A New Beginning In A Mana Apocalypse 21 Chapter 21 - Off To See The General

Off To See The General

"What is going on?" Michael asked after the call had ended.

"It doesn't concern you." Karen replied to him giving him a quick glance then s.h.i.+fting her attention back to the me and the other women in the room.

"Alright everyone pack up." Megan announced quickly. Everyone started moving quickly, but in reality there was almost nothing to pack. A few dishes to clean but not much else.

"Rebecca." Marshal called trying to get her attention.

"You have some guts coming back here." Rebecca gave him a glare.

Marshal glared in return, "It doesn't seem like it was that hard for you to get over it. This place smells like you had an orgy in here." he refuted.

I sniffed the air but couldn't smell anything, but I didn't doubt him, orgy was the only way I could label it.

"Master." Mary said approaching me. "I need more plants." she told me she didn't have much for facial expressions. Everything she did and said was done with a blank expression.

I looked at her confused. "Why?" I asked curiously.

"They will help me grow, and I can adapt new abilities from them." she explained.

I nodded thoughtfully. "That's fine, if we get a chance we will see if there is a place that grows exotic plants, or try and visit the botanical garden." I told her.

Mary nodded then moved to stand beside Nala as the others finished cleaning up.

"She's my daughter too!" Marshal argued back, obviously I had missed part of their conversation.

"Marshal." I called from where I was standing making the big man freeze on the spot before turning to look at me. His companion watched this warily, surprised by his reaction to me.

"You made your choice last night, did you not?" I reminded him. "You didn't care at all that Emily was your daughter when you left here after being seperated from her all day."

"This is different." Marshal argued. "Rosa needed me, her group was in trouble."

"If that was the case, why not invite others to help? Why go alone? You are aware that several of us are awakened, my own abilities would have been helpful if any of them were at risk of mutating, do you think we would have refused a.s.sisting the police force just because one of them is your girlfriend?" I asked.

Marshal was silent for a moment.

"That doesn't change the fact that you took advantage of the situation to rope in grieving women for your own purposes." Michael suddenly spoke up.

I s.h.i.+fted my gaze to Michael, "You have absolutely no idea what happened here or how things became as they are. So please keep your opinion to yourself." I replied to him trying to be courteous. I could feel that Karen still cared about him a bit and he was Megan's brother. Though the two nearly canceled each other out, and the way he was eyeing Heather made me want to knock him out.

"Are we ready to go?" I asked looking around at my girls. It hadn't been long but I already felt very possessive and protective of the seven women, whether it was my own disposition or the bonds I had no idea but I wasn't about to fight it.

Everyone nodded so we headed out the door with Marshal and Michael and their women in tow.

"We are not finished talking yet." Michael told me angrily.

"I have an appointment with a general, come if you want but I doubt he is the patient kind."

Outside of the apartment there were even more people than when we had arrived last night.

"Seems we weren't the only ones having fun." Nala commented with a mischievous grin at Michael, "I can smell you on at least three others beside the one at your side."

Michael was obviously startled and forgot what he was going to say to me.

As we left the apartment the crowd formed up, but several military vehicles arrived in the parking lot. Several armed soldiers exited the vehicles making there way towards us.

Seeing the soldiers the crowd parted before them.

"Daryl!" Michael called.

I faced him again. "What?" I asked.

Michael hesitated for a moment a conflicted look on his face then glanced at the crowd who were watching. He was obviously their leader, I could see that in the way they looked at him. It seemed he had to be careful with what he said in front of them.

"Be safe and come back soon." he told me like he was giving an order.

I wasn't going to fall under his command though. "I will be safe, but I have no idea if I am coming back here." I replied matching his gaze with my own. It was time to draw the line, I was not his subordinate. "Call if you need any help, family should always help when we can." I told him.

Michael's face turned a bit sour. "Can you check them before you go?" he asked me begrudgingly.

I have to admit I was surprised and had to admire Michael at that moment. It took a lot of courage, and a proper perspective to put the well being of his group above his own pride.

I nodded then moved quickly through the group placing my hand on their shoulders just long enough to access the state of their inner s.p.a.ce. Of the sixteen in the crowd two had overactive mana, a man and woman who seemed to be a couple. I siphoned off a bit of mana from them so their s.p.a.ce wasn't overly full. As with many of the others they awakened as soon as the pressure was relieved.

I returned to Michael and reported what I saw and the pair that had awakened.

"Thank you." Michael told me as I reached out and touched Courtney's shoulder. She still hadn't awakened but she was full of Michael's mana. If what Calidia had suggested it should only be a matter of time before she awakened. As a favor I pushed some of the lose mana I received from the couple into Courtney. As if that small influx was what it was waiting on the mana inside Courtney began to react in the familiar awakening pattern.

"She should awaken now too." I told Michael.

He nodded. "Mother and your father are on a flight back, they should be back around three in the afternoon." he told me.

I nodded but didn't reply. I wasn't sure I wanted to meet my father right now, not while I felt I was little better than he was. It was only ten now so I didn't have a lot of time to think about it.

A buff male soldier with a practically shaved head under his camo hat reached us. "Mister Wallous?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yes, did the general inform you my group will be splitting in two?" I asked.

The soldier nodded. "Yes, you and those meeting the general will ride with me, the others will take the rest of your group where they need to go before joining you." he replied professionally but clearly unhappy.

I nodded then looked at Nala a suggestive thought in my head.

Nala glared back at me for a moment then nodded in defeat before heading back into the apartment and slamming the door shut.

Megan and Karen looked at me confused for a moment before the door opened again and Nala came out in her lion form, sized to a normal lioness, with her clothes in her mouth. 'These taste awful.' she told me mentally.

I chuckled then took the clothes to put in my s.p.a.ce then we all followed the soldiers back to their vehicles. Everyone, the soldiers included, kept a wary eye on Nala as she walked just behind me.

Karen, Calidia, and Mary got into one vehicle with the soldier in charge while the other girls got into another vehicle. Marshal and Rosa went to a police cruiser. I wasn't sure if they intended to join us or what but I looked over at Megan who just nodded at me.

'I will let you know if he causes any trouble.' Megan told me mentally surprising me. Then she smirked and disappeared into the vehicle Rebecca and Heather were in.

The lead soldier waited for me to get into the vehicle with the others but I shook my head at him. "I'll take my own ride." I told him then Nala s.h.i.+fted her size back to the twelve feet tall lion. She knelt down so I could climb up onto her neck then stood up waiting for the soldiers to leave.

The lead soldier stared at us in surprise for a moment then smiled and climbed into the vehicle with a relieved smile on his face.

I felt Michael's gaze on my back as Nala followed the military vehicles out of the parking lot.

After a few moments I realized Nala was a fairly comfortable ride. She didn't like that observation, but as her mate she was fine with me riding her.

After Megan had used a mental message with me I decided to practice it myself by contacting Calidia in the vehicle ahead of us.

'Husband?' Calidia replied in my mind.

'I have to ask at least once. Are these bonds permanent?' I asked her mentally.

'Yes husband. These bonds are known as a marital bond, though they are on the strong side. It is usually a step up from the intimate bond you had with Megan, and usually only forms when the intimate bond has become fairly strong and the two have strong emotions for each other. Once they reach this point it is irreversible.'

'Thanks, I am not against it, but I had to ask. Now, what do you know about setting up a haven?' I asked her mentally.

'Just the theory. Though this would be an easier discussion to have in person.' she chided me mentally.

'It would, but I don't think outsiders need to hear it, besides I don't want to be all over the four of you when we are on the way to meet my eighth and her father.' I replied mentally.

'True.' Calidia admitted. 'Very well, the theory of the haven's is pretty simple. You just have to perfect the blending of the six elemental energies with your s.p.a.ce ability. When it balances it will create a haven that people can stay in without that uncomfortable feeling you get when inside a strictly s.p.a.ce pocket.' she told me.

I frowned, I remembered what happened when I mixed my s.p.a.ce ability with wind.

'I heard it was best to practice with an empty s.p.a.ce until you get the hang of it, and watch your energy levels. You might not have felt much as of yet, but using seven abilities at once will drain you quickly.' she warned me mentally.

'Yes, dear.' I replied teasingly.

'Try not to flirt too much.' Karen sent me a mental message a moment later.

'Getting jealous?' I mentally asked with a smirk.

It was a few moments before she responded. 'I am not sure, everything has changed so fast, I am still catching up.' she replied mentally.

I nodded to myself. 'It has.' I agreed mentally. 'Two days ago I was a fat a.s.s that Megan wouldn't even think of dating, then I became slim and we got together, and now I have eight of you plus two others who I have no idea who they are.'

'I am sure you can figure out the other two if you tried hard enough. Think about who you would desire to sleep with the most that isn't in our group already.' she suggested mentally.

'You can say that, but before she called I had nearly forgotten about Jessica, yet she was included.' I pointed out.

'That will make it more difficult.' Karen admitted.

I sighed then started to pet the top of Nala's head as she followed the military.

We crossed back over the Salt River and highway 202 then skirted around to the east side of the zoo near Papago parks. Then a side road to a large building I had no idea existed so close to the zoo. It had a sign labeling it as Papago Hospital. I had never heard of this place.

There was a lot of military around this building all fully armed and alert as they stared to the west.

I turned my attention in that direction, it was faint but I could make out a familiar presence. Nala's last husband was out there.

When the vehicles stopped in front of it I dismounted Nala without making her kneel down. Nala promptly s.h.i.+fted down to the size of a house cat then jumped up onto my shoulder to ride me in return.

Once Mary left the vehicle she ran quickly around to the different plants in front of the building taking samples of each, as there were several shrubs, flowers, trees, and some kind of vine growing down one of the walls. I hoped it would help her until we could find some other plants for her.

I walked over to her only to have her s.h.i.+ft into a vine which promptly wrapped around my wrist. I stared at the plant bracelet for a moment then grabbed the clothes left on the ground and tossed them into my s.p.a.ce.

"That might be for the best." Karen commented coming to my side with Calidia beside her. "The soldiers were having trouble concentrating with her a.s.sets around." she told me with a smirk.

I glanced over at the soldiers but none of them would meet my gaze.

I chuckled, I understood there pain. "Let's go meet the general." I told them then followed the lead soldier into the hospital. The lead soldier turned out to be Staff Sergeant Wilson. He also explained that the hospital was new, but had a lot of important patients. The nearby zoo was meant to be a pleasant view to patients on higher floors, but was now a serious problem as the beasts mutated and became a threat. Especially since the patients were 'easy' meals.