I could run longer than I had time for, as it turns out. After about seven miles someone mentioned breakfast, and I remembered that I wanted to eat too. Most of the bets had resolved by the time I let the machine slide me off the back end of it, so there wasn’t too much groaning.

  I dressed for the day with a long knit coat to hide my tail in, and a knit hat we had found that matched it. I stuck with the boots from my Auxiliary uniform, since they were one of the few closed toe shoes I had that were built for my feet.

  After breakfast, the Marines took us back over to the Air Force base so Ashley could get a vehicle that her bosses had sent for her. The Marines said they were using it as a “training exercise”, and we climbed up into one of three very big “M-ATV” carriages for the trip.

  “Please stop calling it a carriage, ma’am.” asked one of the Marines, looking offended. “It is an armored vehicle, or just a truck if you want to be brief.” When we arrived, the Marine’s convoy moved directly out to the place where the airplanes parked. There was one that had the back end opened up and the people who made the airplane go were moving a smaller vehicle down the incline that the back part of the airplane made that sloped to the ground.

  The new vehicle was shiny, unlike the Marine’s conveyance; and completely full of bags and boxes that had been netted down inside of it. We removed all the netting and gave it back to the man who had driven the vehicle off of the airplane.

  “What do you call this one?” I asked.

  “While this is also an armored vehicle, the armor was added after it was made. You should properly call this a Suburban.” Ashley answered. I opened the door and climbed inside.

  “This is a lot more comfortable than the big one we came here in.” I noted.

  “Yes, military vehicles are built primarily for function. Civilian vehicles like this one balance function and comfort. This specific Suburban had its functionality increased afterwards. This vehicle is resistant to bullets, but as a trade off for example, you can no longer roll the windows down.”

  “That reminds me, you need to show me how these not-bows you all carry work.” I remembered.

  “We can do that once we get back to the barracks and get the car unpacked.” Ashley hopped up into the operator’s position and activated the Suburban’s… power core? I didn’t know the word for that. I waved to the Marines as we moved back the way we came and they took up a position around us with their larger vehicles. When we got back to the barracks, she took the vehicle directly to the doors of the building and we started moving boxes and bags upstairs.

  “What are all of these things? I asked.

  “Additional weapons, armor, some equipment. Another Agent I know raided my apartment for me and sent more clothes and supplies along. You know, essentials.” she noted and she checked items on a list of boxes she should have. After she finished, she sent one of the Marines to move the Suburban for her and she opened one box and pulled out a thick vest.

  “We need to fit this to you. You wear it underneath your outer clothes, but you should wear an inner layer of thinner clothes underneath so it doesn’t become too uncomfortable.” she told me.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “Armor. It should stop penetration from anything up to a 7.62 round from moderate range.”

  “I have armor already.” I told her. In response, she poked me hard.

  “You aren’t wearing it.”

  “I can put it on directly when I need it.” I huffed.

  “Can you see ah, arrows coming if you don’t know there is an archer.”

  “A valid point.” I conceded and let her fit the armor to me. Then we got back into the Suburban downstairs and drove to get some food on the way to a place Ashley called a “Firing range”. When we arrived, she handed me a bag she had left in the back of the vehicle and went inside.

  Once inside, she paid a man and took me to the latrine so I could take my hat off and put in ear protection. Then we went into the room where several people were using their not-bows on paper targets across the room. It was very loud, even with the plugs in my ears. She gave me eye glasses to wear in the room, which was hard as they were made for human heads and my ears were positioned differently.

  Ashley pulled her not-bow from under her coat and showed it to me.

  “This is a firearm, colloquially known as a gun. More specifically it is a pistol, also called a side-arm.” She indicated the place she kept it stored at her side. Yeah, that made sense.

  “This pistol was made by a company named Glock, and it is marketed as the model 26. It is named thus if you need even more specificity. I use this model instead of the one more common in my organisation because I am not as physically large as some others and this is more comfortable to wear at my side.” I nodded.

  Then Ashley gave me an explanation of how the pistol was constructed and how it worked. A simple brute-force solution to a lack of magic. Then she explained to me the rules of the firing range. After all of that was done, we loaded several magazines from the bag she had me carry in. Finally she shot it at the paper targets like the others in the room were doing.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  She was pretty good with it. I could see why she thought she could protect me. Her weapon would not be particularly effective back home, but here it seemed adequate for the task.

  “You can’t possess a firearm right now, but once we get the paperwork processed for your immigration status we can get you into a gun safety class and then get you some practical experience with a firearm.”

  We headed back to the vehicle.

  “So what would you like to do now?” Ashley inquired.

  “Back in my world, I am a ah… field… doctor. I would like to continue to do that here.”

  “With the Marines?”

  “That does seem easier to make happen, if the Marines are to be around me anyway.”

  “You should ask about that in your meeting on Monday. What would you like to do today?”

  “Can we see the forest that the Elder Marine said was best?”

  “Much of the wooded area around here is training grounds that we would need permission to enter, so not yet.”

  “Practice with bow?” I asked, frustratedly.

  “Let me look up where we can do that.” Ashley pulled out her telephone and started tapping at it.

  “Oh, show me how you do that!”

  She explained the search engine to me, and guided me in looking up an archery location. There was one on the base, so we went there. Someone who was there before us had a bow with wheels on it.

  “I must research that!”. I enthused.

  “You could just ask about it.”

  “At home, Murenyan not well regarded by humans.” I said, indicating myself. “Long story, stupid people.”

  “Just bear in mind that no one here has seen a creature that was so close to human, yet not, and you should be fine.”

  I ensured that my hat was on correctly and my tail was tucked up into the folds of my coat. Then I walked up behind the person with the odd bow and waited for him to finish.

  “Hello. I am named Kos-Api. English is new language to me.”

  “Robert. A pleasure.” he shook my hand.

  “Can you tell me about bow? I use hard-pull back-bend. Made it myself.” I showed him my bow.

  “This is nice. I don’t recognize the wood though, what is that?” He inquired while examining it.

  “Rare tree from home.”

  “You shoot this?” He asked, testing the draw.

  “Much practice.”

  “You would have to. This is a beast.”

  He explained his bow to me and after we shot a few of his arrows from both bows he said his fare-wells and went home.

  “Are you going to shoot any more?” Ashley asked.

  “No, saw from Robert I don’t have proper arrows for target right now.” I put my bow away into storage and we headed back to the vehicle.

  When we got back to the barracks I saw Givens outside in a loose colorful outfit moving his arms and legs slowly. I watched carefully. He moved very well and I knew from experience that what he was doing was not easy for someone who was not augmented like I was. He placed his body well for balance.

  “Tai Chi, Givens? I would have expected something Japanese from the anime interests.” Ashley called to him.

  “Which scandalizes my mother enough as it is.” he replied without stopping. “If I didn’t learn Kung Fu as a child she would have turned her face to the wall and died of despair.”

  “What is Kung Fu?”

  “When you blend combat skills, lifestyle choices to promote healthy living, and philosophy tailored to achieve a healthy mind we call that a martial art.” he explained. “Do you have them at home?”

  “Not formal like it seem you have. Have lots of combat people claim know this or that or how mana or aether beast do skills and teach. Any good? Eh. I learn enough not die it seem. What you do now I learn close thing from dance teacher.” I shrugged.

  “I am not sure how I feel about Tai Chi being called dance.” grumped Givens.

  “No, exercise to keep fit and flexible so dance better.”

  “Can you show me what it looks like?” Givens asked. He had good focus. He hadn’t stopped moving in the slow patterns. It was like he was swimming in the air.

  “Murenyan not do where humans see. Here probably fine but not form bad habits.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Humans want, humans take. Bad happening for woman. Bad end for murenyan.”

  “Wait, what?” Givens actually stopped.

  “At home, human and murenyan not… allowed.” I explained. “In human head, murenyan not people like human is people. When bad thing happen, human hide bad thing from other humans by hide… body.”

  “Shit “

  “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” said Ashley to herself.

  “Not dance for humans, not be alone with humans.” I finished.

  “This world must be hell for you.”

  “Not so bad. Have knives. Very fast. Stronger than most. Still much scary. Only one of me. Ashley help not be scared so much. Not worry lots about angry pack of humans kill for defend self if Ashley defend.”

  “Well, let's try to keep the use of the knives to a minimum please?” asked Ashley.

  “You glock bad people, I cut. Since can’t lightning strike right now.” I shrugged.

  “I’m just going to move past that for now.” Ashley said after a moment.

  “So, either of you two want to head over to the dining facility for some food?” asked Givens.

  “Corporal Givens.” teased Ashley: “Are you asking the both of us out on a romantic date at the same time? A bold strategy!”

  “No, I am not.” Givens answered forcefully. “I am just hungry and figured maybe you two were too!”

  “Is OK, more food always good.” I agreed. We started walking to the Brigade’s food place.

  “It’s Troy by the way. When we aren’t in uniform. I always try to remember that I am a person and not just a Raider.” Given’s said quietly.

  “Kos-Api is still just Kos-Api. Ashley is Ashley when not have to be Special Agent Robins of Secret Service.”