Striker looks at the calendar on his office wall and sighs. It was that time of year again. He leans back in his chair and closes his eyes as the faces of his friends and family members surface. Faces he thought he had forgotten over the years. He picks up his cell phone and makes arrangements for the private Learjet at his disposal, which is available and prepped.

Having secured the Learjet, Striker's next task is to arrange accommodations for himself, Larka, Peyton, Dr. Green, and April in Arlington, Virginia. It's a place that holds a special meaning for all of them, as it's where their friends and family are laid to rest. With this solemn duty fulfilled, Striker rises from his desk and exits the office, heading towards the kitchen to grab a beer, a small respite before the journey begins.

As he walks through the living room, he spots Ember and Charlie playing video games on the PS5 Larka had bought for the kids in the house. Sometimes, he and Larka would sit down and play on it. He spots Larka outside smoking a cigar.

Striker opens the sliding patio doors and steps outside and over towards Larka. He sits down in one of the lounge chairs and takes another sip of his beer.

“What brings you out here, boss?” As Larka reaches into the cooler, sitting by his lounge chair, he grabs a beer.

Larka opens the beer can and takes a big gulp, emptying almost half the liquid. He puts the can down and looks towards Striker for an answer to his question.

“You know what date it is in three days from now.” Striker looks towards Larka when he answers.

“Yeah, I do. We are the lucky ones, but I think our former comrades are.” Larka draws from his cigar and holds it in his mouth before blowing it out.

“Sometimes I wonder why we lived and why they died.” Striker takes a swig from his beer.

“Only fate can answer that question. I often think fate punishes us for what we did in our past.” Larka takes another draw from his cigar.

“Maybe, but I don’t think that is the case.” Striker leans back in the lounge chair, taking another swig from his beer can.

The two men sit silently, thinking about the people they have served with and lost. Striker has seen many good men and women die, and he knows Larka has seen his share of people die. The two enjoy the peacefulness as they lose themselves in their memories.

Jessie stretches as she gets up out of bed. She was still tired from staying up all night playing on the PS5. She walks out of the bedroom she shares with Peyton and over to the bathroom. She does her morning business and washes her hands afterward.

Once Jess washed her hands, she walked towards the kitchen and spotted Ember and Charlie playing on the PS5. She also spotted Larka and Striker outside and wondered what they were up to.

Jessie noticed it was one o’clock in the afternoon, and she was hungry. She found everything she needed to make herself a sub in the refrigerator, pulled it out, and set it on the counter. She starts making herself a giant sub sandwich.

As Jessie makes her sandwich, she wonders where Peyton, Stacy, and April are. She knows the others in their group are on a mission; even Parker has been assigned. She finishes making her sandwich, puts it on a paper plate, and grabs a small bag of chips April has been buying lately. She walks outside to join Larka and Striker.

“What’s up, dog face?” Jess sits down in a lounge chair near Striker.

Larka looks over at Jess. “Not much, how about you, shorty?” A smile appears on Larka’s dog face.

“Play nice, you two.” Striker looks at Larka and Jessie.

He still couldn’t get over Jessie’s powers' evolution. She no longer had butterfly-style wings, but like the wings the Disney fairies had. Even her hair has changed as well. It has become longer and fuller.

“Yes, Daddy.” Jess smiles sweetly towards Striker.

“Don’t expect me to call you daddy.” Larka takes a swig from his beer can and empties it.

He crushes the can in his hands and drops it in the cooler. He grabs another beer and pops it open.

“You know, I bet Lone Star Beer company is glad that pops here buy beer by the bulk.” Jess knew Larka, Striker, and sometimes her roommate Peyton could finish a twenty-four pack of beer in no time.

Striker and Larka drank the most beer. Sometimes, Baloo and Bruce helped out. Riveraka was a mead drinker and didn’t like beer. She made her own style of mead to drink.

Larka looks at Jess as she takes a bite from her sandwich. An evil idea pops into his head, but he sets it aside. He wasn’t that mean to do it.

“When you get to be as old as I am. You can drink all the beer you want, too, shorty.” Larka takes a swig from his beer can.

Striker shakes his head and finishes off his beer. He crushes the can and toss it into the cooler. He reaches over and takes one of Larka’s unopened beers.

“Are you guys planning on flying to Arlington, Virginia?” Jess takes a bite of her sandwich and watches Striker and Larka.

“Yeah, I will need you and Stacy to watch the ranch while we’re gone.”

“No problem. I know Dr. Green will take Charlie with her.” Jessie knew Charlie sometimes went with his adopted mother whenever she went out of town.

“True.” Larka knew Dr. Green might take Charlie with her this time.

Dr. Green’s uncle and cousin were buried in Arlington National Cemetery. So, she would want Charlie to know about her uncle and cousin.

“How are you doing after the changes to your body?” Striker looks at Jessie when he asks her.

“I’m doing better. My abilities are back to normal. I still couldn’t believe that my body underwent a mutation.”

“It could be that you’re evolving since you are getting older, shorty.” Larka loved teasing Jess.

“Keep it up, fuzz face.” Jessie causes her fingertips to crackle with energy.

“Jess.” Striker uses his father’s voice when dealing with Jess.

He knew Jess had a rough childhood and was still overcoming what was done to her. Plus, he knew Larka was teasing Jess. Larka had a soft spot for Jess.

Jess stops and goes back to eating her sub. She knows Larka likes her, and she likes Larka. She looks at him like an uncle.

Charlie sticks his head out of the house. “Mom and April need help bringing in the groceries.”

“Okay, Charlie.” Striker and Larka get up to go and help April, Dr. Green and Stacy bring the groceries in.

April, Dr. Green, Peyton, and Stacy were carrying large boxes of everything they bought at the store. Stacy was thankful that they parked under the carport. Even though she was covered up, she couldn’t withstand direct sunlight.

Stacy watches as Ember helps carry in the small items they bought. Ember was like her because she couldn’t withstand direct sunlight either.

“It’s about time you guys came out to help.” April spotted Striker and Larka step out of the house and walk over to the SUV to help.

“Had to put my cigar out since I know you hate them.” Larka looks at April with a smile on his face.

Between the six, they managed to unload everything the ladies bought. Peyton and Dr. Green put all the hygiene items away. That included the razors for Striker, Jerry, and the ladies to shave their legs. Also included were the maxi pads, tampons, and other feminine products the women of the house needed, plus what Dr. Green needed for their medical bay.

April and Peyton start putting away the groceries. Charlie helps them with that task. Stacy and Ember get to work putting away all the milk, beer, wine, and juice. They also put away anything that needed to go into the walk-in freezer.

Between the six of them, everything gets put away and reorganized. April, Peyton, and the children still need to go to the greenhouse and pick what vegetables and fruits they grew.

Since the women did the shopping, Striker and Larka cookout on the grill for everyone tonight. They waited until the sun went down so Ember and Stacy could sit outside with everyone without burning. Jessie was sitting next to Peyton. She made the potato salad under April’s watchful eyes.

As everyone is gathered and eating, Striker looks at everyone. “I’ve reserved a private Lear Jet for us and also made hotel reservations.”

“Do you think we’ll encounter anyone we know this year?” Dr. Green looks at Striker when she asks.

“Maybe I don’t know how many of my old units or Larka’s old units are still around,” Striker remembers running into members of his old unit last
year. A lot of them had health problems from the drugs used on them to turn them into super soldiers.

“It will be nice seeing Bart again if he shows up.” A smirk appears on Larka’s when he thinks about his old buddy.

Where Larka turned into something resembling a wolf, his buddy Bart turned into a humanoid bulldog. His head and face looked just like a bulldog's, but the rest of his body was human-looking.

“How many days will we be gone?” Dr. Green wanted to make sure she packed enough clothes for Charlie.

“Three days. That means Stacy will be in charge here until we return.” Striker looks towards Jessie to make sure she understands.

“Yeah, yeah. I know. Me teenager, Stacy grownup.” Jessie knew Stacy would be in charge. The last time Striker left her in charge was when he and the others were away. She got in trouble with the local police for being at a rave.

The rest of the evening, everyone enjoys the barbecue. Larka drinks too much and falls asleep in the lounge chair he was sitting in, which hasn’t been the first time. Charlie falls asleep on Dr. Green’s lap. She ends up taking Charlie into the house and putting her in bed.

Stacy and April help Striker clean up the leftovers and the patio. While they were doing that, Jessie used her abilities to gather up the trash and put it into the recycle bins. Striker has gotten them recycling as much as possible.

He’ll have Jerry use his abilities to break down everything into its natural components. Once everything is taken care of, everyone heads to their bedrooms and prepares to leave in the morning. Since April is always the first one up, she’ll wake Larka when she gets up.

Peyton wakes Jessie, and she gets out of bed and prepares to leave. She takes a shower and gets dressed in some comfortable clothes to travel in. While Peyton is getting ready, Jessie throws on a pair of tights and a sleeveless t-shirt. Since she wasn’t as developed as the other women in the house, she didn’t bother wearing a bra.

She grabs orange juice from the refrigerator and checks the SUV to ensure everything is fine. She notices that she’ll have to stop and fill the tank on the way back from the airfield. Striker, April, Dr. Green, Charlie, and Peyton start loading their luggage. Larka tosses an old army duffle bag into the back of the SUV.

“Where’s your uniform, dog face?” Jessie looks at Larka as he walks towards the driver's side of the SUV.

“I don’t have one. I was in a special unit that didn’t wear any uniform.” Larka climbs into the SUV.

“Hey, I’m supposed to drive.” Jessie stomps her feet.

“When you're older than me, I’ll let you drive. Now, get in the back seat with Charlie.” Larka didn’t trust anyone else driving skills.

Jessie does as she is told. She knows how Larka is when it comes to anyone else driving. He didn’t trust them, and he didn’t even trust Striker's driving.

Once everyone was in the SUV and secured, Larka started the SUV and drove down the long driveway. He turns onto the main highway and drives towards the private airfield they use sometimes. Most of the time, a helicopter came and picked them up at the ranch.

“Pig on the highway looking for speeders.” Jessie spotted a highway patrol cop car clocking people on the side of the highway.

“You be careful coming back, Jessie. No speeding.” Striker turns around to look in the back of the SUV.

“Yes, sir.” Jessie didn’t need another speeding ticket. If she got one, her license would be suspended, and she’d have to take a driver improvement course.

It took them about thirty minutes to arrive at the airport. A black Lear Jet was waiting for them. Jessie helped unload the SUV and hugged everyone as they boarded the plane. She watched the plane taxied down the runway and lifted off the ground.

Afterward, she gets in on the driver's side and adjusts everything for her small stature. She links her cellphone with Bluetooth and plays her favorite playlist as she drives home.

Charlie watches as the plane lifts off the ground and into the air. Dr. Green had dressed her in a lovely pink dress and white Maryjane-style sandals.

Larka watches as Charlie sits next to her mother. She has adapted to her new form since she has come to live with them. He was glad that he had been a good influence on her.

“How are you holding up, Peyton?” April looked over towards Peyton as she sat across from her.

“I’m doing okay.” Due to her scars, Peyton still hides half of her face with her hair. Jerry has managed to smooth a lot of Peyton’s scars out.

“Who do you think will show up from your old unit, Peyton?” Striker looks at his young friend.

“Maybe Mary Beth and her husband, Chuck. Both of them have relatives and friends from different units that are buried there.”

“It’s the price we pay so others can abuse their freedom. Sometimes, I wonder if the sacrifice we make is worth it.” April looks out the window of the plane.

“I know what you mean, April. Lately, this country is tearing itself apart. I wouldn’t say I like where we are heading. However, you have to remember. As soldiers, we swore to defend this country with our lives. That means we have to tolerate those who will destroy this country for their ego and greed.” Striker didn’t like the current politically charged environment in Washington, D.C., or across the country.

“He has already made plans for their team just in case Texas and a few other states try enforcing their new legislations on his people. They aren’t going to like how he and the others deal with them.

A few hours later, the Lear Jet landed at Reagan Washington. When they exited the plane, an SUV was already waiting for them. Larka checks the SUV over before loading everything and everyone into it.

The hotel that Striker made a reservation at wasn’t too far from the airport. Larka drives them over to it, and Striker checks them in. If he lets Larka, the hotel staff would get scared of him.

Charlie stays near her mother. Whenever they go anywhere, she feels nervous. She only trusted the people currently around her.

Striker and April share a hotel room. Larka gets his own because no one likes sharing a room with him. Dr. Green, Charlie, and Peyton share a room. After they are settled in, they walk to a nearby Greek restaurant for lunch. Larka gets strange looks from the patrons, but he ignores them.

Afterward, Dr. Green, Charlie, Peyton, and April go for a walk. Striker and Larka visit a friend who lives nearby, one reason Striker made reservations at this hotel. Charlie looks at everything as she walks with her mother. Sure, she got strange looks from people as they passed them. However, she was surrounded by the people who meant the most to her.

Striker and Larka pull up to a modern townhouse and park. They exit the SUV and walk up the walkway towards the townhouse's front door.

“Do you think he’s still here?” Larka knew that Andy had been having health problems ever since COVID-19.

“He’s still here.” Striker knocks on the door.

After a few minutes, the front door opens. An older Hispanic woman was standing in the doorway. She looks at both men. “Can I help you, gentlemen?”

“Yes, I wondered if Andy Summerfield was up to seeing some old friends.”

“Can I ask who is calling?” Lucia looked at both men. One looked strange and like a humanoid wolf, while the other was average-looking and had a military-style haircut.

“Colonel Joseph Striker and Major Rex Coldsmith.” Striker knew Larka didn’t use his birthname anymore, just like he didn’t, since he staged his death.

“One minute, please.” Lucia closes the door and walks off.

Larka was looking around and noticed a security camera was pointed towards them. He also spotted several other security cameras.

“You know, we have at least four security cameras pointed towards us?” Larka knew Andy took his security seriously.

“After everything he has done, I wouldn’t expect anything less.” Striker knew Andy used to be a highly trained agent like himself and Larka.

The front door opens. “Please come in, gentlemen.” Lucia steps aside to let the men into the house.

Once they were inside, she shut the door behind them. She then walked past them and escorted them to where Andy awaited them.

Larka and Striker were impressed with the decorations and pictures mounted on the walls as they were escorted to another room. After a few minutes, they were led into a massive room filled with books. Sitting behind a vast wooden desk was an older man in a wheelchair.

A smile appears on Striker’s face. He walks up to the desk and reaches his hand out towards the man. “It's good to see you still alive, major.”

A smile appears on Andy’s old, wrinkled face as he recognizes the two men who have just entered his study. It’s been almost a year since he last saw them. He shakes Striker’s hand.

“It’s good to see you again, Colonel.” Andy looks at how young Striker looks.

“I figure you would be dead by now, Blaster.” As Larka extends his hand towards Andy.

“You two, Larka. Unfortunately, I’m not as agile as I used to be.” Andy shakes Larka’s hand.

“What happened?” Larka was curious why Andy was in a wheelchair.

“Please sit, and I’ll tell you.” Andy motions to the two leather chairs in front of his desk.

Both men sit down and look towards their friend. Larka wondered why Andy had been in a wheelchair since their last visit.

“Would you gentlemen care for anything to drink?” Lucia looks at Larka and Striker.

“No, we’re fine. Thank you.”

Lucia looks towards Andy.

“I’m fine, Lucia. Thank you.”

“If you need anything, sir. Just push the remote.”

“Thank you, Lucia.” He watches as she leaves.

“So, what happened, Blaster?” Larka addresses Andy by his codename instead of his real name.

“The last mission I was on for the agency took a turn for the worst. I was lured to an empty building where I was supposed to meet my informant and the next thing I knew. The building was coming down around me. I don’t know what they used, but there was no warning or way out. By the time I was found, I was near death’s door. I woke up in an agency hospital hooked up to several machines.

I later learned after spending six weeks in the hospital. That my legs had been crushed, along with damage to my spine. I have no feeling below my waist.”

“None at all?”

“None at all, Larka.” Andy wishes he did.

“What about the drug they gave you? Didn’t it help?” Larka knew Andy had been part of the same program Striker and himself had been.

“All it did was age me more. After what happened to me, my body started aging rapidly. I’m now seventy years old, compared to being fifty years old. The drug wasn’t the same that Striker received.” Andy knew something was wrong when he started to age.

“I’m sorry to hear that, Andy.” Larka figured Andy felt cheated.

“Hey, I knew what I was getting involved in. At least I still have my marbles, unlike others from our units.”

“Man, I’m surprised at everything.” Striker knew the super-solider drug that the government created did different things to different people.

“So, what brings you to my place?” Andy had been surprised at their visit.

“I wanted to know if you wanted to ride with us to Arlington tomorrow?”

“Sure, I want to pay my respect to our old friends.” Andy knew a few soldiers laid to rest in the cemetery at Arlington.

“Good, we’ll be by tomorrow to pick you up then.”

“I’ll be ready. Now tell me what adventures you guys have been up to.”

Memorial Day:
April, Striker, Dr. Green, and Peyton dressed in their military uniforms. Striker had a bunch of medals on his uniform. Striker and Peyton both wore the Medal of Honor given to them. Peyton didn’t feel she deserved it, but Striker reminded her she did.

Larka was dressed in a fresh set of black Special Ops BDUs. His boots were highly polished, and he had several Cuban cigars. He also had his guns with him, and they were highly polished as well.

Peyton looks at Larka. “You don’t need to bring them along, Larka.”

“Hey, you got your uniform, and I got mine.” Lark puts his sunglasses on.

Charlie was wearing a lovely dress and low-heeled shoes. Her blonde hair had been styled, and she looked adorable.

“Is everyone ready?” Striker looks at everyone.

“Yes.” As April puts her arm around Striker.

He had his sunglasses on, and his uniform looked like it had been pressed. He led everyone down to the SUV. Larka got behind the steering wheel, and once everyone was inside the SUV, he drove them over to pick Andy up.

Striker and Peyton help Andy to the SUV. Once everyone is loaded in, Larka drives the group to Arlington cemetery. Larka looks at everyone as he parks the SUV.

“Since we're going to different parts of the cemetery, how about we meet back here in two hours or over at the Tomb of The Unknown Solider?”

“The Tomb sounds good.” Andy has always visited the soldiers on duty whenever he comes to the cemetery.

“Alright, two hours sounds good.” As Striker exists from the SUV.

Everyone gets out of the SUV and breaks off to visit different areas of the cemetery. April, Striker, Peyton, and Andy go to an area where all their friends are buried. April looks at the names of her friends who gave their lives for their country.

She places some seeds near their tombstones and causes them to grow. She knows she shouldn’t but these people meant a lot to her. She runs her fingertips across their names, as tears leak from her eyes.

Peyton had walked over to where members of her unit were buried. She pulls out a silver canter and opens it. “Here’s to you guys.” As she pours high-class whiskey on the tombstones of her friends.

Striker and Andy walk over to a bunch of tombstones they came to see. Andy looks at the names “All these men made the ultimate sacrifice.” Andy wishes they were still around.

“That they did.” Striker kneels before one tombstone.

“We come not to mourn our dead heroes but to praise them,” Andy recalls a quote he once heard.

“Our flag doesn't fly because the wind moves it, but because of the last breath of each soldier who died protecting it,” Striker recalls those words.

Dr. Green shows Charlie where their family members are buried. Charlie lays down some roses April grew when they arrived. She lays the rose on the tombstone. Charlie looked at all the surrounding tombstones and couldn’t believe how many people gave their lives for this country.

“Mom, is this what it means to serve your country?” Charlie looks at her mother.

“This is the price you may be asked to give, sweetie. All these people served this country so others could have their freedom.”

After a few hours, everyone meets up at the tomb. They watch as the soldier walks back and forth. Charlie stands next to her mother as tears start to slide down her cheek.

Dr. Green notices Charlie crying and holds her tight against her side. They stay for a while and leave after spending a few hours walking around the cemetery. Larka ends up carrying Charlie on his back. Her feet were getting tired.

While they are walking around the cemetery, Andy looks at the tombstones and hopes when it is his time to go. That he is permitted to be buried at the cemetery.

Later in the evening, Striker and Larka treat everyone to dinner. They end up going to a nice restaurant and going through a few bottles of wine. Dr. Green ends up driving the SUV and dropping off Andy at his townhouse.

The following day, Peyton, Dr. Green, and April take Charlie to Washington D.C. to visit some of the museums. They meet up with Striker and
Larka at the zoo and spend the day there.

The next morning, they check out and fly back home. All of them think about how their fellow soldiers paid the ultimate price.