"Son you run faster then anyone, even at night your glowing eyes leave a purple streak well behind you." Jackson was saying to me as we sat around a fire.
"You must be mistaken." I replied and saw Torie shaking her head at me.
"Well when did that happen?" I asked Torie.
"Not long after the accident." Tami said in answer and I sat frowning slightly.
"So what happened?" I asked and wondered if they had to do something more to help heal me.
"It's as if your body got so broken, that the 'Cure' decided to rebuild you from scratch to make you better." Torie explained. Then she pulled out scans which I had finally agreed to yesterday.
"Your bones are thicker, skin tougher, nearly bent the needle just trying to take a blood sample and your immune system is like nothing I have ever encountered." Torie explained while showing off the results.
"So to be like me now, you nearly have to die?" I asked and she shook her head.
"No, your blood and the changes will reflect as to who you are now. Tami, against our orders, decided to test that on herself. She went through a few hours of the pains we all go through anyways, but by the end.." she paused and looked at Tami, "Show him.."
I watched as Tami took off like a shot and just as they said the girls eyes had a much brighter glow and the streak from her moving so fast left a purple after glow that was not hard to miss. Soon she returned and sat down once again, she wasn't even breathing hard or sweating.
"Not only that but there is more." Torie said slowly.
"Of course there is.." I muttered while Jackson watched me with a light grin.
"Your cells are replacing themselves so rapidly that as long as you do not die right away, you should be able to heal from most any wound, including those thought to be fatal." Torie explained while I sat back and looked at her.
"What else?" I asked and she paused to look over at Maria.
"Son, with the high healing rate, they think you might actually have stopped aging or at least are aging at an incredibly slow rate." Jackson said at last.
"Perfect, now am I only no longer part of the Human species, I am something else entirely." I muttered and looked over at Tami in concern.
"Damnit Baby Girl, you have put yourself in my boat, at least before people could tolerate it. how do you think they will see us when they continue to age and we look like this?" I asked her with worry.
"You saw how they were talking when we left Redmond, just because they are in our House won't mean they won't see or say the same things." I reminded her and she nodded.
"Neither of you are alone.." Charlie whispered and she glanced at Torie and then Maria. I sighed and sat back.
"Now you know why I never had a real family General, your crazy rubs off on them at the worst time." I muttered while he chuckled and Sam smiled.
"I know what you mean, fact is once this mess gets sorted out, I plan to get the cure myself if you all don't mind an old War Horse joining your group." Jackson admitted.
"General you should give that some real consideration. It was bad on me more then five years ago, bad on Maria and Torie not that long ago. We have no clue how bad for someone older then us." I tried to explain to him.
"We served together for many years Major, think I'd let you go this alone now?" he asked and I laughed a bit before I tilted my head listening, Tami was also listening.
"What?" everyone asked while also trying to listen.
"It sounded like a muffled surprise and then a thump, but I can't locate it." Tami said softly. It had Jackson on his feet and the radio.
"All units check in." he demanded. I stood up and turned to gaze at the outpost we had set up heading North. They would have been the first to spot when the enemy arrived, the fact they were well hidden within a cave high over the road way, says the enemy had already started to fan out and possibly stumbled on them by accident. One by one the outposts checked in with the towers.
I caught the Generals attention and used hand signals, he turned back to the radio, "All units switch to channel Bravo Delta and keep the radio clear once radio check is established." he called in and soon after we switched to the new channel and heard the Units check in one by one. A single voice did not call in. With each radio needing a code punched into them every thirty minutes in order to remain active, we knew the radio would not allow them to monitor us for long.
"Dan is most likely dead, but be prepared that he could be alive and used as leverage to try and come into the Stronghold." I said to Sam and he looked alarmed, "I won't open the gate for anyone, I am sorry, but I will not endanger every life against a single one." I reminded him and he nodded. I spun around and tapped the radio to life.
"Watch Towers, keep an eye out and use your thermal imaging, Everyone beyond the walls, save ass plan c, enact now. Stronghold out." I commanded and with out even a response I knew the four hidden spotters where moving to the tunnels that would bring them home. Only a series of knocks on the door would let them back inside.
"Save ass plan C?" Jackson asked and grinned while I just shrugged.
"Movement Tower North West, Near Nugget." a voice said through the radio.
"And so we begin our night, Lets move it Commanders, we have a long night ahead of us and probably a few to kill to remind them we are not with out defenses." I called out and everyone took off to get their people in position and to safety.
At the Tower I pulled up the binoculars and located the heat sources in question. Many stood near the pasture that Jackson had used, but several were moving through the city streets as well in an effort to surround the Hold. We could not allow them access to the Airport as it would jeopardize our power supply, beyond that they could surround all they like and never get anywhere.
"All Towers watching the Airport, kill any one trying to move in or around it, give them no chance to disrupt our power." I radioed in and heard several shots at once.
"Prowler one two and three down. Lost location to prowlers four and five, Over." a voice called in.
"Continue to monitor and eliminate, Out." I ordered and looked back at the General. He spun around and ran out to the Towers in question. His original job in the Marines was as a sniper. Another shot sounded and was followed by several more. In the Binoculars I watched several men being put down on top of the Nugget. The Towers did not like anyone trying to be on our level.
"Towers good job, all Towers, do not allow anyone to gain or remain holding high ground." I called in and patted the shoulder of one of the women who had taken down a Nugget sniper.
Through the night we watched as several more tried to claim one high ground or another only to be cut down. Even the General took out the prowlers once he found the dead ones and tracked the best trails that would have kept them hidden. Once he found them he dropped them both with a single shot while they had stopped to speak to each other apparently. The shot was lined up perfectly and he took them both.
"Movement.." the radio called and I moved with the rest of my Commanders to see where they were and where they were headed.
"Tami, to the control center. I will call out the Claymores to set off." I said and she ran off in an instant. I looked through the binoculars, they were walking down the road with Dan stumbling before them like a shield.
"Bobbi, keep your target on Dan, if it does not look like he can affect an escape, shoot him. It will be much kinder then anything they would do to him if we fail." I said to her and she nodded slowly.
"General, the one who looks like a Mad Max stunt double, remove his head on the go." I said and he nodded while moving into position. I used the radio to speak to the others.
"When I call your name and give you a target, you will move to stay in view of them, if you loose them call out target description and lost. See if another can regain them for you and then you assume their target, am I clear?" I sent out and got returned affirmation. One by one each sniper had a specific target in their sights and were awaiting the Go order.
"Hello the Hold, we have your man. You will open the gates and lay down your weapons..." he continued to speak about safe passage and some other bullshit.
"All shooters maintain your targets, Bobbi, do nothing you will know if you need to do your part or not. When the claymores go off, fire your targets." I called out then called, "Tami, section One A, B, and C.. now!"
Instantly the claymores blew up behind the group sending several followers flying and many in different directions as their bodies were shredded. Shots fire in rapid series of shots and the group of bad guys were dead in moments. Dan stood still looking around slowly in something of shock.
"Rescue, bring our man in and keep your heads down. Snipers watch for anyone who should not be moving or any reinforcements." I called out and took a seat on one of the benches that lined the inner wall of the massive walkway.
