The Calling

Disclaimer: Only the talented SM owns Twilight.

Book 1: Legionnaire Prologue: Bosnia

I gave the hand signal and the Team spread out through the forest. We were still two clicks south of our Target Zone but there was still an hour until moonrise. It wasn't long before we were hidden just inside the tree line that bordered a small clearing. All that was left to do was sit back and wait for our quarry to come to us. This whole mission was supposed to be a milk run, but something told me otherwise.

Gregory Dietrich, the German, was positioned on the extreme right flank. The Cherry had just completed his training but hadn't earned his Eagle, his place in the Legion, yet. Aro had been pissed at me for going "off grid" after the last mission, so he saddled me with Dietrich as punishment. He was one of the new wave of recruits that had been born and raised as true believers; the ones for whom the supernatural world was still just theory. The poor bastard was as nervous as a virgin on Prom night.

I was about to give the silent command for Zilla to switch out with the Cherry so I could keep a better eye on him, when a flash of fur streaked across the clearing. Dietrich broke cover then took off after it. I closed my eyes and concentrated for a second; as soon as they were open again I bolted after the moron.

"Plan B," I hissed to the others as I moved faster than a human was ever meant to.

Seconds later I was coming up behind him. The idiot was so engrossed in searching for the thing in front of him that he failed to notice the two seven foot plus tall, fur covered, bipeds with sharp claws and wolf heads charging at him from the sides. My weapon was up and the noise suppressor whirred as I fired two three-round bursts. The beasts fell to the ground dead when the silver rounds shredded their chests.

Dietrich froze like a deer caught in the headlights of a car when he heard the two loud thumps hit the ground close to him. I jerked him behind me by his collar then ordered him to get back to the others in the clearing. His eyes bugged wide as another creature rushed out at us. I spun and put a three round burst into its heart. Unfortunately, it had already started an attack so I took a four-claw strike to the front of my right hip.

I heard the Cherry double-time it back the way we'd come while I waited for a count of twenty to follow. At first I moved backward while my eyes scanned the trees for possible threats. With a last glance at the three dead werewolves on the ground, true Children of the Moon and not wannabe shapeshifters, I turned and ran back to the others. It was the disciplined training I'd undergone that allowed me to ignore the pain from my wounds as I ran.

When I reached the clearing, I watched as the triangular formation held by the three men in the middle of it morph fluidly into a diamond formation as Dietrich arrived. I flashed into the center of the diamond then closed my eyes and conducted the symphony of violence that followed. The action was finished in less than five minutes. Q tended my wounds while Zilla, Bull and the Cherry disposed of the bodies of seven werewolves.

The Saber Combat Helicopter was still fifteen minutes out for our extraction so I dug out the mini notebook and typed up my After Action Report. Then I logged onto the secured server and e-mailed it to Caius. I stowed the computer just as the chopper landed. There was a sharp pain in my chest that felt like it had been carved open with a red hot knife, I screamed in torment then fell to the ground. Bull ran to my side and picked me up then carried me onto the transport.

Somebody placed a headset over my ears and a few seconds later, I heard Aro come over the com.

"Captain, I am afraid I have some bad news for you," he began.

"I already know," I interrupted and the com went dead.

*72 Hours Later: Forks, Washington*

The church was packed as the entire town, along with the residents of La Push came out to pay their last respects to Charlie Swan. Just about everyone gasped as I came in through the door and swaggered down the center aisle to take my reserved spot in the front pew. The long sleeves of my dress uniform hid most of my collection of scars. The only one that was visible was the one that went from my left temple, curved slightly around my cheekbone and ended at my jaw.

I turned to glare at the three fuckers responsible for it and had the satisfaction of watching Sam Uley flinch. The service went off without incident and an hour later, I found myself back at my former home. I spent the rest of the evening boxing stuff up. Sgt. Marks of the FPD had instructions to pick up the boxes in the morning and see they made it to wherever the labels said. I only kept a small box of mementoes for myself.

Jacob and Billy Black showed up and tried to speak with me as I walked to the rental for the drive up to Seattle. I was all set to ignore them when Jake made the mistake of grabbing my arm as I walked past.

"What the Hell is your problem, Bella. You disappear then show up years later for your father's funeral. When my dad and I come by to offer our condolences and see if you need anything, you act like bitch and ignore us," Jake demanded.

"Ask your dad how I got this scar on my face. Ask him what he ordered Sam, Jared and Paul to do to me, then maybe you'll understand why you and your kind are nothing but filth to me," I whisper as I yank myself from his grasp and get into the car.