Friday, July 21st, 2017
Buckingham Palace
London, England
22:17
Under the direct influence of The Monarch, temporary accommodations had been erected in the expansive Palace Gardens.
There, the massed forces of Vengeance, Fusion, and Honneur gathered to debrief and receive medical treatment before the endgame. Mindy was not pleased to see the suffering in the inflatable medical tent – it was a makeshift accident & emergency with cordoned off sections to treat individuals dependent on their needs. Military doctors and nurses performed triage on those coming in and moved the walking wounded to another tent to allow more intensive treatment for those with broken bones, bullet wounds, and potentially life-threatening injuries – of which there were many.
Mindy paused at one medical bay where Dakota was receiving treatment to her left shoulder. The thirteen-year-old lay on her front in obvious pain despite the drip feeding painkillers into her system. Dakota saw Hit Girl and forced a smile despite the pain. In the next bay Saoirse was being prodded by a female nurse around her heavily bruised abdomen and chest. Further on were the more seriously wounded which included Eva who had endured three broken ribs and was about to move to an operating theatre to tend to some internal bleeding. Also in the same section was Charlotte who was sobbing in pain as her shattered lower left leg was splinted. Then came the more shocking walking wounded: Anne-Marie and Daniel who lay semi-concussed in a mini ward with Iain and Annabelle as well as Electra who Mindy found lying on a bed, talking with Stephanie and Abigail.
Dave moved his increasingly upset wife onwards to where they found a hot mug of coffee waiting for them along with a plate of steak and kidney pie with chips. They both sat down at a table already occupied by a worn out Mary and Ginny. Mindy looked up as loud raucous laughter could be heard two tables away where Olivia, Kaitlin, and Naomi were responding to jokes (which Mindy suspected were highly inappropriate) being told by the Duke of Edinburgh himself. Also at the same table were Captain McFadden and Sergeant Martin. Their surviving men were seated around three other tables where they were being entertained by the Princess Royal and Her Majesty – both of whom were dressed down in functional trousers and shirts for the occasion.
Mindy had noticed the Royal Standard flying high when they had arrived at the palace which had shown The Monarch to be in residence despite the turmoil in her capital city.
Sheerness Lifeboat Station
Before leaving the lifeboat, Widow had been strip searched by Scorpion and Goshawk – not least because her clothing had been soaked during the ditching and she needed some dry clothes.
They had borrowed some clothing from the lifeboat crew and from there, they had taken their prisoner, suitably handcuffed and with a large pack full of her equipment, to where TWILIGHT sat in a carpark at Garrison Point. The three aircrew had dried out on the ride back and they climbed aboard the smaller helicopter, pushing Widow into the back corner facing aft where she was strapped into her seat by a scowling Goshawk. The pack and their flight helmets were stowed in the cargo compartment then all but Widow was provided with a wired communications headset by Harrier who then secured the hatch and climbed back in beside his father.
"Welcome aboard, guys," Raptor said. "I'm sorry you lost her."
"Me too," Scorpion responded. "What's the plan?"
"We fly you to the laying up point and get you each checked over."
"I assume we succeeded," Goshawk ventured. "We didn't see any mushroom clouds."
"Yes, the world is safe from the Axis nuclear threat – for now."
The flight back to London was quiet and Widow was left to her thoughts.
Buckingham Palace
It was with great relief that Mindy watched the crew of NIGHTSHADE land in TWILIGHT.
Also present was SCOURGE which had just landed and was shutting down. Willow was met by a very unhappy Leon who remonstrated about the unwarranted attack on her and Ruth. It had not been Willow's fault but the breakdown in communications had almost resulted in a blue-on-blue. Everyone was tired and tempers were frayed which meant that senior staff had to remain vigilant for trouble. Then had come some surprises.
Firstly, there was the knowledge that NIGHTSHADE had gone down with a passenger and secondly that a sniper and spotter team had surrendered to the police at Heathrow.
..._...
Some found themselves seeing double.
"What the fuck is going on!?" Rampart exclaimed as she checked in on Goshawk.
The two Kestrels were friends and Rampart had a shrewd idea of what her friend had gone through as NIGHTSHADE had gone down in the sea. But to find they had a prisoner and one who...
"Who the fuck is the photocopy?" Nemesis demanded of Scorpion.
"Fucked if I know," Scorpion responded. "Human cloning?"
Widow was kneeling on the ground in a corner of the medical tent, her wrists cuffed behind her back.
"I go by Widow," the girl said, as she spoke for the first time. "But my real name is Julie Truman and I am a twin."
"She's telling the truth," Battle Guy commented as he appeared with Hit Girl and Kick-Ass. "Julie Fincham was born at 7:32PM on April 22nd, 2000 just one minute behind her twin sister, Catherine Fincham. Mother died when the girls were just four and I have records showing that Julie went to live with her paternal uncle: Oliver Truman."
"You're my twin sister?" 'Catherine' demanded.
"It would explain why we have the same face and body," Julie stated.
"Holy fuck!" Stripe exclaimed as he laid eyes on the two girls. "What's going on Kate?"
"I think my past has just caught up with me," Kate admitted. "I don't remember very much beyond when I was ten."
"What do we do with her?" Scorpion asked.
"Level Eight?" Kate hissed angrily.
"I think she can remain this side of the pond, Nemesis?" Hit Girl suggested.
"Kate – we'll take her into our custody for now," Nemesis directed. "Go get yourself checked out."
Kate walked out of the space without another glance at her twin sister.
..._...
In another secure space, Hit Girl and Kick-Ass found two females handcuffed and seated under the watchful gaze of Aegea and Torment.
As they entered the space, they were followed by Rampart and Obsidian. Rampart stopped dead as she recognised the two females from her own intake and two that she had not seen in years.
"Emily? Keira?"
"You know these two?" Hit Girl asked.
"Yes, we do," Obsidian acknowledged.
"More fucking Predators!" Hit Girl growled.
"I don't think she likes us very much," Keira Langlands commented.
"We're an acquired taste," Rampart admitted.
"Tell me about it!" Hit Girl said as she strode out of the space.
Her mind was racing with the news of new Predators and other captures, all of which would have future implications.
..._...
The young woman was all but exhausted having been fighting for not just the previous six hours but also on and off for near enough two full months on various continents across the planet.
It had started in Asia (Cambodia), before moving onto North America (USA & Canada), Europe (UK, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Sicily, Switzerland), Africa (Mali), The Arctic. Many thousands of miles had been covered and many had died on both sides. Mindy had lost friends and colleagues; she felt intense guilt for each and everyone who had died under her command. They had fought alone for weeks before national governments had joined the fight and provided much-needed additional support. Despite the latest threat being eliminated, the Axis still existed although badly fragmented. Certain key individuals still eluded capture and that did not ride well with Mindy. Indeed, exhaustion was creeping in and Dave was constantly by her side and he was very worried about his wife.
Thankfully for Mindy, her companion was there when she suddenly felt light-headed and she began to stumble. Before Mindy could do anything, Dave had grabbed her and guided her outside to sit on a wooden bench. Gently, he eased off her mask and that was when the heavens opened and rain cascaded down, washing away some of the blood on her face, then she frowned as she heard music coming from beyond the palace walls.
Someone told me long ago
There's a calm before the storm
I know, it's been comin' for some time
When it's over, so they say
It'll rain a sunny day
I know, shinin' down like water
All around her, she could see the grins on relieved faces as Fusion, Vengeance, and Honneur vigilantes realised that it was all over and that they would all see the new day and the rest of their lives.
I wanna know, have you ever seen the rain?
I wanna know, have you ever seen the rain?
Comin' down on a sunny day
All over the city, the same feeling spread throughout the defenders as Axis mercenaries laid down their arms as the counter-terrorism police and troops took control, passing the defeated and demoralised enemy onto the civilian authorities.
Yesterday, and days before
Sun is cold and rain is hard
I know, been that way for all my time
'Til forever, on it goes
Through the circle, fast and slow
I know, it can't stop, I wonder
Mindy allowed herself to be checked over by Rachel Clarkson and at the behest of Dave, allowed a dubious Scarlett Radford to treat her wounds, most of which were superficial. Mindy cheered up considerably when she was joined by Stephanie with Abigail in tow.
I want to know, have you ever seen the rain?
I want to know, have you ever seen the rain?
Comin' down on a sunny day
Yeah!
I want to know, have you ever seen the rain?
I want to know, have you ever seen the rain?
Comin' down on a sunny day.
Once Scarlett had finished treating not just Mindy's but Dave's wounds too, Mindy suffered a minor mutiny as she was forced to leave the rest of the evenings operations to her minions while she rested.
..._...
Morale was at a good level considering their successes and the Predators generally grinned through their injuries.
Dakota was feeling a little low but she was putting a brave face on things, as was her friend, Charlotte. Together, they began to sing to cheer themselves up.
Land of Hope and Glory, Mother of the Free
How shall we extol thee, who are born of thee?
Wider still and wider shall thy bounds be set
God, who made thee mighty, make thee mightier yet
God, who made thee mighty, make thee mightier yet
They were soon joined by the likes of Electra, Stephanie, and Abigail. It was infectious and many of the medical staff joined in, adding to the volume of the rendition which could be heard beyond the walls of Buckingham Palace.
Land of hope and glory, mother of the free
How shall we extol thee, who are born of thee?
Wider still and wider shall thy bounds be set
God, who made thee mighty, make thee mightier yet
God, who made thee mighty, make thee mightier yet
That was then followed by a single verse of God Save The Queen!
God save our gracious Queen,
Long live our noble Queen,
God save the Queen!
Send her victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us,
God save the Queen!
The following morning...
Saturday, July 22nd
The O2 Arena
The Metropolitan Police had arranged for The O2 Arena (The Millennium Dome) to be made available as a temporary assembly area for prisoners – both fit and walking wounded – and as a morgue.
The identities of upwards of six hundred men and women – living and dead – had to be confirmed before any action could be taken against the living who would then be sent for trial and sentencing. As well as the Metropolitan Police, a heavy military presence was overtly visible to ensure that nobody gave trouble. In a strict procedure, the military disarmed the prisoners before passing the men and women onto the police for processing and medical treatment.
A central database of prisoners was being compiled by various police stations and hospitals as well as by other commands.
Woolwich Common
As could be expected, there were pockets of resistance.
Rampart hauled SCOURGE around, and it was obvious that all was not well on the ground below. Her keen eyes could see the flashes of gunfire as two groups of Axis mercenaries were engaged by Royal Marines. Instead of a weapon wing taking up the rear seats, she carried three of her friends who were about to be dropped into the combat zone to create a new flank from which another attack could be made upon the enemy. As the small helicopter spiralled downwards, the three-person team in the rear prepared to leap out. The team leader was Goshawk who had insisted on joining in with the action on the ground as she now longer had her own helicopter to fly. With Goshawk were Piranha and Wolf.
The moment the skids touched down, the three vigilantes leapt out of SCOURGE which immediately increased altitude and took up station above so Rampart and Obsidian could assist with spotting as required.
..._...
Despite her preference for the cockpit of a flying machine, Goshawk enjoyed the more personal form of combat as well.
All three hit the ground, their SIG Sauer assault rifles to their shoulders and aimed towards the enemy. The helicopter had not exactly been a stealthy insertion but it was the quickest way to outflank the twenty or so Axis mercenaries who were one of the last three or four pockets of resistance in the city. The terrain was relatively flat but spotted with trees of varying maturity and groups of thick green bushes. The bushes were the only real cover and a dense copse of trees and bushes was being used by the enemy as cover and base of operations for the two groups. The exact number was unknown but the gunfire was extreme and so far, fourteen Royal Marines were being pinned down making the advance slow to say the least.
Goshawk studied the scene which looked very different from the horizontal compared to when viewed from above. She could see the friendly forces in three teams over to the far right, flashes marking their gunfire. Almost straight ahead, some eighty yards away, more muzzle flashes in two groups identified the Axis mercenaries. It was not the best location for an infantry battle due to the presence of residential properties a few hundred yards away but the Metropolitan Police had evacuated as many as they could to make the assault swifter. For the same reason, the enemy had to be taken from the ground and air support would be minimal.
"Goshawk, Wolf – let's move!" Piranha called out as the team leader.
Dutifully, Wolf and Goshawk moved forwards. They trusted Piranha as much as she trusted them. Piranha could remember the frightened ten-year-old girl who had been stripped and humiliated so many years before at her hands but had fought against that humiliation and become an amazing fighter – not to mention that she was selected as being the 'best of the best' to become a Kestrel; something which Piranha and others had often resented. Together, they moved forwards and split the enemy's fire as one group turned to face the new flanking attack. That allowed the Royal Marines to move forwards and close on the copse. The gunfire was almost constant as the two sides closed. Bodies were evident in the grass belonging to fallen marines who were being pulled back my medics and that fired on the three vigilantes as there had been more than enough death the previous day to last a lifetime.
Via hand signals, Piranha was in communication with the Royal Marines sergeant leading the left hand team and they were coordinating their assaults.
..._...
Deep within the copse of trees and bushes, there were just fourteen survivors of twenty-three.
The group of Axis mercenaries had been whittled down, one by one, by the incredibly accurate shooting of the Royal Marines. Two of the fourteen were badly wounded and required urgent medical attention. That had taken another fighter away from the fighting to treat those two men. He had just ten men and women on the gunline but that was not the worst of it. No, he had someone very special to him out there, at risk, and he had no idea where she was – or even if she was still alive. The helicopter dropping a team into the battle had made things just that much more difficult and he had a distinct idea that he was not about to survive the battle he was fighting. Indeed, the new flank was week and the Royal Marines were moving in on the opposite flank. His military mind knew that the fight would be over in mere minutes. A burst of accurate gunfire from his right cut down two of his men.
Maybe not minutes, he thought.
..._...
Less than a minute later, a shape burst trough the bushes and shot one of his men dead from point blank range.
The shape as that of a young woman in body armour and a mask – a vigilante. The body language was one of anger and coldness as she killed without conscious thought or quarter. For Oliver Truman, the young woman embodied death but there was something else about her as she dropped her assault rifle which then hung from her webbing as she drew a pistol and continued to take life after life. Those under his command fell back only to find Royal Marines dishing out there very own version of death which they reserved for those who were traitors to the crown. As his last man fell, Oliver Truman found he had no time to consider his mistakes as he faced the angriest person he had ever met.
The vigilante had a familiar build to someone else he knew but the mask prevented any further identification. Blood splattered the combat fatigues and the body armour. Even the mask was streaked with the blood of his men. He saw the muzzle coming around to aim directly at his head and before he could bring his own weapon around, he distinctly heard the metallic click but then nothing as the pistol misfired. Angrily, his apparent nemesis worked the mechanism to reload but then the pistol locked back on an empty magazine. Oliver snapped off two bullets, one of which caught the now apoplectic vigilante in the chest, sending her to the ground. Oliver then fired off another bullet at the next vigilante who moved into cover her fallen colleague.
That fallen colleague rose to her feet, chucking her empty pistol to the ground and launching herself at Oliver. Kick after kick landed hard, a rib snapped, but Oliver felt he had no choice but to fight for his life if he ever wanted to see his niece again. He kicked back, as viciously as his worn-out body could manage, accomplishing little more than making a thoroughly pissed off vigilante angrier than Oliver had thought possible. A lucky kick caught the vigilante on the side of her head, dislodging the mask which the vigilante ripped off as she fought back but then Oliver Truman received the shock of his life as he found himself staring into the face of Julie but it was not Julie which could only mean it was somebody he thought to be long dead.
"Catherine!" he blurted out and the young woman stopped dead like she had hit a wall.
Her face was one of confusion and incredulity which swiftly changed to one of concern before one of anger mixed with pity, then stark realisation.
"Uncle Oliver?"
"What's going on, Goshawk?" the fired up Piranha asked, thoroughly confused at the exchange. "Wolf – tell the Royals we've seized control."
Piranha pulled out some flexicuffs, securing 'Uncle Oliver' until the situation could be fully understood.
Three hours later...
The O2 Arena
Keira drove a borrowed unmarked Metropolitan Police BMW X5 to the arena.
Kate had insisted on going so Keira had offered to go with her, knowing that she would need support of some kind. The arena was a hellhole and the stink of battle hit them long before they were able to park some two hundred yards away. Kate had not said a word to Keira on the drive over but the young woman was aghast by what she saw as she climbed out of the X5. The air was rich with the smell of medical and industrial disinfectant mixed with the coppery smell of blood. Armed soldiers and counter-terrorism police had the area secured and there was a fairly constant flow of defeated Axis mercenaries in various states of processing. Most appeared despondent as they considered their futures while others appeared non-plussed by their predicament. Many were wounded in some manner with field dressings obvious. Keira and Kate were there on semi-official business and wore civilian clothing but both were armed with covert pistols. Together, they moved down a cordoned off roadway, bypassing the captured mercenaries. They passed inflatable tents were men and women were stripped, washed, and reclothed pending identification. Keira worked their way through to a reception desk.
"We're here to find a prisoner," Keira stated to a frazzled-looking uniformed police sergeant.
"And you are?" the woman responded with little interest.
"Fincham and Sharp – Security Service," Keira responded as both showed their identity cards.
"You have orders?"
"No," Keira replied. "But we need to see one of the prisoners."
"No orders. No access."
Keira could sense that Kate was about to go all Predator on the police officer and that would not be good.
"Hello, Mrs Schneider. May I assist you in some way?"
"Schneider? You said your name was Sharp," the police office grumbled.
"I got married," Keira muttered as she turned to find a friendly face grinning at her. "Sergeant Ryder!"
"I'm looking for someone," Kate said.
"Come with me," Sergeant Jerry Ryder said as he led the way into the O2. "You're a Predator, Kate?"
"Yes, I am."
"No problem – you just seem better behaved than some. That bloody Harper would've had that officer against the wall, eh, Mrs Schneider."
Keira laughed at the reference to her fiery younger sister.
"I prefer to show a more mature outlook," Kate stated for the record.
"Kate has been known to let her hair down on occasion," Keira grinned.
"I'm looking for my uncle: Oliver Truman. He was captured this morning."
Sergeant Ryder waved Kate forwards towards where a plain-clothed man sat behind a large laptop at a makeshift desk.
..._..
The man was dishevelled and appeared miserable.
He had that look of loss and defeat which was understandable considering that the man had just lost his freedom and his cause. Oliver Truman was tall, over six-feet, and his dark hair was cropped short. He was led into the room by a uniformed police officer and guided to a seat at the steel table.
"Remove the handcuffs, please," Keira directed. "And wait outside."
"Ma'am, I..."
"Just do it!" Keira growled pointedly.
Oliver looked up at the two women and Keira recognised humiliation when she saw it.
"Hello, Uncle Oliver," Kate said as she took a seat across from the man.
"It's good to see you alive, Catherine."
The comment was genuine, Keira reasoned.
"I go by Kate now."
"You look amazing, Kate. What happened?"
"A long story which you are not cleared for," Kate said with venom in her tone. "I made something of myself and I began to fight the evil which pervades this planet. Evil such as you and your friends. How could you join them? I remember you as..."
"It was not by choice, Kate. I searched for you and your father for two years but my health was failing and my invalidity pension was not covering outgoings – bringing up a child is expensive. I found myself subscribing to a website for mercenaries."
"How did you get Julie involved? I almost killed her! Thanks to you, I almost killed my twin sister!"
"I started her learning Judo when she was four and then she moved onto Karate when she was six. I wanted her to be able to defend herself. When she was eight, I taught her how to handle firearms and how to shoot. I taught her defensive use of fighting knives. Julie was a natural with blades. By the time she was thirteen, I had introduced her to Taekwondo and Krav Maga. I'm a military man and it was something we had in common and something which I could pass on. I never wanted her to go into the mercenary life – she is capable of so much more.
"I saw you fighting – I fought you. I am impressed, Kate, and I know you are with people who care for you and that you are on the right side. I know my life is forfeit and I deserve that but is Julie going to get a chance at having a life. Don't let me drag her down to a life in prison. Can you promise me that you will take care of her? I need to know that she will be safe. I know you have influence – or you would not be here right now. Help her. She is not a bad girl. She just made some bad choices encouraged by me."
Kate glared at her uncle and then the table top. She could relate to making bad choices when there were few choices available. It was also up to her to take charge of her twin sister and give her a second chance just as she had been given a second chance at life – it was only fair after all. She looked back up at her uncle.
"I will ensure that Julie gets a fair hearing and a second chance at her life. I have a family who love me and people who care about me. I made some bad choices a while back but I was given a second chance to make something of myself. Julie will get that same second chance. I will promise to do all I can to ensure she gets her chance and I will help and guide her as much as I can as will my friends and family. How receptive she may be, I don't know – we didn't exactly hit off in our first meeting and I am not happy with her decisions but we all make mistakes."
"You mother and father would be so proud of you."
Kate stood and made for the door but then she stopped and she turned back to her Uncle Oliver. The man stood and Kate wrapped her hands around the man, hugging him tightly. The man was blood and her father's brother. She could remember him from when she was very young and she felt comforted by his presence.
Then she turned away from him and walked out of the door.
That afternoon...
Buckingham Palace
Mary sat with her grandmother in the Regency Room on the first floor.
"You have made me incredibly proud, Mary. One day I will not be around, but it is comforting to know that the country will be in good hands – your hands, Belle."
Mary was unhappy with any thoughts about her grandmother dying – she knew it would come but she hoped it would not for decades yet.
"I will not be around for ever."
"You will."
The Monarch smiled at the young teenager, proud of everything she represented.
That evening...
The Archive
(Belle's Safehouse*)
The expansive safehouse was full of exhausted vigilantes of all ages.
The afternoon had been spent washing, cleaning weapons, and resting. The adults sat and drank beer while the youngsters generally laid around with soft drinks. Some slept, unable to keep their eyes open. Many sported medical dressings of some sort or other visible signs of combat. Most importantly, everyone was safe and there was no need to worry about anything but rest and recuperation.
Keira sat on a sofa with Kate, Willow, and Freya. They were discussing aircraft – helicopters in particular – all while commiserating the loss of NIGHTSHADE (Keira was working her way through a bottle of Pussar's Rum which she was sharing with the three girls). David had his feet up and he too was working his way through a bottle of Pussar's Rum but with the assistance of Jasper, Lynn, and Jennifer. Mindy was on another sofa with Dave and Stephanie – the latter was ensuring that her mother was not doing anything but resting. Across from them, Jamie lay with Anne-Marie and Danny – all three sleeping. Elsewhere, Freya's little sister, Frieda, was laughing with Kaitlin and Naomi. The youngster had spent the past few days deep under London with Lynn, petrified that she would lose her sister for a second and final time.
In one of the bedrooms, little Becky was curled up with Chloe on a bottom bunk while Megan and Curtis lay intertwined on the corresponding upper bunk.
Elsewhere in the city...
Three youngsters were not all that happy with their lot.
They were being held in a secure police station in the west end. A brief visit from Nemesis and Hit Girl had left the two Predators in tears and physically shaking at the threats of what might come to pass should just one of them misbehave or as Hit Girl had put it, quite eloquently: 'You so much as dribble on the damn toilet seat and I will rip your throat out'.
As for the non-Predator Axis mercenary, it was made abundantly clear that she was seen as the lowest of the low – if not lower. Admittedly, it had not taken all that much for her to forget any thoughts of escape or the like. Indeed, Nemesis had given the girl something to work for: her uncle was alive.
All three girls had a lot to think about – especially, Julie.
The next morning...
Sunday, July 23rd
Stephanie was not amused to find Mindy standing at a table which was liberally covered in large maps and charts.
"What are you planning, mother, dearest?"
"An invasion."
"Why not?" Stephanie deadpanned, her tone dripping sarcasm. "A perfectly natural act to be preparing for. You going for a record? Great Britain or 'England' has managed to piss off all but twenty-two of the world's countries by invading them in some way or other over the past thousand years or so? You are catching up very quickly, mother! Which sovereign nation has upset your purpleness this time?"
Stephanie heard the warning growl and she took two steps back for her own personal safety.
"Cambodia."
Stephanie was astonished. "You want to go back there!?" she exclaimed in utter disbelief. "Are you fucking whacko? Rhetorical question – you obviously are! Why the fuck would you...?! I know, because you're the fucked up Hit Girl who has psychotic phases which make her do nutty things."
"You finished or do we have a diatribe on the way?" Dave asked his daughter while grinning at his annoyed wife.
"Oh, I'm just..."
"No, you're not!" Jamie said as he clamped a hand over his sister's gob. "Stop and count to ten: one – two – three..."
"Fucking little...!" Stephanie growled as she shoved her brother away.
"I want to go back to erase that camp and find that Priabin bastard," Mindy explained surprisingly calmly. "A team will go in to get the job done but this time, we will not be alone – not by a long shot."
"This time, three hundred will be going into that camp," Dave added. "I know you care, Steph, and I know that you suffered day after day with no news."
"I just get worried when nutcase goes nuts," Stephanie groused as she went to find some breakfast."
"She means well," Dave said soothingly.
"I know she does."
Across the room, Chloe knew what was being planned and she was not exactly looking forward to the mission but she knew that it had to done, however, before then there was a funeral to attend.
Around Three weeks later...
Thursday, August 17th
Poole Cemetery
Poole, England
It was not a proper funeral as there was not even a body.
Despite that minor issue, Chloe had been determined that the man in her life would have a decent send off, back in the town he used to call home.
Joshua had often told Chloe about his love for the seaside town located in southern England. He had always wanted to bring her there to show her around, but that would now never happen, she knew but could barely accept. The highly polished oak coffin was empty of a body but ballasted with stones. His body had been vaporised in the Sahara Desert almost two months earlier. Had it only been that long, Chloe thought to herself: so much had happened in that short space of time. So much that Chloe had barely had the time to contemplate that she would never see her man again.
...+...
August 2014
"You want to talk about Joshua?"
"You haven't mentioned the boy once since we got back to Chicago but I know you miss him; I'm not that out of touch with growing up and relationships!" Mindy said to her friend.
"Oh," Chloe responded, biting her lower lip.
"Look, the boy should be able to travel by the end of next week. Do you want him in Chicago? Do you want to see him again? Do you want him in Fusion? I can help with all these questions, but I won't do anything without your say so. I think the kid has potential; admittedly I didn't like the British twat at first, but he learns fast and I don't mind having him around."
Chloe looked a little surprised.
"Thanks Mindy. Yes, I do want to see him again; he saved my life, almost giving his. I would like him to be in Chicago, so I can see him and yes, if you think he can hack it, then having him in Fusion could be good," Chloe replied, blushing a little.
"Okay, I will set things in motion."
Chloe was a little stuck for words and sat there quietly for a few minutes.
"Mindy... I..." Chloe started to cry.
"Look Chloe, you helped me last week; I just wanted to return the favour, we're partners remember."
"You know, I feel strange around Josh. I have feelings that I have never felt with anybody else..."
...+...
Chloe stood beside the fairly standard sized hole dug into the earth. Beside her stood the diminutive form of Rebecca, tears streaming down her face. Though she had not know Joshua all that long, he had left an indelible mark on her. There to support Chloe and Becky were Dave and Mindy with their daughter, Stephanie. The simple burial ceremony was almost over when a growing roar could be heard approaching from the east. Instinctively, most looked upwards as the Royal Navy Merlin helicopter thundered overhead at perhaps sixty feet while the combined 7,581 shaft-horsepower of its three engines propelled the fourteen-tonne helicopter forward at over 150 knots. The huge helicopter then executed a tight and very rapid speed-stripping turn before it dropped its landing gear and vanished behind some trees to and touch down some four hundred yards away, just beyond the boundary of the churchyard in a school playing field. As the engine sounds diminished, indicating the helicopter had shut down, the vicar continued with his ceremony.
"'I am the resurrection and the life,' says the Lord. 'Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.' Let us commend Joshua to the mercy of God, our maker and redeemer."
For the youngster it was too much and Becky buried her face into Chloe's skirt, sobbing.
"God our creator and redeemer; by your power Christ conquered death and entered into glory. Confident of his victory and claiming his promises, we entrust Joshua to your mercy in the name of Jesus our Lord, who died and is alive and reigns with you, now and for ever. Amen."
Nobody was in much of a mood for doing much else other than mourning the loss of someone very close. For Chloe, Dave, and Mindy, Joshua had been a very close personal friend for years with Stephanie and Becky more recent in the friendship.
"We have entrusted this our brother Joshua to God's mercy, and we now commit him to the ground: earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust: in sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our frail bodies that they may be conformed to his glorious body, who died, was buried, and rose again for us..."
"Jesus Christ!" Stephanie suddenly blurted out, interrupting the vicar, and everybody turned to frown at the blasphemous exclamation. "Either somebody put something potent in my Earl Grey and I'm having goddamn hallucinations..."
Nobody had registered the person dodging around the surrounding gravestones but Chloe's head turned as she heard a familiar yell. For a moment, Chloe could not believe what she was seeing, however, it was Becky who voiced properly what Stephanie had seen.
"Daddy!" she yelled out as she broke into a run.
"Oh my God!" Chloe exclaimed as her hand went to her mouth and she bolted after her daughter.
Becky leapt into the air and she was caught by Joshua's strong arms as the little girl's legs wrapped around his waist and her arms around his neck, squeezing him tightly. Chloe's emotions, already torn apart and in tatters, were out of control as she wrapped her arms around Becky and Joshua. Full minutes went past as the family hugged one another before Chloe turned her tear-streaked face towards Mindy, her expression of intense sadness gone and replaced by one of intense happiness. Then she turned back to her man, the happiness changing to anger.
"Where the bloody hell have you been?" Chloe demanded. "Think before you speak as it had better be good, or else I will put you in that damn coffin for real!"
"Basically," Joshua responded. "I've spent a few weeks in a bomb shelter and tunnel network beneath the desert. It took them until two weeks ago to dig me out and then I was in a hospital for several days before I was able to get out of Mali and then Africa. Comms suck thanks to the EMP and radioactivity in the area."
"I'll need to check on some of that but for now I'll accept the reason for your absence," Chloe responded dryly, her anger fading.
"Only you could be late to your own funeral," Dave commented, and Joshua simply shrugged. "Good to see you, pal."
"It's damn good to be back!"
Becky grinned up at Joshua, never happier.
End of Part X
Have You Ever Seen The Rain
Credence Clearwater Revival
*See Chapter 85 – A Tale of Two Weddings – Interlude II of Vengeance.