The explosion rumbled through the complex. The humanist faction had broken through the perimeter. Damn, that meant that the sentries were probably dead. Almost everyone had been evacuated. All that was left to do is to set the charges. If they were to take the complex, it would be their tomb.

The only way the humanists could have found them is by satellite maps. They were getting better in bypassing military security. The only thing that was to be thankful for was that this was the humanist's last major stronghold. If they could stop them here the war would be effectively over. These thoughts passed through Tom's mind even before the sound of the explosion faded.

Sloan came running up with her Glock in her hand, which meant she'd been under fire again. "Sloan, I thought you had left with the last wave."

"No, our runner got clipped. Ed treated him and sent him out. I finished setting the third layer of charges. They broke through on the left flank, but set off the first layer of perimeter charges. They lost at least half their troops. It'll take them a little while to regroup." As she reports she drops out the spent clip and reloads. She chambers a round and replaces the weapon in its holster on her thigh. She looks up at him, watching her weapon. "Don't worry, Tom. I was only providing cover fire to get the sentries out. Without them we would have lost a lot more."

He accepted her analysis of the situation. He knew, by now, that she could assess something as well as he could. She is as beautiful as she ever was. All she had ever wanted to be was a scientist and now she was a soldier, his second in command. Everyone accepted that, humans and Dominants alike. He put his hand to her left cheek and ran his thumb across the scar that was there. That had started it all. It had made him the most feared man on either side of the conflict, but it had kept his family safe.

**********

He remembered it like it was yesterday. A violent contingent of the humanist faction had taken Sloan and the boys, ages 2 and 4 at the time. They met in so called neutral territory. What they didn't know was that he knew where they were. He could find Sloan anywhere. He had used the time to set up his own cadre of people. Those he knew would do anything for him. Ed was backup in case there were any injuries, but he went in with JC, Lewis, Amarana and Walter. The humanists never had a chance. They thought he was alone when he walked up, his Glock in his hand, hands over his head. They told him to put his weapon down and as he did the man who was holding Sloan drew a knife across her cheek and said something to the effect of a party later.

He knew what would happen. Sloan always protected him. She let her knees fold and dropped. She stayed down as he emptied his weapon. 13 shots, 13 dead. By this time he was on the ground hearing the automatic rifle fire from behind him. JC was causing devastation. Lewis and Amerana went in and got the boys. She took a round from the one who was to execute them. He gave the man to her as a gift. He never knew what she had done with him. He didn't want to know. They went through the humanist faction like a scourge. No one was left alive, man or woman. He felt fortunate that there were no children. They would have died, too. No one ever came after his family again.

**********

He nodded. "Get Ed and the boys out of here. You go, too. JC and I will be coming soon." She gave him a quick kiss and ran off to find Ed. He was prepping to leave, his medical pack ready as always.

"Ed, are you ready? Do you have enough ammo? Do you need anything?"

"Nothing but more sleep. In the past years I think I'm about 5 years behind. I have plenty of ammunition, as I have never run out. I seldom use my gun anyway. Don't worry, I'll be OK." He slips the pack on his back and is ready to go. He checked the Sig-Saur P220 at his hip and made sure it was ready to use. He hated guns and he hated violence, and here he was a doctor for a band of Dominant patriots. In the past years he had seen more blood and death than any man should see in his lifetime, and it wasn't over yet. His only compensation was that he was the best. He could walk through a triage situation and know who to treat and who to merely provide comfort for. He'd learned to shoot when he realized that he was taking someone from the front lines to watch his back.

He waited at the rear of the encampment for the others; he wouldn't leave without at least the boys. He knew that Tom and JC would be the last out, they always were.

Tom saw his sons run up to him. Nineteen and seventeen, far too young to be hardened soldiers but they were. "Sir, all the charges are set." Justin was the eldest and always was precise. "When triggered they will blow in series rather than all at once."

"Pop, they're gathering to regroup. They're going to hit us again. Are we ready to leave?" Tom was always irreverent, mostly to get his brothers goat.

He looked at the two boys so young and yet so old. They wore their pistols low on their thigh as he did. Both the weapons and holsters were worn from years of use. Justin carried a M16; JC had taught him to use it. The younger boy was not good enough to carry one into battle yet.

"Boys, go out with Ed and your mother. JC and I will be out soon. Where is he?"

Then he heard the staccato sound of a machine gun shooting 3-round bursts. It was JC. He had something in his hand. "I'm gonna set this up as a dead mans switch, Tom. You get out of here. Take my gun. I was in their camp a few weeks ago. They'll assume that I'm a prisoner left behind."

"JC, be careful. What would I do without my right hand?" He can tell he has some plan but he won't tell what. By now he can read JC almost as well as Sloan. In the intervening years he has had good reason to. He hesitates and kisses him before he turns to leave. He didn't have to look to see JC's grin. His relationship with JC was not the same as his relationship with Sloan, but now he understood why the Spartans were the terror of the ancient world.

He gets Ed, Sloan, and the boys out the back and up to the hills. The cover is heavy enough that they can get out and literally head for the hills behind the compound. They waited in a deep shadow of the trees to see if the compound would blow. And see if JC made it out alive. The first thing Ed does is drop his pack and use it as a pillow. He is asleep within minutes. No one knew if he really needed the sleep he got this way or he was avoiding what his life had become. Eventually they see a movement in the undergrowth. Tom digs out his binoculars to see if it is JC. He sees JC drop to take a shot. Before he hears the echo of the shot JC is on the ground. Is he hurt? Is he injured? He's too far away to feel him empathetically.

They see the effect before they hear it. The billows of smoke as the charges go off in series. He was going to have to ask JC how he delayed a dead man's switch.

**********

JC wired up the switch and held it in his hand. By now he thought of the humanists as monsters with human faces. He had no compunctions about letting someone he had pretended to be friends with die.

"Hey, Jimmy, give me a hand." He had met Jimmy a couple of months ago at one of the meetings they had infiltrated. "They left me behind. I guess they didn't need to take a prisoner along. I wonder why they didn't kill me?"

As Jimmy reached down to help him up, JC slapped the switch in his hand and closed his fingers around it. He gave Jimmy a feral grin. "Present for ya, Jimmy. Dead man's switch and you’re the dead man. Gotta go now." He reached under some debris and retrieved his M16. He lit out before Jimmy had time to react to the switch in his hand.

He had helped set up the camp so he knew how to get out of sight quickly. He set out for a spot he found a couple of weeks ago. It would give him the height he needed to take his shot. He came to the little hillock and used it for his vantage point. He dropped and aimed carefully. He took his shot. A red flower bloomed on Jimmy's chest. JC saw him melt into the ground. He flattened himself on the ground hoping he was far enough away from the blast. When the rumbles stopped and the earth was quiet he headed up the hill. He didn't think the survivors would be looking for him.

It didn't take long for him to reach the rest of the team. The sun was getting low when the choppers started coming in. They didn’t set down at the destroyed camp but headed out for the humanist stronghold. Amerana must have gotten the message out. "They're in for a surprise" said JC, "The Black Berets have a new commander, Tom. He was there at the clean up when they got you out. He will not be pleased."

As darkness fell they started to head out when Tom motioned for silence. He closed his eyes and stretched himself. He allowed himself a smile. He hugged Sloan and said, "She's coming. Boys, she made it out. And tell her to put out that cigar. It's too easy to track."

"Tom, you are as much of a spoil sport as ever. Things are looking up. You know your boys are getting better looking every day."

"Leave the boys alone, they're not grown up enough yet. Tell me what you did. Please."

"I used their satellite link to upload all of the information they had about their activities. They were very proud of their work. They even had all the plans and results of the 5-second urban renewal of LA."

"They never should have nuked LA. We lost too many men there. I still miss Walter and Lewis. That brought the Military into this mess." Tom said in a bitter voice.

"I sent all their plans to everyone I could think of including the Pentagon and UN. Their support is going to evaporate. We can come out of hiding."

"Everyone but me. I still have a shoot-on-sight order on me. I don't want to put anyone else in danger."

"Not quite. You see, I arranged to have that lifted." Amerana said with a lilt in her voice.

He grabbed her and looked in her eyes. "Amerana, how long has that order been lifted?"

"Three years, Tom. It made you more cautious. Soon the arrest order will be lifted, also."

He threw her over his knee and spanked her as she squealed with delight. He quickly stopped because he knew what it could lead to. "I wish you had told me before. Some things could have been easier."

The noise she made had wakened Ed. He could see from the way they were gathered it was time to go. He made ready again.

JC looked at the people around and started to laugh. "What's the matter, handsome?" Amerana asked.

"When they came up with the idea of the Magnificent Seven, I don't think they meant us."

Sloan snickered at the reference. She looked into her lifemates face knowing she would find only puzzlement there.

Ed came up and put his arm about his shoulder and said, "That was a movie that came out about half a century ago. It's about a group of seven rag tag adventurers and outlaws who go down to Mexico and save a village from a band of outlaws. The only problem with it is in the movie most of them died. We have all survived. Pretty good if I say so myself. Let's go home."

With that the rag tag group of adventurers melted into the forest and headed for home.