Endangered Species
Back the Way we Came

The others left, leaving me with the guard and the Major. She unlocked the cell and let me out. “I’ll need clothes,” I told her, then gave her my sizes. “Camo pattern, the darker, the better. Black if you have it.”

“I’ll see what I can replace.”

“We should go talk to my men,” the Major said. “They’re packing the trucks for the trip.”

That wasn’t what I wanted. Big trucks meant noise and smell, and we needed to be quiet. “Do you guys have any working motorcycles?”

“Mine,” he smiled. “I’ve got a 2004 Harley Davidson Ultra Glide Classic with a carburetor. I can get it bump-started, but the solar storm burned the lights. I’ve only used it near sunrise or sunset.”

Perfect. I grinned. “You ever ride bitch on your bike, Major?”

He looked at me like I was crazy. “No, and the only person I let on it is my wife. Was, my wife,” he finished softly. He was holding back his emotions.

I reached out and touched his arm. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. I lost Natalie two years ago. Breast cancer.” He took a breath. “Why do you want my motorcycle? We need the trucks to bring the platoon along.”

“That’s just it, Major. I don’t want to bring the platoon. In and out, you and me. A motorcycle will be faster and easier to maneuver around obstacles.”

“It has no headlights, Summers.”

The guard came back in with woodland camouflage utilities. I didn’t bother to turn around; I pulled off my scrubs and started dressing. The Major averted his eyes, though. “I don’t need them. My night vision is far better than yours, and no running lights will work to our advantage.”

“The Harley isn’t quiet.”

“We aren’t getting close enough to make that a problem.” I told him about the scavenging missions I’d been on before I left. “The Packs control the entire base and regularly patrol the perimeter. They’ve already scavenged and sanitized everything within a few miles.”

“So we have to go through the woods?”

“I have a better plan, but we need a map.”

He nodded. “There’s one in the General’s conference room. You can brief us on your plan before I decide what we’re doing. I’m in charge of this mission, not you.”

“Understood, Major. I’m just acting on knowledge of what I can do, and you cannot.” I finished putting combat boots on, and we walked out of the basement room. Right away, my vision and senses showed me where to go while the Major had to get his flashlight out. “Light will give us away faster than noise or smell. You’ll learn to follow me, stay close, and step where I do.”

“This is going to be fun,” he said as we exited the building into the evening sun. He put on dark sunglasses while I held my hand over my eyes. I followed him as he ran to the next building, down the stairs to the command center.

They had a map of the Puget Sound area on the wall. I used a highlighter to mark the boundary of the base. Another color to show how far out I knew we had scavenged. “They have at least a dozen old two-and-a-half ton trucks, some Humvees, and some other vehicles. We were going out in force, two to three trucks with eight to twelve heavily armed people. They would go to an area and wipe out any resistance. They could take their time going through the homes and businesses to get anything worth taking back. When done, they’d burn everything. Refugees from Seattle are coming across to Bremerton and Silverdale, and they want to keep them away. They are creating a dead zone around them as a buffer. No shelter and no cover, and I bet they patrol it.”

The Army guys didn’t like that. The General didn’t look back from the map. “What are they armed with?”

“Anything the base had in the armories. Mostly M-4 rifles, some with grenade launchers. Shotguns, pistols, long guns with scopes. Grenades and I saw a couple of M2 fifty-cals on turrets above the armored Humvees. Those are taking point. They also have our uniforms, body armor, and working radios. They can communicate with their minds to anyone in their Pack. They’ll use those to coordinate between Packs.”

“Wait, how many Packs are there?”

“Brinnon Pack is the main one, but people from at least five others could be there now. I don’t know if they’ll return home or bring their people to the base. The best case is maybe two hundred werewolves still there. Worst case? Maybe two thousand werewolves.”

“Jesus,” General Payne said. “And all of them are like you?”

“In capabilities, yes, but they’ve had their wolves their entire lives. They only needed two hundred to take over the base. Now they have the advantage of playing defense. Some have been training as warriors for decades, sir. They are experienced fighters in skin or fur, while I’ve barely figured out how to stand on four legs.”

The Major didn’t like it. “Well, my plan sucks,” he admitted. “I was planning to leave my guys west of Silverdale, then go by foot along these hills until I get to a decent observation point.”

The General looked at me. “What is your plan, Summers?” I was making this shit up as I went, but the plan was solid. They let me lay it out, asking questions and challenging me along the way.

Major Perriman didn’t like my plan to go by motorcycle without backup. “What if you run into ambushes on the road? Or what if we get discovered?”

“We’re trying to be a Scout Sniper pair here, not an invasion,” I countered. “We can move a lot faster and not attract as much attention. We also stay away from their patrols and avoid some of the larger towns nearby. If things go to shit, I shift, you climb on, and we head for the woods.”

He tapped the map, tracing the path. “And I’m supposed to let you drive MY motorcycle?”

I smiled at that. “You can’t see in the dark like I can, Major. If we are still riding by sunrise, I’ll trade places. I want to get on the road as soon as possible, get in, and get back by morning.”

“I’m convinced,” the General said. “What do you need?”

“I need the Major to get his bike and load it up with food, water, observation equipment, and extra gasoline. While he’s doing that, I need to eat.” My stomach picked that time to growl again.

He laughed. “Go, Major. I’ll get her fed.” He took off, and the General ordered his aide to bring us dinner. We continued talking about the military situation as I ate. “What’s your assessment on retaking the base?”

“I think if you bring a battalion, you’ll lose it,” I said. “Something like this needs to be a covert mission. We need help on the inside to avoid the patrols and enter the underground complex without being seen. Otherwise, you’re sitting ducks, and they can wait you out.”

“Or I drop a bunker buster on them,” he thought out loud.

“That would be with all the working airplanes you have?” That caused him to snort. Modern military aircraft are full of electronics, and McChord didn’t have underground EMP-resistant hangars. The Airlift Wings were useless tubes of aluminum now.

“I’m going to have to get a message to NORAD about this,” he said as he sat down heavily. “I can imagine their reaction when I tell them werewolves have taken over a nuclear base. I’m waiting for independent verification because I can’t do it based on what a midshipman tells me.” He looked me in the eyes. “No matter what I saw her do.”

“I understand,” I told him. “I wouldn’t have believed it either.”

It was nearly sundown when Major Perriman pulled back up. His ride was sweet, a deep metallic purple with white accents and lots of chrome. I’m sure he’d done lots of touring with his wife with this; it had plenty of storage, and the rear seat had arm and backrests. He left it running as he got off. “Let’s get you ready.” He helped me don and adjust the body armor, helmet, and gun belt. I put the Colt 1911 pistol on the left side since my right hand would have to control the throttle. I stood up and donned a pair of dark sunglasses, holding the handlebars as he worked his way into the rear seat. “You’ve ridden one of these, haven’t you?”

“Nah. I like REAL bikes, not these overpriced, overweight lawyer specials. I have a Yamaha YZF-R1 sportbike,” I said with a grin. I put it in gear and took off before he could react.

If I could keep the speed up, we’d be in Brinnon in three hours.