going back now.”
“For better or worse. Right?”
“Something like that. Definitely ‘til death do us part.”
Matt stared off into the shadows of her room, his eyes focusing on the future. He nodded more to himself than to her. “I can live with that.”
*****
“Major!” Jack trotted to his side, waving for the man to slow down. “Spare a minute?”
“Make it quick.” Major Tufo spun and headed back to his office with a stack of papers under his arm.
“I need another favor.”
“Why am I not surprised.”
“I got word from the Wyldwood and we have traveling to do. I could use some transportation.” Jack kept his voice low while they walked.
“Can’t your elf open doorways to just about anywhere?” Mark gave him a sideways look.
“Yes, sir, but…” Jack trailed off then pulled him to a stop. “We’re supposed to retrieve a weapons cache. Possibly more than we can carry.”
Mark shrugged. “So make two trips, Chief. I really don’t have transportation that I can legally lend to you. Technically, you’re a civilian.”
Jack gave him a cockeyed stare. “Really, Major? Don’t go down that alley.”
Mark raised a brow. “That a threat, Chief?”
Jack grunted a laugh. “Hardly.” He pointed to the wall behind him. “Mitchell has his new girlfriend here, we have a vampire on staff that’s supposed to be dead, our own men were infected with…”
“Point taken, Chief.” Mark huffed and glanced around. “What kind of transport are we talking here? Humvee, truck, plane, chopper? What?”
Jack shrugged. “I’m not sure yet. I want to take my guys there and check it out, then we’ll radio for support. But only if it’s needed.”
“What kind of weapons are we talking here, Chief?” Mark turned and headed to his office again.
“To be honest, I’m not sure. The Wyldwood hasn’t been very forthcoming with her information. She knows that there is another big threat coming, but she can’t pinpoint exactly what. She knows that we’ll need these weapons and these particular fighters will be key…somehow. But she doesn’t say exactly how.”
Mark turned a curious eye to him as he opened the door to his office. “She doesn’t say a lot of stuff, does she?”
“Tell me about it. It’s really starting to get under my skin.” Jack entered and fell into a chair
“Yeah, just make yourself comfortable.” Mark smirked as he dropped the pile of papers on his desk. “So, it’s some kind of special weaponry that will be key to taking out a big unknown threat.” Mark scratched at his chin and reclined in his chair. “Funny thing is, we haven’t got anything on the leaderboards. No hits, no tags, not a whisper of anything brewing out there.”
“Believe me, there’s times I want to tell her to deal with it herself, but I owe her. We all do. And she hasn’t been wrong before, so…”
“So…better safe than sorry.” Mark sighed and rubbed at his eyes. “Okay, fine. You check out her story on the weapons depot. If it pans out and you need help, radio and we’ll send support.”
“Thank you, Major.”
“Don’t thank me yet. There’s still a chance you’ll get to wherever she sends you and there’s nothing there.” He shot Jack a cautious glance. “If that happens, I’ll try not to say ‘I toldja so’.”
“Copy that, sir.”
*****
Laura pulled her Jeep into the driveway of her father’s house. She sat in the vehicle and stared at the house that she and her brothers had called home; the place that they had grown up and shared so many memories. She remembered the last time she was here, her father was so proud of her. The work that she had been doing, that she had been involved in, it was so important in his mind. He couldn’t understand how she could leave the Company to become a contractor for the military.
She opened the door and stepped from the car, her feet crunching the gravel under her boots. She inhaled deeply and smiled as the
“For better or worse. Right?”
“Something like that. Definitely ‘til death do us part.”
Matt stared off into the shadows of her room, his eyes focusing on the future. He nodded more to himself than to her. “I can live with that.”
*****
“Major!” Jack trotted to his side, waving for the man to slow down. “Spare a minute?”
“Make it quick.” Major Tufo spun and headed back to his office with a stack of papers under his arm.
“I need another favor.”
“Why am I not surprised.”
“I got word from the Wyldwood and we have traveling to do. I could use some transportation.” Jack kept his voice low while they walked.
“Can’t your elf open doorways to just about anywhere?” Mark gave him a sideways look.
“Yes, sir, but…” Jack trailed off then pulled him to a stop. “We’re supposed to retrieve a weapons cache. Possibly more than we can carry.”
Mark shrugged. “So make two trips, Chief. I really don’t have transportation that I can legally lend to you. Technically, you’re a civilian.”
Jack gave him a cockeyed stare. “Really, Major? Don’t go down that alley.”
Mark raised a brow. “That a threat, Chief?”
Jack grunted a laugh. “Hardly.” He pointed to the wall behind him. “Mitchell has his new girlfriend here, we have a vampire on staff that’s supposed to be dead, our own men were infected with…”
“Point taken, Chief.” Mark huffed and glanced around. “What kind of transport are we talking here? Humvee, truck, plane, chopper? What?”
Jack shrugged. “I’m not sure yet. I want to take my guys there and check it out, then we’ll radio for support. But only if it’s needed.”
“What kind of weapons are we talking here, Chief?” Mark turned and headed to his office again.
“To be honest, I’m not sure. The Wyldwood hasn’t been very forthcoming with her information. She knows that there is another big threat coming, but she can’t pinpoint exactly what. She knows that we’ll need these weapons and these particular fighters will be key…somehow. But she doesn’t say exactly how.”
Mark turned a curious eye to him as he opened the door to his office. “She doesn’t say a lot of stuff, does she?”
“Tell me about it. It’s really starting to get under my skin.” Jack entered and fell into a chair
“Yeah, just make yourself comfortable.” Mark smirked as he dropped the pile of papers on his desk. “So, it’s some kind of special weaponry that will be key to taking out a big unknown threat.” Mark scratched at his chin and reclined in his chair. “Funny thing is, we haven’t got anything on the leaderboards. No hits, no tags, not a whisper of anything brewing out there.”
“Believe me, there’s times I want to tell her to deal with it herself, but I owe her. We all do. And she hasn’t been wrong before, so…”
“So…better safe than sorry.” Mark sighed and rubbed at his eyes. “Okay, fine. You check out her story on the weapons depot. If it pans out and you need help, radio and we’ll send support.”
“Thank you, Major.”
“Don’t thank me yet. There’s still a chance you’ll get to wherever she sends you and there’s nothing there.” He shot Jack a cautious glance. “If that happens, I’ll try not to say ‘I toldja so’.”
“Copy that, sir.”
*****
Laura pulled her Jeep into the driveway of her father’s house. She sat in the vehicle and stared at the house that she and her brothers had called home; the place that they had grown up and shared so many memories. She remembered the last time she was here, her father was so proud of her. The work that she had been doing, that she had been involved in, it was so important in his mind. He couldn’t understand how she could leave the Company to become a contractor for the military.
She opened the door and stepped from the car, her feet crunching the gravel under her boots. She inhaled deeply and smiled as the
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