Chapter 4

Here we will stand and fight; there will be no further withdrawal. We will stand and fight here with our sisters. If we can't stay here alive, then let us stay here dead.

-Unknown Spartan Officer; Temple Church, London, England.

While waiting for pickup on top of the Mansfield Bridge, I manifested and un-manifested my spear. I also had plenty of time to start thinking about my current situation. I was almost positive I could change out of my Garderobes, but considering my location, it probably wasn’t wise and not just because I was almost 100 feet above the river.

Suddenly, the familiar wailing of emergency vehicle sirens brought me out of my thoughts. The authorities still hadn't given the all-clear, which made sense as it allowed them to move around the city unhindered. Moreover, the three area hospitals would soon be full of the wounded. The others were beyond help, however. Closing my eyes, I could still see their silent forms lying in the streets.

My Larry came alive, startling me. "Hello, Valkyrie Kára, this is Mobile Six Over."

Cool, that must be my ride. Standing up, I replied, "Mobile Six, this is Valkyrie Kára, Over."

Years of playing around with fake communication devices and Maggie drilling me on how to use a real Milnet-4 assured that I didn’t sound like a complete idiot. At least I hoped I didn’t.

"Valkyrie Kára, we are unable to find a clear route to the Mansfield Bridge. Are you able to travel to another location for pickup? Over."

Oh, they couldn't get to me. Well, with the inferno on the other side of the bridge, that made sense. I could probably make my way closer to home, and I knew just the place. In fact, the troopers should even be on the right side of the river.

"Affirmative, Mobile Six, there is a Pandora’s Box Playground on the corner of Oak Street and Maryland Avenue. Over."

"Affirmative, Valkyrie Kára, Wait Over."

While the troopers pulled up their map of the city, I floated down to the street, landing on the top of a handy furniture truck.

"Hello Valkyrie Kára, we have the location. Will you be available for pick up in twenty-five minutes? Over"

"Affirmative, Mobile Six, can you also please relay a message for me to Doctor Audrey Swenson at Fort Roosevelt. Tell her that her niece Kára will be seeing her soon and that the Hot Gates have opened. Over"

"Say again, Over."

OK, that might have been a bit cryptic, but Aunt Audrey should understand the message. After repeating my request, we both signed off. I had to admit as I made my way across town that the name of the park seemed oddly appropriate considering the situation.

My family also had a bit of history with the Pandora’s Box Playground. Celebrating birthdays, family cookouts, and other fun times we had at the park, and on the first anniversary of her parent's death, I found Maggie crying under the slide. She found me there on the swings several years later after my first real girlfriend had to move to Boston.

I'm sure the troopers thought I wouldn't make it on time, and they usually would be correct. However, right now, I moved across the city probably faster than they were able to because of the abandoned vehicles blocking the roads.

As predicted, I made it with plenty of time to spare.

It had been a beautiful day, so it wasn’t a surprise by the amount of food left on the picnic tables that there had been plenty of people here before the sirens went off. The neighborhood, however, was totally deserted. Most of the families caught outside would have fled to the Landon Middle School's shelter or the smaller one near the fire station on Maryland.

Although the public shelters were probably the safest place to go in case of an Incursion, most of the residents in this neighborhood probably hid in their homes instead. I even knew several classmates whose parents dug a shelter in their backyard. We made fun of them. It doesn’t seem so funny now.

Walking towards the swings, I realized I still had not changed out of my Garderobes. I'd probably start a panic if the all-clear sirens went off, and people found me walking around in them.

"Fuck, I'm such a coward," growling, I allowed my armor to vanished only to be replaced by well, not what I was wearing before. "Oh, this is pretty. Hey, where's my stuff?"

So apparently, my purse, house keys, wallet, even my Mocha cappuccino did not reappear, but then again, it made sense, as I really didn’t un-manifest. I just changed out of my armor. While admiring my new dress, I was still ignoring the 300 lb gorilla standing in the center of the park.

My melodic voice filled the air as I suddenly declared, "Alright, Kára, time to man up!"

Deciding that the other cosmetic changes weren’t all that important, I reached up and cupped my breasts, and of course, they were real.

"Shit!"

There was a famous movie where two love interests switch places, the male character wakes up as the female character and almost immediately fondles his newfound breasts. Good for a laugh, right? I wasn’t laughing.

Collapsing to my knees, I put down my head and wept, "Oh, Mags, I need you now more than ever."

--0--

The eight-wheeled armored fighting vehicle, also known as an M1133 Stryker ICV, made its way down Maryland Avenue at a good pace. At least the civilians in this part of the city knew enough not to block the streets in case of an Incursion.

"You think she'll be waiting?" Private Marissa Thompson asked as she went through her aid bag.

"Something tells me she will be there." Another trooper, a Corporal Julio Rodriguez, chuckled.

"So, from what I hear, they were surprised that one of our senior Valkyries was in town."

"I heard something similar," the Corporal replied. "Good thing, though."

"True, but come on, Rodriguez, you know more, what's the goss?" Marissa cajoled her fellow trooper.

Shaking his head, he replied, "Sorry, Thompson, you know as much as I do."

"Spoilsport," she grumbled.

"We're here!" They heard over the comms from the driver. "I think I see her."

As the door came down, Private Thompson looked around the playground finding the Valkyrie kneeling on the ground near the swings. She caught her breath as the young woman stood up.

"Wow," she whispered.

As Valkyrie Kára approached, both troopers would later admit that it wasn’t just one thing that stood out. She was exotic from her green hair, her natural grace, and the simple but elegant black and green dress she wore.

"Are you an Elf?" Rodriguez blurted out.

Her laugh was beautiful. "I don’t believe so, Corporal." Tilting her head with a smile revealed tapered ears, which did look elf-like, though. She then asked. "I assume your Mobile Six?"

"Yes ma'am," the young man replied, ignoring the knowing smile his fellow trooper gave him. "I'm Corporal Rodriguez, and to the right of me is Private Thompson."

"Hello, ma'am, are you injured anyplace?" The medic asked, reaching into her aid bag.

The Valkyrie shook her head, "No, I'm not hurt, just a little tired and hungry. Do you have…"

Her face lit up as the medic pulled out three Makt bars. The two troopers knew that Valkyries burned up a ton of calories during an Incursion and were always hungry afterward. Something to do with their manifestation it was believed.

"You wouldn't happen to have any of the double chocolate ones?"

Private Thompson laughed and then reached into her aid bag, pulling out three different bars.

"Can't seem to get anyone to eat these cherry ones," she said.

"Of course," Kára nodded as she opened one of the packages. "They're an affront to God and an insult to cherries everywhere."

"I like them." Corporal Rodriguez grumbled.

"I see, a heretic then," She grinned then marched off towards the vehicle.

The Corporal tried not to stare at the Valkyrie's fine ass as she sauntered away.

"Alright, let's go," he sighed.

--0—

Part of me wanted to geek out. I mean traveling in a Striker, how cool was that? The other part of me was trying desperately to keep it together. The bar helped, the chocolate goodness hit the spot. Taking a sip of the offered water bottle, I sat back and closed my eyes as we drove off.

I was curious; Maddie said that they were always starving after an Incursion. I wasn’t, oh, I was hungry enough but still wondered if it had to do with me not un-manifesting.

"Were you able to contact Doctor Swenson?" I asked between bites.

"Yes, she will be meeting you upon arrival," the Corporal replied.

"Thank you," I smiled at the troopers, then sat back and listened to some of the radio traffic.

Apparently, while we traveled on the Turnpike, the authorities had declared the all-clear. Even then, most of the city roads would still only be opened for official traffic. So we should still should have a clear ride to Fort Roosevelt, taking maybe another thirty minutes or so. Normally I would have to get on the train or drive with my mom, taking a Striker was awesome.

Still, I zoned, my thoughts drifted like so many times today back to Maggie. Was her experience the same? Was she scared? At first, I was terrified, but mostly there wasn’t time to be afraid. I was actually more worried about betraying my cousin's memory.

And I still had so many questions. During the Incursion, there was way too much going on to try to come to grips with what happened. Were there other boys like me who suddenly manifested as a Valkyrie? I had a sneaking suspicion that there weren't, or we would have heard about it on the news.

So, now, what do I do? School, my friends, will everything change? Can I even go back to being Henry? When I finally figured out how to un-manifest, would I turn back? I couldn’t hope but think otherwise.

I needed to speak to my mom. She's the smartest person I know. If anyone had an idea of what happened, she would. Actually, she was probably losing her mind right now. I'd love to call her, but my cell phone appeared to be well, somewhere else. Hopefully, Aunt Audrey contacted her.

Stepping out of the back of the Striker, I found that we had stopped in front of the hospital inside the gates of Fort Roosevelt. I spotted my mom's best friend standing next to a Captain and a handful of soldiers. Quite a few others were running about, most of them heading off towards what I imagined were med stations that would start dealing with the wounded.

"Kára?" she called out in shock as I approached. I couldn’t help but sympathize with her for not recognizing me.

"Hi, Aunt Audrey," I grinned, giving her a wave. "I thought I'd drop by since I was in the neighborhood."

"But where…" she faltered.

"I was out shopping." Shrugging, I smiled at the small crowd who started to collect around us; most of them just stood staring at me.

The officer who had been standing next to Aunt Audrey stepped forward, interrupting us. "Valkyrie Kára, my name is Captain Milestone; if you will come with me, we can start your debriefing."

"Would you mind if I spoke with my Aunt first?" I asked. "It's pretty important."

I knew the military would have all sorts of questions considering that I was an unknown. Heck, I couldn’t even prove that I was Henry Squire or maybe Kára Squire, whatever. Perhaps I was being unnecessarily paranoid, but eyeing the two MP's near the doorway, being separated from Audrey might not be in my best interest.

"I think that would be for the best Captain," she nodded, "Perhaps we should also call your Uncle, he will want to know."

The only Uncle I know was my dad's best friend, OH, yea-good idea. I shrugged, "If you can get a hold of him, he is probably as busy as my mom."

The Captain turned and looked at a nearby Sergeant who shrugged before turning back and then asked, "Who is your mom?"

"Oh, Doctor Sarah Squire."

I could see him deflate a little, and yes, my mom was a big deal in the DPA and a well-known former Valkyrie herself.

"And your Uncle," the Captain then inquired.

"Colonel Stephen Bennett." Well, technically, he wasn't related to me. He was my dad's roommate at Annapolis, but I have been calling him that since I was little.

I think he murmured something about being over his pay grade before nodding. "I need to make some phone calls. Sergeant, can you please escort Valkyrie Kára where she needs to go on base."

"Yes, Sir."

With a smile, Aunt Audrey slipped her arm through mine, "Come, Kára, let's check you out, and we can talk on the way."

She ignored the Sergeant and the two MPs as they followed us through the front doors of the hospital until we reached a room near her office.

"Alright, you three can wait outside. Oh, and Sergeant, if possible, can see about getting my niece a few more Makt bars, any flavor, but Cherry and some water too?"

"I don’t see that as a problem, ma'am." Turning to one of the MPs, he ordered, "Maxwell, you heard the Doctor see what you can scrounge up."

"Yes, Sergeant."

As the one MP wandered off, the Sergeant took a seat before finding a magazine to read. The other MP just stood near the doorway leading out of the hospital.

"Come, sweetie," Aunt Audrey said, leading me into the examination room.

As the door closed behind us, I only took three steps before I collapsed in her arms sobbing.

--0--

"Is she OK?"

I heard someone whisper as I woke up. At least I think I was awake. Actually, I don’t remember falling asleep. Oh, right, we'll at least they didn’t have to sedate me.

"She's fine, just exhausted." I think I heard Aunt Audrey reply.

"Well, please let her know that the debriefing has been postponed until General Maxwell's aide arrives tomorrow morning. Also, her mother hitched a ride on a Venom, so she should be arriving soon."

I tried not to snort. As the door closed, I opened my eyes and sat up on the bed.

"Hey," Aunt Audrey smiled then walked over to me. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm OK, ahh, sorry."

Taking a seat on the bed, she ran her fingers through my hair. "Nothing to be sorry about sweetie, you had a rough day."

I pulled my long hair over my ears and then stopped. "I'm surprised you recognized me. I almost don’t recognize myself."

"You still have your mother's eyes," she said warmly.

I smiled then tried not to cringe. I mean, I wasn’t really worried, well mostly. "Am I in trouble?"

Thankfully Aunt Audrey laughed. "No, you have just confused a whole lot of people. And you know the military, they aren’t happy unless their T's and I's are crossed and dotted appropriately."

Cool, so no prison for me.

"However, I think you're going to have to fess up who taught you all of the Valkyrie procedures," she scolded me while smiling.

I shrugged. "It's not like they can get Mags into trouble. The DPA should be happy considering how well it all turned out."

"Oh, they are trust me. Emma, too," she explained, "She was happy that a senior Valkyrie was in town after what happened to Kimberly."

"I gathered from the way she was asking me about things that she considered me her senior. I did point out though that she was stationed at Fort Roosevelt, not me."

"Which made her senior," she smiled.

"Exactly," I pointed out. "Anyway, how are the two other girls? Kimberly's arm looked pretty bad."

"Sally is fine. As for Kimberly, well, fortunately, at least for her, the Incursion lasted another hour after she was wounded, which allowed her regen to heal most of the damage. She's going to need to wear an arm brace for a couple of weeks, but better than the surgery, we were planning."

Sighing, I leaned back on the bed, "Aunt Audrey, do you know what happened to me?"

"I..." She looked confused. Well, I hadn’t told her anything yet.

Waving her off, I explained, "Sorry, I mean, have you heard of any other boys who suddenly manifested as a Valkyrie?"

Aunt Audrey thought for a moment then shook her head, "No, and I think if it did occur, we would have heard. We Valkyries, as you know, are a pretty close-knit bunch, even after we graduate. Your sudden appearance is a surprise, not just to the military."

OH, well, it was a thought.

"So, what did happen?" she asked, no doubt confused at my sudden transformation.

"So, I decided to take Kára out for one last spin," I began.

It didn’t take long, though, for Aunt Audrey to start with the questions. "Wait, who was this woman?"

"She called me cousin." I looked at her, concerned. I had not expected that. "So, you're telling me that you didn’t see someone when you manifested?"

"No, one second, I was standing in line at the grocery store with my mother, the next second I was wearing my Garderobes."

"Oh," well, fuck. "I have a question. Both you and my mom said that sometimes you have hunches, right?"

She nodded, "Most of us do, and even now, I have them on occasion."

"So, you don’t see a shadowy form of yourself revealing different events. When I was fighting or traveling, I could see myself taking different paths, and some had better outcomes than others did. Not all the time mind you but often enough."

Aunt Audrey just sat there looking at me with her mouth open. I decided not to tell her that I also used the power during our conversation with the Captain. After seeing my shadow-self walking away, surrounded by MPs, I decided that was probably not the best outcome.

"Right, so you're telling me this isn't normal either."

Standing up, I moved a little away from the bed before manifesting my spear.

Aunt Audrey stumbled back in shock. She took one look at the weapon and gasped. "What the fuck!"

Indeed.

Authors Note: Back in town, sorry for those waiting on the Lost Queen but I was further ahead in my writing with this story. Back to my regular schedule, hopefully :)