Alien Mine Ch. 17

New weapons, advanced armor like something out of a Marvel movie, and new tactics against an enemy they had never fought before were challenging. One problem was the training scenarios were simply too realistic; men hesitated or panicked when suddenly confronted by Trangrods rushing at them. Of course, the major didn't blame them; it was hard not to flinch at the sight of these biomechanical monsters barreling down on you, bullets flying, explosions, the dust and smoke making you rely on sensors instead of your eyes. Still, training time was short, Rhys pushed them to get ready, and Major Kiania was always there working with them.

Together, they experimented with various combinations of men and weapons and decided on five-man squads. Each squad consisted of two two-man rifle teams and a heavy weapon support man. Each squad member had a semi-autonomous tiger drone slaved to him that would fire on Trangrods at a verbal command. The heavy weapons man was in heavier armor and was armed with a semi-auto cannon and controlled two heavy weapon drones. These two drones were designed to destroy the new larger centipede-like Trangrod.

The major watched as Kiania went over tactics again with the squad and the 1^st lieutenant. Each Lieutenant commanded two squads, and each squad was commanded by a master sergeant; all were combat veterans. This was a senior-heavy group. Typically, a squad like this would be commanded by a corporal, but they wanted the experienced men, and they would quickly move into more senior commands as they expanded. Even though they were veterans, none of them had ever seen anything like this, just mastering the armor was complex enough, but throw in the drones and terrifying aliens, and the learning curve was steep. They were getting a good feel for the men, though, and he and Captain Amanda were working together much better.

The major observed as Kiania finished talking to the squad and the Lieutenant; it was interesting to watch the interplay between them. Though initially dubious of this woman being in charge, the men had accepted her, especially after she beat the strongest in arm wrestling without breaking a sweat. The Major knew it was just a portion of her strength she had shown them, but he thought there was no point in scaring them.

Kiania finished giving instructions to the most recent squad to get wiped out in this scenario and walked over to where the Major and Captain were standing. "What do you think about the exercises?" she asked them.

The Major thought for a moment, "their reactions are getting better, but they are slow to change tactics when surrounded and cut off," he said. "We have room to run multiple scenarios; we should run all the squads through and see who does the best, then let them teach the others. Keep them at it today, and tomorrow add the other dimensions. Let the Trangrods attack from the flanks and the rear, but also come in from above and below. Get them used to three-dimensional thinking.

"I agree," the Captain said. The squads are jelling pretty well, but we have discussed moving some of the men around," she said, looking at the Major. "Some of the squads are weaker than we want; we may need to swap a few bodies. However, drones are part of the problem. No one has experience working with anything like this. Also, we haven't added the birds or the other flying drones yet, which will further complicate everything and slow their reactions. The major and I were discussing an idea. Would it be possible for the drones to remain with the men at all times, like a puppy they are training? Get them used to having them around, giving it commands. Also, I was thinking of some kind of game involving drones. For instance, they would have to navigate an obstacle course but only using the drone video feed and get used to operating through their drones instead of using them when they are in direct sight.

"Your call," Kiania said. You are pretty good at it, Captain; you should challenge all the men to a competition. Your own training going well?" she asked, looking at the Major and Captain, "have you selected a command squad yet?" After considerable gaming of numerous scenarios, they realized they would need multiple command structures. The Major and Captain would command half of the squads, Kiania the other, with Rhys in overall command. Kiania would have her original team, but she wanted a good squad with the Major; their job would be to protect him and the Captain while they managed half the battle. Losing communications between the squads was a genuine concern, something they were training for, and the reason for the split commands. Even with the comm implants, they expected the Om would be able to disrupt communications.

"We think so, but let's wait another day to decide; see how they do tomorrow."

"Ok, but I want some time with them; they need to have the right mindset. Their job will be to protect you, and you will have more heavy drones with you for support," Kiania said, looking at the Captain. "They will be there for your protection but will act as a reserve if the other squads take casualties. Think about how many and what kind so we can give Thea enough time to build them. Now you will have to excuse me; go ahead with the exercises, Rhys needs me, but I will be back later," she said abruptly, walking away.

The Major and the Captain watched her go, then each saw the other staring at Kiania's butt as it seemed to wiggle with a life of its own. The Captain looked abashed and quickly turned away. The Major looked around and saw that at least twenty other men were also watching. Well, at least the Captain has good taste, he thought to himself before turning to the job at hand.

***

Thea looked over the plans one more time before sending them to the fabricators. Rhys should be pleased; they had solved the power issues for a portable laser weapon in record time. The first prototype should be ready this afternoon. It was a little bulky and not very elegant looking, but it would provide them with a weapon able to strike back at that new deadly Trangrod. They would have upgraded the projectile weapons and the auto-cannon by the end of the week and have a new armor suit ready to try out.

Thea felt like a blockage had been removed in their efforts to utilize the Drans technology. Advances were coming quicker, and they were chipping away at understanding the physics behind the technology. It was only a few days ago that the crazy events had taken place and changed so much for Thea, Mei, and Bao; the three of them were still sorting out the new dynamics between them, four if you counted the AI. Their brains worked so much faster, and the interplay between them was different. Gone were headsets, keyboards, and all but the occasional hologram. Now they saw everything in their heads; their link with the AI was much more complex now, and accessing its computing capabilities with their minds was amazing. It had not spoken to them again, Thea remembered the dire warning, but it appeared to be guiding their efforts.

Of course, the changes to Mei and Bao were the most dramatic. They were both still there somehow, but now there was just one mind. The interlace was complex, more so than Leslie and Amancia's, and this one included Thea. The AI had demanded her, telling Rhys that the other two would die without her. Somehow she provided the glue that held the matrix together.

Thea was not part of the interlace per se, but they were always in her mind and vice versa. She always sensed the two of them, hovering at the edge of her consciousness, aware but not intruding. Thea was still adjusting to being in control, and because of the connections the AI had woven, the binaries were instantly responsive to her requests, needs, and desires. The most unnerving event had taken place the very next day. Thea had been watching the two of them, thinking how sexy they looked together, and wondering what sex would be like with them now. As if in response to a command, they stood up, removed the dresses they had on, and walked over to Thea. The sex had been as good as she imagined, but she hadn't even said anything to them.

Talking to them was getting more manageable; usually, only one would answer now instead of both of them, and it was apparent they were becoming comfortable with the interlace. However, when Thea or Rhys questioned them about it, they said they had no interest in changing; they liked being binary.

Thea thought it was time for a break; Rhys wanted them to start spending more time training with weapons. He did not intend to put them into combat, but he wanted the three of them to train together; he wanted them to be able to defend against an attack if need be. Before she could say anything, the binaries stood up and looked at her. "We are ready to train," Boa said. "We want to become proficient like the other binary," Mei said, finishing the sentence.

Thea still found it weird, as did the others. She thought they needed a name, something simple that they both responded to. After all, what use did one mind have for two different names?

***

Rhys lay in a surprisingly comfortable bed in the hotel they were staying in, Boise. Leslie and Anita were sleeping, and Rhys was using the opportunity to get some much-needed time to relax and think.

"What is the status of the drug manufacturing," Rhys asked Leslie."

"I have identified everyone," Leslie said, "those responsible for ordering it, the scientists and technicians."

"The formula as well?"

"Yes, in the labs, of course, but also the FSB has copies. I have found them all."

"Can we wipe it completely?

"Just say the word, and it's gone."

The FSB, I want to make a statement that no one can miss.

" Ok, do you want drones to kill them quietly, or do you want a grander statement, perhaps the whole building gone.

Rhys thought for a minute, thinking about what they had done. Nelya was just the tip of the iceberg. Political opponents, journalists, and foreign agents were all subjected to the same torture. It proved so effective that the FSB wanted to expand the program further.

"I want the entire building gone, but I think we also need to make it personal to the people involved. Not just the people carrying it out, but those who ordered it developed and the ones in charge, and those who are using the information. And I want it to happen when the targets are at work, not on the weekend or at night."

"There may be significant casualties."

"That's the purpose of the message."

"Do we include the President?"

"No, not yet. We need him to bring Nelya into the government first if we can, but his days are numbered," Rhys said firmly. You and Amancia come up with a plan and get with Kiania; I want to hit them next week. Did Dmitri's labs design the drugs?"

"Yes, one of his pharmaceutical companies did the work, but it was controlled by the FSB."

"I want the person giving the drugs to Nikita gone as well, all of them," he said.

Leslie nodded to herself, "Ok, I think between Kiania and me, we can come up with a strong response.

"Nikita at the same time," Rhys said.

"Is Kiania going to take care of that?"

"Yes, she will make it painful."

"All right, I will arrange it with her; when are you coming," Leslie asked, trying to hide her excitement at seeing him again but failing.

"In a few days. Nelya's symbiont is almost awake; we will bring her back to the base for a week.

"This will be a shock for her," said Sandy, "everyone else had spent time with us; you are springing all of it on her."

"I know, but you will be there to help with her getting adjusted. The drugs are just about gone from her system now; she is much better. Also, the symbiont is speeding up the healing process, physical and mental. We will place her in the med unit to clear up anything else." Rhys said.

"How is Anita doing?" she asked with some curiosity. She was aware of Rhys' misgivings, or rather his reluctance to take over her life like he was going to do. Leslie and the other girls understood his concerns and shared them, but on the other hand, they had all gone through the same thing, and there were no regrets among them. But, of course, none of them had been married with a husband they loved, so it was different for Anita. Still, She was the best option, and Leslie respected Rhys' decision, they needed the best, and too much was riding on them to fail.

"Everything is going fine; Anita is sleeping at the moment," Rhys said while looking at Sandy and Anita lying together on the bed. He was struck by Sandy's beauty, her curves, and the long red hair now wrapped tightly around Anita. Yet, he still wasn't sure how he felt; it was wrong morally but, at the same time, a necessity.

Still, Rhys admitted there was an added illicit thrill knowing she was married to someone else. She was a woman that was successful and influential in her own right and would be even more so after the symbiont began to change her. Together, he and Sandy had started establishing their dominance last night and would continue to do so over the next few days. Anita had responded well even from the first. Controlling her orgasm and not letting her cum until she had asked had proven effective. Each time Anita had climaxed, Sandy had heightened her pleasure and had flooded her emotions with a sense of well-being that was surprisingly strong. Rhys suspected that was why there had been no resistance from Anita to make love to another woman.

Watching them together, Sandy softly giving orders, and Anita working hard to please had been very erotic. Rhys didn't want to push it too far this time, but despite the moral qualms, he wanted Anita submissive. Not just for Sandy, but because they were entering a delicate time, and he wanted Anita to be obedient.

Sandy's skills were improving, Rhys thought to himself. He had watched Sandy play Anita's emotions like an accomplished violinist plays a concerto; Anita's emotions were the strings and her body the instrument. Later there would be times of regret and guilt on Anita's part, but once the symbiote entered her system, Anita's fate had been sealed. Sandy would stay with Anita for the week and continue her training, but Rhys had done his part, he thought with a smile; there was plenty of Bob in her for a great beginning.

"I am sure you will see her soon; we will need the two of you working to ensure she gets into position. Come up with a plan for killing the current President; we may have to act quickly given all the Om activity we are seeing. Be careful with the Om you are hunting; remember what just happened in Tel Aviv.

"We will, but I think we have caught them unawares this time. This seems like a single probe, just a parasite working its way up the chain. We will put a stop to it, but you should look for the same thing in Washington. I know we cleaned them out there, but they may have sent another parasite-infected agent in."

"I know, but we are spread too thin right now; that's why I need you ready to react if we suspect something. I am going back to help train the soldiers, then to Russia for Nelya and Yaneta. Yaneta's symbiont is almost mature; keep a close eye on her."

***

Michael sat in the meeting room with his closest staff and a representative from the Prime Minister's office. He looked grim; he had never seen anything like this in all his time in Mossad. "Let me summarize," he said slowly. We have no idea who was fighting, but the remains we found in the hotel do not have DNA, and we have never seen this type of metal. The best guess is alien, something not of this Earth. Am I correct so far?" Michael saw heads nodding, and he reached for his antacid pills; his stomach was threatening to burn up, judging from the pain. Also, this happened in the hotel Rhys Smith had rented, as I understand it, the entire floor, and supposedly Mika was there, though she says not. Flight records, customs stamps, and pictures put her in Dallas that evening. She and Rhys and the woman Sandy just happened to decide to leave early and claim they have no idea what happened.

Again the heads nodded. "Ok, Abraham, summarize what we know about the hotel."

The suite was destroyed and burned, but we have recovered the remains of two people. They do have DNA, but we have not identified them yet. One of which was beheaded," he added significantly. Both bodies had their chest cavities broken open, as if from the inside, and most of their organs were missing or shrunken to almost nothing. In the stairwell, there was a firefight, bullet holes, grenades, and who knows what else; I'm surprised the stairway is still there. We recovered numerous bullets, or whatever they were firing at each other, and they were all composed of different but unknown metals. The damage was significant, and the remains of the two things we are calling aliens are in a biosecure laboratory."

"These," he said, showing a picture of the stairwell is what we are guessing are aliens. No DNA, as noted, and we don't understand their biology. They appear to be a combination of living tissue of some kind, mated with a metallic body, and they were destroyed by projectiles and explosives of some sort that we don't recognize either. All the video from the entire area was wiped, both here and in the industrial zone where apparently another fight took place. We could not recover anything from that area, but there is a large melted hole in the parking lot of this building," he said.

"Finally, I would add that we have seen another body without a head when Mika and the other hostages were rescued."

Michael looked around the table, studying each of his colleagues, wondering if one of them was hiding something from him. Probably not, he thought as he completed his silent survey; but Mika, she was the common denominator. He had interviewed her personally, and she had an answer for everything. Very cool; she didn't even break a sweat.

"Ok, I am going to reach out to my contacts in the US. This is too much of a coincidence; it's time we got some answers from them about Rhys Smith and the Miranda Group. I want everyone on this, pull every record, talk to contacts; I want to know everything there is to know about him, that woman Sandy and the rest of the employees we can identify.

"What about Isaac," Abraham asked, "the one message he got to us suggested some advanced technology; could that have been Miranda?"

"Have we heard from him again," Michael asked.

"No, just that one message; we haven't tried to contact him. Should we take the chance?"

Contact Isaac if you can; pull him in if possible. Perhaps he has information we can use. Someone is having a war in our country, and if this really is alien, we need to know about it."

***

Rhys was glad to be back home, though funny that he thought a house buried deep inside an alien base was home. He guessed it was because of the women here; Sandy was back now, and Kiania, Thea, and Mei/Bao were all here. He didn't like everyone spread out, they were vulnerable to attack, but there was too much to do to stay locked up in the base. So Rhys poured Sandy and Kiania another glass of wine and bourbon for himself from the bar and took it over to the couches where they were relaxing. He could have just ordered the bots to do it, but it was something he liked to do himself.

"He's not going to let this go; we left too much evidence," Sandy said. She was sitting with Rhys watching an upload of the Mossad meeting. Fortunately, their bugs had thoroughly infiltrated Mossad HQ.