Chapter 28: Homecoming "I missed you so much," Samantha told him, curling up to his still clothed body. "I didn't think I was going to see you again!" She gave him another kiss. "And now you're here with me. That's all that matters." He chuckled. "I'm never going to do that to you again." He kissed her cheek. "I won't do it unless it cannot be avoided." "I don't care. It's just nice to be in your arms again." She stroked his chest. "Eh...you think you could...I don't know..." "Ditch these clothes because I smell like I've been walking through sewage?" "I was kinda wondering about that. Please?" He got out of bed, got out of everything, and rejoined her. "Much better." She pressed her furred body up against him. He nuzzled her neck a little bit. "I'm a little tired. Wanna hit the hay?" "With you, anything." **************************************************************************** Sven and Kaitlyn hunted down Swift, who was settling into temporary quarters. Even though he didn't want to, he wanted to know everything that happened in the time they were gone. Swift, who was a bit tired, spent a good ten minutes telling him all that he wanted to know. "And what of this rebel unit?" Sven asked. "The Viper Sting?" Swift responded. "They're a good group. If it weren't for them, we'd be dead." She chuckled and layed back on her bed. "They know what they're doing. They've got a good leader, every member has been crossed by the Raiders in some way...Sir, they are a real value. Tobias will have a definite use for them." "I see." He chuckled. "Crash and the others will not be too please about it." "No. They won't." "How so?" "Simple: Crash and his boys are Tobias' body guard. D, Mink, and the rest are his army. Tobias can fully function on his own." "But will he?" "Hell no. He's too attached to us. He cares for us 110 percent." She chuckled. "We shouldn't worry about that right now. What you should be doing is looking for D and talking to him." "I understand." He smiled and bowed to her. "Thanks for watching over him. Have a good night's sleep." **************************************************************************** The Viper Sting was given a hero's welcome when they safely delivered Tobias to the base. They were immediately given their own barracks. At first, for the majority of them, it was scary. "I can't believe it," Xuon said, sitting on one of the beds. "Actual mattresses. An actual building." "With running water!" Mink added. "And fuckin' showers! They have showers!" "It's so nice in here," Mallory said, hugging Terry. "I think we've found our new base of operations." They looked to D, who was at the window. "What do you think, boss?" "Hmm?" He looked at the others. "What was the question?" Mink approached him. "You've been really out of it since we arrived here. What's up bro?" He sighed. "Don't forget. I used to be in the Pack army. I'm just worried they'll call me back to duty." "Don't worry," Terry said. "They wouldn't do that to you." "You don't know the Pack. At best, they'll try to enlist you guys and separate us all." "No," Myst said. "No way in hell I'm gonna give up working with these people." The room fell silent. "You guys are like a family to me. I think it's safe to say that this clan will not be divided." D chuckled. "It's true. We are a family. But there are some things more powerful than our bonds. Time will tell..." The door opened. "Is the D here?" Sven's voice called in. "I'm right here," D responded. "Come in." Sven entered. Everyone instinctually stood at attention. "What can we do for you sir?" Sven chuckled. "Dane Ulrich, I presume. It's good to have you back with our people." "It's a real pleasure, sir." "I heard what you said. According to Swift, you guys work as good as, perhaps even better, than our armies. I'd expect that since you, Commander, are one of us." D chuckled. "I wouldn't dream of splitting you guys up." "That's great." "I came here, however, to discuss something with you. Shall we?" D nodded and led him towards the back They sat down at a small table. A few beers were brought over and popped open. After a few sips, Sven got down to business. "Tell me something," he said. "What do you think of Tobias?" "Him?" D said. "Well..." "He's a brilliant mind," Mink said. "He's an excellent marksman," Myst added. "He's a fantastic personality," Mallory threw in. "He's one of us," Terry finished. He folded his arms with a smirk. "We would gladly fight along side him any day of the week." D laughed. "They just about summed it up." "Good," Sven said. "That makes this easier." "What would that be?" "You guys know Crash, Psycho, Hack, Bomber, and Wrench, right?" They nodded. "They're Tobias' Elite Guard, his body guard, so to speak. However, they aren't much and wouldn't last too long alone. He needs a unit of highly experienced soldiers to help him along his road to victory." The Vipers looked amongst themselves, smiles growing on their faces. "I am not forcing any of you into anything. I am just offering you an opportunity. Do you guys want to fight under the Pack flag, under Tobias' command?" "I don't know," D said. "Vipers, do you wish to fight under the guidance of Lone Wolf?" The barracks erupted in a roar of enthusiasm. Everyone threw in a cheer, even stone faced Terry. "There's your answer, sir. We'll gladly fight for him, with him, by his side. You just tell us when we can start." Sven chuckled. "It all depends on what he wants to do." "He'll sign y'all on," Crash responded. He walked up to the table. "So ol' Tobias is going to become a commanding officer in the Pack?" "Oh no," Sven said. "He's his own class. He is elite. Just like you and your boys." He looked at D. "Just like the Viper Sting." He looked around the barracks, every eye on his person. "When he asks you guys to join as his army, as we all know he will, you will all receive special ranks. At that time, Viper Sting will transform, we hope, into the Sacred Warriors. The Raiders will fall by Tobias' hand!" They all let out a second cheer. The pure enthusiasm in the room was powerful enough to make Isthus become worried. **************************************************************************** Tobias awoke the next morning, Samantha still curled up in his grasp. He didn't open his eyes. He didn't stretch or sit up. He pulled her closer and smiled. "It's good to be home. My home." Samantha stirred and looked up at him. "Good morning, Tobias. How did you sleep?" "For the first time since We left Tak Norath, wonderfully. What about you?" She nuzzled her cheek up against his chest. "I love you, Samantha. I love you more than life itself." "I love you too, Tobias. You are the true love I was waiting for." She crawled on top of him. "I would love to spend the rest of my life with you." He smiled. "I can see it now. You and me, growing old together, happy for all eternity." She smiled. "But what would we do?" He chuckled. "I think we should get ourselves a farm. Yeah, a fruit farm." "But what kind of fruits would we grow?" "Any kind we wanted. Peaches, oranges..." "Peaches? Oranges?" She gave him a questioning look. "Oh. I guess they don't grow on this planet. What kinds of fruit do you people have?" "We have a lot of fruit - Makai, Nuitberries, Yterri fruits..." "Then we'll get us a Yterri fruit farm and grow ancient together. Sound good?" She smiled and rested her head on his chest. "Then that is what we'll do." She kissed his nose. "When the war is all over." "When the war is all over, and Isthus is dead, I am going to make you and Kaitlyn and Swift and everyone else the happiest people in the world. Nothing will come between us." He stroked her back. "Even if it means I have to fight things off every day." She smiled. "Would you?" "Of course. Now..." He reached under the pillow and pulled out a wrapped condom. "I did promise you something when I came back." She giggled. "Why Tobias! You're a very dirty mind, aren't you?" "No. I'm just in fuckin' love!" He gave her a very passionate kiss. **************************************************************************** Tobias walked into Sven's office with a grin on his face. Sven acknowledged him as he entered and watched that grin as he approached. "What are you grinning about?" he asked. Tobias smiled, showing off every pearly white in his mouth. "You and Samantha...?" He nodded. "Oh good god! You mean there's gonna be a mini-Sammy running around soon?" "Oh no," Tobias said. "Not for a long while." "What's that supposed to mean?" "Sven, I need a favor." He nodded. "Where's the nearest jeweler?" "There's a small town about fifty miles east of here. Why?" "I need to buy a ring." Sven's eyes widened. "You're gonna propose to Samantha?" "Not yet. Two rings for right now. One will be the engagement ring I'm gonna give her when the time is right. The one I want to give to her now is just a promise ring." "A promise ring?" "It's a stupid little custom with my people. It's just a symbol of my love for her and my promise that I will stay true to her forever." Sven chuckled. "Why? What do you guys do here?" "Nothing. We usually end up proposing right away. But I like your idea. I'll send our operatives out to get you the two rings." "Great. Thanks." "Anytime." He leaned back in his chair. "Do you think we can we get a little business done?" He quirked a brow. "What sort of business?" "Well, we're not sure what to do with the rebel unit. We figured, since you've spent all this time with them, you'd have an idea on what to do." "Let them decide." He sighed. "They're free spirits. It's up to them. If they want to go trudging back into Raider territory to sow havoc and chaos, then let them. If they wanna hit the civilian life here in our territory, don't stand in their way." "And if they want to sign on as your personal army." Tobias remained silent. "Well?" "I don't know. I mean, I've got Crash and the guys. And there's Swift. I think I'm set." "Yeah. But, just for a moment, what if they did decide on that? What would you do?" Tobias turned away. "I wouldn't really know what to do. D is their leader. It should be that way. He knows how to handle them." "I see." "However, if they wanted to work with me, I couldn't stop them. Hell, I'd appreciate the assistance." He sighed. "But that's not likely to happen. Ah well, I'm gonna go find Crash and the boys. Call me when the rings come in." "Sure thing. Take care." Tobias nodded and left. Sven chuckled. "You wouldn't know, old friend. Dane is an amazing guy." He found Crash in his barracks. The others were scattered to the far reaches, so it was just him. "Hey Crash," he said as he entered. "What's hangin'?" "Not much." He folded up the magazine he was reading and tucked it under his mattress. "What about you?" "Eh...just waitin' for a delivery." Crash raised a brow. "What are you talking about?" "Sven is having his boys pick me up a pair of rings." He smiled. "Hopefully Sammy will like them." "Sammy? Rings?" He grinned. "You aren't..." "I'm not going to propose to her yet. I'm not ready for that." He chuckled. "But I will give her a promise ring." He caught Crash's confused look and shook his head. "It's an old human custom. Guys who really liked their girls would give them rings as a sign that they loved them, often more than life itself. The ring symbolizes his promise to remain committed to her." Crash smiled. "That's sweet, Tobias. What brought this revelation on?" "It's a long story. You sure you're up for it?" "Yeah." He sat up. "Tell me everything." "Well." He got comfortable. "Swift and I were talking on our way back to friendly territory." **************************************************************************** Terry sat atop the barracks the Viper Sting had been granted. He started off into Raider territory, watching the sky as it went from a clean blue to the dirty red he was so used to. Being in Pack territory was a new thing for him. And it scared him completely. "The air is too clean," he muttered to himself. He looked straight up. "And what's with the sky? Is it red or blue?" "It's blue," Mallory said. "Kaitlyn explained it to me." She crawled over to him, sitting cross-legged. "I thought I'd find you here." He shut his eyes and nodded silently. "You miss your private quarters, am I right?" "This illusion is making me weaker," he said. "I don't know if I can maintain it for much longer." "Then turn it off." "But I can't do that safely. It's too easy to get spotted here." "Yes, that's true." She looked around. "I guess we could step off base grounds so you can rest up." "Not gonna happen. I don't want to risk Raiders attacking or suspicions being raised." "That too." She gave him a hug. "That's all I've got. We have to figure something out or you're going to be in deep shit." "Let's find Tobias. He can probably help." He started to move. "This is embarrassing." "Don't think about it. The sooner you get the problem fixed, the sooner you can stop being embarrassed." "I guess you're right." He stood up. Suddenly, his body wavered like a bad TV connection. "Shit. Not now...not now..." "Don't panic," she said, taking his arm. "Let's go find Tobias." They knew where his quarters were. It was only a matter of getting to them. Terry and Mallory took every short cut and side path they could find, only stopping when Terry's illusion started to fade. It was a miracle, they believed, that they were able to get to Tobias' without the illusion going down. Mallory gave a quick rap at the heavy metal door. "Tobias!" she called in. The door was answered by Samantha. "Hey Mallory. What do you need?" "Where's Tobias?" "I...I don't know." Terry suddenly started to fade. "What's up with Terry?" Mallory looked at him. He nodded. "Can we come in?" Samantha looked at him for a moment before helping Mallory bring him in. The moment she shut the door, he hit his knees and the illusion fell. "Terry!" Mallory kneeled beside him. "Are you okay?" "I'm fine," he muttered. He looked up at Samantha. "Now you know my secret too." "You...you mean you're human?" Samantha said. He nodded. "How long have you been on our planet?" "Seven years," Mallory said. "I've only known him for two, but he's been with the Viper Sting for seven." "You mean to tell me that we've had a human on our planet for seven years?" The two nodded. "So Tobias isn't our savior?" "No!" Terry shouted, trying to stand. "Tobias is the savior. I know it." "How can you be so sure?" "Because if it was supposed to be me, it would have already been done." He took a deep, agonizing breath. "Do you think I could rest here? It'll be just until I can get my energy back so I can keep the illusion up." She smiled. "Of course. Take all the time you need to rest." She went over and helped him to his feet. "I don't mind." "Thank you, Samantha. I appreciate it." She helped him over to her couch and sat him down. "I just hope nobody who doesn't know comes in and sees this. Otherwise, D is going to kill me." She nodded. "I'll make sure of it." The door slid open and Tobias walked in. "Hey beautiful." He went over and gave Samantha a gentle peck on the cheek. She smiled and hopped into his arms. He chuckled and turned to the other two. He didn't get a hello out. "Terry, where's your illusion?" "It's dried up. I'm powered out." He blinked. "Door, lock." The door clicked into place. "What do you mean, powered out?" "I ran out of energy to keep the illusion up. I had to come down here because I knew that it would be safe." He sighed. "I can't believe it failed." "Don't panic, bro." He started to wonder. "We can't have you coming down here every day to recharge. It's too inconvenient." "I know." He sighed. "I think I might have to leave the base to be safe." "No," Mallory said, sitting down on his lap. "I won't let you." "There are other ways around it, Terry. We'll figure something out." He fell silent almost instantly. "Terry, buck up. You're more morbid than usual." He grinned. "Seriously, we will not allow you to leave. You are an important part of the Viper Sting and a critical piece of the puzzle." "Why should I stay? I'm only going to become an inconvenience." "Not true," Mallory said. "You never were. Remember when I found out your secret? You were ready to pack up and leave. But did you?" "No. I stayed and fell in love with you." He kissed her gently. "You discovered I would do anything for you." "Then I want you to stay. We can and will figure something out." He shut his eyes and nodded. "Okay. I'll do it. I'll stay." Samantha smiled. "I think we should leave you two alone to relax. We'll head out, right Tobias." He smiled. "Of course." With her still clinging onto him, he started to the front door. "You two play nice now. And if you make a mess, please clean it up." Mallory giggled. "We will. Enjoy your walk." They found themselves on a hill just outside the boundaries of the base. The small tuft of dirt and grass was far too appealing for them to pass up. Like moths to a flame, they were drawn to it for a quick relaxation period. It was enjoyable to feel grass up against their skin and fur once again. "I could stay here forever," Samantha told him. "Couldn't you?" "That I could," he said. "Although, tonight is going to be pure heaven for me." "Oh? And why is that?" He rolled onto his side and looked at her. "When was the last time I slept in a bed?" She laughed and went nose to nose with him. "And it'll be with you. I'm gonna hold you so close it'll be like you're a part of me." "Oh you!" She giggled and rubbed his cheek with hers. "So did ya miss me when we were apart?" "I thought of you with every thing I did. It was all for you, Samantha." She smiled. "Thank you, Tobias." She sat up and looked at the sun. "Wasn't this how we started this whole love affair?" "I believe so. We were on a hill, discussing Vu and Shivana's tests, and it just...escalated." He sat up and wrapped his arms around her. "So what do you see for our future?" She smiled. "I don't know." She leaned back in his grasp. "I can see ourselves living out the rest of our existence as really good friends. What about you?" He chuckled. "I see the same thing. Perhaps even a little more." "Like?" "You'll find out." **************************************************************************** "I've got it!" Vu shouted as he entered the base's research lab. He held a plain, ordinary file high in the air. "I've got it!" he repeated. Shivana looked away from her books at him. "What are you talking about?" He dropped the file on her desk. "Those are 8 energy scan reports from before Tobias returned to this base." She smiled. "Well, if you're acting like this, it must be good." She took the file up and opened it. She started with the first one, which was 20 minutes before he appeared. The energy levels were normal. Then he showed up, and there was a major build up of unstable particles. But as she continued reading, the unstable particles slowly became stable. By the report that was dated for five minutes before she got her hands on them... "Do you know what this means?" Vu asked. "The portal that brought us here," she said. "It's going to be stabilized?!" He nodded. "Does...does that mean...?" "If we can trigger it, we can go home!" Shivana squealed, jumped up, and gave Vu a hug. "We've finally got a chance to see Earth again!" She thought about going home again, and slowly lost her excitement. "Shivana? What's wrong?" She sat back down. "If we go home, then we won't be able to see Kaitlyn and our new friends." She looked up at Vu. "And Tobias is going to want to stay. He won't go with us." The smile dropped off of Vu's face. "I...I never really thought of that." He looked at the reports. "But what if we lose this chance, and the portal dies on us." "We'll never get to see our families again." She shook her head. "I don't know what to do." Vu sighed. "We'll figure it out by the time he knows. I'm sure of it." She looked at the figures again. They showed that the unstable energy would become stabilized in five weeks on this planet. "We've got ten of our weeks to figure it out. We had better figure it out or it's going to be a brash decision."