** Hours earlier **
It was a beautiful day in a small well to do neighborhood. Lawns and planting areas were well uniformly trimmed and manicured, birds were chirping, home owners were walking their dogs.
All was serene and bucolic until Kendra dove through a window at the side of the house shattering it doing a shoulder roll on the lawn and like a cat was back on her feet sprinting for cover.
A large wolf was quick to follow behind her barking but gracefully sprinting and out pacing Kendra as soon as his feet touched the ground. He was in clad in thin navy body armor with the patch that read "Police". He had a large pack his vest which had a red cross. He also carried some magazines in his pockets to reloaded Kendra's weapons if need be.
Then as if scripted, a heartbeat later 2 SWAT members of the 88th in full gear just like Kendra rushed out the front door feverishly, and leapt from the raised porch to the lawn below skipping all the steps. One landed on the ground flat like a sack of potatoes covering and protecting his head, the other stumbling slightly upon landing, took several steps but dove over some hedges taking cover.
And finally from the back door, the remaining 3 SWAT flooded out with the rear member doing his best to run backwards firmly holding his transparent riot shield towards the house. He was dutifully covering the 2 behind him.
"WAIT for meeeeeeeeeeee!" A crazed man ran out the back door trying to cover at least as much distance as the SWAT team.
Kendra had just slid across the hood of her truck to take cover holding Dyson to her tightly behind the engine block.
Another man ran out the front door but only made to the porch in mid sprint when all of a sudden a large explosion rocked the house as flames broke and shattered all the remaining windows. The flames and debris lashed out like a beast catapulting both men last to leave high into the air and landing onto the lawn with a dull thud like rag dolls.
The Swat member with the shield was also thrown back several feet as well but he was far enough away in addition to his shield taking the brunt of the shockwave.
There the 88th just kept covered just in case for several more seconds as larger debris tossed high into the air came back down to earth, then all was quiet, eerily so.
Kendra was first to bring up her MP5 moving out from behind the truck and shouted, "SitRep!"
It didn't take long for everyone to report in ok. There were 4 men in the house, only 2 escaped and from the looks of it only one was moving and that was the one in the back.
Gilbert Barrett, the SWAT member came out from behind the bush and checked the man hurled next to him compliments of the blast while his partner Paul Grin dusted himself off.
Kendra looked expectantly at Gilbert and he just shook his head ever is slightly after feeling for a pulse.
He was dead.
Ricardo, the one with the riot shield, cuffed the man eating dirt who ran out the back and mentioned, "Dude, you're lucky to be alive unlike your friend there."
"Chinga Tu Madre!" the cuffed man grunted out to the ground.
"Calliete Puto," Ricardo smacked the back of his head then approached Kendra who was surveying the situation. He was of average height, dark hair, deep set brown eyes, tan, but built.
"Get the EMT's here then tape off this area," Kendra issued an order to Gilbert and his partner Paul.
"Yes Ma'am," both replied officially and immediately got to work.
The house at least wasn't on fire but the explosion made it unsafe to re-enter the house to pull out survivors, not there was any with the magnitude of that blast or collect evidence but added turning to and addressing Ricardo, "Get the Local ambulance and fire department too."
"Yes Ma'am," He replied fulfilling the request via his radio then surveyed the site along with Kendra saying with a broad smile creeping across his face, "I didn't believe my cousin's stories about you but now, I think she's was right all along. This crap is off the hook and ….. if you don't mind me saying … shit, the way you took out that guy who got the drop on us? GANGSTER! So staying awhile with us?"
Kendra lowered her mp5 steadily with the gravity of the situation that just sunk in. The Captain just shook her head a little numb mumbling to herself slowly ignoring Ricardo, "Mia is going to kill me." She didn't want to kill anyone, but it seemed that it was inevitable whenever she was on a raid.
Dyson sneezed which was his form a laughing since Ricardo seemed to be enjoying himself, that and the wolf thought this was quite comical. Kendra had just returned from a hike that AM to lead a raid since they were short on SWAT leaders from the 69th but the very first day Kendra managed to blow up an entire house. It wasn't on purpose, but still, if the perps didn't try to cover up and brawl with him, this would not have happened since one of them accidentally tipped over a beaker of flammable liquid while also knocking over an active Bunsen burner in the process. The fire that ensued quickly spread in an uncontrolled manner and it was Kendra that told everyone to fall back since she knew what could happen in a meth lab fire.
Dyson? He followed suite a second or so later since he was still 'taking a bite out of crime' throwing a bat wielding perp into the fire. That guy set the fire, albeit accidentally, he owned it.
Ricardo replied, "Commander Tate will understand." But he then tacked on excitedly like he was at an amusement park rubbing his hand together, "So which door do we bust down NEXT Captain?"
Kendra turned to Ricardo in an almost glare to get him to shut up and fall in line but forced a tight smile. This was NOT her team and needed to play a little nicer, "That was it for today Sergeant Vasquez. Don't you think so? The 88th is a pretty clean district."
Ricardo knew to back off and nodded, "Oh course ma'am."
Kendra then asked out of curiosity cocking her head to the side, "You have a cousin in law enforcement that knows me?"
"Yes. Clarissa Torrez, or Chica," Ricardo replied proudly.
Kendra then smiled genuinely finally recognizing him, "Oh you're that kid in that extended family photo on her desk dressed up as a cop for Halloween."
"Yea, but that picture was 15 plus years ago," Ricardo chuckled.
The Captain finally lightened up with Dyson rubbing himself against her to be pet, "You know she just finished leading the 86th in busting down a couple doors as you put it, before our op started."
"Yea she texted me that it was uneventful," Ricardo shrugged but added with a hint of disappointment, "which I guess is good. Right?"
Kendra nodded and was about to walk away when Ricardo said, "You know Gilbert is a major fan of yours even before those calendars. Paul too."
The Captain just shrugged it off darting a glance at them like it was nothing but looked puzzled, "Doesn't seem that way." They were both extremely professional to her which she did appreciate but it was odd she didn't detect that.
"Welllllll," Ricardo looked away like he was making an internal decision to tell her.
"JUST say it. I don't bite," Kendra coaxed swaying her shoulders lightly with a smile that would rival that of Bo's.
"They both want to keep their jobs," Ricardo put forth being blunt.
Kendra cocked her head to the side trying to figure out why he thought that but Ricardo clarified.
"We heard rumors that you almost fired everyone at the 39th when they wanted Mia's … I mean Commander Tate's autograph or even to say hi to her. You are misread outside of your….. friends at the 69th," Ricardo stammered putting a nicer ring to it.
"You mean feared outside my click," Kendra acknowledged solemnly with a single nod. "And what does Chica say about me and do you believe her?" Kendra quizzed but held a relaxed pose.
"She tells me all about how ruthless you are to your enemies but for good reason. She also tells me how hard you push everyone at the 69th, but you don't push them harder that you are willing to be pushed yourself."
"And today?" Kendra requested wondering if he noted any change in her even though they just met that day.
Ricardo thought about it for a moment glancing towards the ground and then slowly replied a little unsure if he should be telling someone he just met this, "You had a chance to cap that a-hole that surprised us but you did a crescent kick, disarmed and cuffed him. That isn't what I expected."
Kendra exhaled sharply shaking her head in disagreement pointing out, "That explosion took his life just the same. It was as if it was by my hand."
The Captain however finally figured out what he really meant. When she felt the perps were guilty, she shot first and asked questions later. She also rode her team hard and took some of the fun out of their work. They, the 69th were her family though and she was like a mother to them. What bothered her however was how messed up her image was. She was portrayed as a little unapproachable and abrasive while Mia was portrayed as being softer but still had skills and leadership qualities. No wonder the 69th let her in with Mike or Hump Day stepping aside with little resistance. It was the right move in any case.
Dyson knew Kendra had changed radically while they were on their long hike. That blood thirsty killer in Kendra finally went to rest and hopefully for good.
Kendra refocused to the task at hand and announced to all, "OK look sharp and I need crowd control!" She then called Paul and Gilbert by their nick names since they were always paired together, "Grinn and Barrett! If you have 'paper work' for me to sign, give it to me later." Knowing them, they probably had her calendar somewhere at the office if not in their interceptor.
Ricardo observed and smirked when the two fist bumped one another.
In the end Ricardo was right, Kendra mused, she DID actually have a small pocket of rabid followers pre calendar shoot. While she was packing up her items at the 88th precinct, she signed their copy of a file photo of her achieving the rank of Captain. She thanked them for their service and was relieved that it wasn't a picture of her in skimpy workout gear. It was nice to know they appreciated her service record and not her looks. Now she was on her way to report into Mia.
Tamsin slowly made her was up the fire road to Lauren's place in her truck and as normal, she got half way up before Lauren's security greeted her.
Naomi, who now seemed to be the team lead onsite, quickly waved her through.
She just wanted to take a quick nap after her last op but Arin insisted she stop by since she was passing through. Her op was in a human district but even though it was uneventful, she had 3 of them back to back.
Tamsin just got out of her truck with when Arin sprinted to her and then jumped on her into a tight hug, "SISTER!"
It's been a while since they last saw one another and hugged her tightly back. "Hey Arin. You've grown," Tamsin noted playfully messing up her hair. She was a teenager and in a little more time she'd be fully grown and look just like her.
They parted and Arin gave Tamsin the standard Valkyrie greeting, grabbed her hand and pulled in into Lauren's mansion.
"What's the rush sis? All I need now is a cat nap due to the boredom of doing raids," Tamsin mentioned sarcastically scrunching her face. "Emmm where are we going?" Tamsin requested since it seemed like it was to Lauren's lab.
Upon entering, Arin lead Tamsin to sit at an exam table and just said seriously, "Listen to Lauren ok? We've been working on something for you when the Sea of Fae happens. OK?"
"Whatever," Tamsin huffed out a laugh rolling her eyes. She hated exams and hospitals.
"Please?" Arin pouted with puppy dog eyes.
Tamsin was impressed; she learned to prefect that move from her mom and just replied in defeat, "Fiiiine. Make it quick. I have to report into Mia and TODAY would be great."
Lauren parted the curtains greeted with a wave, "Hey Tams …. Sister"
Tamsin decided to be patient since Lauren after was her honorary sister and was doing her best to keep her alive. As such, she replied tilting her head with an aloof smirk, "What's up doc?"
Lauren just got to the point, "As you know, we have been making boosters for humans who perish in the Sea of Fae first and foremost as well as transitioned to a faster acting agent going from a pill to liquid form. Also we've also increased its safety margins by ….. considerably in addition to making its effect last longer."
"Great so what does this have to do with me? I already have been inoculated against any mind control powers and I AM the most powerful Valkyrie out there," Tamsin scrunched her face.
Arin just bluntly said, "But you are still human at the core."
"Whatev….. " Tamsin bit her lip trying not to be rude and asked, "Emmmm. What are you suggesting?"
Lauren cleared her throat and handed the Missing Valkyrie a pouch which could be mounted on her shoulder. It had stitching on it that read, 'TJ'. "After the plethora of blood test I have done on you, we made these custom boosters for you with considerable help from Arin."
Tamsin was about to hand it back to her when Arin pleaded closing Tamsin hand around it with her own, "Please sister. Just hold onto it, ok?"
Tamsin didn't know how to take this. Arin was purposefully shoving the frailness of her humanity in her face but was also protecting her in her own way. If one had a date with death, it was a date one could not move.
Arin saw Tamsin resist and pouted more now hopping up and down impatiently then added, "Just for 2 weeks? Please?"
Lauren just smiled and hugged Tamsin but whispered into her ear, "Arin's been almost solely working day and night on this for you in addition to helping me with the development of the boosters for everyone else. She is worried and this would make her feel much better if you carried it just for a short time."
Tamsin considered this and knew if she didn't, Arin would carry the guilt for the rest of her life times when she saw death again. As such, Tamsin smiled and pocketed it and mentioned, "Thanks Sis. So how many do I take?"
Arin was excited and blurted out, "One at a time. One will give you a power and luck boost within safe mortality limits, the other will boost your powers even more, but like everyone else, can kill you. Take both in do or die situations. But ….. it should be safe."
Tamsin tilted her head and asked, "How do you know?"
"Well not only does Lauren have your blood which I could test adverse reactions against, my genetic make up is essentially yours too," Arin responded in kind.
Tamsin lifted a brow and clarified in plain English almost incredulous, "You mean you TESTED it on yourself?"
"Yea," Arin shrugged like it wasn't a big thing.
Lauren cut in and defended, "She was under my CLOSE medical supervision the whole time."
Tamsin thought it best to let it go and replied with a click to Arin scrunching her face scooting off the bed, "Way to go sis. Thanks. I've gotta go though. Mia's expecting me."
Lauren was cleaning up the cart a little and said, "As do we within the hour." She then turned to Arin and said, "Are you all packed?"
"I gotta change, got a little dirty from helping Naomi and team load the SUV," Arin mentioned scrunching her face with a shrug.
"You know Naomi by herself is more than capable to load our tucks as an Ogre," Lauren clarified turned to her.
Arin just huffed out a laugh, "Yea, but it's rare I get to touch high tech portable light miniguns that can fire a WALL of projectiles at 3000 rounds a minute. Sooooo cool."
"YOU have MINIGUNS? Plan to take down an aircraft much?" Tamsin questioned raising a brow and a click. For a machine gun of this type to fire this quickly, it had to have barrels that automatically rotated to disperse the heat efficiently. Similar to a Gatling gun, but much much faster. Arin was right though, it was cool.
Lauren clarified clearing her throat, "Four… four Light rotary machine guns to be exact. Mia was able to pull some strings and have me t … test these units for a time. These units have…."
Arin ran up excitedly to Tamsin and bobbed up and down and explained, "They have night, heat, IR tracking, friend foe identification, can target accurately for up to a mile with predictive analysis. Remote control ability like a drone….. sooo much AWESOME stuff and…." Arin pouted and settled down, "And I couldn't test drive it."
It was then Naomi parted then curtains, and reported, "Hey. We're loaded and ready to go."
Lauren looked over to Naomi and nodded, "Thanks." She then turned to Arin after Naomi quickly departed, "OK get changed, we need to go and meet Mia soon."
Tamsin did have burning questions though shooing Arin away. Arin scampered off and now that they were alone, Tamsin queried knowing she didn't have the full picture, "SISTER. Why did Mia need you to be in possession these weapons exactly?"
Lauren chuckled nervously darting her glance away and confessed in a morose drawn out tone, "I didn't want this Tamsin."
"WHAT do you mean?" Tamsin put forth sternly. SOMETHING was wrong.
"I …. It directly conflicts with my ethics and more importantly Asimov's laws of Robotics," Lauren snapped her steely gaze back at the Valkyrie. "I…. don't want to get into it Tamsin…. Sister. For you it's nothing, but for me… For me…. I don't want others to look back at my legacy and look at me like they do Richard Oppenheimer."
'OK This was bad,' Tamsin mused and was about ask Arin over the link but Lauren continued.
"I am ….. for once ashamed, so much so I haven't even told anyone else including Arin at what I created but Mia reassures me that it will be a last ditch item," Lauren look down in defeat leaning on the wall to lament while talking to the tile floor.
"That bad huh? Well you said it yourself, it's nothing to me, so come on. You can tell me," Tamsin got up and held Lauren loosely.
Lauren put her hands on Tamsin's shoulders gently requesting never making eye contact, "Never tell Arin if and when you find out. I'm sorry, I need to talk to Mia about this before I can tell you. Not that I don't trust you, but she needs to hear what I have to say before I make my final decision. Please respect this sister. S… s… See you at the firing range."
It was then for the first time Lauren slinked away from her sister and left the room leaving the Valkyrie alone.
It was a somber mood, and at that moment Tamsin knew what modifications and upgrades Mia had Lauren perform on those miniguns. Lauren had the right to question herself since she lived by much higher standards. The ends didn't justify the means, but did it even matter? If the Sea of Fae happened today, fate already rolled that dice for them.
They ALL died there with the exception of Bo and Arin. Maybe somehow, this allowed them to escape, but not likely by itself. Arin and Bo needed a miracle of sorts to escape, but if fate was the one that killed them, at least fate was kind enough to allow Bo and Arin to live.
Now it was off to see Mia at the firing range to report in but more importantly get a strong drink. Besides, she could take a nap later. Bo was just about to start her Op who would meet her later.
Did Tamsin worry about Bo? Yes, but Bo and her agreed to not live in fear of death or fate for that matter. Not only that, Tamsin would know if Bo was in trouble via the link and this raid she was taking looked easy. Besides, she had Kenzi with her. She'd talk anyone to death without the need to fire a single shot.
Was death close Tamsin mused while driving away? YES. Arin, in the premonitions was about this age when the Sea of Fae occurred. ABOUT. She could be stuck at this stage for a couple months.
Sigun buried herself behind ancient books in the Grand Library. She'd steel an hour of so every day to do so ever since Thor asked her to be his queen.
She riffled quickly through a thick black leather bound book as if searching for something. Once found she immersed herself so deeply into the texts she forgot about the world around her.
Sigun was inside a locked section of the library only reserved for gods. Freya was kind enough to allow her passage but otherwise no one, not even Thor, knew she was there. Besides, if she was to be Thor's queen, she needed at the very least knowledge to make wise decisions.
That however was only a secondary objective. The more and more she reviewed both historical and books which foretold the future, something kept bothering her.
She had unprecedented access to canon and non-canon books, many of which weren't even known to exist.
One thing was for sure, HISTORY foretold that Bo would take Tamsin as her queen, just not directly. Reading more, Bo would take Odin's place after a great battle.
From what she read, Odin, 'left and became a legend' in that or sooner after that battle but how could that be? Was he killed? IMPOSSIBLE. Left to another plane? Maybe.
It got weirder, Freya yielded to Bo even with several orders loyal to her without a fight. She had more orders as she should. Or did she?
Bo would automatically have Odin's more skilled orders 1 through 5. Freya had 6 through 15. TAMSIN, the Missing, however would take from Freya's, how many was the question. It apparently wasn't all of them.
Then some of the books went on about Arin. More precisely it said that the "mirror sister of the missing found solace in the arms of remarkable human healer of her kind and Fae kind. She was also a fierce warrior but more importantly a keeper of the peace."
Doctor Lauren Lewis. Again this was known. She was not a fighter YET, more like she was a fighter in training from what Arin said. She was a doctor AND managed to up hold the Armistice between the Vampires, Aswangs and Dire Wolves.
Now came Thor, her bonded mate.
THOR.
By all accounts, he married 'a tall beautiful queen by blood with blueish skin, pure of heart. Adored by all her people but was never destined to rule, now or ever.'
TIFFANY of the Frost Giants.
WTF.
Sigun then sneered and slammed the book she was reading shut. Apparently, THIS book claimed that Thor had a son in addition.
Valkyries couldn't have children UNLESS it was with Bo a succubus, but even that was a miracle. Tiffany though, although a different species, just might.
She left the library pissed off that she felt like Odin's pawn. He probably KNEW that Thor would marry Tiffany because he could see the future. THAT is why he worked so hard to set them up.
WHY the heck did he allow her to be with him if they were never meant to be?
She marched straight into a garden where Freya was assisting on planting a tree. This was uncommon since even Freya, a queen, was doing 'grunt work' too.
It was all for the betterment and stability of Valhalla.
Freya observed her closest confidant strode purposefully to her and knew behind that smile and poker face, was someone that was just about to vent.
Freya was quick to dismiss her guards who were helping her and just asked her getting down to business without waiting for a salute, "Help me fill the dirt in while I hold it straight."
Sigun did just that and patted the mound of dirt into place. Working with the land calmed her.
After several minutes of just small talk, the flustered Valkyrie finally just mentioned, "Things are so much simpler when it has to deal with the land. Now that we know what is wrong."
Freya just chuckled, "Yes, but what Kara is asking requires everyone to have a green thumb. Not even Odin, controller of the elements can force Mother Valhalla's hand. Oddly enough Kara has even exceeded my planting skills. She is well on her way to being a master gardener."
Sigun just continued to do work helping Freya drag the next sapling into place, "She serves the mother of us all, Valhalla. She stopped carrying around a sword or any weapon and now just wears functional earthly gear when she is planting. She looks like a farmer to be blunt."
"True. It is better than being in the more constricting robes," Freya relayed dusting off her now dirt covered the lower half of her more formal robe.
Sigun didn't mind the dirt but it brought her back to Thor. He loved it when she got dirty because even before they were an official item, she'd bathe with him to clean up. Granted nothing happened especially when other Valkyries were around, but she was the only one allow to touch him.
"I….. I …. I feel like a pawn, my goddess. I've been reading history and prophecy, and there is no record of me but there are several where Thor marries Tiffany and they have a son together," Sigun finally exhaled flummoxed.
"I never knew our books to be that specific, but I guess in a roundabout way, if you interpret it right, you can," Freya then motioned Sigun to sit on the grass with her. "BEFORE we address that. What have you learned, aside from history? What insights did you glean?"
Sigun paused and then noted, "To uphold that which is just, ….. it is every person's duty to protect it. Those that fail to do so will lead us all to our demise."
"Good," Freya patted her hand. She was always a good study.
The Valkyrie then added, "But I knew that already, the books that I studied just further re-enforced it."
"I know. I told you that you won't find anything tenants that you didn't already know. You just received more history behind it," Freya said and changed tact. "Sigun…."
Freya paused to find the right way to lead Sigun to the conclusion she believed was correct. She was never one to force her train of thought on Sigun since she was her right hand woman all these lifetimes.
"Yes, my goddess?"
"You don't need to call me that, you are with a god now, Thor, but thank you… So you are sure none of the books foretelling the future were about you?"
"I'm quite sure. Bo, Arin, heck even Kara is in there….."
"And all our books list everyone by their name?" Freya questioned almost rhetorically.
"Ummmm… Ummm not many. Most of the time it describes them in term of their attributes or what they did."
"Then is it safe to say that you DON'T know which part you play in our history."
"I…. I guess," Sigun shrugged peering down talking to the grass.
"For all you know you DO play a role, an important one, but you just don't see it yet," Freya side hugged her to comfort her.
"How…. How do you know I am destined for greatness, my god….. Freya," Sigun finally sputtered looking towards her but not making eye contact.
"BECAUSE, I have a feeling you will. The same feeling I got when I knew you'd turn down your promotion to Odin's orders because of your ethics."
"Thanks but it was due to Thor," she hated to admit.
Freya shooed that thought away, "Non-sense. You could have done plenty of other things to distance yourself form him if you wanted."
There was silence that needed to be filled but both knew that it was necessary.
Freya mused that this topic dealing Thor and his love for her was taboo but that is what Sigun came to talk to her about.
Sigun was trying to frame the problem correctly about her love for Thor. The only person she was blunt to about her feelings concerning Thor was Tamsin, the missing and Bo. Finally she carefully said, "I've been waiting all my life times for something to happen. And against all odds it did. It was …. Was more than I ever dreamed….."
Silence again but Freya filled it in to help her along, "But you believe that prophesy has another path for you?"
"Yes, I'd NEVER give up what I have … for ANYTHING. Am I being too self-centered? What I have now, I want MORE and so does… he. I want to give it my all and have the bond to form as a result but I can't do it in good conscience."
Freya got it, and clarified, "Due to what you believe fate has in store for you."
"Y.. yes. Why do it if we are to be apart in the end?"
Freya then responded solemnly, "because it is worth it, even for a single moment."
Sigun looked at Freya confused. How did she know about true love?
Freya added, "When I became your queen from just a sister, I loved all of you. And you are all my children. Nothing has given me more joy than that. To think of achieving something more, I believed is worth it."
"But the bond, it will hurt me if … if…." Sigun just couldn't say it. Thor would never cheat on her. For some reason, even with his past, she still truly believed that he wouldn't. He'd do it to any other woman for not her.
NEVER.
But then of course was she just being naïve? His past said it all.
Freya could observe Sigun's swirl of confusion she was experiencing and brought her in close and reassured, "Rest assured Thor is yours, faithfully I might add. It isn't an act either Sigun. Thor would give you Valhalla and all its Kingdoms if he could."
Sigun got up and turn away, she was about to vent but just replied shakily, "Then WHY did he break up with me."
Frays got up and stood behind her and queried, "And all your readings prophesized that he broke up with you?"
THAT was all it took to make her snap.
Sigun like a cat swirled around and yelled at the top of her lungs in her former goddess' face, "YES! He freaking DUMPED me for some stupid blue coohie! Frack Tiffany! I should have struck her down when we first met. THAT BITCH!"
Freya tried her best to keep a straight face. Never had she seen Sigun so exasperated. She was always in control of her emotional state. She was obviously possessive of Thor and she had every right to be. She found it best to just listen as a friend would. That is what she needed now.
Sigun wasn't done, "I WANT to believe him and my heart DOES TOO! But then I read this shit! He didn't just mess around with her a little, he had a son! So where does that leave me!"
Sigun paced, far from over and spewed, "In fucking agony! A fucking IDIOT to fall for his wiles! Yea he got it all all right! The kid, the perfect family and a .. a FUCKING notch in his belt for toppling over the one Valkyrie what would NEVER fall for him. SHHHIIIIIT!"
She drew her battle ax adroitly from her back slamming into the ground. A deafening clang pieced the air when it split a large rock in half and she kept going.
"I want to freaking call if all off now with him, but I can't! I can do it when I am in his arms!... I'm in lo ….. GODS! Arrrrrrrrg! I can't do this! I'm head over heels for him!"
Freya noted that Sigun was bordering on using her Valkyrie war cry and finally asked again more focrefully, "DID your reading explicitly reference that he broke with you?!"
Sigun just yelled back throwing her arms in the air, "What ELSE could it be. God I wanna kick Thor again between the legs so hard he won't procreate, but ….. AHHHHHHHHHHHH! I'm so fucking under his spell but I HATE being used."
Freya knew Sigun didn't mean to use her powers, but she was. She was so pissed that she just used the Valkyrie War cry AND shadows were appearing on her face. She had a look of pure hatred for being an expendable pawn.
Freya needed to correct this as her guards sprinted back in. She signaled them to stay back and then asked again, "THINK Sigun. THINK. You just told me the book said that there was no proof that he broke up with you. Is that correct?"
That look of being admonished with a glace did set her back a little but she sneered then replied, "No. I could have broken up with him for having his hammer in that blue prude!"
Freya finally held her hands and said, "Sigun? Breathe. Can you tell me what you meant by Thor having it all?"
Sigun took several breaths but finally said more collected, "He was happy, so the books say. A wife by his side and a son."
"And why is this chronicled in our text and why is that important?" Freya pushed knowing the answer.
"It led to armistice between the Frost Giants and Asgard therefore Valhalla," Sigun clarified. "But…."
Freya cut in and said, "What did Odin tell Thor when he blessed your union?"
"That.. that Thor had a challenge in uniting the kingdoms since I wasn't royalty. So who cares?" Sigun shrugged. "Peace can still be achieved."
"HOW?"
"Just keep an eye on the Frost Giants like we always do."
Freya then challenged, "But that will still keep us at war or pre-war states. Why is Tamsin's daughter important to us all?"
Sigun paused but relayed what she heard, "Her daughter will be part Valkyrie and part god. It will unite the rift between Valkyries and the gods they serve. We will all be equals."
Freya led her with another question, "And what would Thor's son be according to that logic?"
'SHIT, mother of gods!' Sigun thought. She never considered that in her perturbed state. If Thor had a child with Tiffany, a lasting peace would surely ensue since that child with be descendent of a god in Asgard and a goddess of the Frost Giants. This would very well unite the kingdom of Asgard and the Frost Giants for all eternity. Bo would be a good leader if she took the throne, but THIS was a sure fire way to keep everyone together.
Sigun finally stammered, "I… I don't know what to say."
"Could it be that you led him to Tiffany without making her the scape goat?"
Sign pulled her hands away and turned around to say obstinately in a stamp, "NEVER! Thor is mine and mine alone!"
"Yet you are bound to the old code which puts the good of Valhalla, Asgard and all its inhabitants fist. It goes beyond the both of you. Also you are supposed to guide Thor in it too when he strays. He strays often but doesn't seem to stray when he is with you."
Sigun now saw the trap, the catch 22, then slowly turned to the goddess and professed defeated, "Kara was right about love. I have yet to experience its full burden. I…. I'm late to see him."
With that, she genuflected out of respect, retrieved her battle ax, and then strode quickly away. She had no idea what to do now about Thor, Tiffany or even herself.
Alex and Drake just finished investigating a B&E (breaking and entering) in Fae jurisdiction. Drake was able to read who did it, and Alex was good at catching the suspects using her tree elder powers.
Drake knew the saying that one can't out run the long arm of the law and in Alex's case it could be taken quite literally. She was getting stronger by the day especially with Dimitri, another tree elder and Kenzi's friend, helping her out on that side to harness it.
Speaking of, Drake really did think that Dimitri and Kenzi were an unofficial couple of sorts. They looked like it at least.
By now, Drake could have read all of his wife but chose to learn her the old fashioned way, through their close relationship even though Alex mentioned several times that she didn't mind.
As a team at work and a team at home, they were in perfect sync now.
One thing that Alex could not shake was the guilt that somehow she wasn't there for Kendra. She knew something big was coming, but there was only so much she could do. Kendra and Mia were gone most of the time. Kendra was out with Dyson just returning today and Mia did her best to guide them otherwise, but now that Mia was an acting commander her appearances were brief at the 39th.
Alex took comfort that her and Mia finally got into a rhythm and a sort of equilibrium as it dealt with Drake. The three of them managed to get along fine after all on a professional level and Mia did her very best to stay out of their relationship which was expected. Even though it was no longer needed as Alex expressed, Mia still delivered on her promise when she could without going out of her way to do so.
Although Alex wasn't into women, she had to say, that Mia was looking more buff and the lightning bolt instead of a triangle was creative. Mia saw her notice this and went into a little detail which made her blush but surmised that if both Kendra and Mia had the same thing, they must really love each other since it was in such an intimate place. What about Dyson and Kendra? They were life mates after all and still seemed to be as such.
Alex didn't quite know how to categorize them but had faith that Kendra, no matter how flawed she admitted she was, would find the right solution.
Drake never knew though about the lightning bolt when Alex was in bed with him.
Why?
Drake stopped reading her all together and it included in bed, Alex mused, because he wanted ONLY her without imaging someone else, so that when he was one with her, it was pure.
Finally Mia told her that she needed to step up to the leadership role if both Kendra and her were somehow unable to lead for the 39th. Mia of course knew that Alex was a mirror image of Kendra and therefore was a good choice but just in case, Drake was there to support her. Alex had doubts about leading in their absence but she was resigned to cross that bridge when she got to it.
Alex was pleasantly pleased that Drake supported her in a backup leadership position. He bared no hard feels, nor was there any resentment. He was more of a man than she ever gave him credit for. He was the logical choice after all, Alex mused. He had more combat experience and already led a team but he was so burnt out from his last tour. As such, he took the role as leader reluctantly for Lauren's team but did it well never the less. Alex LOVED Drake for being so supportive of her no matter what.
Kendra already taught her a thing or 2 about life and leadership when they first met several years ago and it was a lesson she never forgot which propelled her to where she was now.
Alex poignantly recalled that Kendra yelled at her with zeal during the interview for being weak. She did it in a nice way but Kendra expected the world of her even though she was only in high school at the time.
What was the lesson?
It was fine and dandy to admire someone for their accomplishments, but if you truly wanted to honor them, EXCEED them. Walk their path and if needed forge a new one. She also learned that being a Hero at times wasn't a choice. She sensed it during the interview, more so now, seeing as how exasperated she was tracking what she said was probably a doppelganger back then.
Was she right? Yes.
Did she like her job? No, she didn't seem too but she still did it was every bit of energy and passion she did have.
Was she forced into that role? Yes and fate fracking sucked.
Bo kept proclaiming how she made her own destiny, but FATE seemed to be pulling all the strings. Alex then recounted that several people in the happy sun shine gang had the same MO. Who else was a reluctant hero besides Kendra who fought to have humans on the same level as Fae?
Bo, the unwilling Goddess of the New Order. The last thing Bo wanted was to be a queen with subjects to rule over.
Tamsin, the unwilling Missing Valkyrie and voice for all Valkyries. She heard that Tamsin was pivotal in killing Gordread out of a whim and also to show that she could do whatever she pleases. Rules were meant to be broken was her mantra. She was free if anything else. The glaring paradox was that by doing that, it put her in a box where she HAD to be, out of all things, a living martyr. She was now bound in deed to serve not only Bo but her own kind. All of them.
Mia, the Acting Commander moving heaven and earth to stop fate. She was fighting for Kendra and Dyson too and it acted against her own best interest. Everyone that knew Kendra and Mia were in a relationship saw how Mia automatically, almost unconsciously, backed away when Dyson and Kendra needed time together. She was oddly fighting for love and rooting for Dyson and Kendra at the same time. She would probably set down her life in order to keep Dyson and Kendra together.
Dyson, Kendra's life mate who was fighting for true love. He was the unwitting champion for challenging the thousands of years old tradition where Dire Wolves were only suppose to have one and only one life mate. He was essentially telling all Dire Wolves that lasting LOVE was beyond species and isolating true love to Fae only was a MISTAKE. TRUE love could be found even in humans, the most unlikely of places.
Arin, Twin Sister of the missing but shared the burden of making Valhalla fall under one kingdom, one code and one god. She worked in lock step with Lauren.
Lauren, the brave human who managed to single handedly prevent the over two thousand year armistice from collapsing. She became somewhat revered amongst all three clans held together by the armistice, even the Burning Cypress clan. She never wanted that title or fame but there she was.
All of them shared that common threads of being the reluctant hero and maybe that is the reason why they stayed together firmly like a tightly woven tapestry. Together, they were extremely strong but were they stronger than whatever fate had in store for them? No one needed to tell her, but they way everyone acted, it looked like they were going not only in a battle, but a possible slaughter.
Sigun, Thor's soon to be queen, in a move to appease her partner and give their relationship a real chance bedded with him every night. That gesture alone warded off any other Valkyries from moving in.
At times she could see the jealous glances from the guards outside his suite when she entered, even others in passing to a lesser degree. She was almost tempted to just walk in nude but she wasn't like Tamsin to jeer or prod them. After all, Thor used to be open game and was a busy bee before.
In terms of their relationship, Sigun wanted distance then close in slowly, but Thor didn't want any distance, period. Like all nights, she'd sleep with him in her night wear, but by morning, much of the time her clothing ended up on the floor.
To Thor, Sigun's body was too tantalizing and had to hold it. It drove him mad that he could hold her hand and bring her in close to him in public and if they were alone, she'd bathe and sleep with him nude. Only problem was that he promised he'd never plunder her until she was ready.
This posed a problem for Thor since he also promised to never bed with another woman. This left him with a final option which was to fly solo. Of which Sigun had to give more when Valkyries noted how wound up he was.
So there next to a stump of the tree in the middle of the field where they first met, Thor manically kissed Sigun brought into a tight hug whilst both were still standing. It was an ideal place to meet since it was far from prying eyes and no one else knew the significance of this place.
Sigun felt trapped even lifting her off the ground in the hug unable to set herself free even if she wanted to. He was so freaking STRONG and let his tongue and hers intertwine. She felt his rock hard hammer jab almost painfully her between her legs only separated by her Valkyrie robes and his looser pants.
"Sigun! I.. I need you," Thor implored in a grunt and in a couple of adept motions, all of Sigun's gear and robes were off her person and strewed everywhere around them.
Sigun struggled a little, but let him have his way but firing a warning shot, "You promised Thor to take it slow."
Thor sucked her erect tip exposed to the cool breeze to make her yelp and replied, "That was slow, Siggy, I could have ripped them off."
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh, GODS Thor you fucking stripped me so fast. Is that from experience? OH Shhhhhhhhhhhiiiiiiiiiit!" Sigun yelped feeling him pull back sucking on her ultra sensitive peaks.
Thor confessed, "Yes, all of you wear your robes the same way so it's easy."
Sigun finally in a burst of strength, broke free from the now looser hug since he had to strip her, and knelt down in front of him and deftly undid the tie on his pants and shimmied it down. His stiff member sprang free its confines almost smacking Sigun in the face but she deftly caught it with her extended tongue.
She slowly encircled her tongue around his tip pulling his hood back. She got coaching from Kara on how to keep Thor happy in bed after all but she knew it wasn't enough. She still felt in adequate for the task at hand and it was blaringly obvious as compared to how Thor worked her, even undressed her.
Thor saw Sigun's jaw treble a little and knew she was having regrets and immediately stopped her when her lips began to take his head in.
Thor quickly pulled up his pants and took off his shirt and laid it on the ground for his Valkyrie to take a seat.
Sigun didn't know what to say. He KNEW she was having thoughts of inadequacy she concluded and pouted.
Thor loved the pout but reassured stroking her cheek joining her, "I don't want to force this on you Siggy. Can we talk?"
Sigun just went to the point, "You've taken so many of us that you know to handle us and me too. Only Bo could out match you. I… I feel….."
Thor side hugged Sigun as she covered up with her Valkyrie robes the best she could in shame.
Sigun hated to admit defeat, but living up to his standard at least in bed was hard. It was easier to hate him.
Thor just admitted, "Don't feel like you have to 'perform.'"
Finally she bluntly confessed looking down in defeat, "You are a world traveler too but Valkyries are your staple. I'm not sure, even with coaching from Kara, that I'll be good enough."
Thor sincerely admitted, "Stop comparing yourself to them. You are you. Besides I'd rather you touch the stars with my help as oppose to me reaching the stars."
"You mean….." Sigun tried to process locking onto his deep gaze confused, "You don't need to touch that stars?"
"So long as I alone can see you touch them."
This didn't make sense, Sigun brooded shaking her head. "Why?"
Thor pecked her on the cheek and clarified, "Because no one else has seen you in our most vulnerable moments of intense pleasure. I get that and I am beyond flattered."
Sigun's cheeks became beet red hot melting into him. Even though Thor didn't penetrate her, she did grind against him which would cause her to release sometimes unexpectedly. Before she knew it, she dropped her robes and mounted him. She felt his rock hard long staff through his pants between her legs.
She giggled and replied, "Are you sure that's ALL you want?" Then a mischievous grin washed across her face as she grinded down on his staff in a slow cadence.
Thor didn't grind back and just firmly said, "Yes."
She purred but pouted, "If we need to make this work can we talk? (grind grind grind) HONESTLY about our needs?"
Thor loved it when she was naughty and replied back almost bucking his hips, "Yea."
"So tell me, what do you need to get us to be more (grind grind) INTIMATE (GRIND GRIND)," Sigun prodded.
Thor almost lost it then she grinded down on him that hard and replied, "I know we are in Valhalla and you have duties. But I want you to be in civilian clothing and I will do that same."
Sigun tilted her head inquiring 'why' again without uttering a word and slowed her pace down a little. She was reaching nirvana faster than she thought.
Thor calmly clarified, "We are creatures of duty when we put our uniforms on. I want us to break out of that. I want you be by my equal. Just like when we first met here."
"OK. So what about everyone saluting us?"
"Ignore them," Thor waved it off. "Just pretend we are on a vacation like human do."
"OK so no powers, just us?"
"Yes so we can be ourselves ok?" Thor stroked her arm.
"Done. Besides you need a challenge on undressing me," Sigun finally purred but changed to laying by his side stroking his member through his pants.
Thor enjoyed the moment and then Sigun asked ,"Can you tell me your sexual fantasies? I promise not to judge you but… but I need to know how you tick since you just go solo while I strip for you. I know you are thinking about something else."
Sigun just continued her ministrations but fished his tip out and played with it. It was already dripping seed.
Thor didn't know about telling her.
"Please? (SQUEEZE)" Sigun pouted more knowing it would drive him mad in addition to her move. His seed coated her finger tips and she just licked the seductively and returned to work on his tip.
Finally Thor pushed her off and set her aside gently and cupped her cheek, "I'll tell you when you can go all the way with me, ok? Not now."
Sigun nodded remembering her conversation with Freya about Tiffany and changed tact pulling back her hand, "I hate to say it. She's not that bad you know." After all Sigun knew all about her in her studies.
Thor tilted his head looking at her puzzled, "Who?"
"You know who. We both met her on the last mission," Sigun said formally getting dressed.
TIFFANY, Thor deduced, in line to be the queen of the Frost Giants. Granted she was far down the line in terms of ruling because of her many bothers, but she was royalty never the less. She had powers of a goddess with the right family connections. The only thing holding her back was that she was short for her kind and a woman. For Thor, who was already tall, she still had a couple inches on him.
"What are you getting at?" Thor asked burning with curiosity as Sigun put her sword back on and grabbed her battle axe to mount across her back.
Sigun just clammed up and was about to walk away when Thor held her hand.
"Nevermind, Thor. It was nothing," Sigun tried to pull away but there was NO WAY she could, Thor really wanted her.
"Please Siggy. You brought it up, now please, as my bonded partner, let's talk about this," Thor pleaded.
Sign didn't even look at Thor and gazed at 'their tree trunk', "We're not bonded yet. … I…. I got catty with her. I'm sorry."
"Somehow this isn't about betting catty with one another," Thor requested standing up and hugging her from behind.
A small nod.
Thor just comforted and thought critically and replied softly in understand, "There is no need to feel threatened by her. You two don't even compare. You are the only one I want."
Sigun looked at Thor's hands across her and wanted to say something else, but just said, "I'm sorry. Of course." She wasn't ready to talk to him yet about her.
She turned to peck him on the lips, "I have to do my rounds and then change into civi clothing. You too. Meet you at dinner later tonight?"
"I can't wait," Thor hugged her and then watched her gallop off on her horse.
Mia stood up and was pissed and yelled at Kendra seated at a picnic table at the edge of the range, "You return to duty only to BLOW UP a HOUSE! Turning over a new leaf after your time with D-man? I thought wrong. Humf!" Mia walk away a couple steps shaking her head.
Kendra tried to control this but when Mia was ticked, it was a bad sign, "I sorry, I told you Mia…
"IT'S COMMANDER!" Mia twirled around and yelled, "CO-MAN-DER! I got FIX this shit now. I'm running out of excuses… no BS, to relay to my superiors!"
'Oh shit. Mia was never the one to pull rank on me EVER. God she's really pissed,' Kendra knew and just shut up to let her vent.
Dyson hid UNDER the table but Mia's tirade was FAR FAR from over.
Mia trained her finger on him, "And YOU, McGruff, the Crime Dog…. You just had to brawl IN A LAB with FIRE and explosive chemicals everywhere ALONE before Kendra or any of the team could cover your ass!"
Dyson whined and looked away avoiding eye contact. Shit, she was livid.
"That's right! IDIOT! You made them spill shit that goes 'BOOM!' SMART!" Mia jeered switching her glare to Kendra, "AND THEEEEEEN in the stroke of genius, you fired your stun gun at the perp who went into an epileptic type seizure running into a table….theeeeeen GUESS WHAT … he spilled MORE explosive shit ALL OVER THE PLACE convulsing away! Did I get your effing story right Captain!"
Everyone at the range knew to just mind their own freaking business. Commander Tate was working so hard that she was losing her patience.
"I tried to save lives, not kill…." Kendra stammered defending her action to taze the perp.
"Just ANSWER the stupid question!" Mia cut in abrasively.
Kendra just resigned to take her lumps and calmly conceded saying, "Yes commander."
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAArgh!" Mia finally paced frantically at what to do now. She did have a lot of explaining to do to the human superiors and to the Ash as well as the Morrigans.
Kendra knew how upset she was and was prepared to offer her resignation anyway but Mia knew her too well.
The commander then whipped around and stared at her dead on like reading her mind, "NO Kendra, giving me your badge is the EASY way out. DON'T YOU DARE! Don't!"
All the while Dyson secretly rummaged through Kendra's back pack to see if he could bring Mia back down to earth. It would have been a much easier task if she was in bipedal form.
He got it and darted out from under the table and at the half way point crawled his way to Mia with a small red velvet box in his mouth. He was doing his best 'I'm a cute dog, have mercy on me act'.
Kendra almost dropped dead from embarrassment since that was a gift she planned to give to Mia in private.
Mia didn't fall for his act and grabbed the small badge sized box from Dyson's mouth and exclaimed, "THIS has gotta take the cake. What? Is this like your badge and resignation?"
She whipped open the box not even looking down at it and just kept going, "Is this your badge Dyson or Ken…." She glanced down at it and it stopped her dead in her tracks.
She froze.
It was a jade pearl necklace. Simple, elegant, beautiful but the bead size was also perfect. Could it be that Kendra did that on purpose?
The Commander was flabbergasted and Kendra felt her cheeks get red hot but it did have the desired effect of stopping Mia's runaway train. She had to thank Dyson later.
"Kennie….. this is … this….." Mia couldn't believe this as she let Dyson nudge her forward and in shock sit next to Kendra.
Kendra smirked and humbly relayed resting her hands on Mia's knees, "I brought that for you my love. I had this made for you ….. to show my commitment to us."
Mia finally smiled almost mischievously but waited as Kendra just mouthed to her so that no one would hear, 'Also per your fantasy, YES, you can use this on me instead of my Dire Wolf necklace and pendant from Dyson. It's can be washed and cleaned better.'
Mia was still not sure but Kendra decided to tell it all mouthing, 'YES this is both a necklace for you and a sex toy to use on me. I promise to be a good girl and submit.'
The commander then turned to Dyson who sat next to her on the bench resting his head on her lap and then asked in a whisper kissing his forehead staying in close, "Dyson? You know this is a sex toy too right? Are you ok with this, Dyson?"
Dyson did a soft bark for 'yes'
Mia still had to more blunt and in a low voice so that only the Wolf and Kendra could hear said, "I'm gonna totally dominate and bind your life mate. Are you SURE?"
Another soft bark and Kendra was felling even flusher.
"Kendra wouldn't DARE lash out at me now since I have your same status and the fact that she's been a BAD BAD girl…."
'Oh god,' both Dyson and Kendra thought.
For Kendra she was dying of embarrassment and for Dyson, he WANTED to see that. Kendra yielded only so much to anyone. This was turning him on.
Dyson's tail wagged lazily at the idea.
Mia waited for Kendra to object but she just stayed quiet.
Mia then purred, "I loooove it Kendra, please put it on me SLAVE."
Kendra without batting an eye, did so and Mia looked great in it.
Mia tucked it under her uniform shirt and then said to Dyson who she just bumped him off the bench to go down and sit in front of her, "Dyson, may I please aggressively take down your life mate now and make her crest until she can't crest anymore, making good use of the necklace?"
Dyson was a little unsure looking towards Kendra to make sure she was ok with this and Kendra did a very slight nod.
Kendra was freaking nervous. She never fully 100 percent submitted to anyone and the only person that was supposed to get that now was Dyson but he was kind of ok with it. Oddly she felt fine with it although it was a stretch but ONLY for Mia.
Dyson did an unsteady soft bark for 'yes' but he wanted the honor of dominating Kendra first.
Mia sensed that Dyson was on the fence but by the sheer fact he agreed meant that he pulled all the stops out for her as it dealt with his life mate. She however, didn't want to abuse it. That and Kendra was even unsure.
She smiled warmly and hugged Kendra, "Maybe later? Would that be your preference my slave?"
'THANK GOD,' Kendra thought and quickly replied in the hug, "Yes Mistress. Later please." It was then Kendra realized what she said. By using 'Mistress', she just complied 100% to her. THAT was still reserved for Dyson, but the line were blurring between Dyson and Mia and it was happening fast.
"Do you trust your mistress to have your best interests in mind?"
"Yes, Mistress Mia I do. I promised to be that ideal Captain and girlfriend of your dreams. Just… just please forgive me," Kendra said shyly. She intended to just make this an act to appease the commander, but part of her was sincere. She REALLY DID want to keep Mia happy and submit. It was also turning her on.
Mia just MELTED. Kendra was being sincere and giving everything to her. "I… I missed you Kennie….. I missed you both," Mia finally confessed pulling Kendra in tight in one arm while petting Dyson with her free hand. "You could have been killed in the blast."
Kendra really wanted to kiss Mia and she knew Mia was holding back too since they were in public. All of the 69th didn't even know they were an item. They barely caught on to the idea that she was with Dyson if at all.
They parted the hug and Kendra saw Mia all misty eyed. It was apparent she was REALLY worried about them and Kendra was touched. As such Kendra held her hand out of sight of prying eyes and reassured, "We're OK all right. We're still here Mia."
Mia nodded and smiled swallowing back her feelings coming to the surface, "Yea, I know Kennie." She needed to get back to work after all since she just saw Tamsin and Lauren pull into the parking lot.
Tamsin took a gulp form Jason's flask then handed it back to him and exclaimed, "WOW, that IS good mead! I didn't know you like it?"
Jason just grunted still cleaning his rifle, "Well it kind of grows on ya. It gives me a buzz faster and KK.. Kara likes this batch I made."
"Swell, so you MAKE mead," Tamsin clicked.
"Yep I learned to make it," Jason replied putting his rifle barrel on the table then grabbing the roil spring to clean it.
"You must be a VERY lucky human when you're with Kara," Tamsin scrunched her face. Kara LOVED good mead and if Jason got her drunk which was hard to do, he get VERY VERY lucky in deed.
Jason got the inside joke and just chuckled, "Yes. You can say that. I found her kryptonite."
Tamsin just huffed out a laugh but couldn't help herself thinking to Kara.
'Soooooooo Kara, Jason here tells me that he makes good mead.'
'Yea he does actually. He added some flavors which I never thought of.'
'So does he cook for you too?' Tamsin inquired.
'Naaaaa we go out most of the time. ANYWAY, mead is the complete food.'
'Where are you anyway?'
'Grocery store pickin up stuff for the BBQ today. DON'T YOU DARE TELL ANYONE.'
Tamsin thought this was hilarious. Kara doesn't cook but the funny thing was that she COULD but hated to do it.
'I won't. But true or false, SINCE we all know you have a very high tolerance for mead, you just use it as an excuse so that you can let Jason have his way with you.'
There was a long pause and finally Kara came back and replied, 'Oh look a squirrel!'
Tamsin just smirked. It was true. Kara was head over heels with Jason and she fell into domestic life like a pillow.
Out of curiosity, Tamsin asked Jason, "So are you gonna settle down ever?"
Jason had a silly smile which Tamsin had never seen but said to her, "Yea….. I want to, and I hope she wants too as well.
Tamsin had to excuses herself and walked away a few paces.
SOMETHING WAS WRONG with Bo. VERY wrong. She wasn't in pain, but was fearing for her life. She got a text message from her that she finished her op successfully and was getting a bite to eat.
"Mia, it's not whether it works, because we BOTH know it does, it's more of a question again of should we be doing this?!" Lauren professed glancing at Arin's back a ways away in a stall firing an AR under Mike's watchful eye. Not that she needed it, but it was nice to know he was there.
Mia who sat across from her, put down her tablet on the worn wooden picnic table busy on other matters but finally gave Lauren her full attention. She wasn't trying to be rude, but her time was precious. She was going to do what it took to stop all of them from getting killed. In any case, Massimo needed to be dealt with since he was meddling with human regions to say the least.
"Lauren," Mia started, "this is a last ditch item to use as a very last resort. Do you think I enjoy this? We do what we must to survive."
"WE ARE NOT AT WAR," Lauren nearly yelled slapping her hand on the table. "These are weapons of WAR. You are SWORN to protect the public and yet you want to turn these … these… THINGS towards the very people you … you… I… I… I'm sorry Mia."
Mia could tell how worked up she was and just got to the point. She had a feeling that something bad was going to happen, something soon. Oddly by Lauren almost blowing up on her just now, Mia deduced, she seems to feel the walls coming in too.
"We WILL BE at war and I won't be caught ill prepared. Your life, mine, ALL our lives depend on it," Mia said adamantly glossing her stare across at the team, the 69th. They were all taking stalls in active drills. She was pushing them hard but it was needed.
Lauren finally concluded taking a stand, "I have enhanced and refined all of the components that are native to those rotary guns, but I can't in good conscience give you the feature you asked me to do. I am ashamed that I even worked on it."
Mia needed to compromise and hated to do this. She was going to ORDER Laruen, but Lauren didn't report to her. She then asked a series of quick questions:
"OK. We will try to make do without it. So is that upgrade NOT present in the BIOS?"
"It is, but it's disabled."
"Can it if activated by you remotely?"
"Y… Yes."
Mia got up slowly distracted. She was concerned about Tamsin. She was pacing in an agitated fashion on her phone. Normally she was always calm and collected but now she looked like she was about to have a meltdown of sorts.
Lauren noted it too turning around a moment later. Tamsin was contemplating something like her decision was the end of the world.
Mia than concluded and said brushing past her, "FINE. Then YOU activate it when the time is right. You're with us. I think hell just may have found us."
Tamsin was about to use the link to contact her lover, but it bugged her that Bo didn't reach out to her first which she normally did out of reflex. What was she hiding?
Tamsin thought it better to use the link to tap into what Bo was seeing.
'OH SHIT!' Tamsin thought to herself. 'Bo is on a roof top fighting off what seemed to be 'A Sea Of Fae' attacking her. Bo was holding her own well but it was only a matter of time before she was overwhelmed. Where the heck was Kenzi?'
Tamsin then knew Bo was HIDING this from her for a REASON so she quickly called Kenzi. She may still be whizzing around after all.
Kenzi picked up after several rings unable to speak through her erratic breathing.
To say Tamsin was surprised at what she heard was an understatement. The Kitsune was balling her eyes out. Her hitched breathing prevented her from saying anything intelligible
Tamsin just firmly demanded, "OUT WITH IT, NOW! What's happening?"
Tamsin still couldn't understand anything she was saying though her sobs however.
"REPEAT KENZI. Slowly!" Tamsin insisted impatiently pacing.
She then got fragments but one thing was for sure which she did repeat, "I left my Bo-bo to die."
"WHY did you leave her!" Tamsin gritted her teeth upset. A split second later she found it better to order her, "Then turn on your GPS beacon and GO BACK Twitchy! DO IT!"
Again Kenzi had to repeat her message several times through her hitched breathing but got the words.
'Can't…. Bo…. Sacrifice herself….. us"
NOW Tamsin knew why Bo was doing this. Bo was willing to put down her life for everyone else's. NOBEL, but it had on fault in logic that she relayed to Kenzi.
"It'll be Bo today, but he will come after us afterwards! GO BACK Short Stack, I'll be there soon," Tamsin ordered and noticed that Kendra pulled her aside with concern asking her want was wrong. Dyson was right behind her. Mia and Lauren were approaching quickly.
Tamsin did finally get a yes out of Kenzi then added, "Try to get her out of there and DON'T tell her we are coming."
After a terse yes from Kenzi, Tamsin hung up and began to pull off her heavier gear. She could only fly with minimal weight like Freya.
"Bo's in trouble and it looks like the whole town she's in is under a mind control spell," Tamsin reported to all. "I need to be with her."
"We're all with you Tamsin," Mia replied nodding to Kendra who then turned around as she started to spew out orders to everyone to get packed and get ready leave ASAP.
LOCK AND LOAD.
Dyson knew this was bad. This had to be it. No wonder why the 69th, Laruen and Arin where together at that slaughter according to the premonitions. They were not only needed, but were here NOW. Also he knew why Kara WASN'T there. She is out shopping for her party tonight.
Did he or anyone else have time to avoid fate?
No.
No one did.
NOW the show had to go on, like hitting play on a movie.
Tamsin flew off as fast as her wings would take her. She wore no vest, and could only carry a couple daggers and finally her shield and sword of Achilles. She had to find and save Bo at any and ALL COSTS. She knew this was it but chose not to think about her death. She could only think as far as what she must do for the here and now.
Mia hurriedly tracked Kenzi's beacon which was accurate to less than a foot. In addition, she had Bo's location within a meter as a function of her GPS installed on her smartphone. Where they lambs for the slaughter as Mia yelled at everyone now full armed piling into their SUV's to leave?
She just didn't know but as Tamsin would say, it would be one hell of a ride.
A/N: It's been a while and Winter (Fate) is coming!
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