Endangered Species Ch. 49 - End

"Like troops gathered in the open shortly after sunset," the Colonel nodded. "And you don't need nuclear launch codes to order the Tomahawk strike."

I remembered something from my Naval Weapons class. "The Tomahawks aren't nuclear anymore, right?"

Naomi agreed. "The nuclear versions were decommissioned a decade ago."

I had an idea. "Do we have any nuclear Tomahawks here? Or any big conventional warheads?"

She shook her head no. "We only handle the Trident missiles at Kitsap. The nuclear Tomahawks got shipped to the Department of Energy after decommissioning. We keep torpedoes, missiles, and ordnance at Naval Magazine Indian Island. It's about twenty miles north of here."

So much for that idea. "Staying here is out of the question unless we can get Norther Command to call off the strike," I concluded. "Is there any way to convince them we aren't the enemy?"

Major Perriman settled that quickly. "Alpha, if the General ordered you to surrender, knowing your Pack would be killed if you did, would you?"

My wolf was sure of the answer; she'd kill the General first. I had walked the tightrope between wolf and officer long enough. I was an Alpha, and the good of the Pack would always take precedence. "No. I'd protect the Pack."

"There's your answer," the Colonel said. "We are disciplined, dangerous, and not under their control. Look at me! Twenty-two years of service, yet I threw away my oaths for my mate. In three days, I'll be stronger, faster, and harder to kill."

"And you'll be MINE," Melanie growled.

"We need to come up with a way to stop them WHILE we evacuate," I told the leaders.

"That won't be easy to do," Melanie said. "We've spent a week moving all the Pack members and their possessions here. We don't have enough vehicles to take it all back. All our food stores are here, Alpha. If we leave tonight, we'll be abandoning it all and running for our lives. We'd be starting over from nothing."

"We'll be alive," I said. "We can load up the vehicles with supplies and run behind them as wolves."

"That won't work for everyone," one of the Betas said. "My Pack is on Vancouver Island. It took three days of boat shuttles to get everyone to the mainland. Quinalt, Port Angeles, and Beaver Packs are too far away to reach before dawn. How are we supposed to shelter everyone during daylight?"

"And Renfro has to go past the Army base to get home," Ted added.

"Running won't help you," the Colonel said. "I read your briefing. General Payne knows all of the Pack locations. Do you think they won't lob a few nuclear weapons at them to get the rest of us? A single Trident Missile carries a bunch of them."

He was right. "Can we shelter somewhere else? At least get out of nuke range?"

"Silverdale and Poulsbo are too close," Beta Lazard concluded. "Bremerton or Port Orchard might have buildings we could hole up in, but we haven't scouted out that far."

"It will have to do," I said. "Beta Lazard, put together a team with arms and vehicles and head towards Bremerton. Find a location suitable for seventy-two hours of shelter and secure it. While that is going on, the rest of us will evacuate. Melanie, load our remaining vehicles with as many critical supplies as we can carry. Everyone who can shift will run there. Let's get moving, people!"

It was a flurry of activity, but the two Betas quickly organized what was needed. The scouts were on the road twenty minutes later. As I walked through the tunnels, forklifts were already loading pallets of food and supplies onto waiting trucks.

The Colonel stopped me; he was with Major Perriman and Naomi Thompson, our weapons engineer. "Alpha, a word?"

"What's the problem, Mark?"

"Luna Melanie wants to use the trucks we came in for transporting supplies. I have other ideas, but I need to run them by you first."

"What are you guys thinking?"

Mark looked towards the south. "My first thought was to turn everyone around and attack Fort Lewis. We could make it before sunrise if we leave soon, and my men and women could handle any resistance. We could assume operational control of the base and turn hundreds or thousands more, further strengthening the Pack."

"As long as they are volunteers, I'm not opposed to more turns. Why didn't you mention this earlier?"

"General Payne may anticipate us returning if we are unsuccessful, and he's under orders to wipe us out. They might ambush us on the way. Our troops are hesitant to get in a firefight with their brothers in arms."

I could see that. A week ago, these men were on the other side. "What else could we do?"

"I'm supposed to send two staff members back tonight to report progress. The General will know I'm not following his orders if I show up. The two men have mating bites, so they are out. I could send my Captain, but then what?"

"You could kill the General," I said. My wolf agreed; she didn't like anyone betraying her and keeping their head.

"And then what? The strike is coming from NORAD."

"Force him to call it off? Or we tell them we control Lewis as well."

"Those men won't listen, Alpha. If they think werewolves are in control of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, that gets added to the target list."

"And that leads to my idea, Alpha," Major Bruce Perriman said. "Is life a game of poker or chess?"

"What?"

"I was a Trekkie as a teen, Angela. In The Carbomite Maneuver, a hostile force is about to destroy the Enterprise. Kirk asks Spock for options; he replies that they are playing a game of chess in which no winning moves remain. Captain Kirk says that we should play poker instead, and he bluffs them. He convinces the hostile force that the hull contains carbomite, an element that reflects the energy of any weapon on its attacker. The bluff works. Kirk proved that it's not what you can do that matters; it's what you convince the OTHER side that you can do."

I'd been a New Generation fan, but I got the point. "We play poker?"

"If you think you can pull it off, yes. You and the Captain get into the Humvee and report to the General."

My jaw dropped. "I'm the leader of the enemy, Bruce! He'll kill me on sight!"

"That's why you need to be a good poker player, Angela."

His plan was insane, but it was crazy enough to work.

Ch. 52

I decided our evacuation of the base would begin at three-thirty in the morning. I wanted everyone out of the way, but that wasn't realistic. My big worry was whether the General sent any human scouts out. The Colonel's orders were to keep all the werewolves in one place. If they saw us leaving, they'd know he failed. A good scout would tell them how many vehicles, weapons, and personnel are no longer defending the base.

We could only take a small fraction of the supplies along, and the underground complex with working facilities and power was invaluable. I couldn't abandon it completely, so I asked for volunteers. A hundred warriors agreed to stay and defend the base. It was enough to run patrols; with our weapons and reinforced tunnels, they could hold the place for months if I could get the nuclear option off the table. Naomi assured me most portions of the complex would survive any Tomahawk assault. Internal blast doors sectioned off the different areas, and many were too far underground to destroy.

Our scouts found an acceptable building in Port Orchard for temporary shelter. The Kitsap County District Court building sat atop a hill overlooking the harbor. It was an older building with lots of concrete and stone that would help to reduce solar radiation dose. There was room for our vehicles and an extensive basement structure. "It doesn't smell good, but it will work for us," Beta Lazard sent to the Pack leaders. "There are security features available that will help us."

"Were any humans there?"

"We saw some in town but none in the building."

There was no telling whether the humans there were a good or bad thing yet. "Secure the area and prepare for our arrival just before sundown." It would be a hard run for the wolves since every bit of space on the truck was filled with supplies. "You'll be in charge of the Pack members that arrive there. Maintain security, and scavenge what you can from the town. It could be weeks before I can get this resolved."

I could sense his surprise. "What about you, Alpha? Or Luna Melanie?"

"The Luna is staying at the base. The Colonel needs to stay, as that was part of the agreement I made with the military and still hope to see enforced. Melanie, you may change him whenever you both feel the timing is right. He might have to report back to the General or NORAD, so think about when he'll get the fevers."

"We're discussing that already, Alpha," Melanie replied. "What about you?"

"I'm heading to Fort Lewis with Major Perriman, Naomi Thompson, and a driver," I replied. "If I can't return, Melanie and Mark become the new Alphas. I want you both to do everything you can to avoid armed conflict with the Army; enough good people have died. Protect our homes and people. Recruit new Pack members, especially those with skills we need to survive."

"What about our fellow soldiers and airmen," one of the new Gammas asked.

"They will soon run out of food and water. The men and women on the base will listen to you when you talk to them apart from their commanders," I replied. "Be careful, for the General will get desperate."

"He can't attack you without troops or working equipment," Major Perriman added. "Encourage them to bring working vehicles and equipment when they switch sides. Do what the General should already have been doing; spread out over the Tacoma area, collecting people and supplies and building a base of power right next to them. Tell them we would still be military except for the General's betrayal of us."

"It is our destiny and the will of the Goddess. Luna wants more than our survival. She wants us to thrive and repopulate the world," I told them. "When I was changing, the Goddess brought me to her realm. She told me my people had lost their way, and I would show them."

"What did she mean by that," Melanie asked.

"Alpha Cole took what he wanted by force and tried to bypass the Goddesses' plan for mates by using breeders. Alpha Edward betrayed the other Alphas for power and control. Luna rejected that thinking and sent me to do things differently." I let that sink in for a few moments. "I want us to save lives, not take them. I want us to bring order to fight anarchy. I want to bring healing to a human race that needs it. The human race is in a death spiral. We are the ones who must survive and thrive."

"You are the Prophet of the Goddess," Beta Lazard responded. "I pledge to follow your leadership and your will." Others joined him. "I have to ask, Alpha. Did Luna tell you to deliver yourself to the lion's den, or is that YOUR idea? We can't lose you!"

"I have to try," I replied. "Good luck, everyone. It is an honor to be your Alpha."

I waited by the Humvee as the convoy readied itself to move out. Heavy straps secured the package in the back, with Naomi watching it like a protective mother. Major Perriman wasn't as thrilled to be sitting in the vehicle with it. I was on the opposite side while one of the new werewolves from the Major's Ranger unit drove. We slotted behind the lead Humvee heading for Port Orchard. We had to go slow as we exited the base, going at the speed of the wolves running alongside and behind us.

Two miles south of the base, the ambush likelihood had decreased enough for us to go about it alone. We had much farther to travel, and we couldn't limit ourselves to wolf speed and make it by sunrise. I gave one final order. "If I am captured or killed, do not retaliate. Isolate them from their neighbors and let them die off," I commanded.

Our Humvee pulled out of the line, accelerating until we had left them behind. We traveled fast with the lights off, not seeing any activity along the way. We crossed the Tacoma Narrows Bridge and headed east until we picked up Interstate 5 south. Tacoma had once been a beautiful city. Now it was full of burned-out buildings and death.

We exited before reaching McChord Air Force Base, driving around until I spotted a Bass Pro Shops. I ignored the broken windows and signs of looting; I doubted if everything we could use was gone. I had the driver park under the overhung roof at the entrance. "See what you can find while you can, but one person stays with the package at all times," I told them. I removed my uniform while the driver scouted the building, placing everything in a saddle pack. Bruce secured it to my back after I shifted into my silver wolf.

"I should be going with you," the Major said.

"I need you with Naomi and the package," I replied over the link.

Bruce took a key out of his pocket and stuck it in my bag. "Bring my Harley back," he said with a smile.

I took off for the freeway, running in the grass on the north side as it led me west. I was practically invisible at night, and I didn't sense any guards catching my movement as I ran along. I stopped near the main gate, shifting and putting my uniform on. The rest would be on foot.

"Sentry! Ensign Angela Summers is approaching!"

"Advance and be recognized, Ma'am!" I walked forward, keeping my hands visible and away from my sidearm. I showed him my identification card, which still listed my rank as Midshipman. He held it near a lit candle as he looked from it to me. "You're the werewolf, the one who saved all those people," he said.

"Yes. I'm also the one General Payne ordered killed, along with all the people I'd changed," I told him. Word would get around quickly, and the General wouldn't be able to stop it. "I need to speak to him immediately."

He looked at the sky; the eastern sky was starting to glow with the coming sunrise. "Give me a minute to secure my post, and then I'll escort you."

"I know my way, Private."

"I'm sure you do, Ma'am. My roommate was in that hospital ward. He was at this gate when the storm hit. We found him after dark, blind and covered in skin burns. The doctors said it was a miracle he survived, but he'd never see again. He took the bite, and last night he left with you."

He finished securing the gate with a chain and padlock. "I didn't lose a person," I told him. "The only casualties were the pair in charge."

"Thank God," he said as he came next to me. We started at an easy jog, needing to make it underground soon. "Can someone become a werewolf if they aren't injured?"

"We will see after I get done with your Commanding General," I told him.

He left me at the Headquarters building. I straightened my uniform and walked to the door, ignoring the people staring at me as I headed for the General's office.

Ch. 53

The General's aide, a female Army Major, stopped me outside his office. "What are you doing here, Ensign Summers? You're supposed to be up at Kitsap!"

"I'm stopping a war, Major. Is the General in his office?"

She looked at me, then at the closed door. "The General is about to leave. Just a moment." She knocked before entering the office. A minute later, she left like her ass was on fire. "He'll see you in a few minutes," she said as she raced out the door.

I guess I had to wait. That was all right; my plan required me to undermine the military leadership with the truth. For that to work, I needed the rumor mill. The officers and enlisted in the Headquarters office gathered around me while I waited. A Ranger Captain I'd seen in training was the first to ask. "What happened up there, Summers?"

I knew what they needed to hear. "We took the base without a single casualty," I said with a smile. I could see the relief on many faces, as almost everyone knew someone I'd saved. Their buddies were the ones sent into battle after being rescued from certain death. "Better news is that a bunch of them found mates among the people at Kitsap. Over a hundred of my wolves found their destined half in a single night." I kept the smile going, hiding the pain I was feeling. The loss was a constant companion for me, tempered a little because we hadn't completed the bond.

"Is finding your mate REALLY like that," one enlisted female asked. "It seems like a fairy tale."

"You can't understand unless you're a werewolf who finds him," I responded. "It's magical." Mine wasn't, but I wasn't a wolf at the time. If I had been, we'd have completed the bond within minutes of meeting each other. "That's not the problem, though."

"What problem did you run into," a Major asked.

"He's in there," I said as I turned my head to the office. "The General let me save those men because he planned to kill us anyway. High Command was willing to sacrifice us to eliminate the leadership at Kitsap. Our deaths wouldn't matter because they planned to level the base and kill us all." I pulled the written copies of the orders given to Colonel Tester from a pocket, letting the people in the room pass it around. I could see in their eyes the betrayal they felt.

The Major read the orders, then handed them to the next person. "Why? What did you do?"

"Scared old men are afraid of me and what I've created. The Generals know that I am capable of saving thousands. They fear I will establish thriving communities around the Pacific Northwest amid this devastation. They should because I will save the people the Generals abandoned. The military has pulled back, saving itself while the American people suffer and die."

"We can't save them all, Ensign," a Captain replied as the letter circulated. "We can barely feed ourselves."

They know how weak they are in comparison. They won't let me save you. They'd sacrifice hundreds of their own to eliminate my kind." I looked around the room. "I'm not your enemy; I'm your savior. Your leaders failed you and the people outside that fence. You have less than two weeks of food remaining in the warehouses. There are no plans for when food runs out. That man isn't acting in the best interests and traditions of the Armed Services. When you figure that out, grab as much gear as you can and come to Kitsap to join us."

No one knew what to make of me. Was I openly advocating a mutiny? Yes, I was. The funny thing was that none of the soldiers and airmen in the office thought it unreasonable. Everything was different now.

It might be their only way to survive. I took the orders back and put them in my pocket.

The mystery of the aide's disappearance was solved when she returned with four Military Police carrying M-4 rifles. "Ensign Summers, you are under arrest. Place your hands on the wall and spread your legs," the largest one of the men said. The only female on the detail handed off my pistol belt and combat knife before searching me. After cuffing my hands behind my back, the leader pulled me upright and spun me around.

"What is the charge?"

"Disobedience of a direct order in wartime," the Major said. "Conviction of which can land you in front of a firing squad soon."

I huffed as the others watched. "I'm the one who ended hostilities, and you're calling it wartime? I did my job. The one who betrayed his oaths is behind that door."

That didn't go over well; the MP holding my left arm slammed me back into the wall before his hand wrapped around my throat. He towered over me, forcing me to look up at his eyes. "You should shut your mouth before it gets you in trouble, wolf."

If he thought he could intimidate me, he was wrong. He was weak and would be dead soon. I'd never take a man like him, who abused helpless females, into my Pack. "And you should try mouthwash and toothpaste. Your halitosis is truly awful." One of the other guards laughed at that.