“Oh, you mean her guards?”

Damn, he already knew about them.  “Yes.  John, Eric, Darryl and Scott.  Gabrielle’s the head of the group.”

“Why did you call them her own?”  Barnabas asked.

“You need to think about it as a capitalized ‘O’.  When you do that, you realize that it is another title. It just happens to be one that is a little more P.C. than  ‘Her Bitches’.”

Barnabas mused, “I would have thought they would be more upset with being called bitches.”

Frank shook his head, “No. It goes back a couple of years ago when I asked Bethany Anne for help.  Well, to be truthful I would have begged for her help.  I was losing people left and right due to a lot of Nosferatu hits across America. I had lost all of my Nicht contacts and support.  Without Carl, who was Michael’s contact at the time, no one else in his family would lift a finger in support until she came on the scene.  She joined an opp in Florida and it’s been nothing but a wild ride since then.  She and the four men I told you about connected in a hellacious fight in the Florida Everglades.  They bonded and have been inseparable since.  They have her back and she has theirs.  Then, Gabrielle came aboard and took the lead position due to her skills and experience over the centuries.  They took the name as the ‘Queen Bitch’s Guards’ and even made a patch.”  Frank turned back to look at the vampire on the other side of the small round table, “Have you seen one yet?”

“Skull with vampire teeth and red eyes?”

Frank nodded, “That’s the one.  Trust me, no one who knows what that patch means wants to screw around with any of them.”

“They don’t seem to wear it much.”

“No, only on special occasions.  If it’s visible, it’s an operations moment.”

Both men took a sip of their wine and enjoyed the quiet for a moment.  “So now you do special projects?” Barnabas asked.

“I mentioned I still keep an ear open for events around the world, but now I also keep tabs on chatter that might mean someone is onto us. That includes any or all of the family for the people on Bethany Anne’s teams.”

Barnabas’s eyebrows furrowed, “She asked you to watch out for her people’s families?”

“No.”  Frank answered.

“Then why do you do it?”

“Because if she had to ask, I’m not the right person to be on her team.  I know my boss and she cares considerably more than she might let on.  You don’t want to cross her, and you sure as hell don’t want to threaten someone she loves.”

“Why is that?”

Frank turned to stare at Barnabas to see if he was completely clueless, or if it was a simple response to continue the conversation.  Barnabas turned when he realized Frank had been quiet for a few seconds and had turned to stare at him.

“What?”

“I’m not sure if you haven’t been paying attention, but I doubt that.  I’ll assume that you weren’t paying attention and I’ll answer the question, but don’t pretend to not know the answer.  Bethany Anne’s sense of right and wrong is pretty strong.  But her sense of fairness can be very skewed if she feels that someone is threatening those that are helpless or those that are pawns in a game.  She was furious when they were taking her off of a dead-cases team because she felt the dead wouldn’t get justice.  If she feels someone is threatening her own, her people?”

Frank turned back to look over the night waters, “Then we might witness what happens when justice releases a Fury.”

Barnabas sipped his wine, he was very familiar with the tales of the Furies, he could imagine some of what a mythological Fury could do in today’s society.

He enjoyed another sip of his wine, the waters would turn red with blood as it had in the battles centuries in the past.

TQB Ship Polarus, Mediterranean

Barnabas took a small sip of wine and then set the glass on the little table.  Both he and Frank had decided to step outside and recline on the lounge chairs. Their discussion was much more pleasant while enjoying the evening air and sounds.

“I have to admit,” Barnabas said, “I didn’t realize the United States government still had people operating against the Forsaken after all of these decades.”

Frank swirled the wine around in his glass and took a sip himself, “Well, they did but they don’t anymore. When Bethany Anne recruited me the position rather disappeared.”

“So, there is no one in the government aware of the UnknownWorld?”

Frank considered that, “I can’t guarantee that.  There are plenty of black-ops groups that have helped me over the years.  I imagine some members of the groups have long memories and files with hints and suggestions in them.  Plus, those that Michael’s group helped over the years, that weren’t memory wiped, are going to remember what happened.”  He thought for a moment, “Fat lot of good it will do them, no one will believe the stories except other’s who have been through it themselves.”

“But you fear the government?”

Frank considered his response, “I don’t fear the people, I fear their institutional habits. They tend to grab what they don’t understand and shove it into a dark hole for study.  What goes down the hole.”  He looked at his glass and then finished the little bit inside. “Doesn’t come back out.”

Barnabas nodded in agreement, “That does seem to be the general reaction when groups of humans get together.  It is almost a herd response, I believe.”  Barnabas reached over to pull the wine bottle out of the iced bucket. “More?”  Frank nodded and held out his glass.  Barnabas poured it half full and then did the same to his own glass before putting the wine back in the bucket.  “So, what is it you do now that you aren’t trying to track down Forsaken?  I understand from Gabrielle that they aren’t a problem in America anymore?”

Frank snorted, “If they are, I’m unaware of it.  I still run all of my tracking applications in case something happens. If anything was to happen they are so overpowered now it isn’t even funny.”

Barnabas had lain back in the chaise lounge, enjoying the opportunity to just chat and enjoy the night.  “Because of Bethany Anne?”

“No,” Frank answered, “she probably doesn’t even need to deal with any of that any more.  She can send either the Guardians,” he looked over to Barnabas, “you do know about her Guardians?”

Barnabas nodded, “I understand she has a group of humans and Wechselbalg who comprise her own para-military group?”

Frank resumed looking at the stars that were beginning to really shine above them. “More than that, but close enough.  The main Guardian is Pete or Peter Silvers.  He can change to their Procilici form.  They also have a marine contingent that works with them.  Between the two groups they ratchet ‘refined mayhem and pointed lethality’ up a few notches.  I understand that they are working to build new teams of Guardians.  However, I imagine she could cover any of that by just sending in one or two of her Own.”

“Her own what?”

“The Bitches.”  Frank smiled, he loved being vague and Barnabas was just the person to allow him to lead him down this merry chase.

Barnabas smiled, “I would like that.”  He turned back to Bethany Anne, “What is it you hope Frank to figure out with my help?”

“I need the two of you to work with TOM …”

Barnabas interrupted, “The alien?”  His face, if anything, seemed to become more like a boy at Christmas.  Bethany Anne wondered if Barnabas didn’t suffer from a mild form of mental issues due to his aging.  If he did, and she figured it out, she was seriously going to feel guilty for all of the names she had called him in her mind.

“Yes, the alien TOM.”  She turned to Frank, “We need a way to detect and pinpoint anyone entering or exiting the Etheric.   Barnabas can do it from half a world away.”

“I can’t pinpoint it, just the general direction and distance unless it is close.”

Frank asked, “How close?”

Barnabas pursed his lips, “Perhaps ten leagues.”

Frank muttered, “So, about thirty miles.”

Barnabas agreed, “Yes, thirty miles.  The farther away it is, the vaguer I am on distance.  For a long time, I thought Bethany Anne’s travels were much closer to me due to the strength of her ripples.  I’ve never felt anything as strong, so I assumed she was closer.  I lost a fair amount of time before I understood my mistake.”

Frank looked back to Bethany Anne, “Are you thinking that if he can sense it, then the ripples can be measured? And if it can be measured, it can be monitored.”

Bethany Anne reached down to where she knew Ashur’s head was waiting and scratched behind his ears, “Not only monitored, but triangulated.”

Frank’s grin grew, “You want satellites, don’t you!”

She shrugged, “You could give me chocolate covered cherry boxes with electronics if they worked.  But, you know … if satellites are the right solution?”

Frank continued smiling while he started rubbing his hands together.  He had just been informed that he needed to create a new, never before designed method of data acquisition.  “For triangulation, I imagine they are.” He turned back to Barnabas, “Except for Bethany Anne, do you have an idea where the other ripples are?”

“Asia and perhaps Australia.”

She picked her hand up off of Ashur who stood and walked towards the door.

“Do you two guys understand what I need?”  Both men nodded, “Then thank you for taking on this challenge.  Barnabas, thanks for your time and support.”

“Frank?”

He looked at her, “Yes?”

She smiled, “I want them in a month.”

Frank’s smile dropped from his face, but the glint in his eye remained.  “Ok.”

She stood and started following Ashur from the room. “Then I’ll leave it to you two, ta-ta!”

Both men absently waved a hand in the air as they started asking each other questions.

Barnabas kept Frank’s hand and measured his genial smile.  He stepped a little closer to Frank and covertly sniffed the air.  He stepped back and dropped Frank’s hand.  “You don’t smell like a vampire or a Wechselbalg.  Yet, you really mean that you have been interested in me for decades?”

Frank nodded in agreement.  His eyes alight.  “Yes, for at least six.”

Barnabas cocked his head, “You don’t look over mid-thirties to me.  Have humans created a way to slow their own aging process?”

Frank shook his head, “No, but the Kurtherians have and I’ve had an infusion of their best.”  He bowed his head slightly in Bethany Anne’s direction.

Barnabas turned to her, “Your blood did this to him?”

She raised an eyebrow, “Yes.” She turned to sit down at the head of the table.  Barnabas’s way of talking, almost always with questions, still tried her patience.

Barnabas took in a lung full of air and started releasing it slowly.  He had been warned by both Stephen and Gabrielle that Bethany Anne could be impatient. That she had zero tolerance of ‘dicking around’ when something needed to be accomplished.  Barnabas was naturally inquisitive and the centuries had afforded him the opportunity to satiate his questioning personality to the hilt.  Usually, anyone he spoke with outside of Michael and his brothers would be as patient with him as necessary.
He was unaccustomed to dealing with someone who had information he wanted, yet he had no leverage for getting the information.  It was…annoying.

Frank took his cue from Bethany Anne and sat back down.  Barnabas was left standing for a second before taking a chair as well.

Bethany Anne started, “Ok Barnabas, we confirmed back in the U.S. that you can tell there are two others walking the Etheric, besides me.  Frank is our number one person for all knowledge related to the UnknownWorld.  He’s made it a habit of indulging his own curiosity, you two should get along famously.

Barnabas turned to face Frank again, “Truly?”

Frank nodded, “Don’t think you’re getting off this boat without me peppering you with questions.”

Barnabas darted his eyes in Bethany Anne’s direction before lifting his right eyebrow in a question.

Frank nodded slightly, “Perhaps we can educate each other?”

TQB Ship Polarus, Mediterranean

Frank looked up from the conference table in the main meeting room on the ship.  He could hear steps but it was the large white German Shepherd which came around the corner. Ashur quickly looked around as if he was checking the corners before continuing to walk and sit behind the chair at the head of the table.

A moment later, Eric also stepped in and did the same check.  It amused Frank to watch the two ‘Queens Own’, Eric and Ashur protect an individual who was the one who least needed it.  Well, here on this ship anyway.  Some might argue Frank’s opinion on lumping Ashur into the Queen’s Own, but everyone who truly watched the dog came around to his way of thinking.

If Bethany Anne was aware of how Ashur treated her, she didn’t show it.  She came in with the new vampire behind her.  Frank stood as Bethany Anne came over to him with open arms.  He took her hug and smiled at the young woman.  “Beautiful as always, Bethany Anne.”

She winked to him. “I imagine you are testing your smooth talking on me in anticipation of a future conquest, Frank.”  She turned to the man he didn’t know, “Frank, meet Barnabas.”

Frank held out his hand, “Glad to meet you, I’ve been curious about you for decades.”

Barnabas grabbed his hand in a handshake, but when Frank admitted he had been curious about him for decades he looked puzzled. Barnabas glanced to Bethany Anne quickly and she just smiled back at him.

Barnabas kept Frank’s hand and measured his genial smile.  He stepped a little closer to Frank and covertly sniffed the air.  He stepped back and dropped Frank’s hand.  “You don’t smell like a vampire or a Wechselbalg.  Yet, you really mean that you have been interested in me for decades?”

Frank nodded in agreement.  His eyes alight.  “Yes, for at least six.”

Washington D.C. – USA

Barbara ‘Barb’ Nickers walked into her boss’s office.  He had two chairs in front of his desk, but there was only one which Barb would sit in.  The other one she knew was pretty uncomfortable.

That was because it had come from her office. Her boss, who everyone referred to as ‘the Don’, was waiting for a replacement for the chair she had taken a few months ago.  He was a little annoyed that his chair requests kept getting lost in the bureaucracy.  The office pool had the odds at three-to-one that he would break and buy a chair himself, before the replacement made it into the office. Barb was waiting until it was five-to-one before she let the Don’s requisition hit the right desk.

She would make a killing if Don could just hold out another week or two.

She sat down in the comfortable chair, “You rang?”

Don looked up from his report, trying to decipher exactly what the memo required.  He paused, trying to collect his thoughts, “Yes.  I’ve got a request that has asked for your personal efforts to expand on some research you did a few months ago.”

Barb asked, “Any particular few months?”

Don handed the printed page across the desk to Barb. She took it and started reading it as Don continued. “Yeah, it had to do with the report you did that included the comment about Colonel Nickelson and his gun-shot in the knee here in town.”

She began to re-read the request, “It says here I’m supposed to drop my existing research!  Who is making that call?”

Don’s face looked like he had tasted sour milk, “I don’t know.  It came in under a code-word security level, so I’m not supposed to dig too deeply.  I’m not too happy with this, your efforts to follow up on the two cells in Los Angeles are hot right now. Plus, Yasef’s the only other analyst I might be able to use and he is busy on his own trail right now.  Assigning this to you means I’m going to need to pull in additional resources and I don’t have the budget to do that.”

Don waited, hoping he didn’t have to do what he knew he was going to have to ask her.  She looked up from the paper, “You’re wanting overtime on this?”

He shrugged, “I don’t have any other solution at the moment.  I don’t trust anyone else with your LA cell task. This new crap could be a dead-end or it might be for some political reason.  I don’t know why they want the info, or why they are picking our group to do this.  If you aren’t working on it during normal hours, it’s both our asses if we are audited.  What you do on personal time, outside of office hours, we can’t get nailed for.”

She made a face, “I’m going to need a budget for ‘Zombie Coffee and Donuts’ and pizza delivery.”

Don turned his head slightly and looked at her through slanted eyes, “No chair upgrade?”

She stood up, “Not yet.  If it goes past a week or two on either project, then we will have another negotiation, Mr. Roberts.”

Don nodded, if he had to buy a three-hundred-dollar chair plus food to get thirty to sixty hours of overtime there wasn’t a question.

It was a steal at that price.

She waved good-bye and stepped out of his office and started walking back to hers.

Bethany Anne laid back on the mat, wrapping her arms across her eyes and spoke out loud, “Am I to understand, that the alien and AI team of TOM and ADAM went off and incited enough of a concern with the Chinese that World War III might have occured?”  Her voice was calm, almost monotone.

Oh shit…again.

>>I fail to understand the issue.  The chance was insignificant that War was going to break out.<<

Bethany Anne refrained from kicking any walls here, she would break her foot before the granite walls caved.

ADAM, have you checked to see what the downside of that 1.3% chance?

>>Do you mean, have I calculated the potential negative effects if the 1.3% event should happen?”

“Yes.”

>>No.<<

Do that sometime.  The more lives you affect negatively, the smaller the chance you should allow when you implement something.  Get back with me when you have figured the results for those calculations.

>>I will.<<

Ok.  I know you guys didn’t start out to potentially have the world go up in flames.  The same world, I might mention, that I’m working my ass off to save.

It would rather mess up my original mission.

Bethany Anne snorted.  Not to mention get your own alien ass burnt up at the same time.  

Yes, there is that.

So, what were you doing, really?

Well, ADAM had figured out that China had been working on hacking the computers for some of your companies pretty hard.  From there, he was able to backtrack and take over their intermediate cut-out command computers, cutting them off.  Finally, he was able to get ‘into’ the origination machines and deliver a message that they should stop their preperations for cybernetic warfare.

Bethany Anne thought about this for a minute.  You mean, they are laying the groundwork to kick off a completely debilitating effort against computers and also specifically targeting some of Michael’s companies?

Well, they are yours now.

I doubt that the person involved cares.  They must still be after something in them.  ADAM, do you have a list of companies targeted?

>>Yes.<<

Please contact Lance and let him know these companies are targeted and see if there is any correlation between them.

>>There is.<<

Sorry, forgot who I was communicating with for a second.  What is the correlation?

>>Technology, R & D and finance.<<

Well, the technology and R & D makes sense for China, but the finance?  That seems personal or at least non-state focused.

Perhaps this is a quasi-state operation?  Or someone is using state resources to accomplish a goal?

The way I understand China, you had better be high up in the political structure to pull off a stunt like that.  If your using military resources to accomplish personal goals and you aren’t protected, it is a good way to lose your life.

>>I can give provide those statistics if you would like?<<

No need at this time, but thank you for asking.  We need to find out what those companies are researching and what kind of money these companies have available.

What are you thinking?

I’m thinking someone is considering doing the same thing I am right now, using Michael’s accumulated wealth and company capabiliites to strike out on their own.  If they grab his money, that helps them use it to build what the R & D is proposing.  ADAM, please make sure that all of company computers are hardened against intrusions and see if you can ferret out any spy-ware or virus stuff going on.  Let me know what you find.

>>I will have to break through your security companies protection in some cases.<<

Huh?

He’s talking about Nathan’s company.

Oh.  Forgot about that for a second.  Can you make it through without the security guys figuring it out?

>>There is a greater than sixty-five percent chance of success but I am not aware of a way at the moment.  Any higher guess will require more research than I have already done at this time. Any time I encountered a company with a Guardian installation, I did not make a prolonged effort to circumvent their protection.<<

Be gentle, but see if you can get through.  Choose a company that has the Guardian install, but isn’t a focus on the Chinese at the moment.  Don’t do anything to military or R & D companies.  God only knows what would happen if you leave a path through for someone else to find.

>>There will be no ‘path’ for someone to find.<<

Really?  What is the chance of you doing this perfectly, does it equal unity?

There was a pause.

>>No.<<

Then I rest my case.

Uhhh…  No?

Why do I sense bit of hesitence on that last reply?

Because I’m sure we haven’t started a war, I’m just not sure if we have potentially stopped one.

ADAM!

>>Yes?<<

Why is TOM speaking for the both of you?

Oh, shit.

TOM, keep quiet.

>>Because he said it would be better that only one of the two of us speak, it would reduce the opportunity for confusion.<<

Confusion about what?

May I speak?

HELL NO!

>>About the story.<<

What…Story?

>>That we didn’t start World War III.<<<

Is that answer positive?

YES!

TOM, Dammit, Shut…Up!

>> It approaches Unity.<<

How close to Unity?

>>98.7%<<

Bethany Anne laid back on the mat, wrapping her arms across her eyes and spoke out loud, “Am I to understand, that the alien and AI team of TOM and ADAM went off and incited enough of a concern with the Chinese that World War III might have occured?”  Her voice was calm, almost monotone.

Oh shit…again.  Tom said.

TQB Base, Colorado – USA

Bethany Anne?

Yes TOM?

I think ADAM and I should profess… well, confess something at this time.

Bethany Anne stopped the short work-out she was doing and grabbed the small towel to wipe off some sweat.  She and John had arrived back on the main base a few hours ago and she felt a need to work out the desire to go back to Dallas, find the three creeps that had attacked John’s cousin and toss them into the Etheric.

Ok, shoot.

Do you remember a few weeks ago when you were with Michael, batting your eyelashes at him?

Bethany Anne thought back to when she had taken Gabrielle and Ashur to Argentina and had ended up on a date with Michael to kill David.

She chose to ignore TOM’s comment about her flirting.

Yes, why?

Do you remember our conversation about interacting with the Chinese?

Yeeeahhhhh… ahhh ….Nope! No, I don’t.

She sat on the floor.  This whole room, about four-hundred square feet, had been built into the mountain some years back and was now a workout room for her and her team.  Right now, John was probably helping his cousin Cheryl Lynn and her children, Toni and Todd find a place to stay on base.  The rest of her team was… she didn’t know, actually.  She could find out just by asking ADAM, but it wasn’t like she needed them right now. Besides, Ashur was sitting on the floor with his tongue hanging out.  It wasn’t like she didn’t have protection.

It had taken some effort, but even Gabrielle had finally agreed that if someone was able to attack this far into the mountain, Bethany Anne would have time to travel the Etheric and escape. This meant she didn’t need to have a shadow while inside.

Like she would do that, but if it made Gabrielle happy to believe it was possible, then so be it.  Anything to keep the Captain of the Queen’s Own happy.

She should call her ‘Captain of the Bitch’s’ and see what Gabrielle said.  Nah, that was too easy.  She needed something with more impact.

Well, we mentioned that we were working on our communications with the Chinese and you said…

Yeah!  I remember now.  I was thinking you were messing with my emotions and I told you not to start World War III.  Wait, you guys haven’t started a war, have you?

Uhhh…  No?

To be continued…