Page 6 of Vapor
“He didn’t say but the military don’t offer much. Don’t tell Cort who you know. Acknowledge showing respect but most Brothers just throw chin.”
“What’s that?”
He juts his chin out. I’ve seen it and done it but never named it. “Got it. I speak choosing my words carefully. Only child, then military, means there aren’t usually many words from me.”
“You’ll fit right in. Marli Champion is one of mine, she runs PD, Sheriff and now training for both. If you just want training for controls, we can put you in touch with her. I get that you need to see the Ops we’re offering and all the numbers. Aaron has the Badass IT parts and Marli can get you training numbers. I can tell you the Badass IT is extremely detailed but doesn’t look it by the cost amount. Bishop or Marli can explain the Law app that will give you International law and we have Alexia that knows more loopholes from the FBI right here in BSC on the ABSZ. All Clubs are connected on our satellites so we’re everywhere and can control other satellites. Cort or Copper can tell you about the drones and interceptor drones to stop chemical or missile attacks. I don’t do those Ops, mine are mostly Badass ground or FBI when needed.”
You have got to be kidding me. I nod trying to keep the shock off my face. “I’m sure I’ll have questions about what’s available later today. We have choppers that fly in teams but countermeasures were short because of the weight limits in the Chinook.”
He looks at VP who answers. “Jeti is going for lunch. She can be here in three.”
Pres nods. “Yeah.” He turns back to me. “I’m trained in Badass aerial. Our choppers don’t use countermeasures like in war. We shoot missiles and onboards but it’s never something I order. I know the Blackhawks, modified stealth scouts and jets. The pilots are all like the Warriors and run their own Ops unless it’s multiple teams. Higher BSC control comes as oversight for every Op we run, so you’d have a Badass Control watching your back, then the BSC control over them but they don’t usually talk. I’ve never run overseas Ops so Cort or whoever he brings would answer for that.”
Overwatch for each rescue? The drones and command does that now. This sounds better and better but the cost feels like it’s racking up and I haven’t agreed yet. “Jeti is?” I don’t get why she’d be important to me but I’m glad she’s a she. Military have few women in high positions or on elite teams.
“She’s Sergeant at Arms for my Club but will be important to you because she’s a fighter pilot and trainer for flight. She flies everything.”
I nod and watch the door open. The young girl surprises the hell out of me.
“Pres, Brothers. Commander Kwolek, I’m Jeti. Stella is going to meet us for lunch. I hope you can stay or she’s going to follow you home. She helped with the new flight suits made from silk.”
There is no way. “The silk worm?” I heard about the possibility but it never got done.
She laughs. “Yep, that’s what she said with something about spiders. Copper will want in so you’ll be on virtual. They used the silk stranded with Kevlar to make our clothes and suits lighter. Stella loves the lighter clothes, we all do, but she bitched about them daily and it stopped so it’s notable.” That’s more than I need.
SAA in biker comes with a rep for physically keeping that peace. “This is better than a dream.” Jeti can’t be more than twenty and she’s SAA. My kind of people live in this weird old place even if they bitch about wearing Kevlar clothes. I can ask why they’re wearing Kevlar clothes but I don’t.
Jeti looks like she’s trying not to laugh. “You’re going to fit right in, don’t ask for a dog, keep any guy you’re interested in away from Cort or he’ll have you living together in a week and just take his help because Badass as a shield is never bad. He’sgoing to push Club in a Club and Justice said you take it. It all works and Mucimi will babysit while your team is here.”
Mucimi, Club in a Club and living with a guy in a week make me want to run the other way. I ask about the one that won’t bring back an answer that sounds life changing. “No dog?” Is the safest thing for me to ask and it doesn’t sound life changing to me.
The adults laugh but Aaron slides a tablet my way with numbers that can’t be real.
Badass as a shield looks damn good but I have a team that’s going to have questions. It takes me ten minutes but Aaron and Marli Champion send me the numbers that I’ll need for the teams. Aaron has someone else send me the Clubs around the world and where they have hangars with military assets - with a list of the assets. That’s really the word Jeti used. I had to ask but those assets would be available if we need them which is why I got the list. Unbelievable.
~*~*~
Jeti left me with Stella and a virtual Copper. They are both my mom level smart. I am not my mom and don’t think I’ll ever make it to a quarter of mom level smart. I understand words but those two see particle make up, chemical break downs and I don’t even know the other shit they said. I want to understand words but they don’t speak a language I know. The gear is made by synthetic something that Copper copied from the silkworm strings and spider things and wove the coding together for the printer. I knew I didn’t need to hear more but they kept talking.
I looked at the little guy that followed Stella in and asked, “You can just copy and paste it into a printer and that will make you material?”
“Spider different. Boss Stella give code to me, I print.” He said, then turned back to the Einstein-like women talking about hand-held games for Stella’s babies.
The babies are months old so I didn’t ask but thought maybe if I had games that young, I’d know what the hell they were saying.
Copper closed us down and Stella had to get back to her Club but they both thanked me and Stella promised to send whatever they thought of for material I didn’t understand was for me.
Smiling at the crazy that Badass really is may be a sign that I should not be making decisions without team input. Jeti said Badass is all about the hands. I see the crazy but they remind me of the old neighbors and mom’s work friends. Everyday people just living and working for their families, communities and country.
Even young, I recognized we were all a little crazy, but we helped everyone with everything and laughed afterward about the whatever we didn’t plan for. Four toilet paper roll scopes we left on the dock, forgotten by the draw of a canoe ride, comes to mind. It was a pirate game that caught the dock on fire. The yelling and screaming gave way to our canoe being spotted, adults relaxing and by the time we rowed in, they were laughing and so happy we were alive they cut the strawberry shortcake that was meant for after dinner. Crazy but real.
I see the trucks coming toward the gate and stand. Jones said elderly people in a van showed up with toys, clothes and kid technology. He left the security vets and Moss’s tech engineerswatching over them and the ranch. I didn’t ask about a Mucimi but I’m glad to see so many Night Stalker hands that I do know about right here in east nowhere Nebraska.
Jones gets out with a big smile. “Moss and Sarah were giving us the stats on Badass. They’re bigger than I heard of.”
I nod. “The President of this one, Jinx, said international and they could set us down anywhere they had Clubs.”
The whistle has me turning toward Sweet. “Badass protection is no joke. They have more military than the bases we were on…all of them.”
