Chapter 4

“You three get set up in your rooms upstairs, and I’ll start on a meal for all of us,” Trish directed. Luther and I picked up our duffles then set out for the second floor. Miranda looked at all of her luggage, and picked up part of it to follow us. Hanson immediately moved forward to give her a hand and picked up the rest of her luggage.

“I’ll give you a hand, Sarge,” he told her and followed us up the stairs to the second floor.

“Epps, you can help me in the kitchen,” Trish told the younger Marine, who had a resigned look on his face.

Upstairs, I took the room across from Trish, while Luther and Miranda took the next two rooms across from each other.

“What room are you and Epps in?” I asked Hanson since there were a number of other rooms.

“We’re in the last room on the back side of the building, Top, just across from the laundry facility,” he told me.

“That’s fine. Have you started cleaning your uniforms yet?” I asked.

“Yes, Sergeant Ferguson started them cleaning after we had changed,” he told me. I had noticed that both Marines were now wearing issue Special Operations duty uniforms with their name tags on them. Our uniforms, while similar to those the Marines wear, were a bit different, as we have different operational requirements than the Marines did.

Hanson placed Miranda’s luggage in her room for her but looked somewhat embarrassed.

“I had better get downstairs and help with the meal,” he said before Miranda reached out and took his hand in hers.

“Thank you,” she told him before releasing his hand.

“It’s okay, Sarge, glad to help,” he replied, but it was evident from his smile that he was quite happy. Miranda is a good looking woman after all.

It didn’t take us long to get set up, as the rooms were close to Special Operations standards for Senior NCO’s rooms, and we have moved a lot on our various assignments. Later we returned downstairs to the smells of a hearty meal being prepared. The scents had also reached as far as the cage, and both Bob and Susie were up but still in the cage though the gate was open. I could see both of them with their tongues out looking at the kitchen.

“I’ll check if there is any for you,” I sent to them, as we moved toward the mess area. Something really did smell fantastic.

On reaching the mess area, we found it set up similar to an NCO Club with small individual tables with table cloths, napkins, and utensils already set out. The food had not been set out yet however.

“I’ll see if they need any help,” Miranda volunteered before entering the kitchen area. A minute or so later, Trish came out still wearing a large cook’s apron.

“We’re having indigenous deer for dinner. They are the ones with the stinger in their tails. Hunters need to shoot them from a distance, as they will charge even if the shot was fatal to try to strike with that stinger. Keep the cats away from them, they are nasty animals,” she told me and paused.

“They are very tasty, however the carcass needs to be treated to remove the harmful local bacteria they carry, and can only be eaten after being well-cooked ... not raw the way your Partners like their meat,” she told me and smiled.

“I have a good amount of organs and other parts that we humans don’t care for cooking, and your Partners can have that when it’s finished and has cooled down some,” she finished with a big smile.

“Thank you, I’m sure they will appreciate it,” I told her with a return smile.

Just before the meal was served, Trish and I carried a large pot of well-cooked local deer organs out to the cage. Both cats were up at the bars as we approached with their noses up in the air to catch every scent. While Trish waited with the five gallon pot, I retrieved a small trough which was used to feed the Tigers soups, stews or similar types of food. It was built heavy enough that they wouldn’t be able to push it across the floor while eating.

As soon as we emptied the pot of hot organ stew into the trough, both Tigers were there inhaling the fragrant concoction.

“You need to allow that to cool some,” I sent to them, but Bob had to try it out anyway, and quickly backed up.

“HOT!” he sent.

“Yes, that was what I was telling you. It needs to cool down some before you can eat it. Sergeant Ferguson made it special for both of you. I will tell you about it later,” I sent to both of them.

“Can eat soon?” Susie sent.

“Yes, when it cools. You will know when it is cool enough to eat,” I told them.

When we returned to the mess area, the meal was being served, and we got in line to receive ours. We each received a large plate of food at the counter between the kitchen and the dining area. There were also large mugs of beer to wash everything down. Miranda and Hanson sat at a table together for the meal, while Trish and I sat at another one, leaving Luther and Epps to eat together. The meal was fantastic.

Suddenly during the meal, Miranda got up and came over to our table with a concerned look on her face.

“Cleve, something is wrong,” she said, but didn’t look like she was certain of what it was.

“Anything definite?” I asked.

“No, it’s just a general feeling for now, but I’ll keep checking and let you know if it gets more definite,” she told me. The others were all looking at us by now.

“Let’s eat up people. Miranda is seldom wrong, and we need to make preparations,” I told the others.

“The bar is closed,” Trish announced when I had finished. We all quickly finished our meal, which was a real shame, as everything was delicious, and it should have been eaten leisurely to be enjoyed.

“Just stack everything in the sink for now,” Trish told us as we finished, and she pulled keys from her pocket.

“I have weapons here for all of us and then some. Do you want to use them or your Team weapons?” she asked.

“How heavy are yours?” I asked.

“Squad and Company level heavy weapons mostly,” she answered.

“Let’s unpack ours in case we need to move out, but we’ll use yours while in here,” I told her.

“We need to call the Partners in from the roof,” Luther reminded us.

“Yes, I’ll open the bay door for them,” Trish agreed as she called Sara. Luther was already busy with Samson. I was calling Bob and Susie who were napping after finishing their extra meal.

“Trouble,” I sent to them, “need to put on protection.” Protection for Bob and Susie was a coat like affair that went around their bodies protecting their vital organs. It was bulletproof and laser resistant. They were a bit warm for them to wear, but it would keep them fairly safe. We each had similar vests to wear. Trish brought out her vest and extras for the Marines. We also had head gear with built in radios and night vision capability.

In the office area, Trish opened the arms room and brought out the heavy weapons plus some rifles for the Marines.

“Anything more definite?” I asked Miranda when we were all back together in the office. The Partners remained out in the bay for now and rested.

“It feels strange. It’s stronger, but it’s like whoever it is, is waiting for something to happen,” she told the rest of us.

“Like waiting to jump off?” Epps asked.

“Yes, something like that,” Miranda answered in agreement.

“Should we alert the local police or the Army?” I asked Trish, not being sure of local protocols.

“Not yet, not until we have something definite,” she told us. “They have been alerted too many times already by people who panicked,” she finished.

We spent the next few minutes in silence waiting for something, anything to happen before Miranda gave a new warning.

“Something is happening, as who or whatever I’m reading has tensed up,” she told us, but had no more than finished when there was an extremely bright flash of light followed several seconds later by the noise of an explosion.

“This is Little Brother 3 calling Tiger 6, come in. Over,” we heard from Trish’s station radio equipment.

“This is Special Operations Arnold. Stand by for Tiger 6, Little Brother 3,” Trish immediately sent from her helmet radio which was tied into the station equipment, before grabbing a mike and handing it to me.

“Little Brother 3, this is Tiger 6, go.”

“Tiger 6, Little Brother 3. Just called to inform you that we just knocked out a missile headed your way. We just happened to be overhead and picked it up on radar. Good luck on your mission. Out.”

“I’m beginning to think someone doesn’t like us,” Luther was saying when Miranda screamed.

“Get down!” she shouted, and we all hit the floor out of reflex, as I felt Miranda casting a ward around the building as we hit the floor. Immediately following that, we heard the sound of heavy weapons firing and the impact of their projectiles on the ward.

“Keep that ward down to just the first floor, Miranda,” Trish shouted to be heard over the noise of the firing weapons, as she threw switches and a monitor came to life on the wall. It showed two medium size open trucks on the far side of the road from the warehouse firing at it with mounted crew served weapons.

“I’ve been ready for this for a while now,” Trish said, but I may have been the only one hearing her over the sound of the weapons firing.

“I have 20 mm chain-guns in turrets on the front corners of the building,” she was saying, and I saw the picture on the monitor changed as cross-hairs appeared and Trish moved them onto the two trucks. This was followed by a sound like ripping cloth for about three seconds, as the trucks on the screen were turned into scrap metal with many holes in them before they burst into flames. I didn’t see anything move away from the remains of the trucks.

“I guess we can call the police and the Army now,” Trish said in the renewed silence, as we all got up off the floor. Miranda had already dropped the ward, as it takes a lot of energy to maintain it. The only sounds now were the fire consuming in the remains of the trucks and the wail of police and emergency sirens coming in this direction.

Miranda was standing as still as a marble statue, and I could just barely feel her Magic still searching the surrounding area.

“Wait!” she said after a few seconds. “There is still someone or ones out there waiting. Waiting for something.”

“The first responders!” Trish gasped in shock.

“Snipers?” Hanson asked.

“Yes, possibly. We should warn them not to approach here yet,” Miranda agreed. Trish was already changing frequencies on her radio equipment and started issuing orders to the headquarters of the first responders. Very quickly, the sound of sirens continued, but grew no closer.

“The third floor has a balcony. You can see everything from there,” Trish told us turning from the radio. Hanson had already grabbed a heavy duty sniper rifle, and he handed Epps a spotting scope before they both turned and raced up to the third floor. Miranda quickly followed them.

“Let’s get Samson in the air. The camera equipment should still be charged from when we packed it up after the last mission,” I told Luther, and we headed back to where our equipment was in the warehouse.

“Get Sara ready also,” Trish said as I was leaving and tossed me another case holding a camera set.

The Partners were all wide awake as the sound of the explosion and the weapons firing had told them that action was near, as had our excited thoughts. It didn’t take long to fit the Eagles with the camera equipment and to check that everything was working.

Trish joined us after a few minutes and raised the bay door about four feet. Both Eagles were gone in a flash. It was much too sudden for a sniper to have time to target them.

“How are we going to get out?” I asked her while handing her the controller for Sara’s camera.

“There is a door at the very back of the warehouse. No one knows about it, as I installed it myself after the other modification work was finished. You and the cats can slip out that way. Luther and I will go up to the balcony on the third floor to relay what the Eagles see to the Marines and you, but we’ll remain out of sight while directing the Eagles,” she told me with a tight smile before leaving.

By the time I had Bob and Susie ready to go, and we had reached the back of the warehouse and the door there, I was wondering just how safe it was behind the warehouse, though there had been no indication of trouble from that direction.