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Chapter -6- Call to Arms

Seven days later...

December 24, 2049 - 2am EST West New York State ...

Karla Loupe paced on her yacht. She kept her eyes on the pier, waiting to see who would arrive first. Today was a big day and she had spent the afternoon cleaning. Everyone was coming today. Near as far as she could tell, at least.

A white van came down onto the pier. It was unusual for a motor vehicle to drive onto the dock.

Karla narrowed her gaze and tightened her hands into fists. The van approached her yacht. She couldn't see the driver's face or build from the reflection of moonlight on the windshield.

Karla teleported herself down to the dock. Her palms and forearms glowed pink with skin-deep glyphs. She squinted, standing in the headlights. "If you guys are coming to attack my boat, or if you've got a bomb in that thing ... you'll be sorry."

The van came to a stop and the driver door opened. A girl stepped out. The passenger door opened, and a tired-looking boy eased from the seat. He appeared to be hungover.

Karla didn't really recognize them. Then again, she had headlights in her face.

The back doors of the van opened with a metallic grunt. The van shifted from something heavy in the back coming out. The shocks lifted the end of the van up, causing the low-beams to lower, so that they weren't directly in Karla's eyes.

A large figure came around from behind the van. He stepped into the light. "Hey Blondie."

Rufus Darken approached her. But he was in his werewolf form. Oddly, he wore a tailored_suit_. A purple tie, and a black vest with faint purple pinstripes; his sleeve cuffs were rolled up about half way, and his tie was loose.

Karla blinked twice. "Oh my Christ. Rufus? I didn't think an animal could actually look hot. Jesus."

He chuckled and gently drew her into a hug. "Long time."

"I thought you found your one true mate - where is she? You're obviously dressing up nice for her. I've got to meet this girl."

Rue placed his large right paw on Karla's shoulder and guided her away from the two that had stepped from the front of the van. In a soft voice, he said, "She passed away, tryin' to keep Evan and Patty alive. Falcon's people killed her."

Karla swallowed and remained silent out of respect.

"The boy," Rufus nodded back at the young man by the passenger door of the van, "is Rama, our son. The girl is Aimee, his fiancée."

Karla swallowed again. She saw the pain in his eyes, glistening in the lighting of the van's headlights. Seeing the man in tears triggered her empathy; her heart ached for him. "Ruebear, I am so sorry." Karla reached up and put her arms around him.

Rufus rested the bottom of his muzzle on her head and hugged her back with a sigh. "Let's not bring'er up."

"You okay?"

"I ain't been out of my fur. I'm wearin' it like a mask, I guess."

Karla sniffed at his collar. "You don't smell like you've been wearing the fur that long."

"Sweat glands shut down in this'a here form. You wouldn't wanna smell wet dog ever'time I get overheated, Blondie." Rufus stepped back from her and looked up at the yacht. "Where's everyone else?"

"You're the first to arrive," Karla said. She blinked at the sudden changing of lighting. The van engine grew quiet. Karla's eyes dilated. "Okay," she said louder, so that Rama and Aimee would hear. "Everyone gather around and we'll go across."

Karla acted before they could approach. She tensed her hand.

Rama and Aimee appeared adjacent to Rufus, both looking rather confused to have been displaced without warning.

In the blink of an eye, all four teleported to the aft deck of the yacht.

Aimee held her hands out to get her balance. "Did we just...?"

"I thought you were crazy," Rama said to his father.

Rufus shrugged. "You get used to it."

Karla grinned and turned away from them. "I'll show you where your rooms are. We'll be..." She froze, staring at Conner and James Parker sitting on two glass chairs filled with crushed quartz.

Conner looked up at her. "It's gone, Karla." He shifted on his rump and put his feet over the side of the sunning chair. Conner rested his elbows on his knees and ran his hands up over his forehead. "The vault - the family island. It's all gone. Underwater nuclear detonation. It's just an atoll, with a sandbar ring around it, now. It's all gone."

Karla frowned. "Jesus, Conner. You're the second one to bring bad news tonight. What happened?"

"Well..."

James stood up and stepped away from the conversation with Karla and Conner. He approached Rufus and offered his hand to the werewolf. "Mr. Darken."

Rufus nodded.

"Have you heard from Ulfey?"

Rufus shook his head sullenly. "She din' make it."

James dropped his hand to his side. "I don't know what to say..." James trailed off, licked his lips, and in a gentle voice, said, "I am so, so sorry."

"Did you see her in person or did you hear about her from Evan?"

"No, I was there," said James. "She was incredible. She offered to lead enemies away so that I could take Evan, his wife, and a relic out of the area."

"What kinda relic?" Rufus asked in a soft tone.

"Some sort of seed or nut or something. I took it to the island, intending to hide it there. Aris Falcon's thugs blew up the island. It's completely gone. I brought the seed back with me."

Rufus nodded. "Give that thing to Reno. Ain't nobody better qualified to keep it safe. No place on Earth is better than his pocket, even if we were in Falcon's lab."

"I thought Reno was caught by Falcon once already?"

Rufus shook his head. "Reno's fiancée attacked him. He refused to fight back against her. She put him in stasis. That won't happen again. That card's been played. Reno got his head on straight."

James nodded. "I'll give it to him as soon as I see him."

"Does Evan know she..." Rufus paused. "Nevermind. Even if he did, you must'nt have talked to him yet."

"No. Last I heard from him, he was really upset about the nuke going off in Texas. I got them to Prague safe. They flew home and I went to meet up with Conner. I feel like shit."

Rufus frowned. "You don't gotta feel bad. It ain't yer fault, James."

Jaye shook his head. "I wasn't fast enough to Romania. Ulfey died. I wasn't fast enough to the Parker Island - now it's at the bottom of the Pacific."

Rue sighed and reached his paw up, placing his velvet-padded palm against James' cheek. And then ... he gave James a light punch across the jaw. "You gotta snap the fuck outta that shit, bud. You saved Evan and Patience. You saved Conner. You's alive. You get manly points fer that. But you're in danger of losing them points for whining 'bout things you cain't change."

James grimaced. "Yeah." He rubbed the side of his face. It was more of a slap than a punch, but there was something honest about the slight pain - something James appreciated.

"Go give that thing to Reno. Thanks for tryin'. Did you see Ulfey die?"

"No. She was alive the last time I saw her."

Rufus nodded. "When I buried her in Greece, Cybil Powalski showed up. I were kinda surprised he just ... hopped on a plane and flew out in the middle of all that wild shit with the new nuke blowin' up over Texas. But he came out and he payed his respects."

"Damn."

Rue nodded. "Yeah. Cybil's a good guy. Anyway, he told me that she volunteered to risk her life to that no one else had to die. She died brave."

James nodded. "Yeah." James reached for Rue's paw and shook it. "She was a good person. I respect her. I'm sorry for your loss. I'm ... going to go find Reno."

Rue nodded and watched James head into the yacht.

Karla walked away from Conner and approached Rufus. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I was just..."

"I saw your face while you were talking to James. You looked pretty upset right at the end, there."

"Did'ja now..."

"The sun is down, and you have black fur, and I could still see that contorted look on your face while you were guys were talking. You want to get something off your shoulders?"

"I was tellin' James that Cybil flew out to attend Ulfey's funeral in Greece. No one knew at the time. Just me, Rama 'n Aimee. But Cybil just shows up."

Karla frowned. "Were you upset he didn't see this far enough back to prevent it?"

"That's not how it works for him, sometimes. He shows up when he shows up. He didn't stop me from bein' shot by Eric - but he saved my ass after it happened." Rue grimaced. "Sorry, I didn't mean to bring up yer hus-"

"It's fine," Karla interrupted. "What made you grimace a few minutes ago? I saw that look, you told something to James and I want to know."

"I didn't tell him," said Rufus. "I just remembered what Cybil told me. I kept it to myself. Ain't nobody need to know what Cybil said."

"You can't just bottle everything, Ruebear."

Rufus sighed through his nose. In a low voice, he said, "Karla, I'm still processing this." Silence. Rue looked down. "He said Ulfey's death reminded him of Peri Lynn's death. Both girls were trying to be the hero, and both died valiantly."

Karla looked away. "Peri..."

"Yeah. My sister. She died in 1999."

"I thought I already told you I knew her."

Rue nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, sorry, you're right - you did tell me you knew her. You said you were there for her death and that it bothered you."

Karla rubbed her face. "I loved that girl to death, Rue. I bet she scoffed and made a joke the second before she died. And that's how I want to go. I want it to be in battle. I want it to be fucking glorious. I want it to mean something."

"Did Peri's death mean somethin', Karla?"

"She saved Chance's life. She died horribly, but she went out like a warrior hero. Chance told me that she saw her husband - it was the last thing she saw. I ... I feel so ashamed but I can't remember his name."

Rufus pushed his large black paw up through his hair, guiding strands back behind his ears. "Tyrell Robinson."

Karla nodded. "That's it. God, I've been trying to remember that for years."

"He was six-one, born in 1964, in Detroit..."

Karla held her hands up. "Yeah. Good, you remembered your sister's husband. She'd have been happy about that."

"He was good to her."

"She said he was hung like a..."

"Karla," Rue said with a shake of his head. "Stop."

"Right, sorry. Sometimes girls share things with each other. Sometimes they brag. Heh. She actually said that to Tamamo, and then put down Asian guys. I think she said she was married to Tyrell for four years."

"Yeah. I ain't really met'em. I was on my walkabout in Australia for quite a few years. But we talked on the phone every now'n then. I wrote her letters sometimes. Then we'd talk about her life on the phone calls."

"I miss Peri."

Rue sighed. "Seems like I've got a curse when it comes to women, huh? Sister, soulmate, succubus - maybe it's just the letter 's'."

Karla gave Rue a pat on the side of his face. "You look pretty slick in those threads, wolfie."

Rue grinned. "Thanks. Rama had a little too much to drink, tryin' to keep up with his old man. We're gonna go lay down."

"Take your old room and the one next to it. We'll have to save space as people come aboard. Will your son and his fiancée share a room?"

"Yeah. Rama and Aimee will definitely share a room. I'll put'em next to mine if that's alright."

"Yeah, Ruebear. That's fine." Karla paused, tilted her head and asked, "You going to be okay? You need company tonight?"

Rue shrugged. "I need sleep." He leaned close and kissed the corner of her mouth ... and then licked the side of her face with a smirk. "I'm still a bit jet-lagged and had a few on Mrs. Kincade's fancy jet. Heh." Rue started to walk away and stopped. He looked back at Karla over his shoulder and asked, "What's the plan tonight?"

Karla shrugged. "We wait until we have everyone. Then we go after Falcon. Are you in?"

Rue nodded. "I'm in. Rama and Aimee ain't coming though. I won't let'em."

Karla nodded. "Good. We'll need someone to pluck us out of the ocean after we blow that dome to hell."

"Reckon that's a right good idea." Rufus headed over to Rama and Aimee and gestured for them to follow him inside the yacht.

Karla sat down next to Conner. She picked up James' Nehushtan, which leaned against one of the quartz sun chairs. "Hmm. It doesn't tingle the hand like yours."

"Nope." Conner looked away from Karla. "How's Tamae?"

"She's good. Have you seen or heard from Sinopa?"

"She came back with me. She's in the galley right now, making your ... uh, whatever you call those things you make. The high calorie things with all the sugar and carbs."

Karla smiled. "She's sweet."

"Yeah." Conner fidgeted. "Thanks for letting us stay here."

"You don't have to ask."

"I feel awkward asking you for anything, really."

Karla stood up. "Oh grow up."

"Grow up?!" Conner looked up at her. "Are you serious? We had sex, and I don't even remember it. I feel like you're probably judging my dick size right now, while we're talking."

Karla glared at him. "Women are more sophisticated than men, Conner. We don't think about sex every second of the day. I'm sorry about your family vault, babe, but you need to have more respect for me."

"Look, I don't know you very well. And all we ever do is butt heads, so I just fell into that routine. I'm sorry, okay? I'm just ... you're a succubus, so I figured you'd be standing there judging me or something."

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Karla groaned. "Tamae is a little Asian girl. She doesn't care about dick size. And what I think shouldn't matter, because what happened between you and me? That's never_happening again. Tamamo's a _bitch for that shit. She's a whore. She slept with both of Sinopa's parents, she slept with you, she slept with Tamae, she slept with you, using me; she's..."

Conner stood up and glowered at Karla. "And that's still a fraction, of a fraction, of a fraction compared to all the people you've fucked. So stop putting her down."

Karla blinked. "Those were meals, you little jerk."

"I don't count that," Conner said. "Was Rufus a meal? Was Reno a meal? What about my sister's blood-sucking boyfriend? Eric, my mother ... how many people can even fit into Karla's museum collection of lovers? That wasn't food. Sinopa says you once caused some guy to go insane after you slept with his husband in the 1970s. You slept with the old guy that Uncle Reno is pretending to be - Nathan. You slept with some guy working for Aris Falcon back in the late 1990s. And then you fought that guy to protect your next lover, some kid younger than me. Oh! And Cybil! The oracle - apparently you banged that guy back before you met my mother. Let's not forget the mathematician - you banged that guy, apparently. Good god, Karla. Oh! And Rachel! You slept with my Uncle's fiancée."

She drew in a slow breath through her teeth. "You done?"

"Are you done with ripping Tamamo apart?"

"I never forced anyone," Karla said in a soft tone. "Yet Tamamo didn't even apologize. Maybe if she took five minutes to say she was sorry, I wouldn't dish on the bitch."

Conner threw his hands up in the air. "We're fighting again! I can't believe we're fighting again!" He snatched the Nehushtan and removed his personal cane from its place on his back. "I told myself I wouldn't fight with you, and you found my buttons and started pushing them. Don't talk about Tamamo."

"I'm still upset about it, okay?! That was the ultimate betrayal!"

"She feels like shit about it, Karla! She went and helped Sinopa make it to hell and back. Don't you get it? Tamamo is upset about what she did. She is sorry."

"She sure has a funny way of acting like it," Karla grimaced. "And, so we're clear, don't bring up Chance anymore."

"Who? I don't know anyone named Chance, and I never brought him up. Are you trying to start another fight again?"

Karla held her hands up. "You mentioned the 'kid younger than you' in your list of my dating sheet. You mentioned that I stood up against my ex, Darius Vai, to protect Chance. Darius was roasted by Sinopa, your grandmother. But Chance ... Chance was the only man I truly loved, okay? I loved that boy so damn much I can't even describe it."

Conner frowned. He didn't say anything.

"That's why I understand Rufus," Karla said in a soft tone. "He met his soul mate, and they were only together for the blink of an eye, and it was over. Well, that's what I had with Chance. It was a blink of an eye, and then it was over. But I would beg, borrow, and I would steal to have that kid back. I would kill anyone that got in my way to get that kid back."

Conner shrugged and looked away. "Maybe he's in suspended animation."

"No, I doubt it. I don't think Falcon had that technology back when Chance died. I held his body until it was cold. He died in my arms. I cried until I blacked out."

Conner felt like crap. He nodded and ran his hand up over his face.

"So, I'll ask again - are you about done?"

"I'm exhausted," said Conner. "I'm starting to realize I get nasty and irritable when I'm this tired."

"If you're offering some sort of an apology, Conner, I'm listening."

Conner took her words to mean he had her shoulder to vent on. "We took a sub to the nearest airport, flew to Hawaii, flew to Mexico, and then flew to Canada. We took a helicopter to Syracuse, and I haven't slept. I'm sorry I was a dick, I'm just ... I'm not over Tamamo. Her betrayal has me sensitive over the situation, and I handle it differently than you."

"You talk a lot."

Conner smirked. "You talk more."

"Did you hear there's a hurricane coming up the coast?"

Conner deadpanned. "After all that arguing, you want to talk about the weather?"

"It's December. There's a hurricane coming up the Atlantic in the middle of December. You don't find that weird?"

"I need to sleep."

Karla waved her hand and displaced Conner's staffs. A split second later, Conner disappeared. "I can't believe Tamamo made me fuck that kid." She dropped onto the sunning chair and sighed. Her fingers trailed across the smooth quartz-filled-glass frame.

"Karla?" The voice belonged to James.

"Yeah, hey."

James came out and sat down besides her. "I heard you and Conner arguing out here. Reno told me I should give you some space to brood but you looked like you needed a friend."

"Friend," she scoffed. "I'm a terrible friend, James. I slept with your fiancée when she wasn't in her right mind. I basically took advantage of her. And I'm out here bitching to Conner about how his ex-girlfriend practically did the same thing to me."

"No, it was different," James said. He put his arm around Karla and drew her head onto his shoulder. "Rachel and I talked about that at length. She made the first move. She feels like you resisted at first. That's how she remembers it. So no, you're not a rapist."

Karla swallowed but emotion welled up and tears came down her face. "Sorry. I never really apologized properly. I'm sorry I broke your trust, James."

"It's in the past, okay? For all I know, we might all be dead tomorrow. No regrets - let's just start trusting each other. Okay?"

"Thanks, babe. I appreciate that."

James hugged her. "Have you heard from my stepfather or my mother?"

Karla groaned. "God, I completely forgot to tell you."

"What?"

"Greg Watson was arrested by order of the new president. They said he's a traitor to his country and they're holding him in a supermax prison, which is now locked down because Loki escaped from it. It'll be impossible to break Watson out."

James sighed. "I can't ... I can't focus on that right now. What about my mother?"

"She's with Natalia Kincade, in esoteric protective custody."

James nodded. "Fair enough. So she's safe? You're sure she's safe?"

"She's safe," Karla replied in a reassuring voice. "So you're not going after your stepfather?"

"No. I'm going to kill Aris Falcon, then I'm going to bring down his operation from the inside out while it crumbles. Then I'll get my stepfather out legally."

"Legally, heh. That's cute," Karla said. "So ... it's true? The island?"

"Yeah. It was nuked."

Karla sighed. "Wouldn't be the first time."

"What?"

"It's been bombed before, back before I met Jonathan and Sinopa. Nathan told me all about it." Karla shrugged. "Sorry babe. So how much is left now?"

"Not enough. It's an atoll now."

Karla leaned in and kissed the side of James' face. "Sorry, hon. Thanks for being sweet to me. Tell your nephew to grow up. You and me, though - we're cool. At least ... I hope we are."

"We are," James replied. "Where's my staff? I left it out here."

"It's in Conner's bedroom. Sorry. I teleported him to his room with Tamae. He had both the cane-things. I sent him with both of them."

"Okay, thanks. I'll get it in the morning. We've been traveling a lot. I'm tired. What room is Rachel staying in?"

Karla smiled inwardly. "Now connecting ... please hold." She teleported James' shoes right off his feet, then the rest of him, into his shoes. He appeared in Rachel's room.

Out on the back deck, Karla held her hand out and teleported her purse out to her. It appeared by her feet. Her tablet appeared in her palm a second later.

She looked up the progress of the hurricane coming up the Atlantic and frowned. "God, that stupid thing is projected to come right for us. Shit."

Reno came out onto the back deck. "You looking at the weather again?"

"Yeah."

"Batten down the hatches or get this yacht somewhere safe."

Karla nodded. "Yeah. I'm just waiting for everyone else to get here first. Then we'll figure that crap out. It won't get up here for another day or two. How you holding up, Top Cop?"

"Rufus is pretty upset."

"Yeah," Karla frowned. "He just lost Ulfey."

"I heard. He won't come out of his werewolf form."

Karla nodded. "He said he's wearing it like a mask."

"Go talk to him, Karla."

She scoffed. Silence. Karla stood up and stretched. She picked up her purse. "What are you up to?"

"Nothing. I just need to get that van off the pier. Then I'm going to take it to Natalia's place. My car is there. I'll get a tow hitch, load up the van with everyone we'll need, and bring everything here."

Karla hugged Reno. They shared a kiss. "Thanks, T.C."

"No problem. Now go talk to Rufus. He's hurting. We need his head in the game before we go to war, Karla."

She released him from the hug. "Okay." She looked into her purse but Kuda wasn't in it. "I'm going to fill Kuda's food bowl, change his litter pan, then I'll head in to talk to Rufus."

"Sinopa's in there cooking with him. He's sitting on the counter pretty as a picture."

Karla chuckled. "Nice. See you later on, Reno."

They shared another kiss. Karla teleported him off the yacht.

Reno appeared next to the van. He took the keys that he'd been given from Rufus' son, and started the engine. Reno backed it up the pier, up a service ramp, and into the marina parking lot. He drove off, into the night.

Karla rubbed her face and sighed. "I feel like that was permission from him." She made her way inside with her handbag and tablet. "God that man is so understanding."

She headed into the galley but Kuda's foodbowl was filled. She hugged Sinopa, then made her way to an open bathroom. Kuda's liter pan was fresh. Someone changed it, but Karla wasn't sure who did it.

She took a deep breath, and made her way down to Rufus' quarters. She opened the door, stepped inside, and pulled it shut behind herself. "Hey, Ruebear. You got some time to talk?"

He sat up on the bed, still dressed in the nice shirt, tie and vest.

"Let's get you out of all that stuff. I've got clothes in the closet that are your human size."

"I'm fine."

"No. You're hiding behind that furry mask, Rue. Let's get you cleaned up." She held her hand out. In the adjacent bathroom, the shower hissed to life. Karla gave him a smile. "Let's get you sobered up, cleaned up, and back on track."

"You don't have to..."

She put her fingers on his lips. "I want to." Then she leaned forward, and brushed her lips against the soft black lips of his muzzle. "Let me help you."

X

X

Christmas Eve - 9:15am Busty Belle Yacht, West New York Harbor ...

Karla opened her eyes. She looked down at a human arm around her waist. The feeling of his arm sliding around her was what woke her. She sat up a bit and stretched. "How'd you sleep, babe?"

Silence.

Karla grinned. She slid her feet off the edge of the bed and stood up. She untangled her hair, where the ends came together over her breast. Karla pushed her fingers back through the strands and guided them over her shoulders. "Don't know about you, but I feel great."

She turned around, facing Rufus, asleep on the bed. She went into the bathroom and peered into the large shower stall next to the tub. The stall was full of fur, and the drain was clogged.

Karla brought her hands together, telekinetically sweeping most of the fur into a moist pile in the middle of the shower stall. She tensed, and the pile disappeared, teleported out into the ocean water.

She dropped down on the toilet, sighed, peed, wiped and flushed - it was all autopilot maneuvers after waking up in a similar way for four hundred fifty years straight.

She stood up, walked back out to the bed and telekinetically drew the cover's back, exposing Rue's undressed body. "I think it goes without saying that we don't have to be so ... public. Reno and I have been sharing quarters because we expect so many people soon. You good with that, right?"

Rue mumbled softly. "I dun' want Rama judgin' me. He might not get it."

Karla nodded. "Good. Great. No flirting. No weirdness. This is a healing thing. I'm in this for the snack. You ... well, you're healing in your own way. We're not talking about it."

"Talkin' about what?"

Karla nodded. "Good. Exactly. I smell food. You going to sleep in?"

"Naw. I'll get up."

"Okay. You go out to the kitchen. I'm going to take a shower before I come out. See you in about half an hour or so." She disappeared.

Karla reappeared in her quarters. The bed was made. "Reno never makes the bed," she thought to herself. She concluded he never came home last night. She headed to the shower and turned on the water.

The shower was hot. Hotter than usual. She hung her head and pulled her hair forward, so that the water could beat down on the nape of her neck. It felt amazing.

Karla kept her head down but lifted her gaze. Kuda sat on the tile floor just outside of the shower stall. She grunted with amusement - a sort of half-chuckle. The stall opened and Kuda climbed over the lip and joined her.

"Hey, you."

Kuda moved beneath the water and quickly darted back out.

"Oh, sorry babe." She changed the temperature of the water just a little. It cooled slightly, so that it wasn't scalding hot.

The steam thinned somewhat. Kuda stepped back into the water stream by her feet. He sat on his haunches and lifted his little muzzle, so that the water was focused on his chest and forepaws.

After a moment, he turned around, facing away from her, so that the water beat down on his back. His tail resembled a messy wet mop on the tiles.

Karla grinned. She leaned down and picked him up and tucked her into her left arm, keeping his hindquarters supported, with her left palm beneath his chest.

With her right hand, Karla levitated a bottle of body wash and turned it over. The gel pooled into her right palm. She brought the colorful gel up and lathered it through his fur. "And now we can say it was animal tested, demon approved."

Kuda sneezed and shook his head rapidly, slinging water up on the wall tiles.

"Aw, honey, did I get water on your ears? I know you hate that." She continued to lather the tiny fox's pelt until he was sopping wet and covered in white soapy foam. "You ready, baby boy?"

Kuda's heavy wet tail beat against her hip.

Karla placed her right hand under the shower water until she washed off all the body wash. She reached for a dry washcloth hanging by a hook on the far end of the shower stall. She dried her palm and fingers then placed her right hand over Kuda's ears and eyes, carefully.

She stepped back beneath the water and rinsed the soap from his body. "You spoiled lil' brat - do you know how much I love you?"

Kuda replied with an adorable high-pitched churring sound. "Other than vixen mating noises, I always thought foxes had the cutest damn noises."

She worked to get all the soap off of his belly, legs and tail, then placed him back down on the tiled floor. "I bet you know where I was last night. Do you judge me?"

Kuda lowered on his front paws, stretched his back, and shook hard, slinging water from his fur.

"Okay, good. It was practically Reno's idea. Damn that boy is accepting. But I have a feeling things might get weird if we find Nichole's clone down there. Rumor has it that she's calmed down. Rue said she didn't kill him, after all. And Sinopa said they were stuck together for a month in a bunker."

Kuda had no reply. He sat on his haunches and looked up at her.

Karla continued to rinse. She reached for a bottle of shampoo and started washing her hair while talking. "I promised myself I wouldn't fall in love with Reno because I have this feeling he'll work things out with Nichole or something. People can change a lot in twenty-five years."

Kuda stepped back away from the water spray and settled down on the tiles, looking up at her.

"I'm just keeping Reno warm until he works things out with that girl. Then ... well, Rufus is single. I'm single. I'm not_saying I'm in a rush to hook up with anyone. But I feel like I haven't had a husband in several years. And I've been a widow for the better part of this year. I don't _need a man in my life. But I'm not against the idea, either. It wasn't so bad."

Kuda stood up, shook hard again, and then laid back down on his belly once more.

"Yeah. I feel you, baby boy. And I'll do a good job with Donnie this time. I'm going to get him back and focus all my attention on the smartest little boy ever. God, I can't believe it's been since spring. I am never letting that boy out of my sight, ever again. You can help me with that."

Kuda sat up, prim and proper. He curled his tail around the front of his forepaws. His fur, although not soaked from being at the far end of the shower stall, became moist again from proximity to Karla. And, like a moment prior, he shook hard, spraying the tiled wall on one side, and the stained glass stall on the other side.

Karla opened the stall door.

Kuda climbed back over the lip and out of the shower stall. He sat down on the colorful bathroom rug and waited for her.

Karla finished washing her hair, added the conditioner, and rinsed it out. She shaved her legs, something she'd started doing in the early 1900's, but she couldn't recall exactly when she'd started.

She washed up, rinsed off, and stepped out of the shower. "I wonder - are you immortal, Kuda? I mean, we could technically be stuck together forever. If Tamamo can understand your chittering, and you can understand my talking ... there has to be a way to learn how to understand you."

Kuda simply stared up at her.

Karla reached for a towel and lowered to one knee. She dried him off with the towel. She draped the towel over the sink counter, stood up, and reached for a full length towel for her hair.

The succubus doubled over, gathered her hair, wrapped a towel around it, then stood up. The towel resembled a turban.

She reached for a second full-length bath towel and wrapped it around herself.

She teleported Kuda up onto the sink counter, so that he was sitting on the hand towel. She pulled a hair dryer from the wall and used it to finish drying him on a low-heat setting.

A moment later, she thumbed the heat setting up, took the towel out of her hair and dried her long blond locks.

The whole ritual lasted forty minutes and made her feel clean and human. She used a flat iron to feather her bangs out, leaving the longer parts of her hair alone. The strands had natural semi-curled ends.

She decided her hair looked absolutely fantastic today. Karla smiled in the mirror. "It's going to be a good day." She brushed her teeth, flossed, used mouth rinse and spent a few minutes adding mascara to her eyelashes.

Next came the pink shade of lipstick. She used tissue paper to get rid of the excess application. She stepped back from the mirror a little and tensed up her forearm. Her hand glowed.

She cut her eyes from the reflection of her glowing hand to her lips, and then back. They matched perfectly in coloration.

Karla stepped through the doorway to her bedroom. She dressed in matching hunter green panties and a bra. She chose a cute skirt and blouse.

The succubus stepped into a pair of flats, picked up Kuda, and put him on her shoulder. She reached for her favorite handbag and pulled it up onto her other shoulder.

Karla stepped back into the bathroom and checked her hair. "Damn I look hot today." She headed down the hallway towards the dining room where everyone was gathered.

Everyone in the room looked up. Karla grinned brightly at the attention. "Good morning, everyone! How'd everybody sleep?"

Sinopa returned a grin. "Konichiwa, Karla-chan. I take it you slept like a baby?"

"Even better - like a lazy teenager." She put her hands together and cracked her knuckles. "As soon as Reno gets back with the rest of the crew, I say we should make today 'the day.' Thoughts?"

"The day?" asked James. He sat next to Rachel at the table. From how close his chair was to hers, it was easy to image they were holding hands or playing footsies.

Karla grinned. "The day we go find Aris Falcon and kill him once and for all." She waggled her brows playfully. "And then feed him to the sharks. I wouldn't be opposed to drinking scotch from his skull, but ... just killing him should suffice I suppose. That's the problem with this day and age - nobody drinks from the skull of their enemies anymore."

Rama glanced at Aimee and back at Karla. "That was pretty graphic. You sure you don't have a little werewolf in you?"

Karla couldn't resist the urge to answer his question. "Not right now, honey. But, hey!" The succubus gestured to Sinopa. "Foxy Red and I have made vows to one another. We're going down there as two very, very pissed off mothers. We're going to get our children back. She's going to flame broil the place, and I'm going to flatten whatever is left. Today ... is going to be a good day! Today ... we dine in Valhalla, then we fight as warriors!"

Aimee laughed, amused by Karla's charismatic personality.

Rufus cleared his throat and looked back up from the floor after Karla's joking response to Rama. He looked around the dining room table. It appeared no one else caught Karla's joke but him ... and Kuda, who was staring at Rufus with a fluffy fox stink eye.

It was odd, but Rufus felt like the tiny animal on Karla's shoulder was judging him silently. Then again, maybe it was all in his head. He couldn't be sure.

Kuda was staring at the southerner the way an alpha wolf would try staring down another in the pack.

"So, what's the plan?" Rufus finally asked.

Karla took a seat at the table. "We stuff our faces and wait for Reno to arrive with the rest of our people - whoever is coming with us to hell."

Sinopa brought a teacup to Karla and served tea in a classy, refined way. Next came a plate with breakfast food.

Kuda's ears perked up. His nose twitched, sniffing at the air.

The sliding glass door out in the living room opened.

Reno was the first through, followed by Kalen Kincade. Evan and Patience came through the door. Charlie Foster followed the group in with Wilfred Greg, Steven Milford, and a handsome man wearing a new suit.

Karla thought the suit looked a little long on the man in certain places, but nothing that a good tailor couldn't fix. She could tell by the creases in the cloth that the suit was fresh off a store shelf.

The succubus waved to the group, gesturing them to the dining room. "Hey, gang! Come, sit, eat! We're dining in Valhalla this morning! Gotta stuff our face before the big battle."

The man in the suit looked around the area. "This ... is a far cry from the opulence of Valhalla."

Evan cleared his throat and said to the man, "It was a joke."

"I do not understand. Why would one joke about Valhalla?"

Evan grimaced. He gestured to the broad-shouldered man and announced to the room, "This is Heimdallr. Yes, the real Heimdallr. As much as I loved Idris Elba, this guy is about as Scandinavian as it gets." He motioned to Heimdallr, deciding to skate around making a skin color joke. "Notice the epic Norse beard, and the manly mane of golden hair."

Karla stared at the man for a moment. "Is that a _gold_grille you've got, buddy?"

Heimdallr approached the long rectangular table. "Madam, you are a lovely young lady. My teeth are gold. Yes, it's natural."

Karla grinned. "Natural, huh? So are my..." she paused. Her grin broadened into a smile, giving all the men in the room a chance to think of what she might say next.

The succubus took a sip from her tea and said, "...Green eyes and blond hair. Pull up a seat and join us."

Reno approached her from the left. He leaned over and whispered to Karla.

She whispered back to Reno with a smile.

No one else spoke.

Karla cleared her throat and said, "Excuse me." She stood up from the table and teleported herself out to the aft deck.

Out on the pier, Sekhmet stood on the dock with Albert DeLioncourt.

Karla's smile brightened considerably. "Welcome aboard the Busty Belle!" She tensed her forearms.

Sekhmet and DeLioncourt teleported onto the aft deck.

Albert looked around, wide-eyed. "Did you just...?"

"Yes, dear. It's sort of my thing."

Sekhmet approached Karla. She looked over the succubus and nodded. "This is Albert - he is mine." She offered a slight smile. "You look quite well. It has been some time since we've seen one another - you appear happy."

"Why wouldn't I be? It's Christmas Eve and you know what Santa's going to bring me? Aris Falcon's head! I've been a very, very good girl this year. Good at it, that is. And Falcon won't know what hit'em."

Sekhmet looked back at the pier, briefly. She turned to Karla and said, "I do not celebrate Christmas."

"We're going to have a lot of booze."

Sekhmet nodded firmly. "I will celebrate this ... this 'Christmas' with you."

Karla cut her eyes to Albert. "Do you like beer? We also have hard liquor"

"Albert DeLioncourt," he said, offering his hand. "And no, I never touch the stuff," he said with a wry grin. "I only use beer to chase the whiskey aftertaste."

"Karla Loupe." She telekinetically forced his hand up, and gave him a high five. "And fair enough!"

Albert looked at his hand, wondering how it had been forced up against his will. "Aren't you a little young to be offering us booze?"

Karla laughed. She reached up to her shoulder and ran her fingers between Kuda's ears. "I turned four hundred fifty years old about two months ago. The question is, are you man enough to handle liquor as well as I do?"

Albert eyed her for a moment. "Only one way to find out, huh?"

Karla turned away from the pair and stepped through the sliding glass door. "Close that behind yourself, Mr. DeLioncourt."

The rest of the assembled group looked up from the dining room table.

Karla opened her arms charismatically. "Everyone! This is Sekhmet, the warrior goddess of Upper Egypt. Her 'Plus One' is Albert DeLioncourt of..." Karla turned to Albert, as if to prompt him to speak up.

"Oh, uh, Albert DeLioncourt of 'lower Mississippi,' originally of 'upper' Florida."

Karla nodded. "Everyone, how about we introduce ourselves, so everyone knows everybody else. We're all going to be really busy trying not to die over the next few days, so let me start by telling you guys what's going on with the people who are not here."

No one spoke.

Karla cleared her throat. "Okay! So! Natalia Kincade and Peter Fieldwing, or whatever he's calling himself - those two are staying here in New York! They're acting as mission control! Then we have Carmen Parker - she will be performing an operation in Wyoming! She's going to break into Supermax Sally, the biggest, most remote prison in the United States. Her job is to rescue Gregory Watson."

James opened his mouth but Karla lifted her fingers, clamping his mouth shut telekinetically.

The succubus smiled. "Sorry I didn't tell you. I only just found out recently on last night's conference call. For those who don't know - Peter was named Lance Patterson, who faked his death for personal reasons. Again. He went by Methos before that, and going back a little further, he apparently went by the name Niall Kincade."

"Karla," Steven said with a sigh.

Karla held her hands up. "Oldest mathematician in the world, that guy. And over here, we have Steven Milford! These guys run a secret think tank out of Syracuse! Their logo is a wolf and a cobra!"

No one spoke while Karla ranted.

"See, the art is really clever!" she told the group. "The dog, backwards, is 'God,' and the snake is the serpent of Lucifer! Showing the two together symbolizes forgiveness - illuminati confirmed!"

Karla pranced around the dining room table. "Anyhow, Aimee and Rama, here, will fish our butts out of the ocean. So I'll leave them my yacht. Conner, you teach them how to drive this puppy." Karla moved behind Patience, saying, "Patty, you'll provide support for Rama and Aimee. You've got a daughter up here. I'm not going to orphan your daughter, so ... you're not going. Sorry, girlfriend."

Patience nodded respectfully.

Karla continued her way around the table. "Steven, you're not going."

"You do not know your way around the lower city. For that matter, you do not know your way around New Atlantis."

Karla scoffed. "You're not going. If you argue with me, you'll be swimming in the cold December Atlantic Ocean. Got it? You're too emotionally invested. You wait until we destroy all the bad guys. Then, when it's clear, if we survive, you can go down there. I'm not letting the oldest man in the world get himself killed." In a singsong voice, she added, "Moving on!"

No one spoke.

Karla moved to Wilfred Greg. "You come down with Steven if things work out! Also! Not present is Cybil Powalski, our oracle. He's not here because we cannot allow our judgment to be clouded by prophecies that might correspond to an alternative possible future. I mean, if that's what he's really seeing - great. But we can't follow bad intelligence, no offense to him. He'll stay with Natalia's party."

The succubus continued around the table. "This is Conner Parker! Be nice go him, guys. He's been under a lot of stress lately. But he's a field logistics expert and a master thief. He can control electronics. Also, he's the fifty-plus-year-old obsession of Aris Falcon. And this is Tamae, his wife."

Karla placed her hand on Tamae's shoulder. "Tamae, you're staying here. Your amazing retention of Tamamo-no-Mae's lengthy lifetime makes you an excellent candidate to save our asses if we get stuck down there." Karla continued down the table to Rachel. "This is Rachel! She was also a host for Tamamo, and, because of that, Rachel learned how to fight like a four-thousand-year-old Japanese warrior! So, she'll be with Tamae, on standby! Also, Rachel is a computer hacking expert! So she will hack into the United States Coast Guard and keep their ships out of this area!"

"Karla, I..."

Karla leaned over and kissed Rachel on the top of her head. "You can do it. I believe in you. Who cares if they figure out their system was hacked? You can make it look like the signal is coming out of Anchorage, Alaska. The United States will focus their attention there. That will keep Falcon's people from openly attacking the surviving werewolves."

Rachel nodded in silence.

Karla continued down the table. "This is James! I'm not sure how, yet, but he's going to get us to Falcon's dome!" She placed her hands on James' shoulders. "Impress us, babe."

Karla moved down the table. "This is Kalen and Rufus! The vampire and the werewolf, respectively! They're the brawn. They punch things really hard. Moving on!"

She continued down the table. "This is Reno, but I want all of you to call him Nathanial. We had to change his name for ... reasons. Anyhow, for those that don't yet know, he can create lightning."

"Ah, like Thor!" said Heimdallr.

Karla grinned at the man in the suit and tie. "Yes, dear. Like Thor. But he doesn't need a hammer, because this is the modern age - symbolic props are old-hat."

She moved down to Sinopa. "This is our resident kitsune! Four tails of raw, fiery power. She can burn off all the oxygen in a room, melt flesh from bone, cauterize wounds, and flame-broil everything in sight. She's also handy with a sword. Sinopa and I made a promise to ourselves to get our children back from Aris Falcon at all costs. Anyone who gets in our way will die."

Karla moved behind Charles Foster. "This young man, I'm told, is Johann's brother! Some of you remember Johann, some of you don't. That's okay - we're going to find him and get him out of cryogenic stasis. That's important. I'll get to that in a moment. Charlie, here, is a telepath." She leaned over and kissed him on his forehead. "I like telepaths. They have a special place in my heart. Charlie will keep us honest. He'll also be awesome against enemies, and he'll make sure we're not sniped."

Karla looked around the group. "The only thing I don't really know is ... Albert! What is your power, pal?"

"Power? I can't teleport people like you. I can't throw lightning like Nathan. I don't have a 'power,' like the rest of you."

Rufus looked up. "He can transform into a were-lion."

Karla nodded with a smile. "I can dig it!" She moved to Heimdallr and announced, "Everyone, this is Heimdallr! The Norse deity who is going to take care of Loki for us. Our job is to make sure he gets to Loki!"

Evan raised his hand. "You forgot me."

Karla teleported back over by Patience and put her hand on Evan's shoulder. "I am so sorry, babe! Okay, everyone, this is Evan Balmoral! He has a molecular-kinesis ability that allows him to turn things to glass, sapphire, and ... basically, anything, but his specialty is glass and sapphire. He can turn glass objects into silica. It's like powdery sand. Evan, here, dislikes cussing. Do not cuss in front of my Evan. Or I'll eff you up. He's the most heroic person I've ever met. He's braver than any deity I've ever met. He's been through a lot. If you're unsure about something, you can ask him for advice. He's going with us to the dome, because we'll need him to fight."

No one spoke.

Karla opened her arms. "Everyone, we have a _lot_of objectives to accomplish! First! We have to access the New Atlantis dome. We'll find our way inside and split up into two groups. Both groups will be tasked with finding Topaz and Fox Parker. Those two will know where everything is down there. "With the Parker twins' help, we will find the cryogenic stasis bays. That's right! We have people to rescue from cryogenic stasis! This should be a huge priority, because it gives us more help! "Next, we'll regroup. Some of us will go after the artifacts that Aris Falcon has been hoarding over the last few decades. No one knows why he's been collecting these relics, but they're somehow important to his operation! "One group will overpower the police force down there. This will cause the city to go into an evacuation procedure. Do _not_interfere with that! We want civilians out of the city. "The second group will go down to this supposed 'Lost City.'" Karla glanced at Patience and grimaced. "Sorry, honey. I'll believe it when I see it."

Steven smirked. "It exists."

"Okay, okay," Karla shrugged. "Moving on! So, at some point, we will need to lay low and sleep. That's something we have to feel out as we're able. Now, Sekhmet and Albert are here on their own free will. They have no mission, per say - they're here to fight things."

Aimee and Albert exchanged glances but said nothing to each other at the moment.

Karla noticed them looking at one another. She also noticed they had a few similar facial features.

The succubus cleared her throat and said, "The lower city is likely the place where we'll find Aris Falcon. It's said the guy is obsessed with the lower city, and he's waiting for Conner to show up so he can somehow use Conner to access some part of the city - I don't exactly understand that. Whatever, right?"

Silence.

Karla sat down at her seat. "This is Christmas Eve, you guys. We're going to drink and grow to trust each other. We may die down there. So, we should party tonight."

James looked up at Karla. "I thought you said today might be the day?"

Karla shrugged. "And then I remembered it's a holiday. We'll go down tomorrow night. We'll drink tonight, sleep in tomorrow, and be well rested, then we'll go down after the sun sets. Is everyone cool with that?"

No one disagreed.

Karla clapped her hands together and rubbed them furiously. "My darlings, everyone here is old enough to drink except for Conner. No one give Conner alcohol. This is my boat. Now! Let's eat, drink and be merry!"

Evan put his hand up. "What about the hurricane?"

Karla shrugged. "We'll eyeball the storm situation. The weather board said a pressure system coming from the west might help push this thing towards the District Coast. Then again, half the projections show it will make landfall in Pennsylvania or as low as Lynchburg harbor in Virginia."

Rachel gave James' hand a squeeze but looked up at Karla. "So we're moving out of its way, right?"

Karla nodded. "Reno is going to pull his car into the forward cargo hold. I'm told Wilfred and Steven have been fooling around with it and it will somehow be crucial to our mission. I'm not so sure, but I look forward to seeing what they have in mind."

Wilfred spoke up. "We're going to show you guys, you'll all see soon enough."

Karla grinned. "Did you give it the Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang package?"

"Sorry?" asked Wilfred.

"Can it turn into a boat and an airplane?" Karla laughed, "Never mind. That movie is old as..."

"I've seen it," said Wilfred. "I was a kid, but ... I've seen it."

Karla grinned and shook her head. "Nice. Okay! Now that everyone is here, we're headed to Maryland. We're going to take the Chesapeake Canal to the east side of the District Coast, where we'll be in position to make a strike at Falcon's over-sized water park. Any questions?"

Reno put his hand up. "Not a question, really. I just want everyone to know I spoke to my brother. For those that don't know, Vincent can control radiation. He knows we're coming soon. He'll be there to figure out a way to get us into the city if we wind up needing help.

"Now, my brother has been our inside man for twenty-six years. He's been waiting for this day for a long time, so he can get out of there for good.

"He's also our backup plan to get out alive. He's going to flood the cities with a lethal dose of radiation to cover our escape. Radiation is one of the only things that can kill damn near anything. It can vaporize tissue if it is used in a high enough concentration. The thing is ... it's so dangerous that we'll save it for the end of the mission."

Karla nodded with a smile. "Okay, great. Also, Kuda will be staying here. Rachel, Tamae, will you ladies keep him safe for me? If I don't come back, Sinopa will decide what to do with him. If she and I both die, he goes back to Tamamo-no-Mae."

Kuda chittered argumentatively. Karla reached up and rubbed her nails behind his ears. "But only if he wants to. Don't force him."

Kuda sneezed and looked around at the large group of people. So many new smells, he felt over stimulated.

Karla clapped her hands together. "Okay, then! Conner! Would you do the honor to set in a course for the Atlantic Sea, east of the District Coast, please?"

Conner stood up from the table and excused himself. "I'll be on the bridge. Tamae, stay and enjoy everyone's company. I insist. Patience, Aimee, and Rama - did I get your names right?"

Aimee nodded, Rama said, "You got it."

Conner hooked a thumb over his shoulder. "Since you three will be staying behind to protect the yacht, I'll show you guys how to drive it. Rachel, you can join too, if you want, since you'll be staying here. Same for you, Tamae. Same goes for you, Wilfred."

"And me?" asked Steven.

Conner scoffed. "If you're who people claim, then you don't need to learn the controls. You'll just invent another yacht out of chewing gum, paper clips and some duct tape."

Steven furrowed his brows.

People who knew Conner well enough to know his lack of pop culture understanding, were quick to snicker at his MacGyver reference.

Karla picked up a knife and fork. "Let's feed Heimdallr some Americanized breakfast food and see if he likes it!"

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