16 The safe return.

"Ok ladies and gentleman, form here we go to 1SAI base, there we will refuel, reload, and restock. We can also get a satellite phone for you to use Quintin" Koos said returning

"What about me?" Naledi asked.

"I think you can hide in the Ratel wile we sort things out"

"So does this mean youre going to help us?" Quintin asked.

"I'll ask my seperiors, don't think they'll have a problem" Koos said looking at Frits, Frits nodded and looked at Piet, who also nodded. What they are planning might be a crime against the state, even AWOL, but if they don't, no one will.

The Ratel shook as it started then drove off, Frits rechecks the satellite computer "Keep heading south Piet"

"Copy"

Koos climbed out the hatch, they were about to cross a stream when he slapped the roof "Wait, stop here"

Piet brought the Ratel to a stop, Koos climbed down and looked at Frits, still red of blood, the inside of the Ratel also "I guess we should wash this thing hey?"

"Fucking please!" Quintin yelled making them laugh.

"Lilly liver" Naledi said.

"Hey! at least its not my blood this thing is covered in!"

For atleast an hour the group set out to wash the Ratel, Piet parked it in the stream and they all took cloths washing it. Frits got out of the bloody uniform and after cleaning himself dressed in his backup.

Soon they were in their way back to the camp, approaching it Naledi looked through a peekhole, the entire camp brown as the ground it stood on, dust covered each tent and vehicle signifying the long years it stood there "So this is a SANDF camp?"

"Home sweet home" Frits said smiling.

"What do you mean? you do have a house in your contry right?"

"Nope" Frits looked at Koos "You Koos?"

"Never thought of that, but no, both me and Frits were here since the begining, twenty years now, you Piet?"

"Twenty years aswell, but my dad has a farm in the Karoo, you guys can crash there after the shit is over" Piet said.

"You guys cant be serious!?" Naledi asked "You havent been to your country in twenty years!?"

"Nope, we wanted to see this through to the end, just didn't think it would drag on this long" Koos said and slapped the Ratel again.

"Ok Frits, ratpacks and tech, ill reload the weapons then go talk to the SM, Piet, you refeul the Ratel"

"Copy"

"Copy"

The three men jumped out, leaving Quintin alone with Naledi.

"Twenty years..." Quintin gasped.

"That's a very long time" Naledi answered.

"You think they can be normal if they go back to society?"

"I doubt"

"How long has your war been going on?"

Naledi sighed and sat back "About six years now"

"So we all had our stuggle hey?" He said and she nodded.

It wasn't a long wait when Koos jumped in with an ammo crate, he set off to reload the twenty millimeter cannon, then disposed of the hundreds of discharged shells lying around his position in the Ratel, as he jumped out Frits jumped in and placed another crate in the back, then handed Quintin a sattelite phone "Here frikkie, you can call your doctor solong, remember ro tell him everything" Quintin nodded and took it.

As he dug out the piece of paper containing Ezbar's number, they heard Koos climb up the back and restock the belt ammunition of the fifty calibre.

"Ezbar hello?"

"Doctor its Quintin"

"Quintin!! holy shit boy you're still alive!"

"Give me that phone!" Quintin heard someone yell in the background, there was a struggle then Naomi came on "Quintin!!"

"Naomi, its good ro hear your voice"

"I can't beleive you're ok, i was worried sick!" She yelled, he could hear she was crying. Quintin's heart sank, what was he supposed to do? listen to her, she was really crying. Naledi came and held her ear close to the phone, she heard the sobs.

"How are you doing?" He asked, she struggled to swallow her tears.

"Im doing fine, i wanted to tell you something"

"Yes?"

"I ranked up, Im an Amarok now, you should see the things i can do"

Quintin looked at Naledi, her eyes wide, she stood back shocked.

"I'd like to see that, if you don't mind?"

"Of course not silly, I'll show you everything"

"Thats great, let me talk to Ezbar quickly"

"Ok... i... i love you"

"Love you too"

Before Ezbar could answer he pressed the mute button on the phone "What do i say Naledi? do i have the blood or not?"

"Tell him you have it!" She quickly said.

he unmuted the phone "Hello?"

"Oh, thought I lost you there son?"

"I have the blood doctor, I'll be heading back soon"

"Brilliant! how will you be coming?"

"I made some new friends, they said they'll give me a lift, but firstly doc i need to speak to you where no one can hear you talk?"

"Thats fine, the whole group of girls rushed out here to go celebrate your safety, im alone now"

"Good"

Quintin proceeded to tell Ezbar everything Naledi has told him.

"I want to know if you will help me still become the new wolf, so i can try and stop Cleopatra, and please, for no reason must you tell Naomi"

Quintin could hear Ezbar get up and start scuffling with papers and computers.

"I knew something was off son, i just knew it, im in, but i need to get out from under the noses of these wolves, I'll be heading to my other labs i was secretly buliding for in case something like this happened, I'll text the coordinates to this number you're phoning from now, see you soon son"

"Good luck docktor, be careful"

The phone beeped and Quintin looked at Naledi's worried face.

"I take it this is bad"

"Shes an amarok now?"

"Yes, thats my fault, i socialized with her alot in that week, and we even slept with eachother, Cleopatra said that was practically the last step she needed to rank up"

Naledi looked at him "Well, that means there is good news and bad news"

"Fuck, bad news first please"

"It means Naomi wil lead the pack on the next full moon, no amaroks are allowed but she's newly ranked so she's allowed"

"But does that mean she's still weak?"

"Yes and no, weak against a well aged dire, strong in terms of the fact that she can now use the sand shadow element, its damn bastardly to fight against it, and a shitty way to die"

Quintin swallowed hard "Sand... shadow?"

"Its a mix of the earth element, and the shadow element, the Anubis call it black sand"

"This is fucked up! if i go as that new wolf! i wasn't expecting to go up against an amarok so soon!?"

"And thats where the good news come in" She sighed "Hopefully"

"Ok?"

"The only way she could have ranked up after being with you, is if she truly does love you, you can't fake loving someone, or nothing will happen"

Quintin felt his heart warm up "So theres a chance i can get her on our side?"

"Im not sure Quintin, through the years the Anubis clan were very skillful at fooling people, to such an extent that they can even succeed at doing what Naomi did, and then aftarwards wipe you off their list like its nothing"

The three soldiers jumped back into the Ratel just as the text message came onto the phone, Quintin gave the coordinates to Frits and they drove off. Quintin hoped the part of Naomi not fooling him was true, he really loved that woman.

***

It took them two days to reach Ezbar's labs, the Ratel had a long range tank, but driving across the whole of Namibia was a stretch for it, they had to fill it up with the reserve feul, then stop at a gas station that was slightly off radar before they approached the location. Quintin got the satellite phone out again and rang Ezbar up.

"Were approaching the coordinates doc"

"Good, im ready for you"

"Were's Cleopatra and the other girls?"

"They left about a day ago, they didn't tell me were they went, i used that opportunity to come to my new labs"

"Ok, i understand"

"I see you on the cameras, find a bush to hide the Ratel, then come to that Thick bush infront of you now" Ezbar said. Quintin stood up and looked out Piet's window "There, that bush is the entrance, park it somewere"

"Shap" Piet said veering out of its way.

They approached the bush and found the hatch door underneath it, that led to an underground stairwell that went down about one story untill they reached a steel door, Quintin wanted to knock but Ezbar opened it.

"You made it son" He said shaking Quintin's hand, then scanned the group, his eyes fell on Naledi's face, making him blink.

"What!?" She asked loudly.

"Uh nothing! please followe me!"

As they walked in, Ezbar cleared his throat "Im doctor Ezbar everyone, mind introducing yourselves?"

"Im Koos, this is Piet and Frits, the lady is Naledi"

Ezbar stopped in his lab "To what do i owe the honor of standing in front of aah... A General, a Captain, and a Lieutenant?" he asked recognising their insignia.

"They were the ones who helped me out doc, if it wasn't for them, I'd be dead now" Quintin said.

"Yes, and i was the one who almost killed him" Naledi said, making Ezbar frown.

"Uuh, you sure do know how to make friends son, mind explaining to me how your potential killer, and saviours are standing with you in the same room?"

Quintin smiled "Ezbar, this is Naledi Diphiri, the leader of her clan"

"What!?"

"I used to be, until i had a run in with these men"

"Used to be?"

"They killed my entire clan, and as you can see, almost killed me" Naledi said pointing at her face.

"They did that to you!?" He yelled looking at the men, who just smirked.

"And you're friends now?"

"A mutual agreement" Koos said.

"But... but... how?"

"I got shot point blank with a Ratel's twenty cannon, it hurt like fuck!" Naledi said.

"And your clan!?"

"The first three quaters of my clan were shot up with artillery, the last few got killed by them using the Ratel standing outside"

Ezbars face went from confused to stunned.

"Its! its not possible! Ratels are agile yes, but to be able to achieve such a feat! thats unheard of!"

"Well you heard it from the horses mouth doc" Koos said "We were running our asses off, nearly shit in our pants a few times, but managed to survive her unsought"

Ezbar looked at Naledi "And how can you even be in their company after that?"

"They saved me from dying, and now they owe me"

"Owe you?" Koos asked.

"Yes! i told you you idiot!"

"Yes... i remember, but we haven't agreed apon anything just yet"

"Pff" Naledi sissed.

"This is fascinating, it seems that its true what they say, if you give a weapon to the right person, you really can acheive amazing things" Ezbar said.

"On the topic of weapons doc, you say you designed them right?" Koos asked.

"Yes, yes i do, so you can understand how proud i am to know you three used it so well"

"Thanks doc, so tell me, you have the blueprints for all the weapons you desighn right?"

"Yes of course, the companies who do the actuall manufacturing of the weapons only has copies, but i have the originals safely with me"

Koos smiled "Thats good... Piet! Frits!" Koos yelled and the three men lifted their weapons.