time. He merely let out the breath he had been holding, finally doing what he should have done before now: He ported himself to the residence of his mentor.
Chapter Nine
The two operators, Peter and Lucy, who had made the initial contact with the Elusive, were given the honor of accompanying Frank and his assistant Michael to meet Fualth and Sofia’s plane. Once the introductions were complete, Fualth bestowed the sufficient atta-boy’s to the operators. The group filed into a waiting limousine. Surrounded by four black SUVs loaded with armed guards, the group headed to the dock to be transferred by boat to the unmapped Haitian Island, where the Haitian nest lived and worked.
“We have kept the knowledge of your visit to those present and the other six operators who make up Peter and Lucy’s team,” Frank informed him. Each of the ten computer data teams consisted of eight personnel rotating through twenty-four-hour shifts. They generally became close-knit groups, as was desired. This particular group had three females and five males, all Hulven. It was expected that the group would be apprised of the situation as a unit, rather than trying to divide loyalties.
It was already evident that Lucy was one of Frank’s candidates for the interview from the competitive sneer she kept sending Sofia. Always the consummate professional, Sofia behaved perfectly, seeming oblivious to the other woman’s disdain.
“I should like to meet them all, of course.” As was proper. He was all about proper. Grinning, Fualth watched the sun rise through the tinted windows. “A potential interviewer must be prepared to establish a blood bond to me. If we obtain a location to port to, I much prefer following the blood signature of a trusted bond than a geographic.” Feigning oblivion to the look traded between Lucy and Peter at his announcement, he continued to stare out the window.
****
Shane manifested at the top of the knoll overlooking the very obstacle course he had been ran over the coals as a youth. He found the tyrant bullhorning in the center of a bunch of young Elven and a few Hulven tiredly lifting huge slabs of concrete. A fond smile crept across his lips.
“ Ya gonna stand there gawkin’ or ya gonna get ya ass down here and show these younguns a thing or two?” Even from the distance that would have gone unnoticed by most, Gilgamesh had been aware of Shane’s arrival. He was one of the most powerful Elven Shane knew. “ Ya know I recommended ya ta mentor Jerika. Knew ya wouldn’t be able ta say no to her. Heard she’s doing real well. Ya should know ya’ll probably get a couple of these newbies too.”
“ I served my time in ‘Meshy-Hell,’ so I guess I’ll just watch this time.” He referred to the play on Gilgamesh’s name and adopted moniker for the advanced training and human integration campus. Attending human integration was required for Volaticus youth growing up in the Symbiosis of Species Council. Gil was commandant of the campus. The training taught the youths to control their innate impulses. The majority of first-time integrators went into the Red Cross. Some would elect Peace Corp, paramedic, fire fighting, or police, like Jerika. Regardless, they would need to be comfortable in extreme situations, oftentimes exposed to blood, all the while working side by side with humans without giving away their true natures. The course was self-paced, with an average time for completion of three to four years. Some finished in as few as two or as many as five.
Shane ported to stand directly behind Gil, taking note of how long it took the different newbies to realize his presence. The fastest was a young female who’d been looking at the exact spot he’d manifested. The longest time was a heavily muscled male who was in the process of lifting a nine-hundred-pound block of concrete. He had been behind the fifteen-second curve by three additional seconds.
“So ya come ta spar?” Gil sounded hopeful.
Chapter Nine
The two operators, Peter and Lucy, who had made the initial contact with the Elusive, were given the honor of accompanying Frank and his assistant Michael to meet Fualth and Sofia’s plane. Once the introductions were complete, Fualth bestowed the sufficient atta-boy’s to the operators. The group filed into a waiting limousine. Surrounded by four black SUVs loaded with armed guards, the group headed to the dock to be transferred by boat to the unmapped Haitian Island, where the Haitian nest lived and worked.
“We have kept the knowledge of your visit to those present and the other six operators who make up Peter and Lucy’s team,” Frank informed him. Each of the ten computer data teams consisted of eight personnel rotating through twenty-four-hour shifts. They generally became close-knit groups, as was desired. This particular group had three females and five males, all Hulven. It was expected that the group would be apprised of the situation as a unit, rather than trying to divide loyalties.
It was already evident that Lucy was one of Frank’s candidates for the interview from the competitive sneer she kept sending Sofia. Always the consummate professional, Sofia behaved perfectly, seeming oblivious to the other woman’s disdain.
“I should like to meet them all, of course.” As was proper. He was all about proper. Grinning, Fualth watched the sun rise through the tinted windows. “A potential interviewer must be prepared to establish a blood bond to me. If we obtain a location to port to, I much prefer following the blood signature of a trusted bond than a geographic.” Feigning oblivion to the look traded between Lucy and Peter at his announcement, he continued to stare out the window.
****
Shane manifested at the top of the knoll overlooking the very obstacle course he had been ran over the coals as a youth. He found the tyrant bullhorning in the center of a bunch of young Elven and a few Hulven tiredly lifting huge slabs of concrete. A fond smile crept across his lips.
“ Ya gonna stand there gawkin’ or ya gonna get ya ass down here and show these younguns a thing or two?” Even from the distance that would have gone unnoticed by most, Gilgamesh had been aware of Shane’s arrival. He was one of the most powerful Elven Shane knew. “ Ya know I recommended ya ta mentor Jerika. Knew ya wouldn’t be able ta say no to her. Heard she’s doing real well. Ya should know ya’ll probably get a couple of these newbies too.”
“ I served my time in ‘Meshy-Hell,’ so I guess I’ll just watch this time.” He referred to the play on Gilgamesh’s name and adopted moniker for the advanced training and human integration campus. Attending human integration was required for Volaticus youth growing up in the Symbiosis of Species Council. Gil was commandant of the campus. The training taught the youths to control their innate impulses. The majority of first-time integrators went into the Red Cross. Some would elect Peace Corp, paramedic, fire fighting, or police, like Jerika. Regardless, they would need to be comfortable in extreme situations, oftentimes exposed to blood, all the while working side by side with humans without giving away their true natures. The course was self-paced, with an average time for completion of three to four years. Some finished in as few as two or as many as five.
Shane ported to stand directly behind Gil, taking note of how long it took the different newbies to realize his presence. The fastest was a young female who’d been looking at the exact spot he’d manifested. The longest time was a heavily muscled male who was in the process of lifting a nine-hundred-pound block of concrete. He had been behind the fifteen-second curve by three additional seconds.
“So ya come ta spar?” Gil sounded hopeful.
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