Novels2Search

59. Newbie.

We approached the base camp an hour after dawn, and I spotted the Royal NZ Navy Seasprite Helicopter departing the airfield. The NZ part of the camp had expanded, and they were waiting for us. The packs were taken off us, and the three of us stepped back and let the special forces take charge of the distribution and labelling of the goodies. Some were immediately packaged up for transport, and some were kept aside for immediate use. There was a lot of hassle, and I realised there was a large medical tent set up. However, many volunteers they had found they were going out now.

Carla, Soph and I backed out of the way. Soph was keeping a tight hold on Eliza as there was a lot of air traffic, which she was not happy about.

I was about to go and find some food and a bed when I heard, “Bob!” I turned and saw Ata striding toward me. I smiled as she came up. I was about to greet her when she hit me with a powerful right cross, and I went flying. I landed in the dirt, and my ribs ached, and my jaw ached and … shit.

“Nice punch,” Carla was saying.

“Hey, I see you have flooded yourself in Essence. That's great,” said Soph, “but why are there two centres of Essence?” She thought for a second, “Oooh!”

“Yes, oooh! Exactly. I should have kicked him in the balls,” Ata said.

“Go for it,” Carla said, “I did it once. It is very satisfying.”

“I have broken ribs,” I mumbled.

“Oh yeah,” Carla said, “Watch out for the ribs. They are broken.”

“Somebody want to tell me what is going on?” I asked.

“You got me pregnant, you Asshole,” Ata said.

“I what?” I mumbled, confused.

“You know, sex, pregnancy, babies. Remember how the three are linked?”

“I what?”

“Pregnant, you idiot. I am pregnant!” Ata shouted.

“But I thought you said…?”

“Well, something went wrong!” Ata said.

“Well, shit.”

“Well, Shit is obvious,” Ata said.

“Wait, we were both mutated at the time,” I said.

“Yes, you Bastard, and now I am carrying a mutated baby which is flooded full of essence.”

“Oh, shit.”

“Yes, you bastard, shit! You have anything useful to say?”

“Ah… I hope it has your feathers. I like you grew out your yellow neck ones.”

“I am going to kick him in the balls.”

Carla put a hand out to stop her, “You had better watch the ribs. They are badly broken, and he has not been looking after them.” Thank you, Carla. Then she went on, “You can owe him one or maybe two for later.”

“Later then, you Bastard. Two! There is good news, too! I have been assigned to babysit you three, so I will be around to deliver some decent ball-busters later,” Ata said.

Soph came around and helped me up. At least someone cared, at least a little. Ok, she was probably just pitying me a bit. Whatever.

“Where have you been, Ata?” Carla asked.

“I was assigned to the HMNZS Te Kaha, and we have been searching the Pacific for Anomalies. Then we got sent here, and the Te Kaha is just off the coast. Then, a bloody US battle fleet followed us in. She is bloody busy out there now. We are pretty sure there is at least one US sub lurking around as well. We know there is an Aussie one.”

“What do the docs have to say about the pregnancy?” Soph said.

“They have no fucking clue what to do. I have been turned into a lab specimen and taken off active duty.” She looked at me like she was adding to the ass-kicking I was going to get.

“We’ve been up all night, so we need some food and a bed,” Carla said.

“Right, well, follow me. I am still a Lieutenant even if I am on ‘special assignment’.” She glanced at me as if that was my fault as well.

Having a lieutenant sorting things out for you made it very easy. We were soon fed and assigned a tent. We had to share, all four of us together and the horse.

I woke in the sweltering heat of the afternoon. I was alone. No, I wasn’t. Ata was sitting on the floor watching me. I found a drink bottle and drank the warm liquid.

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“What the fuck are we going to do, Bob? I ain't no mother. That’s why I joined the Navy.”

“I am even less of a father, so I don’t know.”

“I am not getting rid of it, even if it makes me a lab experiment,” she said.

“I’ll tell you what, it is going to be one tough little bugger with us as parents.”

“Bloody hell, it will,” she agreed.

“I will have to put money aside now to save for the therapy it’ll need.”

“You are not dumping me then?”

“I figured you wouldn’t want to hang around me.”

“I haven’t decided. Carla and Soph don’t think you’re that bad.”

“Shit, don’t believe their lies. Soph probably wants you around as a test case for mutant babies.”

“She wants one?”

“Yeah, for Carla with me as the donor.”

“You are a popular bastard.”

“Not by choice.”

We lapsed into silence for a while.

“What if it is really badly mutated?” Ata asked.

“Then we will have to deal with that, but what about the reverse? What if it has all the best of us? It would be bloody awesome.”

She smiled a bit, “It would, wouldn’t it?”

“As long as it got your personality,” I said. I got up with a wince and looked for a shirt.

“Ribs real bad, huh?” She asked.

“I shouldn’t have been running around the anomaly zone with them.”

“I will make sure you heal up good. I have an ass-kicking to deliver,” Ata said.

“At least you are motivated,” I said. “Let’s find something to eat. Where is everybody?” as the camp looked empty.

“If they are not out mutating, they are preparing the hospital for them to get back,” Ata said. “The anomaly zone is less than 2km away now, so all the others are setting up at Yagoonya.”

“You been in?”

“Just in the outer edges to get some resistance in but not hurt the kid. The leading theory is that the kid will have my protection while in the womb, but it is all theory.”

“How long now until the big boom?”

“Three more days after today.”

“So, what is your assignment?”

“Baby sit your ass. I guess more orders will come in due course. Carla showed me the guns, by the way. You guys can have the pea shooters. I am having the shotgun.”

“I feel safer with it in your hands than Carla’s. Where is Carla? She probably wants to change back to skin.”

“They are probably in the mess tent. Yeah, she does want to change. I wouldn’t mind watching.”

“That would be up to Carla.”

They were at an outside table in the mess area. Rich was chewing on … something next to the table. They had cold drinks each, and Eliza was pecking at a bowl of seeds. I grabbed some food and an iced tea, Ata grabbed a beer, and we joined them.

“Eating with these teeth is fucking impossible,” Carla complained.

“They look awesome, though,” Soph said. “You just had to smile at those blokes, and they scampered.”

“We can turn you back to skin as soon as I finish here if you like,” I said.

“Can I watch?” Ata asked.

“I don’t see why not,” Carla replied. “It is on bloody video now, so every idiot and their dog will have seen it soon.”

“I am starting a pool,” Soph said, “About how long it will take before it is on YouTube.”

Carla scowled.

“What can you sense about the kid?” I asked Soph.

“Not a great deal. I understand more of what I sense all the time. There is a lot there I don’t get. Basically, it is a separate centre or pool of essence in her womb. It is a fluorescent blue like the both of you. It seems to be the same strength as Ata, but it is pretty small. I don’t know if it will grow in strength as well as size.”

“You can’t tell about the mutations?” I asked.

“We call them Enhancements now. No, I can’t, but now that I am looking at more Enhanced, I am starting to figure out what different things in the essence mean. Give me time to understand more and for the little one to grow.”

“So sometime in the next nine months,” I said.

“More like seven, now,” Ata said.

Shit.

We finished our food and drinks and made our way to the tent. Rich lay in the shade of the awning guarding the door, still gnawing on the bone.

I laid down a sheet to catch all the bone scales and teeth. The bone and scales are enhanced materials, so there must be something we can use them for.

Carla stripped naked and lay on the sheet. She has a nice body. We did our thing, and Carla suffered. I don’t know how she does it. I don’t think I would ever change once I knew the pain was coming.

Carla lay there recovering as Soph brushed bits of bone off her. I went over to fetch the bucket of water we bought so she could wash. Soph helped her up, and my eyes followed her.

“You like her body, huh?” Ata said.

I nodded. “Absolutely.” I was hardly going to deny it.

“Hummpf,” Ata said, “I guess it is alright. A bit skinny, though.”

Carla gave her the finger. Ata laughed. It was good to hear her laugh again.

“If Bob is getting distracted by naked bodies, it means he is getting horny again,” Carla said as she wiped down her boobs with a wet cloth. “One of us should service him soon so he can keep his head on straight.”

“I saw that bloody wink,” I said.

“He has got fucken broken ribs. He is not going to be up for much,” Ata said. “I guess he can’t get me pregnant again.”

“We could find some poor girl out there to sacrifice to him,” Carla said.

“What, and ruin her life too?” Ata said.

“If you two are finished discussing my sex life…”

“Not by a long shot,” Carla said. “Ata and I will need to have many more long discussions about it.”

God, I am so fucked.