"We need to talk about shields," Lyrica said.

We were sitting out near the first Ac-130 I was going to shield.

"I'm listening."

"In New York you didn't even turn on your personal shield. You devised the damn thing to make it safer for us in a melee and then you didn't even use it. What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't thinking, I guess," I said. "All I could think of was getting to them."

"It's getting harder to keep the rage under control, isn't it?" her arm slipped around my waist. I put mine around her shoulders and she nestled into my side.

"Yeah, it's harder. Mostly, I can keep it down until they show up. Then I lose my friggin' mind, I guess. I know I should have used the shield but I wanted to, I don't know, feel it, maybe. There's something wrong with me, I know it. I just don't know how to fight it."

"We just have to do it together," she said. "Together we are much more than we are apart. You felt that in New York, too, didn't you? I can feel the limits of what I have available to Pull. But when we walked up that street there was so much more. It was like it became limitless while we were together."

"I know," I said. "Dietrich told me that when Merlin and Kent worked as a team they could do things neither could do before. Maybe this is something like that. I hope they weren't holding hands like we were to do it, though. That would be awkward."

Her musical laughter flowed across me. I love to hear her laugh. It rings through me and, hell, I don't even know how to describe it. It's joyous.

"So, what have you figured out with the shield for the plane?"

"Back when I put the shield into Bearguard, I interlaced the shield through the material he was made of. That doesn't work so well with metal. So I'm gonna put, basically another skin on the plane made of energy. It won't strengthen the metal but it will give another layer for anything to have to go through. With the small plane I was able to put a couple of inches of shield without affecting the flight of the plane to much. I'm gonna try to put six inches of armor on the AC-130. If it doesn't work I can thin it down afterwards."

"Perhaps the shield doesn't need to be thicker. Maybe you only have to put bigger feeders and the shield can stay thinner and still be as strong."

"You got a point," I said, "The thinner the shield, the less air resistance. Maybe that's the solution. All we can do is try it. Wanna join me?"

"Sure," she said. "You wanna try on something small, or do you wanna just jump right in like you usually do?"

"It's worked so far, why change something if it works?"

"I figured."

"What say we do an inch thick with about ten or twelve inch feeders?"

"Sounds good," she said, "I'll start on the left side of the plane and you take the right."

I went out to the right wingtip and began forming an incredibly tight weave of one inch tendrils around the wing. I carefully tried to keep the same shape as the original wing so as not to change the way the machine would fly. I carefully worked my way around the flaps that steer the plane, leaving them unaffected by my shield. After a while I reached the main fuselage of the plane and began working my way down the length of the craft, carefully avoiding the moveable parts.

It took close to an hour before we had the shield shaped to both of our satisfaction.

"Ok, you plant yours first," I said.

She thrust her tendril into the Source and cut her tie to it at nearly the same time. I watched the flow of power across the vessel and as it neared my feeder tendril, I slammed it down into the source and cut my tie. The shield glowed with power.

"That looks good," I said, "We'll have to wait a bit while they test it before we do the others."

"Good," she said with a smile, "then you can come help in the infirmary while they test it."

Three hours later we stood watching the AC-130 taxi back into its normal parking spot. Three NG's exited the back of the plane.

"Just a little more sluggish than before but definitely flies better than our earlier experiment," one of the pilots said with a laugh.

"Just how strong are these shields you make, Sir?" asked the second NG. She was a tiny woman, not much more than five feet tall.

I'd seen this group of pilots before and heard about her already. She was said to be fearless. When they needed something tested, they called Carol "Stick" Jackson.

"They're strong," I said and turned toward one of the shielded spots of the plane and Pulled.

I launched a fireball at it and the shield absorbed the power. I don't know what it would do with a disk but it held back a fireball.

The two others had been startled by the fireball but Stick hadn't even flinched. I liked her, already. I could see the emotions rolling in her aura. She'd really been startled, but she had a reputation to live up to so she never showed any of that to the people around her.

I heard Lyrica's musical laughter behind me. She could see everything I could.

"I like her" she said, "my kinda girl."

I chuckled and said, "Some of the moveable parts are unshielded so it certainly isn't as protected as I want."

"That's a shitload better than we had before, Sir," Stick said. "We thank you."

"You're welcome," I said, "and when that gate opens up, I want you to blow the hell outta those bastards."

Stick nodded, "Yes, Sir. Blow the hell out of them. Understood."

I smiled as I thought of the rain of fire that the plane would put forth. I wanted to see it, and would wait anxiously until the day that Gate opened once more.

"Let's get the shields on the other two planes, shall we?"

"Let's do," Lyrica said and we started walking to the next plane, "What do you think about going dancing tonight?"

"I'd love to," I answered.

We both turned as a Soulguard came tearing across the landing strip toward us.

"Shit," she muttered.

"Looks like bad news," I said.

"Sir," Janik Verona said, "They hit in Chicago and Atlanta an hour ago. Simultaneous hits, Sir."

"Damn," I cursed, "Janik, scramble my company, and tell the Kid to get ready with his. We'll take Chicago. Tell Rictor to get two ready companies to send to Atlanta. He's got the watch at the moment, so he'll know which companies are ready to go."

"Yes Sir."

Lyrica started to follow me toward the base.

"Honey, I need you to finish the planes for me," I said, "One of us needs to be here in case they open the Gate."

She stepped in close to me, and I was staring into her emerald eyes, "Be careful Love, cause you always get in trouble when I'm not there."

I kissed her. It felt like an electric shock rippled through my whole body. I didn't want to stop but I had to.

"I'll be careful," I said and stepped back with a sigh, "I have to go. Rain check on the dance?"

"Definitely."

I turned and ran for the base.

Chapter 45.

Chicago was hell. The Kresh had been loose, and ripping through the city for hours before we got there. The same sort of plan worked there as we used in New York but they hadn't come out on an island this time, and the casualties were even higher than New York's had been.

I saw the worst in people that day. I saw people trampled by other people, and I saw people attacked by others for the chance to escape faster. The depths people will go is a sad thing to witness.

But I also saw the best in people that day as well. I saw a woman push her children behind her, and she jumped on the Kresh that was coming for them. Self-sacrifice is one of the best traits I can find in Humanity. The willingness to give one's life to protect others. I wasn't in time to save that woman but I was there to save her children. She delayed the beast long enough for us to get there.

I saw men and women standing and firing into their masses to give the people behind them time to flee. The hordes rolled over these brave defenders, but we were able to reach the ones they had protected in time. Hundreds of similar actions took place in that city, and I salute those brave souls. Once I did get their attention, the Kresh came for me with a vengeance. I'd taken a squad of Guards with me this time.

Their single minded hatred for me is their greatest weakness, I think. They stopped their attack and came for me. We killed them.

After we were done and we were boarding the plane, an NG came running across the runway toward the plane.

I turned from the ramp I had just started up and walked down to meet him.

"Sir!" said and took a deep breath, "They hit Los Angeles, Sir!"

I clicked my coms back on, "Thank you Private. We'll be on our way to LA then. I hope we can get there in time to do some good. No doubt, there will be forces sent from Kansas as well."

"Yes Sir," he said.

I headed back up the ramp, and went straight toward the cockpit. I passed Rictor on the way.

"Los Angeles," I said as I passed.

"Shit," he muttered and turned to the Mages and Guards who were getting settled in for the flight back to Kansas.

"No rest for the wicked!" he yelled. "We're goin' to Hollywood!"

I entered the cockpit, and the pilot turned to me. I had seen this guy before. He was the pilot who had flown us to Kansas the first time we had gone. He still wore that crooked ball cap on his head.

"We need to change flight plans, boys," I said, "cause they just hit LA."

"Sir," the pilot answered, "You want both planes redirected?"

"Yeah I think so."

"Roger."

"What?" asked the co-pilot.

The pilot chuckled and began steering the plane toward the runway.

I looked at the co-pilot with one eyebrow raised.

He stuck his hand out, "Roger Dekland, Sir."

I shook his hand, "Colin Rourke."

I turned back toward the back with a smile on my face. Roger...heh heh.

As the plane taxied to the runway, I found my seat and eased into it. Los Angeles, New York, then Chicago, and Atlanta had been hit simultaneously. I had the sinking feeling that they were up to something underhanded. Somehow I still felt that Kansas would be a target. Our preparations would slow them down, but we would need to do something drastic to win a battle there. We had a hell of a lot more people there now, and if things went fairly well we could hold them. The bad part was the pulling down of our forces to meet these small incursions.

I believed that was exactly what they wanted, reduce our forces in Kansas as much as they can. So when we were several hours into the flight, it came as no surprise when I jerked awake with Soulfire covering my body, and the rage trying to claw its way out of its cage.

"Bloody Hell!" Galen Stone exclaimed. He was the one sitting right next to me.

I had come to my feet with every weapon , and ready to open fire. My seatbelt was ripped apart, and I was looking for an enemy.

Then I got control of my reactions. The Gate had opened in Kansas.

"Friggin' Gate just opened!" I heard Rictor as he approached from the back of the plane.

"Yeah," I said through clinched teeth, "Gotta go redirect the plane again."

I shut the portals on my weapons and walked toward the cockpit.

"I think a bloody wet myself," I heard Galen mutter.

"We won't tell anyone, Mate," Brighton laughed.

I heard some laughter behind me as I headed toward the front with a smile.

"Boys, we have a problem," I said as I reached the pilot. "The Gate in Kansas just opened. I need you to fly over the base there, and drop some of us off."

"Sir, we don't have any chutes on board," the pilot said, "I won't have fuel enough to land and take back off and still get to LA."

"Not a problem," I said, "Just fly over so I can jump off with my Mages."

He shook his head, "Roger."

"What?" said the copilot under his breath.