We the People vol 2: Liberty or Death

Thane was not surprised to find Major Bast already awake and in his office. It only took a split second after she rapped on the heavy wooden door for him to reply.

“What is it?” His voice was strained, irritated. Thane smirked and went inside.

Bast stood up quickly, straightening his uniform with a furtive jerk of his hands. He was looking good, his handsome brown face smoothly shaven. The crisp lines of his Marines blues could not fully conceal his burly physique. His remaining eye was a pretty shade of umber. A wide nose twitched above thick, expressive lips that parted in something between a grimace and a smile.

“Thane...” Bast seemed at a rare loss for words. “You came back.”

“Uh, yeah,” Thane said, sighing heavily. “I was ordered to. By you.”

They stood regarding each other for a long pause. Bast broke the silence first.

“You’re looking well,” he said, his tone formal.

“Likewise,” she said, not quite able to meet his gaze.

“Thank you. How was your trip?”

“In an Osprey, but somehow I survived.”

Bast arched a brow over his good eye.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” Thane said, idly shuffling a plastic pen around on his desk.

“Something’s wrong,” Bast said, gesturing to the chair opposite his own. He sat down slowly and folded his hands in front of him on the desk. “You can talk about it or bottle it up. Your choice.”

“Do you have to be so damn...adversarial about everything?” Thane snapped.

“Thane,” Bast said, spreading his hands. “I’m not trying to start a fight. I just want you to know you can talk to me, about whatever you need to talk about.”

“I don’t need a counselor, or a shrink,” Thane said, turning away from him. “We tried all that, remember?”

“How about a friend, then?” Bast’s phone rang. Thane heard him pick it up briefly before setting it back down.

“I’m not sure talking is going to help,” Thane said. “I...saw things, Bast, while I was in the FBI. Bad things, things that should never happen in America, or anywhere for that matter.”

“Thane,” Bast said patiently. “Even Plymouth rock is still a rock. If you lift it up, some nasty things will scurry into the light.”

“I don’t need platitudes, Bast,” Thane growled, turning around to face him. “Isn’t America supposed to be better than that?”

“America isn’t paradise, Thane,” Bast said, his temple twitching. “The streets are not paved with gold.”

“I never expected them to be,” Thane said hotly. “I just thought we...we took better care of our own. That’s all.”

Bast regarded her for a time. Eventually he grasped a mug of coffee in his large hand and stared into its murky interior.

“I spoke with Jellico about your last assignment with the FBI,” he said slowly. “He seemed to think you were quite...upset.”

“Oh, really?” Thane started pacing. “Gee, maybe seeing a little girl treated like a...like a...well, treated how no little girl should ever be treated made me a little bit angry, all right? A little bit confused.”

Thane slammed her hand against the wall, crumbling plaster like thin crackers. Bast didn’t so much as flinch at the display.

“Body merchants are some of the lowest forms of life on planet Earth,” he said, his tone even. “It’s enough to mess with anyone’s sensibilities.”

“Someone should have helped her,” Thane said, her shoulders shaking. Her vision blurred, smudging Bast’s features when she turned back to face him. “Why didn’t anyone help her?”

Bast rose from his chair and crossed the shiny tiled floor. He put his hands on her shoulders and faced her squarely.

“You did,” he said softly.

“Bast...”

Thane leaned into him, his arms circling around her shoulders. She buried her face in his chest and sobbed, staining his uniform with moisture. Bast didn’t speak, though he slowly stroked her hair with one hand.

She wasn’t sure how long they stood that way. Thane found his embrace soothing.

“I missed you,” she breathed into his chest.

“Likewise,” he said. Slowly, he broke away from her and held her at arm’s length. They locked gazes as Thane sniffled. Bast abruptly cleared his throat and retreated behind his desk.

“At any rate,” he said in a cool, professional manner “I’m sure you’re wondering why I needed you back.”

“Uh, yeah,” Thane said. Why do I feel so light headed? I just ate.

“I’m sorry you weren’t able to discover your identity, Thane, but your country needs you more than ever.” Bast drummed his fingers on the smooth mahogany desk, single eye regarding Thane inscrutably. “You recall the...incident in St. Louis with ESX and Doctor Kass?”

Thane flinched.

“Yeah,” she said “how could I not? We lost both Po and Dr. Kass that night, remember?”

Bast’s eye twitched.

“Dr. Kass is lost to us,” he said at length “But she’s not dead.”

Thane blew air out her nose and sagged her shoulders.

“Bast, we all saw the ship get fried by Faraday,” she said “and then...then Po sucked it into oblivion. No body was ever found, even when they dredged the river.”

“I’m aware of those facts,” Bast said, picking up a tablet and tapping the screen to life “but that doesn’t change this surveillance video.”

Thane leaned across the desk to peer at the black and white image. It looked to be footage of somewhere with ornate carpets and blinking lights. She figured it was a casino. At first it appeared ordinary enough, with gamblers hunched low over tables and scantily clad waitresses bearing drink-laden trays. Then, she saw the face of the patron sitting at the Roulette wheel. It was an African American woman with densely curled hair. She was wearing a fine evening gown, and had a sloe-eyed smile on her face like a Jazz-era minx.

“Kass?” Thane dropped the tablet on the desk and stared at Bast. “It...can’t be.”

“I said much the same,” he said, jaw set hard. “This woman, calling herself Cassie Jones, managed to break the bank on four different casinos in as many days. The ball just seemed to go where she needed it to, almost by magic. What does that sound like to you?”

A chill ran down Thane’s spine, and she started shaking.

“ESX,” she intoned breathlessly. “It could move things without touching them.”

Bast’s grim nod made her heart sink.

“I didn’t want to call you back, Thane,” he said somberly. “Not until you’d uncovered your real identity. But I need your help. If ESX is still alive, we have to assume it hasn’t abandoned its goal of infecting the world with the Genesis virus.”

“Re-create its long lost world on our planet, by turning humans into its kind?” Thane crossed her arms over her chest. She felt small and weak. “Yeah, those were fun times. Can’t believe we get to do it again. So how are we going to rescue Kass?”

“We’re not.” Bast stood up and walked around his desk, leaving a blinking, confused Thane in his wake.

“Uh, excuse me Bast, what do you mean we’re not?”

She struggled to catch up with him as he made a beeline for the elevator.

“It’s simple.” Bast kept his eye focused dead ahead. “Kass has been compromised. We have to treat her like an enemy combatant, because that’s how she’s going to see us.”

Thane sputtered as the elevator doors slid open.

“But, but Dr. Kass is one of us!” Thane said. “I mean, not one of us with powers, but still she was part of the team. You can’t just give up on her!”

Bast stepped into the elevator and fiercely poked the top floor button. His eye was a mere slit as he seethed at Thane.

“Do you think this is easy for me?” he hissed between clenched teeth.

Thane felt her stomach drop out.

“No, of course not-”

“Then stop second guessing me. Jellico may have accepted your back talk, but I’m still your Major, Corporal. Is that clear?”

Thane drew herself up erect and snapped off a crisp salute, though her hand wavered slightly.

“Perfectly understood sir!” she said in her best parade ground voice.

Bast’s expression softened—a little.

“Thane...” he began.

“Ready to follow your orders, Major,” she said stiffly.

Bast sighed. He rubbed the bridge of his nose with calloused fingers.

“Fair enough,” he said at length. “Come. It’s time to debrief the team. Have you met the new recruits yet?”

Thane forced her tone to remain even when she spoke.

“Not yet, but I’ve heard of them.”

“This should be...interesting.” Bast grinned, but without much mirth. Thane noted the dark circle under his eye.

“When’s the last time you slept, Bast?” she asked.

“I’m fine, Thane,” he said tightly. The muscles in his jaw played as he studiously avoided looking at her.

“C’mon-”

“I said I’m fine.”

Thane struggled for something else to say, some way of chipping through the icy wall Bast erected around himself. She was unable to come up with anything before the elevator reached the Aerie.

When they exited the elevator, Faraday and Chui were playing checkers. Chui’s curls bounced as he quickly got to his feet, but Faraday didn’t even look up.

“Hello, Bast,” Faraday said.

“Major Bast, Hannah” he replied politely. He inclined his head to Chui. “Wake the others and assemble them here. We have a mission.”

Faraday stood up and came around to sit in a stuffed leather sofa. Her eyes seemed unfocused, but Thane knew what the blonde girl was about; She was scanning the air for signals and patterns that others could only guess at.

“What am I looking for?” Faraday asked. Thane winced, still not used to Faraday speaking.

“Dr. Kass or ESX,” Bast said flatly.

Faraday’s hand drooped and she turned to gape at Bast.

“You heard me, Hannah.”

“Yes, Major.” Faraday bent herself to the task.

“Well, she took that better than I did,” Thane mumbled.

“I almost peed myself just now,” Chui said with a shudder. “ESX! I thought we were rid of that little alien bastard. How are we supposed to beat him this time, Major? I sure as hell can’t turn into a Black Hole!”

“We’ll find a way to stop it, Chui,” Bast said grimly.

“How can you be so sure?” Thane asked, crossing her arms over her chest. “That thing tore me to pieces—literally—last time we fought.”

“Espinosa, go wake the others,” Bast said to Chui. As the mocha skinned youth hustled off, he turned to Thane. “It’s simple. One, we already beat it once-”

“That took a Black Hole and giant shark, Bast,” Thane said.

“Two,” Bast continued “the team has never been stronger. You’ve seen how far Hannah has come, yes?”

“Well, I guess that’s true-”

“Three, we have the full support of the government. Loaning you to the FBI wasn’t just about helping you discover your past. It was to curry favor with other branches of service.”

“You can’t do anything just to be nice, can you?” Thane said, shaking her head. “All right, I guess we’re better prepared than last time. I still think that we should try and save Kass—oof!”

Thane was nearly knocked off her feet as a spindly, dark-haired thirteen year old girl barreled into her side. She wrapped her arms around Thane’s belly and squeezed tight.

“Rashemi,” Thane said, patting the girl’s silken hair. “How you doing, kiddo? I missed you!”

Rashemi looked up with large, almond shaped eyes, a smile on her lips. Thane ignored the little shapes that wriggled and crawled beneath the young girl’s clothing; Creepy always had a few of her friends on her person. Thane sat down on the sofa, and Rashemi stayed glued to her side. The Hindi girl laid her head against Thane’s shoulder and sighed contentedly.

Thane was unable to rise when the next arrival made his presence known. He was a big man, heavy set with a scraggly beard he was still a bit too young to grow properly, dressed in a neatly pressed gray dress shirt tucked into nice black slacks. He smiled gently and strode easily to stand in front of her, brown eyes full of life.

“Hello,” he said warmly in a deep voice “you must be Thane. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“All lies, I’m sure.” Thane smiled and pumped his hand. “Nice to meet you, uh...?”

“Sorry. Montel Von Richter, at your service.” he squeezed her hand gently before releasing it. “I hear your Gift is you can’t die.”

“Something like that,” Thane said coyly “I hear you can call anything you want to your hands.”

Montel grinned.

“As long as it’s not too large.”

Montel sat down across from her and folded his legs, the picture of patience.

Chui’s right, Thane thought this guy’s pretty chill.

“It’s about time we got some action!” said a gruff voice dripping with machismo.

Thane turned to regard the speaker. A lean, fit youth sauntered into the living area. He was wearing faded denim jeans and a sleeveless vest that showed off both his thick arms and numerous tattoos. Smooth, black hair hung straight down his shoulders to mid back. Blue eyes peered from under a jutting brow, perched over a hawkish proboscis.

“Indeed.” Bast nodded in the direction of the newcomer, presumably Bearclaw. “James, this is Thane. Thane, James.”

“’Sup,” he said, inclining his chin toward her. His eyes danced all over her form, and then he turned to Chui. “You’re right, Chunky. She is pretty hot.”

“Oh, hot, am I?” Thane glared at Chui, who turned beet red. “Better not let Faraday hear you talk like that.”

Chui stiffened as if he’d been slapped, and Faraday looked up from her scanning for a moment.

“I won’t be his girlfriend, Thane,” she said flatly before returning to her task.

“Huh?” Thane said, cocking an eyebrow at Faraday. “Why? What’s wrong with Chui?”

“He’s fat,” Faraday said, eyes focused on the myriad patterns invisible to all but herself.

“Faraday!” Thane glowered at the blonde girl. “That’s not nice.”

“It’s true,” Faraday said.

“That’s what makes it not nice,” Chui said with a sad smile. “Relax, Thane. Faraday has been watching TV her whole life, and I’m sure I don’t compare to the Dwayne Johnsons and Channing Tatums of the world.”

“There’s more to people than how they look, Faraday,” Thane said.

“Then why don’t you date him?” Faraday asked.

Thane flinched. Did Faraday of all people just bust her chops?

“Well, if you don’t watch out, I just might,” Thane said, drawing a strangled gasp from Chui. “He’s smart, sweet, and can say I Love You in every language on Earth. Sounds like a catch to me.”

She made sure to wink at Chui so he would know she was just building him up. The half smile and nod he shot back suggested he understood.

“Aw man, what’s up?” Bearclaw snorted, a disgusted sneer on his face. “I thought I’d joined a crack covert unit, not the cast of a CW teen drama.”

“It’s a little of both,” Thane said with a shrug. “You get used to it.”

“Nothing against you, Thane.” Bearclaw’s blue eyes lingered on her bust. “You, I think I can be friends with.”

“If I could just move this discussion towards the business at hand?” Bast sounded as calm as ever, but he had a vein throbbing in his temple as he looked daggers at Bearclaw.

“Right.” Thane sat up a little straighter, and Creepy moved a few inches away. “We’re ready, Major.”

Each member of the team got their own copy of the mission briefing. When Chui examined his and saw the photo of Dr. Kass, his jaw dropped open.

“Kass?” He glanced over at Bast. “Is this for real?”

“As far as we know,” Bast replied grimly.

The room grew quiet for a time as Thane and her companions read the file. Montel was the first one to break the silence, politely clearing his throat.

“Says here the winnings have been deposited in an offshore account,” he said. “Those things are murder to try and pin down. How are we going to find the target?”

“Simple,” Bast replied. “Finding details about the offshore account is tricky, but tracking where the money gets spent isn’t. As we speak, our intelligence division is pinning down a likely base of operations for ESX.”

Thane’s nose twitched, a scowl on her lips as she spoke to Bast.

“What does it want with all that money? Is it going to build another ship?”

“So far, the purchases made by the account have all been for obscure and obsolete inventions from the eighteenth century,” Bast said. “Tomes and parchments, mostly, but most curious was a glass Armonica created by Benjamin Franklin himself.”

“That’s the hundred dollar bill dude, right?” James asked.

Bast rolled his eye, turned to Bearclaw and nodded.

“That’s the hundred dollar bill dude,” he said with a touch of exasperation.

“Figures a white boy would be on the big bill,” James said with a snort. “Why not Sitting Bull, or Geronimo?”

“Here we go again,” Chui said “Mr. ‘more injun than thou’ is just getting fired up.”

“Hey, every gripe I have is legit!” Bearclaw snapped.

“Maybe, but that fact doesn’t make you any less annoying,” Chui fired back.

“Boys...” both of them quieted down at Bast’s soft but authoritative tone. “We’re being dispatched to the address where most of the items have been shipped.”

“What’s the big deal?” Everyone turned to face Thane. “It’s buying some old inventions. So what? We stopped it when it had advanced alien technology. Are we supposed to be shaking in our boots because it has a Cotton Gin and a music system more obsolete than vinyl?”

“It’s not that simple.” Bast stood up and paced over to the window, looking out on a spectacular vista of the valley where every crag and bush was tinged with reddish light. He seemed unmoved by its beauty. “ESX wouldn’t be gathering these things if it didn’t have a purpose. We must assume the worst, and that it can utilize them somehow to bring its plan to fruition.”

“So we storm the place and smash up the operation,” Bearclaw said with a wink at Thane. “Sounds simple enough to me.”

Thane gave him a withering glare.

“We still need to work out a plan to save Dr. Kass,” she said icily.

“No,” Bast said harshly.

He turned around, his eye hard and unforgiving.

“Kass should be considered KIA. Whatever this creature is now that’s wearing her face, it’s not her.”

Thane bit back a retort. She found arguing with Bast to be exhausting and often unproductive.

We’ll just see about that, Major, she thought.

“When do we leave?”

Thane raised an eyebrow at the voice, which belonged to Creepy. From the way everyone else reacted, she figured that the teen hadn’t done much talking in her absence.

“At 0800 hours,” Bast said, regarding the young girl carefully.

“That’s less than ninety minutes!” Chui looked longingly at the kitchenette. “I haven’t even had breakfast yet!”

“A tragedy, to be sure,” James said.

“You have time to deal with your daily rituals,” Bast said with a hint of impatience. “Be geared up and in the hangar at the appointed time.”

Thane sat, glancing around in confusion, as everyone else got up and busied themselves with preparations. It seemed like she was the only one who didn’t have anything to do, so she helped Chui cook breakfast for the whole crew. Once they had a large glass bowl full of steaming scrambled eggs, and a tray laden with greasy sausage, Thane went to tell the others it was time to eat.

She came upon Montel’s room first. Her eyes widened as they took in the various objects hung on the wall, leaned against the dresser, and piled on a table. Modern firearms like an Ithaca pump action shotgun mingled with more mundane things like an egg timer and a can opener.

“Wow. And I thought Chui was a pack rat,” she said after a whistle.

Montel looked up at her and smiled. He was holding a Phillips head screwdriver in his hands. When she’d walked in he had been carefully examining it from end to end.

“I have an easier time calling things to me if I know them intimately.” He set down the screwdriver and unfolded from his chair. “I assume your presence means those wonderful smells are for everyone?”

“You assume correctly,” Thane said.

Thane grinned as he rubbed his hands together eagerly. She moved aside so the big man could hustle down the hallway toward the kitchen.

Next she found Bearclaw, who was stuffing myriad tiny lethal implements about his black fatigues. Thane recognized Japanese shuriken, African throwing irons, flat knives without hilts, and what looked like sharpened jacks from the child’s game.

“Gee, think you’ve got enough?” she asked. “I think you missed a spot.”

Bearclaw grinned and patted his torso.

“I feel naked without my steel,” he said with so much swagger Thane felt like barfing.

“Why not carry a gun instead of all that junk?” she asked. “Or will Bast not let you have one?”

“Well, for one, these weapons are relatively quiet,” James said after a snicker “and my specialty is recon. Also, they obey the will of my body, instead of coughing and jumping with a life of their own.”

“Deep,” Thane said with a smirk. “Did you buy a book of Indian proverbs or are you always this theatrical?”

“Depends.”

Bearclaw piled some more sharp weaponry into a black duffel bag and zipped it shut.

“Depends on what?”

“On how likely being theatrical is to win you over.”

“Oh, please,” Thane said, shaking her head. “Not interested. Breakfast is ready.”

“All right! Don’t tell Chubby I said this, but he’s actually a pretty good cook.”

Thane glared at him until he blanched.

“What?” he asked.

“I’m not saying you do, or don’t for that matter, have a shot at winning me over,” she said slowly “but one way to guarantee failure is to keep calling my friend Chubby. His name is Chui.”

She was expecting a snort, a smirk, and a dismissal of her feelings. Bearclaw surprised her.

“Consider it done,” he said, clapping his hands. “I really don’t have a problem with him, you know.”

“Yeah, I know, and I know that guys like to insult each other, too. I just don’t like hearing it.”

Thane left him and went back across the living area to the women’s dorms. She grinned at Montel and Chui’s banter.

“Ketchup on eggs?” Chui asked incredulously. “What’s wrong with salsa?”

“I love ketchup on my eggs,” Montel said “it’s a southern thing.”

“It’s a disgusting thing,” Chui said.

Their voices grew muffled as the door to the hallway swung shut. Thane stopped at the first door on the right and gently nudged it open.

“Rashemi?” she asked, fearful of intruding.

Creepy’s room looked like a research lab. Dozens of spiders, millipedes, beetles, and roaches swarmed inside glass cages. There was also what looked to be a working bee hive. The little yellow and black critters were visible through a glass pane, a zig zag pattern that shifted perpetually.

“Do you actually get honey out of that?” Thane asked.

Creepy started, then looked up with a grin and nodded.

“I guess that connects to the outside, so they can gather pollen,” Thane went on.

Creepy nodded again. She opened up a wooden drawer and withdrew a jar of dark amber honey. She pressed it into Thane’s hands.

“Oh, sweetie, that’s nice of you,” Thane said, staring at the jar “but you know I can’t eat normal food.”

It wasn’t quite true; Thane could eat almost anything, but solid matter always came back the way in went in. Except for her nutrition paste, of course.

Creepy insistently shoved it into Thane’s hands.

“Okay, okay, I’ll give it a try.” She wondered if her system could metabolize honey. It was close to being a beverage.

Bearing the jar, she went to rouse Faraday. She wasn’t ready yet, so Thane leaned against the wall and watched her pack for the mission. Her radio, canteen, service pistol, spare clips, and first aid kit were laid out neatly, precisely, on her bunk. The autistic girl always displayed a keen eye for detail.

“I know you’re there, Thane,” she said without turning around.

“Sorry.” Thane stood up from the wall. “I was just thinking...you’ve come a long way, Farah.”

The slim blonde just kept packing.

“Uh, listen,” Thane said. Faraday’s blue eyes focused on her own gray ones. “I know it’s not really my business, but can’t you give Chui a chance? I mean, not dating him because of his weight is pretty shallow.”

“That’s not why I don’t want to be his girlfriend,” Faraday said in her crisp monotone.

“It’s not? Then why?”

“Because if he loses weight, other girls will like him and he’ll be happy.”

Thane did a double take.

“He wouldn’t be happy unless he was with you, Farah.”

“No. I saw you and Po. You were always touching each other, on the hair, the hand, the cheek, the butt-”

“Hey!”

Faraday eyes grew unfocused, and her hand clutched at the air, though she continued to speak.

“I don’t like to be touched, or kissed, or held. Chui wouldn’t be happy with me.”

“Er...” Thane said “do you mind if I ask why you don’t like to be touched?”

Faraday shrugged.

“I just don’t.”

“Well, have you ever tried snuggling, or hugging?” Thane grinned. “It feels nice to have a warm body pressed against yours.”

“No. I don’t want to try it. I don’t.” Faraday’s eyes narrowed, and there was a hint of hysteria in her voice. Thane recalled a time when the waifish girl nearly killed them all during a temper tantrum.

“Okay, okay, relax!” Thane held her hands up. “I won’t say another word about it. Breakfast is ready, if you’re interested.”

Thane turned to leave. She stumbled and nearly fell when she heard Faraday’s words behind her.

“I love Chui.”

Thane returned to the room, feeling a tug on her heart.

“Farah...”

“Let’s go eat,” Faraday said, pushing past Thane to leave. Thane sighed and followed her, wishing life and love could be simpler.