Page 17 of Vapor (BSC #32)

He can’t see my smile as I take the stairs down but I feel it.

“I think we’re going to need security for the kids and this land.

They were willing to show and try for money here.

If that fight is normal, we need security right away.

Who better than men who obviously need a better job. ” I bend and smile at his little laugh.

“Dickass turn to dumbass, maybe Security Brother. I like.”

I laugh. “Me too. I don’t know if it will work, but I can try and may have some fun with them while I’m trying.”

“Good plan.”

“Glad you got here when you did.” I turn and see Julius standing alone.

“We are too. Where did the team we saw go?”

He points but I don’t see anyone. “Bringing the infiltrators to the bunker. They were floating a second ago.” He doesn’t look like the floating is good.

“Do I want to know?” I ask before I ask the wrong thing here.

“Nope. I was magicked today and never want to live it or talk about it again.”

Magicked? I look around, then just start walking. “Okay. I need to get to Command Ops.”

“We have…”

“Pres Vapor, I can get you to the Club with Alder.” Nash appears and bends fast. Alder climbs on his back.

Julius is shaking his head in the no motion and points ahead. I see the bikes so I beg off that one. “I’ll ride one of the bikes but thanks.”

They’re gone. I squeeze my eyes shut then open and they’re still gone.

“I’m pretty sure I made that face when the blue light was raining down.

VP Logan Done is here. He’s from Princes in Rhode Island and worked at the original Mass MC Badass before the VP job in Vermont.

He’s a reader and does the magic moves like floating too fast for people to see.

He magicked me today and I asked for it to be the last time.

” Julius is funny saying that with a straight face.

“I’ll see what that means later but I may be right with you on disappearing and floating people. When I met you, you at least had a suit on.”

He laughs. “So, this is me.”

I look at the other bike.

“I don’t know who it belongs to but VP rode it up to here.”

I nod and get on his bike. He gets on behind me causing my smile to show again.

He’s got no problem with me being rude. When his arms go around me, I think he’s just a smart man and I didn’t think this through.

The minute ride won’t kill me so I start the bike and hope the one I’m getting is like this. It’s a freaking Ducati!

The big barn still looks like a barn but I spot the edge of more buildings as we make the turn into the lot.

“What’s the metal building?” I ask figuring it will take us through the deceptive barn building and up into command.

“It’s not real metal. Alder uses recycled material and prints his own blocks now. They’re bulletproof but he says they’re not nuclear tested.”

He’s got my eyes on him pretty fuckin’ fast. “You’ve had nuclear threats?” I know Badass is always butting heads with the government but to threaten nukes?

He smiles walking the stairs with me. “Nope. He tested for everything but nuclear. The force fields stop missiles from landing in them but bullets from choppers can still hit so he makes material that bullets can’t penetrate.”

“That sounds all kinds of paranoid but Stella mentioned her lab getting shot up.” I met the woman once.

“I don’t know about it but I’m not surprised.

Badass has been fighting forever. Ben Knight and every Prince have been under attack since birth.

The fight for right is a fight for life.

My mom pushed me to be better, learn more and understand the fight from our opponent’s point of view.

It doesn’t stop that fight but it keeps it fair, just and causes us to look for solutions instead of death.

From when I was young, I heard Be Legendary .

It seemed to mirror my favorite comic books so I saw the high road as the road to that Legendary status.

Alder is already legendary. He won’t ever test nukes because he’d hurt the environment and his Brothers.

They did test for everything else. I believe an Alaskan tribe has all new igloos, insulated flooring material, solar powered LED or glow lights and heaters.

When the sun doesn’t shine, generators using alternative fuel powers everything.

They’ve lasted one winter so far and the Club up there is getting what they can out to more.

” He stops before we walk into command so I turn his way seeing the big smile.

“Alder knows how to Be Legendary and he’s in it to win like the rest of Badass. ”

I smile, shake my head fast and pull his arm in, so I’m not blinking tears away from the ultimate cheesy my JAG Julius always stuns me with.

I don’t get far and stop short seeing the fire on Mase, Alder talking to an office of Alpha-Bits that looks filmy or something and the shooting the BSC chopper is doing on the road that I’m pretty sure leads here. “Is that fight here?”

“Cort got me a board so I can see tracking.” He flips a board and it shows a preloaded screen. “Tracking shows it’s the next piece of land over. I think that’s Badass land.”

“Commander, Brother. It’s Badass land and I’ll have them being loaded in the bunker. The fight is done, they’re just playing right now.”

I nod at the smiling Mase. “What are they doing with the harnesses?”

He smiles bigger. “Cort says they can’t ride inside. Ranger called them swingers. He transported cars with pussies fastened to the cars and called it the magic car ride.”

I laugh with Julius and the Night Stalkers.

“Budgie, get Magic car ride Op here to SOAR virtual,” Alder tells someone.

A little filmy looking boy smiles up at Alder as if just being named blesses him. He’s another little cherub faced boy but he looks like a toddler. “Roger, Pres Alder.”

That’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. “He’s like a tiny soldier,” I whisper.

Julius chuckles softly. “I saw them like that when I first got here. They’re older than they look and more capable than me at most everything, but that adorable, innocent look hits hard.”

“Gut punched. Yeah.” I look up at the different chopper sounds.

The whole room erupts in laughter. The two on the car look like they’re just barely holding on but we see the carabiners and zip ties as the chopper turns and car swings closer.

I can see the difference in the feed and the pictures the drones use to overlay for virtual.

“Six maybe seven year ago.” Alder smiles.

The little Anton boy was on that chopper. Be Legendary. They certainly earned that one.

~*~*~

Julius

“We need to do the list if you’re serious about us,” I tell her watching those sparkling gray eyes closely seeing interest in them but she doesn’t do more than nod and roll her hand.

“It’s the Badass list that Aylen told you about and Justice gave me.

Jack and Bishop said it’s Important. The decisions we make now guide us in our future.

It seems odd but makes sense to have decisions made before we’re in the middle of stress and or upheaval and have to keep clear heads to move forward.

Like military protocols - this happens and we do that. ”

She smiles. “I’m all for it. Life isn’t easy and protocols kept me alive this far.

” I lean over and kiss her. She holds on so I do.

Her gentle push on my chest reminds me that we have a list to get through.

“We’ve talked Badass, ridden to Clubs and through mountains and spend the time we’ve had together.

Is it enough for you?” It’s a good question.

“Yeah. We talk while you’re out of the country when I’m free. I know you. I know about you and I like what I know. You’re oaths and Creeds matter. Mine do too. Honorable means something to both of us and I don’t see it changing, if anything I feel like it means more daily here in the BSC.”

She nods. “I didn’t know what went wrong but something surely did.

Being a woman in the military was tough enough but people pissed at me because I was seemed way off kilter when I got out.

Badass feels like it’s fixing that in my head as well as my life.

You’ve been a big part of that, Julius the JAG.

I like that you’ll be Julius my Jag. It’s what I call you my head already.

I think it started at my twenty-hour ride time. ”

I laugh at her and pull my tablet. “Question one:…”

~*~*~

Veritable Rising

Vapor

“You’re serious?” Is this Badass not so equal?

Julius gives me a look that is too sexy to screw around with.

He’s like hot boy next door face with Badass don’t fuck with me eyes.

“Look, I get that you’re Commander Vapor.

I’ve seen the Night Stalker mission reports and even two from Specter.

Nothing in me would take away any hard-fought rights you’ve gained.

I’ll fight your next with you and every Brother here would join that fight.

It’s not about what you’ve earned, it’s about us and what we can be.

I’m not behind you on every ride unless that behind you means I have your back or I climb on the back of your bike.

I’m claiming you and that’s me putting a property of patch on the front of your cut.

I’m not wearing a property of patch. I get equal, I get that you choose the name you want to use and I get that you are my President.

I love it even, but I’m not spending my life being the Mrs. We fuck behind a door or where we’re not seen.

” He looks like that behind a door isn’t negotiable. I’m not challenging it.

I try to keep the smile off my face. Aylen said he’d do this because every Badass Brother shows his dominance and I should let him.

Freedom agreed but said not to talk too much, just stay quiet and let him think what he wants.

Knowing he means every word he says, I was agreeing after his nutty list of claiming decisions we have spent the entire way long night answering.

My eyes check the light in the window just so I have time to take my happiness over him being that man off my face.

“Okay, I took Ross, I agreed to the President cut with a patch on the front and I don’t give a shit if I ride in front or behind.

The last was finding lovin’ outside the room.

I agree for you but don’t give a shit about that either.

Military Officer has unbecoming guidelines we both agreed to live by.

I’m not sure I’ll ever give them up. You brought what we agreed to back up. Which one is important to you?”

He smiles. “Walker said to lay what matters to me out there. Ranger said you’d kill me. Raid said nothing is going to matter and we would agree on everything. Justice said so.”

I smile at the nut. Mucimi said so too but I’m not telling him. “So, you don’t give a shit and we’ll work out problems.”

He nods.

“Good. Now shut up and let me sleep. I need three hours.”

The light goes off and he rolls me into his chest. It’s not my normal side but I’m too damn tired to care. With a final yawn, I’m done. Virginia Ross. That sounds like a name I’ve heard before and one I’d be happy to hear again and again.