Full Moon Rising - 02 by Heath Stallcup Read Free Book Online Page B

smiled.
    Matt smelled the mix and pulled back with a grimace.  “Eww.  It smells like boiled assholes.”
    “Probably tastes like it, too, but it beats having your heart explode, so, up and att’em, big boy.  I could put a spoonful of molasses in it for you if you think it will improve the taste?”
    “Smells like it has plenty of mole asses in it.” He muttered as he swallowed it.  Almost instantly the hot liquid calmed his stomach and he could feel his body literally sucking the nutrients and phytochemicals out of the mixture.  For just a moment, he had a slight feeling of nausea, then it passed, and his head cleared.  “Wow, doc.  That’s some good stuff.”
    Evan sat back, surprised it worked as quickly as it did.  “You know, Colonel, as quickly as your body assimilated that, it stands to reason that you’ll burn through it quickly, too.”
    “Makes sense.  Feel up to making some to go?  Maybe I can keep some of that sewer water around and just take a hit now and then as I need it?”
    Evan looked at his watch.  The colonel had a point.  There were still many hours until sundown.  “I’ll get on it, sir.”
    “Thanks, doc.  I really appreciate it.”  Matt got up to leave Evan to his chore, then paused.  “Doc?  Do you think the boys upstairs are going to have the same problems I’m having?  I mean, as they get older and…you know.  The longer this thing is in them?”
    “I don’t think so, Colonel.  This all deals with your shifting and the progression of the wolf and its aggression and…well.  They don’t shift.  We’ve seen to that.  They shouldn’t have to deal with it at all.”
    Matt thought about Jack.  If he were to tell the squad about the gene therapy…if any of them decided to stop taking the bane.  If any of them, like Apollo and Sanchez ever had a kid?  Matt shook his head.  He’d cross that bridge when he came to it.  “Thanks again, doc.  Give me a heads up when you get that cooked up, would ya?”
    “Absolutely, sir.”
     
    *****
     
    Apollo and Jack stood over the table topside and went over the short files of the squads.  Apollo was hesitant about breaking them into three five-man squads.  They had trained as seven man teams for so long, but he knew, they were professionals and they’d adjust.  It’s just difficult to play with a shorter hand than you’re used to being dealt.
    “Look, buddy, I’m sure this won’t be forever.  Skipper feels that this full moon might be a little rough and he’d rather have a third team standing by is all.”
    “I feel ya.  I do.  I’m sure they’ll adjust.” He said.  He glanced back at the faces.  He hated to break them all up again just as they were getting used to being on the teams they were on.  “Okay, I think this will work out to the best advantage like this.” he said as he arranged the photos into three groups.
    Jack laughed.  “You do realize you just made one group of SEALs, another group of almost all Army and another group of mutts, right?”
    Apollo looked at the groupings.  Damned if Jack wasn’t right.  He hadn’t intended for it to come out that way, but it had.  He put a qualified sniper in each group and each group had an effective entry and sweep team that was experienced together.  It just happened to work out that way.
    “Well, it might look that way, but looky here.  I got a SEAL with me and my Army boys, so…”
    “So…what?  I can’t call you a bigot?” Jack laughed.  The large black man punched him, probably harder than he meant to, but Jack took it in stride.  “It’s okay brother.  You gave me an Army guy to even it out.  Wanna trade, so I’ll have an all SEAL team and you can have an all Army team?”
    Apollo actually thought about it a minute before he realized Jack was teasing him again.  “No, seriously, we might should, but not because he was a SEAL.  I was going by their ability, but I wasn’t thinking about their experience levels,