list of dead?" Nathaniel figured that's why he was visiting.
Chris shook his head. "I'm not sure now is the best time to talk to you, what with you leaving to the front. Want me to check in on Cayman after you leave?"
"Only if something goes wrong and we don't get back tomorrow. She's on her last month and I don't want her worried or upset, but if my hunch is correct, we'll turn the tide of the war in the west."
"Going to let me in on it?"
"No, I may be wrong and don't want to get hopes up." Nathaniel changed the subject. "You didn't track me down because you miss my scintillating military planning or company, and we did have Sunday dinner together."
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about." Chris smiled. "I plan on asking Dotti to marry me tonight and didn't want it to come as a surprise to you."
Nathaniel grinned and grabbed his hand. "I was beginning to think you only wanted sex with her and nothing more."
"Get your mind out of the gutter boy," Chris warned, but the levity in his tone told Nathaniel he wasn't serious. "I'll make an honest woman out of her first, like you should have done."
Nathaniel paused. "You'd marry her before finding out if she's frigid?"
"She's not and there's other ways besides intercourse," was all he admitted to.
"Of course there is." Nathaniel quickly changed the direction this was taking. He was talking to Chris not Apollo, or he'd press on for details or ribald ribbing. "When's the wedding?"
"I'm hoping for Saturday and was wondering if you'd be my best man."
"If I'm not dead, injured or stuck in California, I'd be happy to. Otherwise you'll have to wait until I can. You're not marrying my mother-in-law without me being present."
"I haven't told anyone yet. I want to make sure Dotti is willing to be my wife or like you, I wouldn't want my failure to be broadcast all over." He chuckled and Nathaniel joined in.
Nathaniel's chopper came in on blackout and running silent. It made a landing amidst the other choppers and made their way to Apollo's adopted unit in the dark. Nathaniel lugged the inflatabed and bedding in a duffle and they both had their backpacks. The mess was hopping as they arrived at chow time. It was full and they stopped in the doorway, looking for either Apollo or Bjenjou. Wash spotted them first and pointed. They had left the packs and duffle outside so got in line for food. The cook recognized them and greeted with a friendly greeting, which they returned.
Apollo and DeShawn Bjenjou were in discussion of what they should do on the morrow. Today was cold, raw and wet and the scouts reported no sighting of the advancing army. Apollo figured they were holed up in one of the burned out domes waiting for the cold northern Canadian wind to stop blowing. They might be waiting here until March he figured.
A tray was put down right next to him. Irritated, he wondered who had the audacity to invade his private conversation. With a glare he looked up into the grinning face of Taylor. His bad mood evaporated like the sun coming out behind the smog and he reached out a hand and gripped his friend's. "You here alone?"
"Wash got waylaid on the way to the table." Nathaniel moved to sit opposite Apollo and turned his attention to Bjenjou while Apollo rose and went to find his dawdling daughter.
Bjenjou's Lieutenant reached out and grabbed Alicia's leg, stopping her and she stopped to greet her old friend. "Put that tray down, Lieutenant," General Washington snapped in her ear. With a smile, Wash handed her tray to her fellow Lieutenant and snapped her father a salute. "That's not what I want." He grabbed her in a bear hug and they exchanged a father/daughter chaste kiss. With a 'good to see you.' She took her tray back and followed her father to his table.
"What brings you two west after two long months?" Apollo subtly chastised them for not paying him another visit.
"As you know, I talked Philbrick into letting us contribute to the war by scrutinizing surveillance photos. We've had them zoomed in to two inches and out as far as the chopper that took them was flying. Have you seen them lately?" Nathaniel replied as he shoveled a mouthful of barely edible food in.
"Not today. DeShawn and I were just discussing today when you barged in uninvited." Apollo missed their sparing.
"I am here on the sly. Philbrick hasn't been informed, nor Cintrex, but I have an idea that I want to run by you General's tonight. It's about where I think they may be and I'll barge into Bjenjou's unit any damn time I please, and get away with it. All I have to do is parade your daughter in front of you and I'm forgiven."
Apollo knew Nathaniel wouldn't have risked his neck if he didn't think he was on to something. He pulled his comm and called Higgins and then Carson and they arranged to meet at Higgins' tent in an hour.
"We hoped to bunk with you tonight, Dad." Wash finally got a word in.
"You're staying? This close to fighting? I don't think that's a good idea." His one consolation in this war was his daughter and wife were safe.
"I doubt they'll crawl out of their warm hole tonight. It's supposed to drop in the teens." Nathaniel checked the weather before they left.
"Tonight is just the kind of night they'll attack." Apollo was thinking about ordering them home, but would wait until after the meeting and see what Nathaniel found.
Higgins listened and looked at the barren expanse of brown dirt. "So you think they are using a cloak?" He knew Japan had them all over their islands. Why not import the technology and hide their army in plain sight.
"It's either that or they're hiding in the domes and they know we won't attack with our own civilians to use as human shields," Nathaniel gave his alternate choice.
The three General's exchanged glances at Nathaniel's second choice and Apollo answered, "Nathaniel, we may have to attack those domes regardless our civilians."
"Things really that bad?" Nathaniel spoke softly, hoping for another answer.
"It might be kinder to them for us to attack than how the Japanese would use them. We've been opposed with them in every world war and they don't treat the conquered very well and we have discussed it," Higgins responded. "We can't let them get east of the Rockies. We have the big bombs and will use them. It'll be over for our civilians in seconds."
Nathaniel looked at Apollo, who nodded. He looked back to the head General. "That will take your armies out as well."
"They're taking them out one at a time right now. If we have to use them, we have an agreement with Korea to use identical bombs and remove Japan from the gene pool forever."
Nathaniel nodded, but felt sick to his stomach that millions would die almost instantly including his best friend. "I hope they are in that field and we can obliterate their armies the old fashioned way." He was grateful for the nods that echoed his sentiments around the table.
Each General called their Commander's for an emergency meeting that night even though it was getting late. They crowded into Higgins' tent and he filled them in on the attack, which would commence just before first light when the temperature was at its coldest. They would line all twenty five thousand troops along the top of the closest set of foothills, back from the carpet-bombing the choppers would open up with first. If there were nothing in the valley, the units would retreat. If the enemy were under a cloak, when the choppers moved off, the ground units would engage. It promised to be a long, cold, bloody day.
The bed was set up when Apollo and Nathaniel entered the tent, both needing to sleep fast as the call to leave was for four in the morning and it was approaching midnight. Wash was in bed asleep when Nathaniel kicked his boots off, shed his pants and crawled in beside her. They were in the main part of the tent where meetings were held and Apollo had his bedroom in a partition to the rear. Heaters were blazing in both sections. Usually Apollo turned his down during the day, but his daughter thought of him and turned it up. He moved quietly through the tent when he saw her sleeping.
Jim flipped his light on as he came out of a sound sleep to the sound of an alarm blaring over his comm. 'All units up and get dressed for combat in very cold temperatures. You'll be outside so prepare accordingly. Chow will begin in fifteen minutes.' He and his roomies groaned as they hurried to dress in the semi-cold tent. Jim checked to make sure his equipment was on his person and added a parka over his police armor. Putting his helmet on, he grabbed his rifle and went for hopefully warm food and coffee. The tent was filling up and the few military officers assigned to the civilian units were checking the volunteer's. Several were sent back to tents for forgotten equipment. Jim passed his test with a complement.
His new leader, a retired Commander who rejoined, told them after breakfast, while they were standing in formation in the bitter cold what was impending and they were assigned a section of hill to lie in the snow. If there were Japanese in the valley and they ran in their direction, they were to shoot to kill.
"Have you ever shot anyone, Shannon?" A young rookie on the force was sitting beside him on the transport to their destination.
"I've shot several people, just haven't killed anyone," he admitted. He hated violence, but was good at his chosen profession and the bosses were starting to notice and he was singled out repeatedly for additional training and promotions. He entered the service when he was eighteen and always wanted to be a cop. He felt himself fortunate to be living his dream. And the day he took an injured prisoner to the hospital and met an intern name Elizabeth, he knew she was going to be his wife. His life was everything he desired, a good job, talented wife and two beautiful children. He couldn't think of anything else he wanted, but a safe place for his kids to grow up.
Nathaniel and Alicia joined Apollo at a table for a bowl of soy mush and soy bread. Apollo dipped his hunk of bread in the soupy mess and took a bite. Swallowing, he made his decision. "I want you two with me. I'm leading my units from your chopper. We'll use yours and when I tell the pilot to drop me off, that is your cue to go home. I'm sure there'll be lots of fighting and I don't want to explain to Philbrick if his pets got killed or injured."
"Darrell, join us," Nathaniel invited as the younger man showed up carting a tray in one hand and rifle in the other. He leaned the rifle against the table and sat down. He and Alicia walked down to visit Gail and called Barry, who joined them for a sibling reunion the night before. They got someone to take pictures for Cayman. She also got a couple of her father the night before at supper.
Apollo was silent, listening to Nathaniel and Darrell do all the talking. "Darrell, I want you with me," he finally ordered.
"I really belong with my unit, Sir. I am a Corporal and they need me," he argued.
Apollo looked across the table at him. "Let me rephrase that, Corporal. I order you to come with me and if you say one word, I'll send you home like the whiney baby you are," he growled the order out.
"Yes, Sir." Darrell knew when he pushed enough.
The soldiers were on silent communication and not talking when fifty choppers on silent, blackout running, flying at a fairly low altitude made the last ridge where they spread out. Those in the choppers could make out rows of bodies with their night vision, laying still and waiting.
Jim felt the still night air move and knew the choppers were almost in position and prepared himself for the blasts.
Apollo, in the lead chopper had every one of his Commander's in a chopper, so they could direct their units from above. He hoped Nathaniel was right or they just waisted valuable resources. He opened his mic. "Fire at will."
Lieutenant McFadden pressed the button and missiles shot from his turrets under the chopper. Apollo and Nathaniel waited, breaths held for a reaction. Would they be plowing dirt or hitting the enemy. Within seconds the answer was obvious as bodies in flames were seen running in all directions. "Enemy sighted, lift the choppers out of range and unload your weapons." He directed the action from a higher altitude than the other choppers as they pummeled the ground.
Jim watched, with twenty-five thousand soldiers at the carnage. Men started running in their direction trying to avoid the bombs that were exploding everywhere. He lined up on a target and pulled the trigger. Sounds of rifle fire rebounded off the hills as the enemy was mowed down. Half the Japanese troops headed towards the Coastal Range where they had safe passage to the mountains and safety. A chopper landed behind him and he turned to see what was going on. He saw General Washington and another soldier get out, wave, and the chopper lifted off and headed east, climbing in altitude as it went. To his surprise, the General strode to his location and looked out over the valley in the morning light that was making night vision hard to use so Jim turned his off.
Apollo hunkered down to make himself a smaller target and made sure Darrell followed suit. He pushed in between two of the volunteers and looked through his binoculars. They took a huge toll on the enemy and many were killed in their bedrolls. He saw several injured and gave the unpleasant order over his radio, "Advance and kill any survivors."
Jim gave him a startled look. "Uhh, General, do we have to?"
Apollo turned his attention to the man who spoke. A flash went through his brain that he'd seen this man someplace before, but he couldn't place it. "Get moving, Soldier," he ordered. Jim got up and joined the others, but he had no intention of killing a helpless person. He had no idea this went on in the military. "Go join them and catch up with me later," Apollo told Darrell and watched as he went with the other men down the hill. Where did he see that man before? He racked his brain, but came up with nothing. 'It'll come to me,' he rationalized and went back to giving orders.
Jim came upon a man who had his leg blown off who looked up with pleading eyes. Jim just couldn't pull the trigger. The man's head slapped backwards into the ground and a bullet hole was seen through the forehead. Jim turned to see the young soldier who got out with the General. He hadn't hesitated, just killed the man and started looking for another. The sounds of pops were heard until noon then died off to nothing.
"I see you didn't kill the wounded." The young man spoke as he noticed the other man stayed close to him.
"I was watching your back. If one tried to hurt you, I'd have killed him." Jim wanted to puke. "Wasn't there a way to take them prisoner?"
"These are sub-humans, clones, bred without a consciousness to not kill us. They are DNA manipulated as killing machines. They can't be rehabilitated and are sterile to boot."
Jim absorbed the information. There was so much in this world he didn't know existed, like clones and entirely clocked armies in the open just waiting to kill them. "That makes a difference. We weren't told we were fighting clones, just Japanese."
"I'll make sure the General is told and you guys aren't left out of the loop again. It's just that you joined us so late, they missed educating you what we are fighting against." As Darrell talked, they were walking among the regulars.
"You have the ear of the General?" Jim was impressed.
Darrell smirked sideways at him. "He's my stepfather."
Jim laughed. "That put you on the fast track to become a General?"
Darrell grinned back. "No, just the opposite. He's harder on me and my brother because of our relationship."
"I met General Washington once before." Jim would never forget the incident now. "He was at a woman's apartment in Chicago almost a year ago."
That got Darrell's attention. What was his stepfather doing in Chicago and with a woman. "Really?"
"He was pressing charges against an engineer on the Hope Plaza Project."
Darrell had instant recollection. "Ava Rowen."
"That's her." The name clicked for Jim also.
"She caused some problems for one of the Commander's." Darrell was vague. He didn't know what the man knew and some of what he learned was classified as it came from the informal settings in Apollo's home. They saw Apollo just up ahead and Darrell veered in his direction. Apollo was examining a machine never seen before.
"Corporal Tillman reporting, Sir." He let Apollo know he was back and in one piece.
Apollo glanced at him and saw he was still with his companion, the man who looked familiar.
"General, this guy says he met you in Chicago." Darrell pointed to his companion.
Apollo turned his attention fully to the man. "Officer Shannon."
Jim was impressed. "Yes, General."
Apollo nodded, pleased he remembered the man's name. "Glad you came to help us. We need all the good men we can get."
"That's a sexist comment, General." A woman's voice made the men turn. Gail joined them, dressed in her battle armor and a rifle over her shoulder.
Apollo smiled and gave her a hug. "I'm glad you didn't get hurt, Gail."
Gail sobered. "There were injuries, Sir?"
Apollo nodded. "I got a few coded messages from some Commanders and both two flanks met resistance and we lost a few dozen with about three hundred injured."
"Barry?"
"I'm sure he's fine or someone would have contacted me," he reassured her, but really didn't know.
"You're a General. You have the power to check." Gail wanted to know for sure.
He decided to humor her, besides he wanted to reassure himself also. "Washington to Larken."
"Larken here."
"How's your unit?"
"Several of my people got killed and I have about twenty more with gunshots that are being tended as we speak. Seems like part of the Japs were playing possum and our unit stepped into them."
"Sergeant Tillman?"
"He took a bullet to his leg, nothing serious." Larken hurried to clarify.
Apollo felt Gail's arm circle his waist and pulled her to his side. "Why wasn't I notified?"
"Minimal radio was ordered, Sir." Larken had the thought that Washington was an idiot for breaking radio silence to check on his stepson. Even if he'd been killed, Larken would have treated him like any other dead soldier and sent his name in a report with the others. Tillman wasn't getting special treatment in his unit. "Tillman may be special in your house, but he's just another soldier in my unit."
Apollo clamped his teeth together to halt the sharp retort. An open radio wasn't the place for it and Larken dared take him to task publically. He'd not forget that. He switched to a broad band that included every unit from all three bases.
"All units, this is General Washington. Strip the bodies of valuables and gather everything onto the transports. Bring our dead and wounded." He cut the mic. It took the rest of the day to do the assigned task and get the units back to camp.
Apollo wanted to eat and sleep, but had one more task. He ordered a chopper to take him up so he could place a call home.
Cayman answered abruptly. "Apollo, Nathaniel told me you did your first offensive."
He looked at her with longing. "I miss you, but yes we put a dent into their operation today."
"You must be beat." He looked tired to her.
"I'm not getting up in the night unless we're attacked. Where are the kids?"
"Trey is in his bed." She was telling the truth. After Nathaniel's admonishment she went back to putting him in his own room. "Alicia and Nathaniel went to bed, but I waited up, hoping for a call."
He drew a breath for his next sentence. "Barry was shot in the leg, but not seriously."
"Have you seen him?" Cayman felt herself break out in sweat, a sign she was in shock.
"I stopped by his medic tent about two hours ago. They took the bullet out and he's drugged and sleeping. I don't know if he's injured enough for the ride home."
"Apollo Washington, you send my son home." Anger was replacing her initial shock.
"Larken didn't want to give him any special treatment. At first I was like you, then stopped to think about it. What kind of message would that send in the ranks if I chose preference for him. The soldiers can't take anything out on me, but they sure can him and will. I'll let Larken handle his unit."
Cayman wanted to protest, but knew he was right, as usual. They only talked for a few more minutes before she admonished, "You need to go sleep. I love you."
He smiled without his mask that he didn't need in the chopper. "I love you and the kids. Now, go to bed." He broke the connection and ordered his chopper to descend.
Apollo and the other two General's met the next morning to review the previous day and make plans.
"We have all the cloaking machines. They got off with half their army and some transports, but we have a rough estimate of one hundred and fifty thousand dead. We put a dent in their numbers. We seem to have superior weapons to their larger manpower so I'm optimistic we can push them into the ocean." General Higgins was happier than he'd been since arriving in this region.
"I sent a chopper east with several units for our teams of engineers to examine and learn how the cloaks work and how to detect them so we have the advantage," Apollo added and wasn't as optimistic as his superior. He felt they were still in for a long war and the news filtering in to his plexpad told him all sides in the wars around the world were evenly matched.
"They're back in the Coastal Range now," Carson added.
Higgins was silent a moment, thinking the best way forward with minimal losses. Carson and Apollo let the portly General; with a buzz cut to his iron colored hair ponder their next move. Finally, his gray eyes met those of his fellow Generals. "I think we need reports on the rest of the divisions and see what they've found and how the entire west coast is doing. For now, let's move our worst injured to the home bases." He looked at Washington. "Did I hear some insubordination in one of your Commander's yesterday?"
Apollo jerked a swift nod. "Larken took exception of me checking on my stepson."
"We can't have mouthy Commanders. Make an example of him," Higgins ordered.
"That was on my list of things to do today." Apollo had that look that scared the hell out of normal people and earned him his nickname, Apollyon.
Apollo went back to his regiment and called a meeting of the Commanders. He filled them in on the plans for the day. "…and last item; our regiment is charged with security for the tenth. Commander Larken, I'm assigning your unit to provide sentry duty until further notice."
"General, have you not got the memo on my dead and injured?" Larken's unit was hit the hardest and he was undermanned.
"If you can't handle a simple task of guarding the tenth, I'll send you home and put your Lieutenant in charge." Apollo had the same look he used when training Larken for his Commander slot and the other man backed down fast.
Larken wisely kept any reply to himself as Apollo dismissed the units. Bjenjou and Meyers stayed back at his request.
"Remind me not to be rude over an public mic." Brian went for a second cup of coffee and sat back at the table.
Apollo didn't respond, but asked, "Brian, how's our civilian unit holding up after their first day of real action?"
"I sent my troops among them yesterday after we got back to camp and they seem to be doing okay. Most had trouble shooting helpless men and a few were shot because of it."
"I talked to Darrell and he informed me most didn't know they were genetically engineered clones. I want you to have a meeting with them and go over the facts we have." He looked at Meyers so there was no mistake in who he was talking to. "Also, Darrell gave me an idea. He said the guy that was dogging him told him he was watching his back. Police would be good at that, while our units are trained to blindly take orders, they can keep our people from being back shot. I want you to change the function for the next engagement."
"Has Tillman stopped complaining about being assigned as your aide?" Bjenjou asked with a smirk.
"He stopped after his mother told him to knock it off."
All three men laughed and Brian added, "If my mother told me to knock it off, I would, even at my age."
"Me too." DeShawn chuckled.
They stayed in camp, but did patrols and saw across the valley scouts from the enemy surveying the damage. They didn't interact, but the surveillance choppers tracked them into the hills where a massive army was camped in three canyons. Carson and Higgins were ordered to Cintrex for a planning meeting and would be back in a day or two, leaving Apollo in charge of the tenth.
Apollo took his choppers up for a flyover into the mountains, saw the enemy and made a decision. He ordered the choppers to open fire as once again he led the aerial assault. He kept his ground units across the valley in camp while they repeatedly fired into the masses trying to find cover. The hills were on fire and smoke drifted into the entire valley, engulfing even his camp. He looked with his binoculars through the smoke and saw dead in every canyon. They strafed the hills where men were seen running, looking for caves or rocks to hide in. He manned one of the turrets and with his superior shooting skills took many out. He stopped counting after a hundred and just concentrated on his targets. When the last man was no longer moving, Apollo called his dogs off.
Apollo ordered his chopper to stay high and the others to land and placed a call to Cintrex. A meeting was in progress when his call was patched through to the room of Generals. He was able to make visual contact and saw many old retired Generals back in uniform and Tiberius presiding at the head of the room.
"Apollo," Tiberius greeted him. "You wouldn't be interrupting our meeting if you didn't have something important for us. Speak, Boy." He was seventy-eight and thought of Apollo as a kid General.
Apollo couldn't resist. "Higgins or Carson isn't here to grant my request to go home for a conjugal visit, so you were the next one I thought of." He heard chuckles from the old Generals.
"Denied, now report," Tiberius ordered.
"It was worth a try. We did surveillance in the mountains and found what was left of the army we shredded yesterday. I used the choppers and we pretty much finished them off. I didn't engage ground forces and we had zero losses, but need a supply of chopper bombs ASAP."
"We were just discussing your battle of yesterday. You did good today, Washington. I'm almost tempted to let you go home." Tiberius used levity to tell Apollo how much he liked the news.
"That's alright, General. My wife's on her ninth month of pregnancy. I'd just as soon wait until the kid is on the outside. I just sent the aerial photos and vids of today's operation."
"We'll add it to our planning. Anything else to report?" Tiberius needed to get back to what was looking to be a long day and it was getting long in the shadows in the east.
"No, Sir."
Tiberius told him to be safe and cut him off. Apollo thought about calling his wife, but wanted supper first and his pilot had been working all day without a break so he ordered him back to camp, told him to eat and they'd go back up at dark.
There was a party going on at his house when he called in to tell Nathaniel of his day. Cayman was sitting on the couch and he could see they were in the formal living room and several people were mingling and all except Cayman were drinking what looked like Champaign.
"Did the war end and you forget to tell me?"
"We're having a celebration with a much needed party." She smiled, so happy to see her husband again. He'd been checking in often and sending mail from his plexpad directly to the base so loved ones could communicate faster.
He smiled at seeing her recovered from his bad news the night before. "I went to see Barry before calling." He noticed everyone had stopped talking and gathered on or behind the couch to listen in. He also noticed Dotti sat beside his wife with Chris on the other side and he was holding her hand. He gave a imperceptible smile and figured Chris and Dotti were a couple now in the open.
Cayman saw his eyes stray to the side and glanced to where he looked. "Apollo, nothing gets by you. What do you know?"
"That Chris and Dotti came out of the closet." He looked at Chris as he answered.
Chris shook his head. "Your choice of words is unusual, but accurate. Alicia and Cayman are throwing us an engagement party."
"When's the wedding?"
"Saturday." Chris smiled at Dotti.
"Dotti, did Nathaniel tell you the truth about Chris?" Apollo looked as stern as possible.
"I'm sure I'll find out all Chris' deep dark secrets and he mine, but Nathaniel did tell me I'll be living in a grass hut."
Apollo's façade slipped and he smiled. "I wish I were home. Congratulations both of you. We'll get together when I'm back." He looked at Nathaniel and continued. "Nathaniel, we took the rest of their army out today."
"Heavy losses on our side?" Nathaniel knew he was speaking the question foremost on everyone's mind.
"I'm happy to report, zero. We used choppers."
"I'm back in uniform." Nathaniel's old Lieutenant, Armanian Guzman spoke up.
"You coming out to join my units?"
Guzman nodded. "I understand Donaldson's Lieutenant got killed yesterday or at least he was on the list and I got a call."
"You're my first choice to replace Crocker." Apollo was happy to hear he was getting his trusted Lieutenant back.
"How's Barry?" Cayman added her voice.
"Has his own personal nurse in the form of his wife, who hasn't left his side. I asked him if he wanted to come home and let you take care of him and he politely declined."
"Politely?" Nathaniel joshed.
"Well, he did use military jargon, something like…" Apollo paused as he scanned the room, too many women and children. "Let's just say he doesn't want to leave his bride." Apollo chatted with several people and didn't want to leave, but he was exhausted. He wanted just once to get Cayman alone, but tonight wasn't it so he said goodnight.
The winter continued to blast the western army as it journeyed south to join with other bases, continually growing in size until the unit was seventy thousand strong. Apollo was put in charge of operations as other Generals were either wounded, killed or reassigned. Carson took a bullet to his lung and was sent home to El Paso, while others among the General's, like Higgins went east to Cintrex to oversee the larger picture. And in the midst of fighting, Higgins showed up with a promotion and Apollo became a two star Major General.
He didn't make a deal over the promotion and was quite surprised when the Commanders commandeered one of the mess tents and threw a party in his honor a few days later. He looked around at the officers. "Who's minding the store?"
Bjenjou, who convinced him to come with him to mess, laughed. "That's what we have Sargent's for, and we have a surprise for you." The group parted and Cayman was sitting in a chair holding a baby and she was flanked by Nathaniel and Alicia, who had Trey in her arms. Darrell, Barry and Gail were also present. With the fighting and constant moving, he hadn't made more than half a dozen calls home, the last being two weeks ago. He figured he had a daughter by now, but being a General in charge of such a large army kept him swamped, even with a handful of staff he allocated to assist him; and the fighting intensified here in the Arizona desert. It was now early January 2142.
He had eyes only for his wife and with deliberate steps closed the gap. She looked more beautiful than he remembered and saw several miniplexes capturing the moment. He'd be sure and get a copy. Without a word, he took his daughter into his arms for the first time and pulled the blanket back to look into her face. He looked carefully while the crowd waited for his response.
He looked at Cayman. "And the father is?" His voice caused the baby to open her eyes and she had the brightest blue eyes. "Damn you, Taylor, this kid looks like you," Apollo roared and the officers burst out laughing and applauding.
Nathaniel laughed along with the rest. "You were dumb enough to let me pick the sperm, who'd you think she'd look like. I picked a perfect imitation of her mother." Once again Nathaniel was puffed up in pride. You'd think he was the father. "Can I pick them or what?"
Apollo looked down once again. Unlike his other two kids, this one didn't show any of him, but was her mother's daughter.
Cayman stood and went to greet her husband. "I wasn't sure you would accept her since she doesn't have your stamp of approval."
He pulled her in for a kiss to another round of applause and smiled down at her. "I just can't believe anything this beautiful has me in her."
"She may look like me, but she's going to act just like you, according to the two weeks we've had to get acquainted." They shared a smile and private moment in the crowded room.
Apollo looked around. "Move on, nothing to see here." The crowd went back to enjoying the evening while Apollo's family had a mini reunion. He handed his daughter back and scooped Trey up for a tight hug and kiss to the boys cheek. "Remember me?"
"Daddy." Trey's memory was returning.
"And don't you forget it." He showed no intention of swapping kids and asked for pictures of mom and baby.
"When was she born?" He was remembering to get statistics.
"On my birthday, the old Christmas holiday on the twenty fifth. You have to celebrate two birthdays on that day now." She leaned in for another kiss, which he gladly bestowed on her. Before they left, he was getting her alone for a proper hello.
He smiled his approval. "I like it, my girls have the same birthday."
"I have bad news on your other girl, the portal is operational and the only reason they haven't left is the war."
That dampened Apollo's mood and he looked to where Alicia was talking with friends. He had planned on spending the remaining time close to her and now felt cheated. A fresh wave of hatred for the enemy rolled over him. He was going to end this stupid war and fast, instead of waiting for Mexico to get off the fence and help. "What did you name her?"
Cayman was hesitant. "If you don't like it, we can have it changed, but we did have an agreement, you got to name the boys and me the girls."
"I remember." He leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Mind blowing sex to the loser and a name for the winner which equals a win for both sides. I am collecting before you leave." He saw a light blush on her cheeks and her eyes were glowing.
"Maybe I'll let you torture it out of me then." She ran her free hand up his chest and was satisfied with his responding kiss that promised much more before the night was over.
"You two need to get a room." Nathaniel broke them apart.
"You and Alicia watch the kids for half an hour and I'll take you up on it." Apollo wanted his wife and couldn't care less about the party in his honor and the three hundred officers mingling and drinking confiscated alcohol and eating what looked like real food.
Nathaniel took Trey, who protested at being ripped out of his father's arms.
"I'll be back, Trey." Apollo patted his back. "Mommy and I need to talk." He looked at Nathaniel. "We'll take the baby." He took his daughter in one arm and wife's hand in the other and they slipped out and hurried to his tent.
Natalie Miller saw them depart from her position near the door and was envious of the Commander who caught the eye of that man. She was there before her and should have had a shot, but he never gave her a second glance.
They wasted no time in making love, hard and frantically. The second round was slower and he examined her body where the scar still marred her otherwise perfect stomach.
"I'll have that removed in a couple months."
He settled on top of her gingerly so not to hurt her stomach. "Now, the name of our baby."
He kissed her neck and collarbone making it hard to concentrate, but she managed to remember what she named their daughter as his mouth did wonderful things to her. "Leave a mark for me to take home," she moaned.
"Funny name for a kid," but he complied and a nice hickey graced the junction of her neck and shoulder.
"I called her Holly Chrystal for her birthdate and blue eyes that resemble blue crystal."
He tested the name. "I like it. It's better than the ones we bandied about."
Holly started crying. "We better get back, her bag is in the mess tent." Cayman went to get up, but was held down for a moment longer.
"Normally, I'd have reamed you out for bringing my children to a war zone, but I miss you so much." He let up to check on their daughter.
As they dressed, she informed him, "Major Tate is on official duty, but I told him he could attend the party. Nathaniel refused to allow me to come until I said, 'Well bring your entire unit to protect me if it makes you feel better, but I'm going.' So he did. His unit is standing guard all around us and probably just outside the tent."
She was right, when they went back to the party, Apollo saw several of Taylor's unit in black armor with night vision and rifles, ready to take his family to safety should they get attacked.
This time he greeted Alicia, while holding his second daughter that he wouldn't relinquish to anyone, and was feeding her from the bottle Cayman handed him. "What do you think of her, Alicia?"
"I think you'll dance to her tune nicely."
"Like I did yours?" They shared a special smile.
"You are a great dad. I hope Holly and Trey never know what it's like to have a single parent."
"I'll do my best not to get killed." He looked around for his wife again. She was talking to her sons and daughter-in-law, so he took their little sister and joined them again, handing Alicia the bottle and telling her to come with him. He wasn't ready to let her go either. Many pictures were taken and he instructed all photos to be transferred to him.
Alex Tate responded, "Every time one is taken, it automatically shoots one to your plexpad, Sir."
"So, Major, what do you think of your impending departure to the past?"
"Mixed, Sir. I'm excited for the adventure, but hate leaving my family."
Apollo turned his attention to Nathaniel, who was at the edge of the group. "When were you going to tell me the portal was operational?"
"Truthfully, I wasn't. We're not leaving until the war either is won or takes a turn for the worse."
"How come our side hasn't cracked how those cloaking devices work and how to detect them?" Apollo knew the key to success was finding the armies and doing to them what they did in the Central Valley.
"We don't have the brightest minds working on it. Malcolm Wallace has been swamped with the portal after Lucas configured the phase variance and we are getting more visual signals from the probe."
"I'll go to Chicago myself and drag his sorry ass off the project if I have to. By tomorrow, I want to hear he's working on the cloaking system, got it, Commander." He was angry that the military didn't bring Dr. Wallace in the first day. "I'm losing people daily and outnumbered to the skies and you let him play with his stupid toy." Apollo was furious.
Cayman slipped between him and Nathaniel. "Not tonight, Apollo. We're here to celebrate, not fight."
He nodded to her and looked back to Nathaniel and spoke in a kinder tone. "Maybe I'll keep Alicia with me. Would that light a fire under you?"
"I don't think Philbrick would like his high priced Lieutenant put in danger on this side of the portal. She's been carefully groomed to take over for me," Nathaniel reminded him. "I will get Malcolm tomorrow even if I have to go to Chicago." The men seized each other up and with a nod between them, it was over and Apollo went back to enjoying his family. Trey wanted to be held again so he swapped kids out, with Gail latching onto the baby. "You ought to have one yourself." Apollo smiled at her.
"In time, but not now. I'll just play with yours for a couple years."
The choppers were loaded with Taylor's unit and ready to lift off. The party ended about midnight with a speech from Apollo, where he reminded them they had to get up at the crack of dawn and weren't as young as most in the service. With a kiss to his new daughter, he handed her carefully to Alicia and pulled his wife in his arms for a long kiss, much like the one they shared so many months before on the tarmac that early morning when he went to South America. He watched them lift off and didn't move until they were out of sight. Darrell was standing beside him, but the other two got permission to spend the night together and left to make the most of it.
"I thought your mom was going to ask Barry to drop his pants so she could see his scar." Apollo turned to head to his tent.
Darrell laughed, "She did grill him like she was his Commander and he was AWAL. Glad it wasn't me that took the bullet."
"No matter how old you kids get, you're still just our kids."
"Did you assign me to you because Mom wanted you to?" Darrell wanted to ask for a long time.
"No, I did it for me," he answered and said no more.
That left Darrell wondering what he meant. "Everyone got a kick out of you reading to Trey."
Trey held a plexpad up to his father and asked, "Read to me?"
Apollo sat down where he was talking to the family and put his son on his lap. "Pick what you want."
Trey chose a story from the pictures and while the family gathered around and Alex recorded the event, Apollo read the story in his deep tone while Trey looked at the moving pictures that followed the words. When he looked up at the end of the story, the entire room was silent and watching. They all clapped and he gave Trey a hug and kiss before setting him down.
"I have enough footage from tonight to keep me entertained, hopefully to the end of the war. So were you informed about this surprise party?"
"My job was to keep you away from the mess tent until Mom and family were inside. They couldn't arrive until after dark and Nathaniel brought them in on silent blackout. I changed places with Commander Bjenjou when he entered your tent and I left. That was the signal all went according to plan. My part was to keep you occupied with inane questions, which I'm good at." Darrel threw him a grin.
"I like your deviousness." He bid him goodnight and went to his tent alone after stopping by the latrines to relieve himself and brush his teeth. To his surprise, Natalie Miller was sitting at the table with a soft light off to one side. "What do you want, Commander?" He was tired and wanted to lie down….alone.
"I have a question," she pressed on before he could stop her. "For many years I've shown interest in you." She held a hand up. "I'm not coming on to you. What I want to know is why you weren't interested in me and what was so different about Cayman?"
He looked at her like she had two heads. "It's after midnight and you want to know that, now?"
"If you answer, I'll leave you alone."
That was an offer he couldn't refuse. "Okay." He took the seat opposite her. "You were a good soldier and officer, but you had a reputation as an aggressive person who'd do anything including using your body for advancement. I check out every candidate carefully and if I happen to find something I could blackmail you with later on…well, you probably shouldn't have done it. When I vetted Cayman for the program, I found nothing. I find something on everyone, whether it be a vicious temper like Taylor has when pushed too far, or the bevy of women like you with sexual sins in your closet. I found nothing with Cayman. Like I said, that intrigued me more than anything I'd run across in years and I wanted to know what she was hiding that I missed. When she won the contest and I did the prep work, I asked her out. She was authentic and I fell for her. No woman with a sordid past interests me and you fall into that category. There's not a man above the rank of Lieutenant you haven't tried to bed, including Philbrick."
"I didn't realize you knew all that about me." She was subdued and contrite, coming to realize her actions had adverse effects on some men.
"Most of what I learned came from the boys club. Men like to score and talk and men like to talk more about the women that offered and they said no to. Now I'm not signaling you out, just women with a past didn't interest me. I find that their past usually comes back to haunt them."
"So it wasn't my body or looks that repulsed you?" She was used to men pursuing her because of her looks.
"No, you're a fine looking women. It's the entire package. Cayman was a widow who hadn't had a man between her first husband and me. I wanted a woman like that. The fact that she looks like a super model is a bonus, but I'd have pursued her if she was a plain looking woman due to her fidelity. I know she's not going to cheat on me and hope my actions tell her the same."
Natalie was silent for a moment. "Thank you for telling me. I always wondered why you pushed me away." She stood and left without another word. He watched her go and felt bad that he had to do that to her.
He was awakened just before dawn at the persistent buzzing of his comm. "Washington," came his groggy greeting.
"This is Lieutenant Wilson, Sir. I hate to wake you, but I just got in from last night and Commander Miller has committed suicide."
