Chapter 15: Second Time Stories
“Vox, how do we sound?” Gabrielle asked quietly as she took her seat at the bar next to Xena and Aphrodite. Ed stood nearby, keeping a watchful eye looking every inch the bodyguard that none of them needed.
“Loud and clear boss,” the engineer replied from the control room on The Hippolyta. “The picture is clear too, the necklace is working like a charm. You got checked in okay? Wolfgang called ahead to make your arrangements, I think his crush on Aphrodite is showing.”
Aphrodite chuckled overhearing the exchange in her own earpiece. “Tell him I appreciate the mountain of bath bombs, oils and salts in that palatial bathroom,” she replied with a light laugh as she accepted a drink from the bartender. “The champagne and chocolate covered strawberries were a nice touch too.”
“That tub is impressive,” Xena had to admit marveling at how the in-ear monitor and mic concealed in her blouse worked with the small transmitter in her purse. “Nearly as impressive as that face-time thing you did this afternoon with Shen.”
“No,” Aphrodite disagreed, “impressive is letting a ten-year old pick out your ball gown. That gown looked wonderfully Mackiesque”
Xena shrugged, accepting her drink from the bartender, “I figured he’d do as good a job at it as I would.”
“Will the alterations be done in time?” Vox asked as she adjusted some of the controls onboard to get better sound. “I don’t think we have any magic mice that can bail you out in time for the big dance.”
“They’ll be done in time,” Aphrodite assured the engineer as well as her companions. “With what you paid for those dresses,” she added to Gabrielle, “I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s enlisting his entire team to get it finished.”
“Hey guys, what’d I miss?” A male voice asked through the monitor as he took his seat next to the engineer.
“Dude!” Vox protested. “You’re off duty now, this is my shift. You can keep tabs on them when I go off shift, like we discussed.”
“I was bored,” Wolfgang protested. “Come on, tell me what’s happening? Did they provide the accommodations for Argo? I was pretty clear about that when I called in.”
“Ladies, ladies you’re both pretty,” Aphrodite complained quietly from her seat at the end of the bar when the bartender walked to the far end of the bar to fill a drink order. To the casual observer it simply looked like three friends talking together but anyone in earshot would know better. “Argo is all set. Look, mommies need to work now, please get it together.”
“Fuck, I didn’t know we were live,” Wolfgang sputtered, embarrassed. “My apologies, boss, Aphrodite, Xena, Ed.” The bodyguard made a soft grunt but didn’t say anything.
“Is there anything in the system about Scruggs staying here? Or Easton?” Gabrielle asked, sipping her old fashioned, green eyes scanning the crowd. The soft clicking of a keyboard could be heard through the monitors. “Scruggs is listed,” the engineer confirmed, “but no Ares or Easton so he’s probably using another name or isn’t staying at the Omni. Based on what you found out from the pathologist, he probably lives in DC.”
“True, but he still may carry an object with him if it brings him power. Could I get another look at the picture?” Xena asked, leaning close to Gabrielle, keeping her voice low and quiet. “Of Scruggs.”
A long-forgotten shiver went up the bard’s spine at the sensation of the warrior’s breath so close to her ear. “Here,” she said, taking a moment to engage her brain and remember how to unlock her phone, “I’ll text you the photo. This is the guy we’re looking for.”
The warrior nodded, sitting up once again, casually looking around the bar. They’d chosen the nicest watering hole in the opulent hotel and the number of people making their way to the club was slowly picking up. The trio watched as political operatives, lobbyists, wealthy donors and the Washington elites met, exchanged pleasantries and in some cases, went off to discuss business. With the aid of the camera Gabrielle was wearing, the duo in California worked feverishly with the assistance of facial recognition software to identify the players as fast as they could.
Ed cleared his throat purposefully and Gabrielle looked around to see what he’d alerted her to. Her eyes went wide at the sight of Brian Glass chatting amiably with someone. In moments that someone was identified as a low-level advisor to the president’s administration. Gabrielle turned her face before being spotted and quickly tried to figure out how she wanted to handle the situation.
“What is it?” Xena asked, her voice calm but concerned.
Gabrielle nodded to the bartender for another round so he’d move to the other end of the bar to prepare their drinks. “The guy over there, Brian Glass, works in my company. He just transferred to SP and Susan and I have suspicions about him, there is something really misleading about him.”
“He went on vacation right after transferring to a new department which is kind of strange,” Wolfgang added over the monitor. “He isn’t listed as staying at the Omni under his own name,” the navigator added.
“How do you want to handle this, boss?” Ed asked as he casually brought his cuff up towards his mouth to speak into the mic.
The warrior’s eyes brightened and she nodded to the goddess. “You need to get that guy in your suite with Argo,” she suggested. “Question him there, Argo will let you know when he’s lying. You go ahead and wait for him, I’m sure Aphrodite can convince him to follow her there. Ed and I can keep watch down here in case Scruggs shows up.”
Aphrodite shrugged appreciatively, “Warrior has a point,” she agreed.
Gabrielle had to admit that she couldn’t think of a better plan and she did want to get to the bottom of her employee’s activities. She appreciated that Ed stayed silent, not commenting on things he was hearing that obviously would have made no sense to him. She’d have to read him in next, of that she was certain.
She left her companions and made her way back to the spacious suite, receiving an enthusiastic greeting from her dog. She couldn’t help but grin at the ‘amenities’ that had been set up by the balcony of the suite for Argo’s use that Wolfgang had taken steps to insist on. Besides several dog beds throughout the suite, there was also a feeding area and a place for her to do her business. “We’ve got some good people, don’t we girl?” she asked as she scratched the dog behind the ears and got an affectionate lick on the face for her trouble.
Several moments later the door to the suite opened and Brian Glass entered with Aphrodite, clearly startled to see his boss there. “Hey Brian,” the bard said casually watching his reaction carefully.
His momentary expression of surprise quickly vanished as he looked from one woman to the next. “Miss Vincent,” he said. “I had no idea you were in town.” Both women looked at the dog who looked back and forth between them, clearly with an expectation of treats. “I was just…ah…she invited me up…” he said referencing her companion.
“I gather,” Gabrielle replied. She nodded towards the couch across from her indicating that he should sit and fixed him a drink. Aphrodite sat down next to him and accepted the copper mug that the bard handed her as well. “What are you doing in DC?” Gabrielle asked pleasantly, taking the comfortable chesterfield chair across from the matching leather couch.
“I was visiting friends in town for vacation,” he replied easily. “We’re going to meet up here a bit later. They’re in town for the ball tomorrow.”
Argo barked once and ambled over to the chesterfield, flopping down at her mistresses’ feet. “See, the thing is, I don’t think that’s true.” Gabrielle said, taking a sip of her Moscow mule.
Glass shrugged, his broad shoulders and muscular arms barely contained by his sports coat. He looked slightly smaller in build than Ed, but less sculpted and refined. He was all soldier, built for utility only with no time for vanity. “Honestly Ms. Vincent,” he replied, “with all due respect, where I go on my vacation time isn’t really any of your business.”
“In this case it is,” Gabrielle disagreed amiably. “I suspect you don’t really work for me I mean sure, I’m signing your pay checks but someone else has your loyalty.”
“That’s crazy,” he said and started to stand, ready to leave in a huff. Aphrodite put a gentle hand on his arm and he sat back down, clearly surprised with himself.
“Do you work for Ares?” Gabrielle asked pointedly, setting her drink on the black lacquered coffee table that sat between them.
“Who’s Ares?”
Argo remained silent and rolled over to give Gabrielle better access to her belly. “How about Heinrich Easton?” she asked.
“I don’t know who that is either.” A soft bark had Brian looking with concern at Gabrielle. “Is something wrong with your dog?” he asked.
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” Aphrodite muttered under her breath.
“Thing is,” Gabrielle continued leaning forward and studying his face intently. “You know who Heinrich Easton is. Do you work for him- yes or no.”
“No, I don’t work for him,” Brian replied hotly. Argo was silent so Gabrielle continued.
“Are you with the feds?” she asked.
“I work for you,” he insisted, looking at the dog suspiciously when she whined.
“FBI?” Gabrielle asked calmly.
He didn’t speak, only shook his head, looking at the dog nervously beginning to catch on. Argo was studying him as well and cocked her head but remained silent.
“CIA?” the bard continued with the patience of one who could play this guessing game all night.
He shook his head once and Argo chuffed at him then ambled over so he could pet her head.
“Well that answers that,” Aphrodite said with a satisfied sip of her drink.
He reached down to pet the dog’s head and looked at Gabrielle, his expression equal parts confused and astonished. “I haven’t told you anything.”
Gabrielle nodded, “not yet at any rate,” she said pleasantly. “Why is the CIA so interested in Bardic & Company that they’d put in someone undercover for so long? And why is the CIA interested in Heinrich Easton? And is Lynyrd Skynyrd really your favorite band?”
He chuckled at that last question and grinned bashfully at the bard. “Yeah, I knew I’d stepped in it there during the interview,” he admitted. “Tell me how you trained your dog to do that?” he asked hopefully.
Gabrielle shook her head. “Nope,” she said pleasantly. “We’re going to have a chat and you’re going to wish you were hooked up to a polygraph.” With that Aphrodite got up to get them fresh drinks and Gabrielle leaned back in her chair, beginning the interview.
~~~~~~~
Xena listened with interest as Gabrielle questioned Brian Glass, smiling inwardly at how remarkably effective Argo was at interrogation. It took no time at all to determine that the loudness of a bark correlated to how far an answer was from the truth where a subtle chuff or whine indicated a more nuanced deviation. Even when the Agent refused to speak, the fact that questions were being asked led to canine assisted revelations of truth. Not wanting the conversation taking place upstairs to distract her from the mission at hand, she turned down the volume on the speaker in her ear and continued to scan the throng of conservative elite milling around in front of her.
She sipped her third drink and shifted her head from side to side. Her muscles were stiff and while the alcohol helped some, there was no doubt that she was developing the tolerance for liquor Gabrielle had mentioned. She was certain that if she concentrated for several moments, the buzz from the alcohol would vanish and the stiffness in her neck would intensify. It had been a long day and while she felt her stamina increase daily, she was tired. She thought about Ares and the battle that was to come; thoughts of her most recent battle returning unbidden. If she was going to fight the God of War once again, she would need to rest and gather her strength. The pain of death, not the physical pain although certainly that was part of it, but the pain of separation from Gabrielle and the things in her life left undone were too great to risk again. She did not want to go into her next battle in any condition other than her best.
“Is this seat taken?” a soft voice to her left inquired.
Xena looked up, a bit startled that she hadn’t heard or seen the woman approach having been so lost in her thoughts. “Please,” she said with a nod at the seat most recently occupied by Aphrodite. The woman smiled her thanks she reminded the warrior of the woman she’d seen in the photograph with Shen from the ten-year old’s bedroom. She had red hair that came to her jawline, gently framing her face with hazel eyes that looked gray in the warm light of the bar. She was wearing a short black dress that left her shoulders bare, with a dark choker that had cut stones reflecting the ambient light.
“What are you drinking?” the warrior asked getting the bar tender’s attention.
~~~~~~~
The Goddess of Love allowed herself to feel heartache the first half of her cab-ride to the restaurant. Knowing that this was what was best for Gabrielle helped some, and knowing that the future could bring the most amazing of surprises also helped. Months ago, she had no idea that Gabrielle or Xena even existed in the here and now, or her uncle, or even her brother for that matter. She had a new sense of hope that there were other members of her family, possibly her children out there waiting to be rediscovered and reconnected with. She missed the romantic connection she shared with the bard but felt confident that it was a connection put on hold as opposed to severed. She would patiently wait and see where things progressed for the warrior and bard. She had all the time in the world and could be patient. Gabrielle’s yacht captain came to mind; patient didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy herself elsewhere while she waited.
A familiar landmark out the window of the cab made her focus. She was nearly halfway to the restaurant and needed to center herself for the confrontation that was to come. Her feelings of pain and loss acknowledged and explored, she put them aside and meditated for a moment. She felt her power, her ability – all of the things that made her special and different and let that come to the surface, to fill her. She spent much of her day to day life tamping down what made her exceptional to be more relatable to mortals, to pass as one of them. This was no time for modesty or humility. She was like no one else on earth and now was the time to be grateful for that. Ares would be looking for information, to seduce her to his way of thinking, to garner an ally. He would be deceptive, he might threaten or perhaps try to bribe her, she needed to be ready for anything.
The car came to a stop at the cab stand and Aphrodite paid the driver and walked the few feet to the restaurant, nodding with a smile at the host as she passed him. A sense of aggression and danger hung thick in the air. When her eyes adjusted to the dark she found herself surrounded by a lush, throwback interior that would have been at home in any number of mob movies.
“Over here sis!” a playful voice called and Aphrodite saw Ares sitting at a cozy booth in the back. She walked past numerous tables either occupied by oblivious diners or none too subtle bodyguards and henchmen. It took a fair amount of restraint for the goddess not to roll her eyes at the scene. She could feel it; she was the most powerful person in the restaurant, easily. Clearly the God of War sensed it too because the self-satisfied smirk on his face vanished when she approached. “You are positively radiant,” he admitted, taking a sip from his wine glass. “Found some ambrosia, did you?”
Gracefully, she slid into the booth. “It certainly appears that way,” she replied smoothly with a smile. She studied him as she took a sip of wine from the glass he poured for her. It tasted heavy and bombastic as she swirled it around in her mouth. She thought of Gabrielle and how a mortal with a few extra years of living could become a much better judge of good wine than an immortal. “You called this meeting,” she finally said as she put down the wine glass. “So, meet. What is it you want to say that you couldn’t put in an email?”
“Come on sis,” he replied trying to regain some of his previous bravado. “Can’t a brother visit with family? Haven’t seen you since the forties.” Aphrodite flinched and he chuckled. “Yes, I knew that was you. I’ve been keeping tabs on you. I’ve been keeping tabs on every Olympian I can find, trying to figure out what happened as well as shape and enjoy this new world order.”
“Fascinating.” Aphrodite replied flatly. “Who else have you come across?”
He shook his head, “Not so fast sis. Why don’t you tell me where you got the ambrosia? I know it wasn’t one of your temples, I raided them years ago.”
This time the Goddess of Love allowed herself an eye roll. “You’re that certain you knew where every one of my temples were? And how rude is that by the way.” Waiting for his response she studied her brother. As usual, he was handsome, rugged looking, exuding a base lust for power that could be intoxicating if one was in the mood for that sort of thing. Aphrodite crossed her arms and said nothing.
“What are you doing in DC?” He asked changing the subject.
Aphrodite could feel him studying her, looking for deception. He expected her to lie to him, the lie possibly being more informative than the truth. “We’re here to arrange for the transportation of Susan Yin’s body back home.” She took another sip of wine and grimaced. “Playing stupid isn’t your thing Ares. You know that Gabrielle runs in circles that would have her staying at the Omni with all the power players in town.” She could feel her brother moving into her mind, looking for signs of deception. She reached for the wine bottle to pour herself a second glass to avoid eye contact. Maintaining an oblivious, calm façade; secure that her own secrets were safe. She let him feel her power, her sense of assurance and like looking into someone’s house when they leave the front door open, she sensed it. Carelessly, his own secrets laid bare she glimpsed the field journal where he kept meticulous notes on the location and identities of the other Olympians he’d found.
Were it not for the recent ingestion of ambrosia, Aphrodite doubted she’d be able to sense without probing something he wanted to keep private, much harder still to keep her own sense of discovery hidden. But secrets and privacy were every bit as much in the prevue of love as they were in the games of war. With a relaxed posture that comes from well-warranted confidence, she endured his invasion with good humor, not letting on. In moments her power and confidence unsettled the God of War enough to have him withdraw from her mind, falsely believing that she was none the wiser.
“Fine,” Ares said with a shrug. “Because we’re family I’m giving you one warning. Stay out of this thing with me and the irritating blond. You had your fun with her, cut her loose. You don’t want to get in the middle of this.”
Aphrodite laughed in spite of herself. “You admit to sacking my temples, stealing my ambrosia, and now you want to tell me who I can’t hang out with because of some kind of familial loyalty? You’re a riot.”
“How did she survive anyway? She seems too together for someone who’s had ambrosia. Is there some relic of Athena’s stashed somewhere we’ve overlooked? Some kind of deal with the fates? Hades? Do know how she did it?”
“Perhaps,” Aphrodite admitted with a chuckle knowing an outright lie would be easily spotted.
“Did you do it?” He demanded.
She shook her head knowing that he could tell she was telling the truth. “Do you know what happened? How we all lost touch?” she asked wondering if he’d figured anything out yet.
He shrugged as if it wasn’t something that he’d given much thought. “I have no idea,” he admitted. “Although if Gabrielle is still alive this is probably somehow her fault. I’d prefer a hundred Callistos to one of her,” he fumed. “If there is trouble, she’s going to be in the thick of it.”
The Goddess of Love shuddered at the thought of a hundred Callistos.
“But nailing Xena’s main squeeze, that’s quite the conquest. I’ll bet she’s a fireball in bed?” he asked clearly hoping for details. “I know you sometimes kiss and tell.”
“Not in this case,” Aphrodite said firmly.
His eyes widened with surprise, “woah, she really got to you? What the fuck dose everyone see in that bitch? People didn’t get this gaga over Mavican or Livia? Xena, you, Brunhilda, that guy in Chin…”
“You forgot Perdicus…” she added helpfully.
“Come on sis,” he tried again. “Where’d you get the ambrosia? Are you in touch with family? Do they have it? I’ll give you my list if you give me yours.”
“You sound like an addict,” Aphrodite said without emotion or judgement.
Ares frowned, he could not remember the last time that the goddess wasn’t the least bit intimidated by him. “All’s fair in love and war…”
“Why do they say that?” she interjected. “Because we’re really not at all alike. I’m awesome and you’re a jerk.”
Ares downed his wine and poured himself another glass. “I know you’ve found ambrosia before,” he tried conversationally, “the late sixties – that was all you.”
“That was with the smallest crumb that you somehow overlooked,” she explained with a shrug. “From my temple in Athens. Imagine what I’m going to do with a decent meal?” The warning was evident in her voice that she was tiring of this game. “Besides, I know you’ve had a bite recently as well. You’ve gotten a lot of mileage out of getting some guys to fly planes into buildings.”
He grinned broadly. “Yeah, I found some stashed in one of Hades’ remote temples. It’s not like he’s gonna need it. The tiniest bit but still, I must say that has worked out even better than I expected. You know what I like about this country? It’s all about survival of the fittest, the ruthless, the strong. America is no place for peacenicks who want to coddle everyone else.” Now the warning was clear in his voice and he looked at Aphrodite, his eyes cold and hard. “America is the land of endless war. War on its own people, war on everyone else, war on the ideals they hold most dear, war on knowledge, wall to wall war. They build the weapons that they sell to people to use on its own citizens, it’s amazing. It was made for me, and that, dear sis, is something you can’t do shit about.”
The Goddess of Love leaned back in the booth, gracefully crossing one leg over the other. With a casual glance, she let her eyes rest on one of Ares’ men. A skinhead with a tattoo of a swastika on his neck. He had been keeping a watchful but unobtrusive eye on his boss since she sat down. A look of confusion crossed his features and he rose from the booth, then staggered out of the restaurant. The God of War had nothing but cold fury in his eyes when Aphrodite turned back to him. “That guy just came to his senses,” she explained. “He’s going to stumble out of this restaurant and into a tattoo parlor where a husband and wife team do cover-up work for free on reformed white supremacists and other hate groups. He’s going to be so grateful he’s going to work for the family and in his free time he’s going to get an education and then pay if forward by volunteering to tutor African American women in prison. You can play cat and mouse all night bro, and by morning I’ll have this restaurant emptied of assholes.” She winked at him, not intimidated in the slightest. “Except you of course.”
“Fine,” he growled. “I want Gabrielle out of my way. Ambrosia or no ambrosia. I know Xena is back,” he put his phone on the table displaying a photo of the three of them at the bar earlier that night. “I want Xena of my way. Preferably I’d like Xena and Gabrielle out of each other’s way, but I’ll settle for the blond moving to some remote island and Xena following after her. They can fuck all they want when they get there. Look,” he continued trying another angle, “I was going to be nice. Offer some compassion with my conservatism. But I don’t have to. I can shape this place into an authoritarian wasteland.”
Placid blue eyes narrowed. “For someone who kidnapped Gabrielle’s closest friend and then killed her, you’re in a hysterical position to think that they’ll just drop this because you want them to. You involved her, dumbass!” Aphrodite replied. “And upsetting Gabrielle is the quickest way to make Xena really, really angry. Duh. You know that.”
“That bitch killed herself. I needed information, not a body,” he shot back defensively.
“That was a really nice woman,” the Goddess of Love hissed in return. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
Now it was Ares turn to roll his eyes. “There is nothing wrong with me ‘Dite,” he said. The Goddess of Love’s features furrowed into a frown at a nickname she detested. “Gabrielle’s lacky was a mortal. Hardly more than a pawn in a universe where we’re the kings and queens. You’re the one with the problem when you start to treat mortals like us. A tryst here and there, fine- we all have itches that need to be scratched – but I saw you two in Catalina. Sis, that was disgusting,” he said looking genuinely repulsed. “The look of adoration on your face the way you’re following Gabrielle around like a love-sick puppy…”
Aphrodite laughed harshly, unable to stop herself. The venom filled chortle made Ares’ eyes narrow with anger which only made her laugh more. “That’s rich,” she gasped around laughs. “Do you even here yourself? Honestly I don’t know what’s more hysterical- that you think you know anything about love or the hypocrisy of Xena’s little bitch lecturing me.”
“Fuck you,” Ares spat, his anger getting the better of him. “Xena isn’t entirely mortal. She’s not like Gabrielle.”
“You’re no better than a racist,” Aphrodite replied dismissively. “And that limited world view is going to be your undoing but whatever. Apparently, you think Xena and Gabrielle can stop you. Why is that? Oh yeah, they always stop you.”
He frowned then his eyes brightened as a new strategy occurred to him. “Fine. You’re into pussy now. Obviously, I can relate. When you tire of Gabrielle, I can get you all the tail you want,” his eyes narrowed dangerously, “or I can start having all the queers rounded up and sent off to camps, up to you. I’ve got connections and I know how much you like visiting people in camps.”
“What is it with you guys?” Aphrodite replied making no attempt to hide her disgust and anger. “On Friday night’s it ‘I hate the gays’ and on Saturday nights it’s a trip to the leather bar to pull a train. Your kink is your business, I don’t give a shit. But it’s the hypocrisy that kills me. Sometimes you like to bottom- who gives a fuck? Oh, and you’re gonna help me score?” To prove her point she stared at the God of War while she casually dropped her napkin on the floor. A bartender immediately walked over and picked it up, returning it to her.
“Miss?” the brunette bartender said politely. “You dropped this.”
“Awww, thank you,” Aphrodite replied warmly as she accepted the napkin her fingertips brushed against the hand of the woman who had stooped to pick it up. It was clear that the bartender was smitten. The woman adjusted her glasses and walked away, turning around once to smile at the goddess then returned to her station at the bar.
“As you can see,” Aphrodite continued, “I didn’t glamour her in any way so enough with you getting me dates.”
“Great,” Ares replied sarcastically. “My sister the succubus. Okay, how about this? Back the fuck off or it’s world war three. You know I have the juice to do it.”
“What is the fucking point?” Aphrodite asked imploringly. “Sure, we can survive. I can thrive even with Xena getting me ambrosia- but to what end?”
“Ah ha!” he said victoriously. “Xena is the key to ambrosia, I knew that was how the brat survived.” Aphrodite grimaced at her mistake. “Look,” he said trying to sound reasonable. “I know you like people, bringing them joy and happiness or whatever – as long as you don’t mess up my plans I’m good to have you do this- but no war protests this time. You stay in your lane. You fuck with me and I will pull the pin on this grenade, I’ve got all the players right where they need to be.” He shrugged as an idea came to him and leaned closer, Aphrodite was annoyed that he smelled nice. “You share your stash of Ambrosia with me and maybe I wait for the next autocrat? Xena keeps me in supply of the stuff and maybe you get your supreme court back for another generation? I can be patient if properly motivated. These people don’t deserve your concern- they’ll sell their mothers for an extra tax cut. But those little people, I’ll let them live a little longer maybe?”
Aphrodite nodded slowly considering his offer. “I’ll think about it,” she said. “Give me three days.”
“You have twenty-four hours,” Ares replied firmly.
Aphrodite smiled. “Fine, I’ll take two days.” He shrugged in agreement thereby dismissing his sister. The goddess didn’t mind, in fact she was grateful that he couldn’t see her face and the self-satisfied smirk she wore as she left the restaurant.
~~~~~~~
Xena eased herself into the fragrant foamy water luxuriating in the warmth and quiet. It was hard to imagine a bathing space more opulent than the one on The Hippolyta but the marbled bathing area in the presidential suite was indeed that. She considered that if amenities such as this were as readily available in her warrior days, she might have spent less time on the battlefield. She let the water rise up past her shoulders, extending her legs and resting them, crossed at the ankles on the far edge of the tub. The space was so large she could easily float if she wanted to. The heat permeated her stiff muscles, urging them to relax and her mind followed suit. She let the thoughts come and go, clearing her consciousness of the clutter so she could look at what was important and eventually let even those thoughts recede until her mind was a blank canvas.
Like stripping away a painting to get to the under-painting then the sketch then gesso, then the canvas surface she thought about Gabrielle and her place, not only in the bard’s life but in the cosmos in general. There was much she didn’t like and even more she didn’t understand about this new world but the basic struggles and triumphs were the same. Her feelings about Gabrielle had not wavered. In fact, a newfound respect and admiration had emerged intertwined as it was in her disappointment that her feelings she’d been so assured of in the past did not seem to be reciprocated. Her bard had lived an astonishing number of ‘lives’ after making a decision she would have to admit was immature. She had kept the core of who she was even as she forged a skill set Xena had no doubt rivaled or surpassed her own. Who was she to Gabrielle now? After dunking her head back to feel the hot water on her scalp, she sat upright once again and closed her eyes letting the relaxation seep in, the sizzle of a candle and sounds of the water with bubbles popping filling her senses. Unbidden, her mind flashed upon moments not that long ago with Jennifer. It was nice to be desired, wanted, even if superficially. She considered her interaction with Gabrielle when they’d woken up this morning. Gabrielle had kissed her, a kiss that felt familiar and made her pulse race with the memory. She would wait. While it might not have been true of the Gabrielle she had once known, she had no doubt that the Gabrielle of today would make her desires known when and if she was ready.
Xena had no idea how long she’d rested in that place between consciousness and sleep, that blissful space where you could dream while lucid enough to direct the pageant that played out. Eventually the warrior became aware of a presence in the room with her. Without opening her eyes she knew it was Gabrielle, the fragrance of the perfume she’d been wearing giving her away. Feeling too relaxed to even acknowledge the bard’s presence, Xena simply waited assuming that Gabrielle had entered the bathroom to retrieve something. Her ears perked up at the soft rustle of fabric then she felt the displacement of water as Gabrielle joined her in the tub.
Opening her eyes, the warrior saw the bard’s breasts slip beneath the suds and Gabrielle smirked slightly, watching her.
“All that’s missing is Minya bringing the hot water,” the bard observed.
“Much better to get it out of the faucet,” Xena replied with a smile. “Things alright at the bar?” she asked adjusting her legs so the bard had more room.
“Ares sent a note to Aphrodite to talk so she went to meet with him.” Xena arched an eyebrow and she continued, “I’m not worried. She’s feeling the Ambrosia and is certain that she’s more than his equal for the time being. I don’t know if she’ll get anything from him, but I’ve little doubt she’ll be able to get information from the people around him, and he does seem the sort to have an entourage. If nothing else she said to take the night off as he wouldn’t try anything before seeing what information he could glean from her.”
“Assuming that he’s told his flunkies anything,” the warrior groused. “But a night off is well deserved.” She tilted her neck which omitted a loud ‘crack’ and several vertebra popped back into alignment.
“Still stiff?” Gabrielle asked. Xena nodded and without further comment Gabrielle picked up one of the warrior’s feet under the water and began to massage it, expertly hitting the requisite pressure points that had the warrior sighing with pleasure.
Xena looked at Gabrielle through blissful eyes but there was something else to her expression and Gabrielle could see it. “What is it?” she asked.
Blue eyes studied green before Xena took a deep breath and said what was on her mind. “Before I met you I searched out people to learn from them for one reason only- skills that would help me be a better, more skilled, more formidable warrior. Even people like Lao Ma or Cyan, what I sought was power, brutal skills. I can tell that you’ve put as much energy into learning healing arts as you have into the martial ones.”
Gabrielle thought about it and smiled. The sense of the surreal was receding, this was Xena; she was alive, she was here to stay and simply chatting in a steaming hot bubble bath was the most perfect moment imaginable. Like old times. She loved the sound of Xena’s voice, the warm low rumble. For the time being saving the world was pushed to the side and this evening she was selfishly keeping for herself. “I’ve tried to balance what I’ve studied. I’ve been drawn to science, which is why I love the medicine of different cultures.” Xena groaned happily as the bard coaxed a particularly tough knot on the ball of the warrior’s foot to release. “But you taught me the basics of reflexology and acupressure before I even knew what those words represented,” she said as she worked. “I just continued to learn down the paths that you showed me.”
“Tell me a story,” Xena urged splashing a little water in the bard’s direction, feeling self-conscious at the compliment. “Do you still remember how to do that?”
“What kind of story?” Gabrielle asked, enjoying the warmth of her connection with Xena as much as she was enjoying the warmth of the water.
“Tell me about when you first came here,” the warrior suggested settling herself back into the water. Gabrielle continued the massage and Xena let the touch and familiar timbre of her storytelling voice envelope her. She leaned her head back and couldn’t think of a time she’d felt more content.
“Well,” the bard began, “the first time I came to this country was from Italy in the mid 1800s. I made my way to Oregon City. My company was called Chakram Enterprises and was being run by agents of mine in Europe. I went by Adele Sparrow then. The trip out west was to look for some business possibilities as well as my ongoing search for Aphrodite or any clues as to what became of the other Olympians. It was the ‘wild west’ and there weren’t many opportunities for women so I actually posed as a man for the fifteen years I lived out here back then. Samuel Stafford was the name I used as a man.”
Xena opened an eye and looked at Gabrielle. “How’d you pull that off?” she asked.
Gabrielle pushed some bubbles around before answering. “I dressed the part, had a man’s haircut. I could fight, I could shoot. People thought Sam was a young man,” she shrugged, “I had a reputation in town as a young man that while small in stature was scrappy in a bar fight, especially if there was a broom nearby.” She smiled and Xena grinned back at her remembering the hours of work the bard had put into honing her skills with the staff. “I was also really good with guns,” Gabrielle added, drawing Xena from her thoughts. “I spent so many hours mastering how to shoot. Rifles, six-shooters, didn’t matter. I could hit anything. I had this six shooter, Odessa…”
“Your gun had a name?” Xena asked opening her eyes. “I never named my chakram.”
“I didn’t name it,” the bard replied. “The previous owner did. I won it in a poker game from a grifter passing through town. Anyway, more than once I’ve severed a hanging rope with a single shot.”
Xena nodded, impressed. “So, dressing the part and fighting was enough to convince people?”
Gabrielle’s cheeks flushed a little and she was glad that Xena had her eyes closed. “There were some ladies that worked upstairs at the saloon in town. I was a gunslinger, and hired myself out- did a fair amount of work with the Pinkerton Detective Agency as muscle well, as a good shot at any rate. Anyway, I’d visit the girls as often as the other boys did. That seemed to do the trick.”
“You visited a brothel to convince people you were a man?” Xena asked, her voice threaded with amusement. “Did the women have any idea?”
Gabrielle shrugged. “If they knew, they kept my secret,” she said. “When I’d visit I’d never fully undress and I’d insist on it being dark. I’d made a dildo and…” she shrugged. “No complaints from the ladies, in fact my personal hygiene and respect for them made me really popular. And I paid well.”
“Dildo?” Xena asked.
Gabrielle looked pointedly at the water.
“Oh, a phallus?” Xena suggested with a chuckle.
“Exactly, they’re called dildos now.”
“That’s a silly name.” This time Gabrielle arched an eyebrow and the warrior chuckled, “Yeah, I guess that fits. I’m sorry, please continue.”
“When I got married I didn’t need to keep visiting the prostitutes and she knew I was a woman so that made it easier,” Gabrielle paused, “you know, that’s the only time I’ve been legally married to a woman.”
“This is a story I’ve got to hear,” Xena urged with a twitch of her foot in the bubbly water. “What was her name?”
“Her name was Bess, Elizabeth actually, and Xena she seemed so young. She was in her early twenties with long brown hair and these light brown eyes that were really striking. She and her husband Caleb lived in town and he was a farrier. I rented a room in the hotel on the far side of town but I knew her enough to tip my hat and say hello. We’d exchange pleasantries on the Sundays when I’d see her at church. Her husband had a nasty reputation as a cruel and violent man. Most folks in town gave them wide berth. Naturally, I’d been on the lookout for a reason to get involved but until this happened all I’d heard were rumors, nothing I felt I could act on.
“On this particular day, I happened to be in the mercantile when Bess came in. I was buying some fabric to make myself a new shirt and the proprietor, Joseph was determined to sell me something I didn’t want for twice as much. Bess was waiting to get Joseph’s attention. I suggested Joseph help her first, but she demurred.” Gabrielle paused in her story to collect her thoughts. She looked around the opulent bathroom with its polished marble and shining fixtures and considered all the different lives she’d lead.
“Caleb comes in angry,” she continued, “he had no patience to loose and he blows up that she’s buying brown eggs instead of white ones. Bess tried to explain that the brown ones were cheaper so she could also buy the liniment he wanted as he hadn’t given her enough money. So, then he starts berating her for embarrassing him in public.” Xena could hear the tension in Gabrielle’s voice tighten, still angry about the incident over a hundred years later.
“I’d had enough,” the bard went on, “and said that while he was doing a great job embarrassing himself all by his lonesome, I’d bet him ten dollars he couldn’t tell a brown egg from a white egg once cooked. He took a swing at me which I blocked, he tripped and then fell headlong into a display of flour in sacks and came out of the altercation looking like a ghost. He challenged me to a gunfight to take place at noon the next day.”
“Did Elizabeth want her husband dead?” Xena asked, finding herself engrossed in the story. As Gabrielle wove the tale images filled the warrior’s mind from Shen’s history book; the wooden sidewalks, horses tethered outside of the saloon and the dusty streets. She envisioned the cowboys in their hats and chaps and how Gabrielle must have looked dressed in that garb. Without a trace of jealousy, she was simply mesmerized by the tale and wondered in silent astonishment at how many other amazing stories the bard would be able to tell.
“Actually, no,” Gabrielle explained. “When Bess came to my room that night at the hotel she was a mess. Several bones in her face had been broken including one of the ocular bones near her eye. One of her shoulders was dislocated, which I was able to fix. Caleb had beaten her most savagely. It was only then I started to consider going through with the gunfight. I asked her if she had any children and she told me she was barren, one of the reasons Caleb was always angry at her. She explained that as much as she hated him he was an evil she knew and if I killed him she didn’t know what would become of her. She didn’t have much of an education so teaching was out. She was beautiful but that would have led her to saloon work. She also told me quite pointedly that she couldn’t pass as a man.”
“So, she knew?”
“Yes,” Gabrielle answered and paused to release Xena’s foot and pick up the other one, repeating the massage. “She said that she knew the very first time she saw me and saw no reason to divulge my secret. Quite impulsively,” the bard added, “I suggested that if Caleb insisted on a gun fight and I won, which I was obviously confident about, that I would wait a respectable amount of time, court her in the usual fashion and then marry her. That way she’d have the time and space to decide what to do with her life. I honestly assumed in a year or two she’d figure things out and move away.”
“And you won?” Xena asked.
“Caleb was dead before his gun even cleared its holster,” the bard replied without pride or enthusiasm. “I waited several months then true to my word courted her like any young suitor would. That solved my situation with the women at the saloon, although two of them were very disappointed. A year and a half after killing her husband, Bess and I were married by the local reverend.
“Did you love her?” Xena asked quietly.
Gabrielle was quiet a moment, the only sounds in the bathroom coming from the flickering candles and the slight movement of the water in the tub. “I’d say I grew to love her. I cared about her, certainly. I obviously felt responsible for her safety. I was gone a fair amount of the time working for Pinkerton so we got a small bit of land just outside town. The house was modest since we obviously didn’t have children. It wasn’t much to take care of. I had two horses, Whiskey and Tequila and a dog, Bourbon and a coyote, Sarsaparilla. There were some chickens, a couple cows, goats, and a cat. The whole homestead was small enough for her to manage by herself while I was gone and with my reputation, people left her alone. I taught her to read and write and she devoured every book I could find for her. She was quiet and reserved at first but in time grew in comfort and confidence and became more than my equal when it came to chatting.” Gabrielle smiled tenderly at the memory. “I told her that if she met someone we could work something out but that didn’t happen.
“At first, we took turns one of us sleeping in the bedroom, one of us sleeping on the couch in the parlor. We spent our time together when I wasn’t working, we got close.” Gabrielle chuckled, remembering something fondly. “I thought about you so much in those years Xena,” she said. “I saw so much of the girl from Potidaea in Bess. I saw feelings awaken in her that I’m sure you saw in me and like you, I gave her the time to figure things out.” Xena arched a knowing eyebrow and the bard continued. “She found her own way to let me know. At first, she was concerned that I needed to greet her like the other men did with their wives, with a kiss, for appearances sake of course. Then she decided that the sensible thing was to just share the bed because it was big enough for the both of us.” Gabrielle shrugged.
“One thing led to another?” Xena suggested helpfully and the bard blushed again. “How long were you together?”
“Counting our courtship, we were together for eleven years and we spent the last eight of those years as lovers. She got a really bad case of Scarlett fever and died. The medicine I knew at the time was enough to keep her comfortable but I couldn’t save her. After she died, I spent some time with a Native American family I’d grown close to and traveled to the Yukon Territory with the brother of my friend Standing Bear, an escaped slave named Moses was with us. I explored that area and did some gold mining for awhile until Whiskey and Tequila passed away. The dog and coyote were gone by then and then I moved back to England where I resumed control of the company. Later married a man and didn’t come back to the United States until 1912.”
“The first time, how did that happen?” Xena asked curiously, enjoying the story and the images that Gabrielle wove for her as she told it.
Gabrielle smiled, remembering not only her first time with Bess but how that had contrasted so dramatically with the first time she’d shared that intimacy with Xena.
It had been such an eerie, surrealistic day that she and Xena had spent traveling from Delphi to Thebes. A thick blanket of fog rolled in making them stop early to camp for the night. The full moon refracting off the mist had painted everything with a cool glow. Between the eerie white haze and the moisture that clung to everything made Gabrielle feel more of a chill than was probably in the air. All the same, she had been more than happy to join Xena on her bedroll that night; their bodies keeping each other warm. Sleep was the farthest thing from her mind at that early evening hour. There were no stars to count, no fire to tend- the moisture making a cheery blaze impossible. She lay there, in Xena’s arms absently touching the skin of the warrior’s hands with the pad of a gentle finger. From there she stroked the inside of a wrist and heard the sharp intake of breath in response.
“I’m sorry, did I hurt you?” she had asked, her voice quiet in the misty night.
“No,” Xena had whispered back, “that feels nice.”
“So you don’t mind if I…”
“No,” the warrior had whispered again cutting her off. “I don’t mind at all.”
Given permission to explore and touch, Gabrielle made the most of it. She drew her hands across strong forearms and could feel the heat that was rising from the body behind her. Her own pulse was quickening. She felt an anxiety that scared her with its promise. She turned in Xena’s arms to face her, to touch her cheeks, lips and throat with a light finger. The desire in the warrior’s eyes was obvious, even in the dim light of the mist. All the while Xena had remained still, neither helping nor hindering the bard’s efforts.
They were close enough, having known each other as long as they had, that nonverbal signals were very plain to Gabrielle. Xena would be a willing participant for whatever she wanted, it was up to her. She leaned forward with a confidence she didn’t really feel and gently placed her lips against Xena’s, delighted at their softness and the way they felt against hers. She felt warm arms circle around her. Her fingers brushed against the warrior’s throat revealing a heart hammering every bit as hard as hers.
She deepened the kiss, oblivious to the fog, the chill, the night sounds. Her whole world had focused down to the pair of them; Xena letting her explore at her own pace, responding with enthusiasm, rewarding her curiosity at every turn. While it was true that she had been with Perdicus, that clumsy and rushed fumbling through their marriage night would have in no way prepared her for what she was presently feeling. The engagement of all her senses and her heart – that made it different. There was a safety and security in Xena’s arms to be found in equal measure to the excitement and passion that they promised. They spent an extra day at the campsite leaving Gabrielle with little doubt as to the depths of her feelings for Xena and that they were completely reciprocated.
All of this flashed through Gabrielle’s mind as she considered Xena’s question. There was no trace of jealousy in the warrior’s tone, rather she seemed intrigued to hear the tale. “I had come home from a month-long stint with Pinkerton,” the bard explained. “I was tired. She heated some water for me for a bath while I fixed the barn door. Tequila was too smart for her own good. After my bath Bess asked me to try on a shirt she’d started for me while I was gone. She was a skilled seamstress and an amazing cook.
“As she’s fitting the shirt on me and adjusting the pins she tells me about this conversation she’d had the week prior with Ruby- one of the girls from the saloon. Bess was quite the conversationalist.” Gabrielle elaborated when Xena smirked in her general direction. “She and I would talk about everything from the books she’d read to local news, philosophy, you name it. Anyway, Bess asked me if I missed seeing Ruby and the others. I said that I didn’t really. I mean perhaps on occasion, but not really. Then she asked me why I hadn’t tried to do anything like that with her, given that I was technically her husband and could demand it.” Gabrielle smiled sadly to herself. “Xena, it breaks my heart but in that place, at that time, Bess didn’t have the faintest clue about her own agency or the concept of consent. She told me that Ruby had gone into quite vivid detail as to what transpired between us and Bess said she was curious, and perhaps a bit jealous as well.”
Xena allowed herself a small chuckle at the bard’s expense imagining Gabrielle with someone as talkative as she was. “So, it wasn’t like our time in the mist?” she asked.
“No love,” Gabrielle said with a warm smile. “This was sweet, and it was nice, but it was in no way like that amazing night and day in the mist.” Xena smiled and nodded for the bard to continue. “Bess was curious and asked me about everything. There was no guile, no sense of embarrassment. She wanted to know how someone decided to kiss how they kissed. Or why they chose to touch a certain way. She didn’t want to lead, but she did want to discuss and process… to a certain point that is.” Gabrielle added with a wry grin. “We started in the parlor where she was fitting my shirt then finished in the bedroom, as you do. It was lovely,” she added “but she wasn’t you, Xena. None of them have ever been you.”
Xena looked at Gabrielle, taking in the way her hair framed her face, the sparkle of her green eyes, the contours of her nose and lips with an inscrutable expression on her face that the bard had never seen before. “How did it feel?” she asked quietly.
Gabrielle didn’t need to ask for clarification. She locked eyes with Xena as she spoke. “How did it feel to watch a young woman fall in love with me? To see her become aware of her own sexual desires? To watch her wrestle with the confusion, but look at me lovingly when she thought I wouldn’t notice? Or how she’d find reasons to touch my arm, or my hair? I think you know exactly how it felt Xena. I felt powerful. I felt desired. But I also felt a great sense of responsibility not to hurt her, or do anything that she might later see as a mistake or a lapse in judgement. There was fear mixed with that power.”
She put Xena’s foot down and moved her hand up the warrior’s calf under the water. “Is that how you felt?” she asked. She leaned forward moving her hand up the thigh. She could feel her own pulse quicken in a way that had been missing for over two thousand years and it felt delicious.
“Yes,” Xena whispered as the bubbles gave way to Gabrielle’s movement as the bard settled herself, straddling Xena and brought her lips to the warrior’s, kissing her fiercely. Strong arms encircled her, holding her close as she threaded one hand through the wet black hair at Xena’s neck and with her other hand, let her fingertips resting lightly on Xena’s throat, feeling the quickening heartbeat there.
It was almost like she could feel a dam breaking, the walls she’d built around her memories of Xena to keep them safe were cracking. For years after the warrior’s death Gabrielle had thought about her, imagined her, relived in her memories their adventures, including the intimate ones. Over time it became too much, became too painful and Gabrielle knew that she had to put those memories away, put them down on scrolls and in journals and keep them from her conscious thought or the sadness and loneliness would be too much. A tide of emotion was surging through her and the bard from Potidaea was not the least bit interested in containing it.
The warrior from Amphipolis was a willing recipient of the lust fueled onslaught. While Gabrielle had never been shy or unskilled in the past, there was no denying that two thousand years of life experience had left their mark. Warm lips parted as Gabrielle’s tongue demanded entry, walking that tightrope between loving and fierce. When they parted Xena saw the shimmer of unshed tears in the bard’s eyes, instantly becoming concerned. “What is it?” she asked.
Gabrielle rested a palm on each of Xena’s shoulders, steadying her. “I think I know what’s been off with me,” she began quietly, looking into the depths of azure blue eyes. “It’s been equal parts disbelief that you’re really here and fear that you may be gone again. I don’t want to endure that. I can’t.”
“Gabrielle, I’m not going anywhere,” Xena assured her. “I am here, apparently for a very long time.” The warrior was about to say more but hesitated. If she were to be sure of anything in life, she was certain that she knew Gabrielle. Since her resurrection, however that certainty had been tested. The person straddling her hips was simultaneously the Gabrielle she knew and a woman with experiential wisdom that she didn’t. For the first time in a very long while Xena felt like she was a nervous, inexperienced youth and that feeling was as thrilling as it was frightening. Briefly she considered telling Gabrielle this, that she felt out of her element but she smiled, instead saying, “Kiss me again,” startled somewhat by the pleading of her voice.
Gabrielle complied enthusiastically, bringing her hands to the sides of the warrior’s face. Her movements were unhurried. She kissed Xena delighting in the softness of the warrior’s lips and the warm wetness of her mouth. As their tongues moved against each other’s, she kissed like a woman rediscovering the love of her life.
She kept her movements careful, aware, delighted, and aroused by the feel of the hot water around them. Not wanting to lose the hot foamy water to the marble tile floor, she moved with graceful intention kissing Xena’s mouth then down her neck, across her collar bones and down to a breast playing with the nipple of the other with her hand. The warrior released her arms from around the bard’s waist and braced strong arms on either side of the large tub. This gave Gabrielle more freedom of movement and she utilized it, much to Xena’s delight. In the salted water of the roomy bath tub it took no effort at all for Gabrielle to lift Xena at the hips raising her legs to the surface of the water to float.
The whole scene gave Xena the sensation of submersion into decadence. The scent of bergamot and mint with just the faintest touch of eucalyptus filled her senses. The hot water that supported the back side of her body contrasted with the chill of her skin no longer submerged. She wasn’t about to complain though. She watched the crown of blond hair lower to the juncture between her legs and felt Gabrielle’s touch, first with her lips and tongue then joined by her fingers, giving her gooseflesh for an entirely different reason. There was a languid, unhurried confidence in the way the bard moved against her. Like a woman who had been away from this for far too long, she intended to take her time getting reacquainted with Xena’s body. Clearly the bard was as focused on her own pleasure as she was on the pleasure she was providing her partner and that awareness was an absolute turn-on for the warrior.
“Gabrielle, please,” Xena pleaded after a suggestive thrust with her hips was ignored. Much to her dismay, the bard pulled back to look at Xena, keeping her fingers where they were, three in one of Xena’s openings, one in the other. She continued to thrust her hands rhythmically, slowly and blue eyes shone brightly with desire.
“Do you have any idea how long two thousand years is, Xena?” Gabrielle asked seriously. “How excruciatingly long I’ve waited. How I thought I’d never get to touch you like this again?” Gently, smoothly she extracted the single digit from Xena’s backside so she could shift forward to kiss her warrior again. “To rush me would be unkind,” she whispered in Xena’s ear before kissing her yet again. “I want to etch every second of this indelibly into my memory.”
“What if I promise that you get to do it again?” The warrior asked with a smile. Gabrielle gave her a wink and then went back to what she was doing. “Gabrielle, that feels impossibly good,” she whispered. The bard murmured agreement which sent vibrations through all the sensitive parts of Xena’s anatomy. The warrior took a deep breath, steeling herself for the amazing ride ahead not wanting it to end too quickly. Not that she had any say in the matter, apparently.
There is a fine line where the denial of one’s passions shifts from heightened arousal to annoyed frustration and Gabrielle understood that. As much as she enjoyed the sounds, smell and taste of her warrior she was keenly aware of the pulse throbbing against her fingertips. She slowed down as many times as she dared, letting Xena catch her breath, letting the heartbeat slow and then, before the warrior could become annoyed she quickened her pace, using her tongue and the wetness of the warrior and the tub to her advantage. The soapy water was not ideal, but the taste of her lover was what she focused on. There was splashing, water and suds treating the tile of the bathroom like the canvas in a Jackson Pollock painting, but the bard didn’t care. That Xena was driven past the point of her usual cool reserve was supremely gratifying. It hadn’t been two thousand plus years for the warrior since they’d been lovers; she did a quick calculation in her head and would wager it hadn’t even been a month. Still the warrior cried out in her release loudly, involuntarily slapping the water with a strong arm and splashing the bard full on in the face. Gabrielle closed one eyelid tightly, it taking only a moment for the stinging to stop, her eye repairing itself almost instantly. She kept still with her mouth, and with her hands, until the surging and thrusting of the warrior’s orgasm passed. When Xena was through Gabrielle gently lowered her body back into the water where she could be enveloped in warm water.
Quickly Gabrielle dunked her head below the surface, her hair already mostly wet from Xena’s thrashing. At least this way she could push it out of her face and have it stay. She smiled at Xena who looked at her with equal parts adoration and amazement. Finally finding her voice. “I believe Vox has told me that the appropriate comment at this moment is ‘oh my fucking god,” Xena said with a wide grin.
“Welcome home,” the bard replied.
Xena’s grin shifted into a smirk, her eyes narrowing slightly into a look that was both seductive and ravenous. “Come here,” she demanded and kissed Gabrielle again tasting herself on the bard’s lips. She shifted her lover’s position so that the bard’s back rested against her front. As strong arms encircled Gabrielle, she had her hands free to explore the bard’s body, slick from suds, bath oils and water. She moved one hand to a grateful breast alternating massaging the pliant flesh and lightly pinching the nipple. The other hand found her where she was slick and wet from more than the bath water.
With a chuckle Xena considered that this position almost made her feel like she was touching herself however instead of receiving the feedback through her skin she was hearing it through the gasps and aroused moans of her lover.
“Xena, this is hardly fair,” Gabrielle protested between breathless pants. She had reached one of her arms behind her, tangling her fingers in Xena’s hair as she turned her head to the side, pulling the warrior’s lips to her. With her other hand the bard played with the nipple that Xena hadn’t laid claim to.
“Weren’t you just saying something about savoring the moment?” Xena murmured before biting down hard on the bard’s neck.
“Ahhhhh” Gabrielle gasped, feeling pleasure and pain in equal measure. As the warrior had hoped, the red marks from her teeth vanished a second later.
“Let me guess,” Xena purred seductively, her voice low and rich. “You’ve spent a few nights like this, haven’t you? Doing exactly this and imagining it was me,” as she spoke her right hand moved steadily between Gabrielle’s legs with the bard’s hips bucking in syncopated rhythm.
“Xena, I thought about you,” the bard panted, speaking with difficulty as her body slid back and forth against the warrior’s. “When my grief had subsided enough to let me think about moments like this.” Xena smiled enjoying the sensation along her body, the splashing of the warm water, the froth of suds flying everywhere. Sure, she wanted to turn Gabrielle around to face her, to taste her but she decided that there would be time for that later, this was just too damn fun. “Xena,” Gabrielle continued, “I’ve thought about your hands on me, in me. The taste of your mouth, the way your breath feels against my skin, the way your eyes shine with desire when I’d pin you down…”
Beaming with pleasure, Xena let the images that Gabrielle’s words conjured fill her mind; the lust filled tableaus and loving, sensuous exchanges. The imagery fueled her movements, thrusting with new urgency.
“Harder,” Gabrielle demanded, “yes, right there,” she gasped when Xena complied. Powerful spasms shook her body, strong muscles clamping down on the fingers pressed against her. To Xena, it felt like she could feel the bard’s heartbeat everywhere. Gabrielle was still, catching her breath. After several moments, Xena gently withdrew her hand, releasing her and the bard slid back into the warm water and turned around.
They sat across from each other grinning when Gabrielle finally spoke. “I don’t know about you,” she said, her eyes still shining with desire, “but I’m ready to get out of the tub.”
“You read my mind,” Xena replied with a wink.
Chapter 16: The Party
Gabrielle dressed with apprehension. The weather had turned stormy and the bard had not noticed until well into morning. She couldn’t help but wonder if the present status of her relationship with Xena and The Goddess of Love’s possible feelings about that could have had anything to do with the lightning, thunder, and cold rain coming down in sheets. Still, she resisted the urge to tap into the goddess’ feelings because such an action would be an invasion of privacy.
After giving Xena a final kiss, the bard from Potidaea once again resumed the mantle of one who helmed a large company and was prepared to confront Ares. She texted Aphrodite and Ed then ordered a selection of breakfast offerings to be delivered to the room along with vast quantities of coffee and espresso.
Aphrodite arrived first, almost immediately after the text was sent. “You kids have a good night?” she asked, her tone not quite reaching the levity and humor that she was striving for.
Xena looked from Gabrielle to Aphrodite then announced that she was going to take Argo and stretch her legs. The bard muttered “coward” under her breath as Xena passed her and she heard the warrior’s light chuckle. Both women stared at the door where warrior and dog had departed before turning to face each other; Aphrodite not able to return the bard’s concerned gaze.
“Don’t.” Aphrodite said when they were alone.
“Don’t what?” Gabrielle demanded gently. “Check in to see if you’re okay because I care about you?”
“Yes,” said the goddess. “Because worrying about me isn’t your job.”
“Bullshit,” Gabrielle disagreed. “Of course it is; I love you. You know my feelings for Xena don’t lessen my feelings for you; you of all people understand that.”
“I know,” Aphrodite replied, clearly frustrated with herself. She sat down in a huff on the sofa in the central part of the suite. “I get jealous.”
“I’ve noticed,” the bard replied taking a seat next to the goddess with a glance to the rain coming down in buckets outside.
“That? I’m not Zeus; I don’t do weather,” she demurred.
“Even when you’ve had Ambrosia?” Gabrielle pressed, gently nudging her shoulder.
With a shrug, the goddess glanced out the window. “Okay, maybe a little weather,” she allowed. “Seriously, do I need to ask how perfectly things went last night?”
With a smile that she couldn’t have kept from her face if she tried, Gabrielle nodded. “It was nice. A part of my life I thought was gone for over two thousand years and you brought it back to me.” Gabrielle put her arms around the goddess, hugging her tightly. “I can never thank you enough.”
Aphrodite put her arms around Gabrielle, allowing herself to enjoy the closeness and scent of the bard’s freshly washed hair if even just for a moment. “Yeah, well…whatever,” she murmured before gently disengaging and stepping away.
Xena returned with Argo excitedly holding out her phone to show the other two. “I got a text message,” she said.
“Yay you?” Aphrodite said with an eye roll but Gabrielle looked at the warrior’s phone with interest.
“This is from the woman last night?” she asked reading the text.
“What?” Aphrodite asked, intrigued. “The escort? She wants a date? She was cute, what’s her number?”
“No,” Xena clarified. “I showed her the photo of Scruggs and Ares, asked if she’d seen them, she said she’d ask around. This says that Ares, using the name of Andrew Atmos moves around between several different residences, but that one of them is the penthouse of this hotel, leased under the name of Atmos. Your people thought Henrich Easton was just one alias.”
Gabrielle picked up the laptop sitting on the dining table in the suite and opened one of the files on the desktop, quickly scanning its contents. “Here it is; Atmos is a company that is a subsidiary of Fire Industries. Ares is using that company to pay for his penthouse. I suspect that is why the gala is being held here,” the bard surmised. “He wants separation from Easton. Atmos is a company that can openly raise and contribute money to candidates, and Easton is the shadowy figure who has the ear of politicians and can make the introductions to Atmos’ coffers.”
“Which means I wasted my time last night,” Aphrodite said with a rueful head shake. Both Xena and Gabrielle looked at her with a questioning glance. “After our chat at the restaurant, my dear brother had me followed. They thought they were being discreet. I led them on a wild goose chase all over the city all night long. I figured as long as they were waiting for me to lead them to you, you guys would be safe- have a night off. At about eight o’clock this morning they gave up and I followed them hoping they’d lead me to where Ares was staying but they came back here, I thought I’d been made.”
“What did Ares have to say last night?” Xena asked.
Aphrodite shrugged. “He knows you’re back; all three of us were at the bar. I guess in hindsight we should have kept you under wraps, but then we wouldn’t have this detail. He is intrigued by ambrosia, determined to get his hands on some and not to have you and Gabrielle back in business. He thinks I slipped up by admitting that you were the source of the ambrosia and he has the pieces in place to start world war three. No doubt his hooks run deep in the administration, that was confirmed. He thinks that Fire Industries is under wraps. Has no idea you know about Scruggs or his Easton identity, or Andrew Atmos.” Her blue eyes moved from warrior to bard and back. “It was a productive meeting. He’s rattled. I don’t know what it is about the pair of you, but he’s freaked out by it.”
“Is he here now? In the building?” Gabrielle asked, equal parts excited and worried. The goddess closed her eyes for a moment, as if she was listening for something then shook her head.
There was a knock at the door and Ed entered followed shortly behind by Brian Glass. Gabrielle did a double take. “What are you still doing here?” she asked, then shrugged apologetically.
“I don’t blame you,” He replied with a smile.
“Brian is redeeming himself,” Ed added with a nod to the CIA agent. “We did a deep dive last night on all the intel we had gathered and he suggested some new ways of looking at it as well as…strategies… for containing Easton or fucking with him at the very least. We were up all night with Vox and Wolfgang. We’ve even got a drone in the air.”
The agent nodded in agreement, “I’ve got some leeway with how I do my job,” he explained referring to his real job in a federal agency. “I respected Susan and mourn her loss with you. The more you rattle Easton the better chance he has of screwing up in areas that we can address.” Gabrielle nodded appreciatively urging him to continue. “About Susan - I actually did some research last night into that and I see her body has already been delivered to a mortuary in California and she was cremated. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”
“Only that we need to have a funeral and there isn’t anything further the feds are going to learn from her body. I saw the report,” Gabrielle replied. “I hope this…mix up…doesn’t reflect badly on the pathologist who released her.”
“She’s probably going to be fired, but I suspect that you know that and probably have a job waiting for her,” Brian said, knowingly.
There was a knock at the door which Ed answered to receive not only the room service but also to sign for several large boxes which he deposited on the coffee table in the central room of the suite.
“See, I told you the ball gowns would be altered in time,” Aphrodite said happily, examining the contents of the various boxes.
“Why don’t we sit down,” Xena suggested eying the food, “have something to eat and figure out how we’re going to handle tonight. It will probably be helpful to have an extra pair of hands to help out,” she added with welcoming nod to Brian.
~~~~~~~
“I don’t understand why this is more sparkly now than it seemed in the shop,” Xena complained as she finished dressing. She was looking at her reflection in the mirror dressed in an elegant black and silver gown that almost looked like a cross between a dress and a tuxedo. Gabrielle was clothed in shimmering, form-fitting gold and Aphrodite wore an impossibly sexy ice blue gown.
“Because Aphrodite’s designer was clearly influenced by Bob Mackie,” Gabrielle explained, pausing for the moment, in applying the warrior’s makeup. “The gowns are stunning.”
“And these are going to help us blend in?” Xena continued dubiously.
“I promise,” Gabrielle reassured her.
Aphrodite was strangely quiet since finishing her own hair and makeup. She sat on the couch petting Argo and the pit bull exuded an aura of sheer bliss at the attention. Gabrielle joined the duo on the couch and Argo stood on the unsteady cushion and lazily flopped over on her other side so she could put her head in the bard’s lap.
“She better not be saying ‘goodbye’,” Gabrielle said, looking seriously at the goddess.
“Goodbye for now,” Aphrodite clarified. “Gabrielle, we need someone on the inside. She knows what she needs to do, she knows how to do it. She and I are close, I will be able to zero in on where she’s at. I don’t see how else to track his movements and I think she’ll be oaky.”
Gabrielle looked down at her dog thinking for a moment of all the dogs she’d loved and lost over so many years. Like people, every time was excruciatingly painful, even when you knew that in time you’d recover and go on with your life. She looked down into amber eyes that looked back at her with utter love and devotion. “You know you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do, right girl?” she said quietly to her dog, who took that opportunity to lean up and lick the bard’s face. She sighed. Fighting for the ‘greater good’ had its downside.
“We’re all good with the plan?” Xena asked looking empathetically at Gabrielle. She knew what Gabrielle was feeling; the sensation of putting someone you felt responsible for in harm’s way. She’d felt it enough where the bard had been concerned in the early days.
Gabrielle nodded touching the earpiece she was wearing. “Command do you read?” she asked.
“Loud and clear, boss,” Wolfgang answered from across the country.
“Lookout?” she asked.
“Lookout online,” Brian Glass answered from Ed’s room adjoining their suite.
“Backup?” she asked.
“I’ve got eyes on valet and the door,” Ed confirmed after adjusting his bowtie and nodding politely to a passing DC socialite.
She looked at Aphrodite and Xena then gave the dog one last kiss on the top of her head before adjusting the dog’s rhinestone studded collar and standing.
They rode the elevator down to the gala in silence. Several couples in formalwear joined them, giving them space after one glance at the pit bull. One inebriated woman was the exception and knelt down to pet Argo after commenting that pit bulls made wonderful service animals.
They stopped at security just outside the ballroom where Gabrielle extracted the invitation from her purse and in moments was scanned and ushered inside. She adjusted the glasses she was wearing which provided the video feed to The Hippolyta, Vox and Wolfgang providing necessary intel on the people and players around them.
“Showtime,” the bard whispered as she entered the elegantly dressed throng.
If Xena had any doubt that their sparkly gowns would help them blend in, the scene unfolding in front of her made it clear and gave the three beautiful women the perfect camouflage. Everywhere she turned there were glints of sequins, rhinestones, diamonds, sapphires, and gold. The men, nearly all dressed in black tuxedos provided a counterpoint to the women who mostly dressed in black or white while splashes of color from other gowns created a pointalistic scene in front of her. Smartly dressed wait staff carried trays of champagne and hors d’oeuvres and mingled through the throng of the wealthy and powerful. Most of the denizens of the gala were older, nearly everyone was white and Aphrodite couldn’t remember the last time she saw such a large gathering of people with so little to offer. A man crossed the goddess’ path, stopped mid-step and nearly knocked her over as he took off again.
“What’s so funny?” Vox asked, responding to Xena’s audible chuckle minutes into the party.
“That’s the guy from last night,” the warrior commented as the fat senator made eye contact with her and hurried off back the way he’d come.
“The guy at ten o’clock,” Wolfgang announced in their collective ear, “that’s Chester Adams. Chief clerk to the guy who’s in the stolen Supreme Court seat. He’s one of Easton’s goons.”
“One of Turner’s actually,” Glass clarified. “If what you surmise is true, Easton probably put him there, but the president thinks that guy is his man. He was paid handsomely for that appointment, one hundred, seventy-five million sitting in the Cayman Islands.”
“Who sells out democracy for money you’re not going to live long enough to spend?” Aphrodite wondered aloud after adjusting her earpiece.
“You know something about the President we don’t?” Brian asked suspiciously.
“Many things,” the goddess answered. “But specifically, one only need to glance at that pasty, obese excuse of a golfer know that his arteries are going to have to give way at some point. There is a finite number of McNuggets that one can consume in one’s lifetime. They always get you in the end.”
“Susan,” someone to the right of Gabrielle called. “Susan Vincent, is that you?” The bard turned and was warmly greeted by a tall redhead speaking with a Greek accent. “I must say, I’m surprised to see you here, dear,” the newcomer said warmly after kissing each of Gabrielle’s cheeks.
“Arianna, good to see you,” the bard replied. “I could say the same thing about you, could I not?”
“These used to be my people,” Arianna Huffington explained with a warm smile. “You don’t convert people by just speaking to the choir.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Gabrielle agreed as she stopped a passing waiter and relieved her of four glasses of champagne. “We are on a similar mission.”
Someone behind the author and entrepaneur tried to get the author’s attention and Gabrielle hugged her briefly. “Go, you and I will catch up sometime when you’re back in LA.”
Arianna smiled and nodded to each of Gabrielle’s companions before disappearing back into the throng of wealthy, sparkly dressed people. As the trio continued to move through the elegantly dressed crowd, Gabrielle made small talk with several people that came up to her, either because they knew her, or wanted to after hearing from others who she was. On occasion, she introduced her companions, Anna and Natasha, but often the exchanges were so quick that she didn’t get the chance.
Xena was impressed by the size of the room; chandeliers had been hung and tables set up throughout the space that encouraged people to mingle. There was a stage at the far end with a large dance floor in front of it. The lighting was not overly bright, but also not the theatrical seediness of The Edison. In this setting the warrior gleaned even more information about the dual life her lover lived. Gabrielle chatted comfortably with a variety of people in several different languages. In her role as Susan Vincent, representative of Gabrielle Evans, she could claim this world as her own but she clearly didn’t. In fact, more than one person made a cutting remark about her ‘seeing the light’ and she responded that she was here to meet a donor for a climate change initiative. The look of annoyance she received in return for the comment was indeed priceless.
The warrior was drawn from her thoughts when finally, they came to the center of the ball room; a grand piano stood just off to the side of a stage where a band would be playing later. The elevators were just across the dance floor on the other side. If a crowd gathered here it would make navigating the space all the more difficult.
Gabrielle stopped by a standing table to chat with someone and gave a brief nod to Xena who departed with Aphrodite. The goddess looked at Argo and motioned with her head and the dog obediently followed behind. Gabrielle fought to keep the anguish off her features as she briefly watched them go and turned back to her superficial conversation.
Xena, Aphrodite, and Argo approached the elevators on the far side of the dance floor. One elevator had two not so subtle guards standing watch so it was easy to tell which elevator went to the penthouse. Aphrodite extracted her phone from her purse and pretended to read the screen.
“Excuse me,” she said with the over annunciation of a truly inebriated person to the guard closest to them, “is this the elevator to Mr. Atmos’ flat?”
“We have an appointment,” Xena added with a drunk sounding chuckle.
“Mr. Atmos isn’t in,” the guard said dismissively.
“I know silly,” Aphrodite replied. “He told us to get started without him.”
She turned to Xena who was not the least bit surprised that the goddess kissed her. The guards stood transfixed, staring as the two women went at it. When Aphrodite dropped her phone, the closest guard reacted on instinct alone to bend down to pick it up, which gave the goddess the opportunity to touch his hand without the other guard seeing it. Blue eyes briefly intensified and the first guard turned to the second.
“I’ll take them upstairs and watch them until Mr. Atmos shows up,” he said and the second guard nodded, too distracted to come up with an alternate plan of action. Instead, he feebly adjusted his pants.
They entered the elevator and the guard used a keycard to swipe an access pad, entered a code then pushed the button to the penthouse. They rode in silence until Aphrodite shrugged and looked at Xena. “So. You and Gabrielle,” she said.
Xena looked at her, with eyes filled with kindness and empathy, “Because of you,” she said.
The goddess chuckled. “Dude, you really did come back nicer this time.”
“I think I get it from my mother’s side” she added with a wink when the goddess got her drift and frowned.
Just inside the penthouse, Xena let the guard enter first and deftly hit him in the back of the head, knocking him unconscious and taking his keycard. “We’re in,” she said quietly knowing the mic in her ball gown would pick up the sound.
“Excellent,” Gabrielle replied with a light laugh, seemingly in conversation with someone at the gala.
“How do things look from the lookout?” Aphrodite asked knowing that Gabrielle couldn’t work that into a conversation at the moment.
“No alarms or other alert signals,” Brian confirmed studying his computer screen. “Looks like the code he punched was 7452. Ed how is it outside?”
“All’s the same here,” Ed added. “People continuing to arrive, no sign of anyone who sucks worse than the rest of these rich assholes,” he muttered under his breath.
The warrior looked around the penthouse, it’s décor leaving no doubt in her mind that Ares frequented the space. It was opulent, decadent, hedonistic, overdone and ruthless, much like the man himself. Black, red, and gray seemed to be the favored colors with chrome or brushed metal providing counterpoint. The furniture was industrial chic and the art was severe; candles, weapons, and lush fabrics were everywhere. “Man, they could have filmed fifty shades of bad fan fiction in this place,” Aphrodite commented with a frown. “You know behind one of these doors is a sling, a rack, and a collection of butt plugs.”
“Any clues where to look?” Xena asked the goddess. “Hopefully not in the butt-plug room.”
Aphrodite closed her eyes for a moment then opened them. “This way,” she said leading the way to the bedroom which was palatial, overly elegant, and sported furniture that looked like it came from the set of a gothic Tim Burton porno movie. The entire ceiling of the room was hammered tin which had been polished to a mirror like surface. Not quite as nineteen seventies as an actual mirror on the ceiling, it clearly served the same purpose.
“We’ve got movement down here,” Ed announced shortly after the two had begun to search the bedroom. “Scruggs just arrived in a limo with Easton.”
“Someone just said something on an unsecured channel about elevators,” Brian added hurriedly. “You were right about this being a potential trap.”
“That’s a beautiful piano,” Gabrielle said talking to the couple she was presently chit chatting with.
“I’ve heard that you can play,” a wealthy gentleman said smiling over his whiskey. “Play us something Miss. Vincent.”
“Well if you insist,” Gabrielle said quickly, not being able to get to the piano fast enough. She started with a composition by Scott Joplin called Weeping Willow, and as she’d hoped, people began to congregate, drawn by the sound of live music. In moments, the way to the elevators was congested with wealthy party goers.
As Gabrielle played she muttered the word ‘update’ into her mic.
“We’re looking,” Aphrodite said, her voice tense. “I know it’s in here, but I just can’t tell what, everything is reading the same to me. I just know there is something here.”
“Company arriving any second,” Brian said calmly. “The first four at any rate.”
Xena stopped what she was doing and stood there. She closed her eyes checking to see if she could feel anything different about the room. Almost like a warm breeze she did feel something, the same something she assumed the goddess had felt a moment ago. She took the earpiece out of her ear, not wanting the panicked distraction that was going on between the engineer, navigator, CIA agent, and flight attendant.
With Xena focused on the symbol of Ares’ power, Aphrodite followed suit, relaxing and focusing her mind and energy on the God’s most guarded secrets. While power and brute strength were on occasion characteristics of love and romance more often than not it was a desire to hide and keep secrets. Like a beacon the secrets called out to her and she turned her head in the direction of a book case to the side of the opulent bedroom. One shelf only held a façade of books which disguised a safe behind it. The lock was electric and coded to a thumb print. Gently she touched the reference pad and sparks emitted from her fingers shorting out the system and rendering the lock useless, the safe opened. “Any sign of the knife?” Xena asked glancing in her direction.
“No,” Aphrodite replied. “Keep looking.” The warrior walked past her towards a back wall of weapons while she rummaged through the contents of the safe.
Pushing aside the fake passports and bound stacks of money, gold coins and an assortment of gemstones she came across a thin volume, a well-worn field notebook. It was compact, durable, waterproof with tear resistant pages. As soon as she touched it she knew she had what she’d been seeking. Sparing only the briefest of glances to the interior pages, she felt the rising panic of the men on the coms shouting warnings to her and the warrior.
She let her voice drop to a calming tone, relaxed but poised. “Xena – don’t think about it too much, what is calling to you in this room. You’re connected – feel that.”
The warrior looked around the room, with fresh eyes this time and her gaze came to rest on a wall at the back covered with swords and daggers from all over the world, many of them ornate and ancient looking. As if they were vibrating on different frequencies; one in particular caught her eye. It was a simple knife in a sheath with a bone handle. She grabbed it and could feel it’s warmth in her hand.
Aphrodite was instantly nodding in agreement. “That’s it,” she said.
Four guards charged in, weapons drawn and Argo charged at them barking and growling savagely and a guard took aim with his gun before being stopped by another. “Mr. Atmos says get the dog, alive. He’ll stop the other two.”
“Argo, here girl,” Xena called hoping against hope to get the dog out of the room unscathed. Argo obeyed, but on her run back was hit by a taser and stopped running, twitching helplessly halfway across the bedroom floor.
The warrior had grabbed another knife from the wall and was about to throw it when Aphrodite stopped her, urging her out of the bedroom. “Don’t give them a reason,” she said.
“Stop right there,” two guards said simultaneously as the other two held weapons on them at a distance.
Xena’s hands moved in a blur as she disarmed the first guard then used the butt of the weapon to knock the second unconscious. Before the other two could fire, warrior and goddess were out the door shutting it and locking it behind them. Xena shoved the tip of the second knife she’d taken from the wall into the seam where the electronic lock mechanism was housed. At Vox’s suggestion, she pulled at the wires, snapping them, locking the door.
“Plane now,” Gabrielle said quietly as she finished her song and moved into a dramatic classical piece causing more people to crowd in to see who was playing.
“Ed, you get that?” Aphrodite said as she and Xena made their way down the stairwell as quickly as they could. “We need that car up from valet and the twins ready to get that plane in the air.”
“I’ve got a five-hundred dollar tip to the person who gets me my jag in under three minutes,” Ed said clearly to the valet crew.
“Vox,” Xena asked urgently, “what’s it look like outside?”
“You’ve got some cars mobilized from the other addresses your escort gave us,” the engineer said. “It’s going to be a big party. Get out of there now!”
“The weather?” The warrior asked.
“Oh, literally outside. It’s still raining. There have been a few accidents, police have their hands full at the moment,” the engineer confirmed.
“Can you please do something about that?” Xena asked Aphrodite as they hurried down the stairs as fast as the designer gowns would let them. In frustration, Xena kicked off her shoes managing much better in her bare feet.
“Oh, right.” Aphrodite said as they reached the landing of the next floor down.
The door opened and two armed men stormed in taking aim at Aphrodite who had arrived at the landing first. Xena launched herself from the stairs above, landing on the pair, in a moment she’d immobilized them both. “You know they can’t hurt me, right?” the goddess asked.
“It’s a habit,” Xena said, unperturbed.
“Go out the door,” Glass urged through the earpiece. “There aren’t any more guys on that floor. They are converging on the stairs. You can get the elevator the rest of the way down.”
Taking the advice, goddess and warrior hurried to the elevator, incapacitating the one guard inside and rode it down to the gala level. They made their way around the periphery of the mob that Gabrielle had been able to conjure with her piano playing, taking requests from rich donors who placed bets with each other trying to come up with a song to stump the piano player.
“Gabrielle, now!” Xena urged as they came parallel to her.
“Sorry, guys – gotta go,” The bard said halfway through Vanessa Carlton’s A Thousand Miles. Xena could hear the groans of disappointment and a familiar voice shouting for people to get out of his way.
Xena looked around but didn’t see Ares; still she knew he was there, too close for comfort. “Gabrielle, as fast as you can. Ares is nearby.”
“Sorry dude, but you have this coming,” Aphrodite said to Senator Hastings as she passed him with Xena. She touched his hand and he immediately grabbed for her but missed, his open palm landing instead on the groin of a federal court judge. Immediately the judge took a swing at the senator, knocking him to the floor. Shouting and commotion ensued giving Gabrielle the time she needed to clear the ballroom.
“I’m driving,” the bard shouted as they approached the valet stand. “Aphrodite – you and Ed in the back. I think we’re going to have company.”
True to his word, the well-muscled flight attendant had the car ready and running when bard, warrior, and goddess all fled the gala at once- a cacophony of chaos and confusion in their wake. Faster than one might think his large form would allow, Ed climbed into the backseat right behind the goddess. A second later Xena had shut the door on her side and they were on their way. Almost immediately following their departure from the hotel entrance three cars were approaching, each with gunmen taking shots at them from behind.
“Fuck,” Gabrielle said as she expertly released the clutch and gearshift racing the sports car through the wealthy Kalorama district of DC.
“I’ve spotted you with Glass’ drone,” Vox said urgently. “We’ve got eyes on you. All three chase cars are behind you but it looks like they’re about to split up.”
“Roger that,” Gabrielle said, downshifting to take a corner at high speed. “Xena, get my gun out of the glovebox.”
“Is this Odessa?” the warrior asked, handing the gun over?
“This?” Gabrielle replied with a chuckle, glancing at her side mirrors to see the car behind her get closer even on the slick wet streets. “No, this is a Glock 23 .40 caliber handgun. It holds 13 shots not 6.”
With the gun in her lap, she shifted again to take a corner against a red light, nearly causing an accident in the intersection. The car behind her swerved to avoid the hit but was still on their tail. She didn’t want to shoot at them, especially since they could be killed when three quarters of her car’s occupants wouldn’t, regardless of the shootout. But then a bullet hit the side mirror on Xena’s side of the car and another dinged the side panel of her reinforced sports scar. Gabrielle took a deep breath, reminding herself that this was not the first unusual scrape she’d been in and that any of Ares’ people made the choice to serve him. She fired several shots, intentionally missing, hoping that they’d back off but it didn’t work. If anything, they began to shoot with more enthusiasm.
“Ed, get down,” she urged as two shots came in quick succession shattering the back window. “Aphrodite…”
“I’ve got him,” the goddess finished for her instantly knowing what the bard wanted done. She leaned over Ed who seemed confused and upset as to why he wasn’t protecting the blond.
Trying to split her focus between watching the car steadily gaining on them in the rearview mirror and watch the road ahead which had some puddles and potholes in addition to asphalt slick from rain. The downpour may have stopped, but the driving hazard was ever present. She had a limited number of shots and needed to stay calm and focused. “Hold on,” she instructed before taking a corner hard. The turn resulted in a near collision that the bard’s expert driving skills enabled to her avoid. It also slowed down the car behind her letting her gain some distance.
A sound came through the expensive sound system indicating that someone was trying to call Gabrielle’s iPhone. A glance at the in-dash screen let her know it was coming from The Hippolyta. She smiled, taking another corner as fast as she dared, she hit the button on her steering wheel to connect the call. “Hello?” she said suspecting she knew who was on the other end.
“Hi Gabrielle,” Shen said cheerfully, “are you busy?”
Gabrielle downshifted, narrowly avoiding a moving truck as she headed out of the residential area. “I’m kind of working right now but I have a minute, what’s up?” she asked.
“It’s history,” he complained “Prisha wasn’t too happy with my essay on the fall of the Roman Empire.”
She dodged a pothole happy to see the car behind her hit it square on when they got to that patch of road. “What was the problem?” she asked, glancing once again at her side mirror.
“She said my reasoning was too simplistic. I said the empire fell because of military overspending, like we’re doing now.” He sounded adamant, defiant even, and Gabrielle thought for a moment on how to put her own experience into something a ten year old could understand.
“Moose, you know there is rarely one single reason for anything. Sure, there was military overspending and other economic issues. Remember they’d been in a constant state of war, also like now.” She turned the wheel hard, narrowly missing the curb, the back end fishtailing a bit on the wet asphalt and Xena gripped the side of the door to steady herself.
“Right, the overspending on the military was because of the constant state of war,” he complained.
“Don’t forget government corruption,” Aphrodite added from the back seat. “Also like now,”
“Oh hey Aphrodite,” Shen said brightly; the tapping sounds of the keyboard showing that he was taking notes. “Are you guys in the car? Going somewhere?”
“We’re actually on our way back to the airport, to come home,” Gabrielle said pushing the car faster,
“Don’t forget the weakening of the Roman Legions,” Xena added, trying to keep her voice casual and not being entirely successful as the bard sped through a red light. “Spending money on the military doesn’t help you if you don’t have the properly trained forces to fight.”
“Oh, Hi Xena,” Shen added, the sounds of typing continuing.
“And the invasion of the Goths,” Ed added from the back seat as another shot came dangerously close to the car.
“The people who wear all black and makeup?” the boy asked, confused.
“No,” Gabrielle said, making a decision about her pursuers. “The Visigoths, you should research them too. Look Moose, I’ve got to go, but we will be home soon and I’ll be sure to come by and say ‘hi’ if it’s not too late, okay?”
“Okay,” he replied, satisfied with the answers to his question. “This was really helpful, drive safe, Squirrel. G’bye.” Gabrielle cut the connection to the call and gave the rearview mirror another glance before turning her attention to the warrior at her side.
“Xena, I’m going to take my hand off the shift so I can shoot for real. When I say ‘now’ you need to shift. If I need to go fast you shift down,” she said pointing at the diagram, “If I need to slow down you go the other way. Think about riding a horse on wet cobblestones.” Xena nodded, picturing the image in her mind, understanding.
Gabrielle used her side mirror to aim as the Jaguar raced through the streets of the nation’s capital, she held her right hand with the gun out the window pointed backwards, keeping her other hand steady on the wheel. “Now,” she said, hitting the clutch with her foot. There was a little grinding but the warrior got the hang of the gear shift. Gabrielle fired off two more shots, hitting the chase car twice and it immediately backed off.
“Cops have been alerted to the commotion,” Vox urged. “Get to the airport as soon as you can. Car coming at you from the west, next intersection.”
Grateful for the warning, Gabrielle was able to slow down, swerve to avoid the case car and shoot out one of their tires as she passed it. In moments, they pulled over to the side of the street and stopped. It proved to be a useful technique; with Vox relaying the information Wolfgang got from the CIA agent’s drone, Gabrielle was able to disable the second chase car in short order. Only the third car proved to be more persistent, firing two more shots into her Jaguar, one of which grazed her shoulder painfully. The road was slick, and wet reflecting the street lights above which proved an advantage to the woman who had been driving since the invention of the car. While the car behind them occasionally fish tailed, Gabrielle’s expert maneuvering had them drifting, turning, speeding, and at one point doing a one hundred eighty degree turn in an open intersection all completely under the bard’s control.
“Now,” Gabrielle said urgently as Xena shifted giving the bard more power, heading onto a straight patch of road. Aphrodite kept Ed down, much to his vocal complaining. They were heading into a wooded park area and Gabrielle took steady aim backwards with the aid of the side mirror. Staying calm and focused she pointed the gun and squeezed, a loud shot hitting the front tire causing the car to swerve and crash into a nearby median.
Gabrielle put her gun down and resumed control of the car driving as quickly as she dared to the airport. “Tell the twins to fire up the plane,” she said.
The Jaguar had barely come to a stop when its inhabitants exited and raced up the steps of the white private jet. Kismet met them at the top of the stairs her expression sad at the sight of no pit bull accompanying the quartet. “The police are asking questions,” the co-pilot mentioned as Ed closed and locked the cabin door.
“Get Rebekah Luna on it,” Gabrielle suggested kicking off her high heels, adrenalin still surging through her body “get us in the air as fast as possible.” The co-pilot nodded and returned to the cockpit, closing the door behind her.
Ed waited until the door was fully closed before turning to Gabrielle angrily. “What the actual fuck,” he said hotly as the plane began to move.
“What?” Gabrielle said, completely confused. Xena was immediately at her side, nearly eye-level with the large bodybuilder.
“What the fuck is she?” He demanded pointing at Aphrodite. “There is too much weird shit going on.”
“Oy,” Vox said with startled surprise in their earpiece. “I just cut the feed to Brian. I think this conversation needs to stay in the family. It’s bad enough that he heard everyone calling ‘Susan’ ‘Gabrielle’. ”
Gabrielle and Xena both frowned, not knowing the genesis of the outburst and certainly not appreciating the aggressive tone. For her part, Aphrodite made herself at home, kicking off her heels and moving to the galley section of the plane. Quite calmly she began to open various cabinets and cupboards, looking for something.
Ed held out his other hand which held a flattened piece of metal. “A number of shots came through that back window,” he said, “and hit her. I picked this up from the floor of the backseat. I didn’t say anything,” he continued with a glance to the cockpit, “in front of Kismet or Isra because they are flying this plane and we could die if they freak out. Or could we? Is it just her? Is it the two of you as well? Am I the only one here who runs the risk of dying?”
“If you don’t watch your tone you might run that risk sooner than you anticipate,” Xena said quietly, the threat in her voice apparent.
“It’s not just tonight,” Ed continued. “All of this stuff with Easton, Atmos whatever the fuck his name is. You guys questioning Brian Glass with a lie detecting dog? What the fuck is going on.”
“Ed,” Gabrielle said calmly in a tone that was both commanding and empathetic, “sit down, get a grip and I can explain.”
“Yeah Ed, calm down,” Vox urged from the yacht. “Aphrodite is oaky. Honestly, I’m not her biggest fan and I’ll still totally vouch for her. She’s okay.”
“Awwww, thank you sweetie,” the goddess said with a genuine grin as she handed Ed and Gabrielle each a drink. “I knew I’d grow on you.”
The muscled flight attendant glanced at the bottle of Scotch on the counter and then glanced at his drink with suspicion. “Oh, for fucks sake,” Gabrielle said in exasperation and downed her shot.
“Dude,” Vox urged again, “you know me, I am telling you she’s okay.”
The large man downed his shot and sat down in the recliner, passing the glass back to the goddess for a refill, “Is she a robot?” he asked suspiciously. “Some prototype from Special Projects that Transportation hasn’t been read in on?”
There was laughter from the goddess which set the frown more doggedly in Ed’s expression. “I’ve been called a lot of things,” she commented as she handed back the refilled glass, “but that’s a first for robot.”
“I assure you she isn’t a robot,” Gabrielle said adamantly. Xena looked at her questioningly. “I’ll explain what a robot is later,” she added to the warrior.
“Her name is Aphrodite,” Vox said in the earpiece.
“So, what?” he shot back. “She’s named after an Ancient Greek go…” his eyes went wide, catching on.
“Always with the ancient with these people,” Aphrodite complained passing a drink to Xena as well. The jet hit the main runway and took off, although the inhabitants of the plane, save for Xena, scarcely noticed.
“No fucking way,” he protested in disbelief. “No. Absolutely not.”
Gabrielle rolled her eyes and got up from the couch as soon as the steep part of the climb subsided. She rummaged through some drawers at the back of the plane and found some sweats. It was a slim hope, but she fantasized that getting out of the ball gown would somehow improve things with her employee. She passed a set of clothes to Xena and Aphrodite as well.
“Are you like her?” Ed demanded, although some fear and uncertainty crept into his voice. “And her too?” he added with a nod to Xena. “And why doesn’t she know what a robot is? And what the fuck with Argo?”
Gabrielle sighed, “Xena, could you please unzip me?” she asked and the warrior complied. She began to slip out of her dress and turned her attention back to her employee. “Look Ed, I don’t mean this in a harassment kind of way, but you asked.” She slid the dress down, exposing her bra and pulled part of it aside revealing the scar where she’d been pierced by an arrow. “This was from getting shot,” she said deciding that not elaborating with exactly what she’d been shot by was necessary. She stepped out of the dress and in her bra and panties turned to put on the sweat pants. “I’m not a goddess.”
When her back was turned, Ed exclaimed again, “Jesus Christ, that’s a huge tattoo.”
After tying the string on her sweatpants she pulled the sweatshirt over her head before turning back around. Vox was chuckling in their ear. “Fuck! I could have won the newbie bet with him,” she muttered.
When the bard turned back around she was gratified that Ed at least looked embarrassed at his outburst. “You just don’t look the type, big tattoos and all…”
“I am fairly confident that is not the most surprising thing about me,” she observed before launching into explanation of her longevity, her massive wealth, her quest for Xena, and their opposition to Ares who went by the name Easton or Atmos at present. Vox supported the bard’s claims as did Wolfgang through the ear pieces but it wasn’t until the demonstration of her healing abilities as well as a brief demonstration by The Goddess of Love that the flight attendant sat shaken but convinced.
“And you did something to Argo to make her a lie detector?” He asked, still a little confused.
“No,” Aphrodite disagreed patiently. “Dogs have impeccable judgement of character and can tell when you’re lying. They just don’t know that they should, or how to communicate that.”
The flight attendant seemed a little mollified. “Okay, but what about the deal between you two?” He asked with a nod to Xena and Gabrielle.
Aphrodite had settled herself in the other recliner giving Xena and Gabrielle the couch to share. Xena listened to her lover’s tale but was distracted by how empty the couch felt without the gray pit bull joining them. Gabrielle sat close to Xena, who had draped an arm over her shoulders. She leaned against the warrior’s body and felt the unspoken reassurance and support as she wove her tale, answering Ed’s questions to the degree she felt appropriate.
“That is a tremendous thing to do for the love of your life,” he finally said. Gabrielle nodded in agreement then smiled at Xena with an expression that said she’d do it all again in a heartbeat. He was about to voice his confusion though, suspecting that bard and goddess had been together but after a glance at Aphrodite and the almost imperceptible shake of her head, he dropped it. Instead he said, “you read mythology- about gods wreaking havoc in the lives of men and don’t think of it as something that happens in the present. You don’t think of ‘god’ as a term people invented to describe other people we didn’t understand.”
Aphrodite chuckled, “let’s be honest kiddo. Man invented the concept of ‘god’ to exert control over other people as a way to govern them. They still use it that way.” After noticing Xena’s arched eyebrow she continued, ‘I will admit my family let it go to our heads and were willing participants, but I mean, come on – some of those temples and sculptures were pretty bad ass. And thank you for calling me ‘people’ honey, I will take that as a compliment.”
“Are we good, Ed?” Gabrielle asked, shifting the conversation back to her employee. He smiled at the goddess and nodded apologetically as Kismet opened the cockpit door and hurried into the cabin.
“Gabrielle, we’ve got a video message coming in,” the co-pilot said with urgency. “Same guy as before, Easton, same channel.”
Ed was immediately on his feet getting the laptop out of a drawer and setting it on the table. “Give me a minute,” Gabrielle said with a glance to her companions. “I’ll have Ed signal you when we’re ready to have it connected.” The co-pilot nodded once and returned to the cockpit, leaving the door open. “He knows you’re back” she said, turning to Xena. “Might as well have you front and center. How did you leave things with him?” she asked the goddess.
“He wants me to stay out of his way, I told him I’d take a couple of days to think about it,” The Goddess of Love replied.
Gabrielle nodded, trying to strategize quickly. “Xena, sit next to me,” she positioned the warrior in front of the laptop. Aphrodite, you stand by Ed. I can use sign language out of view of the camera and you can relay it back to Xena,” she said quickly moving her hands, which the goddess relayed and Xena nodded, understanding what was being said. Xena took Ares’ dagger out of her purse and put the sheathed blade on the table to the side of the laptop.
“Might be better to make him think I’m not with you guys,” Aphrodite added as Gabrielle opened the laptop and prepared to make the connection. “Tell him I had a jealous fit or something, he’ll buy it.”
Gabrielle nodded and tapped an icon on the screen, connecting the transmission. Once again Ares sat smirking back at her but unlike before, this time he was in a plush office, not a sterile interrogation room.
“Xena!” he exclaimed cheerfully, “You’re looking well. I see you found the irritating blond.”
“Never felt better,” the warrior replied with a thin smile. She and Gabrielle were sitting comfortably on the couch. Xena had one arm draped casually around Gabrielle’s shoulders, one leg casually crossed over the other. Gabrielle sat tucked at the warrior’s side, her hands out of range of the camera, her arms relaxed.
“You’re not going to believe who got left in DC?” he said, tugging on a leash. In moments Argo came into view moving unsteadily on her feet. After an additional tug, she jumped onto the couch and sat next to the God of War, briefly licking his ear which seemed to surprise him as much as it annoyed him. Xena could feel Gabrielle’s body stiffen and she reassuringly squeezed the bard’s shoulder. A movement that did not go unnoticed by the god. “You know,” he continued conversationally, “I’ve never tried dog. I know it’s commonly served in China. I bet my chef could whip up something tasty with this, what do you think? Should I have your dog for dinner?” Argo barked once but it did little to reassure Gabrielle.
“If you hurt my dog, so help me…” Gabrielle began as Xena reached for Ares’ dagger and took it out of its sheath, casually examining the blade.
“Look what didn’t get left in DC?” She smirked when she saw his eyes narrow. “I suspect you might want this back in one piece as opposed to pieces,” Xena said calmly. “You might want to think about that before you threaten anyone.”
“Funny you should mention anyone…” Ares replied with another low chuckle as he tugged at another leash. With a lurch Jennifer, the escort from the bar at The Omni Hotel, came into view. Her hands were bound with zip ties, she had a collar around her neck which had the leash attached and she looked fearful and shaken. “Seems I picked up a pet belonging to each of you.” Keeping her face passive Gabrielle began to sign to Aphrodite, telling her what was on screen. “Does expensive hooker go with dog? Does that call for a white wine or red?” Argo barked again and wagged her tail.
“What kind of deal are you looking for Ares?” Xena asked, keeping his focus on the escort and not Gabrielle. “That woman doesn’t have anything to do with this. Your issue is with Gabrielle and me, no one else.”
“What about my sister?” Ares asked. “Is she there? You guys working on a threesome or something?”
Gabrielle rolled her eyes, annoyed at the god’s lasciviousness. Xena chuckled and shook her head. “None of your fucking business,” she said flatly. “What do you want for the dog and the girl?”
“Ambrosia,” he added with a smirk. “‘Dite had some, said she got it from you. I want twice what she had. And you and blondie stay out of my way. I’m working on something big and I don’t want the two of you anywhere near it. The stunt in DC was not appreciated. And yeah, I want my dagger back.”
“Let’s say I know where to find ambrosia,” Xena offered amicably. “That and the dagger is more than enough to swap for the girl and the dog. Gabrielle and I aren’t in much of a position to get in your way. I’m just getting my bearings here.”
“Not good enough, Xena,” the god disagreed with a shake of his head. “I’ve spent too long putting everything in place. I’m not going to have you and the brat fuck it up at the last minute. Do I need to pick up some more of Gabrielle’s people to force you to make a deal? Who do you think you are anyway, bard?” he taunted Gabrielle. “You think your private militia is gonna do squat against the United States Government? I know how many people you’ve got on that overpriced party boat,” he snarled. “My guy in the coast guard filled me in. You’re no match for an actual strike team.”
Argo remained silent and Gabrielle began to move her hands, signing to Aphrodite who repeated the hand movements so Xena would know what she was saying. After a nod to Ed, the goddess silently stepped to the cockpit door, opened it and slipped inside, followed by the flight attendant who closed the door after him.
Isra and Kismet looked up at their entry, the conversation playing out on a small screen to the side of the control console. “What can we do?” Kismet asked as her sister focused on piloting the jet.
“Gabrielle said to patch Brian Glass in DC in on the recording – the parts that pertain to the military and Easton’s plans. Have Vox and Wolfgang splice something together. She also said to signal the yacht. Contact Michelle Fender, Gabrielle wants The Hippolyta to start moving back towards Mexico. She thinks an attack by Easton’s people is imminent, they need to be on high alert. When we land at LAX she said we’ll take the helicopter and catch up with them.”
“Is this guy insane?” Isra said, after checking in with air traffic control. “Some of the stuff he’s ranting about doesn’t make any sense. Ambrosia?”
Aphrodite and Ed briefly made eye contact before the goddess answered. “Let’s just say he’s speaking in metaphor. He’s a drug dealer among other things; new hybrid party drug I think. It’s not going to make any sense to you, but Gabrielle knows what he’s talking about.”
The answer seemed to satisfy the twins who nodded in understanding. Aphrodite and Ed returned to the main cabin, staying within view of bard and warrior, but close to the cockpit door in case they needed to step inside again.
“Three days, tip of Baja – Cabo the beach by the arch. You meet us there and we do the exchange,” Gabrielle said, her voice cool and controlled.
“I don’t think you’re in any position to call the shots,” Ares shot back. “Bring the ambrosia to DC. I like the city.”
“What you like is manipulating the power players in the capitol.” Gabrielle replied. “You want the ambrosia, meet us in Cabo.”
“Fuck you bard. I’m not doing what you want, you don’t have anything over me,” he growled, annoyed but the smirk stayed put.
“I disagree,” Xena said her voice cold and calculating. “I’ve got Hephaestus’ hammer. Dying to try it out on something, like this dagger maybe?”
Slowly the smirk vanished from the God of War’s face to be replaced by genuine anger and worry. “If you want this pair of bitches back in anything other than pieces, you’ll leave my dagger the fuck alone,” he warned. Argo barked once. He tugged on both of the leashes for emphasis. Getting her attention, the pit bull began to climb into his lap and lick his chin. With a frown, he pushed her off of his lap back on to the floor. “Stupid dog,” he muttered.
“Ares, I’m giving you a shot at fresh ambrosia. More powerful than the dried-out stuff you’ve been picking up off the floors of forgotten temples. It’s in Cabo, I know where. Take it or leave it. Three days,” Xena repeated. “We do the exchange, you get your ambrosia, the dog and the girl remain unharmed.” He was about to respond when she closed the laptop cutting the connection.
No one spoke for a moment and Gabrielle looked over to Aphrodite. “She’s fine,” the goddess reassured the bard. “I think Jennifer is fine too, she’s more frightened than Argo but for the time being I think they’re both safe.”
She nodded, trying to calm by sheer force of will the tension she felt in her core. She was not only worried about her dog and the escort but at her present altitude, felt incredibly far away from her crew and godson. “You noticed that Argo didn’t bark when he talked about coming after the ship. We need to get back there as quickly as we can.”
“We need to have some kind of plan when we arrive as well,” Xena added with a sad smile.
“I agree,” Aphrodite said as she feverishly tapped away some messages on her phone before finally turning her attention to the bard and warrior.
To Gabrielle it seemed a world away from her time with Xena in the bath tub when in reality it had barely been over twenty-four hours. Ed and Aphrodite had resumed their seats in the recliners while she leaned back in the couch, Xena’s arm draped affectionately around her shoulders. Planning and strategizing once again, with Xena next to her it at least felt like they were working towards something positive and achievable.
Chapter 17: Boss Battle
“Are you ready, Moose?” Gabrielle asked as she straightened the ten-year old’s tie. He was dressed in a black suit which matched the black dress and heels his godmother was wearing. With a warm smile, Gabrielle smoothed his shoulders and drew him in for a hug, planting a kiss on the top of his head.
He had asked to get ready in her bedroom, having more room to lay out his suit and get assistance from the bard with his tie. Gabrielle knew it was for the large bath tub but she didn’t mind. She ironed the suit while he bathed, chatting with him as he was momentarily distracted from his sadness by the suds enhanced by the jets in the tub.
Once again Gabrielle was amazed at Aphrodite’s efficacy and ability to motivate people to do the near impossible. When the jet had landed at LAX and they rushed to the helicopter, they were met by a courier from the Transportation division of Bardic & Company with Susan Yin’s ashes in one container, a tremendous assortment of flowers in another and the boy’s suit and dress shoes in a garment bag. She’d looked at Aphrodite in amazement and the goddess shrugged “You gave me class one clearance,” she had said as they climbed into the helicopter. “You also mentioned a funeral for Susan so I put two and two together and made some requests. I know people.”
Ed and Xena had helped stow everything on the helicopter as they took off. Here Xena’s utter amazement wouldn’t have been out of place even if Ed hadn’t been read in on the warrior’s history. “By the gods!” she exclaimed looking out the window and marveling at the bard’s ability to fly the craft.
Gabrielle smiled at the memory, drawn from her thoughts by the small hand that reached for hers and held on tightly. She and Shen left her quarters and made their way to bow of the yacht where the rest of the crew was assembled. There were a lot of reasons for the bard to be proud of her people and she was not shy about letting them know. But looking at the assembled faces she could not recall a better reason to be reassured in the choices she’d made in assembling her team. Gone was the usual vacation wear favored by her crew, all of them instead choosing suits; several of the men and women opting for ties as well. Everyone looked their best out of respect for their fallen colleague as well as the young boy grappling with that loss. Even Bohemian was scarcely recognizable in his three-piece suit, tie, and his dreadlocks pulled back into a ponytail. Shen let go of the bard’s hand and he took his place between his godmother and Aphrodite who was dressed in a subdued floral print. He hugged her briefly and nodded to Gabrielle to begin the service.
“I’ve known Susan a long time,” Gabrielle began. “She was someone I looked up to, someone who’s counsel and friendship I valued. She was loyal, to her family – her parents, to Tom and Trixie, to Shen and to me and this company. She believed in things beyond herself, the greater good, and felt those things were worth sacrifice. Susan valued every one of you. No one stands on this deck without meeting the highest standards in the Special Projects and Transportation divisions. Susan was proud and honored to consider all of you family, as am I. It is my intention to see her vision realized, to work to the best of my ability for a world where the good in people triumph over evil. Knowing people like all of you, and people like Susan gives me hope that it is indeed a possibility.” She looked down at the boy who had begun to cry, silent tears streaming down his face. “Did you want to add anything?” she asked him gently.
He sniffled, wiping his eyes with the handkerchief that Aphrodite had handed him. “There is something they say in the Spiderman movies and comics. That with great power comes great responsibility.” He shrugged. “I think this applies. I am sad that my grandma is gone, but I am not sad that she died doing work that she believed in. I think she would have preferred that to just dying for some random reason. I am glad that I have all of you in my life. I don’t think I could handle this without you guys.” He nodded to indicate that he was finished. He returned to his place next to Gabrielle who put her arm around him and squeezed affectionately.
Hatsuo went next to describe what he admired most about Susan. Bohemian talked about what he would miss, Michelle talked about her fondness for cooking. Every member of the crew took a couple of minutes to share a reminiscence about the woman. The impact she had on their lives; what they would miss what they treasured. Aphrodite spoke last. “I only met Susan recently,” she began looking out at the clear crisp day. They had stopped the ship for the ceremony, and the breeze was minimal, stopping completely as soon as Aphrodite started to speak. “She was warm and welcoming, kind, and funny. She had a lot of love in her heart and she felt that love fiercely. The love and respect you all felt for her, she knew that, the united belief that you all share in what a better world looks like, she was with you there too. She worked the hours she did and as hard as she did because she enjoyed your company and was dedicated to your purpose. And she saw no better legacy she could leave Shen, then a world that was in better shape than she found it. That reality might be hard to fathom right now, but that’s why it drove her. People never really leave us when they live in our memory; when you think of the dead- the dead can hear your thoughts.”
When she finished Xena began to sing and Gabrielle choked back tears at the sound. The notes struck a nearly forgotten chord with the bard, having heard the mournful and soothing tones while standing before so many funeral pyres. She could hear occasional sniffles from her crew and Shen wiped his eyes again before handing flowers to everyone. Then he and Gabrielle opened the container of ashes and the bard held him steady as he leaned over a section of railing and spilled the ashes into the ocean. With no breeze, they traveled neatly down. When he finished he took the bouquet of flowers that Aphrodite had been holding for him and tossed them overboard. Xena continued to sing while each mourner assembled followed suit finishing the song and tossing over several sunflowers herself.
The ocean’s current had moved the flowers as they were tossed and instead of a mass of flowers, they wound their way in a line from the boat away from the ship off into the distance. Shen watched them silently. Gabrielle knew that he was thinking about his mother, his father and his grandfather and etching the moment for his grandmother indelibly into his memory. It had been too much loss for a young boy and she was determined to protect him with everything she had. Susan Yin would have expected nothing less.
“What do you think, Moose?” Gabrielle asked while the rest of the crew looked on.
The boy nodded then turned away from the flowers. “I think grandma would be happy with this. I think she’d want us to have the cookies and ice cream now.” Gabrielle nodded approvingly and the group began to make their way to the tables set up with plates of cookies and bowls for the ice cream.
“Hey Shen,” Vox said as she approached with Ed following behind her. “You did really good today kiddo.” He nodded mutely and gave her a hug which had her wiping her eyes and shaking her head, determined not to cry. “I want you to meet a friend of mine, this is Ed.”
Shen looked past the engineer to the large black man standing behind her, his eyes growing wide with amazement. “You’re almost as big as The Hulk,” he said, clearly in awe.
“Thank you?” Ed replied with a bashful grin as he extended his hand which did indeed look massive compared to the ten-year old’s.
“Oh, it’s a compliment,” the boy clarified. “Anyone who is like an Avenger is cool in my book. Have you met Xena and Aphrodite? They’re kind of like super heroes too.”
“I have met them, I came in on the helicopter with them yesterday,” Ed supplied helpfully. “Gabrielle did an amazing job landing it on the yacht going as fast as it was.”
Shen nodded. “She’s like a superhero too. Are you going to join the ship’s crew? I can put in a good word with Gabrielle, she’s my godmother.”
Nervously Ed glanced from the boy to Gabrielle then bashfully caught the eye of both Xena then Aphrodite. “I’d like that Shen, thank you.” he said.
Gabrielle smiled at the pair then nodded to the ship’s captain who quickly came over. “We need to have a meeting as soon as people get their cookies and ice cream. I need to get something out of storage then we can start. Let’s get back underway, you can join us by monitor. I want someone in the control room at all times.” Michelle nodded then glanced down at the boy. “Shen is going to join us for the first part of the meeting,” Gabrielle continued, “then maybe he can give Ed a tour of the ship since he’s going to be joining us.”
Nicolai had been standing nearby and approached hearing the conversation. “I have some clothes he can wear. Tuxedo is nice for funeral but unless he’s James Bond…”
“Thank you, Nicolai,” Gabrielle replied. “I do think you’re the only one onboard who has anything remotely in Ed’s size. I’m not sure where we’re going to have you sleep.”
The bodybuilder shook his head. “I got a couple hours sleep on the couch in the control room last night and it was fine. I’m more than happy there. Elaine got me a blanket and a pillow- everyone has been great. I’m fine boss. Shen, why don’t you show me to the conference room while Gabrielle goes to storage?” Satisfied Gabrielle nodded and left the group. She returned to the conference room a short time later with a metal briefcase and took the seat Shen had saved for her. He had chosen to sit in between herself and Xena. It was a small gesture to be sure, but it seemed to the bard like the youngster was going out of his way to let both Xena and Aphrodite know that they were important to him.
When everyone was settled, Wolfgang shut the conference room door then activated the switch to indicate that the room was sealed. The screen of Gabrielle’s phone showed Michelle in the control room, watching the array of readouts, guiding the large yacht towards their destination.
“Okay, this first part of the meeting I wanted to include Shen, because we all need to be on the same page here,” she began, scanning the faces of her assembled crew. “Shen, in all honesty, The Hippolyta isn’t the safest place for you right now. The problem is, we are the safest people for you to be around so while I’m not happy about having to take you into battle, I wouldn’t want you surrounded by anyone else besides everyone in this very room. We are on our way to Mexico and whether it’s before we get there, or after we get there, we are going to be attacked. I wanted you to be in this part of the meeting because you have to know that everyone one here would put their life on the line to protect you, because it’s what Susan would have wanted and because it is what I want. But you have to understand, that if you don’t do exactly what we ask you to do – even if you don’t want to- especially if you don’t want to– from now until I give the all clear – not only would you be putting your own welfare at risk, you’d also be endangering anyone trying to help you. Even a delay of a minute or two could keep someone from being at the next place they needed to be, and that might be protecting someone else.” Shen nodded solemnly and Gabrielle knew that her words were resonating, the meeting coming on the heels of a funeral may have had something to do with that.
Gabrielle turned her attention to the rest of the crew, “from here on out, I want everyone armed. Always stay in pairs, all of our security protocols must be followed, taking absolutely no chances. Wear your defensive gear, stay on the comms, don’t take any chances. Your downtime will be minimal, use it wisely. Easton’s people will be a well-trained private militia force; black-ops people, ruthless professionals. They won’t hesitate to attack us at sea and they will try to slip on board and take people out using stealth. They may come by helicopter, they may come by boat or submerged, and it is not by mistake that we are leaving US waters. We will fare much better answering to the Mexican government if we are required to shoot at people, helicopters, boats you name it. We need to stay sharp, the slightest thing you notice, I don’t care who you are or what job you’re doing, you say something. The drones might be tiny, expect military grade gear. She turned her attention back to her godson. “Moose, I want you to take Ed on a tour of the ship, while we finish our meeting. Nicolai is going to go with you as well. I want you to inventory the food and water in the safe room. Make sure there is a laptop in there, some books, a pair of headphones. Make sure the bathroom in there and everything else works. When the fight gets going, and I don’t mean ‘if’ I mean ‘when’, you are going to have to seal yourself in there which will free up the rest of us to fight. You will be able to communicate with us, but it’s possible you may be in there for even a day or two or more. Honey, you are going to be a big target and we can’t let that happen okay? If you were to leave the safe room, for any reason, even if you thought you were helping…”
Shen nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. “If I were to leave, people would be taken from the fight to protect me and that means they can’t protect you, or help you. I was listening.” Gabrielle nodded, beaming at the boy. “It’s going to be okay,” he added, “You’ll see. And on our tour of the ship, we can stop at Nicolai’s cabin so Ed can get some new clothes.”
“Ed,” Gabrielle said turning her attention to the flight attendant. “Nicolai will brief you on the ship, and get you some gear. Wear your comm units and you can hear the rest of the meeting.” She hugged Shen briefly and sent him on his way, the boy looking tiny walking in between the two hulking men. He’d taken each of their hands and the bard couldn’t but smile at the sweetness of it. While not safe, he was still probably safer here than elsewhere.
Once they’d left and Wolfgang had resealed the room she turned her attention to the rest of the crew. “I wasn’t exaggerating for Shen’s benefit,” she said. “When we were in DC we learned some things about Ares and his agenda. The guy has no qualms about starting World War Three. He’s adamant about having no one- especially us- getting in the way of the insane Turner Administration. In addition to Argo as hostage he has a woman named Jennifer who doesn’t need to be involved in any of this.”
“We will arrive in Mexico the day after tomorrow – first light, do we know when Ares will get there?” Michelle asked, after consulting her tablet for an updated ETA.
“Ares is going to arrive at the beach by land,” Xena replied casually. “We need to have this fight in the light, he’s going to want it in the dark.”
“How can you know that?” Hatsuo asked, frowning slightly.
The warrior shrugged. “It makes the most sense,” she explained. “He can have more people around him, make less of a scene when he gets there by arriving overland. As for nighttime, he doesn’t want to do any of the things he’s doing in the open. He has always been more comfortable pulling the strings from behind the scenes.”
“An armada of ships going after a pleasure yacht is going to get people’s attention,” Aphrodite added. “Whereas a caravan of SUVs isn’t as out of place.”
“So, we meet him on the beach.” Bohemian said, then asked, “What then?”
“Not so fast,” Gabrielle interjected. “Xena, Aphrodite, and I will go ashore, and we will take three people with us. I want the rest of you on The Hippolyta. Protecting Shen and this ship.” She looked at the faces of her crew and decided upon her next course of action. “Vox and Wolfgang – the two of you will stay onboard on the comms with Brian Glass in DC. He has agreed to liaison for us with his people, to an informal degree. We can probably get some satellite imagery from him. Nicolai, you are staying onboard, close to Shen. The rest of you are free to volunteer to go ashore, no judgement if you feel that your talents are better spent onboard.” It was no surprise that every hand went up around the table. Gabrielle picked up her phone, prepared to text Xena and Aphrodite to confer with them as to who she should choose to accompany them but then she put the phone down deciding that this decision was hers alone. She knew the crew better than they did and if things went wrong, she did not want to share the responsibility either. “Sarah, Elaine, and Ed the three of you will join us.” Get suited up.
“Ingrid, I want you to review every extreme protocol about this ship. Every trap, every strength, every weakness; I want every one of Ares’ people to regret ever setting foot onboard her.”
“Yes, boss,” came the immediate reply from the mechanic.
“Bo- I’d like you and your sniper rifle on the top deck watching over us, but that will leave you potentially exposed.”
The tall man nodded and gave Gabrielle a boyish smirk, “I guarantee I’m a better shot than they are. I got your back.”
Steve Hagstrom, the bosun raised his finger to ask a question. “What’s the plan? Besides trying to get Ares to show himself in daylight.” When Gabrielle opened her mouth to speak then seemed to reconsider, he added “I’m prepared for it to sound completely insane.”
The chuckles that followed put everyone at ease and the bard glanced to the companions sitting on her right and left before opening the briefcase and continuing. “At some point, we need Ares on the beach, hopefully a beach void of civilians. We need to rescue the hostage, get Argo back and catch him in a shockwave that we expect to be generated by Hephaestus’ hammer hitting Xena’s chakram.” As she mentioned the two items, she withdrew them from the padded metal briefcase and also extracted Ares’ sheathed dagger.
“I thought those weren’t on the ship?” Michelle asked in surprise.
“We were outside when the subject came up and I was worried about drones listening in, not about you Captain.” Gabrielle said reassuringly. She pointed to a small initial on one side of the chakram, “here is the stamp of Hephaestus,” she said.
“And the dagger?” Ingrid Kamaka asked as she looked warily at the dagger. “It has his power, yeah? Shouldn’t we try to destroy it?” The suggestion by the ship’s mechanic was met by several nods of agreement around the table.
Xena shook her head. “No way will he release the hostage without it. He doesn’t care about Jennifer one way or the other, but I think he will release her when he gets the knife, as a sign of good faith for something he wants more. He’ll probably try to keep Argo for…” she was about to say ‘ambrosia’ and stopped herself. “…leverage,” she said instead.
“So, the crew going ashore…” Prisha Washburn began to ask.
“Elaine will be with Aphrodite, Ed with Xena and Sarah with me. The three of us,” she indicated herself, Xena and the goddess, “will need to be separated. We need to get Jennifer out and to safety- Aphrodite that’s your mission. Between Xena and I- one of us will throw the chakram, the other will throw the hammer…”
“Argo might be able to provide some helpful distraction at that moment,” the goddess offered helpfully.
“When the hammer hits the chakram the blast should hurt Ares, and anyone else close to him which is why we want to keep him isolated. We have to do this from a distance – and we only get one shot at it.” Gabrielle explained.
“Nope, this doesn’t sound impossible at all.” Bohemian added, wincing as Vox kicked him under the table.
“I admit it isn’t perfect,” the bard confessed. “But believe me when I say Xena and I have made things work with stranger planning than this. I want everyone to suit up. Get in those last-minute drills, check weapons, traps, surveillance everything. Wear your Kevlar, everything that might give us an edge will be needed.”
“His people will be similarly protected,” Xena added. “They are not going to try and wound you, they will try and kill you. If they didn’t, Ares would kill them. Don’t expect a shred of mercy.”
As Gabrielle stood, nodding that the meeting was concluded, Aphrodite put a gentle hand on her forearm, “We need to have a chat,” she said when the bard glanced at Xena, added, “privately, if that’s okay.”
“Do you want to go to my study?’ Gabrielle asked, concerned. “It’s secure.”
“How about a nice stroll on deck?” the goddess countered. “I enjoy the sunshine.”
“Sure,” Gabrielle agreed, having no idea what they were going to talk about. “Xena?”
The warrior grinned and nodded to the group of people making their way out of the conference room. “It’s okay,” she assured the bard. “I want to see what’s in the armory and get a tour of the ship from a military point of view. You will…” she searched for the right phrase, “text me when you guys are done?”
Gabrielle nodded in the affirmative and kissed the warrior quickly before following the goddess from the conference room.
After making their way to the top deck, they strolled in silence for several minutes before Gabrielle nudged Aphrodite’s shoulder. “Out with it,” she finally said.
“I’m trying to put my thoughts in order,” the goddess replied and Gabrielle chuckled.
“Honey, it’s me. You don’t have to be elegant. You are kind of freaking me out with your seriousness.”
Aphrodite stopped walking and leaned against the railing on the main deck and looked out at the expanse of blue. She turned back to her companion and smiled looking down at the green eyes looking back up at her with such concern. “Gabrielle,” she began and the bard was surprised to hear the sound of her name uttered by the goddess outside of the bedroom. Ever the fan of endearments, the woman speaking to her now was as serious as the bard from Potidaea had ever seen her. “Admitting vulnerability is not really my cup of tea. But this is important and we need to address it. Gabrielle stayed silent, letting the goddess take her time. “I can’t directly attack Ares and he can’t attack me- I know you know that part. He can’t be hurt by anything on this ship except the chakram, the hammer, his dagger, you and Argo.” Gabrielle looked at her in surprise but she continued. “That moment, in Mexico on the beach when you tasted my blood – it lets you penetrate a barrier of sorts. Not just into my feelings, but physically as well. For example, if we were still fucking and you scratched my back you’d actually leave a scratch now, or a hickey or whatever.” She shrugged, having made her point. “If Argo were angry and bit me, I’d suffer a dog bite. I’d heal, mind you, but not quickly unless I had some Ambrosia.”
“Argo?” Gabrielle asked wondering how the ability was bestowed on her dog.
“I wasn’t planning on that.” Aphrodite explained. “After…you know…you were in a thrall of sorts and fell over. Argo rushed over to see if you were okay, then noticed my hand, and you know how dogs are about licking wounds. I didn’t realize some blood had seeped out,” she said shrugging helplessly. “Well… I could communicate with her before of course, but it’s much easier now. I also think she might live a bit longer than average for a dog her size.”
Frozen, Gabrielle stood, mulling over the multitude of thoughts that cascaded through her mind. She had seen Aphrodite this exposed and vulnerable once before, during a night filled with sex that left her nearly comatose; gazing down as she’d straddled the goddess, but this was for an entirely different reason. “Why?” she asked. “Did you know this would happen- with me I mean. I get that Argo was an accident.”
The Goddess of Love looked uncomfortable but took a deep breath and answered. Clearly this level of candor was distressing. “I wanted something to continue to connect us when the physicality of our relationship ended. I was in the thrall of power and memories at the time which is why I didn’t explain what was going to happen and give you the opportunity for informed consent.” She sighed and shrugged in defeat, “I also didn’t want to deal with the rejection if you said ‘no’. In hindsight, it was not fair of me to do that, I owe you an apology.”
There it was. Simultaneously, Gabrielle felt as if an unseen fog had been lifted between herself and the goddess yet at the same time an immense weight had settled upon her shoulders. Aphrodite loved her, truly loved her and that awareness represented a responsibility that the bard had not anticipated.
She didn’t say anything as she offered her arm to the goddess and continued to stroll up to the bow section of her ship. They walked, arm in arm before the bard spoke. “Aphrodite. I’m not sorry you did it. I am not sorry at all.” She left it there, saying anything more about her love for the goddess or how she was valued felt too much like leading her on. “Something tells me that if we weren’t about to battle Ares, you wouldn’t be mentioning this at all,” she added, matter-of-factly.
“Correct,” Aphrodite confirmed. “Some things can simply be felt without discussion. And this isn’t my favorite kind of chat.”
“But you want us to have every advantage where Ares is concerned? This is also why you weren’t worried about Argo. Because to some degree she can protect herself?”
The goddess nodded, “Ares can hurt her. She hasn’t had Ambrosia. But she can hurt him and he doesn’t know that. He knows his dagger can cut him, and he will suspect that he is vulnerable to the chakram which I’m sure he suspects you have. Xena has told him about the hammer. We don’t have a lot of surprises on our side. We will have to use them wisely. I have no idea if he will anticipate what will happen when the chakram and hammer collide. I’ll be honest, I didn’t know that would happen, but I was also pointedly disinterested in my husband’s work.”
They were standing at the bow of the ship, just past the pad where the Bardic & Company helicopter was secured. Gabrielle looked up at the goddess as a strange thought came to her. “Xena and I aren’t the same, are we? This is about that as well, isn’t it?”
Aphrodite favored her with one of her radiant smiles. “Dear one, you and Xena have never been ‘the same.’”
“You know what I mean,” Gabrielle persisted.
“I do, and you’re right. Xena is starting her life over in many respects. She has the essence, if you will, of three Olympians. Sure, you’ve both had ambrosia, but the fact that you ingested it post birth puts you on a more even footing with her given that you only have the essence of one Olympian in your system.” Aphrodite looked out at the ocean and opted not to make the joke about ‘fluid bonding’ that came to her. Instead she opted for more honesty. “You don’t have the same abilities as Xena, but you both have abilities beyond that of other mortals. Let’s face it, to some degree you are beyond Xena. You’ve put more training, studying, and living into your skill set than she ever had the chance to. You’ve made yourself Ares equal the hard way. The same work that Xena put in but without the godly DNA. He will underestimate you and that is another advantage. You don’t need the essence of gods to be beyond other people. The life you’ve lived has done that. Keep eating ambrosia, in small quantities – and you- and Xena- could end up like me.”
Gabrielle was fairly certain that her heart didn’t stop beating, it just felt that way. The Goddess of Love just offered her godhood. She searched for the possible words she could utter in response and finding none, simply took a step closer to the goddess and hugged her, trying to put all the love and affection she felt for her into that simple gesture. “Let’s kick that can down the road for a few hundred years and revisit it later, okay?” she finally said. She felt the soft chuckle thrum through Aphrodite’s body and smiled. It was a humbling feeling for Gabrielle- not to have one amazing love in her life, but two.
Pleased, but not surprised that the crew had waited for the two of them to return before serving breakfast, Gabrielle made a point to sit at the table with Rebekah Luna, the attorney traveling with the crew of The Hippolyta. Shen nudged her playfully and asked if he could eat with Vox, Bo, Ed, Nicolai and Wolfgang. She watched him go as Aphrodite and Xena joined her at the table with the attorney and Ingrid, the mechanic.
“We need to talk,” Gabrielle said shifting her gaze from her godson to lawyer. “I hear you’re feeling redundant.”
Rebekah smiled at her, and quite in character with the shrewd lawyer, her smile gave away nothing. “In Michelle and Elaine’s cabin there is a chart with pool going trying to identify all of the professions you’ve undoubtedly had. I put ‘lawyer’ on that list myself.” There was no animosity in her voice, no judgement- if anything there was a sense of respect one would give a respected colleague.
“The fact that I’ve passed the bar gives me a greater appreciation for someone who has passion for it,” the bard protested. “Look, seven of us have a captain’s licenses but there is only ever one captain at a time on this ship. I own The Hippolyta, but if Michelle tells me to do something, I do it.” Aphrodite chuckled and Gabrielle shot her an annoyed glance. “Besides,” Gabrielle continued, “I need you to get in touch with someone from the President’s office in Mexico. Explain what is going on- as much as appropriate,” she added quickly. “Maria Sanchez is no fan of Turner and it is her people who will be in the line of fire if that beach isn’t cleared.”
The attorney nodded, deciding that the bard had made a good argument. “We might be able to get a video meeting with the president and Susan Vincent if she’s speaking for Gabrielle Evans.”
“Yeah, that would make sense. If you can get that setup I’ll put on something appropriate and we can do the chat from my office.” Gabrielle agreed.
“See if there is a way that the President can choke off Ares from the bulk of his force,” Xena suggested. “Have Ares and a small force go through, then have some kind of road closure or other kind of emergency that would require a long detour. Ares will probably be in the first third of his army- not at the front of it but he’s too anxious to be the last one to arrive.” She glanced down the deck, azure blue eyes landing on the secured helicopter at the bow of the ship. “When we get closer, you might want to do a reconnaissance flight,” she suggested. “Get a better sense of where exactly he may arrive from?”
“Elaine and I were chatting as we did a security sweep this morning,” Ingrid mentioned as she finished her pancakes. “Has anyone contacted Poseidon I mean you’re going up against a god with a god, but you’d think you’d want as many gods as you can get your hands on, right?” The way she said it made it sound like she was suggesting wearing a flowered shirt to a luau but the glances exchanged between Gabrielle, Xena and Aphrodite made it clear the statement was profound.
“Do you think he’d help?” Xena asked.
“Uncle Ariel? He couldn’t have skittered off that beach fast enough when he heard Ares was in the mix,” Aphrodite said with disgust.
“We should at least reach out,” Gabrielle countered. “Give him the opportunity to help. He recently contacted us for a new identity, we have a way to get through to him which is more immediate than his usual spy-craft protocols.”
“I can reach out,” Rebekah suggested. “I’ll work with Elaine on the comms. Write up a brief let him know where we’re at and what’s going to happen. But will he believe it’s really from us? He seems paranoid.”
“Tell him I mentioned Nerites.” Aphrodite said. “And if he’s being stubborn tell him to do it for Rhodos and Herophilos.” Ingrid opened her mouth to speak and the goddess silenced her with a glance. “Nerites was my first love and I turned him into a shell fish because he broke my heart. It’s not something I mention to a lot of people.” She shot a small grin at Gabrielle before continuing “I handle rejection much better now. Anyway, Rhodos and Herophilos are the two daughters I had with Poseidon.” Ingrid dropped her fork which clattered on her plate and fell to the deck. Several people at other tables looked over to see if there was a problem and Aphrodite frowned at the mechanic. “I know what you’re thinking, and while I don’t blame you for being horrified, I also don’t owe you an explanation or apology,” the goddess said quietly, but forcefully. “For sure, incest is bad, and wrong, horrific all the other awful adjectives. That’s a big ‘duh’. But for a second put yourself in my place. You are part of a handful of people who are immortal. There aren’t a lot of options out there for people who are like you, or understand you, or can even deal with you on your level. My culture pre-existed yours and didn’t have the same taboos so to judge me by them millennia later is rather unfair. And don’t get me wrong, you have your taboos for very good reason I might add, keep those taboos right where they are. I just wish all mortals were as horrified as you were just now.
“Anyway, I’d had an affair with Ares, yes that Ares, and Poseidon helped me out and…” she shrugged. With a fork, she reached across the table and speared the remaining pancake on the mechanic’s plate, the one she knew stood no chance of being eaten at this point and transferred them to her plate before digging in. “Come on, we were all consenting adults here…”
“I think she’s still getting over mythology being more history than myth,” Rebekah observed. “I will say that I’m grateful the spirits of my people and lore I’ve heard on the reservation isn’t something I’m actively grappling with.”
“Whatever,” Aphrodite, replied with a little exasperation. “Tell Ariel that he owes me and he really should help us. The world that Ares wants, has always wanted isn’t going to go any easier for him walking around on dry land.”
“It’s going to get a lot worse,” Xena added. “I’ve no doubt Poseidon feels the devastation of climate change and what’s happening in the oceans more profoundly than any of us. For that reason alone, he should be in favor of people that want a different world than the one Ares wants.”
The lawyer nodded in agreement and stood. “I think I’ve got enough to draft a persuasive missive to Mr. Waters,” she said. “Do you want to see it before I send it?”
Gabrielle smiled in appreciation. “Don’t wait for me,” she said. “I trust you, send the letter, you know what you’re doing. I’m going to meet with everyone on board, review every facet of what we’ve got for a plan thus far. If you need anything, you know how to reach me. When I’m done I’ll meet with you in my office to talk to President Sanchez.”
~~~~~~~
Xena adjusted the night vision goggles and peered down at the ground below as Gabrielle smoothly brought the helicopter around. There was no sign of Ares but even so, they had opted not to use the search light and give away their presence. While the helicopter could be heard obviously, anyone on the ground would have to estimate where exactly it was or what it was doing. “Right there,” the warrior announced, “just a little to the right, you’re over it right now, that’s the road that leads to the beach, the quickest route at any rate. And there, it ends and you’ve got sand.” Xena spoke into the mic attached to her headset and Gabrielle heard her quite plainly over the noise of the vehicle. “Is there room for several jeeps to move side by side? Or will they have to go single file?”
The warrior frowned, considering. “Jeeps are the width of the cars we passed on our way over here?”
“More or less.”
“They could get three abreast, the sand to the sides of the road is fairly flat. I see some rocks though so they can’t move quickly. Can you take us over to the cliff where Aphrodite tossed my urn.” Xena realized as soon as she said it how strange it sounded; her urn, her ashes- she’d been dead. That was still a hard one to swallow. Upon further reflection, she decided that it couldn’t be any stranger than the things she’d experienced of late: Traveling from one side of a country to another in a matter of hours, flying like a graceful bird in a helicopter, traveling the ocean in a floating palace and seeing Gabrielle, her Gabrielle, in charge of an elite army. Absently, she wondered if Aphrodite was right- if she had come back different somehow. She didn’t feel different necessarily, but she did feel like she’d made a choice to learn from the things she’d done previously and that included taking the risk to be more open with Gabrielle. Was that due to Aphrodite’s influence or just maturity? Something caught her eye at the base of the narrow outcrop of rock and she refocused the binoculars, it was a number of stingrays feeding on squid close to the surface of the water. Unsarcastically she felt protective of them.
“One of us needs to get Ares up on that ledge and shove him off, the other will throw their weapon from below. Do you want to throw the hammer or the chakram?” Gabrielle asked moving down a bit for a closer look.
“Do you have a preference?” Xena asked noting how narrow the formation over the water was and how sharp the rocks looked below.
“I spent more than a decade throwing your chakram around in Egypt,” Gabrielle explained. “I’m more comfortable with that.”
Xena nodded “I’ll take the hammer. You know,” the warrior continued, “we’re going to be pretty exposed on the beach. There really isn’t any kind of cover. They’ve got the rocks, and your ship is going to have to be pretty far out for a mooring. They will have the same weapons that they used in DC? The guns?”
Gabrielle nodded, “You can count on that. But they’ll be using automatic weapons possibly- a lot more bullets. We’re going to need as much confusion and chaos as we can muster when the fighting starts. Have you seen enough?” she asked after making a quick scan of her control panel to check the fuel. The warrior nodded. “I’m going to fly low over a couple of other areas on our way back,” Gabrielle explained. “If anyone is watching us I want there to be several places they think we’re interested in, not just this part of the beach.”
Xena nodded in agreement, putting the binoculars down and watching the bard’s movements with wonder. “Do you want to take the stick?” Gabrielle asked with a smile as she guided the craft higher. She read the look of apprehension and excitement on the warrior’s face as an affirmative. She guided Xena’s hand to the control stick, covering it with her own showing her how the control resulted in movement of the craft. Words were not needed. Like its own language, Gabrielle could almost feel her thoughts transmitted to her lover via the tactile touch. While she knew it technically wasn’t so, there was no denying the unique electricity that passed between them that she’d never encountered with anyone else. After a few moments, she removed her hand, and decided that the look of joy and wonder on Xena’s face as she guided the craft was one of the most radiant sights she’d ever seen.
Together they spent nearly the next hour making an extensive and believable survey of any number of prominent places along the Cabo San Lucas coastline. She’d noted on her map several places that would make sense for The Hippolyta to anchor providing as safe a trajectory as possible from yacht to beach. She touched down smoothly on the helicopter pad as the ship continued on its way to the very end of the Baja peninsula. They were met by Ed and Steve who quickly and efficiently secured the vehicle to the ship. Michelle was also waiting for them at the landing pad.
“Any sign of company?” Gabrielle asked as she took off her headset and left it on the seat of the helicopter.
The captain shook her head. “Nothing yet. Aphrodite said she’s going to keep watch tonight. She’s in the command center at the moment and has been making frequent rounds on deck; said she can tell if anyone approaches whether they are on a boat, under water, or in the air. She’s our very best defense at the moment.” Gabrielle noticed that any attraction that the captain felt for the goddess was completely absent from this conversation. She was discussing a valued member of the crew who had a unique skillset.
Gabrielle nodded, understanding. “Did she say anything else?”
Only now did Michelle Fender blush, “She said to get some rest…eventually. Tomorrow is going to be a big day. Don’t overdo it.” The captain shrugged apologetically.
“It’s fine,” Gabrielle assured her. “Let me know when we get there, I’ll be on deck shortly thereafter unless something happens. If anything seems amiss, do not hesitate to wake me. What about Shen?”
“Nicolai and Ed are taking turns staying with him. He can get to the safe hold from his quarters in less than thirty seconds. Twenty-two seconds is his average to get in and seal the hold his best time is seventeen.” With a nod and a thankful smile, Gabrielle dismissed the captain.
“There is nothing more you can do tonight,” Xena suggested gently. “You should get some rest…eventually” she added with a seductive whisper as the bard followed her to their cabin, albeit at this point with a somewhat larger grin on her face.
~~~~~~~~~~
Gabrielle adjusted the brim of her baseball hat and sunglasses as the zodiac sped towards the beach. Her ship was moored as close to the rock outcrop as its huge size would allow. Bohemian Van Lyle, the member of her crew whose marksmanship was in the same league as Gabrielle’s watching over them with a sniper rifle. Michelle Fender was in the command center with Wolfgang Fowler, navigator and Vox Wandre, engineer manning the conn communicating with Gabrielle as well as other divisions in the company. Steve Hagstrom the bosun was in the engine room with Ingrid Kamaka ready to spring any number of traps when the ship was eventually boarded. Hatsuo Eko, the chief of security was watching the monitors in the control room, coordinating with the crew and the Transportation Forces in Mexico. Nicolai Burns; armed to the teeth sous chef, stood guard near the ships most secure safe hold. The rest of the crew on board; stewards Blake Taylor and Samantha Ramirez, navigator Prisha Washburn, and lawyer Rebekah Luna were making frequent sweeps of the ship, keeping an eye out for the invaders they knew were coming.
All of Gabrielle’s crew members were dressed in battle gear, the crew staying on The Hippolyta as well as in the zodiac with her. Executive Officer Elaine Jackson, chef Sarah Gibson, and flight attendant Ed Schecter looked every inch the elite fighting force that they were. Dangerous visions in beige, the uniforms were the color of sand. The military grade tactical armor might protect her and her crew from Ares’ men, but she didn’t fool herself into thinking that the Kevlar or weapons she wore would do anything against the god except for the chakram contained in a reinforced pocket at her back. The sky was bleak, the air heavy with moisture and the sea spray cold. The idyllic day of Xena’s resurrection seemed like a lifetime ago.
She signaled to Xena and Aphrodite using sign language although the mic and earpiece she wore could have transmitted her voice just as well. “Should we get our hands on some actual ambrosia?” she asked.
“It’s a gamble either way,” Aphrodite signed back. “If he gets his hands on it, he will eat it immediately. But it is the one solid bargaining chip you’ve got. It’s not like I’d let it go to waste if we can keep if from him.” she added with a smile.
Xena nodded and signed back to the other two. “I think I have a solution for that.” She said, moving her hands efficiently as if she’d been speaking ASL for years. “I’ll meet up with you guys on shore. You need to stall Ares until I get there. Try not to tell him I went after the ambrosia; my gut says that Poseidon really doesn’t want other Olympians to know what exactly ambrosia is and where it comes from.”
Aphrodite looked genuinely stung by the words so Gabrielle added quickly, “Clearly you aren’t just anyone.”
“Thank you, dear,” She replied out loud.
“Be careful, please.” Gabrielle said before Xena winked then tipped herself backwards out of the boat and Ed, who was guiding the tiller of the motor looked at the bard in surprise.
“She’s okay,” Gabrielle reassured him, as well as Sarah and Elaine who looked back at the splash. “She will meet up with us on the beach.” He shrugged and kept a steady hand, steering the inflatable through the choppy water.
“There, on shore,” Elaine called out pointing as she peered through binoculars. “I see four jeeps.”
Gabrielle looked in the direction her executive officer was pointing to see the vehicles were making their way across the sand to intersect with their trajectory. “Can you count the passengers?” she asked then added, “Wolfie, what do you have for me?”
“Vox has the drone in the air and is on the line with Glass, he’s knocked the satellite offline, the wrong people were using the data,” he said. “They have limited comms now. You’ve got four jeeps which came off the road like Xena predicted. Ares has sent two guys up the cliff in back, snipers no doubt. Vox counts eighteen people on the beach, plus Ares, Argo, and the other hostage.” He was quiet a moment and she heard him say something in Spanish into another mic. “We’re getting word from the Mexican government that they’ve choked off the rest of the convoy,” the navigator responded. “Our people from Transportation arrived and are assisting the local authorities in keeping an additional ten jeeps from joining the first four. You’ve got nineteen hostiles, not an additional forty.”
“Ares is in the third vehicle,” Aphrodite added. “That will be the one with the hostages. I can feel that he’s got men in the water too, no doubt to board your ship as soon as we engage on shore. There are a lot of men in the water, I’d say about thirty.”
Gabrielle nodded. Not the best news but not unexpected. “You copy Wolfie?”
“Roger that, boss.”
“Any sign of Ariel?” she asked the goddess, grateful that even if Ares was listening they wouldn’t know who she was talking about. Sadly, Aphrodite shook her head.
As the zodiac rode a final wave into shore Elaine and Sarah jumped out to pull the boat onto the sand. One last time Gabrielle glanced down at the host of weapons stowed on the bottom of the inflatable. They were beyond exposed on the beach but that’s what they’d planned for. Her best option was to not look like a threat. Before leaving the zodiac, she made an obvious show of taking the gun from her shoulder holster, the one from her hip, and one from her ankle holster and leaving them in the boat as well. She still had two guns at her back, safetys off, but they were well concealed. Aphrodite was unarmed, dressed in the same sand colored tactical clothing, minus the gear. Ed, Elaine, and Sarah stayed with the boat, keeping their hands visible, but not disarming.
Bard and goddess walked the short distance onto the sand. They stopped midway between Ares’ jeeps and the zodiac and waited. There was a pop in her earpiece and some static. Then Wolfgang’s voice cut through briefly, “They’re trying to jam our signal boss. Red Dragon secure…”
“Launch now,” Gabrielle replied. “Copy?”
“Rog—“ and the signal went dead. Confident that the company-wide assault against the God of War was underway she could only hope that their efforts to jam signals between Ares and his forces were proving as successful as his assault against hers. A heartbeat of worry descended and she thought about her people in harm’s way but she purposefully put that to the side. Adequately warned and advised the only thing to do now was respect the decision made by her people. She glanced behind her, wishing Xena were there.
“Not one but two irritating blonds,” Ares said in greeting as he confidently crossed the distance from his jeep. “And don’t you two look butch. I’m pretty sure only one of you is supposed to be the man,” he added with a self-satisfied smirk. In one hand, he held Argo’s leash and in the other a gun pointed at the dog’s head. In the jeep three mercenaries held guns on the escort who looked terrified. “Where is Xena?” he demanded when he stood next to the pair, towering over Gabrielle. “Or did you chase her off to keep this piece of ass all to yourself?” he asked his sister with a suggestive leer.
Aphrodite rolled her eyes, “And people wonder where lesbians come from,” she replied dismissively. Reaching into the pocket on her thigh, a number of Ares’ men raised their guns, she shot her brother an annoyed glare and he waved his hand to forestall his men. She extracted Ares sheathed dagger saying, “We are prepared to do some deal making if you think you can stop being a dick for five minutes, which I realize is a stretch.”
“It’s not too late to switch sides ya know,” he replied, ignoring the barb. “Your interests align better with mine than theirs ya know. Long lived perhaps, but they’re still mortal. And give me back my fucking knife.”
“Not until you release Jennifer,” Gabrielle said. The god’s attention was momentarily distracted by a single shot into the surf. The God of War held up a hand again to stop any additional shooting. The bard turned her head to see Xena striding confidently out of the surf towards them. She was soaked, but didn’t seem to mind at all.
“That’s far enough Xena,” Ares called before the warrior reached the other two. “Where is my ambrosia?”
“Let the woman go and we’ll talk,” she replied smoothing her hair back from her face.
The God of War, like his men was dressed in black tactical military garb; he wore an assortment of weapons and his short-cropped hair and Oakley sunglasses completed the alt-right picture. He seemed to do a quick calculation in his head and signaled to his men, “Let the bitch go,” he shouted to them. “That one anyway,” he added with a smirk.
Aphrodite stepped forward to meet the woman, roughly shoved out of the vehicle. She walked back towards the inflatable, walking behind the frightened woman to block her from any potential attack from the beach. When they neared the zodiac she signaled Elaine who moved forward to intercept the escort.
“That’s far enough,” Ares shouted with a glare at Xena. “No one moves any farther until I get my knife, the Ambrosia, and the hammer.” For emphasis, he jerked on the dog’s leash.
Xena noted Jennifer’s position, shielded by Aphrodite near the executive officer. Sarah Gibson was focused on Xena and it was clear that Ed was focused on Gabrielle. They weren’t in much of a position to argue. Xena nodded to Aphrodite who tossed the sheathed dagger to The God of War. He caught it easily and put the dagger in the cargo pocket on his pants. “The Ambrosia is up on the cliff,” she said with a nod to the tall arch not that far down the beach. You climb the cliff, it’s under a rock at the edge over the arch. I’ll go with you. When you have the Ambrosia you signal your men to let the dog go, then I’ll give you the hammer.” She nodded to the ancient weapon that rested at her thigh, the leather strap clipped to a loop on her tactical pants.
He smiled, revealing a row of perfect teeth. “Not so fast Xena,” he said with a slight nod of his head. “Change of plans. Your brat stays here on the beach. I’m bringing the dog, my sister and you up the cliff, and you three.” He said nodding to three of the men who had ridden in the jeep with him. Any funny business from you and all your new friends get riddled with bullets.”
“Take me instead of Aphrodite,” Gabrielle suggested helpfully.
Ares chuckled, his expression stating that he found her suggestion indeed funny. “Um. Fuck, no,” he said. “You’re annoying,” then, stepping aside with a formal bow added, “after you, ladies.”
Gabrielle met Xena’s eyes briefly as she headed towards the cliff. The bard’s eyes pled for caution and the warrior’s eyes returned reassurance. Having already repeatedly restated their love for each other in a variety of positions the night before, this moment was about the mission. Through years of adventures it had developed into the signature strength between the warrior and bard. Not the necessity to keep their love affair separate from their often life-threatening mission of fighting for the greater good, but rather their love affair sustaining and strengthening their ability to do so. Xena and Gabrielle were not the battling force of nature in spite of being lovers, rather because of it. Still, the frustration she saw there was genuine. This is not how they had planned the event, but some improvisation would be expected.
Absently the bard wondered if Ares knew that she could hurt him, certainly he knew that Aphrodite couldn’t, but he couldn’t hurt her either, so that was something. Knowing that there wasn’t anything she could do about Ares for the time being, she focused on the imminent battle before her. She noted the positions of the remaining men in the jeeps and the two snipers on the cliff that she couldn’t really see but knew where they were thanks to Wolfgang. Calculating the angles in a heartbeat, she made her best guess as to where they’d be positioned. The briefest glance told her that Ares’ men had varying degrees of readiness and experience. Some had their hands on their weapons, some did not. There was no doubt that Ed, Sarah and Elaine were making the same assessments themselves. With her hands at her sides she casually tapped at a switch in her pocket. In her earpiece, it sounded like breaks in the static but all of her people knew Morse Code. For now, she would watch and wait choosing the moment to make her move.
Xena led the way to the cliff, followed by Aphrodite then Ares holding Argo’s leash, with Ares’ men bringing up the rear. She moved as quickly as she dared, wanting to keep the god close behind and knowing it was only a matter of time until the men on the beach started shooting.
“Nice of your bard to disarm before joining me on the beach,” he said conversationally, picking his way up the cliff. “Not that I give a shit, mortals are expendable – that’s why they’re mortals.”
“One of the many reasons why you suck and Gabrielle rocks,” Aphrodite muttered as she climbed.
“I don’t get it, sis,” Ares chuckled, “you and Xena with the brat? If I’d known you were into threesomes…”
“Watch your step,” Xena cautioned, changing the subject after kicking some rocks loose. She reached the top of the narrow ledge and turned, keeping a careful eye on Argo as she led the way with Ares following her. Aphrodite joined her next and Ares motioned the two of them to stand back before cresting the thin rock outcrop himself. “Here’s how this goes,” the warrior continued casually. “You signal your expendable thugs to let Gabrielle take Jennifer the rest of the way to safety. I tell you where the Ambrosia is and you release the dog. You’ve already got your knife as a sign of good will. When it’s all done, you get the hammer. Simple.”
Ares looked down the cliff towards his men on the beach then regarded the woman confronting him and did a quick mental calculation. He nodded once and whistled twice, sharply, and the man who’d previously released the escort nodded at Gabrielle. “Quickly,” the bard urged the frightened woman to get back to the zodiac as she hastened back there herself.
“Where is it?” Ares demanded, wasting no time.
“At the end of the outcrop,” the warrior replied, under a rock.
He motioned for his three men to stand in between himself and the women as he searched the rocks at the end of the narrow rocky cliff, the water fifty feet below them. The powerful crashing of the surf against the rock beat out a steady rhythm interrupted by a cheer of victory as he found something under a rock. He held it up victoriously making sure the Goddess of Love could see it. Uncertainly, Aphrodite looked at Xena who didn’t seem concerned. He popped the morsel in his mouth and grinned broadly. “That’s what I’m talking about,” he said, talking around the mouthful of Ambrosia.
Just then two things happened simultaneously. There was a commotion further down the beach at the most distant jeep as several shots rang out drawing his attention to the scene below. Gabrielle and Elaine raced to shield Jennifer as she made the last few steps to the Zodiac, hiding behind a shield pulled from the inflatable where Ed indicated. The bard drew one of the guns at her back and returned fire, as did Ed, Elaine, and Sarah. As the bard turned to grab a rifle from the inflatable boat, sunlight glinted off the metal at her back; the chakram had cut its way out of the reinforced pocket on her tactical jacket.
“What the…” Ares roared in anger from the top of the outcrop seeing the metallic glint, “kill her!”
Now it was Aphrodite who whistled and Argo, who had been calmly standing next to the God of War on her leash, turned and bit him at the knee. Ares bellowed and Xena used the brief distraction to disarm the guard closest to her. The other guard shot Aphrodite who didn’t even flinch as the bullet simply hit her and fell to the ground, flattened, confusing the hell out of the two guards. There was another roar of pain and anger as Argo bit the hand of the god reaching down to pry her vice-like bite from his leg. This was the dog’s undoing however, as it gave the powerful god the opportunity to fling his arm with enough force to send her flying twenty feet down the cliff where she yelped and was still.
From Gabrielle’s vantage point she could see that something was happening on the outcrop but couldn’t tell exactly what. She saw something get tossed partway down the cliff and put her fear aside as to what or who, it might be. She also saw two bodies tumble down the cliff across from her, above the jeeps. The snipers. She let the chakram slip into her hand from the pocket at her back and waited.
Aphrodite’s eyes blazed with fury as she saw the dog thrown down the cliff and she charged at her brother. Xena was about to rush at Ares, hoping against hope that she could shove him over the cliff and send the hammer after him when The Goddess of Love ran past her, screaming and hurling herself and the God of War to the water below. The warrior spared the briefest of glances for the bard on the beach and watched for the glint of metal from her chakram that she knew would be headed towards the falling pair. She was not disappointed. Responding like muscle memory, Xena’s brain calculated the precise geometry necessary for the hammer to meet the chakram close to the falling gods. She let the heavy hammer fly with all her might, knowing that in the next heartbeat she would be hit by bullets from the two guards she hadn’t disarmed. There was a bright flash and loud a bang as the hammer hit its mark, smashing the chakram to fragments.
A second later, double shots rang out as the armed guards dropped lifeless to the ground, one close enough to the edge of the cliff so that his lifeless body rolled over the edge. Looking down at the beach below, the warrior could see Gabrielle lowering her rifle and switching to her hand gun as she’d changed her focus to the men in the jeeps. The bard had not been joking about being a deadly shot.
Gabrielle returned fire on the men shooting at the group by the zodiac, wincing painfully as the armor plate covering her chest was hit. From her peripheral vision she saw an additional form go over the cliff in an elegant dive. Instantly recognizing the silhouette as Xena’s she was puzzled as to why she was diving into the water. Setting aside questions she was in no position to get answers to at the moment, she focused her energy instead to the battle in front of her. The static in her earpiece popped then clarity “Boss, do you read? Over,” came Vox’s voice came clearly in her ear.
“Copy,” Gabrielle said automatically, dropping another guard shooting from behind the armored door of a jeep.
“Their jammers have been knocked out, Glass came through. We’ve been boarded; fighting on deck. SP attacks in progress. Do you want reinforcements?” The engineer’s voice was calm but the urgency was clear.
“Negative, only when the ship is secure…” her words were cut off by a scream to her left. In an effort to get Jennifer to safety, Elaine had been hit.
Gabrielle took several steps back, firing all the while to get near the wounded woman. “Got you covered boss,” Sarah yelled, returning fire at the jeeps, ducking behind what little cover the deflating boat could provide and pulling another riot shield from the boat. Gabrielle briefly assessed the situation, which allowed her to realize it’s gravity. Elaine was mortally wounded, bleeding profusely from her leg and lower abdomen and there wasn’t anything she would be able to do to save her. A moment later Sarah was also hit, in the arm and without hesitation switched the gun to her left hand and kept firing.
“Vox, send over the reinforcements, Elaine has been hit,” she said into her comm unit. “Sarah too.”
“Roger,” the engineer replied, and the emotion in that voice told her something else had gone very wrong. “What is it?” she asked, dropping another of the armed men.
“I’ve heard Bo was hurt, they think he’s dead,” the engineer said, desperate not to get choked up. “Something is happening in the water off the boat, there is a lot of screaming, there is still some fighting on deck, Michelle won’t let us help.”
“Hold your post,” Gabrielle replied even though she knew her engineer absolutely would. “Keep me updated.” With deadly aim, Gabrielle vented her hurt and anger on the men trying to kill her.
~~~~~~~~~~