We decided to take both Ata’s SUV and my ute. Hawkes Bay was a six-hour drive south of Auckland. Rich, our Staffordshire Terrier, the size of a small pony, was much more comfortable in the back of my ute than any other vehicle. I had a piece of wood on the tray floor so it was flat, and Soph made him a den.

  Soph’s other bond, Eliza the Red-Wing parrot, would ride with her. Eliza and I don’t get on very well, as she shits all over my stuff. I keep forgetting that Soph’s third bond was Carla. I must find out more about how that works.

  The four ladies rode in Ata’s Silver SUV, and we two boys were in the ute. Rich was in the back, and I had peace and quiet. Soph could sense emotions through Rich and using Rich’s power, so I am guessing she organised this for me. I was getting peopled out.

  I had most of the gear with me. We had lost our illegally acquired weapons from the illegal foreign combatants in the last fight in Australia. The Navy had issued us with gun licenses for NZ but hadn’t bothered to issue us with any guns. We had bought some. From our experience in Australia, powerful weapons would be more useful than light weapons that mutated creatures would shrug off.

  We went for the 9mm handguns rather than the smaller .22in. I am still puzzled by why countries still work in inches and feet. We each went for the Glock 19, and we all shared the same ammunition.

  We each had a longer weapon as well. Because my aim was shit, I went for a Shotgun. I got one that was reasonable out to a hundred meters and got a selection of buckshot and slugs to fire. Carla also got the shotgun, and we shared ammo. Her aim was fine. She just intended to be up close. We also got one for Soph and Ata, and we all practised. They had a five-shot magazine and one in the chamber.

  Carla and the girls also got rifles. They got me one, too, but I don’t intend to use it if I don’t have to. They stuck to the .308 bolt action as the ammunition was plentiful, and they were reliable and good for big animals. We practised out to a kilometre, and Ata outshot Carla only because she could see that far much more clearly. Soph was better than me but only average. She stuck to the rifle as she did not want to get close to anything. When we tested how fast we could shoot the bolt action, Carla won hands down, emptying the five-round magazine they came with. We got larger ten-round magazines as well.

  With us all using the same guns, we got familiar with them and only had key ammo to stock up on. The longer guns and ammo were locked in a gun safe in the back seat area of my double cab ute. We also had knives and machetes, and I brought the spear guns.

  I had made scaled vests for Soph, Carla, and me. They would protect our torsos anyway. Carla needed to shed some more scales before I could make leggings and headgear. Ata could not empower the scales yet. She is working on it. She has been slowly donating feathers so we can put together a vest for her, but it is a work in progress. She wants to keep the feathers to make a blanket/backpack for the babies, but we will see. Feathers take time to grow back. Boosting does speed it up, but she has a limited Essence pool and no access to mine. I am working on something for Rich as well.

  Soph has the vest, but she and Eliza’s best defence is to get out of the way with their gate system, which is a quick portal. Soph is getting better with practice. If she stays under ten meters, she has the essence for multiple gates. The interesting thing is that the opposite gate needs to be in the clear, but multiple objects can be in the way. She can gate through walls if she can see an open space through a window. If she times it right, she can shoot through a gate and, hence, through a wall. She times it right about fifty percent of the time, but it is improving with practice.

  We travelled through the night, stopping in the early hours of the morning at an all-night cafe in Taupo. Rich needed to get out and stretch his legs, so I took him down to the lake and let him run. I waded into the cool water. The snow-capped mountains of the central North Island feed Lake Taupo, so I always find it cool. This was into autumn now, although no snow had yet fallen.

  Rich came bounding up. Then my improved nightsight noticed the huge pile of dogshit he had left. I was very tempted to leave it and see if the locals could work out what animal had left it, but in the end, I removed it. Fish eat dogshit, right?

  As we returned to the vehicles, I heard the ladies argue about something.

  “Hey, Bob,” Carla said, “Ata thinks she has offended you in some way.”

  “No,” I said, puzzled. “Why would she think that?”

  “Because you are being your normal uncommunicative, self-obsessed, antisocial self, and that is not how someone normally acts,” Carla said.

  “Oh.” I shrugged, “I don’t know.”

  “See Ata. It is just him. Talk bluntly and clip him over the ears to get his attention,” Caral said.

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  “Oh fuck off.”

  “Prime example for you, Ata. This is normal for Bob,” Carla said.

  “Rich and I are leaving now,” I said, hopping into the truck as Rich jumped on the back, causing it to rock.

  We led the way over the windy Napier-Taupo Road. Dawn was coming as we crested the top of the Tarawera hills and headed down into Napier. Hawkes Bay is the name of the region that includes the twin cities of Napier and Hastings. It is a huge food-producing area with many orchards, market gardens, and vineyards.

  We drove through Napier and into Hastings. Soph had been searching for accommodation and found a lodge in an orchard just southwest of Hastings that accepted dogs. She booked the whole place for two weeks. We stopped for breakfast in Hastings as the current lodge guests would not check out until 10 a.m.

  Carla was on the phone with Commander Lewis’s aide, and the military had taken over the Hastings Aerodrome. The main commercial airport was at Napier. The Hastings Aerodrome was for smaller planes, sightseeing tours, topdressing, gliding clubs, etc. They're going to be pissed. The anomaly is about 2km southwest, between an orchard and a vineyard. It was discovered early and is only about 200m radius. We would meet at the quarantine barrier at 2 pm.

  We drive up to the lodge at 10:30, and I am in the lead. An elderly couple is out front, obviously expecting us. As I stop and Ata pulls up beside me, I feel a movement in the back and see the welcoming smiles drop off their faces. I glance in the rear vision mirror and see Rich’s hind legs. He has his front paws up on the roll bar behind the cab and is looking over the top. They did say dogs were welcome.

  Then, the three ladies get out, drawing their attention. They look a bit puzzled for a minute, then recognise Soph. Of course, they recognise Soph, who is the media star, and then Ata and Carla, the heroines of Yagoonya, whose faces were plastered all over the news for weeks. I decide to wait it out in the truck.

  The wife is particularly forward: “Welcome, welcome. Are you here to sort out that nasty business down the road for us, deary?”

  “We have come to see if we can help, but the military is quite capable,” Soph says diplomatically.

  “Your fur is so soft, isn’t it, dear? It’s lovely. Oh! I didn’t realise you were pregnant, my dear. Come and take the weight off your feet.”

  “Oh, is that your dog? My, he’s a big one.” The truck rocked as Rich jumped down to greet the lady.

  “You have a bird as well, aren’t you wonderfully trained not to fly away.”

  I wish it would.

  “Aren’t you a little cutie? Howard, hey Howard, can you take a photo with our new guests.”

  Howard looked at me. I nodded that he should go ahead and take a photo of the women and animals. I am sure the local knitting group, or whoever, are going to be fascinated. Howard took a couple of photos on his phone.

  “Now, we don’t want people coming around to see us, Bethel,” Soph said sternly, “Ata here is going to need her rest.”

  I am surprised Ata didn’t clobber her. I am pretty sure Soph has been reading her emotions the whole time, and the pregnancy is probably the thing she will respond to the best. Our Witch is at work.

  “Yes, yes, dear, these are just for us.” Yeah right. “I know what it is like with a young one on the way. I have had four, you know. Come in, come in. I will show you the units.”

  Bethel led them off to see the two free-standing cottages that they rented out, talking the whole time.

  Howard watched them go and then wandered to my side of the truck. I lowered the window to talk to him.

  “Morning.”

  “Morning,” I replied.

  “Don’t worry about Bethel. She gets excited, but she will calm down. Don’t worry about the photo either. Bethel can’t even unlock these cofounded things,” he said, indicating his phone. She still uses the landline in the house.”

  Holy shit, I thought landlines were a thing of the past. “Appreciated,” was all I said. I wonder if they have wifi here.

  “Do you want to come in?” Howard asked.

  “I was waiting for the excitement to settle, but we can start with some of the luggage,” I said. Howard helped me get some bags from the SUV, and I followed him to one of the cottages. We put the luggage on the porch and went back to get the groceries we bought.

  “Oh, here,” said Howard, handing me a piece of paper. “It's the Wi-Fi password, but if you have trouble, I will need to call my granddaughter. She set it up for us. Just let me know if I need to. The last folks were fine.”

  “Thanks.”

  We were bringing in the whole chilly bin full of dog food as Soph ushered Bethel out of the other cabin.

  “Thank you for all your help. We need to rest now as we have been driving all night. We will be sure to call you if we need anything,” she said.

  “Thanks, Howard,” I said.

  “Sure thing,” he replied and went to guide his wife away.

  I grabbed a couple of bags, and Soph grabbed the others.

  “They are two-bedroom places. We three will be fine here. You can have that one to yourself.”

  “Thanks. Here. Wi-Fi password.”

  We sorted the luggage, and I lay down for a rest. I made sure to set the alarm.