Split In Time Ch 03

Author's note:

All characters and companies mentioned in this story have no existence outside the imagination of the author, and have no relation whatsoever to anyone or anything bearing the same name or names. Events portrayed in this story are pure invention and have not been based on any events that have happen in real life. All the characters involved in any sexual acts if their ages are not mentioned before hand; are over 18 years of age. Enjoy.

Hi everyone,

Sorry for the delay with this chapter, everything was on track to get this one out a lot sooner, however, my editor is from NZ and although she lives and works in another country, has family and friends in Christchurch so she had more important things on her mind then editing. Thankfully everyone is okay.

So as normal all feed back is welcome.

Have fun

*

Amy woke with a jerk and reached out to grab Wolfgang, to pull herself close to him. Her sleep-muddled brain was confused, as she always woke in his arms with his body pressed to her. She glanced around for a moment, recognising her room in the temple, it took her another moment before her mind snapped into place and she remembered where she was. It hit her like a sledgehammer, no Wolfgang. On the few occasions they were separated she was still comforted by the fact she could feel him in the back of her mind but this time he wasn't there, she quivered and shook as panic set in. She felt for the first time the devastating sensation of loss, the loss Ghost felt when Katie died; it was as if someone had taken a razor to her body and her soul, shredding them to pieces.

It took ten minutes before she had control of her panic, after so long of having him in her mind, she felt a little lost without him. But she managed to pull herself together, she just kept reminding herself that he wasn't dead he was just far away. Her beast growled in her mind, he wasn't that far away, there was a Wolfgang here in this universe and she urged her human to go to him. She told her beast NO, this was not

her

Wolfgang. Her beast rolled its eyes and ignored that stupid comment.

Amy crawled out of bed and prepared herself for the day. She wore her normal clothes and quickly put her hair into a plait, shoes were quickly put on before she left her room. A few minutes later, she walked into the dinning room. The people they had saved from the detention facility stared in amazement as Cleopatra, Guinevere, Rhun and the Merlins loaded the table with a wide selection of food, from roast meats to fruit and cereal.

"Help yourselves," Rhun coaxed as Alanna walked with Electra and Mayhem into the room. Electra was still a day off being completely healed but had wanted out of the pod and something to eat. Amy was already getting herself some food to eat as she had a long day ahead of her.

Vivian walked out with a tray of tuna Mornay and glared at Amy. "Hey I thought you wanted tuna for breakfast." She complained. "It's what you told Robin to make last night."

Amy swallowed and smiled, "I'm not that fussy, it's not for me but for Electra, she'll eat the entire pan if you let her." She explained. Vivian shrugged and put the tray down before Electra. Electra cast Amy a puzzled look.

"Trust me, try it, but be careful it's hot." Amy told her before turning back to her breakfast.

Electra picked up a fork and scooped a small amount up, she brought it to her nose to sniff, her stomach made a welcoming gurgle, and she blew on it then put it in her mouth and chewed for a moment. A woman Amy didn't know went to take some, Electra growled and pulled the pan closer to her and hovered over it protectively. The woman raised her hands and backed off knowing that Electra would attack if she tried to take her food again.

Alanna gave Amy a look that was part amused and part puzzled as she had watched the whole thing, she was wondering about the woman who had saved her, how she could know about them when they had no memory of her?

Amy smiled, "You normally have fruit, yogurt and muffins for breakfast but will eat just about anything if it's on offer and Electra hasn't claimed it first." She told her.

Alanna frowned, "How do you know that?" She asked.

"Give me until no later than this afternoon and I will give you the answer to that question." Amy told her honestly, Alanna nodded, she could accept that. Tarval walked in panting gently, having just run up several flights of stairs to get here from the gym Mryddin had shown him, he was topless having discarded his shirt during training. Alanna turned and watched him, her eyes scanning down his chest, watching beads of sweat trickle down his firmly muscled chest.

Amy watched her daughter for a moment and smiled, a towel appeared in her hand and she tossed it at Tarval, "You're dripping." She scolded playfully, "By the by... some time soon I want to fence with you, I've been told that you are the best of all Da'Vaila."

He smiled at her as he wiped his chest and arms with the towel she had given him. "I am, but what makes you think I should duel with you."

Amy grinned, "Because I am the granddaughter to Vivian." She said honestly and watched as his head jerked to Vivian then back to Amy surprised. Her smiled broadened, "But unlike grandma who learnt the blade, I was born to the blade."

Vivian sighed knowing he was going to tease her for this, "She is right, she disarmed me so easily it's scary." She sat to eat.

Tarval studied Amy carefully, wondering for a moment how such a small woman could be a threat to him, he brushed those thoughts aside, even the small are terribly dangerous when they need to be. "I accept, name the time and I will be there." He said as he took the seat next to Alanna.

Amy smiled, pleased, as she continued to eat her breakfast, she had been dying to have a go at Tarval ever since she saw him and Alanna fencing a few weeks ago back in her own universe, it had been exciting. She finished her breakfast and stood, "Grandma, Boadicea, Guinevere, Cleopatra." She said listing those she wanted to come with her. She turned to Taylor, "Sorry, I have a feeling of danger where we are going, there will be a fight and I don't want to have to worry about four mortals."

Taylor nodded; she could understand where Amy was coming from.

"If it is going to be dangerous perhaps I should come?" Tarval suggested.

Amy shook her head, "Sorry Tarval, but women will be less threatening to the people we are going after today."

He bowed his head, he could accept that.

Amy stood and left the table, the others following her. Boadicea was bouncing, excited by the prospect of a good fight. "You're a freak." Vivian told her as Excalibur appeared in her hands.

Boadicea shrugged as Vengeance, her sword, appeared in her hands; she belted it around her hips. "Come on... a fight is good... it will get my blood pumping, I hate being cooped up in the temple."

Cleopatra rolled her eyes as a scimitar appeared in her hands, she checked its edge to make sure it was sharp enough for what was about to come, slicing her thumb down to the bone with only the slightest pressure, smiling as she sucked on the wound, a few moments later it was healed. Sheathing the curved blade, she clipped it to her belt.

Guinevere held her hands out as her sword appeared and dropped into her open hands. She smiled as she pulled her blade from its sheath letting her eyes roam over it, before she slammed it back into its sheath and attached it around her waist. All three women glared as Monster appeared on Amy's back already belted in place, "It's not fair." Boadicea said grumpily.

Amy paused and turned to her. "Stop complaining about what I can do and start working on what you can do, you are all capable of what I can do you just need to change your preconceived notions. I don't doubt myself; I don't think things are impossible just because they've never been done."

"Not all of us have altered our very nature." Boadicea retorted.

"Dah..." Amy said, "The only reason I did that was because I had no preconceived notions of what is and isn't possible." She argued before she took a deep breath. She knew she wouldn't be able to discuss this at length, "Let's just go," she told them and vanished to reappear in woodland.

Amy slowly approached the tree line, a tall cornfield still obscuring their objective. Carefully they made their way through the corn, doing their best not to give away their position by disturbing it too much. They came to a stop and got low when the cornfield stopped. Vivian made a pair of binoculars appear in her hand and brought them to her eyes to see what was going on in the house. Amy shifted her ears so that she could hear what was going on, another pair of binoculars appeared in her hands and she brought them to her eyes.

A squad of Merks, the shortened name given to the mercenaries, stood before a partially fortified homestead, women with bows and arrows stood on the roof behind crude shields. None of the women looked afraid as they trained their bows on the unwanted men.

"

I am warning you, surrender and none of you will get hurt."

The well-dressed leader of the Merks said.

"We don't want to hurt you, you are pure, untainted. But if you fight us you leave us with no choice."

"What choice?"

A voice that sounded like Cass's said angrily.

"Join you and become brood mares for your stupid war or die here, I only speak for myself but I would rather die than be a part

of your madness."

What's the plan?

Vivian asked silently.

They aren't leaving without them.

Amy said firmly.

I'll shift, draw attention to us and away from the women. You take out the Merks but be aware of the woman in their ranks; her name is Susan and is NOT to be harmed.

She told them as her body began to shift, tearing her clothes from her body as it grew to its full monstrous dimensions, the metamorphic belt did its job and Monster stayed firmly attached to Amy's back.

She stretched and yawned as her teeth grew in, rumbling she slowly moved out of the corn, keeping her mammoth body low as she crept forward, hoping that the women wouldn't give her away until she and the others were in position.

Cass's eyes glanced at the huge, and she did mean HUGE, white tiger making it's way towards the Merks but didn't give the obvious Were away as it's attention seemed totally focused on the men harassing them. None of the women with her gave away the Were either, they were used to trading with Were and didn't fear them like they feared the Merks. Were were honest in their intentions, they came to trade meat for corn, leather and fur for anything else they might have, they didn't bother them or make demands, they simply let them be.

The dogs the Merks had went to turn and growl as their noses picked up the obvious scent of Were. Their tails went between their legs as they came face to face with something they had never seen before, something big and deadly and not to be messed with. Instincts for self-preservation kicked in and they stayed silent.

Amy got into position as the others in her group found their own spots, picking their targets, their swords drawn and ready.

Ready?

She asked.

Ready.

She got four confirming voices.

Amy took a deep breath and roared. The startled Merks turned and started to bring up their weapons before they even looked at her. Their jaws dropped as they came face to face with the biggest creature they had ever seen. Amy opened her mouth, displaying her teeth in all their deadly glory. She rushed forward and the Merks scattered, some even dropping their guns to run.

Boadicea let out a blood-curdling war cry as she threw herself into the fray, the others quickly following. Vivian went to slice the head off the person approaching until she realised it was the woman Amy wanted spared, she tilted her wrist and whacked the woman with the flat of Excalibur, knocking Susan out cold then moving on to her next target, confident Susan wasn't going anywhere for now.

It took the well-trained women little time to dispatch the Merks, they were simply men with big ideas, fears and guns, nothing compared to the woman who had been training for centuries in various battle situations.

As Vivian dispatched the leader, Susan started to come to. Cleopatra noticed Susan starting to wake and since she was the closest, she raced forward and stepped between Susan's shoulder blades, pressing Susan back down. Quickly Cleopatra knelt placing her knee where her foot had been, rope appeared in her hands and she quickly hog-tied Susan up to keep her from running. Amy shifted back into her human form and made clothes appear on her body.

"You go talk to the women; we'll clean up this mess." Vivian told her glancing down to her bloody blade and the dead body before her.

Amy nodded and approached the homestead; bows were trained on her as she approached. She stopped a good distance from their home, their safe place, holding her hands up in a gesture of peace. "I am Amy, I mean you no harm nor do the others who are with me." She said firmly putting as much truth and conviction into her words she could muster.

"What brings you here then?" Cass asked.

"We have come in search of two people, you and Shannon." Amy told her.

"Why?" Cass asked.

"It's hard to explain Cass." Amy answered. "I do want to explain it to you but now is not a good time."

Cleopatra raced up, "A scout was sent to tell others about this group, more will come... and soon according to the radio they had, reinforcements will be here in an hour, two at the most." She told Amy.

"You are in danger, more Merks are coming." Amy told the women before she glanced back to the others in her group, "Leave their bodies where they lay, gather the guns and ammo." Cleopatra nodded and ran off to help the others.

"You have two options, pack and leave or stay and fight." Amy told them listing their options.

Cass shook her head. "We can't just leave; we have sick and young here."

"We can get you out of here, far away from here to somewhere safe." Amy said hoping to get these women to leave here, as she knew this place would be too difficult to fortify and hold for any long period.

"Let us discuss your proposal." Cass said and everyone left the roof. Amy stayed where she was as Boadicea and Vivian laid out the guns and ammo.

"I hope they choose to leave, this place won't be able to withstand any prolonged attack." Guinevere said gently.

"I know, but in case they don't, start to think of ways to defend this place." Amy told her.

Guinevere nodded and knelt, starting to make plans as best she could. Cass walked out of the house ten minutes later as Guinevere moved the truck the Merks had and then turned it on its side with a simple thought. As Cass walked up to Amy, Amy's eyes took in her friends' features, from her braided red hair to her green eyes. The only thing to have changed was the hard look to her eyes and a scar across her left cheek.

"I asked the women in the basement if one of them was named Shannon, they said no." Cass said.

Amy glanced up and let her senses go looking for Shannon, "No Shannon is there, in your basement." She insisted.

Cass shrugged, "Must be the injured woman we found this morning."

"So... your decision?" Amy asked.

"Why are they doing that?" Cass asked as Boadicea moved the other truck into position and turned it on its side by willing it to flip.

"Creating fortifications just in case you decide to stay." Amy explained.

"Never would have thought to use their cars like that." Cass said in admiration, "You can tell them to stop, we aren't staying." She turned to the crop, "I am however loathed to leave the crops for them to use."

Amy chuckled and whistled a loud note, "Stop fortifying and start razing the crops." She called out. Everyone nodded and changed tasks.

"Gather everything you want to keep and get ready." Amy told Cass.

Cass shifted for a moment, "I have horses, and I don't want to leave them." She said hesitantly.

"That's okay, we can take them too." Amy said calmly, although her mind was busy trying to think of a place in the temple where they could house horses.

"There are stables near the forges." Vivian said guessing Amy's thoughts. "I'm going to dismantle these guns and ammo beyond use. You go check their injured."

"The corn is ready to be harvested, do you really want it burnt." Cleopatra said as she ran up.

"Harvest what you can." Vivian said, "Send it to the empty rooms on the forth basement level." She added.

Amy turned to Cass, "Ancients, they'll have it harvested before you're ready to go." She explained then gestured for Cass to lead the way. Cass nodded and led Amy into the house.

"Pack quickly." She ordered the already packing women; children did their best to help.

"What happened to your grandda?" Amy asked gently.

Cass paused on the stairs leading into the basement. She took a deep breath, "He died hiding me and two other women from a Merk squad, his heart gave out on him." She said with only a slight hint of pain.

"I'm sorry Cass; I know how much he meant to you." Amy said gently.

Cass spun and took a good look at Amy but never in her life did she remember meeting such a person, "How... I don't know you. How do you know about my Grandda?"

Amy wished she could comfort Cass, "Please... once we leave this place I will explain everything to you, I swear." She said sincerely.

Cass jerked her head in a nod, seeing the logic as they didn't have the time. She turned and went back down the stairs. Amy followed silently cursing herself for falling into an old pattern, of thinking of this Cass as the Cass she knew and was her friend.

Cass walked Amy up to a woman who was getting bandages changed. "Something is keeping her blood from clotting properly." She explained as Amy's eyes scanned over Shannon.

Vivian had followed them in and sighed, "I'll take her now."

"Wait." Amy said and rested one hand on Shannon's pale forehead, the other on her chest above her heart. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, releasing it slowly; she focused her mind, her will on a thought, for her to heal. Amy's markings pulsed for a moment then she opened her eyes and stepped back. Vivian blinked in shock as she stared at the healed wounds.

"I agree with Boadicea... that's not fair." Vivian said when she had her voice back.

Amy smiled, "I'm a freak Grandma, get over it."

Vivian rolled her eyes and vanished taking Shannon with her. Amy turned to Cass and smiled, "You better finish packing and get your horses organised." She warned then left the basement. She glanced around; the corn had been harvested and was just waiting for the stalks to be set ablaze.

Guinevere jogged back to the crop and poured gas on it to help it burn when they set it alight. "Where are the others?" Amy said joining her.

"Clearing out the out houses of anything of use." She said, "Boadicea suggested it and it's a good idea to leave nothing for the Merks to use and when we eventually re-home them they will need that stuff."

Amy nodded seeing the logic. "Hope the Merlins won't mind all the company."

"They'll get over it." She said with a smile as she raced over to pour gas onto the turned over cars and stuffed bloody rags into the gas tank of one of the cars ready to be lit. "This is so much fun." She said with glee.

"You're nuts." Amy said as Guinevere skipped around to the other car to do the same.

"We're done." Cleopatra said as they walked around the building, seeing what Guinevere was up to. "Nice." she said pleased with the preparations Guinevere had made.