Reece could see the friendly Adaro man’s face blanch as the Prince, the King, and his entire retinue leaped several meters up and onto the carrier’s deck.
“It starts now,” sighed the Adaro man, his blue-skinned shoulders slumping in defeat. “You’re a brave lad. I’ll say a prayer to Poseidon for you. You have about two of your minutes while they clear the area to make things right with your gods.”
Suddenly, Karina was by his side, holding his hand. She looked up into his eyes, her hand putting pressure on his. She didn’t look sad. Instead, her jaw was clenched, and her eyes narrowed, a fiery intensity burning within them. He could almost see her mind working.
“This isn’t a fair fight, Reece,” she whispered to him. “Kiss me.”
Reece bent down to give Karina a goodbye kiss, noting the wincing look of pain the crossed over her face right before he pressed his lips to hers. The moment their lips were sealed together, she opened her mouth and flooded his with her blood.
Reece quickly figured out that she had bitten her tongue and was giving some of her strength to him. A moment later, Aika did the same thing before handing him both of her katanas. Karina discretely winked at him. He could feel their combined power coursing through his body. He had a fighting chance now. Reece licked his lips clean as he took a few practice swings with the dual katanas, twirling them in his hands to remind himself of their heft, balance, and feel. Feeling about as ready as he was going to get, Reece stepped onto the landing pad. The captain had just finished having it cleared for the event. She nodded towards him when he stepped into the circle.
Looking across the fifteen-meter-wide pad, Reece took the measure of Prince Calintus. The prince smiled wickedly while spinning his trident around in graceful arcs. Reece thought it was kind of pointless to learn such showy fighting skills. If you couldn’t put them to real use, what was the point? Shrugging off the display, Reece kept his eyes on the prince. If Taela was right, he was a scheming coward and couldn’t be trusted to fight fair. Of course, Reece wasn’t exactly fighting fair either. There was too much at stake to allow himself to be killed so easily. No, if he had to fight, he was going to fight to win. Still, he figured he’d give the prince one last chance to withdraw.
“Prince Calintus,” announced Reece across the landing pad. “You have my sincere apology for accepting Taela as my life-mate, but we’ve become very close and have fallen in love. Please understand, I wish you nothing but a long and happy...”
His words were interrupted as the prince suddenly threw the trident at Reece with all his might. Reece had been half-turned away from him at the time but had kept his eye on the man. That caution was the only thing that saved him from getting skewered through the gut. As it was, only his newly enhanced speed allowed him to dodge the deadly weapon twirling towards him. While the trident spun, it split the air, each tine making a high-pitched whine while it whistled past Reece’s body.
After the trident bounced twice and came to rest on the other side of the carrier, the spectators all backed off to watch the fight from a much greater distance. Prince Calintus had assumed his trident would kill Reece instantly, so he hadn’t followed up the attack. Reece silently thanked the gods for the lucky break. It gave him the opportunity to make it a costly mistake for the arrogant royal.
The Adaro prince pulled another couple of tridents from a stand next to him and launched a second one at Reece. This time, the prince rushed forward, coming up behind the thrown weapon. He was clearly planning on using his strength to pummel the smaller human to death. Reece was tall for a human, but the prince had at least twenty centimeters on him and who knows how many kilos. Still, the second trident throw was easily side-stepped and did little to distract Reece from the prince’s true attack. The prince came on swiftly and stabbed out with the trident, which Reece deftly dodged with a half-turn, bringing one of his katanas down onto the weapon’s haft.
The parry knocked the three-pronged head away from Reece’s body and threw the prince off-balance. Using his other katana, Reece stepped inside of the superior range of the Adaro’s trident and scored first blood on the bigger man, a deep cut down the outside of his left arm. Hissing in anger, the prince withdrew the trident and used the momentum to swing it around and down upon Reece’s head. Reece was just as fast in bringing up both katanas to block the strong blow, but the power behind it still forced him down to one knee.
Instead of fighting his way back up, he let one katana hold the trident at bay while he swept the other across the prince’s left leg. The gushing wound that sprang from the Adaro’s thigh was proof that Reece had connected. Surprisingly, the prince didn’t back off. Still using the wounded leg, the prince grunted through the pain as he kicked Reece in the chest. The kick knocked the air out of Reece’s lungs and sent him flying back several meters. Thanks to his intense training with Aika and Karina, he was able to hold onto his katanas. Still, his chest hurt like he’d broken all his ribs while he tried to suck air back into his lungs. He immediately rolled back onto his feet. The prince wasn’t about to give him any quarter and had come on again, more slowly this time, limping from the nasty leg wound.
Battling back and forth, Reece could tell that the prince’s wound was not just slowing him down but sapping his strength as well. Fighting defensively, Reece allowed the prince to wear himself down. Soon, he began to telegraph his trident thrusts and slashes, making it like child’s play for Reece to block, avoid, or deflect them.
Frustration began to set in, and the prince put all his strength into a mighty downward slash. While Reece was able to easily block it, the sheer force of the blow sent him sliding back a couple of meters and at the same time, brought him down once again to one knee. The prince wasn’t out of this fight just yet, his crazed smile indicating that very thing while he tried to goad Reece into making a mistake.
“Thanks for the opportunity to impress my soon-to-be wife,” said the prince. “She’ll be begging for my touch as your blood grows cold.”
Reece ignored him. Instead, he used the time to his advantage, forcing himself back to his feet yet again. He could feel his ribs cracking and snapping back into position, the lilitu and vampire’s blood working hard to heal him. Still, he acted like he was in excruciating pain, using the prince’s arrogance against him. Looking into the prince’s eyes, he could tell the prideful man was already celebrating his victory in his mind. Just as he limped within range, the prince lunged out again with the trident. It was obvious he was expecting Reece to be too injured and feeble to be able to dodge the attack a second time. The Adaro man was only partly right.
Reece used the katana in his left hand to catch the trident between its tines and force it away from and behind his body. The blade of the katana caught on the tine’s barb and pulled the surprised prince off balance. Reece let go of the katana and twirled his body to within the trident’s greater reach, placing both hands on his remaining katana as he went.
Once he completed the spinning maneuver, he put all his strength and speed into the katana. The blade whistled while carving through both the air and the prince’s exposed neck. The look of surprise on the man’s face was priceless as his head toppled from his shoulders. It would have been laughable in some other circumstance. As it was, it was merely a tragedy and waste of life. One they could ill-afford against the greater threat of the Order and their zombie armies.
The king let out an anguished cry, watching his son’s body fall lifeless to the carrier’s deck. Blue-green blood quickly spread in an ever-widening pool across the landing pad. Reece’s heart went out to the old man, but he dared not say anything. Instead, he simply walked over and fetched Aika’s katana before the blood pool could reach it. With both weapons in hand, Reece walked off the pad and handed Aika her katanas back.
“Thanks,” he told her, his voice impassive.
They stood back and watched while several members of the Adaro’s retinue solemnly retrieved the prince’s body and returned it to the king. The king gave Reece a hateful glare. Reece merely frowned and shook his head sadly. The king’s glare dissipated; the misplaced anger quickly spent. This had been his own son’s fault and he knew it. Together with his retinue, the king left the carrier, each of the Adaro leaping back down to the waiting turtle. Then they were gone, the massive sea turtle taking them back to their kingdom to mourn the loss of their prince.
Needing to punish himself for not handling the situation without bloodshed, Reece went to the tower and found the cleaning supplies. He pulled a mop and bucket out to the deck and began the thankless job of scrubbing all the blue-green blood up before it began to dry. No one offered to help. It seemed they all knew he needed the time and space and that this was a job for him alone. Most people went back to their duties, muttering a few words of sympathy or appreciation or both. It took him over half an hour, but he was trying to be thorough.
Finally, the carrier’s deck appeared clean. Reece wheeled the bloody bucket and mop over to the nearest railing and unceremoniously dumped the bucket’s grisly contents over the side before returning everything to where he had found them, cleaning them as best he could in the maintenance washbasin. When he was finished, he did feel a little better and didn’t plan on wasting any more time on the prince, dead before his time and of his own arrogance.
It wasn’t until lunch that he met up with some of his companions. Walking into the galley, he grabbed a halibut steak, one of the perks of their trade deal with the Adaro. He saw Naeva and Ciera having lunch at one of the tables and sat down across the narrow table from them. Suddenly feeling ravenous, he tore into the delicious piece of meat, savoring the rich taste of the fish as he chewed and swallowed. The women glanced at him, each other, and then back at him again.
“Hey love,” asked Ciera tentatively. “How ya doin’?”
“Been better,” answered Reece between bites of fish. “And you?”
“Okay, I guess,” answered Ciera. “Our homecoming wasn’t exactly what we were hoping for, right?”
“Reece,” added Naeva. “This is all on that prince and his hard-assed father. They forced your hand.”
“Yeah, I get that,” said Reece. “It still bugs me though. He shouldn’t have been an enemy. Why can’t some people see the bigger picture?”
“I don’t know,” said Naeva. “Speaking of which, what’s the deal with Taela? She’s a princess and your life-mate now?”
“Hah, no,” answered Reece. “We just said that to make the prince go away. Unfortunately, he pulled that trial by combat crap. She hadn’t expected that, and I knew nothing about it. But now that he’s gone, she’ll be looking for her real life-mate, which I volunteered all of us in helping her find. So, who wants to play matchmaker?”
Both girl’s eyes lit up at that and they both sat up in their chairs a little bit taller.
“We’ve got to get her back to Madagascar,” said Ciera. “There are tons of great guys there.”
“Sounds like a plan,” said Reece with little feeling. He was just too emotionally drained.
“Speaking of plans, what’s our next move?” asked Naeva crinkling her brow while she glanced between her two dining companions.
“Now that we’ve got the coordinates for the remaining pieces, we need to plot a course to the next closest piece. Then take the jet there and collect it,” explained Reece. “Do that a few more times and we’ll have it completed and hopefully put an end to this tragic footnote in history.”
“Alright, said Ciera. “So, where to first?”
“Well,” said Reece, leaning back in his chair while he gave it some thought. “Either Libya or China would be closest, so probably one of those two. We’ll discuss it with the others before we make any final decision. One way or the other, we’ll be heading out on our next mission in a couple of days...without you two.”
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“What....why?” said Naeva and Ciera at almost the same time. The two women started to protest when Reece held his hand up.
“Look ladies,” said Reece. “I can’t say you won’t be missed, but you are both carrying my children and I need you to be safe. I won’t be able to run the mission if I’m constantly worried about the both of you.”
“Oh, that’s so sweet,” said Taela as she sat down next to Reece and slapped a tray on the table.
“Oh hey,” greeted Reece as he checked out her plate piled high with fish and fried potatoes. “How’re holding up?”
“I’m wonderful,” she said, giving Reece a knowing smile while she snaked her left arm into his right.
Holding him tightly, she stabbed at her fish and chips with a fork in her right hand, popping the delicious bites into her mouth, and chewed contentedly. Reece looked up and over at the two women across from him and tilted his head while confusion narrowed his eyes. His demeanor was mirrored in the two women across from him, both scrunching up their brows before shrugging helplessly. It seemed to all three of them that Taela wasn’t acting like a woman still looking for a life-mate. He hadn’t had time to mention to Naeva or Ciera that he had planted a powerful suggestion into the Adaro woman’s mind. Unfortunately, it seemed like a suggestion that didn’t work for long, and Reece had no idea why.
The rest of lunch was uncomfortable for Reece. Ciera and Naeva teased him at every opportunity and Taela just clung to him as she ate, pressing her warm body into his. After fifteen minutes, Reece decided he needed an excuse to extricate himself from both the girl and the situation.
“Well, thanks for the company,” he explained. “But I need to get a quick shower in before getting back to work. There’s a lot to do and not much time to do it.”
“Want some company?” asked Taela. “I too could use a shower.”
“I’m sorry, but it’s just going to be a quick in and out,” said Reece, rising from his seat.
Taela looked downcast but nodded in understanding. She truly was a beauty and Reece had no doubt that sharing a shower with the young woman would be quite enjoyable. However, he knew that wasn’t reason enough to add further complications to his and his companion’s lives, let alone to the girl herself. She’d almost definitely be better off with a different mate, or even alone.
After returning his tray and dishes, he wasted no time in heading back to his quarters, giving the trio of girls a quick wave on his way out of the carrier’s cafeteria. Once he shut the door behind him, he pulled the nightcore from its home in his extra-dimensional pocket.
“Chippo, are you there?” he asked, hoping the Furdian could speak with him outside of the dream world.
“Yep yep,” said Chippo, his overly jovial voice coming through loudly into Reece’s mind.
“Good,” said Reece. “I was hoping you could tell me why my suggestion on Taela didn’t work. Do you have any idea?”
“Oh, yessir,” replied Chippo. “Your suggestion worked just fine. However, they are limited. When you defended her against the prince with nothing to gain for yourself, she saw that and her desire for you was rekindled. Think of it like a fire. You can put a fire out with water, but if you add more wood and light another match, then you have a new fire. So, that’s basically what happened. understand?”
“Ah, I think I get it,” said Reece. “So, I should be able to add a new suggestion and as long as I don’t do anything else to rekindle her affections for me, I should be in the clear.”
“Precisely, yes, yes, yes…well, probably,” answered Chippo. “Your abilities have their limits, especially when you try to use them on the same person twice in the same way. You see, thinking beings build up a resistance. So, you gotta be careful, yes, careful, okay?”
“Yeah, well, thanks,” replied Reece. “We have too much at stake to let this turn into another distraction. We need to decide where to go for the next fragment.”
“Perfect, yes, perfect,” said Chippo. “Anything else?”
“Nah, I think that’s it,” answered Reece. “Thanks again, Chippo.”
“Anytime, bye-bye!” exclaimed the Furdian as his voice faded away.
Reece pocketed the nightcore and hopped in the shower. Ten minutes later and he was headed to the bridge. It was time to speak with the captain and the rest of his companions to decide their next move and destination. While he walked, he could feel the carrier shift under his feet. It had a new heading and was picking up speed. He quickened his pace and arrived a couple of minutes later.
Inside, the captain and Micah were speaking with someone over the long-range radio while Angel stood nearby. Once Reece appeared, Angel pushed himself off the wall that he was leaning against and rushed over to greet him. The look on his face was serious.
“Hey Reece,” said Angel. “We’ve been contacting as many rebel settlements as we can, especially ones near the fragment locations. Well, one of them just issued a distress call.”
“Is that why we’re moving?” asked Reece.
“Yep,” answered Angel before clarifying. “We’re on our way to China. Specifically, the great wall. The Russians, Mongolians, and a few lucky Chinese have formed a defensive position at the Great Wall, only they are fighting against Z’s attacking from the Chinese side. It sounds like the zombies have been reinforced by something much worse. If we can’t assist, they’ll more than likely be wiped out within three days.”
“In that case,” said Reece. “We’ve no time to lose, and... that decides it for us. China is the next fragment location we’re going after.”
“I thought you might say that,” said Sora, walking in from outside. “I know I haven’t earned your trust yet, but I’m your best bet at finding the fragment. I’ve traveled all over my home country and will be the best guide you could find in this place.”
“Alright,” said Reece. “All things considered; you’ll be a welcome addition. First, we need to help them defend the wall. How are your combat skills?”
“Oh, I think I’ll be up to the task,” said Sora, a wicked smile appearing across her face. “Like everyone on that space station, I’m more than I appear.”
“Yeah,” said Reece, irritation infecting his voice. “I’m finding out that nothing about our mission was above-board. We were all unwitting lab rats. I never told you this, but on that first spacewalk, Angel showed me an actual lab rat. It was dead, yet it moved. It was the first zombie I’d ever seen. As horrified as that made me, it would have been worse if I would have realized back then just how much we had in common with that sad creature.”
“Por los dioses,” said Angel. “I had completely forgotten about that. But you’re right. We were all lab-rats for the Order.”
“Well,” said Reece, scratching his stubbly beard. “We aren’t lab rats anymore. I think it’s time we go and kick the Order right in their teeth...again.”
Angel and Sora both smiled at that. The captain joined them a moment later.
“We should be within flying distance for the Phoenix within two hours,” she told them. “You may want to get prepared. It doesn’t sound like they have much time.”
“Then I better go and find Pasha,” replied Reece. “She’ll want to finish a few checkouts before we embark on a new mission.”
“May the speed of Iris be with you,” said the captain as the trio rushed out of the bridge to find Pasha and prepare for their coming trials.
It didn’t take long. They found Pasha in the cafeteria, enjoying a drink with Aika and Karina. Karina cheerfully waved them over. Angel, Sora, and Reece headed over to them.
“We’ve got a new mission and it's extremely time-sensitive,” announced Reece as he approached his three companions. “The Great Wall is under attack and the defenders don’t have long.”
“Is that why the carrier suddenly took off,” asked Karina.
“Exactly,” answered Reece. “They’re getting us close enough to fly in and back with the Phoenix. We’ll be in position in just under two hours.”
“Well then,” said Pasha as she slammed the rest of her beer. “It sounds like I’d better get the Phoenix ready for take-off.”
“Sounds like a plan,” said Reece. “You need any help?”
“Sure, are you offering?” asked Pasha.
“Yeah,” answered Reece. “I’m trying to keep a low profile. A certain aquatic princess has decided I’m her life-mate again.”
“Really?” asked Karina. “I thought you...”
“I did,” answered Reece, cutting her off. “It didn’t keep, and I don’t have time to worry about it right now. We’ve got more important things to take care of. Can the rest of you track down the rest of our task force for this mission?”
Karina nodded, accepting his answer while everyone went to track down the others and get ready for the mission. Reece followed Pasha out to the Phoenix to help her get the jet ready. It didn’t take long for them to start going through all the system checks for the complex vehicle, one by one. They worked well together, Reece verifying each of Pasha’s checks. To both pass the time and ease the tension, Reece started making small talk with the oddly quiet Pasha.
“So,” he began clumsily. “Uh, why did they name this model a Phoenix? It seems like an unlucky choice for a vehicle, you know...with the rising from the ashes bit and all.”
Pasha brightened at the question. “Yeah, I had wondered the same thing, especially considering what I am. It’s a wild story. It had a different name at first, but during one of the early test flights, the jet crashed in the desert. Its landing gear was broken up and several fires had broken out across its wings and fuselage. It took the pilot and co-pilot a good twenty minutes to get the fires out. Their communications antenna had been sheared off and they had crashed over a hundred kilometers from their testing field. Somehow, the pilot and co-pilot were able to get the jet to take off and returned it to base, setting it back down on its belly. With all the damage and field patch jobs, the thing looked like it had gone through a war, but it still flew just fine. The story quickly circulated throughout the rank structure and soon the jet received a new designation, Phoenix.”
“Wow,” said Reece, truly impressed. “I had no idea. That story is something else. You ever find it oddly serendipitous that you fly a Phoenix now. I mean, it’s kind of on the nose, right?”
“You’re not wrong,” laughed Pasha. “But it’s not all coincidence. Aika and I had scouted out the place before the rescue. I may have picked that particular jet on purpose. I figured it was a sign from the gods. After all, what are the odds?”
“Fair enough,” replied Reece. “I would have done the same thing. I’m finding that coincidences aren’t coincidences at all. I feel like there’s much more going on than we’re aware.”
“Couldn’t have said it better myself,” agreed Pasha. “And now we’ll go and help defend the wall and find another of your fragments, like killing two flies with one hit. Another sneaky coincidence?”
“I highly doubt that,” answered Reece thoughtfully.
They continued chatting while they made their way through the numerous checks. It made Reece feel a little nostalgic, reminding him of a simpler time, before the Order and zombies and everything else. He was reminded of a time when all he had to worry about were the maintenance and operations of the systems aboard the Zhengzhou for which he was responsible. It felt good to be reminded of the past, bittersweet though it was. A lot of good people had died between then and now, but Reece just focused on the task at hand whenever his mind went down those dark roads. Before he knew it, they were finished with just over twenty minutes to spare.
A few moments later, Aika showed up with Bjorn and Aspen in tow. Nisha, the vampire woman that they had freed from the Hargrove clone’s control joined them as well. Armed to the teeth and dressed for battle. They stood straight and rigid, jaws set, eyes focused. Karina arrived with Masika and Nephi, while Sora and Angel brought Hank and Dmitri. They were likewise armed and dressed, quickly and efficiently taking their seats aboard the Phoenix. Naeva and Ciera were conspicuously missing, having been asked by Reece to sit the next few missions out for the sake of the babies growing in their bellies.
Nisha approached Reece; her hands clasped together. “Reece, my brothers and I wish to accompany you. This is our fight as well and we wish to fight it. We have much to atone for while under that madman’s control. Please…”
“Of course,” said Reece, waving off her concerns. “We could use all the help we can get.”
Nisha beamed with happiness, squealed in glee, and gave Reece a big hug and sensuous kiss. Winking at him, she then left to fetch her brothers. Reece just shook his head and chuckled while turning to greet the rest of the mission’s crew as they approached.
The first he noticed was Hank in his human form, having slowly warmed to it over the past few weeks. Yeti hair was great for the colder climates, but lately, they’d been near the equator and the warmest parts of the earth, making the heat unbearable in the thick coat of fur. Now he appeared like a wiry older man with long scraggly white hair and piercing ice-blue eyes. His left cheek had a long thin scar running down it, as well as more scars on his shoulders and lower arms and legs. His ragged t-shirt and shorts hid the rest. Reece figured he had dressed so shabbily since he’d soon be resuming his more massive yeti form and would tear the clothing apart. Either that or he’d remove it ahead of time and simply lose it in the battle.
“Alright everyone, welcome to the party. Get buckled in,” called out Pasha, firing up the engines with the flip of several switches. “We’ll be lifting off in five.”
The three vampires entered and found their seats quickly. The two men had solemn looks on their faces, but Nisha’s face was smiling, especially when she glanced over at Reece. She winked again when he noticed her. He just smiled back.
“Alright,” said Angel, projecting the word to halt any chatter. “The wall defenders know we’re coming and are expecting us. We’ll touch down briefly on the widest flat surface of the wall to disembark. Then Pasha’s going to bring the Phoenix back up and into the fight. We’ll need to provide cover fire and keep an eye on him. What was once just a massive horde of Z’s is now being bolstered by numerous creatures that have probably come from one of the Order’s labs, several even. They apparently have four of these labs in China alone. There are also flying beasts, but they don’t sound like the gargoyles that we’re used to fighting. We all need to stay on our toes out there.”
“Exactly. Thanks, Angel,” said Reece, taking over the briefing while putting power behind his words. “We need to help the defenders as much as possible, but make sure we keep an eye on each other. We’ve defeated the Order and its abominations over and over. This won’t be any different. We have a different team today, but one that is just as powerful as before. I have no doubt we’ll come through this victoriously and send the Order’s minions back to the depths of Hades where they belong. Once that’s accomplished, we have another fragment of the nightcore to retrieve. Anyone have any questions?”
No one said a word, most simply shaking their heads in agreement. It was plain on their faces that Reece’s bolstering had worked, and they were all ready for a fight. A moment later, Pasha raised the ramp and the rest of them double-checked their gear. Three minutes later and they were airborne, heading off for another battle with the Order. Reece leaned back in his seat and practiced Thato’s deep breathing exercises, trying to get himself in the correct state of mind for the upcoming battle.