Satyr Play 03 Pt. 01

"I'm not at my peak either. I had to use a fair amount to deal with Carl de Bellisle. But I don't intend to fight Nuru. I don't want her job!" she exclaimed.

Sigrid snorted in amusement, and the phone chirped. Camila pressed the button. "Yes?"

"Your 9 AM is here," Felix said.

"Thank you. Please send them in."

Sigrid stood to face the door as Camila joined her. "Remember our visit to Walter's cavern?" the blond asked quietly, and Camila nodded as she smiled at Nuru, who strode in with her bodyguards at her sides. They shut the door.

The waves of energy radiating from the leader confirmed Camila's guess that she'd been overfeeding in preparation for this meeting. She sighed, as in contrast, Camila held back on her output the best she could. She forced a smile onto her lips.

"Greetings, Nuru Onwudiwe," Camila began and bowed her head to the other woman.

"Camila Villamor, you are not presenting the excess of power you did the other night," Nuru snapped.

Camila looked up and nodded. "As I explained in my note, that night was an anomalous situation. I was meeting with the leader of one of the largest Were packs in the United States. He doesn't have a stable mind, so I couldn't show weakness before him."

"As you fail to show respect before your leader now!" one of Nuru's attendants flared, triggering her partner's aggression, as well. Suddenly, they dropped the glamors hiding their spears, the deadly points falling down to point their way.

"Sun!"

Camila closed her eyes and threw her arm up before them, but her guests were caught off guard as the explosion of brilliant white light slammed into them.

Sigrid's spear spun and knocked aside the two points. Then she turned it again and drove the hardened end of the shaft forward in two quick jabs. Two sharp impacts sounded as the spear women jerked back, knocked entirely off their feet. Sigrid stepped back as she put her weapon and armor away once more. "Moon," she sighed, content with the brief sparring. Such a short thing could hardly be called a battle.

Camila lowered her arm and blinked at the sight of Nuru rubbing her eyes and gawking at her two unconscious warriors.

"Please, this isn't necessary, Nuru. I'm not challenging your position as head of the Succubi Association. I have no ambition to take on that role. My position as CEO of VRL makes me happy and brings me all the satisfaction I need," Camila pleaded.

Nuru knelt and touched the necks of her attendants. They were still alive, but each had a sizable bump on their foreheads. She stood and looked at Sigrid. "You're stronger and faster than we were led to believe Valkyries could be. You're certainly blindingly bright when you fight." She looked to Camila. "You showed more power than someone of your age should have. Something is going on here that is far outside the norm. As the leader of the Succubus Association, I demand—"

"I'm terribly sorry. We're under an edict from the Hidden Races Council not to speak of this," Camila said. "If you feel you need the information, you'll need to direct your request to them. I'm unable to tell you anything as they would get wind of it."

Nuru's eyebrows rose up as she stared at Camila, hearing her emphasis. She stepped closer until she was almost nose to nose with the woman. Camila didn't blink, nor did she give ground. Nuru inhaled, taking her scent, and her eyes showed her shock. She looked at Sigrid, who just smiled at her, so she moved closer to the blonde and inhaled once more. Her surprised gaze looked into blue eyes, then over to Camila's, and noted the gold flecks in her irises almost appeared to be glowing. She stepped back to look at the two women.

"I see. I will take you at your word, for I believe you're involved in something that exceeds the scope of the Succubus Association's leadership. I cannot say I'm not exceedingly curious and perhaps more than a little jealous. Venturing into the unknown like the explorers of ancient times has always been a dream of mine."

Camila smiled and nodded. "If there comes a time when the edict can be safely lifted, it will be my greatest honor to contact you at the earliest opportunity."

Nuru tipped her head forward in thanks, then looked to her attendants and sighed.

Sigrid smiled. "I'll call for smelling salts... and ice."

-=-

Homeland Security headquarters was buzzing with excitement. The large auditorium, which only a day earlier witnessed the unveiling of a new technological breakthrough, now contained soldiers unlike any seen before. Their uniforms were a little worse for wear as moving as fast as they did, the fabric took a beating. Still, they stood at parade rest before their commanding officer in even rows on the auditorium floor.

Colonel Crane smiled at his people then turned to General Baines, who was eyeing the soldiers critically. The older man turned to Gordon.

"Why are their uniforms so badly damaged?" he grumbled.

Crane nodded thoughtfully and kept his irritation at the stupid question from his face. "We discovered with the original Silver People that their clothes couldn't endure the rapid movements of their running. They don't wear clothes at all. The Sergeant has explained that they haven't yet run at full speed, so the uniforms' tougher material has lasted longer. They may eventually need to go without as well."

The general looked at him in shock. "You can't have soldiers running around with their Johnsons flapping in the breeze!"

"Not to worry, General, we don't have those anymore!" Yablonski announced happily. The Colonel and General stared at the Corporal as the room went silent. "I mean, we don't really need them anymore, and running with them would be painful," the younger silver man said awkwardly.

"You don't need them?" the General asked.

Crane frowned at the soldier as he was annoyed with his loose tongue.

"Uh, yeah. I mean, we don't eat or drink, so we don't need to... release stuff, and I don't think we have sex the usual way," Yablonski answered slowly, obviously regretting his urge to speak.

"Without one, I guess you couldn't have sex the usual way," Gordon asserted.

"Yes, Colonel. Sorry, sir," the soldier said quietly.

"This transformation to Silver People has affected their discipline, has it?" the General growled at the Colonel.

Gordon looked to Mick. "Sergeant. Report on status change for Corporal Yablonski," he called out crisply.

"Sir! Corporal Yablonski continues to be a discipline issue for the squad. No change in status, sir!" the Sergeant returned, equally crisp.

Gordon turned back to the General. "The corporal was new to the team before this change and hadn't quite achieved the required level of maturity. He's a work in progress." The General sniffed but chose not to argue the point. Gordon redirected to the older man's first squabble. "So, their uniforms aren't really an issue."

He did a quick headcount and realized their number had increased! "Jackson! Blayne! Rewan! Front and center!" he snapped.

The three young men were instantly standing at attention before him, as silver as the others.

"Who gave you permission to change into Silver People?" he barked.

The three looked guiltily at each other but remained silent, so Crane looked to the sergeant who was studiously looking elsewhere. "Why—"

"We're part of this team, sir!" Jackson said crisply.

Gordon wanted to throttle them, but he understood their youthful enthusiasm and desire. That said, he scowled at the team. "No more!"

"There's only you and Dulane left, sir," Yablonski offered, then shut up at his Colonel's frustrated glare.

Rolling his neck to relieve the tension, Crane turned back to the General and was surprised to see the man was looking at the three young men with what could almost be approval.

The old soldier seemed to realize he was being watched, so he turned to Crane. "If they're in the army, they need to be dressed as soldiers! We need to be able to identify them by their rank insignia and name badges!"

The Colonel held back his sigh. "I suppose the R&D department will have to spend some time and money on devising a new uniform that moves with them."

"Is that really your first priority?"

Crane and Baines turned to see a familiar crooked smile and Wallace following the man as he watched the General with an annoyed expression.

"What's your brilliant suggestion?" the General snapped at the smiling man.

The tall man stopped before the assembled soldiers and gazed at them. His smile didn't dim at all as he turned his head toward the Colonel. "I'd like to see a demonstration of making a Silver Person."

The chamber went quiet again, and the soldiers shifted uneasily as they watched this stranger.

Gordon cleared his suddenly tight throat. "We'd need a volunteer—"

"How fortunate I brought one along," the smiling man said and gestured for someone to enter the room.

All eyes turned to see a big, handsome marine in dress uniform wheel himself across the floor to stop before the General and snap a sharp salute to the man.

Baines' face was a study in control. He was obviously surprised to see the Gunnery Sergeant. He also obviously recognized the man. He glanced at the man who brought him with a flash of hate, then went back to the marine with the merest flicker of worry. He finally allowed himself a proud smile. "I wasn't aware you were in Washington, Gunny."

"General, I flew in this morning after receiving a call last night to report for a special assignment," the man said.

It was then the marine noticed the rows of Silver People in torn army uniforms. His eyes widened in shock. "General?"

"A moment, son." He gestured for the nameless one to follow him to the side of the room where they had a quiet but sharp conversation.

Gordon took in the ribbons pinned to the marine's dress uniform. He'd done some pretty impressive things in his career. He stepped forward and returned the man's salute. "I'm Colonel Gordon Crane."

"Gunnery Sergeant Christopher Endale."

Gordon smiled and gestured to the soldiers, who were now all smiling at him. "I suppose your security clearance has been escalated to allow you to witness this, so let me introduce you to my squad. Up until yesterday, they were a group of highly trained human soldiers. We were charged with capturing a small group of Silver People. Instead, my people got turned into Silver People themselves. They're still the same soldiers, but you can't really call them human any longer. Not that they've complained."

"We can run so fast!" Yablonski gushed.

The squad burst into chuckles, and the marine's eyes widened at the odd sound.

"Maybe discipline has been affected," Crane grumbled, and his squad snapped to attention as the argument was over and the two men returned.

"I-I'm at a loss as to why I was ordered to be here," Christopher said.

The General looked uncomfortable, but the other smiled at the marine. "We want to offer you an opportunity to serve your country once more, as these fine soldiers do."

The marine looked closely at the man's grin. "Sorry, who exactly are you?"

Gordon perked up as he watched with interest.

"You can call me Hugh. I'm a special consultant for the Administration," he said with a humble nod.

The marine watched him critically then looked to the soldiers for a moment.

"You want me to volunteer to become a silver person. You want someone really fast in a wheelchair?" the marine asked stiffly.

Hugh grinned a little smugly. "We don't really know what will happen. It might enable you to walk, or it might kill you. We were just told it eliminates your genitals. If they're essential to you, maybe you should refuse the offer."

Christopher glared at him for almost a minute. Then he looked to Yablonski, whose face was showing the broadest smile.

"Something funny, Corporal?"

"Just imagining you hitting mach one in a wheelchair," the soldier said.

Crane retook control of the conversation. "Stupid jokes aside, this is completely new territory. We weren't even sure what the Silver People were until yesterday. The four we were attempting to capture turned out to be two farmhands and their wives from the Midwest US. With their speed, they made short work of my team, then stopped to ask us to leave them alone, and told us how to make more. They even gave us the required materials. I witness my team change and can honestly say, aside from this slight decrease in their discipline, they're the same people." He looked closely at the marine. "Hugh is correct. We have no idea what effect it will have on you."

Christopher took a deep breath and looked at the General. "I'd like to serve my country again."

"But you'll lose your..." Baines gestured towards his groin.

Christopher snorted. "That hasn't worked since I've been in this chair."

Hugh gestured to a group of men in lab coats standing by at the side of the room. They approached carrying three cases and a video camera on a tripod set up facing the marine.

"We're doing this here?" Christopher asked in surprise.

"We were in a forest when it happened to us," Mick said gently. "It feels good."

He smiled nervously at her.

The recording started, and the three cases were opened.

One of the lab jockeys used tongs to lift the glowing mesh from a case.

"It's water, mesh, then silver," the Colonel corrected.

A second scientist carefully lifted the glass bottle of water from a case. He looked at Crane in question. The Colonel stepped forward and took the bottle from his hands, and approached the marine. "This is water that fell from a cloud we suspect came from another planet. It's water, but we're told it's required for the rest to work." He paused, then looked to the Sergeant. "Mick, can you detect anything different about this water?"

She approached and dipped her finger in it. "She looked at Crane in surprise. "There's an energy. It's refreshing." She shook her head. "I didn't detect that before, as a human."

Christopher watched her face then turned to the Colonel. "Should I undress?"

"No, that's not necessary," Gordon said. "Are you absolutely sure?"

The doubt in Christopher's eyes disappeared. "Yes, sir."

Nodding, Gordon poured the water over his head slowly and moved the bottle to cover his arms and legs as well. When he was done, the marine was soaked.

Crane turned to the lab coat holding the tongs. "Can you throw the mesh at the Gunnery Sergeant?" The man looked so nervous, Gordon sighed and took the tongs from his hand to pick up the mesh. He looked to his team. "Specialist Green, collect some of the strips and be ready."

"Yes, sir!"

Crane turned to the others as the marine tried to wipe the water from his face unsuccessfully. "The Silver People can touch the silver strips with their hands, as after they receive enough, it stops soaking in." He looked back to Christopher. "This part looked a bit startling, but none of my squad were hurt by it. Let it happen." He saw Mick move ten feet back behind the marine's wheelchair.

Without further delay, Crane lobbed the mesh directly at the marine's face. The man flinched but let the mesh land against his face as Crane saw done to his people. There was a flash of light, and the Marine flew back into the arms of the Sergeant.

"Now, Mr. Green," Gordon called out.

The Specialist shot to the Sergeant's side and placed the silver strips on the marine's face and hands. The cameraman rushed over to get a better shot of the silver foil melting over the man's face. Green used three more strips before they stopped soaking in.

Mick had a cautious expression on her face, then she touched the marine's newly silvered skin. She looked at Crane in fright. "Sir! Something's wrong. A blockage from his spine! He's losing energy. I can feel him fading! We- we need to get him more energy!"

"The strike zone on the Mall!" Yablonski called out, and the sergeant nodded firmly before looking to the Colonel.

Crane turned to the General. "Sir, contact the guards at the Mall security zone to let them know they're about to get company." He looked to one of his team. "Dane, take the camera along."

The old man looked worried, but he got on his cell as the squad moved in to pick up the prone marine.

They rushed out of the room, Corporal Dane following with the video camera he grabbed on the way out. Once they were outside, they poured on the speed, zipping through the morning traffic to race across the city to reach the Mall. The area was cordoned off, but they crashed through the barricades until they were standing next to a lushly green circle of growth next to the reflecting pool.

Dane pulled back to capture the image of four soldiers supporting and tipping up the big marine's body as Mick tore his shoes from his silver feet, grabbed his ankles, and held them to the ground inside the circle. Raw power surged up through his feet to the top of his head as he screamed. Mick and the others holding him also screamed, and as a group, they lurched back from the circle to collapse in a pile.

All of them had shared the experience and were severely dazed. Corporal Dane turned off the video camera, pulled his cell from his tattered uniform pocket, and dialed the Colonel. "We're here, Colonel. One second."

The big Silver Soldier touched Mick, and she nodded to him as he felt her recovering. He moved to touch the marine's hand, and the man yanked it back as he crab-walked back to escape the invasion of his mind. He stopped and dropped to his ass as he realized he'd just used his legs.

Dane stood and lifted the cell once more. "It was successful, sir. Yes, we're coming back now."

Mick moved closer to Christopher. "How are you feeling?"

His mouth moved, but he was struggling with his words. She held out a hand to him as she smiled gently. He eyed her hand for a moment, then cautiously touched it.

Through their link, she spoke calmly to him. "I'm Sergeant Michelle Tennison, but you can call me Mick. I see you got your legs back. I'm glad. You gave us a scare there for a moment. The break in your spine seemed to be draining your energy, like a leaking bucket."

"How are we able to talk mind to mind?" he asked.

She smiled and shook her head. "I've no idea. All I know is we can do it when we touch. Something else crazy happens when we do, though. Just like when we're running, talking like this makes our perceptions speed up. Take a look around, and you'll see how everything else seems to be moving so slow."

Christopher saw a bunch of soldiers running towards them from the destroyed barricades. They were moving so slowly.

Yablonski reached out from his prone position lying across the other Silver Soldiers' legs to touch Mick's foot as he craned his neck to look up at the marine. "Hey, your name is Christopher Endale, right? I just realized Chip is a short form for Christopher. That means we can call you Chippendale!"

The group shared a laugh through the link, and the marine felt their happiness and relief. They weren't laughing at him; he was being included. They were also shaky from the blast of energy they shared.

"Thanks for doing this for me," he said and felt their satisfaction for being able to help.

Mick looked back at the human soldiers getting closer. Their weapons were coming up, and their mouths were open as if they were shouting, which they probably were. "We should get back to the Colonel. We'll start off slow as this is going to be new to you." She stood and helped him stand. He looked down at his legs, and through her grip on his hand, she felt his intense feelings of relief and joy at being able to stand again.

"Whatever you do, don't touch anyone while you're moving fast. The kinetic energy transfer would probably turn their bones to powder," Mick warned. "Yablonski hit a tree earlier and turned the trunk into splinters." Christopher nodded with wide eyes. The soldiers all got back to their feet and rushed around the oncoming soldiers. Mick had her arm around the marine's back to assist with his first run since he lost the use of his legs. Halfway back, she released her grip, and he ran on his own. She watched his face and saw his broad smile.