《The Battle Princess》 Prologue: Nicholas I sat back trying to pay attention to the battle as best as I could. I couldn''t see much from this distance but I could hear the clangs of metal hitting rock, hear the sounds of their heavy footsteps sinking into the ground below them and see the slight sparks flying off the blade. If I hadn''t entered the battlefield with her I could have watched it from the monitor but I knew she would need my help. The fighting was going on between my sister Andrea and her sister Gemma. Two of the princesses of our kingdom on our homeworld. I heard the sound of twigs snapping and could hear a faint growling the distance. Beasts were watching Andrea anxiously awaiting their chance to strike. I had to intervene and protect my sister. I let out a loud sustained howl to let Andrea know she could be surrounded at any second. I hoped that would cause a few of the beasts to break off from her and focus on finding me but I wasn''t so lucky: she had their undivided attention. I moved as quickly and quietly as my legs would take me to sneak up behind one of the beasts. It looked like a wolf in shape but that visual faded upon closer look at it. It not only wasn''t a real wolf, it didn''t even have flesh. It was a wolf shaped monster in made of Earth; it appeared as if the very dirt from the ground had taken form with claws and teeth made of jagged rocks and eyes of amber that shone brilliantly in the moonlight. Their eyes would have been beautiful if they weren''t so terrifying. From what I could sense , there were at least 8 of them but no more than 12. If I was going to be of any use it was going to take considerable magic energy. Maybe more than I had. I cursed being stuck in this form. My father, the great warrior Calius, was a member of the glorious lion''s head beastman clan, but my mother was of a lower clan filled with mix breeds. They weren''t even allowed to marry as it was taboo for a noble clan to mix with a mutt. My mother herself was a mix of Bengal cat and wolf. How had that mix resulted in me being brought to this world trapped in the form of a dog? The only saving grace I had was my beastman magic that allowed me to transform; although, usually just into a larger more ferocious dog. I collected my magic power and began to transform from my usual German Shepard form into my mutated form that had a large body standing at 9 ft while on all fours, with midnight black fur and a giant furry mane that made me resemble a lion. My teeth grew sharper as did my claws which thanks to my mother''s cat genes became retractile. As soon as my transformation completed I moved behind an Earth Wolf as silent as I could with my size, their gaze still focused on Andrea,and positioned myself over it; before they could register what was happening I stepped on one, destroying it under my paw. As if they were connected, it registered to them all that one of their own was destroyed and they all moved to come for me. I swiped one sending it flying into a tree before it exploded on impact; another one attempted to jump at me but I put my paw up to stop it in the air, stepping on and crushing it. One had jumped to attack my neck line and I let out a yowl in pain; it hurt but it didn''t draw blood. I managed to shake it enough to grab it with my maw and crush it in my teeth. The taste was revolting;I had all the natural urges of a dog so having dirt in my mouth wasn''t new but the magic that gave them life had tainted the Earth as it created an entire circulatory system. This magic was elaborate, black sludge coated my mouth that tasted like metallic like blood but ancient and rancid. The distracting taste gave one a chance to chomp on my tail while two more nipped at the back of my left front leg. Both of the nipped at the same exact spot which caused it to draw blood. In reflex I pulled my leg up to my body which from my unstable position caused me to fall on crushing them under my body. I gave my leg a quick few licks while I listened for the other wolves. It was difficult, they aren''t alive so they don''t need to breathe. The only way I could find them is to listen for the exact moment they went to attack and listenfor their steps. Their glares were oppressive and it felt like they were coming from everywhere but I knew there were only about 6 more. IT sounded like Gemma was too busy to produce more. From my vantage point I could seethat Andrea was pushing Gemma back, Gemma was encompassed in a collection of boulders molded together like a suit of armor. She was big but slow and heavy. Andrea was fast and strong but her blade could only do so much. The best she could hope for to win was a death of a thousand cuts; slowly chipping away at Gemma''s armored body.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. I was brought back to focus on my own fight when I heard three sudden footsteps shooting through the trees. I ran forward quickly juking out of the way of trees as they moved in line behind me then I jumped forward and slid a good distance turning around in the process before pushing off of my back feet and shooting forward back toward them. My size is a disadvantage in this confined space of the forest but I can use my weight to knock down a few trees boxing the three wolves in. I''m on them in a blink, my fangs ripping through one while I crush a second under my claw. I swipe the third with my back paw sending it flying into a tree hard enough to explode on impact causing the tree to splinter. The one under my claw bites into the space in between my nails distracting me just long enough for another two to jump and bite into my belly drawing blood again. I go falling onto my opposite side in a traumatic pile. They continue to bite into me ripping at my fur to get better access to my skin. I look over to notice the cot on the back of my leg is still open and bleeding. They must have some kind of anticoagulant in their saliva that is causing me to continue bleeding unless their bites are cursed. More clangs go on in the distance reminding me that I''m not the only one fighting. I go to stand up again, finally destroying the one under my claw while jumping to the left to beat the wolves off of me against a tree. They fall off but quickly recover as they give chase. I''m losing blood and my adrenaline is only going to get me so far. I can''t attempt to use any healing magic as long as I''m transformed and the longer I stay transformed the less magic I''ll have to heal with. I''m in trouble if I don''t end this quickly. Luckily the two on my tail should be the only ones left. I summon as much strength as I can and take off in a brisk run. I stop trying to avoid the trees and just barrel through them in order to keep my momentum. I can hear that the Earth Wolves have to jump and dodge debris slowing them down. If I can get a good enough distance I can possibly win this fight. The only problem is if I stop running my legs might not start up again. I try to push off even harder and pick up speed, my injured leg throbbing in protest. I manage to loop around and stampede back toward them. I just managed to get one of them into my mouth crushing it when it happens, I slip on a pool of my own blood. My body flung end over end as I barrel roll into the last of the wolves crushing it under my weight. I lay there under the moonlight as I listen to the clangs that seem to be becoming more sparse in frequency. I let out an extended exhale as I slowly shrunk back to a more manageable size. The cuts are proportional to the size I am so I transform into something tiny, something that doesn''t need as much blood to manage until my body can replenish. That will cause the cuts to be of a smaller size so I need less magic to heal them. I turn into a Jack Russell and my bite wounds become the size of mosquito bites. I can manage that I think. I gather my magic, thankfully it was just an anticoagulant and not a cursed wound. Healing is the only holy magic I can use and I can barely use it on anyone else but myself. Like my teacher taught me, I imagine a needle and thread tying my wounds closed. My method of healing is slower and requires focus. I have very little affinity for holy magic. After a few minutes my wounds are closed, a few more sessions of healing and I might not even have a scar. I''m too drained to worry about that now though. I can only just manage to move enough to aim my body at the battlefield and watch the clash. I watch Andrea as she almost disappears from sight into the darkness only to return bringing her blade down in an arc over Gemma''s rock helmet. Her blade splinters but Gemma''s helmet also slices down the middle too falling off of her like a cracked egg shell. With the better look I can see multiple parts of her armor had been shattered. Andrea looks nearly exhausted; I contemplate trying to stand and help. I move my legs some to see if I can stand but I suddenly hear a growl behind me. I look back to see red eyes staring back at me. Chapter 1 - Captured For several hours Princess Andrea Woodfield fought her sister Princess Gemma Woodfield. Gemma the earth princess was a difficult opponent for Andrea; it was why Andrea decided to challenge her first. She knew that if she waited and Gemma had managed to defeat another sister she could become impossible for Andrea to beat. She also couldn''t afford to let any of her sisters obtain the earth power. That power in anyone''s hands would be dangerous for her. Her blades can cut a lot but calling cutting rock difficult would be a laughable understatement. Since Andrea issued the challenge, Gemma got to pick the setting, and she chose a forest in the afternoon. Perfect territory for an earth magic user like Gemma, surrounded by earth that she can mold and control as she sees fit. They began their confrontation as soon as the sun had set, meeting in a small clearing. The two had focused on each other through out the entirety of their altercation despite the battle in the background between Andrea''s brother Nicholas and some unknown beasts. She was thankful she hadn''t managed to talk him out of joining her. She was thankful that is, right up until the very end. Andrea had managed to finally crack Gemma''s rock armor after hours of beating on it, she had exhausted three blades that she knew no whetstone imaginable would be able to sharpen again. Finally close to ending their fight in her favor she was dismayed when she heard a noise behind her and looked to find a large earth wolf coming out of the brush with a small dog in it''s mouth. "What will you do Andy?" Gemma spat out impishly. "End me or save your pet?" Andrea tightened her grip on the hilt of her sword with the blade resting against the side of Gemma''s jaw. "Even if you plunge your blade into me now the wolf will still destroy him." Gemma hissed with malice in her voice. You take my life and it comes with me she laughed mercilessly. Andrea stood there for a second, staring deep into Gemma''s eyes; observing the hatred in her adoptive sister''s eyes. The heavy weight of her choice bore down on her as she grit her teeth, she might not get a second chance at Gemma. She released an exhale and in three steps she closed t he distance between her and the wolf stabbing into it''s head and catching Nicholas with her foot. She twist the hilt of her blade and it disappears into thin air, then she pulls Nicholas close to her . The reunion is short lived as the earth wolf bloats before exploding with a force great enough to send Andrea flying with Nicholas hugged tight to her body. Later When she awoke hours later, Andrea was surprised to find that her movement was extremely limited. She was in a daze unable to focus on anything in particular and just opening her eyes felt like a struggle. Everything ached but fortunately her wounds had closed'' at least her healing magic was still working which meant she still had her magic power. Her mouth was dry and her throat itched. When she opened and closed her mouth attempting to moisten it she was thankfully treated to a straw sliding between her lips. She didn''t even take the time to be cautious of what the liquid in the cup might be; the water was a gift from the gods slowly rejuvenating her. Her eyes finally fluttered open but her gaze was met with a bright shining light that make her quickly squint. "They''re awake" she heard a soft voice say. Andrea moved her hands around feeling that her wrists were tightly bound by zip ties to a chair. She shook her head from side to side as her dark brown locks covered her face enough to let her open her eyes a little more. She looked down and could see her ankles were free but the feeling hadn''t returned to her legs yet. Fear struck her that she was paralyzed but then her toes began moving despite still not regaining the feeling in them yet. A sigh of relief escape her. She looked from side to side trying to take in what little of her surroundings she could but the light was so bright that the rest of the room was encased in darkness. She closed her eyes again, tried to focus and center herself.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. "Nicky are you there?" she thought trying to communicate to her brother through their telepathic link, but she got no response. That wasn''t good. Was he still alive? Had she failed to save him? Her breathing became ragged. almost to the point of hyper ventilating over the possibility that her brother was now dead until the sound of footsteps brought her back to reality. The footsteps were quiet and deliberate, the person was clearly trying to hide their presence but wasn''t good enough to hide from her. She decided to placate them and play along. "What are you?" she heard a husky but still feminine voice ask from behind her. "What are you talking about?" she said making her voice shake as much as she could in artificial fear. "You heard me, what the hell are you?" The voice shouted, moving to her side. "Female?" She answered unevenly. The voice laughed humorlessly and threateningly; that sent a genuine chill through Andrea''s spine. Although she didn''t feel like she was in danger, she had to admit that this woman was certainly intimidating. "I don''t understand" she said her voice cracking. She cleared her voice before adding "What do you want from me?" She felt a blade slice across the skin of her bare arm. Andrea managed to choke back a yelp as blood began to trickle down her arm. A deep, low, irritated growl escaped from her throat. "Is she growling?" She heard a quiet shake voice whisper from another part of the room. She looked down at her arm and watched as the wound slowly began to close itself. "We found you in a river not too far from here." The female voice spoke up. "We attempted to assist you with medical support but your wounds were recovering on their own." She spat disgustedly. "I want to know why." "Shit" Andrea thought extremely annoyed. The only choice she had left was to try to fight her way out of this. Focusing her magic in her hand she produced a small blade roughly the size of a letter opener. "Thank you for saving me but I don''t know what you want me tell you." she said to cover the sound of her popping the first zip tie. She bent the blade into thin air and made it reappear in her other hand but then heard a boom outside. "That was pretty close Cj, this place might not be secure for long." Another voice said, she remembered it was the soft male''s voice she heard when she first woke up. A groan followed as the female voice returned. "Knock her out. We''ll have to take her with us until we can figure out what the hell she is." "That''ll just slow us down, we need to leave her and be on our way." Another, softer, female voice spoke up. "If she is some kind of enemy weapon then we need to know about what she can do and if there are more of her." The interrogating female shot back. Another boom, this time closer. "We don''t have time to argue about this guys." Another male voice said. Andrea had counted at least five people now. "You''re going to get us killed Cj and for what?" The second female spoke back up. "We''re only going to die if we keep standing here debating. I''m commanding officer and you''ll follow my commands. Now pack her up and let''s get ready to move." The interrogator directed ''Her name must be Cj then'', Andrea thought to herself. Another boom outside, this one close enough to shake the building. The bright light stuttered for a moment and Andrea used the commotion to pop the last zip tie and move. She disappeared into the darkness and fear ripped through the group when they noticed she wasn''t in the seat anymore. "Where the hell did she go?" Cj shouted angrily "We''ve gotta get out of here!" the other female shouted. They packed up their stuff hustling around in the dim lights. Luckily most of their things were still loading in the humvees. "Do we grab the dog?" Andrea heard one of the men ask. She perked up at that. Nicholas may still be alive. "Take him" CJ answered concisely. Chapter 2 - Sacrifice The two humvees traveled down the road when a giant creature with search lights for eyes came bounding out the trees that lined the road. "We''ve got a sentry bot on our six boss." Grayson shouted over the radio. "How Far? Can we outrun it?'' Cj asked. "It''s 12 klicks away but we''re stll at least 25 klicks out from command. We''d have to punch it to stand a chance. It''s trying to close the distance quick." Grayson answered observing the massive beast that had the form of a honey badger with glowing green metallic eyes and a giant spikes tortoise shell on it''s back. It was barely lit in the street lights that lined the road and looked like it was flying toward them with how quickly it moved. Cj contemplated her next move for a brief moment before responding. "We can''t handle a fight with that thing right now. Speed up and let''s try to outrun it." "Commander, I don''t think that''s the best course of action, we need to circumvent it and attack while we still have the lead. If it manages to catch us we won''t have any kind of advantage. A precision strike from the front could take it down or at least slow it down." Sara said beside her. "We''re already running low on ammo, we don''t have the kind of weaponry needed to take down a sentry. Laser weapons won''t work against it''s shielding, the best thing for it is bullets and explosives which we don''t have much of." Cj responded "We still have two missiles left!" Sara shouted. "We do, and if we miss even a single shot then we''re screwed. That thing ups its threat level and we''re definitely not getting out of this alive." Cj shot back. "Right now it''s just on incapacitate but if we attack it''ll go into kill mode." Sara didn''t respond, just sat back in her seat in growing annoyance. Cj ignored her and focused on the road ahead. "Commander, we''re coming onto the loop. I''m not sure we can take it at full speed without tipping." Carter said from behind the wheel. "Can you pull anything off?" Cj asked. "If not, play it safe." "I''ll see what I can do but I''m not sure Ryan will be able to follow." "They can handle it. Go!" The humvee rolled to the edge of the road adn the left 2 wheels hitched up onto the concrete railing. The force of their speed barely keeping them level and everyone in the humvee leaned lightly to the right to try to balance the weight without rolling it. It managd to take the ramp and webt back onto four wheels. A sigh of relief half escaped Cj before it caught in her throat as she looked back just in time to see the sentry bot barrel into the other humvee shell first nearly tearing straight through the middle of it. They both go rolling through the concrete rail into the forest. Cj found herself breathless and in a panic. "Grayson?" she asked over her radio. No response. "Grayson come in!" she shouted. Static. "Fuck!" she repeatedly yelled while beating the door of the humvee. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. "Happy now Commander?" Sara asked her eyes drowned in unshed tears. Cj was tempted to stare daggers her way but guilt caused her to avoid her gaze. She wasn''t able to live with her guilt for long though as the sentry had returned to the road. "Commander, we''re in trouble. The sentry bot is back and we''re still klicks out," Jason said from the front passenger seat. "What''s your next move commander" Sara spat. No response; instead Cj checks her guns. "Everyone fill up your mags and give me whatever extra ammo you have." She reached in the back and takes the missiles and the missile launcher. "What are you doing?" Sara asked suspiciously; Cj didn''t bother to respond. The humvee approached the offramp. "Slow down." Cj said "What?" Carter askd confused "Slow down!" Cj shouted louder. The humvee breaks speed and takes the offramp at a more a mangeable speed than the onramp. At the beginning of the turn Cj pushed the door open wide. "What are you doing?" Sara yells over the sound of the wind from the open door. Instead of answering, at the arc of the turn CJ leaped from the humvee rolling into the brush below and sliding onto a knee, aiming her gun at the sentryand taking fire. The sentry bot''s eyes turned from green to red. "Keep going, I''m going to lure it away. Get back to command. I''ll radio if I manage to escape. Be safe." Cj said into her radio. "Commander." Sara said pausing before continuinung. "Be Safe." Cj began to run, the sentry bot loaded its guns and opened fire just barely missing Cj as she dove behind a large boulder. She waited for the guns to click empty and slipped out to aim the rocket launcher. She fired and just managed to get the sentry bot in its right eye causing it to explode and pieces of it to shatter. "Hell yeah!" she shouted before diving back behind the boulder under another cascade of gunfire. The sentry bot tried to flank her running to her right side but she had already moved and left it a little suprise. The moment it moved to the behind the rock she triggered the c-4. The blast wave was strong enough to knock her off her feet sending her flying into a tree. The sentry bot was hindered for only a moment as it walked up to Cjm not wanting to waste its bullets, watching her every move. Cj shook off the daze and scrambled to prepare her rocket launcher load it and attempting to aim it. Her arms were heavy, her hands shook and her heart raced. The glowing red eyes bot bored through her. SHe couldn''t catch her breath, so she decided to stop breathing. It helped, her body stilled enough for her to feel confident enough to squeeze the trigger. With heavy recoil the rocket flew through the air, only for the sentry bot to move itself to block it with the tortoise shell. The explosion was huge and force of the blast wave made Cj delirious. When her head stopped spinning, she realized that beisdes a black burn spot on its shell, the rocket seemed to do absolutely nothing. That''s when it set in. I''m going to die she thought. No. No I''m not She looked around for her gun and when she found it on the ground she quickly aimed it at the damaged right eye of the sentry bot. She fired elicitiing sparks and increasing the damage to it but the sentry shrugged it off and continued stalking toward her teeth bared. Click! "Shit!" Cj swore, throwing her now empty weapon to the side. She pressed a button on her palm a small detonator popped out of her sleeve. She took the detonator in her hand and let out a long exasperated sigh. Last resort. She thought to herself. I''ll see you soon, Gray "Come on you son of a bitch! If I"m going, you''re coming with me!" she shouted. If she didn''t know better, she''d think the damned beast was laughing at her. She smiled at it maniacally, her finger circling the detonator button. Suddenly the sentry bot stopped in its tracks. A claw rose to scratch at the hole where its right eye used to be. Then came an explosion that knocked it on its side a fume of smoke rising out of it''s eye socket. It was dark and extremely hard to see; Cj could just barely make out flashes of light. Then another explosion rang out and fire illuminated the night. Chapter 3 - Reunion Cj observed as Andrea stood up, pulling her blade out of the sentinel¡¯s head. She flicked the blade, a black residue flying off of it before turning to Cj on the ground. Cj watched as Andrea began taking steps toward her illuminated by the flames in the background. She noted how tall Andrea seemed, she was at least 6 foot but her imposing nature made her seem even taller; definitely dwarfing Cj¡¯s modest 5¡¯4 frame. She also noticed how regally Andrea walked, her body perfectly straight and every step brimming with deliberateness and purpose. The around her quivered and everything about Andrea was intimidating in that moment. She was inches away and her hand was reaching out to Cj, dumbfounded Cj could only stare blankly. Andrea waggled her hand impatiently and Cj snapped back to reality. She balled her hand into a fist and jabbed her nails into her palm to stop her body from shaking. Andrea had just saved her life right? Could she trust the hand that was outstretched to her? Cj asked herself. She decided to take a leap and took Andrea¡¯s hand into her own and was soon hoisted up to her feet. Less than a foot away from a softly smiling Andrea, Cj¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t escape hers. The smile didn¡¯t reach her eyes at all as they were alarmingly intense and Cj found she was transfixed. Cj finally let out a breath she didn¡¯t know she was holding as she realized their hands were still clasped tightly together; she couldn¡¯t help but feel how callused yet soft Andrea¡¯s hand was, a radical difference from her own roughly callused hands. When she finally realized they¡¯d been gripping hands for way too long she went to pull her hand away only to have Andrea pull back and quickly wrap her up into a submission hold with her blade resting against Cj¡¯s cheek so close that any movement would cause blood to spill. ¡°Where is my dog?¡± Andrea growled low into Cj¡¯s ear. Cj couldn¡¯t focus her thoughts with the suddenness of the move. The feeling of danger had sent her senses into overdrive. She felt everything from the heat and curves of Andrea¡¯s body on her back to the heat of the flames from what was left of the sentinel tickling her face. She was sweating and her heart was racing, she could barely hear what Andrea had asked over the sound of her own heart beating and the ringing in her ears. She felt like she may vomit but it couldn¡¯t get back the ball in her throat. ¡°I¡¯m not going to ask you a third time. Where. The Hell. Is My Dog?¡± Andrea asked again with emphasis sending a chill down Cj¡¯s spine. ¡°He was with our medic. The truck he was in was hit. Probably destroyed.¡± Cj finally managed to choke out. She heard her own voice echo in her head; she hated the shakiness of it and hated herself for her own sudden weakness. She was a soldier; she¡¯d faced down certain death on multiple occasions and never batted an eye. What was it about this woman that had her so terrified? She couldn¡¯t even bring herself to try to fight against the woman¡¯s grasp; she had completely submitted to the woman in an instant. She didn¡¯t like this feeling at all. Suddenly Cj felt Andrea¡¯s hold on her begin to lax and she manage to regain her senses enough to push away from the woman. What she found surprised her as Andrea had fallen to her knees in despair. The woman that had just put a fear in Cj that she had never experienced before now had silent tears falling from her eyes. Cj didn¡¯t know how to react. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Escaped Cj¡¯s lips before she could think better of it. No response. Andrea just stood up, composed herself and began to walk away into the darkness of the woods. Cj contemplated moving to stop her when a voice came through her radio. ¡°Boss, you there? Can you hear me? She heard Grayson say. "Grayson? You¡¯re alive? Are you ok?¡± she answered quickly softening. ¡°Yeah boss, quite the story.¡± Cj let out an audible sigh of relief. ¡°There¡¯s something you may want to see. Where are you?¡± Grayson asked. ¡°Hey you, your dog. He was in the truck with Grayson. He may still be with him.¡± Cj said to Andrea. ????- Cj and Andrea walked through the forest until they noticed a bright light in the distance. It was past 10, there was no way it was the sun. They walked toward it and, as they got closer, noticed it was a bright golden dome. Andrea quickly moved up to it and went to reach for it.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°Be careful!¡± Cj and Grayson shouted simultaneously from opposite sides of the dome. ¡°Something else tried touching it and I¡¯m not exactly sure what happened but I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s dead now.¡± Grayson said sardonically. ¡°What is this thing?¡± CJ asked. ¡°Not sure, we just know the moment before the truck exploded it began to expand from the dog.¡± Cj looked over and realized that Andrea had already laid both palms against the dome. She hustled toward her. ¡°How are you not getting hurt by it?¡± Cj asked ¡°He doesn¡¯t see me as a threat.¡± Andrea answered. ¡°What the hell are you talking about?¡± Andrea ignored her and began to call out to Nicholas. ¡°Nicky! Nicky I¡¯m here. You gotta let me in buddy. It¡¯s safe now.¡± At that the exploded into billions of shiny lights and dissipated. Tentatively Andrea took steps forward looking around for Nicholas. Grayson grabbed Cj up in a tight hug at the reunion. ¡°Where¡¯s everyone else?¡± Cj asked never breaking their hold. ¡°I was right next to the dog so I was fine but the others got hit. Nothing fatal but they¡¯re bandaged up and lying over by what¡¯s left of the humvee.¡± He answers pulling away to show her. ¡°I was hoping it would hide our heat signatures from the sentinel. Luckily the dome ripped through the truck as well separating it before anything really caught fire.¡± ¡°You said that it came from the dog? How?¡± ¡°Honestly, that¡¯s not even the weirdest thing the dog has done.¡± ¡°What? What¡¯s weirder than a golden dome?¡± As if on cue the two heard a dog¡¯s whine. ¡°Nicky!¡± Andrea exclaimed. She was down on one knee with her arms open as a German Sheppard came limping toward her. It moved into her arms and let her wrap her arms around it then places a small reassuring lick on her cheek. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re safe too bro.¡± ¡°Where the hell did that dog come from?¡± Cj asked startled. ¡°That¡¯s the Jack Russell. Somehow it turned into a German Sheppard.¡± Grayson answered blankly, crossing his arms. ¡°I¡¯m so confused.¡± After a silent moment passed Grayson spoke. ¡°It¡¯s just the two of us, but if you want we can still try to take them.¡± Andrea overheard but just sat there quietly holding Nicholas and calmly running her hands through his fur, lightly fingering his stitches. ¡°After what she did to the sentry bot, I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯d be a waste of time.¡± Cj answered standing with her arms firmly crossed over her chest mirroring Grayson. ¡°She fought one?¡± ¡°Not just fought it. She killed it.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Alone, with a sword.¡± ¡°You¡¯re kidding.¡± ¡°God, do I wish I was.¡± Cj said humorlessly ¡°Can we trust her?¡± Grayson asked hesitantly. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m kind of scared not to, but I know we can¡¯t just yet. We need answers.¡± ¡°Something tells me she¡¯s not on either side.¡± ¡°Same, but that might make her even more dangerous.¡± Cj sighed visibly exhausted. ¡°What¡¯s the next move then boss? Are Sara and the others ok?¡± Grayson asks fearful of the answers. ¡°She¡¯s fine Gray, they¡¯re all probably fine. I had them leave me behind so I could try to delay the sentry.¡± ¡°Are you crazy?¡± He said grabbing her in another hug. ¡°What would we have done if we lost you?¡± ¡°I thought I had already lost half my team Gray, I wasn¡¯t going to lose the rest of them.¡± Cj answered muffled under Grayson¡¯s chest. Grayson moved her to arms length. ¡°Don¡¯t do anything stupid boss. This is war, casualties are unavoidable. I¡¯m not in any rush to die but you¡¯re more important to this fight than I am and you know it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m no more important than anyone else; if anyone has to lay their life down for the mission it¡¯ll be me.¡± Cj shot back resolutely. They held their intense unblinking eye contact as if wordlessly fighting for dominance. ¡°You guys should be safe here for now.¡± Andrea said getting to her feet and brushing herself off. ¡°What?¡± Cj asked breaking the eye contact. Grayson chuckled quietly but triumphantly, he was rewarded with a quick elbow to the stomach. ¡°The sentry bot for the sector was destroyed in this general location. They¡¯ll assume that you¡¯re going to keep moving into a different sector, not that you¡¯re going to stay in the same location; especially if you have another vehicle out there continuing. We¡¯re basically in the eye of the hurricane right now. They¡¯ll be searching the continuing streets. The only reason you¡¯d stay here is if you¡¯re dead, in that case, there would be no reason to continue looking for you. It¡¯d be best if you set up came near here. I can help you with the wounded.¡± ¡°That makes a strange amount of sense boss. I¡¯d have to agree. These sentries are automated; they won¡¯t be checking this area right now. We should be fine until morning.¡± Grayson said hints of enthusiasm in his voice. ¡°Fine. Radio the others if you can and let them know we¡¯re going to be staying here for the night and see if they can loop back for us in the morning; take only back roads.¡± ¡°It¡¯s best to move on foot if possible, with the group you have. The more bodies and tech the more attention it¡¯ll bring. Use the tree lines to help cover your movement. Wait until day when you can see, the dark doesn¡¯t bother the sentries. You¡¯re the only one who will have any disadvantage in the low light.¡± ¡°How do you know so much about these sentry bots?¡± Cj asked suspiciously hints of irritation growing in her voice from taking orders from a stranger. ¡°Well, I was part of the team that designed them.¡± Chapter 4 - History "Pull them close to me and line them up in a circle." Andrea commanded. Rather than waste time questioning her, Cj and Grayson went ahead and quickly complied with her commands, dragging their mate''s sleeping mats into a circle around Andrea. "Are either of you hurt?" Andrea asked. "No." They answered in unison. "Then stand back." She insisted steadly, more of a suggestion than a command. They complied again taking several steps back. Andrea dropped into a bow, her left leg crossing behind the right and bending at the waist. "Luna, your majesty. Goddess of the Night Sky. I call to you." She beckoned. A quiet moment passed beyond the usual night sounds. "Is she talking to the moon?" Grayson whispered. "I''m not sure, looks like it." Cj whispered an answer. "She''s a crazy person." "Looks like it." Andrea raised her head to face the moon "I ask that you heed my cries." Andrea continued. Cj and Grayson continued to look on in confusion until they noticed that the moon seemed to get brighter in the sky. "Greetings your majesty. Please bathe these injured souls in your glorious light and heal their wounds. The night is your dominion and it is through your honor and grace that we prosper." Suddenly a spotlight fell upon Andrea and grew until it encompassed the group''s circle. The light was originating directly from the moon and Cj could see small specks of light dancing around the group. Cj stuck her hand out to touch one of the specks. It felt warm and the scratches on her hand began to fade.Then the moonlight faded, leaving only the small specks until they disipated as well. Andrea smiled up at the moon. "Thank you, your highness. We are truly not worthy of your kindness." She regarded Cj and Grayson. "They should be fine now; she didn''t heal them automatically, just sped up their own natural healing. Luckily hers is more powerful than my own. I''d have to reset any bones first if I healed them." They just stood there, mouths agape in a mixture of confusion and wonder. "What?" She asked, barely being able to maintain a straight face before breaking out into a fit of laughter. "What the hell was that?" Cj shouted, finally finding her voice. "I can tell you, but you actually won''t believe me. Even though you''ve just it in with your own eyes three times already." Andrea answered matter of factly, "You guys never do." "Try me." Cj shot back. "It''s magic." Andrea stated, her voice completely devoid of emotion, hoping to express how unjokingly she was saying it. "Bullshit." "Told you." "Magic doesn''t exist. "You''ve been witness to magic three times already and you would still say that? Don''t have to trust me but you wouldn''t trust your own eyes?" "I''m sure you''re just using some kind of tech." Cj speculated. "Yeah, alright. You can feel free to believe what you want. I''m not Santa Claus it doesn''t really matter if you belive in magic." Andrea dismissed. "I believe it." All three of the turned to find the voice it came from. Jacob attempted to bring himself to a seated position. "Also, could you just be a little quieter? My head is pounding." A smile grew on Cj and Grayson''s faces. "Just your head huh?" Jackie said next to him. "Lucky. Everything in me hurts. Somebody come help me sit up." Grayson moved toward her and slowly helped her up. "Am I dead? If not I''d really like to be." Ryan said across the circle from Jackie. "Shut up Ryan. I''m in no way ready to die." Enid said next to him, pushing herself up and pulling the bandage off of her head. Grayson moved toward her and knelt down touching her head as he got close. "Hey doc, some personal space please?" "The Gash in your head; it''s closing." Grayson pointed out in disbelief. "Magic, man. The girls got some serious hoodoo going on." Jacob wriggled his fingers mystically. "Shut up idiot." Jackie said punching her twin brother in the arm. "Ow, dude. You trying to rebreak my arm or something?" Jacob complained, holding his arm and sliding away from his twin. "Where''s Melissa?" Joey panicked from inbetween Jackie and Ryan in the circle. She turned her head and her eyes met Grayson''s. "Is she ok?" Grayson went to the torn up wreckage of the humvee and searched through it pulling out a large gun. He hustled back over to Joey who had her arms opened wide beckoning him, eyes watering. He handed the gun over and she planted kiss after kiss on it. "Hey baby! I thought I lost you." "Don''t be jealous boo. You know me and Melissa have history. Got me through over 15 of these missions and never once Jammed. I keep her clean and she keeps me alive. Don''t you darlin." The group didn''t realize Andrea had left them, but as the moonlight that illuminated them began to wein, she returned with a budle of firewood under one arm and carrying a large log on her other shoulder. More than a log, it seemed to be a complete downed tree. The group watched her approach in slight awe. It would take at least three of them to carry that log and she seemed to be carrying it with ease. She dropped the bundle on the ground and then stood the log up. An axe formed in midair as she waved her hand out and she grabbed it''s handle. In three whacks the log was cleaved in half. Two more whacks to each half down the middle split them, then she shaved down the outside. She put the quarters down in a squarel; then, in the middle of the square, she prepared the firewood and lit them. She took a seat on one of the log quarters warming herself near the fire. Nicholas hopped up on the log next to her and cuddled up beside her. Cj and Grayson looked at each other, then looked around the circle and found the others were looking at them too. Wordlessly, they all nooded to each other in agreement. Cj and Grayson helped the ones that couldn''t walk on their own and those who could went and took a seat on the logs near the fire. Grayson got some provisions from the truck wreckage and passed them around. They sat quietly, uneasily; the air thick with tension, each finding it hard to eat with the uncomfortable knotss growing in their stomachs. "You guys seem very close." Andrea commented, attempting to break the tension. "Have you all been a team for very long?" "Most of us grew up together." Jackie said. Cj started, "All we''ve ever known is this war, it has a way of bringing you together with people near you. Eventually Grayson, Joey, Jackie, Jacob and I were put in a unit together for stealth missions." "Worst times of my life. Barely ever got to shoot Melissa." Joey interrupted.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Cj continued, "Then we teamed up with Sarah''s team, the team that was in the other humvee, for a mission and we worked well together. That team merged with this one." "Enid and I requested to join a couple years back, they had lost a few good people and there was an opening. We had heard a lot about their missions and how much good they were doing. We really wanted to be a part of it." Ryan elaborated. "That''s amazing. I apologize for the casualties you''ve had. I know how rough that is. I''ve seen my fair share of war and loss. It never gets easier to deal with; fighting and not sure you''re helping at all." Andrea paused. " There always seems to be another battle." She continued barely able to mask the dejection in her voice before taking a swig of a flask she pulled out of her jacket. "That brings up a question I''ve wanted to ask for a while." Cj spoke up. "What''s that? Andrea asked. "What side are you on in this war? You fought the sentinel but you also say you helped build it. I sent a picture of you to command and they didn''t find your information anywhere in the database. That means you''re not an American soldier, or a soldier of any other known country. You''re strong and somehow you survived fighting a sentinel with a sword when we''ve had trouble killing one with guns. Are you some kind of Canadian weapon?" Cj asked. She tried to make it as conversational as possible as not to seem like she was interrogating her but Andrea still felt Cj''s eyes boring through her. "That''s a hard thing to explain." Nicholas perked up at this and stared directly at Andrea, she met his gaze. "Don''t Anne." He communicated. "I think it''d be ok to talk about it." Andrea reached her hand into the fire pit and picked up some of the ashes, the rest of the group stared on in confusion. She picked up some of the sawdust on the ground and mixed it up with the ash in her hand. After shaking the mixture up in her hands, she blew the mixture into the fire. The mixture began to dance into the fire and then the ash took the shape of a small planet and slowly spun on its axis. " My name is Andrea Woodfield, I was born in the Kingdom of Astoria, on a planet very similar but different than your own." Andrea spoke, as she spoke the the sawdust spelled out the word Astoria over the location of the country. "You''re an alien?" Ryan asked. "Technically." Andrea answered concisely. "From what planet?" Grayson asked. "Earth. We call ourselves humans also. Our planet is shaped exactly like yours. We''re just in a different dimension." Andrea answered. "So not only are there other planets with life but there are other dimensions as well?" Enid inquired. "I can confirm there are at least 2." Andrea answered with a small chuckle. The rest probably would laugh along if they weren''t stuck in astonishment. "But why are you here?" Cj finally spoke. "That is a little more complicated. In order to answer that I''d need to start at the beginning." Andrea said, a sharp quiet growl escaped Nicholas and Andrea scratched behind the ear to pacify him. "Also, what''s with the dog?" Jackie asked. Ignoring the question Andrea started, "Astoria is a matrilineal kingdom so the queen holds almost absolute power." "Yeah, that''s the stuff. Joey said in a satisfied tone. "Queen Arabella Woodfield II is the current queen of Astoria." Andrea continued the ash taking the shape of a woman the sawdust making an intricate dress design. "30 years ago Astoria was at war with a neighboring country." The ash took the shape of soldiers and infantry fighting against each other with sawdust swords and bows. "I don''t really remember the name of it, it was before I was born obviously, and anyway Astoria managed to win that war." The sawdust took the shape of a small hill; the ash took the shape of a man with a sawdust sword raised in the air. "William Mare was hailed as the most powerful warrior in all of Astoria. He was loved by all, which included the queen." The ash formed the woman in the sawdust dress coming up behind the man. "After her husband was mysteriously murdered she decided she would take William as her husband. There was only one problem though." The ash formed the man with another woman and a small child. "William was already married to Charlotte and had an adoptive son Nicholas. He had a family with whom he lived modestly as a simple farmer. He wasn''t of noble birth and he didn''t have any special training. He wouldn''t have even fought in the war if he hadn''t been drafted; but he was and he did. The queen being the queen decided to annul their marriage and take him as her king." The ash shaped into soldiers taking the man away from the mother and child and bringing him to the queen. He then had a sawdust crown placed on his head. ¡°He became William Woodfield, but in his heart Charlotte was still his wife.¡± The ash took the form of the man and the mother and showed them lying together as man and wife. ¡°Out of wedlock a baby girl was born.¡± The ash took the shape of the man and the mother as they looked down on a baby in a sawdust crib. ¡°William and Charlotte decided to try to hide the child but they weren¡¯t so lucky.¡± The ash took the form of guards taking the man and the child away from the mother on her knees crying. ¡°When the child turned 9 she was discovered by Queen Arabella and she was quickly adopted by the queen as a princess candidate and Charlotte was forced to become a servant in Woodfield castle. Nicholas, 17 at the time was enlisted in the army. Queen Arabella worked Charlotte to the bone, making her pay for her transgression while never allowing her to see her daughter.¡± Andrea¡¯s voice cracked, her eyes welled but she fought back the pain to continue, Nicholas whined softly out of a mixture of concern and sadness. Out of respect none of the others looked away and watched as the story continued. The ash formed the mother cleaning with a sawdust broom, then carrying saw dust linen, as she passed by the young girl. ¡°But Charlotte endured just to be able to see her daughter in passing every once in a while. She would leave small handmade gifts in her daughter¡¯s room on her birthday." "She kept surviving for her daughter and there was nothing William could do to stop her hardships. Finally she was pushed past the point of exhaustion and took ill, her illness eventually claimed her life. Her daughter wasn¡¯t even allowed to see her before she was buried.¡± The ash took the form of the mother sick in a sawdust bed. ¡°The queen had finally won, but that wasn¡¯t enough for her. She ordered Charlottes heirs killed so all memory of the woman would be erased. However, William had heard her decree and decided to do save his daughter and son, the two 16 and 24 respectively. He decided to send them to away, but he knew there was no place on Earth they¡¯d be safe, not on their Earth at least. The only way he could save them was to send them to another Earth with a one way ticket.¡± The ash took the form of princesses fighting each other with sawdust weapons. ¡°Astoria has an important tradition, upon the queen¡¯s decline in health or sudden death, the daughters of the queen will be sent to a far away land to do battle for the right to rule Astoria as the next queen. Upon becoming a princess candidate each princess is given a piece of the queen¡¯s medallion, the princesses will fight and bring together all the pieces of the medallion then they will win the ability to return home.¡± The ash took the form of the daughter and son huddled together while the father has his arms raised high in the arm. ¡°Your Earth doesn¡¯t naturally have magical reservoirs like mine so anyone who was sent here would have no way to get back, it would essentially be a kamikaze mission. William used a complicated dimensional magic spell to send his children to the one place no one could follow them, this Earth in the year 1920.¡± ¡°1920?¡± Grayson asked. ¡°That¡¯s over 200 years ago.¡± Jackie added. ¡°Indeed.¡± Andrea answered. ¡°But how are you still alive?¡± Enid asked hesitantly. Andrea pulled up her sleeve and showed them a watch. ¡°You may have noticed when you checked me that this watch has the wrong time and date. Well this watch is synched with time in Astoria. Only 10 years has passed in Astoria, but I¡¯ve lived in your world for over 200 of your years. My medallion piece not only allows me to continue using the magic from Astoria but keeps my body tethered to that dimension so I don¡¯t age the same way you do. It works so that Astoria doesn¡¯t have to go too long without a ruler.¡± ¡°So your brother then, he must have passed away by now.¡± Enid said solemnly. ¡°Nope. He¡¯s always right beside me.¡± Andrea said cheerfully rubbing Nicholas¡¯ belly. ¡°The dog?¡± Cj asked skeptically. ¡°Oh God, she is crazy.¡± Ryan whispered to Grayson. ¡°Charlotte, our mother was a part of a race of subhumans called beastmen. It¡¯s like animals that have evolved in a different direction than humans. Where we came from primates they came from lions or bears. Charlotte was of a lower race, a mutt by most standards. A mixture of feral cats, wolves and other animals had diluted her bloodline, and then she was half human as well. She didn¡¯t even have a last name. Nicholas¡¯ father was a pureblood noble, while my father was purely human, so while I¡¯m only 25% and have to deal with a little extra body hair sometimes, he is 75% and stuck as a dog.¡± ¡°Wow. That explains the magic then.¡± Grayson said in awe. ¡°But if you need your medallion piece to use magic then why can he even though he doesn¡¯t have one?¡± Cj asked. "He does have a medallion piece. Our father split my medallion piece into two. I got the sword and he has the claw. It''s part of why we''re linked to each other. " "That''s insane." Jacob said. "So, he''s a dog." "Yeah, well he can transform obviously, but only in different sizes and breeds of dog." "But why a dog?" "Our magic is limited in your dimension. The magic here is extremely weakened. I had to contact Queen Luna just to heal you all." "I''m still curious, what side are you on?" Cj interrogated again. Andrea breathed out a sigh. "Honestly, neither side. I don''t really care how this war ends. I''ve seen a lot of wars and this one is especially problematic. You''re two adjoining nations attempting to fight. It''s nothing short of chaos and it''s also not my problem. I''m here to do three things." She said holding up one finger. "Find my sisters." She ticked off the finger and made a fist as she continued, "Kill my sisters." Then opened her hand. "Then we go home." Andrea stood up, Cj just watched with her jaw clenched tightly. "Sorry if that''s not the answer you''re looking for but that''s the only answer I''ve got for you. Tomorrow, we get you guys back to your base and then we go our seperate ways." Chapter 5 - Altercation Andrea and Cj''s team eased through the heavy forest. Their guns were on the ready, heads on swivels. Andrea used her sword to cut them a path taking the lead with Cj close behind her navigating their way. Grayson eased up behind Cj. "Boss, I feel for her story but are you sure it''s a good idea to take her to command?" He asked her. "I don''t know but I feel like she''s trustworthy and we could help each other. She needs info to get to her sisters and we need help winning this war. She knows a lot about the Canadian army. She helped them get to the superiority they currently hold. I think she can be of more help than we can even imagine right now." "I hope you''re right Boss." "Well, if I''m wrong, I doubt I''ll live very long to regret it." "Jeez, that was dark." Joey said slogging through the grassy area behind the two. "You two talking about the Xena?" "Xena?" Grayson asked. "Yeah, Warrior princess. It''s one of those old classics. My dad has the DVDs, we used to watch them." "Good lord, when was the last time anyone used a DVD?" Cj asked, bursting out into laughter. "Well I like DVDs. A lot of the old stuff got lost in the transition to digichip. Blu rays are cool too." "Blu rays are a little more understandable, though not by much. I wonder how much that collection would be worth." Grayson said "Probably a good amount if. ." Cj started but stopped quiet when Andrea suddenly stopped before her. Andrea had her fist held up to let them know to freeze. She signaled seven hostiles and two vehicles. Cj turned to the rest of the group and signaled for the group to split into 2. She motioned for them to check their ammunition to make sure they were fully loaded and for Grayson to stay behind as he was carrying their supplies. Interrupting Cj, Andrea nudged her and motioned that she would be taking up the front as a distraction. Cj shook her head and told her they travel as a group. Andrea shook her head and motioned that the two groups were to flank the hostiles from the sides while waiting for her signal, she would take the front to draw their attention. She stood up and moved to deny Cj any further argument; Cj quietly growled her disdain and confirmed the group¡¯s new orders. Andrea walked forward and hid herself just out of the line of sight from the hostiles ahead, Nicholas quietly perched beside her. "Let me know when they''re in position Nicky." Andrea communicated "What''s the plan here?" Nicholas asked. "Can you hear anything? What are they saying?" Andrea asked back. "Sounds like French, talking about being bored and waiting out here forever." "Must be an interception squad to stop any caravans passing through the side roads. Make sense. French Canadian huh? That should be fun. How about vagabond and wounded dog?" "Stay a German Sheppard or change?" "It''s fine, they shouldn''t be too threatened by you, and if they are you''ll need to be in a form best to fight back." Andrea said while pulling a long brown cloth seemingly from thin air and wrapping it around her. ¡°They''re in position." "You sure there''s only seven?" "I can never be absolutely sure but there''s three in the vehicles and and the other four are standing outside. They''re loaded up so whatever you''re going to do, be careful." "Ok go ahead. Play it up for the audience." Nicholas limped his way out of the brush and whined. The four around the car went weapons ready and moved to see what the disturbance was while the the three in the cars moved to get out. Nicholas fell to the side onto the ground. "Aides-moi, s''il vous plait. Aide mon chien." Andrea said bustling out of the brush pleading profusely for the Canadian soldiers to help while moving to hold Nicholas. Confused the soldiers just stood staring at her for a moment. "Qui es tu?" One soldier shouted aiming his weapon at her. "Monsieur, je ne suis personne. Juste une pauvre femme dont le chien a ete attaque par un mal americain." Andrea answered. The soldiers were still hesitant but one stepped forward and kneeled to check Nicholas, then ordered another one to get the first aid kit. "Merci bon monsieur" Andrea thanked him. The air seemed to calm as the soldiers moved to the back to watch the situation, curiosity getting the better of them. "I don''t like this boss, you sure we can trust her." Grayson whispered. "Hush, just keep your aim trained on the six in the back. I''m going to move forward to get a better shot on the one still in the truck." Cj said shifting her position forward and creeping slowly out into the open. The soldier still in the car turned her head noticing something moving in her periphery but suddenly Nicholas howled loudly drawing her attention away. Suddenly things got loud when Nicholas'' teeth lodged into the arm of the soldier. Andrea threw four long knives into the hands of the soldiers closest soldiers causing them to drop their guns. Cj knocked out the female soldier in the vehicle with the butt of her gun and went up behind the final soldier with her rifle pointed at the back of his head. "Drop it." She growled. "All of you, move away from your weapons." She barked to the rest of the group. They held their hands up clutching their injured hands. The rest of the group came from the trees and secured the weapons and tied up the soldiers. Grayson bandaged their wounds and they were stacked uncomfortably in the back of their vehicles. "That was extremely dangerous." CJ said to Andrea "If you guys had taken them you would have killed them instantly, or they would have killed you. This way, no one dies. Also who knows if there were only actually 7. Getting close and taking a minute to observe them would have let me know if someone else was watching for afar. They didn''t signal anyone to let them know there wasn''t any reason to worry." Andrea answered matter of factly. Cj just stood there for a minute, not knowing what to say. "I''ve been at this a long time. I know you''re used to being in charge and don''t particularly like taking orders but sometimes you have to know when to take a back seat." Andrea continued before walking away.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! "Well, fuck me then." Cj said letting out a sigh of exasperation, completely unable to argue. She motioned for them to load up and get ready to go. The Canadian vehicles seemed to be well stocked with enough rations for at least four days and a lot of ammo. The groups decided to take the vehicles and their captives along with them for the rest of the trip. Canadian trucks wouldn''t set off the sensors for the sentry bots so they could travel seemingly unhindered. @@@@@@@ A couple of hours later they two vehicles were pulling up to the doors of the walled city of Kingston, New York. Most of New York and the other border states between the U.S> and Canada had become occupied by Canadian forces. Nearly all the major cities were under Canadian occupation and renamed, early in the war. Certain cities were able to build walls and borders that became military strongholds. These borders grew higher and higher until they were completely defensible, the walled city of Kingston had spread out to encompass almost its surrounding cities including Poughkeepsie and Saugerties. The cities were too close for to the border for too much heavy weaponry to be used against it. The walls had grown to be over 300 feet tall and took over 60 years to build. The group pulled up to the gate and Cj stepped out. A small outpost sat outside of the gates of the city and two armed soldiers one young but large and the other much older but still fit clambered out guns at the ready for the assumed Canadian opposition. "Clark. Sam. Stand down, it''s only us. Team 7" Cj said hands raised in the air. "We managed to snag a couple of armored trucks from some Frogs a couple klicks away. They were waiting to ambush us on the main road." She continued. "Did you take out their lojacks?" Clark, the younger of the two, asked lowering his gun. "Yeah, we had to keep them up to keep the sentries off of us but we circled around a few times before we got here and took them out about six klicks west." "Safe word?" Sam the grizzled elder asked, keeping his weapon trained on the trucks. "Pastel." Cj said then held her right fist up tapped two fingers to the back of her hand before running her thumb against her knuckles. Satisfied Sam relaxed, and Clark pulled Cj into a big hug. "Ugh, you know I hate when you do that." Cj said with exasperation when Clark let her go. "Well, ever since you became a big shot I never get to see you anymore cousin." Clark said a large smile on his face. "Yeah, yeah. I miss you too." She answered slugging him in the arm. "Now you gonna let me in or not?" "Yeah kid, no problem." Sam answered her. "Open the gates, the rest of team 7 is back." Sam said into his earpiece. "You know Unc is pissed right?" Clark said his smile wavering. "When isn''t he?" Cj said walking away from the two to get back into the truck as the mechanisms in the gate began to separate the two halves horizontally to grant them entry. "Take the trucks straight to the depot of Ulster Ave, they''re going to want to make sure there''s no extra tracking software on them." Sam shouted to them as they drove into the city. Cj just put a thumbs up out of the window. With the size of the city the group still had another 30 minute drive just to get into Kingston proper. When they finally made it onto Ulster Ave and pulled into the vehicle depot that used to be a mechanic shop they were more than a little exhausted, stiff and tired of riding around. They handed the keys over to the depot workers and handed their pow''s to armed guard before the group split up. "We''re gonna head home." Ryan said before he and Enid walked off toward their house. "Don''t forget to fill out your combat forms this time guys. You know they want them in by the end of the next day while it''s still fresh." Grayson said. "I think we''re going to get going too." Joey said before she Jacob and Jackie went toward their apartments. "You know they''re just trying to escape before we go see the general." Cj said. "Of course, they''re terrified of him." "Can''t say I blame them." "Oh well might as well prepare to face the firing squad. Come on boss." Grayson said taking her hand in his and dragging her along, Andrea and Nicholas taking up their rear. "They don''t seem to like this general person, you sure we shouldn''t just leave?" Nicholas asked. "We need supplies and information. Also, a bed might be nice for a night." "Man, when''s the last time we slept in a bed." Nicholas said with a small chuckle. "Tell me about it. I really should add one to my inventory. Maybe should think about getting that RV." "Would that fit in your inventory? That''d be a lot harder to explain when you pull a whole RV out of nowhere." Andrea laughed; Grayson and Cj looked back at her in confusion but brushed it off. They made their way through the city to a large building full of soldiers in service uniforms coming and going. They get to the entry metal detectors and find two security guards sitting on either side of them. Andrea notices that one of them is a hardened female soldier who looks like she takes her job way too seriously and the other is a fresh faced young private who seems like he''d rather be anywhere but there. She has to resist a desire to laugh at the fact that his gun seems too big for him, then a pang of hurt from the memories of so many young soldiers just like him she''s seen over the years. She could only hope he didn''t end up meeting the same fate. Cj and Grayson empty their pockets completely and drop all their items in the supplied buckets. They take their gloves off and slide their rings off of their fingers. Andrea notices that they both have matching rings that they put in a bucket and a smile crosses her face. They both walk through and the detector doesn''t make a sound. Then it''s Andrea''s turn, she takes off her watch and prepares to walk through when Cj stops her. "Hold on, she''s with us, she should be fine." Cj says to the security guards. ¡°It''s fine." Andrea says before walking through without alerting the detector. "What?" Cj said in confusion. "Don''t worry about it. Lead the way." Andrea said with a small chuckle before gesturing for Cj to continue. "Hey, there''s no dogs allowed in here. He''ll have to go in the kennel." The female security guard said. "He stays with me." Andrea shot back. "We can''t allow that." The gung ho young security guard said raising his gun to the ready position. Nicholas let out a low and steady growl. Andrea reached behind her back with her left hand and made a bokken, a wood practice sword appear, as if she had pulled it out of the back of her jacket. "You''re going to want to take your finger away from that trigger boy before you lose it. I really don''t like having guns aimed at me." She said her tone even and emotionless. Cj looked up from where she stood getting her stuff from the bucket and when she saw what was happening she moved to diffuse the situation. "Stand down soldier." she said moving in between Andrea and the over zealous soldier. "She rejected a direct command, and now she''s threatening a soldier with a blunt weapon. I have my orders." The young soldier said with a sadistic smile creeping across his face. "Now I''m giving you new ones, Stand down, that''s an order." Cj commanded, but neither soldier moved to stand down. "You heard her." A deep voice said just loud enough to be heard. "she''s your superior officer. Stand down." An average sized man walked up but he held an air of authority so strong that he appeared much taller. Both soldiers quickly dropped their weapons to their sides and stood at attention. Cj and Grayson followed suit, Andrea eased her grip on her wooden sword and relaxed. "At ease, all of you." He spoke in an even and calm tone. Most of the small group relaxed except Cj and the young soldier. The man who Andrea could tell by his suit was a general strolled up to the young soldier with ease as if he had all the time in the world. "What''s your name young man?" He asked. "Private Benjamin Shang, sir." The young soldier answered concisely. "Shang? Your father is Emmanuel Shang?" The man asked lightly, conversationally in complete contract to the tight and concise way Private Shang was speaking. "Yes sir." Private Shang answered. "I know Manny. Good man, big shoes to fill Benjamin." He said bringing a small smile to Private Shang''s face. He brought his hand to Shang¡¯s shoulder grounding him before speaking softly but loud enough for the others to hear. "Be careful though; don''t let those big shoes you''re trying to fill cause you to trip." The smile faded from his face quickly replaced by an uncomfortable grimace. "I hope you do a better job of keeping your subordinates in check in the future Corporal Sheree." The general said with a side glance to the female soldier, she quickly averted her eyes in shame. Andrea was impressed; the general had managed to prove his superiority without even raising his voice. Authority worked for him. "Team 7 and friends. Follow." He commanded while walking away his hands interlocked behind his back. Cj released a breath she hadn''t known she was holding in. Cj looked to Grayson who gave her an encouraging smile before they all began following the general.