It took them four days to make their way back to where they had camped near the border with Ukraine. They had been careful and had managed getting there without incident. They arrived with most team members riding on top of the hay bales in the back of the truck, having abandoned the SUV vehicle earlier a few miles away.
Once they had unloaded all their weapons, ammo and other gear, Missy climbed into the truck and drove it away. She had changed and was only wearing that stolen overcoat. After driving the truck about thirty miles away, she pulled into a side road which didn’t get much use. As with the SUV vehicle, they wanted to abandon these vehicles where they might not be found for several more days.
Missy walked a good distance away from the truck and discarded the overcoat. Then, in a shimmer of light, she disappeared and teleported back to the camp to rejoin her team after first doing some recon along the route which they were planning to use back to the border. Mel had placed her clothes in a private spot for her and after she Shifted back in a burst of energy, she got dressed and walked out to where they were all waiting for her.
It was full dark now and she led them through the wooded area on foot, having determined during her recon that the way was clear.
-----
Friday, July 28, 2022
When Missy and her team emerged from the woods just north ofthe village of Liptsi, near where they had gone in ten days earlier, the dawn was just breaking. Captain Andrich was there with vehicles having gotten word from Master Sergeant Town that they would need to be picked up.
As these vehicles drove them back to Kharkiv, they were all very happy. Exhausted, of course, having walked all night, but happy, nonetheless. Yes, they had done it. Yet another successful mission with everyone safely returning. They had tremendous pride in what they had accomplished.
After arriving at the Kharkiv airport, they thanked Captain Andrich for all his help and support and then climbed into the helicopter which was there for them. Soon, they lifted off and were flown back to Kiev.
They did spend a couple hours in Kiev, since Lieutenant Colonel Grady and Dmytro Kovalchuk came out to the airfield along with Mike and Master Sergeant Town. They enjoyed all talking about the mission, with Lieutenant Colonel Grady telling them all about how pleased General Hingham was and briefing them on all the latest news.
The damage to the Main Missile and Artillery Directorate arsenal had been extensive and it would take months for the Russians to perform all the cleanup needed and eventually rebuild. Huge areas had been scorched and there was immense damage with many destroyed buildings. The estimates varied between thirty percent and forty percent for how muchordinance and ammunition had been lost. The disruption to Russian artillery supplies was very significant.
Several people had been hurt but there were no lives being reported as lost. The Russians were already blaming safety violations for this horrific event.
Once the C-130 aircraft arrived, Missy and her team, along with Mike and Master Sergeant Town, grabbed all their gear and after saying goodbye to Dmytro and Lieutenant Colonel Grady, they all gratefully boarded that aircraft for their ride back to Izmir Air Base. Most team members were asleep shortly after the aircraft took off.
Missy snuggled next to Mike over in a corner where they had some privacy. She said, “Thanks for helping us on this mission, Mike. You won’t often get the chance to do that. I loved being able to always experience your entity with you being inside our five hundred mile mate bond limit.”
“I felt the same way, Missy,” agreed Mike. “I’ll be here for another month, thankfully. Also … you’ll be glad to know your friend Tracy reported to Fort Rucker last Monday. John will be joining her there soon. He and Trevor took the New York bar exam on Tuesday and Wednesday.”
“Oh, that’s right, my brother the lawyer. When will they learn the results of that exam?” asked Missy.
Mike answered, “Supposedly, those will be posted on October twentieth. I hear that both John and Trevor have already got jobs in law firms for while they’re waiting to hear.”
Missy nodded and said, “It’s only been a couple of months since we all graduated from West Point. So much has happenedsince then for all of us that my academy days are already becoming a dim memory.”
“Don’t worry. Your many friendships both at West Point and at Annapolis will continue on long into the future,” predicted Mike with a grin. “While you all go off in different directions, your paths will no doubt cross many times in the years ahead.”
“MmmMmmm … I’m sure you’re right,” said Missy with a yawn. After going almost non-stop for more than ten days, now that she was cuddled up within Mike’s arms, she was finally able to completely relax and she soon fell sound asleep.
Mike sighed, as happy as he’d ever been, and pulled Missy close. When he noticed her begin to purr softly, he sighed once again. Yeah, his wife was a cat and she was also the most wonderful person in all the world.
Epilogue
Monday, August 1, 2022
Missy woke up and after kissing Mike who remained asleep, she climbed out of bed and got ready for her morning run. Today was Lughnasadh, the beginning of harvest season, and one of the eight days during the year when her supernatural energy was at its peak.
She was feeling great. Her heightened libido had been satisfied by all the lovemaking she and Mike had done before they both finally had fallen asleep in the wee hours of the morning. She knew he would sleep soundly for a few more hours but she was more than ready to expend some additional energy by running around outside for the next forty minutes or so.
Although she started with a couple of Team Twenty-Two guys, she was too amped up and after the first mile, she raced ahead and soon left them far behind. She ended up running for fifty minutes before returning to the team’s headquarters.
She showered and got dressed, all with Mike still zonked in their bed, and then she went down to the mess hall for a hearty breakfast. She sat down next to Mel and Staff Sergeant DeMarco and told Luis that he wasn’t allowed to help her with her tray since she still was experiencing so much energy.
After removing her platters of food and drinks, she used her telekinesis ability to make her tray float slowly across the room where it then settled down on top of the other dirty trays waiting to be washed. Ruby and Staff Sergeant Morgan walked over and sat down at their table. Ruby said, “I see today it’sgonna be like that, huh?” She gestured with her chin towards the tray that she’d just watched flying in the air, all by itself.
Mel answered, saying, “Oh, she’s still got that post coital glow. Poor Mike. Today is definitely one of those days, Ruby!” All four of them laughed at Missy as she in turn gave them a fierce scowl, filling her eyes with golden speckles. Yeah, they all knew about her Wheel of the Year “seasonal cycle” celebrations and how high both her energy level and her libido would always get at such times.
Staff Sergeant Morgan asked, “When are you going back for your next full moon celebration with your pack, lieutenant? Isn’t that coming up sometime soon?”
