The Pandora Effect Ch. 06

Hi everyone, sorry for the time span between submissions, real life sort of got in the way with my make believe world. Thanks to Dawn once again for her editing and my friend Nulli with the help on the self-defense scene. Please enjoy the story and as promised, there is sex in this one, just not who you think.

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Rashida Turk looked out into the orange sky as her shoulder length brown hair blew lazily around her face. She always loved watching the sky this time of the morning. Placing her arms across her human chest, the olive skinned werewolf squeezed as she fought the slight chill in the morning air.

She turned her head and gazed lovingly at her mate Bashir. His soft brown hair, being ruffled in the light wind that blew around the top of Gibraltar. He had a pained look on his face as he peered through the high-powered observation glasses. They had been watching for any sign of the Naqada to approach the straits, or any small craft with Mansur Alba on board.

She heard some rustling in the small bushes behind them and turned cautiously around. Just off in the distance, she saw a large male Barbary macaque scratching himself furiously. Behind him, the six females moved slowly back and forth. They would move, sit, scratch, then repeat the dance again.

Rashida was aware of their presence, but the monkeys made no attempts at any physical harm. Perhaps they were aware of the truth that lay deep within the two humans. She pondered the idea of possibly training them once a sufficient number of wolves occupied the new order. If they were smart enough not to attack, maybe there was hope for the sub creatures in the new world.

She turned back towards the soft rolling sea of the Mediterranean and joined her mate in the search for their other team member. Being subservient to the larger alpha, she would never blatantly speak her mind. If she were asked, she would have told her mate that she was becoming nervous about the way the mission was unfolding now.

"It's possible the ship was delayed in the straits by Turkey. We'll wait until sunset tonight for the ship to pass," Bashir said as he stepped away from the glasses.

"We might have missed him at the hotel on our way up here. We've been looking all night with no sign of him. Maybe the Naqada has already passed."

"It's possible. He knew which hotel we were going to stay at. We'll head back and look for him there. We should get something to..."

Bashir sniffed the air quickly as he looked around. He remembered that strange scent, but the last time it crossed his highly evolved senses was at a small café in Sevastopol, Ukraine. He could also smell two males accompanying her.

"I highly doubt it's a coincidence that we're waiting on Mansur at Gibraltar, and now she shows up."

Nadia Karpov smiled as she strolled up Ohara's road towards the peak's observation deck. Glancing behind her, she saw the two mercenaries scanning the surrounding area for any signs of danger. They seemed puzzled at the behavior of the monkeys as they walked up. This wasn't their first time on the rock, but it was the first time the wildlife acted so strangely. Even with their training, it made them both nervous.

She looked ahead of her and could sense the two werewolves up at the top. She shook her head in despair with the thought of her great plan starting to unravel with these so-called terrorists. As she moved closer to them, she parted her jacket slightly and stroked the small white feather that hung from her lithe neck.

Her mind flashed back to the beginning, although -- the creator -- thought it would be the end. The fall from grace was hard on her those many centuries ago. Dazed, confused, and trembling, she lay naked on the scorched earth around her. She rose slowly, as slowly as her sore body would allow her.

She looked around for a sense of what direction to head off to, but with no indications of which way, she fell back to the ground in desolation. She quickly thought of asking for mercy and compassion from the father, then noticed something laying on the ground. A small white feather, it's delicate edges smoldering from the fiery fall.

The stunning young woman crawled quickly across the dark earth and patted the lone remaining feather. The heat that her hands endured burned her now delicate skin as she recoiled in pain. The new feelings that consumed her forced her to cry out to him, though the answer never came.

With trembling hands, she picked the feather up carefully and closed her eyes. Flashes of people wondering around structures filled her mind. She saw herself walking towards it as she passed small creatures running in fear. The image was replaced with her human form, receiving clothing and food from a stranger.

She quickly opened her eyes and looked to her right. The realization that the lone feather would provide her some limited power hit her, as she lay back and laughed at the heavens. Suddenly, a new feeling overwhelmed her soul. She felt it grow within her to a feverous pitch and she jumped to her bare feet.

"You might have banished me, but now I can feel all those human emotions you were so proud of, including the seven cardinal sins. You should have done more to prevent the opening of the box, and now I will make it my resolve to slowly destroy what you have come to create," the fallen angel screamed, then slowly started to walk to her destination.

Nadia shook her head quickly to disperse the memory from her thoughts. She didn't want to help the wolves further, but with the images she saw, there was no turning away from it. If they were allowed to continue with their mission in its current state, her delicate plan would be in vain.

As she approached Bashir, she smiled brightly and waved her hand in a friendly gesture. The two gentlemen behind her did not follow Nadia's pleasantry, as they sized up the man and woman in front of them. Neither one of them saw the female as a threat, but both of the mercenaries saw her as an inviting temptation if she were alone.

"Well hello again you two. I see you like sunrises as much as I do." Nadia stared out into the distance and took a deep breath.

"If you tracked us down for more money, I assure you woman..."

"Oh please Bashir, don't start with that male supremacy shit again. I didn't approve of it in Sevastopol, and little has changed since then," she warned him as her companions moved closer.

Rashida glared at the men. She knew it would be all too easy to rip them all to shreds in a few moments. She was hungry and her temperament was on edge as she moved to one side and flanked the intruders.

"It seems my new friends are making you two nervous. Michael, Fredrick, would you two please excuse us for a moment. Why don't you go see what's bothering the monkeys."

As the two men walked slowly away, Bashir began calculating the amount of time it would take to change, kill them, then hide the bodies. There wasn't much time before visitors began arriving for the view of the new morning.

Rashida watched her mate as he glared at the intrusive woman. She knew he was ready to attack and would gladly be the first to strike her with the large talons she possessed. She almost felt anguish as her mate stepped back and leaned against the railing.

"What is it you want -- Nadia?" he asked with a large hint of distain in his gruff voice.

"See that wasn't so hard now was it? We can all be civil when we want to."

"He asked you a question bitch. If you keep playing games with us, I'll..."

Nadia turned to face the other women. "Yes I know. You'll turn into a large hideous beast and rip me to shreds with those four inch talons of yours."

Bashir moved forward with a stunned look on his face. No one knew who they truly were and he kept that secret with great care. Now, a scientist, who he only met once, knew the truth about the existence of werewolves.

Out of the corner of her eye, Nadia saw the large muscular male approach but she stood her ground as she looked at Rashida. Her face showed the same look of astonishment that her mate had.

"How -- how do you..." Rashida failed to comprehend the sudden turn of events.

"It's a gift my dear. I know a lot of..." Bashir moved to side of her and glared at the stunning young woman.

"I've had enough of your games woman. Who are you really and how do you know about us? You don't smell right and that's enough reason for me to kill you," Bashir said as he sniffed the air around Nadia.

"I beg your pardon. That really isn't a nice thing to say to a woman."

"You have one minute to tell me what I want to know or I'm going to toss you off this rock," Bashir replied in a low angry voice.

"Think of me as your guardian angel. I would say the same thing to your friend Mansur, but I'm afraid he won't be joining us for the rest of his life. Those men you killed in the small town of Krasnoselivk were special forces from the CIA."

"How do you about that? You weren't..."

"I told you Bashir, I'm your guardian angel. Since you took out those men, it forced the CIA to recruit help from an American Special Forces unit known as SEALs. They tracked you down and took out Mansur on the Naqada."

"That's impossible, Mansur was one of us. He could have killed ten men before they ever got a chance to..."

"It's not impossible when two of those men are werewolves like you. They know exactly what you plan to do and are going to find you sooner than later. They have unlimited resources and most of Europe is being watched."

The two Lycanthropes took a step back and looked at each other. Bashir had always known there were more out there like him, but he was thunderstruck at the idea of one of them helping humans. As the thought twirled through his mind, he began to feel nauseous with the image of a werewolf playing alongside with the lower life form of a human.

"Bashir, what are we going to do? If the Americans truly have traitors to our own kind helping them, there's no way we can..."

"Shut up woman! When I want your opinion on the mission, I'll give it you. Let me think a moment," he growled at his mate as he turned to look back out to sea.

Nadia shook her head in disgust. "Men, always thinking they're better than everyone else."

"There is a way out of this Bashir, that is if you can control your emotions for more than five minutes," Nadia said sarcastically.

Bashir turned quickly and was about to strike, when a noise caught his attention. He looked down the winding road at the tour bus heading to the peak. His frustration was growing as he turned to look at the insolent woman in front of him. Even though she knew things about them and the mission and could possibly help, he still felt like removing her supple throat.

"It's becoming crowed up here. What did you have in mind -- Nadia?"

"I don't know about you two but I'm famished. Let's go back to town and get something to eat, then I'll let you know how you can carry out your -- quest -- without any further setbacks."

Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force Mediterranean (CJSOTF), Aviano Italy.

Adam Dawson's flight suit clung to his muscular frame like a well-fitting glove. It hid no secret to the chiseled body beneath it, and Neal Hawkins' secretary knew it. As he and Garrett entered the reception room, she began to get moist between her shapely thighs.

She smiled graciously at the visitors and indicated for them to take a seat, but what she really wanted to do was lean forward and run her pink tongue over her ruby red lips. She enjoyed the fringe benefits of working on the SEAL compound due to the amount of eye candy around her. Seeing the SEAL Lieutenant made her realize the others were just mere toys.

"It should be just a few moments Mr. Dawson. Commander Hawkins had to take a very important phone call. He asked me to make you and Mr. Brown comfortable. Is there something you'd like, coffee, tea?" she whispered with a low sultry voice.

"Oh -- um -- thanks we're fine."

"How about some oral sex from a sex starved woman?" Her eyes glossed over at the thought of falling to her knees in front of him.

Her mood changed when she saw the small square light on her phone go out. Now that the two men would be in a closed door meeting with her boss, she wouldn't get the opportunity to stare at the SEAL longer.

Suddenly the intercom disrupted her thoughts. "Excuse me Rosa. Is Dawson and Brown here yet?"

"Yes Commander, they arrived a few moments ago. I'll send them right in Sir."

As Adam passed Rosa's desk, she turned slightly and leaned back. "If you're not busy tonight Mr. Dawson, I know a quiet little restaurant just off base."

"Thanks Rosa. After I pick up my wife I'll run that by her," he replied as he opened the door and stepped through.

Neal Hawkins was leaning back in the large brown leather chair. He had his hands clasped behind his head and the stern face he wore showed his displeasure with the two men. He didn't like the fact that one of the SEALs best operators was working with the CIA. No matter what capacity Garrett was acting in, he didn't trust the S.A.D man as far as he could throw him.

Adam stepped forward and sat down in one of the smaller chairs in front of the senior SEAL. He knew his friend Neal wouldn't chew him out to bad, but he was worried on how to answer any of the old man's questions.

"Good to see you again Neal. That's some interesting help you have out there."

"Yeah, my wife thinks so too. Every time she comes to visit me at the office, I get the same look I'm giving you two clowns. A sort of a, what the fuck are you doing stupid, kind of look."

"Sorry about the quick call for assistance Neal, it couldn't be helped."

"I suppose you wouldn't mind telling why I had to pick you and your team off a submarine, or why the head of the base's medical department is in Washington."

"Nice to meet you Commander Hawkins, my name is..."

"I know who you are Mr. Brown. I just got off the phone with your boss, Tanner Eason. He doesn't like you very much and I share the sentiment. Is this the part of the conversation where you tell me that a mission that involves a SEAL team is classified and I don't have a need to know?"

"Something like that Sir."

Neal leaned forward and placed his hands on the polished desk. "Let's get something straight Brown. I hate the CIA, you guys fuck up more shit than Congress. If you plan to operate out of my compound, I have a need to know."

"Garrett, he's got a point. We need to fill him in on Pandora," Adam interjected.

He looked back at the glaring SEAL with an emotionless face. He didn't want to involve any more people, but his options were limited as he felt himself slowly getting squeezed into a corner. He shifted in his seat and released a heavy sigh as he began to inform the gray haired SEAL about Nadia Karpov.

**********

Now that the lunch crowd was out of the Enlisted Club, the bar staff busied themselves with cleaning tables and rearranging the disorderly chairs. They didn't bat an eye as the six well-built men entered the building and quickly scanned the room.

Chief Holiday led the fire team to the far corner and pulled a chair out next to the paneled wall. The other men followed suit, with Kevin and Jake being the last to sit down. The enlisted men of Fire Team Alpha had not discussed the sudden turn of events since leaving the hospital.

It wasn't that they weren't curious about werewolves, or had no questions to ask, they just didn't know how to broach the subject. Carl was just about to try to introduce one of his questions, when a cute dark haired server walked up with a note pad.

The team was courteous and relaxed as they ordered the beer. Dan Vasquez stopped her just before leaving and added a few baskets of hot wings. The petite young woman smiled and quickly jotted the food down, then left the men to their silent thoughts.

Kevin looked around at the staff in the room. He wanted his friends to start up a conversation so the silence would end. He wondered if he made the right decision to tell the team about his true self. Maybe the archangel Gabriel was wrong about his take on the situation. Maybe it was the correct approach to only involve your true love.

The young server shattered his thoughts as she placed the tray down and positioned the cold beers on the table. She chatted happily about food specials and planned events for later on this evening. Bob mumbled something about large crowds, then grabbed his beer and took a long pull. After leaving them, Carl was the first to break the unnatural silence that surrounded them.

"I wonder how the Packers are doing back home? They might have a shot at the Super Bowl this year."

"I doubt it Carl. Favre is getting old and he's lost some..." V-man started to say before Jake interrupted him.

"Why don't you guys just say what's on your mind! I can't believe you guys call Kevin your friend. Hell, if this is the way it's going to be from now on, maybe Kevin, and I should do this ourselves."

"I for one think it's pretty cool," John said as he took a hit of his beer.

Bob Holiday leaned forward and stared hard at Kevin. "There's an awful lot of explaining to do, from both of you clowns. For starters, you can explain why you're walking and talking after being an inch from death."

John suddenly became nervous. Kevin swore he would keep the angel's secret, but how was he going to pull it off without informing the others about what he saw in the processing area. There would be hell to pay with Gabriel if the truth came out.

"You're probably not going to believe me anyway Bob," Kevin said softly.

"After your little show and tell in the conference room, I'm willing to go on a little faith here."

"The last thing I remember is getting hit on the Naqada, then I saw a white light and I sort of went to it. I was happy and warm, but then I heard this voice. It told me it wasn't time for me and then I remember waking up at the hospital. I can't explain it any better than that."

"Wow Kev, you really went to heaven?" Carl asked.

"I don't know. All I remember is a white light, and some voice. Why don't you ask me what's really on your mind, Bob?"

"I don't even know where to begin with that one Dvorska. I thought I could trust you with my life."

"You still can Chief. You think Adam, Kristine, or Laura is scared of me? Hell, I think Laura likes that side of me more than my human side."

"Christ! You mean to tell me that Kristine knows about what you are?"

"Yeah she knows -- who -- I am, and that's a really long story and I'd rather not get into it here."

"So like do you, you know, change when it's a full moon?" V-man asked.

"You watch too much TV dude. Kevin and I were born at birth like this. The ability to change at will hits you during puberty, and trust me, it's not easy to accept at first." Jake took a sip of his beer to let the news sink in.

"I wish I could make you guys understand that my gift isn't easy for me to carry around. I don't make friends easily, and it sucks to hide my true self. You guys can start acting normal around me again, it's not like I'm gonna bite everyone and make you like me."

"Can I ask you a question Kevin?" John asked. Kevin thought it was strange, given the angel's real identity, that he had a question.

"Fire away Doc."

"Do you get like fleas and shit when you run around as a werewolf?"

The SEAL team burst out in a fit of laughter at the strange question. As Kevin watched his friends laugh, he realized this might be the way to accept him as an equal again and not the monster they thought he was.

"Only during the summer time Doc, but I have a special flea collar for just the right occasion." Kevin rolled his eyes at the angel.

"Hey Kev, I've got one for you. Do you like chase your tail, or get strange feelings around fire hydrants?" Once again the team laughed hard at V-man's statement.