Endangered Species
Peace Mission

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 sunrise.” 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 replace 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.