Quaranteam - North West

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QT:NW continues the official Spin-Off for the Quaranteam universe originally created by CorruptingPower. You do not need to have read the original series to enjoy this one, but you really do need to start with Chapters 1-4 (I really suggest you read the original though, it's great!). Fans of the original should be pleased to know CP has approved the story and the continuity.

In this chapter you can expect news about the State, flirty groping, MF, and an imprinting.

Returning Dramatis Personae

House Black

- Harrison 'Harri' Black - Sheriff of Black County, 'Jason Momoa-looking motherfucker' mountain man (mixed heritage), former Army MP

- Kara Swiftwater - Harrison's high school sweetheart, former community leader of the local Native band, Gerty's second cousin, Raven hair

- Gertrude 'Gerty' Swiftwater - Kara's second cousin, Tribal police on the Rez, Voluptuous Native, Raven hair

- Erica LaCosta - Fiancee of Harri, Italian Tattoo Artist, Leo's sister, Dark Brunette

- Macho - Rescued dachshund puppy, named for his big balls, mascot and beloved pet of House Black

- Tanaya Airington - Former rodeo barrel racer and native relay rider, petite and stoic native

- Vanessa Peters - Construction Forewoman, Daughter of Brent Peters the head of the construction project, Brunette

- Ivy Gauthier - Quebecoise stripper, half-tattooed, Dirty Blonde anal queen

- Kyla Bautista - Trained dancer, Filipino Spy, Harri's Deputy Sheriff, Raven hair

House LaCosta

- India - Girlfriend of Aria, Hippy Stripper/Sugar Baby, grew up in a commune, Brunette dreads and braids

- Captain Laura Bloomberg - Air Force JAG serving as Miriam's second, Blonde

Construction Crew

- Brent Peters - Vanessa's father, the Project Manager for the Valhalla Hills construction project, very overweight

US Military

- Lt Col Miriam Abarbanel - Military friend of Harri's, Air Force Lt Col, Jewish heritage, Commanding Officer for Valhalla Hills construction and the Oregon Quaranteam research project

Referenced Characters

- Valerie Black-Krouse - Harri's sister, lives in Northern California with her husband and daughter.

- Danielle 'Dani' - Australian stripper, Brunette

- Aria - Girlfriend of India, Stripper/Sugar Baby, Ginger, Member of House LaCosta

- Leo LaCosta - Harri's best friend and former roommate, Italian carpenter, Erica's brother

- Julia De Luca - Helicopter Pilot, former Air Force Pararescue Pilot. Friend and Client of Erica.

- Doreen - Brent Peter's First Partner

- Charlotte - Brent Peter's Second Partner

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"Is Laura up yet?"

That was the question that had been going on with everyone that morning, and I wasn't surprised that it was Miriam's first question for me as well.

"She's still out," I said. "Sorry."

Miriam sighed, a little frustrated, and looked past Kara and I and over to the three airmen who were working at the temporary terminals positioned in the temporary shelter that was her command post. Her office, and one for Laura, were in the RV but since that was their 'secure area' she couldn't put them all in there. The tent had evolved again since the last time I'd seen it, the roll-down walls having been replaced with ones that had windows so now onlythoseneeded to be raised and lowered based on the state of the sky threatening to rain instead of the whole wall. That also meant they were getting plenty of air without everything getting hit with gusts all at once.

We were deep into July now, so we really didn't getthatmuch rain, but it always sort of felt like a threat. That morning had been relatively clear though, the sky a deep blue and spotted with heavy, fluffy clouds instead of looking more like a cloud blanket the sky was trying to peek through.

"She must be going through a regen," Miriam grimaced, eyeing the folks under her command, then focusing back on me and Kara. "We'll have to wait until after she's up again before we can take care of business."

I glanced at Kara, who flushed just slightly and smirked. The 'business' was that Miriam was supposed to imprint on me that morning, and Laura's extended imprinting sleep was impacting Miriam's plans. When I'd kissed the Lieutenant Colonel that morning, dragging my ass out of bed to wish her and Vanessa a good day for their early mornings, Miriam had murmured two things to me - first, that she was going to murder me for being so reckless the day before, and second, that she was going to be getting her shot that morning and would be fucking my brains out by lunch.

I'd taken the second part a lot more seriously than the first.

"Understood," I said, knowing that her phrasing of it as 'business' was more of an 'in front of my soldiers' thing than any commentary on how she felt about me. "We actually needed to meet with you about a couple of other things. Do you have the time, or should we make an appointment?"

"Ah," Miriam said, clearing her throat. "I can make the time now, come on up." She backed into the RV and gestured me and Kara in. The interior looked like it had been stripped down to the studs and built back up from there. An office in the back with a glass window looked out over the rest of the long bus area, there was a cage lining one wall that looked like it was currently serving as the armoury with space for almost two dozen standard issue firearms plus other equipment, about half of them currently out in the hands of the various guards around the site. Another desk, piled high but neatly with stacks of paperwork, looked like it probably belonged to Captain Bloomberg. The only thing that was the same was that there was a small booth about where the washroom should be - even the Air Force still needed to shit somewhere.

Miriam led us back to her office, hesitating just a moment in the doorway as she scanned the various documents she had out on her desk or pinned to the walls before deciding nothing needed to be hidden. "Take a seat," she said as she circled her desk, gesturing to the two utilitarian chairs sitting in front of it. She sat down in her desk chair and let out a breath, stacking some documents and then setting them aside as she folded her hands and looked at us. "What can I do for the Sheriff, and a future teammate?"

It felt natural, and in my element, that I would charge into the conversation. Miriam and I understood each other, more than in just a 'both were in the military' sort of way. Kara was the opposite - of everyone who had fallen into my team so far, it was Kara and Miriam who had the most inherent opposition to each other based purely on the two different worlds they represented. They'd been trying, but I knew I needed to give them space tokeeptrying.

"I was hoping... for your help," Kara said, leaning forward slightly and resting her forearms on the edge of Miriam's desk. I knew she'd worked with Erica earlier to decide how she wanted to approach Miriam - her instinct had been to dress up, half-business and half-traditional. Flash her position as a Native representative. Erica had thought she should come dressed down; a sweater and jeans, hair up in a messy bun. Show that she was comfortable and non-threatening in a power move kind of way. They'd landed somewhere in between - my high school sweetheart was wearing a collared, short-sleeved polo with a brown, raw leather vest over top that said 'Native' without screaming it, and a pair of tight, low blue jeans and her boots. Her hair back in a high ponytail and some drop earrings with little feathers finished the look.

Miriam had the good grace not to look surprisedorsuperior, simply nodding once and glancing at me before focusing on the other woman. "Anything I can do, Kara, I'm happy to try and do," she said.

Kara nodded, then took in a breath through her nose and let it out. "First, I just want to thank you again for trying to help my people. The more I've found out about what was going on, and the position you were in, the more I understand that you... went well out of your way to do what you could. And even if it was because you were doing it for Harri and not for me or my people in particular, I still want to offer you our thanks.Mythanks." Kara stood and offered Miriam her hand.

Miriam did raise her eyebrows now at the formalness of Kara's tone, and she stood and cleared her throat before nodding and accepting the handshake. "I'm only sorry I couldn't do more," she said. "Youdeservedmore."

"I understand, and thank you," Kara said, and they shook firmly before both taking their seats again. "Iamhoping I can count on your help moving forward."

"Like I said, if it's in my power to help, I'll do what I can, Kara," Miriam said.

Kara nodded, taking another breath as she made sure she had her thoughts in order. I appreciated the fact that she was being careful, more so than she usually would. Checking herself to make sure she wasn't steamrolling. "After I woke up in the facility and Gerty told me what had been going on, I tried to get access to communication details for where the women rescued with me had been matched but I didn't have the proper security clearance. I was told they would see what they could do, but now I'm here and I have a feeling that request will... sit. Until someone makes it a priority. I'm hoping that's something you can do?"

Miriam nodded slowly, chewing on the inside of her lip in thought as her brow furrowed a little. "That's not something I can make happen myself from here, but itissomething that I can follow up on. Actually, it's something Laura would be best suited to working on, so I'll make it an official task to give her a little more oomph when she's cutting through the red tape."

"Thank you," Kara said. "I- Even just starting with who all isalive, between the group rescued with us and whoever was found during the National Guard search of the Rez, would be a big help. I'd also very much like to know where all the kids are. Many of them are orphans and we'll need to figure something out for them."

Miriam's concern darkened a little, nodding softly. "That... I can guess at," she said. "Though I would expect that the kids will still be in quarantineatthe facility right now - they'll likely be kept in quarantine for a couple of weeks and be watched over by a combo of the nursing staff, qualified team members of military personnel in the building, and be processed by a small team of case workers before-" she paused, taking a slow breath- "Before they're processed into the system."

"They don'tbelongin the system," Kara said in alarm, her voice raising slightly. "There are people willing to take them in. My people." She looked at me quickly. "Us, when we can." I nodded.

It hadn't been fleshed out fully - hell, it hadn't been fleshed out at all. It was one, single, bare wishbone of a plan. Erica and Kyla had already given their agreement in principle; we'd do what we could for kids who needed it. I had my half of the money from the land lease. It wasn't infinite, but it would be enough to keep our entire family comfortable for the rest of our lives if necessary. If we expanded the family more and more that would be less true, but we were adults - at some point we'd start up our careers again, or new ones, and money would be coming in.

"Look, Kara, I get it," Miriam said, her voice coming out thick as she planted her elbows on the desktop and sighed heavily. "I get that kids going into the system is never ideal, and especially right now. Youknowthe death stats now - that's what I've been contending with since I got the post in Portland. One in three women die even with medical intervention; one in ten menmaybesurvive with the same. What they probably didn't tell you yet is that kids below the kill zone are one of the worst vectors for Duo Halo out therebecausethey can carry it and spread it without getting any symptoms at all. And we can't vaccinate them. My heart breaks for what happened on the Rez, all of it, but..." She swallowed and looked away. "It's not even the worst case in the State for what's happened."

My gut clenched at that, thinking of Eugene. "What does that mean?" I asked.

Miriam took a couple of breaths before looking back at us. "Ghost towns," she said. "Entire populations are just dead or missing. Disappeared like they up and vanished. That's the creepiest, mostly because no one knows where they went. Usually smaller communities, so no one is even noticing except for the kind of folks who would report it. I've seen reports of a couple of church congregations taking themselves out Jonestown-style. There was one community down south near the California border that got wiped out by Cartel gunmen who had been working grow ops out in the hills. And then there's the kids. They're all over the place. The lucky ones are at the hospital when their parents are admitted and get into the system. The unlucky ones get picked up by other family or friends when the parents get sick, bringing Duo Halo with them. Two, three, four sets of guardians wiped out in a row. Entire adult generations of a family killed off in six weeks as the kids watch it happen over and over. The really unlucky ones that only eventually make it into the system? They survive alone, for days or weeks, until someone finds them. Hopefully it's someone..."

Her voice choked off and she looked away again.

There was a creak that groaned through the room and I realised it was my white-knuckled grip on the chair, bending the thin metal armrest. I let it go, flexing my fingers, and cleared my throat. "That's something we can circle back on," I said, my voice feeling gravelly. I'd known she was seeing things that I wasn't, hearing things that were over my head in perspective. I didn't realise she was keepingthatkind of world bottled up.

Miriam nodded, clearing her throat as well and blinking a few times before focusing on Kara again. "'The system' isn't what it was before. The Orphan situation was identified pretty early, and for once the Federal Government decided not to try and work out a One Size Fits All policy since they have more than enough on their hands. They kicked it down to the States to handle, and Oregon's using a hybrid approach of a few different methods. Proven, well-regarded foster parents and willing teachers have been taking in kids from their communities after quarantine protocols. They also tapped some community programs and a couple of the bigger summer camps way out of the cities to get staffed by College students with experience with summer camps. Older kids were getting sent out there while other answers were being developed. It wasn't in my direct purview so I was only getting looped in where needed while I was managing the vaccine - both the fostering and camp staff were prioritised as government operations and included in the testing phase, so we facilitated their matching and vaccinations. My best guess is that any orphans without contactable relatives aged eight or up from your people will get bussed out to one of the summer camps, and the younger ones will be fostered."

Kara was rubbing at her face, her eyes far away as she processed all of it.

"Is there any chance we can do something here?" I asked, my heart breaking for so many hurting kids. I'd neverbeenthe kind of guy who volunteered for community sports teams or anything; I really hadn't been around a kid at all for the past fifteen years other than my niece during visits. It wasn't because I had anything against kids, they just hadn't really been part of my life. Especially since my sister and her family had moved down to... "Actually, that, but also- that thing about the Cartel near the California border. Is that happening a lot?"

Miriam shrugged softly and shook her head. "Hard to say," she said. "That's more of an FBI situation, or maybe CIA. You could ask yourfriend, he would probably be able to tell you more." She was still a little salty over Greerson and his meddling, even if she'd agreed we could probably trust him. "I only ever got tagged on the one report about that situation, but I know the Cartels have a pretty dangerous network in northern California. When I was in Intelligence it was one of the boogeyman projects that people would talk about but no one wanted to try and take on - where were they flying into and out of, and how could they be tracked? They've got their own airfields out there at this point, might as well be Amazon with how much product they were shipping around before the world came to a stop."

"And now they are either dead, or there are bubbles of them surviving and less and less law enforcement to deal with them," I said heavily.

She gave me a look and nodded.

"OK," Kara grunted. "'The system sounds like it's... something. Not horrible. But I can't let our kids, our future, just... disappear. They're the future of our culture, and our history. And the Federal Government-" she paused and bit back whatever she was going to say.

"I understand," Miriam said. "At leastacademically, I understand, Kara. But the Air Force isn't managing those programs, so the best I can do for you is getting you contacts for the people who are, and being available if you feel like you need backup."

"That's a place to start," Kara said, swallowing hard and nodding. "Which is more than I had fifteen minutes ago."

"We'll work on it," I agreed, reaching over and taking Kara's hand from where it had been tapping her thumb against the edge of the desk in agitation. She looked down at our fingers and gave me a squeeze, then met my eyes and squeezed again as she silently told me she appreciated how big an ask she was making with everything.

If not us, then who?

It was becoming our family motto.

"I'll get Laura on the survivor list once she's here, and I'll gather the names and contact info for the Orphan Project here in the state," Miriam said. "Was there anything else you needed me for?"

"That's all for me right now," Kara said quietly, keeping her eyes locked with mine a moment longer before looking at Miriam. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Miriam said.

"I've got- Well, I've got a few things," I said. "Though they might be Laura questions and not You questions."

"Well, ask, and I can always pass them down to her," Miriam said. "Sheriff."

Kara snorted softly at the way Miriam said it, and the two women glanced at each other and smirked a little.

"What was that?" I asked.

"Nothing," they both said. In unison.

Very suspicious.

"Right," I said, narrowing my eyes and glancing between them, but they just looked at me innocently. "Well, the first thing that's probably more Laura is if I can get the contact details for whoever I need to talk to for current Law Enforcement coverage in the area. I haven't been able to reach anyone at the number the Staties were contacting me through a month ago, and I have no idea where I would start calling for the Feds. I'd like to know who is out there, and how their jurisdictions are doing."

"Laura should be able to get that for you quickly once she's at her desk, expect an email with them," Miriam said. "Though I can't promise you'll get anything back from the Feds. I could barely get anything out of them when I had a big military dick to swing around."

"Noted, I'll start with the local PDs," I nodded. "Next thing is- actually, did you hear about what we grabbed out of the Rez police armoury?"

She hadn't, and while Kara grimaced at what she considered wasted Tribe funds, I gave Miriam the quick rundown of how I'd more than quadrupled my current stash of weapons.