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…

Hope your weekend goes well!  All chapters are with the beta crew and we hope to have KNEEL OR DIE out within 72 hours at the outside!  Here are chapters 1-3 to help tied you over (or get you ready!)

Michael

TKG07 KNEEL OR DIE First 3 Chapters

Washington D.C. – USA

Mary woke up slowly, held in a woman’s arms. Her memory a little foggy, she opened her eyes to look up … to look up into a face of an angel, someone who shouldn’t be here, holding her right now.

“Bethany Anne?” Mary reached up to touch Bethany Anne’s face, a compassionate smile looking down at Mary. Tear streaks running down her face. She still looked beautiful.

“Yes, it’s me Mary. I’ve come to pay Martin the respect he was due. I didn’t want to speak to him until I had taken care of those responsible for his death.”

Mary looked around her, there were six new people on the other side of the gravesite. Four men, two other beautiful women. The two men she had seem before were still scanning the area, definitely protection. The other men and the two women were looking at her.
“Can you stand?” Bethany Anne asked her.

She nodded. She felt a little woozy, but with Bethany Anne’s help she got her feet back under her again. Bethany Anne kept her arm around her shoulders, enabling her to lean against Bethany Anne’s body.

Mary’s mind caught up to what Bethany Anne had said, “You took care of who? Who was responsible for Martin’s death?” read more…

Mary Brennan was silently suffering. Her husband, Martin had been killed many, many months before, in the basement parking garage of his office building.

It had been a gruesome and painful death. Oh, Martin’s second in command Brandin had tried to hide the truth from her, in the beginning to save her pain she was sure. However, you don’t stay the spouse of a government intelligence group member without learning a few tricks of your own. She had the autopsy report, she knew her husband had died in pain. More pain than she would allow herself to consider.

Martin had been her rock. The man she was going to live the rest of her life with. They had plans to retire, to a beach or at least, some place warm. She loved the coast, but it was still too cold and miserable too much of the year for her preference. Martin had promised her … he had promised her. Now, she had no way to track down who had killed him or why.

She finished putting on her makeup like she did three times each week. Every Sunday, Tuesday and Friday she would get ready to visit Martin. She would prepare the one rose she had picked out the night before from the corner market and get into her eight-year-old Mercedes Benz. Like Martin, the car was her rock, dutifully getting her from place to place.

She wiped a tear from her eye as she picked up the rose and left for her drive to the cemetery.

It took her twenty-two minutes exactly. She had timed every trip. She left at 8:15 AM every time and arrived at 8:37 AM. Occasionally she would be a couple of minutes late if she got behind someone slow but you could usually set your clock by her punctuality.

She parked in the same spot for every visit. If it had snowed, the parking spot would have been helpfully cleared by the caretakers. Those same caretakers had noticed her arrival every week, month after month.

Reaching over to the passenger’s seat, she picked up this morning’s rose.

The morning was crisp and cool, all of the sounds muted on this side of the cemetery. Rarely, if ever, did she meet anyone as she walked around the path between the bushes which separated different areas.

She came around the final turn and looked up the lonely little hill towards Martin’s gravestone and stopped in her tracks. Martin wasn’t alone. read more…

 AN EVENING OFF

** As a reviewer has mentioned, Bethany Anne has no issues with cursing, just uninspired cursing. **

Bethany Anne finally had a few hours to herself and was standing in front of her suite’s TV.

Why don’t you have a coven?

Excuse me?  

I asked, why don’t you have a coven?

Bethany Anne was nonplussed.  She had been looking through the DVD’s that Ecaterina had ordered for her.  She had expected to watch a little more Star Trek, or maybe Star Wars (four through six, she didn’t want to ruin the story for TOM right off the bat).

What the hell are you talking about?

Well, and don’t get upset with the kitchen crew…

Stop right there.

Gott Verdammt!  She had already decreed they weren’t supposed to watch bullshit TV up in the kitchen because TOM could hear it, and then he got ideas.  Usually annoying ideas he would pull out and ask her about at the most fucked up inopportune times.

Like right now.

When did they do this thing which I’m not supposed to get upset with them for?

Possibly over the last few days…

Bethany Anne sighed.  That meant she would have to throw every fucking one of the kitchen help off the Polarus…  preferably while they were underway.  Dammit, that wasn’t going to work.  Bethany Anne didn’t require food, but she did enjoy it and tossing off the whole group was, perhaps, a little much.  Well, depending on what TOM had to discuss.

What happened?  What were they watching?

They weren’t watching anything, they were listening.

Ok, what were they listening to?

A book.

Bethany Anne was getting frustrated, not an unusual occurrence when trying to pull information out of TOM.  She rubbed her face.

Does this book have a name?

Yes.

What is it?

Bill the Vampire.

Bethany Anne searched her memory, nope.  She didn’t remember any vampire books with ‘Bill’ in the name.

Who is the author?

Rick Gualtieri.

Another nope.  Anne Rice, check. Bram Stoker, of course.  Hell, she had even heard of Stephanie Meyer and Jim Butcher but not a ‘Rick’ in the bunch.

And I take it this book had vampires who were in covens, correct?

Yes.

She was making headway.

Did the vampires sparkle?

Don’t be ridiculous, but they did go up in a big ball of flame if you staked them.

Damn, that would be un-fucking-believable if that only worked in real life.  Maybe she should see if she could find the Blade Trilogy to watch with TOM.

Beautiful ladies, handsome men cavorting all around?

Ah, no.  Bill is slightly overweight and is a closet nerd and swears as much as you do, perhaps not as creatively, but parental guidance is suggested.

So why didn’t you get permission from me to listen to the book? read more…