Chapter Two
Badass Rescue Club at Sentinel Rising
One week
Hud
Stepping away from the little Lego pod wall, I jog behind Alder to the dining room. He didn’t stop to acknowledge me here, but I know he registered me. At the door, I hit the pad and walk into what looks like a geriatric ward dining room.
The K9 and Anchor relax me, even though Anchor is sitting with the elderly people and his woman, he’s both military and younger than 70.
The K9s are seen on every base so the familiar settles me quick.
Stepping back, I stay against the wall where I can see all but what’s behind the wall that splits the front section from the back.
It looks brighter so I’d guess windows. Alder had a wall of windows on his little Lego pod.
“Boss Hud, sit.” Alder orders. I’m not sure that’s okay but he’s a President.
“Go ahead, I’ve got the room with Sarge.”
The voice has me spinning around. I didn’t see the crystal blue eyed Charlie’s Angel named Sophia Michadeau against the wall. The big dog isn’t one I know.
She smiles. “We just did a walk through checking the back door. It’s secure.
” That explains why she wasn’t there when I came in.
I breathe deep and nod, then sit in the seat Alder left open beside him.
The little VP smiles at me. I throw him chin, glad to use it instead of words.
They aren’t sitting at the big table with the elderly, we’re on the side closer to the huge island.
“I glad you work to me. You have question?” Alder ran by me last night but never said a word.
Tats left with the chopper so I had no one to get answers from.
I like information but didn’t get anything from the crew that rode up with me.
They’re from other clubs but none ever worked on Alder’s team.
I’m more than happy to get my questions answered directly from the Little President.
“Always.” My voice is hoarse from non-use.
He nods once. “Ask you questions.”
“Is your gun laser?” Tats told me he has a real gun for off the compound but moved on before I could ask questions.
“ABSZ, Bravo, yes. Travel, I ops readied, I no advertise,” he says softly.
I nod. “How do I cover when you fly the hover machine?” It’s a Jetson type machine I saw in an old cartoon. I can’t believe they built them and they work. Maybe I can, but the little guys build them making it more fantastical to see.
“Drone cover me to surveillance. You ride gator, golf cart, bike. Flight suit to you hard to change, whole shift not needed.”
I nod again; glad I’m not in a Flight suit for full shifts in the desert towns. “Allergies?”
“Tylenol, dye, chemical, vaccine.”
“Tats told me about vaccines and babies close to you. He said you’d tell me if it was safe.”
“Chemical and Tylenol?” The little VP asks.
I shake my head no for him.
Alder nods drawing my eyes back to him. “Alpha-Bit blood different to you. Chemical, Tylenol hurt to Alpha-Bit. Chemical dye give adverse reaction to us. Some vaccine to baby, live virus, kill Alpha-Bit. Asa send list to you. X-ray hurt to us, no X-ray, MRI use close to us.”
That’s some scary shit. I think about how many X-rays and vaccines I’ve had and push the thought of what it would do to them away. So, the mohawk the VP has isn’t chemically dyed. I don’t want to ask him more, I can ask Anchor, he’s an easy Brother.
I change tactics. “What do you need me to know?” Everything I’ve gotten has been from Tats. Alder hasn’t said much to me this week as I’ve shadowed.
“You have classify clearance. I sleep little. Holograms work I sleep, sometimes I work A7a, b and c.”
“What does that mean?”
Alder looks at Michadeau against the wall and she moves, bending between us.
“Barney explain hologram to me.” Alder uses Marine jargon.
She turns with a slight smile and whispers.
“Don’t repeat or write this. His holograms can interact with you and you wouldn’t know it’s not him.
He has three or four that have a distinction of dots on their shirts.
” She holds her collar, showing me the edge.
“A has one on the left, B has one on each side, C is on the right. Look for the dots just at the edge of their collars.”
I nod and she goes back to the wall. Tats missed this intel last night. “So, I go in the lab with you?”
“Where I go except meet room. Hologram work everywhere. I here, A7c at training tank now.”
I look back at Michadeau and she moves closer. “The holograms move around the compounds? Do they get Security?” It would be a giveaway for them to be alone anywhere.
She nods bending closer. “Identical to LP. They have hologram dogs that everyone swears are Ops K9s.” She goes back to the wall but her soap scent lingers, like the last time she was close wasn’t annoying enough.
I look back at Alder. “You’ll tell me when you feel something off?”
He smiles and waves the Prospect closer.
“Always. I send worksheet to you chat. Ask you question there. I answer.”
I nod and move to stand.
“Stay you eat. Boss Sophie good. She answer question to you we meet later. Now Asa have question.”
I sit back and look at the little VP. “You Ranger?”
“Yeah, basically.”
“Special Op?”
I nod but don’t add anything and order a healthy two from the Prospect. Tats said all the menus are the same now.
“You family close?” Little VP asks.
“Canada. Uncles and an aunt.”
“Brother, sister?”
I shake my head in the negative. His face puffs up and eyes go big. I smile and shrug. “Parents died in Florida. I was born there earlier than expected but they were snow birds from Ontario. Stayed in the states when I started school so I grew up here.”
He nods but has nothing else.
“Boss Sophie born to Canada. No family, ward to state.” The little President informs me.
I just nod. I don’t need it but find it odd that she’s here.
I didn’t see a citizen status on her. I did see it on a few of the ID’s I looked up for the new team members and the Brolin name I heard linked to the K9 that was with Alder one day last week.
The French Commander was talked about on our Joint base.
“You have ol’ lady?” VP asks pulling me out of my thoughts.
I shake my head no.
He rolls his eyes and looks at his little President. “You ask question to him on sheet.” Alder gives him an out.
The chuff from the wall has me smiling. The dog agrees. I shrug. “You got my bio. My time in is classified. Tats said you got that but I can’t say it.”
Alder nods in approval. “Alpha-Bit IT send you bio to me. Preses Cort, Justice, Zeke and Boss Web approve. No question to that. You brace, robotic no problem?”
“None. The robotic reacts like it’s real without feeling. The other attachments haven’t even caused a friction burn.”
He nods once in a decisive way which I’ve seen three times now. It must be a thing with him at meetings.
They let me eat without more questions. I do, thinking about the attachments.
They’re as easy as sliding on a glove and a little Bit named Allen made a permanent mark on my leg so I always line the bands the same way.
He told me the bands have strands that pick up certain muscle movements.
It’s how the ankle moves walking and the flipper works to push me through water.
I saw the avatar moving as he typed and understood but know it’s much more than strands in the bands, that I’ll never understand, so I didn’t ask for more.
The little guys seem to have learned from better books than I’ve ever read.
§*§*§
Alpha Rising
Sophie
Silva meets us at the back door. “LP, Brothers, Pres is in his meeting room. Troy has the VIP Bit house ready.”
Alder stops so we all do. “You make Bit VIP? We equal, stay to Bits bunkhouse.”
Silva smiles at me. “You are always more but the bunkhouse was rebranded in your honor. Odell decorated it with a VIP banner so Troy went with it and called it the Bit ‘VIP’ when he ordered the little fruit baskets.”
Asa gives me a big-eyed look.
I hold my laugh in at Alder’s horrified face. “Baskets?”
Silva nods. “A few grapes, a big strawberry, some have a nectarine or apple. His boys needed a job so Troy gave them an invoice for the mini baskets.”
Alder nods once and starts his run so we all follow at a jog. At the stairs, I lift Asa in front of me and jog up. His feet keep going as if he’s helping propel us up with a little giggle. I do it a lot and love that little giggle.
Stella laughs with a little one in her arms as we reach the top. I set Asa down and throw her chin. “Which one?”
“LJ.”
I smile at Little Jax. “Who has Peter?”
“Troy. Budgie has a shift so he needs a little one today. I need to get LJ to Brinks.”
I take the three steps toward the meeting room and turn. Hud ignores me.
“New guy on your team?” Silva throws chin to the big guy, who does it back, but doesn’t speak.
I smile thinking I need to pick up a hand puppet so I can answer for him in a way that makes the point without dragging me to annoyance for being an unpaid spokesperson for him. “Hud Girard. He’s Alder’s away Lead and doesn’t talk much.” Rolling my eyes as I deliver it has Silva smiling.
“You coming to the Club later?”
I nod. “I’m on Asa until Clay picks them up later.”
He throws chin walking toward the stairs. “Bring your mime with you.”
I smile without answering. When we’re alone in the hall, I tell Hud the Club is the next building.
He looks through me and nods. It’s his normal look for me so I go back to watching who is coming and going at the stairs.
The man barely recognizes me as human. It’s weird because he at least makes eye contact with other Protectors.
A good twenty minutes goes by before the door opens. “Boss Sophie, you show Boss Hud robot docs?” Alder asks.
I nod. “I can. The website or doc sheet?”
He’s surprised. I don’t see that often. “Both. You understand impact?” He watches me nod but doesn’t say anything.