Page 30 of Seamus: Unconventional
He puts his hand up. “Lasting connection even if they’re able to function away from their handler for long periods. The injections, computer code or whatever else he said.” He sounds like he’s giving up.
Keeping my face blank, I agree. “Yeah, Boss. The loss of purpose and contact on the deeper level would cause them to give up.” I wait for what this next look is, breathing slowly as he decides which way he’s going.
“You can run Ops with them?”
I nod, holding myself in check. “They can run Ops without me is how I’d put it, but, yeah. Every Op we’ve done here has been arranged. Flights, rides, gear and props are supplied.”
He shakes his head. “By your partner, the K-9 VP.”
I try to hide it but know he saw my smile. “Yeah, Boss. I work with the best.” One of those partners almost makes me laugh but I keep it together and ignore the cartoon styled, Rockette dancing Shadow and Light that plays behind my eyes. The Alpha-Bits and Elite K-9s created monsters with those IT lessons.
Colonel Graywolf and Kristos laugh but I don’t ask if it’s at the dancing partners. They’re both good with the seer thing.
Cort shakes his head again but he’s smiling and didn’t shoot me.
I breathe and relax knowing I won this one.
***
Maestro Club Medic Room
Light bounds in quietly. I throw ‘thanks’ through the chip. “He woke about ten minutes ago. He’s fine and they’ll get him back to work. Neither vet said how long.”
He shows me kids at a school and a ‘job’ sign.
“He’s good on Ops.”
I get the kids and job sign again. “If he wants to work with kids, he can. See if they have a need, if not the Club, maybe one of the town schools. He’ll be down so do the service dog testing with whoever tests for that shit.” I show a hand through the chip. “We know he’s beyond that and trained for every service situation, but they’ll need proof before they put a military K-9 as big as Sarge in with kids. He may like hospital work if you can’t get him in a school.”
He bounds out. I shake my head and turn at the little laugh. “You’re so quiet, I forgot you were here.” The girl came back on the transport from Honor. Seth said she wouldn’t leave Sarge. She’s a vet so I guess it fits.
“I didn’t get a room or house yet. Cody is staying with the FBI guy at a bunch of letters place. I got Sam.” Katie points at Judge sound asleep on the floor by her feet.
I smile at the letters. “The ABSZ has towns and is completely self-sustaining. There are compounds on it too. It stands for the Alpha-Bit Safe Zone. The government has military guarding it but I don’t think the military are allowed on it. They have bases outside of it. Luke Rayne DeSeville is SEAL Satellite retired and former FBI Badass Training Center Commander, he lives on the ABSZ too. He let me know about Cody. Light got a house ready for you today. You’re in the VIP big house.” I pull my phone from my shirt pocket. “Second house has two bedrooms. Judge can stay with you or on the partners compound with the teams.” I hand her the phone with the map. “Send it to the chat on your new phone. They don’t call it text and the partners don’t know the text word. It’s chat.”
She smirks at me. “Your VP K-9 sent me a welcome, it said we’re having dinner with you.” She points to a proud Light.
Shit. “Yeah. I got a pain shot when we got here. Food doesn’t work well with the shots. I could eat now.” We’ve been back here for a good eight hours. My shoulders and upper back stopped throbbing and I didn’t even notice. I did notice the headache was gone a few hours ago.
She looks skeptical. “You’ve got a huge bruise on your face, neck and down your side. You haven’t rested or stopped for anything so you must be dead on your…” her eyes close and I laugh.
“Feet. I’ve been paralyzed for almost two years. It’s just recently I got that skeleton to walk again.”The look on her face says she doesn’t believe that. I smile. “I’ll tell you about it over dinner.”
I send ‘dinner’ through the chip. “I’ll be back later, Brother,” I tell Light.
“I got him, Pres. Nagíla went home for the night.”
I nod to the vet doc. “Thanks. I’ll be back after the 10 pm Brother time.”
He nods. “The K-9s answer me if I talk to them or just out loud.”
I laugh following Katie and Judge out. Light shows him as a clown. I roll out the door laughing.
“So, you’re not an animal surgeon?”
“No. I specialize in war, service dogs and large breeds but never made it to surgery. They took me for MP so I finished while deployed.” They do shit like that for lifers. They must have expected her to stay long term and fall into place without any push back.
I turn us toward the dining room. “You specialized with MPs or before?”
