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…

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…