As I walked into Kathy’s office she was behind her desk. She looked up at me with questions written all over her face. Over against the wall to my right was a man in a suit and tie, coat, pants. He was holding a briefcase which was chained to his left wrist. His right arm moved lightly to the middle button on his coat.

He was giving me a real close looking over with none of us moving. “Name?”

“Nova”

“Go on.”

“Naweena”

Out of the corner of my eye I could see Kathy showing surprise.

“Go on.”

“Contessa Sophia deRoma”

Kathy’s eyes were looking like two egg whites.

“Go on.”

I shook my head.

He nodded and walked toward me. “You have the key?”

I met him in the middle of the room, took the briefcase and sliced the handle off with my fingernails. Raw cable ends were showing where it had been integral in the handle and briefcase. “The key will be with the same person who gave you the package.”

“She described you and gave me the names I was supposed to receive in sequence. I was to make sure. If it hadn’t been, you would have been dead.”

“Because you would have stopped me with that forty five you have in your shoulder holster. I know who you are. You’re good Courier but not that good. I wouldn’t have killed you but you would be in a world of pain before your gun cleared your holster.”

His eyes closed slightly as a thin smile touched his lips. “I’ve held my own against more than a few who tried me.”

“You’re right, it would have been a bad idea on my part to take the case if you didn’t like the names. I wish you a safe journey home.” It was foolish and a waste of time to get into a pissing contest with someone who thought he was greased lightning. Courier was quick but he wasn’t that quick. I could name nine others a whole lot faster. I motioned with my hand toward the door.

He looked at my hand for a couple seconds, frowned and then left. I knew he was expecting a tip. I didn’t care. He was paid extremely well for delivering the case.

Kathy was staring at me. “Contessa?”

“It is only a code name. Best you forget it.” Patting the case I was headed for the door. “I’m going to put this someplace safe for now.”

After securing the case in the security room file cabinet, I pulled a couple hairs out of my head before I closed and locked it. Wetting them with my tongue I placed one between the drawer and the top of the cabinet, the second one the same way to the side of the cabinet. I headed back to check on traffic in the restaurant. Everything was looking good. A couple of the waitresses smiled and nodded in my direction as they headed for the kitchen to turn in orders. Returning the smile, I knew all our girls were making a lot more in tips now. It only worked to our benefit when a couple square miles of the city went totally dark when the transmission tower was taken down. We were the only ones in the middle of all that blackout still up and running. Most modern kitchens won’t work without electricity. At times people were lined up outside for a block waiting to get in from the time we opened at ten until we closed at twelve that night. The Committee might have thought they were taking us out. Instead they increased our customer base to beyond capacity. Carry out became even more profitable than our regular business. JoAnn and Pete were worked to a frazzle but the troopers they were, they managed somehow to handle it all.

=====================================

The three men in the Backwater Club looked like someone had pissed in their Cheerios. A forth man came into the club, looked around spotted them and headed to the bar to get an extra large beer before heading for the table. He dropped into a chair after he set his glass on the table. “Four more.”

The other three looked at him, it was Alex who asked. “Four more what?”

The newcomer shook his head and took a long deep drink. He set his beer down and wiped his mouth. Fryman and Harvey were sent to take out the generator at that club. No one has seen or heard of them since. Like some of the others, they have flat disappeared. I don’t mind telling you guys, I’m getting a little scared of this whole business.”

“You said four.” Albert was looking at Neil.

Neil picked up his beer and took a couple more big swallows. He turned his head and looked each of the others in the eyes. “Blackie and Rane were sent to see if they could find who fingered Dagger. What happened to Dagger…? Her throat was slit and her heart was ripped out and… Who or what could do such a thing? Dagger was toxic to anyone who got near the bitch.”

“Damnit, what about Blackie and Rane? We all heard about that bitch Dagger. What about our guys?” Alex was starting to feel jumpy himself with Neil dragging out this nonsense.

“Dead, both dead. Cops found their bodies in an alley. Story on the street is Alice ratted out the squealer who pointed the finger at Dagger. They went to check it out. Blackie…, his head was hanging onto his body attached by skin. Rane was almost as bad. His head was twisted completely around backwards. His nuts were crushed.”

The other three men winced in shock. Albert took a deep swallow of his whiskey sour. He coughed a couple times. “Who could do such a thing?”

Neil chug a lugged half his beer before he sit the glass down again. “Word on the street is there is a Huntress on the prowl. They are saying she was the one who took out Bolt and Dagger.”

“Fairy tales, that’s all they are. Someone gets murdered and suddenly a Huntress shows up. Stupid people blame every death on some make believe boogieman. In a week or two word will come down, Fryman, Harvey chickened out and are in Chicago or LA. Boss will send us out to explain to them why no one runs out when they have a job to do. Blackie and Rane ran into one of those Kung Fu fucks and got the shit kicked out of them. Couple of our guys gets murdered, some dope head yells mutant, and every damn druggie starts screaming Huntress. There ain’t no Huntess. It’s a lie to keep little kiddies hiding under their beds at night. You ever see one of them so called Huntress?”

Larry looked around the table and the others were shaking their heads. “I didn’t think so. They don’t exist.”

“What about that bitch Captain Blake ordered the hit on? Some claimed she was a Huntress.” Alex was having doubts about the claim himself now.

“Some stupid broad is all she was. Did anyone besides the brain fried crowd claim she had ever killed anyone? They don’t count. They would sell out their mother if it got them another fix. They’s always claiming some shit or another to the police for a reward.” Larry studied his glass as he swirled his drink. “You guys are scaring yourselves with nonsense. Huntress my ass.”

Neil was looking across the room when she walked in. “Well, well , well, lookie at the tall girl who just wandered into the club.”

The leather dress was obscene in so many ways there was no doubt I was advertising I was looking for a good time out. The front had a deep plunging V neckline exposing the abundance of mother nature’s and my momma’s DNA. The hem covered the bare necessities and no more. My ample hips and tush were struggling to be contained inside the packaging material…, the leather dress. My small waist only put the emphasis on what I already was over endowed with. Of course the thigh high boots with the two inch heel was over kill. With my height I would have loved to wear flats so as to not intimidate the men but flats are not sexy. The four bangles I had on my left wrist, the gaudy chandelier silver earrings, and two rings with oversized onyx and sapphire stones on each hand added to the sleaze look. Makeup? Hell yes I overdid the makeup, blue gray eye shadow, glossy red lipstick, raccoon eyes. Anyone who didn’t get the signal I was ready and hot for a night of play didn’t live on the same planet I was on.

There were two kinds of women in that club watching the fresh blood walk in the door. Those filled with lust and those filled with jealous rage. The men didn’t have that problem as it was the same among each one. It was carnal lust.

I knew I didn’t look underage the way I had put on makeup… Maybe to the barkeep I over did it to hide the fact I was underage? “ID” He was staring at my eyes instead of my breasts.

I knew he was looking to catch a deer in the headlights reaction when he asked. I liked his professionalism. “I’m legal.” Sliding my hand under my dress and on top of my left breast, I pulled out the driver’s license Spencer and crew had made up for me.

His eyes swept down to my breasts and then instantly back to my eyes as he received the driver’s license. His eyes flicked down to the license and then back to looking me in the eyes. “Cindy Stromberg?”

The smile was impossible to keep off my face. This was old hat to him. He was good. “No, I think you need to take another look. It’s Cynthia Stromberg.”

He nodded as he handed back the license with a smile of his own. “The rules are, you get drunk, I get to keep your car keys. I know the way you’re dressed isn’t you. I have no idea what you are up to. Maybe you’re a reporter looking for a story or some such? I haven’t a clue. Someone gets to be more than you can handle you leave the heavy lifting to Art or me.” He pointed to a big bruiser halfway hidden in the hallway shadows leading to the bathrooms.

Art was on my radar the moment I walked in so I didn’t need to turn my head to look. “Thanks for the heads up. For the record, let’s say I’m here socializing for the evening.”

His gaze had never wavered from looking at my eyes. “Un huh, right, Miss. Nothing about you seems right. Don’t make me regret not tossing you back out.”

That one surprised me. He wasn’t a mutant or I would have sensed it. A highly sensitive normal? Maybe someone who had run into more than his fair share of mutants and it was instinct? Even normals have survival instincts. Some a lot more than others. My own instinct was I could trust him. “You live with a mutant?”

His eyes showed a flash of surprised before he recovered. “I have no idea what you are talking about.”

“My error for asking. I’m sorry, please accept my apology.” I reached out my hand for a handshake on it.

He held out his hand. Instantly I had hold of his wrist in what some soldiers do when they have shared battle and become friends. He looked down and gripped my wrist in kind. Slowly I lifted my first, second, and third finger placing those long nails of mine against his wrist.

His eyes went wide before he composed himself, leaned forward, and mouthed…, “Huntress.”

I gave a slight nod.

“No killing in here. That would bring the police to my door. I love her with all my heart and would die for her. Please?” Was whispered so softly I wouldn’t have heard it if I had been a normal.

Releasing his arm, again I gave a slight nod. “I promise.”

By this time men were closing in to see if they could be the one who would score with the woman talking to the bartender. I leaned forward on the bar. “Let’s start this night off right. I want a boilermaker with two shots of whiskey in the beer.”

He got busy putting it together and then set the mug down in front of me. “Remember rule one.”

“You don’t have enough alcohol in this place for that to happen.” I took a deep sip of my drink and put a fifty dollar bill on the bar. “Let me know when that is used up.”

He made it disappear under his hand as a couple guys slipped onto the stools either side of me. “Buy you a drink gorgeous?” The one on my right offered.

Turning my head, I flashed him a smile. “I’ve already begun. But the night is young. You know how to dance?”

His smile showed perfect teeth as he smiled back. “Honey, I’m the it guy when it comes to dancing. Shall we? I’ll buy you another when we come back.”

An involuntary smile broke out as I turned around on the barstool and offered my hand. Too bad I couldn’t show him my fangs. When he stood up, I realized I was about three inches taller than him. When I stood up he didn’t look like he was that enthusiastic about dancing any longer. Dancing with a girl taller than him was embarrassing. He wasn’t a happy camper as we stepped out on the dance floor. He didn’t know how to hold me. Taking his left hand I pulled it to my waist and his right hand in my left.

Leaning down I whispered in his ear. “I’m a girl, you’re a guy and nothing has changed. Listen to the beat, step into the music, and stop worrying. All the guys in here wish they were in your shoes. So shall we begin?”

Two thirds of the way through the song another guy wanted to cut in. My dance partner didn’t hesitate as he backed away. My new partner wasn’t that embarrassed because he knew what he was stepping into. He was six one. My two inch heels meant I was still taller than him but not much. In an hour I danced with nine different men before one of those I was aiming for cut in.

We danced for three plus minutes with me listening to him brag about all the jobs him and his buddies had done. Leaning down I breathed heavily into his ear. “How about introducing me to your buddies and buying me a drink?”

“Sure.” He was rubbing his left shoulder as we walked over to their table. After my partner seated me, they all had to tell me their names before asking me for mine.

“Oh, I’m Cynthia. I live in Cottonwood Cove in Louisiana and I came up here to visit an aunt and do some shopping.” I gave all of them a warm smile. “After all that dancing, I’m thirsty. How do we get served around here?”

“Their waitress is pretty slow. I’ll go get it. What you having.” Larry pushed back from the table and stood up.

Looking like I was trying to make up my mind I rolled my bottom lip in. “I started with a Boilermaker. Maybe I’ll have a Gin and Tonic.”

“Bring back a bottle of whiskey.” Albert tossed out casually.

“I’ll go get fresh beers for everyone.” Alex pushed back and stood up.

It was real hard to keep the smile off my face. These guys couldn’t be more obvious they were going to try their best to get me drunk if they had stood up and shouted it. Nice try guys but I’ve never been drunk in my life and believe me after some really shitty blood letting I tried my best. Every re-gen mutant I knew or heard of could get drunk with enough alcohol. I couldn’t. Maybe it was because I was a Huntress and my re-generative abilities were different. Only problem with that I had never met another Huntress so I couldn’t ask if she ever got drunk. So close to meeting Jenna and yet they murdered her before I found her. Dan, the bartender was really quick figuring me out. I wonder if he had met Jenna? My intro inspection was derailed as the guys came back with the drinks.

“You said Boilermaker?” Larry set a big mug in front of me.

“No, I said a Boilermaker was my first drink and I wanted a Gin and Tonic. This is okay.” I was betting it was half whiskey instead of just a shot.

By the time two A.M. rolled around all the guys were plastered to the gills. I knew they wouldn’t remember what went on half the night. I had accomplished what I came for. Of course my hands were on each one when I danced with them. Alex, the last one, was out the door and into a cab as I headed back to the club.

I just managed to get back in through the door before Art could get it shut and locked. He was putting everything he had in it to get it closed as I pushed back and slipped inside.

“Sorry, we’re closed.” He opened the door again expecting me to leave.

“I know you are. There is no need to be sorry. I want to talk to Dan.” I didn’t turn away from Art because I knew he was going to grab me and toss me out.

When his weight shifted for his lunge and grab, I shook my head. “You are fixing to get a hold of something you will wish to God you hadn’t if you try and tackle me.”

“Big talk from a big girl but you’re still going out.” He lunged focused on grabbing an arm, twisting it up behind my back and frog marching me out.

“Oh please, as if I haven’t seen that one a thousand times already.” I mocked him as I lunged forward, bent over, shoulder down, impacting him in the stomach, raising up, and flipping him through the air. He came crashing down on a table and chairs ending up flat on the floor face down.

Grabbing his arm, I twisted it up behind his back, holding his hand and fingers bent back. It was painful and if he tried to fight me he would break his wrist and three fingers. “Listen to me you big ape. The only reason I didn’t kill you was I promised Dan I wouldn’t kill anyone here tonight. You have a gun tucked under your belt on your right hip. I’m going to let you up. If you pull it and point it at me I won’t debate whether you intend to pull the trigger or not. I will kill you.”

Letting go of him, I stepped back to give him some space. He slowly pushed up off the floor and stood staring at me. “No one has ever treated me like that before.”

“Know your opponent and what he is capable of before you engage him whether it is a game of cards or a life and death situation. You were telegraphing you emotions, your moves. I knew before you did what you were going to try. If you come at me again the outcome will still be the same only I will inflict a lot more damage on your body.”

“You some sort of martial arts person?”

“In my lifetime I have studied most of the martial arts. I would not call myself a master in any of them. My only interest was to learn how to not kill someone if it wasn’t necessary.”

He shook his head. “I should have known. You’re a mutant. Dan’s wife…”

“Is a mutant. I figured that out when he kept questioning me after I walked in. That’s what I wanted to talk to him about. Tell him she needs to go on a vacation or keep a really low profile for at least a year. Things around this town are starting to heat up. Mutants will be the ones taking the brunt of the witch hunts starting up.”

“Heard a racket. Art is…” Dan came into the room holding up his pants with his left hand, a gun in his right. “Might have known. Cynthia, If I had known it was you I would have finished my business.”

Laying the gun down on a table, he finished fastening his pants. “Glad to see you hung around. I would like for you to meet my wife.”

I could see another thought hit his mind. “How are you managing to stand on your feet? You drank more than all those men together at that table. Where you were sitting, I kept expecting you to keel over long before ten o’clock rolled around.”

“I can’t get drunk. Tried my best on several occasions over the years. Believe me, I really tried too.”

A hint of a smile touched his lips. “While they were trying to get you drunk, you returned the favor. I guess I should hire you. They spent over eight hundred dollars on their failed effort.”

“Probably best word wasn’t spread around. Mutant always is the first thing come to mind when a person doesn’t act normal. Damn government kills eight to twelve thousand normal people every year because they stood out from the crowd. Which is why I waited to talk to you. Your wife needs to go deep under cover or take a vacation. This town is going into full blown mutant hunting real quick.”

“I’ve been hearing rumors.” Art was staring at me. “Bolt has disappeared.”

He waited for a reaction. I didn’t give him one. “Dagger was found with her throat slashed and her heart ripped out. No one and I mean no one dared cross either of those two. There is a rumor a Huntress is in town. They say the only one who could have taken either of them out is a Huntress.”

“I wouldn’t put to much faith in rumors. They are usually tales spun out of the mouths of drunks in back alleys or down at the flop house.” I had already clued him in I was a Huntress. He was searching if I was the bad business that had moved in.

“When can you talk to Michaela” Dan had come across the room.

“Way things are going, the sooner the better. Time is going to catch all of us with our pants down.” I glanced down at his pants knowing he would get the reference of him coming out of the bathroom holding onto his pants.

“Tomorrow work out?”

“I’ll make it happen. Not here and not your home. No shitting where you live. Someplace public, open, yet private. Someplace like a mall where we can talk.”

“Landers Mall, they have a few hallways leading to empty stores now. The mall put benches in them to try and attract older people back to the mall. Security makes sweeps to make sure druggies and others don’t move in. Do you know where it is?”

“I’ll find it. I have a job, can you meet me on my time schedule around eight A.M. You and your wife dress to blend in.” I figured to have that talk with Michaela and make it back by ten when the restaurant opens, or possibly not. Two of those men on that committee take a jog in Colonel Jackson Memorial Park every couple days.

“We’ll be there inside the mall by the Sears store.”

===================================

I made it back to the club, took a shower, changed into faded jeans, a new pair of sneakers, and a gray hoodie that had property of Texas Tech printed on it. Sometimes it is better to use a little satire to blend in than really try and hide. My hair was inside the jacket not outside it. Arriving at the mall by seven, I had made the circuit and canvassed the mall as it got close to eight o’clock. Watching Sears from six stores further down into the mall, I received the shock of my life when Dan and his wife came through the Sears store and stopped by the entrance leading into the mall. The possibility of Michaela being what I was sensing bordered on impossible. I had to be reading her all wrong.

Dan and Michaela were scanning the moving crowds now flowing through the mall. They both looked my way several times and never homed in on me. Michaela should have picked me up when they walked out of Sears. Was she completely lacking in survival instinct? It was a small miracle she was still alive. With my head down while still watching them, I blended in with a group of shoppers headed their way. I was close to twenty feet from them when Michaela looked at me, looked on by me, came back for a second look. Recognition never once showed in her eyes. I was the tall girl walking toward them.

Dan finally recognized me when I stepped up in front of the two of them. “I see you made it. This is…”

“Not now, too open, too many ears, I found a place we can talk, this way.” I nodded with my head. Almost to the opposite end of the mall, several stores had been shuttered. The public bathrooms in that one area had been closed also. The locked door to the women’s side wasn’t a problem as I had already unlocked it.

Once we were inside away from prying eyes and ears I turned to study Michaela as I dropped my purse by the door. Dan had obviously told her how to dress. She was wearing jeans, sneakers, a casual blouse, and only a touch of makeup. “How old are you?”

Michaela blinked, this was not the way she expected this meeting to begin. “I’m twenty one.”

“The hell you say. You have reached your aging limit. Try again.”

“I…,”

“Do NOT lie to me. I can sense a lie coming from your lips before you tell it. How old are you?”

She hesitated and looked at Dan before turning her attention back to me. “One hundred and thirty one.”

It was Dan’s turn to look shocked. She had been lying about her age before they ever married. Thinking about it, he didn’t really believe it. She wasn’t any older than twenty two.

“Where were you born?” I was watching her eyes, her facial expressions, her body language, and receiving stronger emotions and signals than I had ever received from any other mutant or animal.

“My mother gave birth to me in Pine Ridge, Texas.”

“eeeeech, try again and stop lying to me or this meeting is going to go downhill in a hurry.”

I moved over where I was between them and the door, which was the only exit from the bathroom. “Dan, you might want to put some space between us. Next time she lies to me I’m going to beat the holy shit out of her.”

She took a step toward me. “I don’t have to put up with this.”

“Yes you do. You’re going to tell me every little detail about your whole fucking life because I want to know how you survived this long. You haven’t a clue who or what you are. When I get all the right answers out of you then I’m going to explain it to you. If you think for one instant you can walk by me, you’re sadly mistaken. I have thousands of years of experience you don’t have.”

Dan had seen enough. He pulled his gun. I gave him enough time to raise it up and then I was there yanking it out of his hand. I wasn’t strong enough to bend gun barrels. I did the next best thing. Gun pieces went everywhere and some of those pieces I did bend.

Michaela dove at me. If I hadn’t already been expecting it, she was telegraphing everything before she began. She expected to impact with me at where I was standing. Only thing, I wasn’t there when she arrived at the contact point. I had moved to the side. She was over balanced and stumbled. I pushed, she went down and skidded across the floor, face down.

“How the hell did you survive this long? Your instincts and reflexes are so slow a normal could beat the crap out of you. Get up, we aren’t done by a long shot.”

Dan was inching for the door. I pointed at him. “Don’t! You won’t make it. Your body isn’t made for this kind of contact. She must learn or she is going to die just like Jenna did. I understand now how they ambushed and killed her. If she was like your wife, her survival instinct probably never engaged. A dozen officers shouldn’t have been able to kill Jenna and yet all it took was four.”

By now Michaela had got back to her feet and was glaring hatred at me. “That’s it, get mad and you lose your ability to reason. You hate me so come over here and knock my head off.”

Michaela tried to do just that. She lunged at me while swinging a right hook. Moving out of her strike zone, immediately I leaned back again and slapped her face with enough force it knocked her into the wall.

A red welt was spreading across her left cheek. Dan took a step toward me. “Dan, you’re out of your league. This is between the Huntress and me.”

They both stopped dead still as they stared at me. “It was Dan who finally found his voice. “What did you say?”

“When you two pulled into the parking lot I could sense her. She was different than any other mutant I have ever met. I didn’t know what to think. A new strain maybe? In all my years I have never met another Huntress. I thought I was the only one until I heard the stories about Jenna. To find two in the same area after all these years? When you came out of Sears I knew instantly and yet she never picked up on me.”

”I’m tearing this town apart and I’ve only begun. It won’t be long before Federal agents start flooding the area looking for mutants. Over a dozen agents are already here due to Dagger spreading her shit all around. If Michaela doesn’t get her act together she is going to end up the same way as Jenna.”

Looking at Michaela I gave her a nod. “I’ll take the time to teach you some of what you should already know. It won’t be here. If later on you go from protecting others to murdering for fun or pay, I’ll come hunt you down like I did Dagger. Sally Ann will be a pain in my heart for a long time. She was a good kid. I have no idea what sent her down the wrong path.”

“You’re mistaken about me.” Michaela knew she was a mutant with re-generative abilities. She wasn’t any Huntress.

Shrugging in disagreement, I knew she was years behind learning who and what she was. “Let’s start with the easy lessons first. Surely you have noticed the temperature really doesn’t matter to you. In cold weather have you ever been truly cold?”

She shook her head.

Good, I had her attention now. “Does scorching hot weather bother you?”

“No.”

Holding up my right hand, I wiggled my fingers. “Look at my nails and then look at yours. Have you ever broken a nail?”

Looking at my nails and then hers, she became really quiet.

Slowly I extended my fangs. Dan and Michaela took several steps back as fear showed in their eyes. It was hard to talk around them so I pulled them back in. “You have them too. I felt one of them when I slapped you. I’m surprised they didn’t come out when you got really angry with me. The first couple of times they extend will probably be involuntarily. I suggest you make a real effort to control extreme emotions when in public. They are a sure fire give away you are a mutant. You’ll quickly learn to control them. They came in useful a number of times when I was outnumbered and the fighting got down and dirty.”

Michaela was feeling her face by the sides of her nose. She started swirling her fingers around beside her nose. “Oh, bloody hell!”

Pulling a sheet of paper and a pen out of my purse I wrote down several addresses, phone numbers, and names. “These people are all normal. They live far enough from civilization you will be relatively safe. You must go there as soon as possible. I can’t protect you and I can’t train you here as I am actively engaged already.”

“You’re hunting people? Those four men you sit with in the bar…” Dan swallowed.

“They have murdered others and are still on the payroll of a committee who plans the murders of those who don’t pay them protection money.”

“You plan on hunting them down?” Dan didn’t look too comfortable asking the question or being in the same room with me.

“Best you don’t ask too many questions.” The less others knew about my plans the better. I turned my attention to Michaela. “Because you now know who and what you are, the percentages of you being found out went up exponentially. You will be unconsciously sending out the information. You don’t have the experience to cloak yourself. You need to pack up and leave. The sooner the better, four days max.”

She was shocked. “I can’t. Everything Dan and I worked for…”

“Means nothing from this point on. Your life must change if you plan on living another year. Every thing you and your husband own must be put in a trust. Dan’s life has become tied to yours. If anyone figures out he is married to a Huntress they will torture him until he tells every last little detail about you. And then they will kill him if they can’t use him to lure you back to him.”

“Cynthia, is that what happened to you?” Michaela was trying to understand all Nova had gone through.

“My life…, is different. A long time ago I did marry. Maybe I’ll tell you the story when we have time. You two need to tie up all the lose ends you can manage and leave this town.”

Retrieving another paper from my purse I wrote down a name. This lady is an attorney and an honest one. Contact her, let her know I said you both needed to leave ASAP.”

Thinking about the name I gave Dan I realized Cynthia wouldn’t mean anything to Rhonda. “Tell her Nova or Jodi advised you to leave.”

Michaela gave me a funny look. “Dan said you were Cynthia.”

“I’m a lot of names. You’ll learn, if you live long enough, a batch of different names comes in handy every time you have to move and get a fresh start. It’s one of the hazards when living longer than normals think a person should. One of the many things that got Jenna murdered. She stayed in one place too long.”

Growing up in the world before it could be called civilized, as if humanity could be considered civilized now, I learned at an early age to keep moving. I also collected more than my fair share of sword, spear, arrow wounds along the way. It was best to not collect them things. In this day an age, weapons spilling out hundreds of rounds a minute were not good for one’s health. I hoped Michaela learned before they could kill her.

“Listen, I gotta go and see if I can meet up with a couple guys and give them a biblical lesson. They will find out one must not covet thy neighbor’s labors. A lesson they will learn a little belatedly I regret.”

===================================

Leaving Dan and Michaela in the bathroom I headed for an exit and my car. I had time to meet two members of that committee if Chuck and John were jogging today. Gotta admire men who don’t sit behind their desks growing soft and fat as they send out the lackeys to do all the dirty work. Leaving my car in a residential area ten blocks from the park. I jogged to the park. Wearing a hoodie and gray sweats, I only received a few offers for a ride. The morning was turning out perfect. It was my hope it would lure my prey out for their jog.

Pat and Darrel opened the doors for their employers, Charles Norton and John Eldridge, after the limo was parked. Chuck nodded to the path everyone used to run or walk around the park. “Ready?”

John sighed. “Not really. Let’s get this over with and get back to the office. Craig is starting to foam at the mouth since that damn club slipped out of our grasp.”

“Losing help and not knowing where they went isn’t helping anyone’s attitude.” Chuck started trotting to stay beside John as they both headed up the path.

“That reminds me. I received notice Alex died in his sleep last night. Medical thought it was his heart.” John was wishing they hadn’t exercised in the park this morning although it was a beautiful morning for it.

“Poor shit was probably out drinking all night. At least I don’t have to worry about things like that. Got my physical last week. Doc said I was as healthy as a twenty year old. Old goat was lying through his teeth but they did give me a clean bill of health.” Chuck glanced back to make sure Pat and Darrel were keeping up.

“I’m scheduled for Thursday for my annual. I don’t know why I bother though. For the past thirty years I hear the same results every time I go in. You’re looking good Charles, keep up the exercises and watch what you eat. Hell, I’m tired of watching what I eat. These damn exercises aren’t getting any easier as the years go by.”

At a slow sprint I was coming up on my targets from behind. Neither bodyguard knew I was there before it was too late. Running in between them I slammed a fist right behind the ear of the one on my left as I grabbed his neck with my left hand. The one on my right I spun, jumped, kicked him under the chin. He went flying off the path into the grass. When he bounced I was there and slapped his neck. The two ahead of me hadn’t reacted yet as I sprinted up between them and slapped each one on the neck with my left hand.

My head was down, my face couldn’t be seen as I stopped. “Tell the committee The Huntress is sorry for all their losses.”

Running back the way I came, my speed was in the range of a normal. By this time both Charles and John were beginning to get over the surprise and shock as they both turned to watch the woman running away from them. That was when they saw both bodyguards laying on the ground.

“STOP HER!” John watched as the woman left the path and sprinted across the street to disappear among the houses.

Most of those in the park who heard John shout were looking around to see what ‘her” they were supposed to stop.

==========================================

Pat and Darrel were taken to the hospital in an ambulance even though both insisted they were okay. Charles and John arrived shortly there after as John had driven the limo to the hospital.

Dr. June Hanlla was conferring with Dr. Andrew Harrison. “Besides bruising on the two men, I found a small puncture wound on their neck. They claim a woman ran between them and put both of them down. I’m suspicious as one of them has the puncture on the left side of his neck and the other has a puncture on the right side of his neck. What led me to the punctures was the small amount of blood around the wound. Of course I ordered x-ray, blood tests and urine samples from both.”

Dr. Harrison looked at his notes. Except for the bruising the two men June examined his diagnoses was almost an exact copy of the two men he examined. “I found the same thing on my two patients. And like you I ordered x-rays, blood tests, urine samples and have both hooked up to blood pressure, heart machines. We’ll have to wait a couple hours for the lab to tell us what we might be dealing with. God, if it’s some rogue virus the woman inflicted them with we might have to quarantine the whole hospital.”

“Let’s not panic and start running though the hospital crying we are all going to die before we know if we have anything to worry about.” June gave Andrew a nod. “Did you mention any of your thoughts to your patients?”

Dr. Harrison shook his head. “You know me better than that. I have no idea what I think. June, the police are saying one of the witnesses heard the woman mention The Huntress.”

“Damn it Andy, I’ve been hearing stories about The Huntress for the past couple weeks now. These rumors get started and pretty soon everyone is seeing a killer in every shadow. It’s mass hysteria. You know as well as me that is all it is. There isn’t any Hunter killer out there except in people’s imagination. Don’t you start spreading those rumors yourself.”

“I don’t intend to but we keep ALL our options open. We both have seen and treated mutants. They certainly weren’t rumors.”

June reached out her hand. “The lies we have to tell as we treat mutants and send them back out into the world without informing the government is probably going to catch up with both of us in time. If only our government could see them the same way we do. They are as human as everyone else. Just a little more blessed with unusual strengths than us.”

Smiling Andy took her hand, leaned forward and kissed her. “I love you Miss June Hanlla. Marry me so we can both live in the same prison cell after we are caught.”

Laughing, June pulled back and slapped him on the shoulder. “When you find both of us enough time to have a decent church wedding the answer is yes.” She held up a finger to shush him. “Until we have that church wedding the answer is no.”

“We will have to find the time then. Until then, I managed to wrangle us a reservation at Eve’s Hanging Garden Club.”

June gave him a wicked smile. “I heard it was impossible to get reservations at that place since they reopened.”

“They never closed, renovated it on the get go from what I hear. Took a week to get a reservation. Hope it lives up to its reputation as my date deserves only the finest.”

“What time?”

“Saturday at seven. I looked at your schedule and you’re off duty then.”

“Think you’re pretty smart don’t you Dr. Harrison.” June turned away and flounced out of the room.

“DAMN STRAIGHT!” Andy hollered after her.

===================================

At noon, Larry was sitting in the car with Neil eating the hamburgers and fries they had picked up at the drive in. Bud’s Liquor store was down the street in front of them. Elroy Garrison, the owner, hadn’t sent in his ‘donation’ to the mail drop this month. They were there to give Elroy a lesson why it wasn’t a good idea to be late on donating to the cause.

“What the!” Larry slumped over the steering wheel as the fries and partially eaten hamburger slipped out of his hands.

Neil set his down in the seat as he reached over to shake Larry. “Hey man! Larry? Larry?”

He reached up and put his fingers on Larry’s neck. There wasn’t a pulse. “OH FUCK!” He pulled out his cell phone.

“Nine one one, what is the emergency?” Was the response after he punched in the numbers.

As Karma, if one believes in such nonsense, would have it. The ambulance took Larry to the same hospital the two bodyguards had gone to. June was in ER talking to Dr. Leroy Jackson who happened to be an expert in toxicology. She was hoping there were some tests they could run on her two patients to find out if they had been poisoned or infected. When the gurney came in with Larry’s body. The EM team was still giving heart pushes as the oxygen machine forced air into his lungs.

“Did you use the defibrillator on him?” Dr. Jackson looked at his latest patient.

“Shocked him four times on the way here. Didn’t get a response.” Chip backed up to give Dr. Jackson room to examine the patient. Chip had no doubt this man was beyond help.

“Okay, people let’s see if we can do better. Get him hooked up and get his heart beating.” Seconds later the efficiency of the ER team showed as the man was prepped for the electric paddles.

“Clear.” Dr. Jackson touched the button on the paddles he had pressed to the chest. The heart monitor was still flat line.

“Again, clear.” After two more tries, Dr. Jackson put the paddles back on the tray and looked up at the clock on the wall. “Twelve seventeen. Call it.”

June thought she saw something. She stepped up beside the body and pulled his shirt collar back. “Dr. Jackson, would you look at this.”

He stepped up beside her as she pointed to a pinprick on the side of the neck. “Do me a favor and take a tissue sample around this area. I believe we are looking for a toxin instead of a virus.”

He leaned down to get a good look at what June was pointing at. “You got it.”

As soon as she left the room she headed back to her office. She placed a call. “Lt. Max Ingram, this is Dr. June Hanlla, will you get me a list of names of everyone in a twenty mile radius of Bectal and Lintus Hospital who has died from a heart attack the past thirty days?”

Max had dealt with June over the years. Some of his cases had been solved because of her suggestions on what to look for. “June, is this a hunch or you have red meat?”

“So far just a hunch. Nothing I can point to physically.” Came back over the phone.

“Okay, it isn’t that much of a request. I’ll put a man on it today. I want something in return. Give me the names of those you are suspecting.”

“It’s a deal. I’ll let you know shortly. Thanks.” June hung up with a gut feeling this was only the beginning. It was a habit of hers to scan the obituaries. One thing she had noticed lately was the age of victims who were dying. Then there was the list of missing people she seldom paid any attention to until a mutant by the name of Bolt came up. Part of her education included training in Germany when she was in the military. The stories about the legendary Huntress were ones everyone was familiar with. The stories started with a Huntress centuries before and of course there were dozens of Huntresses over time. June didn’t buy it. Most of the stories had the same theme. A young girl, a giant, The Huntess kills those robbing, killing, pillaging villages, raping women. Even into present day tense the stories pretty well had the same concept. As impossible as it was, June thought it was the same woman who was incredibly old and yet still young. If she was half the avenger the stories told, she was certainly capable of making that maniac Bolt disappear.

The more she thought about it, the more she was positive their city was dealing with the legendary Huntress. A chill ran down her spine. “May God help us all.”

June headed out as she wanted to talk to the two patients Andy had treated. When the police questioned her own patients they were so vague the information about the attacker was worthless. They were gone but the policeman who had interviewed them was still there writing notes and talking to Dr. Harrison.

June didn’t wait as she walked up to them. “Sergeant, did the victims describe the person who attacked them?”

He looked up to see who was asking. She wasn’t a reporter. Dr. Andrew Harrison looked at June. “This is my colleague Dr. June Hanlla. She treated the other two men brought in.

Sergeant Blake liked what he was looking at. “Sure. Female, tall, they think she was six foot to six four.”

The corners of his mouth turned up. “I don’t think she knew who she attacked.”

“Why do you say that Sergeant?”

“These aren’t the kind of people one would want to antagonize.”

“Would you elaborate?”

“I’ve said too much already.” He shook his head.

June’s insides were quivering. She was positive they were dealing with The Huntress. The old stories described her as a giant. Back in the dark ages six foot would be a giant as the majority of the population was smaller than what was normal for today.

========================================

Jack Wicker had moved to the Houston suburbs eleven years earlier. Jack Thurgood was his next door neighbor. Both were close to the same age. With the same first name it was only inevitable they would both start associating first as neighbors, then as friends. Jack Thurgood talked his friend into working for the same company he worked for. The enticement was, the pay was better than Jack Wicker could earn anyplace else and the hours were good. Wicker was working for the company for a couple weeks before he realized what he had signed on for. He wanted to quit but no one quit after they were hired unless they were headed for the morgue with a toe tag.

That evening Jack Thurgood noticed Wicker had his car packed. He wondered if his wife and kids were going on vacation? No one in the organization was allowed to be on vacation just now with all the problems they were having with that damn club and members dying. He walked over and knocked on his neighbor’s door.

And was met with a shotgun in his face. “I’m leaving. Don’t try and stop me.”

“What the hell! You know the rules. They will hunt you down and kill your whole family.” Jack Thurgood was reminding him of the laws of the organization.

“The company is finished or haven’t you been paying attention! People are disappearing or dying. Ever since they started fucking with that damn club trying to rein it in, men have started disappearing or dropping dead. We are all fucking walking dead men! I’ll take my chances with you guys finding me rather than a hunter.” Jack Wicker never wavered as he held the shotgun straight at Jack’s chest.

“I wish you the best man.” Jack Thurgood extended his hand for a handshake with his friend.

Wicker took one step back. “That trick won’t work. I’ve seen you use it too many times. Very very slowly reach in with your left hand and remove your gun from your shoulder holster using only your fingers. Drop it and then move over to the side.”

Thurgood was trying to decide if Wicker had the guts to pull the trigger as he had never killed anyone…, yet. Deciding he didn’t want to be the first, he did as Wicker directed.

“EVERYONE IN THE CAR NOW!” Wicker’s wife, son, and daughter hastened past the two men on the porch headed for the car.

As Wicker squatted down to pick up the gun he noticed Thurgood shift positions. “Don’t try it Jack or this whole situation between us ends right here. I’ll splatter your guts all over the lawn. I know if ‘she’ doesn’t get you, then you will be coming after me. I’ll take my chances with you instead of her. Now back off some more.”

Thurgood’s car was in his driveway and not that far away. Wicker took two shots. One tore up the left front tire, the other the driver’s window. Making sure Thurgood wasn’t going to try and attack him, Wicker got into his own car, backed out of the driveway, and with tires squealing headed off down the street. Most neighbors were pulling their curtains back to see what was going on. A couple of them stepped out on their front porch and looked around.

The next day Jack Wicker stepped into a Post Office and mailed a package to the Texas Criminal Division after making sure his fingerprints weren’t on the contents or the package.
Thurgood’s gun killed five people that Wicker was witness to. Inside with the gun was a note listing the victims names, where, and when they were murdered. The note also listed the names of those on the police force who were on the take.

==================================

The morning was a wash as I didn’t dress up to cruise the restaurant or the club. After that business in the park a shower, jeans, sneakers, nylon blouse were the order for the time until the evening crowd started coming. In my opinion the greatest invention of modern society was sneakers. The second on that list was combat boots for when the going got down and dirty. My walk through the restaurant was just that as I listened to our diner’s conversations, checked the buffet tables, and stopped to make sure everything was okay with our waitresses. If they were unhappy or had complaints I wanted to know before any of that spilled over to our customers.

Walking over to the front desk, I checked with Marco. “Is everything okay?”

He waved a hand out toward the dining area. “Ever since that power outage and us being the only ones in the area with power and food, our customer base has been steadily growing. I imagine you know all that already. Nov…, Jodi, I believe we could fill a restaurant twice this size and still not be big enough.”

He pushed the reservation book over toward me. “Booked solid after five o’clock the rest of the month and beyond. There isn’t a single one of us who doesn’t understand none of us would be here if it wasn’t for you.”

“Don’t sell yourself and all the others short. I couldn’t do this by myself. Everyone here is a key piece to this whole operation. Because all of you are pulling hard yourselves, the Garden Club has been reborn. Brent and Kathy have noticed it too. Are you satisfied with your position and your hours?”

Marco chuckled. “Ten to five? I have bankers hours. The seven day weeks are starting to wear a little thin and I understand the reason why it is necessary right now. Besides, with the overtime Lorrie is happy. She’s squirreling away the extra money for a vacation. I told her the money was hers to spend on herself. We’ll see how it works out when we get there.”

“Kathy has more temp help coming to fill in for our waitresses, chefs, essentially everyone and of course you. The ones who work out will be offered a permanent position so everyone can go back to a five day work week.” I touched Marco on the shoulder before I turned and headed to the bar. I wanted a few words with Harold, Ben and the others.

Marco watched as Nova walked into the passage connecting the restaurant to the bar. “And you Nova, who will replace you after you’re gone? There isn’t anyone capable of doing what you have done. No one can fill your shoes.”

Spencer found me in the bar. “Kitcha came in a couple minutes ago. I managed to get her up to the suite.”

“How bad is she?”

“Not good.”

“Crap! How did she get back?”

“She was driving one of our loaners.”

“Sanitize it or lose it. Find Sonya and send her up.” I headed for the stairs.

In the suite I checked the bedrooms first. There was blood all over one of the beds but no Kitcha. Following the scent of blood I found her sitting on the floor in the shower. The spray was on and blood reddened water was flowing into the drain.