Ashley and I had a long talk. It was a good talk, and I learned many things. Like North Carolina being all the way around the world and what the Secret Service does. I told her in the broadest terms how magic worked.

  The next morning I dressed in my scouting garb and new cap and said goodbye to the nurses. They brought in a cake which I tasted but did not eat. The last thing I wanted was an upset stomach during a long trip. Ashley and I got into a noisy and smelly carriage that was colored like the men in green were to go to what she called the airfield. She had a large tube shaped bag with her, but I had put all my new books into storage. It drained me to a level I wasn’t really comfortable with, but it was necessary.

  “You walk around in a ghillie suit at home? Ashley asked.

  “I do not know this word. This.. these clothes are best for the forest. Smell is a concern right now with human chemicals but break sight and no metal for good sound. Also have plates over soft parts.” I knocked on the shaped carapace armor over my middle, resulting in a dull thud.

  “Are those the only clothes you have?” She asked.

  “No. My people are nomadic. I carry everything I own.”

  “Magic?”

  “Yes, Magic.”

  Ashley had shown me a picture of an airplane the previous night, but seeing one for real was impressive. It was much larger than the Rocs I had heard about from other travelers.

  “This is loud enough to damage your ears. Do you have earplugs?” Ashley asked me as we got closer to it.

  “No, but ears will heal fast.” The man in green that was driving the carriage gave both of us small packages. Ashley tore it open and started stuffing the things inside into her ears. At my helpless look, she took the other package from me and pulled off my cap, which got a surprised look from the man in green. Ashley started to examine my ears.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Just trying to figure out the best way to use these. They weren’t made with your ears in mind.” She started stuffing one of my ears. “Your ear canals are fucking ridiculous.” After a few minutes, she got me sorted and jammed my hat back on. I could still hear but the sounds were slightly muffled.

  “How do you know if it works?” I asked.

  “They are just supposed to reduce noise enough to be under the damage threshold.” She answered with a shrug. She got off of the carriage and walked towards the plane. She was stopped by a man in grey much the same color as the airplane. After an animated exchange, she showed him a badge and then yelled into his helmet over the noise from the airplane. Waving over to me, she walked up the steps into the airplane and I followed.

  This airplane had a large empty space in the middle with a very large carriage in it. The carriage was chained down, and there was a row of seats on the outside of the space against the walls facing in. Ashley sat down and then tied herself down with a belt that was built into all the chairs.

  “Use the seat belt whenever you can.” She said, “Airplane rides can get unexpectedly rough.” I followed her example.

  It was six and one half hours to a place called Hawaii. After a break to eat it was another five and one half to California, which was bigger than some of the countries back home. A third plane and another many hours and we were landing in North Carolina. Then we got into a smaller plane for less than an hour and we were at the ‘Camp Lejeune’ the man in green was talking about.

  I never knew sitting around all day could be so exhausting. I felt badly for the people who made the planes fly. I got to meet some of them along the way, but mostly they kept to themselves. When we got off the last plane shortly before dinner time, there was yet another man in green waiting.

  “Captain Ricardo Alverez” he introduced himself as. He spoke some more as we walked to another of the green carriages. “I was only told what they felt I needed to know, so can you talk me through why you think you are here?” he asked as we got in. Another man in green was making the carriage go, so I focused on the Captain.

  “The Man In Green in Guam told me that there would be protectors here, for if something was too much for Special Agent Ashley Robins.” I pointed to her. “I would live here and do studies and you would make sure no one who found out could take me anywhere.”

  “That would explain why they had us clear out two rooms in the barracks.” The Captain mused. “Corporals Myers and Evans were a little put out at having to empty their rooms on zero notice. You might want to make it up to them with a beer or three.”

  “So the Marine Corps has us in the barracks? Which unit?” Ashley asked.

  “Marsoc, 1st battalion, 2nd company.” The Captain answered. “The Raiders.”

  “Are they good?” I asked.

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  “Marine Corps special operations group, I think. Not really my neighborhood.” she replied.

  “Yes. It’s mostly Corporals and Sergeants in the barracks, but you know Marines. More than a little wild at times, but we will have your back.” We arrived at the barracks. As I got out of the carriage, the Captain noticed my tail for the first time.

  “What the hell?” he asked.

  “Kos-Api here is a catgirl from another planet. She is here to not get kidnapped while we study her magic with her. Might want to clue everyone in.” Ashley advised.

  “Cee-Que!” He called inside the building. Someone stuck their head out. “Call Staff duty, tell him I am on my way over. Knock doors, gather everyone in the building into the day room right now and wait for me to get back.”

  We talked over to another building and met another man in green.

  “How many men in green are there, anyway?”

  “Just the Marine Corps, or the entire armed forces?” Ashley returned with another question.

  “Now I am not sure I want to know.” I replied.

  “So the issue at hand is that our surprise VIP is a magic cat girl from another planet.” Captain Alverez interrupted.

  The other man gave him a look to melt leather.

  “Captain.” He growled.

  “Does this look like a prank to you?” The Captain said as he reached over and flipped my hood and hat off of my head. In return I grabbed his wrist and kicked his feet so hard he flipped in the air before landing on his back with my left foot claws at his throat. The other man started towards me but found himself looking down the sharp end of one of my knives.

  “I am not for rough… holding.” I said, the threat laid bare.

  “Whoah whoah, calm down.” Pleaded Ashley.

  “Yeah, I deserved that.” coughed the Captain. “I apologize.” The other man held his hands up where all could see them and stepped back. I made the knife disappear back into storage.

  “Kos-Api comes from a different place with different rules. She pulls magic knives on people. I am pretty sure her knives have gone into people before too, so it isn't an idle threat. Warn the others.” intoned Ashley.

  “Knife isn’t magic.” I whispered to Ashley as we walked back over to the first building. Now that I got a chance to look at it uninterrupted, I could see that it was pretty big. Four levels tall and very long. We walked inside and the Staff-Duty man stopped at the desk by the door.

  “Call Barracks 2 and tell them to round everyone up. I will be there in 10 minutes.”

  We tromped down a hall to one end of the building, where there were about fifty people waiting. The Captain motioned for us to stay in the hall as he and the other man walked in.

  “Ten-hut” someone called as we walked in, and everyone stood straight.

  “You all can stay at attention for this announcement, since I want the response to have some measure of military discipline and not be like a college frat house.” He started.

  “It seems that the brass, in their infinite wisdom, have saddled us with a surprise VIP, which those of you paying attention already knew. What they didn’t tell us is that this VIP is an alien straight out of Corporal Givens’s cartoons.” He pointed at one person in the back of the room.

  “She has ears in the wrong place and a tail. But when you see her in just a moment I want you all to keep a few things in mind. Before your inside voice becomes your outside voice, just assume she can hear you. Before the day is out someone is going to say some stupid shit because you think she can’t hear you, and she is going to fuck you up. And I am going to have to do paperwork. So BE RESPECTFUL, and KEEP YOUR HANDS TO YOURSELF. Have I made myself clear, Marines?”

  “Oorah!” came a loud and synchronized reply.

  “You two come in here.” he ordered.

  We walked in, and the tension in the room quadrupled.

  “Please introduce yourselves.”

  “Special Agent Robins of the Secret Service” Ashley declared.

  “Journymage Kos-Api of the Smoke Hare Tribe” I stated.

  “I am headed to Battalion 2.” Stated the Staff Duty man. “Remember what I said,and if she kills one of you the letter your commander writes to your next of kin isn’t going to be complimentary.” With that he left.

  “Everyone take a seat.” Ordered Captain Alverez. He rubbed his shoulder as he leaned against a table near us. “There are questions here. Put the stupid ones back in your pockets, let’s start with the smart ones.” After about three questions, Ashley started sagging. We had been up far too many hours for her.

  “Captain.” I interrupted the next question. “Arm someone and rest Agent Robins. She has been on… task, on… um. She has been working for…” I counted my fingers “Working for whole of day.”

  “Jenkins, Smith.” The Captain named two who left the room. They came back several minutes later with lots more equipment on and both the short not-bows like Ashley had and what I presumed to be longer and bigger not-bows.

  “Robins, you are relieved. Go get some sleep.” the Captain ordered. Someone led her out talking about a room key.

  “Are you also tired?’ Alverez asked me.

  “Body ah.. augmented? Not tired for many more hours.” I answered.

  “Well I don’t want to send you to the dining facility until a lot more people are briefed. Taylor, go get four to-go boxes.”

  “No bread please?” I asked.

  “Yes ma’am.” The man put his hand up and touched his head and then practically ran out of the room.

  “Any other dietary concerns?” the Captain asked.

  “Milk ok if very small. Grain blegh. No good.”

  “Ok, back to the Q and A.” People who hadn’t been there earlier had started showing up. They had obviously been briefed by the Staff-Duty man or someone because none of them looked surprised to see me.

  After answering yet more questions between bites of food the Captain said we were done and someone showed me to my room. It had a wash room that connected through to Ashley’s room. The bed was made very precisely with scratchy blankets. Was that a universal constant that crossed worlds? I brought some of my own bedding out of storage for the familiarity and slept well that night.