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Quaranteam Down Under: Part 11
Monday, 12 January, 2026
Quaranteam Down Under: Part 11Aussie soldier and the fate of the fiend.Based on a post by SilverRyden, in 15 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels. List of Characters:House Marshall:Tiberius ‘Ty’ Marshall, 35, Lieutenant Colonel Australian Army Special Air Service. Black Hair, Grey Eyes. Big teddy bear.Charlotte ‘Lottie’, Valiant, 35, Captain Australian Army Special Air Service, Red hair, long hair, service submissive.Leticia ‘Lettie’, Valiant, 35, Captain Australian Army Special Air Service, Red hair, shoulder length hair, tomboy.Talia Becker, 27, Major Israeli Defense Force, Black hair, long hair, braided, willful, but devoted.Alice Rai, 31, Doctor of Medicine, Black hair, blue eyes, partial Indian descent, complete submissive.Elizabeth Connors, 21, younger sister of Jaxson Connors. University Student, FinanceBeatrice Martin, 32, with French Directorate-General for External Security. Tech expert and hobby tinker. Blonde, Blue eyes.Grace Lawry, 33, Captain, US Air Force. Tiberius' old friend. Formerly partnered with Benjamin Morgan and the person who involved Ty in the Quaranteam Project.Juno Claudius, 37, Lawyer friend of Tiberius and the Evans'. Has two children with Tiberius; Bellona(Bella) and Mars.Zoe Evans, 19, daughter of Tiberius' good friends Toby and Matilda Evans and Tiberius' 'niece'. University Student. Not yet bonded, but definitely part of the family.Addison Taylor -39, Captain, Royal Australian Navy. Auburn Hair, Blue eyes. Ty's latest partner and liaison with the Navy. Sensible woman who really wants a child before it's too late.House Valiant:Rayne Valiant, 28, 6'10, fit and muscular. Scientist, younger brother of the twins and head of Australian Quaranteam Project Research and Development.Stella Andersen, 28, Virologist, Blonde, Blue eyes, slightly curvy. Rayne's fiancéeHasumi Saegusa, 27, Doctorate in biochemistry, Black hair, Black eyes. Japanese woman, formerly paralyzed from the knees down. Has been in love with Ray for years.Simone Jennings, 22, 2nd Lieutenant, Black hair, blue eyes, African descent, one of Rayne's dedicated security.Patricia 'Trish' Barclay, 23, Lieutenant, Blonde hair, one of Rayne's dedicated security.Victoria Whitlock, 31, Geneticist, brown hair in a pixie cut. Generally calm, with a careful nature and analytical mind.Evelyn Taylor, 35, Major Australian Army Special Air Service. Auburn hair, blue eyes. Latest addition to House Valiant. Great soldier, highly regarded.House Morgan:Benjamin Morgan, 36, Doctor. Was acting (under duress) on behalf of the same Sheikh as Connors. Ex-wife and daughter kidnapped. Deceased.Theresa Miller, 28, Latest addition to House Morgan. Hospitalized and in critical condition.Others:Damian Marshall, 30, Captain Australian Army Special Air Service. Smaller version of Tiberius. Currently in France. 1 Partner.William 'Bill' Anderson, Colonel. Somewhat stiff, but very capable officer. 2 Partners.Jonathan Hoffmann, Lt. General. Friend of Tiberius' and the twins' grandfather. Current highest-ranking member of the Australian military. 1 Partner.Narmada Rai, Alice's grandmother. Doctor of Medicine, helping Ty coordinate the medical workers around Victoria. Ty is trying to set her up with Jonathan Hoffmann.Barry 'Baz' Davis, Brigadier. Good friend of Tiberius. In charge of personnel at Victoria Barracks. 3 Partners.Jaxson Connors, Major, currently under arrest for abuse of authority and attempted murder. Was working with a Sheik to develop the Assassin Variant of DuoHalo.Nikoletta Bianci, 35, Ty's friend and the woman managing the Vineyards belonging to the Marshall family.As minutes passed, Juno finally got control of her body back and her hands went to Ty's, trying futilely to pull his fingers away as she cried out."Please, no! No more fingers, Ty! Just take me, you brute! Take that magnificent cock and pound me into submission! Make me, the mother of your firstborn children, yours for good! I love you, Tiberius."The big soldier needed no further invitation, pinning her arms above her head with one hand as he kissed her again, using the other to line himself up. He was beyond aroused and knew he wouldn't last long, but the Dom in him wanted him to hold on until she begged for it. Juno wasn't a submissive, and he didn't intend to push her in that direction, but he couldn't help the thoughts. Instead, he drew his hips forward and was greeted with the warm, wet sensation of her snatch enveloping him. His thrusts were automatic, and his conscious brain had no input on his actions.He had bred this woman; she was his. She just needed to accept that fact once and for all.A small part of Ty knew that was his caveman brain speaking, but the caveman was in charge just then and didn't care. He had to reclaim her, teach her not to hide things ever again. He had to --He froze as he noticed the pitch of Juno's cries had changed and his eyes widened as he realized he had been absolutely slamming himself into her. Her head was rolling and for a moment he couldn't tell if she was in pain, or if she was even conscious.Then her head snapped towards him and she screamed at him. "Don't stop! Oh Gods, don't stop!"He started thrusting again and her cries reached fever pitch as she reached her peak but couldn't crest it once again."Claim me! Claim me, stud! Fill me with your seed and give me more kids. Give our kids some brothers and sisters! I'll never leave your side again, so just fill me!"He couldn't hold it any longer, so he did as the woman asked and let go, filling her with blast after blast of cum. Juno bucked under him so hard she nearly threw him off the bed, but he gripped the sheets and adjusted so every shot ended inside her.Finally, when both of their orgasms had died down, only his heaving breaths and the quiet whispers remained."Imprinting; Imprinting; Imprinting."Ty rolled off Juno and just lay there for a moment. He was sore; he knew he'd overdone it with his midsection not fully healed, but he hadn't been able to help himself. Something in him had snapped, and he was just glad he hadn't hurt her.Getting up slowly, he winced a little as he felt the pull at his side, one of the stitches may have torn. He'd have to get Alice to look at it. Later. He strode back into the bathroom, grabbing the washcloth he'd set aside earlier and dampening it slightly with warm water before returning to the bedroom and cleaning Juno up. Covering her, he returned to the bathroom and wiped himself down too, before dressing and leaving the room. He had some thinking to do.Marshall Household, Melbourne Southeastern Suburbs, Victoria, Australia, November 1, 2020, 7:30 PMTy sat alone at the desk where it had all begun, contemplating the number eleven.Eleven days and just about eleven hours ago, his life hadn't just been changed, but completely and thoroughly upended. Certainly for the better, but Ty knew he still hadn't spent any time just; processing. In eleven days, he had become sexually and romantically entwined with eight, no, nine women. Ok, Zoe may not have bonded with him yet, but there was no escaping that, not that he wanted to. And now, Uncle Jon had decided to drop not one, but two more people on him, bringing the total up to eleven. His side twinged, and he realized that even the latest injuries brought the count for his bullet scars up to eleven."Fucking eleven." That number would now be a source of trauma, he was sure. He really needed to look at that list of therapists, but now there was a genuine chance that Uncle Jon would try and have them join his Team.There was a shuffling noise from outside the room and Ty glanced over, not surprised to see the rest of his new family, watching him silently."Something on my face, ladies?"Lettie chuckled as they all filed in. "Consternation. Possibly a bit of irritation. A whole lot of confusion. Oh, and a beard."Zoe laughed. "It's more like 80% beard, and a bit of the other things, Lettie. What was that about eleven, Ty?"He sighed. "Eleven Days. Eleven;”"Partners." Liz finished the sentence, and Ty wasn't going to mention the part about his injuries in any case, so he just nodded. "Though you haven't bonded three of them." She'd been opening up the last few days, and now seemed to have found her place in the house."I haven't even met two of them. Ok, that's not entirely true. I've met Addison before, once. And who even knows who this South Korean woman is?"Liz laughed. "I do. Kang Mi-Rae is a household name in Korea. She's an actress, and Mr. Hoffmann was right. She's extremely pretty. She's had a lot of leading roles in K-dramas, and she actually went to school here. Plus, she seems really nice from interviews.""Well, damn. That's something else. But Liz, I'm actually hoping Uncle Jon was just joking. Not that I have anything against her, but I'm completely overwhelmed as it is. I want to properly spend some time with all of you first." He rubbed at his face, trying to piece together his thoughts. "I genuinely think that the only reason I haven't gone to pieces is that aside from you and Alice, I have a history with all of my partners. Some more than others, but still. I knew something about them going into this relationship. But I want to build on that, and I can't if I keep getting new people added in."Liz looked thoughtful. "I suppose that's fair;”"Liz, I haven't even had the proper time to get to know you. And that's something we both wanted to do and adding more people wouldn't be fair to you or anyone else, for that matter. What happens when there's more people competing for the same finite amount of time?"She seemed to get it then. "I suppose you'll get spread thin. Or thinner than you are already."Ty nodded but said no more on the topic. Instead, Zoe wanted to backtrack. "Ok, so I get the eleven partners thing. What about eleven days and eleven hours?"Ty gestured towards the women around him. "October 21st is when this all began, sweetheart. At roughly 8:30AM. The day all of our lives began to change.""Holy shit, was it really that recently? I mean, I was out of the loop for a while, but I thought with how much everything's developed that this has been going on for months now.""Hardly. I'd not be struggling so much with all of this if it had been over months. But that's neither here nor there. What can I do for all of you? I assume you came to see me for a reason."The young woman shuffled her feet a little but looked him in the eye. "Well, we really just came to check on you, but I also wanted to ask when you're going to imprint me?""We need to get some meat back on those bones first, I think. As it stands, I'll break you into pieces if I try. And there's also the issue of a regeneration happening. If we spin the roulette and you undergo one, there's no telling if your body has enough spare resources to keep you alive. I don't know if it's safe, Zoe."She looked a little put out but nodded. "Would you do it if someone more medically qualified gave the OK?""If a doctor clears you, sure. But I don't want to put you at risk if we don't have to. Unless you change your mind about joining the family, you're already in, so there's nothing to fear on that front.""I want that connection, Ty. I don't want to be outside the loop.""You won't be, sweetheart. But nobody wins if you get hurt in the process." Pausing, he turned his attention to Alice. "Could you check on my stitches later, Alice? I think I may have gone overboard while I was with Juno." The caramel-skinned beauty's blue eyes went wide and she rushed over, pulling Ty's shirt up with a lot more force than necessary."You've ruptured one and another is hanging on by a thread, you brute. Just how forcefully did you move to do this much damage?"Ty shrugged. "Like I said, overboard."Alice just sighed and asked for one of the others to bring the first aid kit."Well, you're going to have to be more careful, or you risk the injury going septic. We can't afford that.""Alright, alright, I'll be careful."Marshall Household, Melbourne Southeastern Suburbs, Victoria, Australia, November 1, 2020, 8:45 PM"Hey Nik. How's things? How are you and Catalina?"The bubbly, upbeat voice of Ty's friend Nikoletta came over the line and Ty couldn't keep the smile from his face. "Ty! Good to hear from you. Everything's going fine. Because the vineyards are so big, people can maintain distance from one another easily, and we don't run with huge crews to begin with, so everything's plugging along nicely for us. As for Catalina, she's doing great. She was asking about you, actually."Ty chuckled. The relationship between Tiberius Marshall and Catalina Cabrera had been a tumultuous one. Until they'd met, Nik had always just referred to him as 'her boss' and had never delved into their personal relationship as friends. So, when he'd invited them both to dinner, just so he could get to know Catalina, they'd accepted. But things had turned sour when Catalina had turned up while Ty was giving Nik a hug and kiss of greeting, with the fiery Spanish woman slapping him hard across the face and accusing him of taking advantage of an employee. She had been calling him every name under the sun and Ty had almost lost his temper with her before Nik recovered from her shock and intervened. It still took nearly an hour for Catalina to calm down enough to actually accept the situation and by the end of the night, she had been feeling bad about what she'd done, but the relationship between them hadn't really improved. It had taken several months before they had both been willing to admit they were friends. Now, she trusted him almost as much as Nik did, and it was a point of pride for him."What does your firebrand need from me, Nik?"She paused. "I can't say. She wanted to discuss it in person, but since that can't happen right now, she said we can do it over video. Would you mind if we swapped over to a video call?"Ty let out a laugh and pushed the button on his phone to make the swap. "Sure, I bet she just wants to see me shirtless again."Ty realized that he must have been on speaker, because he could hear Catalina yelling something at him in her native Castilian Spanish and his laughter just grew.It was actually Catalina's face in the center of the screen when the video feed kicked in and she gasped. "What the hell did you do to yourself, cabrón? Why the bandages?"Ty winced. He'd forgotten about the head wrap after Alice had re-stitched his side. "Uh. Long story short, I got shot.""Shot! How the hell did you get shot, idiota? You shouldn't have even been out of the house!""A lot of stuff has happened in the last ele.. fortnight." Ty actually flinched at the number before correcting himself. "To be fair, that's partially what I wanted to call Nik and you about."Nik stuck her head into the frame and raised an eyebrow. "You wanted to tell us you got shot? I mean, that's important, but; why?""Not that I got shot, but the circumstances and some other things that are changing. Look. I've sent you both an email. I need you to read it over and sign it. Can you do that now? I can't say much otherwise. I've sent the same thing to both of you, just so you know."Nik's head turned away for a moment and she glanced over the email. "What the hell is this, Tiberius? An NDA? After all we've been through? You don't trust us?"Ty rolled his eyes, prompting a look from Catalina, but his words were clear. "It's because I trust you that we're even having this conversation, Nik. But this is Government stuff. No matter how much I may trust you, the bigwigs trust nobody that they can't bring the hammer down on. Now, will you sign the damned paperwork or not? Both of you. I'll call you back once the signed papers hit my inbox.""Ty, wai-..”He cut the line and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he did. Lottie walked into the room with a cup of tea on a tray and put it in front of him, before draping herself over his shoulders and nuzzling his cheek."Problems, Ty?""No, love. Not really, anyway. I just; don't know exactly what I'm going to tell them. I mean, what can I say that is going to give them any hope?"She was silent, not knowing if there were any words that would truly fit. They shared a moment of silence before Ty turned his head and left a kiss on her cheek."Sounds about right, love. But I started down the slope, and it's too late to stop. The email just popped through, so I guess I should keep my word and call them back.""Would you like for me to stay?"He took a moment to consider. "Yeah, maybe. Actually, could you get Alice, too? I'd like to have her backing here too."She nodded and pulled away from his back, turning to go. He watched her go and turned back to his phone, starting another video call. They must have been waiting, because it didn't even finish ringing once before they picked up.Nik basically shouted at him, her expression dark. "Ok stronzo, we signed the paperwork. Now tell us what this is all about!""You'll be getting more emails in just a moment. Reading material. None of this can be leaked outside of you two for now. That's what the NDAs are for. I've been brought in on a major project."The two women listened with their undivided attention as Ty laid out the Quaranteam Project. He asked Alice to detail the medical information, and for Lottie to detail her experiences with the whole thing. Their expressions grew graver with each passing moment until finally, he paused prompting them to ask questions.Catalina spoke up first. "Why are you telling us this now? You've said it yourself that you don't have a way for us to bond to one another just yet.""Because I'm the project lead, and Nik and I, and you indirectly, Cat, have a personal connection. I don't want that connection tainted by my not telling you when I have a means under which to do so. But at the same time, because I don't have something that works specifically for you two in your circumstances, all I can do is ask you two to stay safe."Nikoletta hadn't spoken, just taking things in for the moment. After several minutes of silence, she met Ty's eyes and spoke. "Ty, can you leave this with us for a little while? Cat and I need to read over the material you sent us and have a discussion about what we do with it all. Give us a couple of days, tops. I promise it won't get out.""Don't shut me out, Nik. I don't want to lose a friend over this.""You won't, you dumb lug. We just need to process all of this."Ty sighed, but nodded acquiescence. "Be safe, yeah?"Cat snorted. "We are safer than the idiota that gets himself shot during a quarantine.""Yeah, well, you should see the other guys. Speak soon?"Nik's voice was quiet, but her tone was exasperated. "Yes, you big hairball. We won't just ghost you. We have a business to run." There was a long pause and Ty was about to hang up when she continued. "Just; don't call us. We'll call you when we're ready."Catalina ended the call and Ty let his head fall onto the desk. Alice and Lottie watched him for a moment before Alice deadpanned. "Well, that could have gone worse."Ty just sighed.Chapter 11.Victoria Barracks, Melbourne CBD, Victoria, Australia, November 4, 2020, 12:45 PM"I was somewhat hoping to see Evie before we left, Lieutenant Colonel." The husky voice of Captain Addison Taylor sounded somewhat tired as she sank into a chair opposite Tiberius. He took in her form as he poured her a cup of tea, her dress uniform snug against her hourglass body. She was short, just about 5'3" and fit, her long auburn hair pulled back into a low bun. She watched him back, her blue eyes flicking over his form in her own evaluation of him. Ty knew she had a few years on him at 39, but it sure as hell didn't show, with only the barest hint of crow's feet beginning to form around her eyes. She nodded to herself, then just sat silently, waiting for his response.It was a rare day for Ty to be back at Victoria Barracks, but he'd dropped in as Addison's ship had been scheduled to dock at Station Pier that day. Given the proximity of the base and the pier, Ty had judged that it'd certainly be easier to speak to her from the base as opposed to waiting until she reached his home, as she'd most likely be under the effects of the serum by that point and in little condition to have a conversation."I understand that, Captain, but there are things that do need to be discussed. And Major Taylor isn't here right now.""Can we speak freely?" Ty gestured for her to feel free and Addison immediately leaned forwards, her formal attitude discarded. The motion caused her arms to squish her chest together, and Ty had to force himself to keep his eyes on her face. "It's not that I'm not happy to see you, Tiberius. Just; it's been ten goddamned months and Evie's all I got left.""Call me Ty. Just how long have you been at sea, Addison?"She rubbed at the bridge of her nose, sighing heavily. "Addie. Call me Addie. We launched just after the new year. Should have been a six-month stint with enough port time to see us through, but instead they had us maintaining patrols out at sea with just the bloody supply ships to keep us going. Seeing family was completely out of the question and contact was limited even for officers. So, as you might understand, it's a bit of a fucking sore spot. So where exactly is my baby sister, Ty?"Ty's smile was wry. Even this was tame for the Addison he knew. "With her partner; my soon-to-be brother-in-law. They're in the middle of moving house, since their previous abode encountered a bit of trouble. Fortunately, they won't be far from where we're going so you'll see her today."Her expression grew thoughtful, and she ran a finger across her lips in an unconscious gesture. "I heard what I thought was furphy on the way here about some attacks on army personnel and some researchers. Was that real?""Yeah, Rayne's family was attacked to try and get some specific research from us. It's been decided that they're getting relocated to a more easily defensible location."She raised an eyebrow. "And the bandages on your head tell me that you were at least somewhat involved?""Damn, was it that obvious?" He couldn't help the cheeky grin, and Addie rolled her eyes at him."How bad?""Rayne's people took some minor injuries. Nothing lasting. I was in another location. Took one to the arm, one to the gut and the last bullet bounced off my head."Addie nearly sprayed tea at him and Ty was getting really tired of that reaction."Why does everyone find that so hard to believe?"The surprised woman wiped her mouth before she spoke. "I might be just an 'anchor wanker' to a posh SAS type like you, but even I know that any bullet wound to the head should have constituted a long stay in the hospital. And yet you're sitting right here, clearly not worried about head trauma."The big man shrugged, grinning at the term she'd used. "It was just a graze. And there's a doctor in the family keeping a very close eye on me when we're at home. According to her and my other partners, if I act any stranger than usual, they'll tie me to the hospital bed this time.""I'd think so, ya bloody galah." She sighed, shaking her head as though to clear it. "Anyway, we got distracted. So, Evie and her new family are moving closer to you. How's that going to work for security?""Going to make things easier, I hope. We're turning the entire suburb into a restricted community. They're moving a few streets down so we're not clustered, and we've had the RAAF watching for drones and other surveillance for days now." Ty sipped at his own tea as he spoke, still watching Addie carefully. "Addie, if you want to be with your sister, Rayne was one of the options that came up from your Oracle results and you've got a pretty good match percentage with him. The option is there."She almost recoiled. "That is not an option for me. I'm not going to sleep with the same guy my sister is. It's just not me. Plus aren't I over a decade older than him? It'd be downright fucking awkward. Not to mention some pretty awkward fucking." She chuckled to herself and Ty was about to make a comment, when his survival instinct warned him sharply against it. "Unless you're trying to rid yourself of me?""Nothing like that. I might be more familiar with your sister since we've worked together, but that doesn't mean I prefer her over you. You're an absolute lark, Addison.""And the fact that I'm older doesn't bother you?"Ty gave her a deadpan stare. "It's barely four years. That's nothing. And beyond that, you look almost a decade younger than your age, Addie. That's not even mentioning that I'm partnered with a 20-year-old already and soon a 19-year-old will be joining in. If you're worried about a mere four years, I have no leg to stand on in that sense. So honestly, I wouldn't mind giving it a chance, if you're keen?"She was silent for a good minute, just letting her eyes rest upon Ty as he watched her in return. The two genuinely didn't know each other very well. They'd met several times at various military functions since Ty and Evelyn were generally stationed together, but Addie had never had a reason to think badly of the big soldier. Her sister always had nothing but praise for him, though Evie also admitted that he wasn't really her type. For Addie though; there was a certain quality to a man that could downplay the situation he'd been in and just laugh. She could respect that attitude. That said, it was probably unlikely that she would ever get the man in front of her to speak plainly of the incident, so it was probably best to just drop it for now and ask someone from his Team later. Nevertheless, he was attractive, and she knew enough of his personality to be okay with giving a relationship a shot.Ty cut through her thoughts as he spoke, not wanting to remain under the suddenly predatory gaze of the woman before him. "How about we head out, Addie? In any case, you don't have to make your decision just yet, so we'll go see Ray and Evie, and then I'll introduce you to my Team. Maybe sleep on it tonight, and then we'll see where you stand."This seemed reasonable to her, so she just shrugged and finished her tea, rising and putting her hat back on before she stepped out of the room behind Ty. Almost immediately, Lettie turned from where she'd been watching the door and handed Tiberius a sealed envelope before she fell into step beside them. Without missing a beat, he opened it and took a look at the contents before stuffing the single sheet of paper back into the envelope and into his pocket.The paper had only one line on it.Tonight @ 11.He closed his eyes briefly and took a deep breath before turning towards Addie with an apologetic look."Sorry about that. Got a couple of things in the works, as you might imagine. That was just an update on one of them, though I can't go into details right this minute." He gestured towards Lettie. "By the way, I don't know if you've been formally introduced, but this is my partner and one of my fiancées, Captain Leticia Valiant. Lettie, this is Captain Addison Taylor, commanding officer of the HMAS Hobart (III)."Addie smiled. "It's lovely to meet you, Leticia. I look forward to getting to know you."Lettie smiled and shook the other woman's hand. "Likewise. All of us have nothing but praise for your sister, and she tells us that she took all her cues from you, so I'm certain we'll get along. And it's always great to have another red on the side."Addie just grinned for a moment before her expression turned wry. "That's great to hear. And it's former commanding officer, Tiberius. They're putting me on the admin track since I'm likely to be working with you."Ty winced. "Shit. I; don't know what to say to that except; sorry.""Not your fault. There are very few flag officers still alive, so the long and short of it is that they're looking to get me settled and then promote me into the job. You'd swear the admiralty is nothing but a bunch of old biddies looking to set up their grandkids.""Last I checked, I appeared to have an overly eager General busybody filling the role and pushing all the new ladies on me."Addie's laugh rang out. "Unfortunately, I can say the same about the grandparents, though in my case my mentor is probably the one that spoke to Lieutenant General Hoffmann. He, in turn, recommended you."Ty nodded absently. He was still a little miffed with Uncle Jon, truth be told. Admittedly, he was fine with Addison, but he'd have rather not had any new partners for a little while. Well, that was obviously impossible, and it was seemingly more and more like the personnel exchange with the South Koreans was going to go ahead too."Well, take your time deciding. We're happy to have you, but don't feel pressured just because that old goat said so."Addie expressed her appreciation for the sentiment. She was rapidly warming to the idea, but there was something she definitely wanted to address before she committed. "Ty, there's something I'd like to ask you, but I'll wait until we're in the car. I'd rather not have the whole base listening in."He didn't miss a beat as he replied. "Sure, no problem.""It probably also won't hurt that you'll already be sitting too.""Oh."Ty and Addie sat in the back of the Range Rover some time later with Lettie at the wheel. Ty was frowning, as Lettie had outright refused to let him drive, citing his safety. He found it ridiculous that he, a highly trained special forces operative, was now being treated like a piece of glass, just because he'd been shot at once. It wasn't like he was in a warzone. This was home. A pandemic-ridden, apocalyptic version of home, admittedly, but home, nonetheless. He'd argued, but she'd stubbornly refused, stating that his body no longer belonged to just him. Eventually, he'd just given in to stop the argument from escalating further and had since lapsed into silence.It was as they pulled onto the freeway that Addie decided to broach the topic she had held off on."Tiberius. I'm looking pretty favorably on joining this; Team of yours, but I need a particular commitment from you.""Sure, depending on what it is. I can't agree to just anything, but I'm open to most things."She paused, turning in her seat to look him in the eyes. "Then I won't beat around the bush. I want a baby. I know I'm getting close to 40, and the clock isn't so much ticking as screaming bloody murder at me. It's got to be soon, or I'll miss my window. I know it might be a lot to ask from someone you don't really know, but I want you to be the father."Ty took it in stride. "You're sure? Me. Not anyone else? You have tons of options, Addie. I'd be honored to do it if you're sure but remember that you can't change your mind once you're bonded."Addie seemed surprised. "You don't seem to be panicking? And yeah, I'm fully aware that the bonding is a one and done. But I reviewed the options when they sent them to me yesterday. You weren't the highest match, but you were highly recommended and so you're the one I picked. So yeah, I'm sure."Ty's expression seemed to fluctuate between amusement and understanding. "What's to panic about? I'm already a dad now. And I know Alice and Talia are off their birth control and trying for kids. It's bound to happen. If that's what you want from me, that's an easy request."Addie's eyes widened further at the revelation. "You; already have kids?"Ty chuckled. "Believe me, nobody was more surprised than I was when I found out. It's a long story, but we're also keeping it off the profiles for now, for their safety. Anyway, if you're certain, then let me know when, and we'll get it all set up. I do, however, have a previous engagement for tonight, so I unfortunately can't do it right away."Addie took that to mean that he wouldn't, or perhaps couldn't tell her about his 'previous engagement', so she didn't ask about it, just relaxing back into the seat. A child had been a long-forgotten dream of hers, discarded by the wayside when her career took off. Of course, the lack of a steady boyfriend also made it somewhat difficult, but not impossible. Now there was a good opportunity with a man who was, according to her sister, dependable and decent."Ok. As long as you're fine with my condition, then I just have to do my own thinking on the matter."Ty nodded, giving her a small smile. "Sure thing. Talk to everyone at home and see what they have to say. I'm sure they can answer most of the questions you may have, too. Anything they can't, I'll try to."New Valiant Household, Melbourne Southeastern Suburbs, Victoria, Australia, November 4, 2020, 1:50 PMAddie knocked on the doorframe as she leaned against it. "Hi baby sis. You're looking happy over there.""Addie? Holy shit, what are you doing here, sis?" Evelyn spun from where she'd been organizing a bookshelf and immediately dashed over, throwing her arms around the shorter woman. "I didn't know your ship was due or I'd have come up to meet you!""It wasn't, Evie. We docked at Station Pier around six this morning. After that, my crew got a debriefing and then things got wild. Almost every male member of my fucking crew has been shunted into isolation and the women are being carted off to guys like breeding stock. Baby sis, what's your take on all this?"Evie paused for a moment to gather her thoughts. "It's absolutely bonkers. If I hadn't seen the documents, hadn't seen the recorded footage and all that, I wouldn't believe it. Thank fuck they put Marshall on it, because I wouldn't want to be responsible for that kind of chaos. And it doesn't hurt that he's got the right head for this kind of thing.""What do you mean? You'd do fine.""Addie, let's be straight about it. I'm far and above a better choice than that fuckwit Connors, but that's not really praise. Whittaker and Thomson didn't have rank, not to mention they're both boy scouts, too strait-laced and by-the-book. Colonel Anderson is too inflexible as well. He wouldn't be able to adapt the way Marshall has. And I don't have people skills like Marshall does. He's charismatic, which is absolutely going to be necessary when he's dealing with the public. And with the twins watching his back, he's golden. Charlotte has the thinking and analysis down to an art form, and Leticia's got the instincts."Addie processed this as Evie returned to her work. She wondered where she'd fit into a household like that, but she also supposed it was something to worry about later."And how do you feel about the whole bonding thing?""If I'm honest? I don't know that I'd have ever been on board with something like this in normal circumstances. But our circumstances are anything but normal. So, I was skeptical, or I was until I actually took the plunge. If nothing else, the orgasms are incredible. But I've been getting to know Rayne and the other girls, and they're genuinely amazing. Whatever Oracle does to match people, it's definitely doing it right. And while he's visually someone that I normally don't really go in for, he's got everything else, and to be fair, as much as I work around fit guys, I like the intellectual type. I mean, I do suppose there are plenty of fit intellectual types, but a lot of them are so self-absorbed that they're no different from the muscle-heads. And yes, I admit Marshall isn't like that, but he was already more than spoken for, and I prefer being friends with that guy over any kind of romance. It'd be like dating myself. "Evie shuddered and Addie found herself glancing over to where Ty and a younger redheaded man, Rayne, she surmised, were having a quiet conversation. As Addie had said, he was definitely fit, and ridiculously tall. She could see the younger man's brows crease as Ty said something, and his expression went angry as the big soldier shook his head. Rayne, to his credit, took a deep breath and contained himself before nodding at Tiberius, his mouth set in a line of disapproval. In response, Ty just looked apologetic, but patted the younger man on the shoulder before he turned towards them and nodded."Well, whatever they were talking about didn't go over too well, it seems."Evie looked thoughtful. "It probably had to do with the attacks on Rayne and Marshall. I think we're planning an action but I don't know when or even if it's happening. Doubt the Americans will just sit back since one of theirs was killed and another badly hurt. Rayne and two of his family got off pretty lightly, but as you probably heard, Marshall was the worst off of our people." She grinned and raised her voice enough for Ty to hear. "And I won the bet among the female soldiers of our division. Marshall clearly has the hardest head of all the men on base. And that's a feat, considering we're using an admin base."Even from where she was, Addie could see Ty roll his eyes and laugh. "Counting beans requires a lot of brains, Evelyn. There is no room for rocks with all that brain matter, whereas I can afford to keep all the rocks I need up there, since tactics and strategy are engraved on my bones. See? It's an efficient use of space."Evie just laughed as she and Addie walked towards the two men. "Idiot. That's why I get along more with Rayne than I ever did with you. You think with your little head."Ty gave the two women watching him his best roguish grin. "Ah, but that's how I do my best thinking!"Rayne snorted and couldn't stop himself. "Uh-huh. That's how Mallory happened."Ty winced. "How do you know about her? That was in high school."He just smiled wryly. "How do you think? From what I heard; you went after her because she was the hottest girl in school.""She was, excluding your sisters, who were totally off-limits at the time.""Please. She came on the scene after the 'brothers dim' so they were far from off-limits by then. You were just a coward. And besides, those sisters of mine told you not to go after her."Ty was immediately on the defensive. "No, Ray, they were still off-limits, no matter what you might believe. Our relationship back then was extremely delicate and I wasn't about to upset it. And to be fair, that was the only time I ever disregarded your sisters' advice."Rayne's tone was like that of an exasperated teacher. "So, what did you learn from that event?"Ty didn't miss a beat, replying with absolute seriousness. "Don't disregard your sisters' advice."Marshall Household, Melbourne Southeastern Suburbs, Victoria, Australia, November 4, 2020, 6:40 PMTy, Lettie and Addie had spent several hours with Rayne and his family, helping them unpack and settle into the new place. Given how many hands there were, it hadn't been hard work, and Addie had gotten a good deal of time to get to know the members of her sister's new family. They seemed nice enough, but her opinion mattered far less than Evie's in this case, so Addie just hoped it would be a good environment for her.Now they had come to what would become her new home, Addie turned her introspection in on herself, hoping a crude sailor would mesh with these others. When she met Elizabeth and Zoe, she understood why Tiberius had no issues with the age gap. Both young women were gorgeous, even if Zoe was still looking quite emaciated. She had been appalled when she heard what the 19-year-old had endured, but respected her determination, if not her bullheadedness. Then there were the children. Addie hadn't known what to expect there, but whatever it was, it wasn't those two little darlings. Even though their environment had changed so much, they were open and greeted her enthusiastically. Children were so adaptable. Addie simply fell in love with them, and that only made her more certain that she wanted a child or even children of her own."You look positively smitten, Captain." The voice belonged to Talia, who had come up alongside Addison at some point in the last few minutes and had been just watching the interaction."That would be because I am. They're adorable; uh; I'm sorry, I don't know your name."Talia smiled. "Pardon my rudeness. I am Talia. Talia Becker. Formerly a Major of Israel's armed forces, though I have now resigned from that position given my distance from home and am now just a member of the Marshall Household. It is lovely to meet you.""Likewise. I'm Captain Addison Taylor, Royal Australian Navy. Not sure I'll be resigning just yet, but I understand your reasoning."The two women chatted for a while, joined by several other members of the house in what rapidly became an animated discussion. Addie found herself liking every one of the women, feeling a moment of epiphany as she realized that these were the sort of women that were going to become her family. The thought made her happier than she would have believed.She and Evelyn had been raised by a single father after their mother had run off with her drug addict boyfriend and left them to their own devices. She'd been 14, her sister barely having turned nine, and their world had come crashing down around their ears. Or at least, it would have if their father, Andrew, hadn't stepped up and proven himself an exceptional man. He had sacrificed his career and ambitions to ensure that his two daughters were properly cared for. Addie had hesitated when the topic of their families had come up, but her pride in her dad had won out. He was her hero, and she was proud of that fact.With the entire household now exceeding a dozen, it was impossible for everyone to sit down to eat at once, so they split into two groups. The earlier group was composed of the younger members of House Marshall, but Ty had taken to sitting down and helping the kids with dinner before spending some time with them afterwards. He had been very proud to learn that Juno had instilled a love of reading in the twins, and that both of them absolutely loved sci-fi and fantasy books and devoured whatever they could get. He had pulled a huge number of books from storage at the news and was now halfway through reading a series with them. The kids were absolutely ecstatic, laughing as their father did the sound effects and strange voices, mimicking him and playing along. Bella and Mars were purely happy that he was there spending time with them. Juno had actually worried that he was working them up too much and that they wouldn't be able to go to sleep, but they seemed to be burning through their energy like nothing else, and were soon starting to droop, much to her surprise.The evening had been cathartic and Ty hadn't realized how much he needed the interactions with the kids. Every moment he spent with them reinforced just how much their existence meant to him; impressing upon him just how devastated he would be if something happened to them. It was a pointed reminder of what he was working so hard to protect. Not just for himself, but for every Australian.And now, with the raid on the Sheikh's palace looming, hell, possibly even in progress as he thought, he was anxious to know that the; monster seemed too impotent a word for a creature like him; that the abomination would get his due. That he would never be able to kidnap a child and hurt them again. He knew that the operators involved in the raid were under orders to seek out and eliminate any and all hostile forces with extreme prejudice. In different times, that order would have been frowned upon as overkill, but under the circumstances nobody wanted to take any chances until they cut off the head of this snake and ground its body into the dirt.His train of thought was broken as both Bella and Mars clambered into his lap, their earlier enthusiasm replaced with drooping eyelids and big yawns."Alright, you two. I reckon it's about time we get you ready for bed."The pair protested weakly, but Ty just scooped them up and stood, unable to contain the smile as they just curled up against him, clearly too tired to actually put up a fight."No arguments, let's get ready and your mum and I will tuck you in. You've had your fun and tomorrow's another day."Marshall Household, Melbourne Southeastern Suburbs, Victoria, Australia, November 4, 2020, 9:20 PMTy heard the huffing well before she walked into the room and rolled his eyes."Forget it." Tiberius didn't even bother turning to face the intruder as he stepped out of the shower. It was going to be a long night, and he wanted to at least leave home feeling fresh."Ty! It's not safe!" Lettie had been trying to dissuade him from going to the base alone, but current base restrictions would only allow certain individuals access, and Ty wasn't about to leave one or more of the ladies in the car for who only knew how long.He ran a hand through his hair, obviously getting frustrated. "You're damned right it's not. The streets may be mostly empty, but that just makes it easier for anyone that is targeting us to strike if you're just sitting in a fucking car waiting for me."Lettie scoffed. "We'll be safe on base.""The base is on lockdown, damn it. You won't be allowed onsite unless your name is on a list, and believe me, my love, it's a short fucking list.""Then at least let us drop you off. It'd make us feel better knowing you're not getting blown up where we can't see you." She was pleading now, and it was leaving a foul taste in his mouth.His building frustration finally bubbled over into exasperation. "And make you and whoever else gets it into their head to come drive the gauntlet, what, four times? Fuck. That. You know full well that I've been dragging myself through battlefields littered with mines and I E Dees and all manner of other death traps for fucking years, Lettie. Hell, you and Lottie were right beside me for most of that. So, this will not be the place that ends me, I can fucking assure you of that.""How can you be so sure?"He rounded on her and pulled her close, feeling her rest her forehead against his chest. "Because I have way too much to come home for to let that happen, so just come off it, love. It won't work, and I don't want this to become a thing. Besides, the others aren't complaining.""Only because I'd lay odds that Talia is waiting in the driver's seat of my Range Rover and Grace is probably riding shotgun. You're not escaping without at least one of us."Ty just gave her a skeptical look but said nothing. It was probably a good idea not to mention that he wasn't going to be using the Range Rover to begin with. It was probably an even better idea to not remind them of his motorbike sitting in the shed just behind the house. Ty clamped down on his expression as a number of emotions overtook him. His mother had always hated that he rode, terrified that he'd suffer a terrible injury while riding. It was an incongruous worry considering she rarely complained about the fact that he was a soldier and often in more danger than he would ever face from riding a motorcycle. She'd more than once told him the same thing everyone else had; to get off his ass and get together with one or both twins. Ty had actually fallen out of his chair when she'd said 'both', but she'd just rolled her eyes at him and launched into a tirade about wasting time and wanting to become a grandmother while she could still chase the babies around, and while one would be just fine, two would double her opportunities.God, I miss her. You were right, as always, but I got there in the end, mum.It had taken a lot of work to finagle his way into the shed without any of the ladies figuring out what he was up to. But he had, and now Ty was carefully wheeling his beloved motorbike down the path along the side of the house, taking care not to make any noise and give himself away. He even thought he was going to get away with it, until he came across Zoe and Liz sitting on the front porch, clearly waiting for him.Zoe gave him a look that clearly conveyed her disapproval. "Lottie was right, Liz. Lettie and the others are going to be pissed."Liz watched him as he continued pushing his bike down the drive, her face expressionless, but her eyes matching Zoe's disapproval. "I don't think what you're doing is wise either, Tiberius."Ty gave up on his stealth approach and just straddled the bike, turning to face the young women before he spoke. "As much as I understand how important it is that I stay safe, I don't think any one of you appreciates what it would do to me if any of you got injured, or worse, killed. We have a net set up here. It's not perfect, because nothing ever is. But it's far better than anything we have elsewhere or could set up on the fly to protect someone not on base. I'm not risking it. I'm not risking you. Besides, I'm the evasion specialist. Remind the other ladies of that for me."Liz sighed. "They're likely to follow you, you know.""I'll be very disappointed if they make such a foolish choice."Zoe leaned over the railing, bringing herself nose-to-nose with Ty. "Like you're making?"Ty snorted. "Better one fool than a house fool.""Idiot." He spotted the fleeting smile play across Zoe's lips at the pun and gave her a quick peck before turning away to put his helmet on."I'll be home late. Tell everyone not to wait up."Victoria Barracks, Melbourne CBD, Victoria, Australia, November 4, 2020, 10:55 PM"You're going to end up paying dearly for that stunt, boy." Jon Hoffmann chuckled as Ty related his escape from the house.Ty just sighed, knowing it was the truth. "Yeah. Well, can't be helped now. Maybe if you hadn't put the whole damned base on lockdown, I'd have been able to avoid it?"Clicking his tongue, the old General just shrugged. "Op-sec. I'm sure you understand.""Sure. Doesn't mean I have to like it." The younger man just slumped in his seat, trying not to feel defeated. The girls had given him an earful by phone after he'd ridden off, and he'd just sat there and took it. Hanging up wasn't an option."Think of it like this. You were eventually going to fight with one of them about something or other. At least now that first fight is out of the way.""Jesus wept, Uncle, you usually only fight with one partner at a time. I'm going to go home and be at odds with all of them."Laughing, Jon just gestured at Ty. "Get on your knees and beg for forgiveness. You know when to give ground. Happy wife, happy life and all that. Foundation of strong relationships and whatnot.""Ah yeah? How would you have handled this?""Avoid the situation entirely." There wasn't even a hint of shame in his expression and Ty rolled his eyes."Fuck off. How's it going with Narmada?"Jon's expression soured. "You've given Eloise a new best friend and a staunch ally against me for all things domestic. In the bedroom, on the other hand;”Ty nearly gagged. "Fucking stop. I don't want to hear about any bedroom exploits from your wrinkled ass. I'd never sleep again."Jon's laughter rang out in the conference room as Bill and Baz opened the door and stepped in, along with another woman that Ty hadn't seen in quite some time. He stood immediately and saluted."Lieutenant General Pendleton. It's good to see you again, ma'am."The older woman smiled and saluted back. "Relax, Tiberius. I'm not here to worry about formalities. Not around you buggers. Not tonight, anyway." She paused, making eye contact with each person in the room. "This is not going to be a pleasant night, so buckle up, gentlemen. I got some of the reports during the action, but they were few and far between. And what I did hear was not nice. Sit. We'll begin as soon as the connection is established."Genevieve Pendleton was a wiry woman, with her once-brown hair now gone to grey. Tiberius had only really encountered her a few times at formal occasions, but he knew her by reputation. At the present time, she, along with Jonathan Hoffmann was one of two officers left at the pinnacle of the ADF command structure. And for her to be here at this time meant that at least one of the operators on the strike force would be her granddaughter, Marion."Since you're here, I take it they sent Mary's unit in, ma'am?""They did. It was probably for the best, though I think all of them are going to need some time off after this."The monitors in the room came to life as Pendleton pushed a button, and a haggard looking Marion appeared alongside a man in US Navy fatigues. Ty immediately took him for a SEAL. Behind them both, a spattering of men and women were sprawled out in what appeared to be a barracks building, all clearly spent. The surroundings screamed 'ship', so Ty assumed that they had been extracted to a US Navy vessel somewhere off the coast. Both Marion and this Navy Commander looked positively exhausted, still drenched in dirt and sweat, but it was the horror in their eyes that really caught Ty's attention. On another of the monitors, a second American officer appeared; an Admiral, if Ty's memory served. His crisp, seemingly annoyed appearance contrasted wildly with that of the two operatives, and it was almost comical to see the resentment on the two soldiers' faces as they took that fact in.Pendleton didn't waste any time. "Admiral Rouchester, thank you for joining us." The Admiral nodded as he took a sip of his coffee but didn't speak. He definitely looked as though he didn't care to be a part of the meeting and didn't even attempt to greet anyone from the Aussie camp. Turning to the screen with her granddaughter, she continued. "Major Pendleton, Commander LeBlanc, thank you for your hard work. I'd like to give you and your people time to rest, but we need a report."Both operators nodded, trading a glance before the Commander nodded to Marion to begin."At approximately 11:45 PM local time, we approached the palace of Sheikh Al Mansouri under cover of stealth and commenced our operation. Commander LeBlanc's SEAL team and my unit approached from opposing vectors and were met with only nominal resistance. Either he had no idea his identity was exposed, or there was something more at play. I can't speculate further on that front, but I digress. Upon gaining entry to the palace, our teams converged on the Sheikh's personal chambers, eliminating all resistance, as per our orders. We discovered his room empty, but an open section of what would otherwise be a bare wall told us there was more to the place. That; and the screaming. That led us down below ground to;” She paused, taking a deep breath, but Commander LeBlanc spoke in her place. His smooth Orleans drawl wavering as the words crossed his lips."The screaming led to what I can only call a dungeon. The real barbaric kind. Torture implements. Cells. Cages. Bodies. The reek of death. Ma'am, what we saw down there; that man was a fiend in human skin. There's no other word for it."Ty felt his blood run cold. If Al Mansouri had managed to capture any of his family; he looked across to Pendleton, whose expression was pained, but she gestured for them to continue. "The immediate threat was neutralized, the guards being too distracted with their own depravity to be paying any attention to us. After that; we had to call in backup. There was no way we were going to get that many people out of there under their own power."The Admiral snorted. "Some starved people. Probably some bruises or broken bones. How bad could it have been?"Marion's glare could have melted tungsten. "Sir, with all due respect, you have no fucking idea what you're talking about. Bruises? Broken bones? That would have been heaven compared to the hell we walked into. Young girls: young women, most of whom were beaten bloody, a good portion of whom were missing limbs or other extremities. Some are maimed, blinded, sporting burns and welts. Almost all of them were sporting signs of sexual abuse. Only the very youngest seemed to have been spared that particular indignity, though most of them seemed to be almost catatonic." She choked up a little but steeled herself. "That bastard; Al Mansouri; we found him standing in front of a table with a fucking filleting knife in hand. It looked like he was trying to carve the poor girl strapped to the table like a fucking Christmas ham. By the time we could free her; she was unresponsive. Shock."Commander LeBlanc shook his head. "She was dead, Marion, even if her heart hadn't stopped at the time. Admiral, Lieutenant General, she was still oozing blood from what must have been a hundred cuts. This guy had no intention of ever releasing his captives."Ty had to ask. "How many bodies altogether? Warm and cold."Marion shuddered. "Sixty-seven. Including Dr. Morgan's daughter. I'm sorry Tiberius, if you're hoping for good news, I have none."Bill Anderson spoke, his voice pitched low. "How many survivors?""Twenty-two. Five children under 12. The rest ranging from 19 to 27 years of age."Bill just swore for a solid minute. Eventually, he regained his composure, trying to keep his voice level. "Excuse me. Continue."LeBlanc nodded. "We found the location from the videos sent to Dr. Morgan. Just to one side was the; dumping ground. I can't call it anything else. The broken bodies of the doctor's ex-wife, Mrs. Amity Morgan and his daughter, Miss Desiree Morgan were discovered there. Judging from the level of decay; the timestamps on the video were not faked and the damage was beyond extensive. After that, we freed all the prisoners, but we were expecting maybe two, three people to escort at most. Not nearly two dozen people in various states of harm and mental distress. We didn't have the means to get them all out ourselves, so as I said, we had to call for backup from Al Dhafra. In the meantime, we left some of our people to keep watch and went hunting for documents and paperwork to end the blackmail."The Admiral perked up at the words. "Did you find it? It's imperative that we get that information back. We need to know how badly we've been compromised."Ty was starting to get angry at this asshole of an Admiral, but Jon snapped at the man before Ty could get the words out. "What the fuck is wrong with you, son? Where's your humanity? Those women have been through hell, and all you're worried about is the bloody blackmail?""Why should I care about them? Not like any of us are going to take them in. They're broken. Collateral. Their lives were to ensure obedience. Now that the Sheikh is dead, they're irrelevant. On the other hand, if certain information gets out, that could constitute a tremendous threat to national security. That must be prevented, so I need to know what that man had and who he may have shared it with."Jon's face went purple in anger. "Genevieve, get this fuckwit off this call. We don't have time to deal with this bullshit, but I'm damn well going to take it up with Little Creek. I don't know whose cock you sucked to get his job, but they're going to fucking lose it when I'm done."Rouchester made an expression as though he was sucking on a lemon and made to speak, but there was no point. If Jon was furious, Genevieve was nearly apoplectic with rage. She bit back any words she might have wanted to say and just ran her hands over the control panel for a moment before the Admiral's face cut out. While all the Aussies took it in stride, LeBlanc was gob smacked, sputtering for a moment before he stammered out an apology.Ty nodded to the stunned SEAL. "No offence to you, Commander, but we don't have any tolerance for that down here. Mary will tell you, though you may never hear the end of it if she gets started. The information is important, sure. But those lives are always going to be far more valuable. Nevertheless, I don't think any of us here hold you or yours accountable for the words of that dickhead. Just continue with your report."He blinked, still trying to process what had just happened. "Yes, sir. We, uh, discovered a small workspace in one of the rooms of the dungeon area, filled with banks of computers and camera equipment." His expression somehow grew even more bleak. "A quick review of some of the footage confirmed that the Sheikh was responsible for a large majority of the torture to the captives. His guards were just allowed to; partake. There was also other video and audio on those computers. A lot of it seemed to be recorded conversations or video of officials in compromising situations. We've secured it."Marion picked up on the conversation from there. "Whatever LeBlanc was doing, it must have set off a silent alarm of some kind, because before we could head back upstairs, guards began making their way into the dungeon space, armed to the teeth. We had to get the prisoners huddled into a corner while we held them off. There were too many, and it was all we could do to just keep them at bay until the boys and girls from Al Dhafra rolled in. Thank fuck it was before dawn. Thank fuck we were underground and their weapons fire didn't draw the local cops. And thank fuck the Air Force rolled in when they did, because our weapons were running dry."For the first time since the meeting began, Barry made an effort to speak. He always had trouble when it came to situations involving abuse. His sister had been a victim of her husband and hadn't survived the experience. Baz had wanted his head, but the law got to him first and the wife-beating prick didn't even last a year in prison. It was still a sore spot for his friend."I just want to say, good work to both of your teams. It's tough to see how the actions of a monster impact the victims. We'll ensure you and your teams are looked after. What was the exfil route? Any casualties on your side?"Marion gave Baz a smile filled with pride. "Thank you, Brigadier. We rode with the convoy towards Al Dhafra Air Base. Partway, our units and the survivors broke off and were loaded onto a merchantman flying Israeli colors before we transferred to the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower early this afternoon. The captives are all currently undergoing medical evaluation and our teams took no casualties, barring a few scrapes and bruises. The deceased are awaiting transport from Al Dhafra."Ty nodded and asked, already knowing the answer. "How did an Israeli vessel get involved?"LeBlanc looked alarmed. "They got in touch shortly before the start of the op. Said you'd organized it as part of our exfil. You didn't know? Oh fuck, that's a ..”Ty gave the man a grim smile. "Relax, Commander. Major General Becker of the IDF is my soon-to-be father-in-law. He's most likely the person responsible.""But how did they know about the op? You shouldn't have had any of the details, but they were waiting for us.""Please, do you really think Israel wouldn't be watching everybody's movements? All things considered, we probably did them a favor by taking out this prick, so they picked up some slack for us. Either way, I'll speak to the Major General later."The SEAL seemed to relax and nodded. "Please send him my thanks for their assistance."Jon nodded. "Very good. Anything else to report?""No, sir. Mission accomplished. We'll send you the souvenir. It's all wrapped up with a pretty bow.""Good. Go get some rest, Commander. Major, you too. Very well done."No one spoke for several minutes after the call ended, all seeming to process their thoughts. Eventually, Pendleton sighed and spoke. "I'm not sure any of us could have predicted just how far gone this; Sheikh was. I've seen recordings of him at interviews and in other public forums. He gave no signs."Ty shrugged. "Yes ma'am, but he's off the streets now. What's the plan for him?"She let a small smile creep onto her face. "Oh? What makes you think there's any further plans for Sheikh Mustafa Nazar Al Mansouri, Tiberius? Didn't you hear? They neutralized him. And drop the formality. It's too goddamn late for all that bullshit. For right now at least, just call me Viv. All of you."The younger soldier shrugged "I see. Just let me know what you plan to do with the 'souvenir' when it gets here. Because that's a fucking white elephant if there ever was one. How did you even convince the Americans to hand him over? They must have a bigger stake in it than we do."She shot a glance at Jon and then at Bill before she nodded. "One of their higher ups owed me a favor.""That couldn't possibly be enough. There was enough American involvement that there must be something else in play."Pendleton gave him a look that pointedly indicated he should stop talking, and Ty hadn't gotten to where he was by ignoring those warnings, so he let it drop. Pendleton just turned towards Bill and continued as if nothing had happened. "Well, fine. Bill, are you planning on having Tiberius present when you interrogate our guest? We need answers, but afterwards, I think he needs to feel at least a fraction of what he was so happy to dish out."The Colonel looked noncommittal. "That depends. How far am I taking it? He's not a prisoner of war. At least, not by any normal conventions, and we don't really have an equivalent for Guantanamo Bay. Do I play by the rules? Or are you telling me that anything goes? Because that's not something we've done before, Viv. I don't know that having Tiberius there would be wise."Baz frowned. "You're suggesting torture. That would put us on his level."Genevieve rolled her eyes. "Nothing so crass as torture, Barry. But we're not going to make this a holiday for him. He needs to understand what he's done to those girls is beyond unacceptable."Bill shrugged. "Get what information we can, then imprison him. If we need to, get the Americans to stash him in Guantanamo. Make him vanish."Jon shook his head. "He's a liability. His continued existence is a threat, so we'll dispose of him."Barry slammed his hands on the table. "That's inhumane!"Ty's voice was quiet. "What that abomination did to those women and children was inhumane, Baz. At the very least, he'd deserve it.""You can't be agreeing with them, Ty? It's monstrous!"Shaking his head, Ty continued. "I'm not agreeing with it. Like you said, it'd make us no different to him if we tortured and killed him. But that doesn't mean we can just let him live, Baz."Baz was dumbfounded. "What the actual fuck, Ty? Did you decide to leave your moral compass at home with your partners or something? Fucking Christ!""No, Baz. It's right here." He thumped his chest with his fist, giving his old friend a sad smile. It hurt his heart to make this argument, but he did understand where the Lieutenant Generals were coming from. "But this isn't about my morals. We need what's in his head but he is a massive liability, mate, you can't argue with that. The bastard has influence, and the rest of his house will be trying to find and free him. If they ever get wind that we have him and just stuffed him in a prison somewhere, do you have any idea what kind of shitstorm we'd be in for?""It's better than torturing him to death." Baz just stared at his friend, unmoved.Ty raised his hands in a placating gesture. "I agree that torturing him is out of the question. But we can give him a clean death.""I don't see how. Australia doesn't have the death penalty. Parliament nixed that a decade ago and made damned sure it couldn't come back. So, tell me. How would you justify that?"The younger soldier looked his friend in the eye."He doesn't have to die in Australia."To be continued in part 12. Based on a post by SilverRyden, in 15 parts, for Literotica.
