Kadance

21

"Maren see about some food. There's not likely to be much here, they don't keep these places very well stocked." Tommy says even as he finishes loading all his toys.

"I'll be out-don't leave the bunker without contacting me. I'll be setting up some fun surprises." He turns and faces the team members. He aims his remarks to Amgle and to a lesser extent the other ghosts. "Don't try to test yourselves here. We need you. If you try to follow me you'll be dead. No one will find all my traps. All those that tried died doing it. You're good, all of you, but this is my specialty and you're not that good. Don't mess with it." Then he was gone just like that.

Amgle goes to follow when Jayse's voice says, "He's trained the best in all the companies or kept track of those he didn't. And not one of them could pass the field test, not one. There were three or four that came close to five away from making it. The closest was another Sgt from Delta Company, Sgt. Ballen." Jayse says in the now quiet room. "Tommy was very impressed. He kept up on Ballen. He kept an interest in Ballen's people. He was very happy for the chance to have you on the team, but never underestimate Tommy. He may not have gone through the intel training, but there is damn little he doesn't know. If he wants the info. he'll find it. If he wants to set invisible traps he will. He very likely rigged the door with his special trap. No one has ever been able to deactivate it safely. So if you want to leave, you better warn us so we can take cover." Amgles face has turned white at the mention of Ballen's name and only got more sickly as Jayse continued.

"No, that's okay Jayse. I think I'll go lie down. I'm not feeling so well." Amgle says as he turns and leaves.

"He trained our trainers?" Dest asks in awe. "Mine wouldn't ever say who trained him. He just said that he was the best and that no one ever could beat him. Said he tried for years, went to the field test every year he wasn't deployed. Said the best he could ever do was get within seven or eight." He continues almost dreamily, "He sent the best of our company to him for further training. He was going to send me when word came that he was no longer active. No word as to whether redlined or killed."

"Maybe when there's time he'll train you ghosts even more." Jayse says with amusement in his voice, ignoring Tommy's previous vow that he'd never teach again.

"Oh, I hope so," Dest says. A fire has leapt in his eyes.

"Jayse there's a signal beacon coming from this equipment." Trader says. The others can only shake their heads, all beacons should have been inactivated by the sweeps the Warriors do on their weapons sites. "It's not one of our signals, Jayse."

Just then an explosion is heard in the distance. Another from overhead. More gunfire and explosions sound.

"Tommy!" Kadance screams in terror.

"Kadance!" Jayse says taking her face in his hands, "you've got to calm down. Tommy knows what he's doing more than anyone else in here. You've got to trust him." Kadance looks into his eyes. Her terror ebbs as his calm and strength calm her down. "Go with Kelan." Jayse looks at Kelan, "I want her in the safest room, and stay with her." He turns back to Kadance, "Okay?"

Kadance numbly nods and Jayse whispers to Kelan, "You'd better give her a sedative. We may need to leave in a hurry so nothing too strong." Kelan nods she knows just the thing to give Kadance.

Kelan leads Kadance out of the room and Kadance looks back once and sees Jayse watching her. She more willingly follows Kelan out of the room.

As soon as Kadance is out of the room Jayse barks out, "Status reports."

"No word from Tommy," Candlen says.

"The explosions seem to be coming from base firing intercept missiles. Some of the gunfire seems to be mostly from the firing range auto defense," Rackem reports.