TFM Chapter 4

TFM Chapter 4

(3 am, at a bar in Nice, France)

“AND STAY OUT!”

The bouncer’s gruff voice echoed in the empty streets as the woman found herself tossed out. Evangeline got up, and drunkenly replied, “LAST CALL MY ASS,” before she dusted herself off. She sighed as she looked back at the bar, then at her own knuckles. I punch out one barkeep, and suddenly I get thrown on my ass. Oh well, I don't want the gendarmes on me. Gonna have to find another watering hole, or at least some place to sleep this off.

She sighed as she kept moving. I could just board a train somewhere. But, I don’t even know where Drake would hide. I can’t very well call him either. I never gave him a cell phone. She then looked up as droplets of rain began to fall. Damn, better to find a place to sleep. I will find him somehow. Maybe someone in town will know where he went.

~~~~

(at 7:00 am)

Drake LaGuerre woke up as the sunlight entered his room. What happened the night before? Why do I have a roof over my head? His mind then remembered. Remembered the sound of gunshots, the squeal of tires spinning in pavement, and how he and Samantha had to run for their lives. He remembered the other two who came to their aid, Josephine and Mikera.

That is right. They came to my aid. If Samantha hadn’t gotten off that train in the wrong station, I would most assuredly be dead. But why? Why were they after me? The sweat on Drake’s body made him recall the humidity of the night. I should have remembered to turn on the fan last night. I will have to shower again. That is okay, though. I have a lot to think about.

Drake got up, dressed only in boxers, gathered his bathrobe, and began to head to the shower again. Each of the other girls, with the exception of Mikera, were already up. Samantha was watching the news, trying to work out her French-to-English translation book so she could better learn French. Josephine was downstairs helping Samantha. The exasperated look on Josephine’s face spoke volumes about her lack of success.

“Sam, I thought I told you to go over this BEFORE we got here!”

“I was freaking out that I got on the wrong train, okay? How was I supposed to concentrate with that?”

“The same way you concentrate on a target, Samantha.”

“Aw, man. This is nowhere near as fun.”

He walked into the bathroom, placed his shower kit carefully so as not to displace the girls’ shower supplies, and then turned the water on.

(Meanwhile)

Mikera stirred awake, and checked her clock. Aw crap. I had better get up. I promised Jo I’d help Sam learn a bit of French before she took Drake out for morning training! I just… She looked around her bed and her dresser. I forgot something in the bathroom! I left my PDA in there. I had better go get it. I am pretty sure one of the girls is in the shower.

Mikera then went out, in a black singlet and panties, to the bathroom to get her phone.

And then got the whole picture when she saw a naked blue fox showering in front of her. She froze, as Drake turned slowly towards the door.

“Qu’est-ce que…”

And then…

“AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

Two simultaneous screams caused Josephine and Samantha both to jump. At first, Sam and Josephine had no clue what had happened. ""Mikera, Drake, are you both okay?!" Finally, when she looked upstairs, Sam smirked when Mikera, in singlet and panties, dashed into her bedroom a new shade of red.

“Mikera forgot about Drake, I see.“

“Looks that way. She forgot we have a male roomie now. More bacon bits, Sam?”

“Thank you, now where were we?"

"Working on your conjugations for 'faire,' which means 'to do.'"

They then heard Mikera run back to her bedroom, and when she came downstairs, she was dressed, and completely red instead of her usual Cheshire calico fur markings.

“So, how does Drake look naked, Mikera?”

“Shut up, Jo.”

Sam then snatched her PDA. “Maybe we can find out. As I recall, this is also a digital camera?” Samantha punched a few buttons on the PDA, and sure enough…

“Hey, Jo, take a look.”

Josephine let out a wolf whistle when she saw the image on Mikera‘s PDA. “Mikera, great shot, honey. I think I am going to FAINT.” Josephine fanned herself looking at the picture.

“It must have gone off by accident and-”

“SUUUUURE it did, Mikera. Seriously, I somehow don't believe that.” Samantha then got thwapped several times with a pillow. “I DID NOT plan to see a naked blue fox this morning, OR take his picture!” That is when they saw a red fox walk down the stairs. Josephine noticed that it was Drake. “Drake? You are looking bright red there.”

“Considering I was seen naked AND saw mademoiselle Mikera in her underwear, shouldn’t I be?”

“You mean that is a full blush?”

“Oui…” Drake sighed.

“Awww…he is shy,” Samantha commented.

“Come on, Sam, leave him alone will you?” Jo was grinning as she said that. With Drake here, mornings were going to be more interesting from now on. Jo then got back to business, as Drake started to revert to his usual blue fur tone. “Drake, this morning, you will be training with Samantha. In the evening, you will be training with Mikera. Once they get you up to speed on your firearms skills and your new toys, I will be helping with hand-to-hand fighting.”

Drake nodded. “France has some very strict firearms laws, mademoiselle.”

Samantha put a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, Drake, we’ll be using specially-made paintball guns that simulate the real thing, right down to how they load and the recoil. As for the firearms laws, we have full license to carry here. We’re technically working with French law enforcement. And Drake?”

“Oui?”

“I need to get you a better firearm as your primary. The MAS M50 is nice, but you need something a bit more current. I am thinking an M92 Mil-Spec, same issue the French Police Force uses. It will at least help you blend in better.”

Drake fidgeted a little bit. “No disrespect, mademoiselle, but I like my mother’s MAS M50 enough to keep it.” Samantha smiled as she chimed in. “Well, I am not saying you should go without it, Drake. I am just saying you may want to get a second handgun. Don’t worry, I can make all the arrangements and make sure the new gun uses the same 9mm ammunition your M50 does. We also need some new ammunition for both. I could tell when I fired your pistol, that the ammunition was aged to say the least, and unlike wine, bullets do NOT age gracefully. End of lecture.”

Drake nodded. “Then we will need to go to the local market. We can get groceries first. Last night, the cupboards were looking rather bare.”

“Hehe, well, we’re used to takeout. Josephine, we’ll see you and Mikera later. Mikera, do print a copy of that picture for me,” Samantha and Drake hurried out the door as one of the chairs was thrown at them by Mikera before Drake could see her blush.

(Near the market)

Drake got out of the Land Rover and began to look over the marketplace. Samantha, for her part, bit her lower lip. “Drake?”

“Oui, Samantha?”

Samantha sighed. “Did you think about what happened yesterday? When we first met?” Drake turned around slowly. “Mademoiselle, c’est impossible for me not to. I know very well that I would have died if not for you, Samantha. Merci beaucoup.”

Samantha continued. “Drake, are you sure you are okay with this? With going into something that may very well get you killed?” Drake’s reply hit home. “Samantha, a wise man once said ‘It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees.’ I know I risk death in this. But, I made a promise to you, Mikera, et Josephine. One I cannot back out of. But make no mistake. I am doing this because I want to. I want to be part of this. I want to fight alongside the brave souls who saved me.”

“Drake, thank you. To be honest, well, I felt bad. Bad that I brought you into this mess, and into this situation.”

“No apologies, Samantha.”

“Drake?” She walked up to him, and kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks.”

“You are welcome, Samantha.”

Samantha then smiled as she looked around. “Drake, is it true that a lot of this is delivered fresh?”

“Some of it, Samantha. I will be sure to pick up some things for lunch. As for the house, we may want to wait until later. Wouldn’t want anything to go bad while we train.” Sam smiled. “Or we could bring the groceries back before we start training.”

“Is that okay?” Drake had to be sure. Samantha replied warmly. “Of course, Drake. The others will like that, I think. We’ll do that now. When we get to Normandy Beach, your first lesson will be gun maintenance. While you were asleep, I inspected your gun, Drake. It wasn’t acceptable. Instead of cleaning and fixing it myself, I am teaching you how to do it. Just to be sure the lesson sticks.”

“Of course, Samantha. I will be happy to learn from you.” Sam grinned as she looked around. “So, where is the best bacon in this town?” Drake smiled warmly as he answered, “I know just the place, Sam. Follow me.”

(In a small cabin, near the Rhine River)

Jean-Michael awoke with a start, sitting up covered in a cold sweat.

“Jean, are you all right?” The minx femme held his hand, even as another pair of hands from the bat femme, Celestia, caressed his chest softly, even as a third set stroked his hair gently. “Jean…are you okay?”

“Mais oui, Esmerelda, it was a nightmare…”

“The one about your daughter and son?”

“Oui…”

Esmerelda, a flying squirrel, smiled as she pressed her nude form against Jean. “Awww…don’t worry Jean…we can make you forget all about it. Right, Vera?”

Vera, the Minx, smiled at them. “Of course, Esmerelda…” She ran a hand down his chest. “We can help him have a better dream.”

~~~~

(Normandy Beach)

Samantha set out with Drake and walked with him to the bunkers. “I am SO trying out that bacon, Drake. It smelled WONDERFUL. And we have plenty of groceries back at the base. Weren’t you going to take care of something else in town, though?”

Drake smiled at her. “Te ne bile pas.”

“Bwuh?”

“As I said before, it means ‘don’t sweat it.’ It can wait until I get this training done. Where do we start, mademoiselle?”

“Let’s get you learning gun maintenance first. Let me show you the bullets that were in the gun.” Once they sat down, she began to place the bullets one by one in front of Drake. The first thing Drake noticed was that several of the bullets were a green color, and looked brittle. “Shouldn’t the jackets be more like copper in color?”

“Yes, and that is the problem. These are so old, and corroded that they should have been unusable, and even if they weren’t, bullets have shelf lives, Drake. The powder doesn’t stay active forever. I am sure your mother was watching over you, because you took a lot of risks bringing that gun. I realize you didn’t know, but next time, I won’t accept any excuses. We start right now. Clean this gun, clean and reload the clip, and have it ready to fire. You will have to replace the firing pin and clean the slide. Also, make sure the action of this firearm works. Don’t worry, I will coach you through it.”

Drake spent the rest of the morning learning how to disassemble, clean, reassemble, and load his firearm, and practicing the motions repeatedly, with a number of other handguns Samantha had brought along. After he cleaned the last of them, Samantha inspected them.

“Good work, Drake. Very good. Now, we can start calibrating them properly. I will need you to set up some targets. We have to fire 10 rounds from each firearm. It will be a good way to get you used to shooting.”

Drake picked up the targets and began to set them up, away from the hallowed ground of the beach. “All set, mademoiselle.”

“Right. We need to adjust your weapon’s sights, and we can only do that with target practice.”

~~~~~

(Hours later)

Drake was surprised to see the sun begin to set all too soon. Time seemed to have evaporated once they had started shooting, and once they had finished recalibrating the firearms, and then her teaching Drake how to use them properly. “Sun is setting, Drake, We need to get ready to head back.”

“One moment…” Drake went out, and just took a moment staring at the ocean before him. “When I come here, no matter what I was doing, I stop to pay my respects. My great-grandfather was part of the French Resistance when the Allies stormed this very beach.”

Samantha did the same, paying her respects. “I hope I didn’t interrupt their rest.”

“Not at all, mademoiselle. They were no doubt happy to see female company for a change. Let us hurry back. I still have to train with Mikera, n’est-ce pas?”

“That is right, she wanted to test your skills behind the wheel today.”

“I need to go somewhere first. Is that okay?”

“Sure, I remember you wanted to take care of some business. Where to?”

“First, I need to get to the hall of records. Then, I need to go to a cemetery. Then, Mikera can test me.”

“What are you looking for, Drake? Why did you leave home?”

“My father. He left me when I was four, and I haven’t heard from him since. I hope to find him, sooner than later. It is important I find out what really happened, and who he really is. My sister was not forthcoming.”

“Drake, why not let Mikera look into it? She is good with computers, and might be able to work faster than you can find it. Does he have a first name?”

“…Jean. That is the only name I know of him. I don’t know his middle name, and I don’t even have a picture to go by,” Drake sighed.

“That is plenty. But why the cemetery?”

“To do something I hadn’t done since I was a child. Visit my mother’s grave. Then I will go.”

“Why not grab Mikera and Jo first, and we can all go with you?”

“I-I’d like that, very much. Merci beaucoup.” Samantha walked back with him to the car after all the guns she brought along were packed up.

(In the cemetery)

The moon had just risen when they arrived. Drake took the girls and took the time to recall where it was.

“You actually remember where it is, Drake?”

“Mais oui, Josephine. C’est impossible for me to forget. Mon pere made sure to bury her near a tree we planted in case we wanted to visit her. Ah!” He ran towards a tree near a section of fence. “Voici! C’est ici!”

He knelt before the grave, and saw a name and : “Janine Elara Fiona LaGuerre: Loving wife, devoted mother.” Drake smiled as he sat down. A picture of her in the stone showed a beautiful silver fox, looking over a full moon.

“Bonjour, ma mere, it has been too long. Far too long. These are the women who have taken me into their lives. Voici Mikera D’Williams, Samantha L’Renne, et Josephine Miranda Jules. Trois femmes formidable. They have asked me to join a battle alongside them. I hope you will forgive me, but I will need your gun. Samantha helped me clean it today, and she helped me learn how to use it. I still have a long way to go, but these three beautiful souls will help me. As for Eva, mom, she isn’t doing well. At all. I am scared for her, and can only hope without me to burden her, she will recover.”

Josephine walked up to the stone. “Mrs. LaGuerre, on behalf of Task Force Moebius, I swear to you that we will take good care of your son, and that we will keep his trust.” Drake blushed when he felt a delicate hand hold each of his. On the left, Samantha held his hand, and on his right, Mikera did the same. At that moment, Josephine placed her hands over both of Drake’s as they said in unison, “We all do.”

“M-merci beaucoup, mademoiselles, for being here with me for this.”

Mikera smiled softly. “Of course, Drake. We wouldn’t miss this for anything.”

Soon, they departed, as Mikera began to give Drake directions. “I checked the maps of France online, and there should be an area where we can go to drive discreetly. I need to gauge your driving skills. Night-time driving is a good place to start. I will drop Sam and Jo off so I can gauge you myself, and they can set up the obstacles. I have to know what your driving abilities are before I know what sort of training you need.”

Drake drove for a while, following Mikera’s directions until he arrived at a deserted backroad. “That woman called in some favors so the cops wouldn’t patrol this area tonight. We should be able to test you here no problem. Now, Drake, I just want you to cut loose.”

“Cut loose, mademoiselle? Are you sure of that?”

“Positive, Drake. Now, Jo and Sam will be setting up obstacles in the road. Your job will be to avoid them.”

“Very well, mademoiselle, but I won’t be held responsible for the consequences.” After dropping off Samantha and Josephine, and waiting for them to finish setting everything up and that they were off the road, Drake went to the starting line. When Mikera activated the stopwatch, Drake hit accelerator, pinning Mikera to her seat.

She started screaming as he just kept going faster, and seemed to turn wildly to avoid the obstacles, even drifting a number of times to evade the obstacles as he sped downhill towards the foot of the mountain. He took the turns hard, drifting, yet retaining complete control of the car.

“DRAKE, ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!” She then saw that he had no intent of slowing down. “Let me show you, mademoiselle, what I can do!” He smirked when he saw a tree branch down in the middle of the road, and with sharp turn, evaded it by driving on the gravel shoulder.

“AAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!” Mikera was screaming at the top of her lungs as he just would not STOP. Drake then saw another obstacle on the shoulder, and narrowly evaded it. “So many obstacles. Trop plus,” Drake muttered to himself. “Mademoiselle, how many did you set?”

“NOT THAT MANY…Boizhe Moi…” Mikera was reacting to the box in the median, which Drake maneuvered around in his fashion, only to see another one in front of him. Drake slammed the brakes, and slid the car past the obstacle. Mikera, for her part, was clinging to her seat for dear life.

(At the bottom of the mountain)

Josephine's fur stood up on end as she heard the screaming. “Sam…what is that unholy scream?”

“That would be Mikera possibly losing a few years out of her lifespan from her first ride with Drake. I don‘t see what she is complaining about. He will get her down safe. Besides, if it were almost anyone else, they‘d have lost control on the gravel on the shoulder.“ That was when Josephine noticed something wrong about the course. “Sam, did you throw a tree limb in the middle of the road?”

“No, I didn’t. What about you?”

“….oh shit. They are running a loaded course!”

Meanwhile, Mikera had begun to panic. There were a lot more obstacles than she had told Samantha and Josephine to add, or, for that matter, they had time to add. They had to have been added after they went to the foot of the mountain. Just as they were about to contact Mikera, the vehicle Drake and Mikera were driving had arrived, as Drake brought the car to a screeching halt, parking it sideways on the shoulder.

Mikera still held onto her seat for dear life.

“Mademoiselle? The car has stopped mademoiselle Mikera. You don‘t need to hold on to that seat now. Mikera‘s hands soon grabbed him by the collar as an angry Cheshire Calico screamed at him, hitting him a few times while she was at it. “I had my LIFE flashing before my eyes! DRAKE, YOU CRAZY BASTARD! Why did you have to drive that fast?!” Drake replied calmly. “You are safe, n’est-ce pas? You are unhurt, and I was on the clock. I had to get down quickly. Besides, you are the one who told me to cut loose. I am more curious about the obstacles. A lot more than two people would have had time to put down.”

Samantha nodded. “Yeah, but who would do that?”

Just then, Mikera’s phone went off. “What in the world?” Mikera’s eyes widened when she heard the scrambled voice. “Guys, it is ‘that woman’ again. She wants me to put it on my speaker.”

She pulled out a small speaker from her pocket, and plugged it into her cell phone. “Mikera, you will have to forgive me for doing what I did. I didn’t think you girls did enough to test Drake, so I added a few unique challenges.”

“YOU BITCH!” Mikera was beside herself. “WERE YOU TRYING TO GET US KILLED?!”

“Mikera, an enemy would have been less kind. I am surprised that Drake made it through all the obstacles, however. Color me impressed. I witnessed the whole thing. Good driving.”

“You are here?”

“I am. But I can’t get in contact with you in person just yet. I tried to reach you guys at your home to give you some news. But I will just tell you right here. I will be further reinforcing this group of yours. Their files will be waiting for you when you get home. They will be meeting you at Rammstein Air Force Base within the next fortnight. Think you guys can hold out until we get it all smoothed over?”

Josephine nodded. “Of course. We’ll need a bigger base, though.”

“I will arrange it. Have Drake help you, he knows the area and the people. In the meantime, keep your promises, and be ready to get called into action at a moment‘s notice. Something may be about to happen. Recon indicates that crime has been shooting up in Paris and the surrounding area, particularly against minorities. Something or someone is driving a plague of fear, and we will need you to get to the bottom of it.”

“Undertstood.”

“Oh, and Drake?”

“Oui?”

“Want to enlighten us on where you learned to drive?” Drake ducked his head, looking embarrassed.. “Ma soeur would kill me if she knew this. I learned as a street racer. And we used to race in places similar to this too. I learned how to drift and how to repair vehicles in that manner. I first helped with repairs after the races. Then they let me drive. I did it to pay my own bills. Between ma soeur’s drinking and the business, we were barely making it through. Most of my winnings went to paying the bills. What she didn’t know won’t hurt her.”

“What kind of car did you use?”

“A rebuilt custom, inside and out. It is in storage in Nice. I was planning to sell it if necessary.”

Josephine grinned. “The hell you will. Bring it to the shop, we have plans for it! Well then, looks like we need to get you trained in the use of other vehicles. You will need aircraft and boat training. We can arrange that.”

Josephine then noticed the time. “Let’s get back, it has been a very eventful day.”

The voice on the phone added, “Get some rest, all of you, and Mikera?”

“Yeah?”

“You scream like a Banshee,” and with that, she hung up.

“THAT BITCH! Where does she get off telling me that I-”

“Actually, yes, you do. We could hear you all the way from down here,” Josephine replied.

“What she said,” Samantha said with a grin. Drake then went to Mikera. “My apologies for putting you through that, mademoiselle. But I was on the clock, and didn’t have time to be polite.”

“It is okay, Drake. I guess that makes us even.”

“Even? For what?”

“For all of us seeing you naked.”

“QUOI?!!” Drake was in disbelief, while Mikera grinned sheepishly. Once again, Drake went from a blue fox to a red fox. This time, in under 30 seconds. Josephine grinned as she saw him do so before playfully putting her hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, Drake, we all have seen each other naked at least once.“

“That is because you are all women. I am a guy, and I am not used to this.“

“Come on, let’s clean up the road and head back home.”

(Meanwhile, in Nice)

“So you haven’t seen him either?”

“Je regrete, Mademoiselle, I haven’t.” Evangeline sighed, exasperated. She decided to try her luck in the market, hoping someone just getting off work would know for certain. A shopkeeper was closing up, grumbling about how his shop had been shot up just the previous day. Evangeline went to him. “Pardon me, but, have you seen him?”

The shopkeeper looked over the picture she presented. “Oui, I saw him yesterday. He was here, on an old Liberator. A young woman who couldn’t speak French to save her life was asking for help. But let me tell you, I remember what happened afterwards. These men came in and shot at them, the bastards!”

"Shot at them?! Are they okay?! Did they mention where they were going?”

“Saint-Jouin-Burneval was where the woman said she was headed before ze bullets began to fly. He gave her a lift.”

Eva gulped, hard. Merde, someone is looking for Drake, to kill him! Maybe that girl he is with got crossed up with some criminal types!! I have to get him out of there NOW!! Time to get to Saint-Jouin-Burneval, and end this nonsense!

“Merci beaucoup, I will have someone help repair your shop in the morning.” Evangeline, now somewhat sober, began to head to her car.

I can’t let him become his father, I CAN’T. I have to prevent it, I have to confront this woman who is just going to get him killed! Hang on, Drake, I am coming for you!

As she began walking, she saw something out of the corner of her eye. A voluptuous kangaroo femme, with auburn hair and violet eyes, walked by, in a summer dress and high heels, heading back to her hotel room. Evangeline kept staring at how the breeze caused her dress to cling to her somewhat,revealing slightly the form underneath, just long enough to hit the lamppost that was in front of her.

Evangeline rubbed her head, looking up at the lamppost. Why, hello lamppost I didn’t see. Ow…maybe I should wait to get Drake until I sober up some more. Why the hell did I look at someone like that? She isn’t even a guy! The kangaroo femme walked to her, and stood over her.

“Are you okay?”

Evangeline blushed at the attention she was getting. “Umm, well, I am okay, I am just a little tipsy, and-”

The kangaroo femme smiled. “Awww, I am sorry. Why don’t you stay in my hotel room tonight and let me look at that?”

“Well, that is, I-”

“Oh GOOD. I need to get that gash on your forehead bandaged, and give you a place to dry out. Maybe get you some ice. I am Melissa, by the way. Do you have a name?”

“Evangeline, umm, look, I appreciate it, but-”

“I am not taking ‘no’ for an answer. You are coming with me.”

Evangeline sighed at that remark. Well, at least tonight, I will have a roof over my head rather than a night in the car again. “Okay, you win. I am going with you.” Melissa nodded, helping her up. "Now come on, let's get that looked at, okay?

(Back at the garage, after they cleaned up the road)

Drake turned off the shower and went to his room to call it a night. As he was about to get out of his bathrobe, a small envelope was slipped under his door. He picked it up and saw that it was addressed to him.

In addition to his name, there were two words.

“Sweet Dreams.” He opened the envelope, and saw a rather risqué picture of Samantha, reposing on her bed in her underwear, her arms around the headboard. He felt a trickle of blood coming from his nose as he stared for a moment, then he turned his attention to the back of the picture. On it, was a note:

“This is to call it even for having a picture of you naked. Enjoy.- Samantha”

Drake reclined on the bed, blushing profusely, with his eyes wide open.

Mon dieu, how do I sleep after THAT?

End Chapter 4