Stolen Treasure: Crucible of Change, #2.5

By Noelle Alladania Meade

When you believe you're on a mission from God, it's easy to decide the ends justify the means, and Brogan Murphy believes hard. The women he's captured and tortured–sacrificing their bodies to save their souls–would have disagreed.

* * * *

Living and working in a top secret underground lab means Coral Hu doesn't get out much. Her visit to the surface for her sister's wedding is a treasure to be savored. But joy quickly turns to horror when Coral becomes the latest young woman to join Brogan's collection. What Brogan doesn't know is that Coral has guardians who are anything but angels.

* * * *

Freshly returned from the rigors of the Wicker Man and flush with new found powers, the men of Zeta Company get the call that one of their own has been taken. Recovering Coral and protecting Underhill's secrets is their sworn duty, but the growing love between Coral and Deadeye makes this mission even more urgent.

* * * *

With time ticking by and few leads to work with, Zeta Company will need to use every trick they know to find Coral and bring her safely home.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Beasthold Books
• Release date: Dec 8, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393463450

Noelle Alladania Meade

Noelle usually has several irons in the fire at any given time. She likes to spend her time reading, writing, crafting, running two online shops to sell her crafts, and gaming. Life took a turn for the quirky in 2000 when she had her daughter, who turned out to have autism. As a child, her ambition was to be the first woman President of the United States. When she got older and learned more about politics, she recovered from that particular insanity. Her teens were spent on historical romances, science fiction, fantasy, and writing angsty poetry. In middle school, she had her first introduction to tabletop gaming in the form of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. As she explained to her dad, with all seriousness, it gave her the chance—as a terminally shy person—to try on different personalities and experiment with being a stronger person. From the time her daughter was born until mid-2014, Noelle worked out of her home providing IT support for a small local software company. She’s finally working in an office again as an administrator, and rather likes it. It’s nice to spend the day around adults who are mostly grown-ups.

Book preview

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Don for his useful information on security cameras in Greeley. Any mistakes or embellishments are all mine.

Crucible of Change Series

Forging Day

Furious Misfortune: Overture (Companion Book 1.5)

Family Values

Furious Misfortune: Stolen Treasure (Companion Book 2.5)

California Dreaming

Dungeon Raiders

Dancing with Dinosaurs

Chapter One

Back to Base

Skippy dropped his duffle bag on the floor of his office. The majority of Zeta Company had made it out of the house at Cheesman just ahead of the local press. Casanova and Skeeter were still deployed. They had paperwork to wrap up with the Commerce City PD, or at least that’s how he’d phrased it to the general. It was a convenient reason to leave the men on site until Little Sis got out of the hospital.

It was late, and a measure of how tired he was that he jumped when Doctor Hastings rapped on the door and poked her head in.

You look like hell, sunshine. The general ordered you to report straight to the infirmary when you got in. That’s why I looked for you here in your office. Sergeant Westin is already there. Are you going to come along quietly?

Skippy knew when he was outranked. Yes, Ma’am.

Bo was already hooked up to a variety of intravenous fluids. Three days of captivity out in the elements with no food and scarcely any water would take a toll on anyone. He and Bo had done their best to shield Little Sis from the harsh conditions, and they’d both made sure she had water, even as they went without.

Hey, major, said Bo. Saved you a bunk.

Skippy thought maybe the heated blankets were the best thing he’d felt in a very long time. He watched Anita as she hooked him up, studying the kind, handsome face of the Dwarven woman, barely noticing her neatly trimmed beard. He felt a pang that he might not have returned from this one. He took one of her hands and kissed it. You know what, Doctor Hastings? I do believe I have feelings for you.

She smiled at him, eyes bright. Follow your doctor’s orders, sunshine, and you can prove it to me later. Then she hugged him painfully tight, kissing him.

He hadn’t planned it, but he and Bo did spend that first night in the infirmary. Every time he woke from his restless sleep, Anita was there.

When he woke up again it was nominally morning. I’d keep you another day if I could, said Anita, but the general has been calling every half hour. If you need the time, I’ll keep you here. Just say the word.

No, I left things in an ungodly mess, said Skippy. I’d better get back.

She unhooked the IVs and monitors. While he got himself together, Bo was processed out. You have that look again, she said. I’m having breakfast delivered to your offices. If you don’t show up for lunch, that will be delivered too. You can’t afford to miss more meals right now.

Yes, Ma’am, said Skippy. Who am I to ignore my doctor’s orders?

BACK IN HIS OFFICE, Skippy plowed through the messages from the general. His biggest question was the hardest to answer. Operation Green Jeans was the general’s pet project. Ever since the Change, the general had wanted to assemble a team of so-called super soldiers. The werewolves they’d captured had been abysmal failures. Of course those men had been criminals and rapists before the Change. They’d had no reason to suspect that turning into werewolves would improve their moral character, but the general had insisted they attempt to rehabilitate the pair. That miscalculation had cost several lives. As far as the general knew, they’d been shot with silver bullets while attempting to escape. Either way, they were no longer an issue.

As they’d left the Grove in Denver nearly two weeks ago, Grove Warden Oaken had informed him, You are Operation Green Jeans.

He dialed the number from memory. I understand you’ve been trying to reach me, said Skippy.

You left Mitchell and Stevens to handle things with the local authorities. Do they understand they need to avoid the press? asked the general.

They do, sir. Since they were already known to be working with local police I believed it best to let them conclude the operation and return the rest of Zeta Company to base.

I still don’t have your report on Green Jeans.

I’ll get right on it. Give me a few days.

Does Sergeant Mitchell’s younger sister trust you?

As much as she trusts anyone.

I’ve asked to be informed when she’s ready for discharge from the hospital. I will be visiting her and you will accompany me. I expect you to convince her of the importance of protecting your team from media attention.

Understood, sir. Just as a head’s up, I recommend you ask nicely. She will protect her brother. She does not take orders.

There seems to be a lot of that going around. I’m couriering the latest CDC analysis of the Changed. Trolls are level eight. I expect you to make further effort to recruit the Troll, Frank Schmidt. He was released from his job at the university. This would be an excellent time to make your pitch. It was unfortunate we lost both werewolves. They were tens.

Yes, sir. I’ll keep an eye out.

One more thing, major. Doctor Hastings has been assigned a special project to deal with the flying rat situation outside Underhill. At least one of your men is to accompany her team on any surface expeditions.

Of course, sir.

Carry on, said the general before disconnecting the call.

He was sharpening pencils and flipping them into the ceiling tiles when Doctor Hastings arrived with his lunch tray.

Trouble, sunshine? she asked. Tell me about it while you eat your lunch.

The offer was tempting, but he had no idea how much information the general had shared with her. Some of his concern must have shown in his eyes.

Relax, she said. I have a higher security clearance than you do.

We’re supposed to defend our nation. I don’t like spying on my own men. I don’t like the Changed being bullied into providing genetic samples to the CDC. Nothing good has ever come from trying to build a so-called super soldier. I knew those werewolves were too dangerous to hold and could never be trusted. The men in that training exercise paid in blood because I went against my better judgment. He flipped another pencil at the ceiling hard enough to bury it a good few inches. But the general is right, too. There are forces out there more dangerous than we’ve ever faced before. We need to match them. We’re good, but we can’t be everywhere. And now he wants you out chasing those damn rats too.

He felt her arm across his shoulders. We all do our best, sunshine. Your job sucks, but I’d rather you suffer through it than another man that didn’t care about the people involved. As far as the rats are concerned, I think we’re onto something promising. I should know more in a few days.

He kissed her. I’ll work on this report later. Want to play hooky together?

You know it, sunshine. Your place or mine?

THEY WERE STILL IN bed the next morning when General Delancy called. They’re discharging the Mitchell girl today. You and I will be meeting her at the hospital. Be at the hangar in one hour.

And good morning to you too, general, Skippy said to the silent phone. He kissed Anita again. Duty calls.

She whistled appreciatively as he walked naked to the shower. She was dressed and had his formal uniform waiting in the five minutes it took him to make himself presentable. She watched him dress and together they went to the STET that led to the surface. See you later. I’d best get my work done before you get back.

Chapter Two

After the Wicker Man

General Delancy and the man he knew as Agent Roberts were waiting when he arrived at the compound exit. The general motioned for him to get in the back of the black SUV. Roberts was driving.

The press is all over this, said General Delancy. I have footage from the day you all escaped. Tell me what I’m seeing.

Sergeant Mitchell freed us from the cage inside the Wicker Man. We reclaimed our gear from inside the decoy tent after Captain Barnes disabled the mortar trap. Skippy pointed to the blonde woman clinging to Sergeant Mitchell. Willard Scott, the Red Wizard, had somehow made himself appear to be that young woman. And that part is where he disabled the team with magic he described as a full-body charley horse. Skippy internally winced at the not yet distant enough memory.

Mister Scott caused the deaths of his followers that had already been arrested while the people in the bus, posing as rescued prisoners, attacked those guards. The video showed the camera crew on the helicopter trying to get a close