After knocking twice on Hayes' office door, he surprisingly opened it for me. And strangely, he seems to be in a surprisingly good mood right now.

"Ahhhh, there she is. May I introduce you to our tank destroyer, Airman Whitfield?"

I immediately grimace, knowing instantly that this won't be an easy meeting.

Surprisingly there's only one more person in this room, making me wonder if there aren't more people from the Pentagon walking outside, still inspecting what's left of the tank.

This man was sitting on one of two chairs in front of Hayes' desk, but now stands up and walks over to me. My first guess is that he's in his forties, and looks at least as intimidating as Hayes does, if not more. He's wearing what looks to be a formal Army uniform, but his hat is parked on Hayes' desk. A rather big, golden ring decorates one of his fingers. His smile seems genuine and he immediately offers his hand to start our introductions.

I assume that I need to be really, really polite to him, even if only for blowing up an Army tank.

After a firm handshake, I first introduced myself. "Airman Whitfield. Nice to meet you, sir."

"At ease, Airman. I'm Lieutenant-Colonel Reynolds, US Army, and likewise. I'm assigned to the Pentagon to oversee experimental weapon testing."

Wow, impressive, and also the same rank as Hayes? Or maybe I can't compare those ranks? Whatever, it's not a rank to be underestimated, that much I can already understand.

Hayes quietly sits down, while Reynolds studies my uniform for a moment. I'm standing as straight as possible, hoping it will show respect and keep Hayes from giving me any unwanted feedback. Reynolds then points at a chair and says "please join us."

I sit down next to Reynolds, opposite of Hayes. Oh boy...two high-ranking officers...poor me.

"So you managed to destroy one of our tanks?" Reynolds said, but I could see a smile on his lips.

"Yes, sir. It was an accident, though. Perhaps I could show you the...eh..wreckage?"

"Already had a tour of the disaster zone, Airman. It's completely blown to smithereens, not much left to investigate. We'll have a Chinook remove the remains soon enough, since what's left of it might still provide us with some answers. For now however I have a request."

"Em...how can I be of use, sir?"

"Simply put, the Pentagon wants to know how someone such as yourself managed to disable one of our tanks without using any known means. You are requested to demonstrate your skills, which will be recorded using the latest in high-speed camera equipment. Anything we learn today will be beneficial to new generations of military equipment. Are you up for a demonstration?"

"Em, one moment, sir. Colonel Hayes, am I allowed to demonstrate my fox-fire?"

"Yes, Airman, you are allowed, but only once we arrive at the test site. I will accompany you to witness your skills." Hayes said, definitely sounding professional. I understand only all too well that there's no margin for error here. I'm definitely supposed to act professionally, or face the consequences.

"Understood, sir. Colonel Reynolds? I am ready when you are."

"Excellent news. And did you just call your skill fox-fire?"

"That is correct. It seemed like an appropriate name."

He looked at my back for a moment, probably thinking of my tail, but it's concealed now. "Interesting. The three of us will leave for an Army test range where many old and obsolete tanks are waiting for you. It's about a one hour flight away from here to our west, in a sparsely populated area. Firetrucks are standing by, so you can show us your full potential. The tanks have been stripped of ammunition and fuel, so we don't expect to see any unnecessary fireworks."

"Understood, sir." 

"Very good. The test is scheduled to take no more than one hour, after which you and the Colonel will return here. I however will return to the Pentagon where I will report my findings. Any questions so far?"

"When can we leave, sir?" I didn't smile, afraid to be reprimanded by Hayes.

A smile formed on his lips for a few moments. "I like your attitude, Airman, but we need to discuss something else first. I have the necessary security clearance to ask you about your skills, but also about your physiology. Are you comfortable with that?"

"Emmm......" When I look at Hayes, I see him nod covertly. I make eye contact with Reynolds again and say "yes, sir, I will fully cooperate."

"Excellent! In that case, can you confirm, for the record,....I can't believe that I'm actually saying this, that your race is called Kitsune?"

"Yes, sir, that is correct. I am a Kitsune. I look human, except for my ears and tail." I won't bother telling him that I used to be a human until recently.

"Good. Now this is not an order, but a request, so please feel free to refuse it. May I please see your tail and ears?" He asked really politely, unlike Greene's questions. And since Hayes approved it, I don't see any reason to deny his request.

"Of course, sir." I remove my cap and carefully pull my tail from its hiding place. My tail is happy to be released and is swaying vividly, until I realize that Hayes is staring at me, so I immediately freeze and try to appear serious again.

"Incredible! You weren't kidding, Colonel!" Reynolds said. "Oh, feel free to hide them again if you wish."

I nodded and took a moment to conceal the fluff again, then sat down.

He looks at Hayes again. "Colonel, if you agree, we can leave for the test range now. A blackhawk is standing by near the entrance."

"By all means, I'll have someone drive us to the entrance."

 

 

On our way towards the test range, Reynolds asked me many questions about my fox-fire. From how it feels to whether other Kitsune can do the same. Hayes shielded me from a few too personal questions, like eating and sleeping customs. But I'm sure Reynolds only had a professional interest in them, in order to know their effects on my skills.

Just like Reynolds said, it only took about an hour before he, Hayes, and I arrived at the Army test range. After leaving the helicopter, we still needed to walk to an open range for a few minutes, but we finally made it.

To my right I now see about a dozen uniformed people sitting on benches with binoculars in their hands, as if they're here to watch a baseball game.

They didn't tell me there would be spectators! In any case, all of them are in formal uniforms, so I'd better show them something interesting today. To my left I see, I dunno, twenty or thirty tanks waiting for me to destroy them. Now why do I feel so excited right now? Perhaps because it might just be the perfect thing for me to vent some frustration?

 

 

Reynolds asks me to walk towards a clearing, which is roughly halfway between the tanks and the spectators. I guess this is the point where I shall fire my fox-fire, giving them an excellent view of my skills.

Hayes joined the spectators and Reynolds seems to be using an earpiece to talk to someone, so I can't hear the conversation. But after a minute he walks over to me.

"Airman, the stage is set. This is an Army test range, so you can go all out here. All tanks have been decommissioned and won't be able to move. To be clear, there's nobody inside. Please direct your weapon's fire towards the tanks and prevent any shots from leaving the range, if possible."

"Understood, sir."

"In that case, please use this earpiece so we can talk."

I look at the earpiece in his hand, then look at him. "Sorry, sir, but that won't fit in my ears."

"Ahhh, right, forgot about those. Nevermind then. I will use a megaphone to communicate. Please use hand gestures to confirm having received my orders."

"Yes, sir, understood. I'm ready and will wait for your orders."

"Excellent. Good luck, Airman. Show us what you got."

"Yes, sir."

Reynolds walks towards the spectators, but keeps standing near them, picking up a megaphone. I hear his amplified voice "Airman, prepare to fire at your lowest setting."

I wave at him to confirm his orders, then focus on the tanks in front of me. My lowest setting? I'm hardly a device! But okay, I know what he meant.

"Fox-fire!" I call for my fox-fire like I always do when I want those lights to read a book. I sense the 7 lights again, but now they are stationary. And after a moment, probably because I thought about them circling, they started to circle my body behind my back.

I look at him again and wave, to signal that I'm ready.

"Fire at will!" I hear his voice saying the magic words.

Just like this morning, I let my right hand point at the target, which in this case is about 200 feet away from me. 

"Fox-fire attack!" I shouted. Well, of course I know that I don't need to say that, but somehow it helps me focus. 

And sure enough, all 7 lights are launched towards the tank, just like bullets being fired. And moments later I hear all 7 impact the tank, one after the other.   BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM

"Cease fire!" he says, and again I wave at him to signal that I understood the order.

I lower my arm, to show them that I'm waiting for new orders. 

Moments later I see an Army jeep approaching me, with Reynolds driving. The jeep has a mounted rifle fixed to its roof, but I don't think they're going to demonstrate that too.

He stops next to me. 

"Impressive, Airman. I will inspect the tank now. We will continue in a few minutes."

"Yes, sir. Standing by."

He nods and drives towards the tank, where he takes a few minutes to inspect the thing and take many pictures.

 

I then see him driving towards the spectators, and he knows that I'm following him. Safety first, especially here.

After another minute he asks me to fire again. "Airman, use maximum force this time. Fire at will."

I again wave to confirm his orders. Great. But how do I even do that? It's not like I have any settings for that. 

Once more I call my fox-fire and wait for them to start circling. "I want maximum power. Give me maximum power." I'm trying to convince myself that this is working, and at some point I really do feel a difference. My 7 lights have converged into a single one, seemingly without me asking. I guess this is it? I've never done this before.

Once more I extend my arm to a tank, another one this time. It's also about 200 feet away.

"Fox-fire...attack!" A single bright yellow light is launched at the tank, but is separated into three separate lights right before impact.

BAM BAM BAM  All three lights hit the tank.

These impacts sounded much louder than the first volley, and it seemed like the tank needed a few seconds to realize it was hit....because it actually exploded moments later.

BABOOOOOM

 

I immediately remember Bravo team's instructions to stay low, and I cover my head, afraid to be hit by shrapnel. Oh my god, I thought these things didn't have any ammunition or fuel?!

When I take a peek, I see the same burning inferno as this morning. The tank is engulfed by flames...a total write off.

"Cease fire! Cease fire!" I hear him shout, and once more I confirm the order by waving, after standing up.

I hear the firetruck's sirens, and see it rushing to the tank. The sirens are probably intended to keep me from firing at them. Yeah....I can understand that after seeing what happened to the tank.

Reynolds drives to me and asks "Airman! Are you injured?"

"No, sir, I'm fine. But I thought you said there wasn't any ammo inside?"

"There isn't! It's basically only a chunk of metal, so the explosion was caused by external means....you. Please hold fire, I'm taking a closer look."

 

 

Again I have to wait a few moments for him to inspect the tank, or rather what's left of it. The firefighters seem to have finished putting out the flames, but I'm not sure Reynolds will be able to take meaningful pictures. There's basically foam everywhere, but he's still taking many pictures.

Suddenly I hear Oscar's voice in my mind. "Essie, are you in any danger?"

"No, Oscar, thanks. I'm only testing my Kitsune skills. I'm perfectly safe."

"I see. You used a bit of mana just now, and you never did that before. Do you wish me to help you? I'm currently near a mana vein, so I could send some over to you."

"Really? You can do that?"

"Yes, this is how the Queen feeds us. Barely enough to keep us under her control. But I can give you a mana transfer if you want."

"Sure, that sounds really interesting. But won't you be hungry if I take mana from you?"

"Not today, since we found enough mana this time. But otherwise, yes, you would be using our food."

"Ahhh.....okay. If I should do that again without me realizing, please tell me. You are too important for me to starve."

"Of course, Essie. Just tell me when you're ready."

"A few minutes I think. You can link up with me if you want, see what I'm doing?"

"Thank you, I will gladly do that. Mmmm.....your vision is really odd. It took me a moment to understand."

"Now you know how I feel when you share your sight, Oscar."

"I see. I'm awaiting your command."

"Thank you my friend."

 

When I return to reality, I still need to wait for Reynolds to leave the area, since talking to Oscar didn't take more than a second.

After a few more minutes Reynolds returns to me again and says "very impressive, it's a total write-off. Just for the record, is this your maximum setting?"

"Em....."   I see the firetruck returning to the spectators, follow it for a few seconds, and then answer his question. "...not really, sir. It seems I discovered something just now. For the next test I will use mana enhanced fox-fire. So one last test at maximum power. I won't be able to further increase the power."

"Understood. I'll give the next order in a minute."

"Yes, sir, awaiting your orders to resume firing."

 

After another minute I heard his amplified voice again. "Airman, fire when ready."

Again I wave to acknowledge his orders.

"Fox-fire!" I feel the lights circling again, and focus until they slowly merge into a single bright yellow light, just like before. "Oscar? Now would be nice."

"Transferring the mana now."

Woooow. I suddenly feel a boost in strength, like having drunk lots of coffee, or having had a particular enjoyable fluffing session.

The mana ball, because that's what it is now, is slowly moving towards my right hand and keeps growing until I hear Oscar's voice. "Essie, your body cannot take more than this."

"Understood, thanks Oscar."

I focus on a tank much further away, afraid to be hit by lots of shrapnel this time.
"Mana ball, attack!" And once more it rushes towards the tank in the distance, but this time with an even louder whooshing sound.

But instead of seeing an impact, there's only a very bright white flash. Then I hear a very, very loud BABOOOM, followed by strong winds, knocking me down.

When I look at the tank, I see a fireball reaching up high into the sky, like a miniature version of a mushroom shaped cloud, reminding me of a nuclear bomb being detonated. The cloud however is colored bright blue, which is surprising since the impacting ball was yellow colored.

All sorts of metal parts and dirt are falling down in the distance, luckily none near me.

I keep lying flat on the ground, covering my head, until I hear Reynolds shouting "cease fire, cease fire."

He probably wants me to signal that I'm still alive. Seeing that no parts are about to rain down on me, I stand up and wave at him. Then I slowly walk towards the spectators.

Once more the firefighters are rushing towards the tanks, sirens sounding loudly, but something tells me they're going to need much more time for that now.

 

It's only when I look at the benches, that I realize that there should be people sitting on them. But  instead I see them returning from behind another firetruck.

After walking for a few moments, I see Hayes and Reynolds approaching me.

Hayes asks "Essie! Are you injured?"

"No, sir, I'm fine. Tired maybe, but fine."

"My god, what the heck do you even call that last thing? A nuke?" Hayes asked, sounding seriously impressed.

"Ha ha ha, no, sir. It was basically mana enhanced fox-fire. Or perhaps the term mana nuke really fits the bill. Oscar gave me some mana, just to see what would happen."

Reynolds now says "Airman, congratulations. It seems you destroyed about 15 tanks in one go with that last detonation. There's even an explosion crater. Very impressive!"

"He he he, thank you sir. But I won't be able to pull that last one off again without the help of a few Phantoms. Please don't ask."

He nods. "In any case, just for the record....your skills have now been registered as weapons. This of course is only for Pentagon research purposes, since we need to refer to your skills in official documents."

"Eh....I don't understand?" I'm not a weapon and I don't think I like what he's implying?

Hayes then intervenes, after seeing my confused expression. "Essie, this is only a formality so they can refer to your skills. It doesn't mean they'll start using you as a weapon."

"Oooooh, in that case, Colonel Reynolds, I don't mind that my skills are being registered." But I'm not a weapon, so don't even think about using me as one! Unfortunately I couldn't say that last part out loud.

"Excellent! In that case I'm honored to report that your skills have now officially been identified as a new type of mobile weapon. Your fox-fire has been designated as MGM-1-FX. The mana nuke has been registered as MGM-1-MX. They are basically codes for experimental weapons."

I blink a few times, not sure if I should be happy to be called a "weapon," even if only in official military documentation.

"Congratulations, Essie. We finally know how destructive you truly are." A grinning Hayes said.

"Em....yes sir." I can't be impolite to him in front of another Colonel.

Colonel Reynolds shook hands with me and then left us, to return to the Pentagon. I'm not sure if I want to hear from him or the Pentagon ever again. I mean, he's a nice guy, but I don't want to be labeled as a weapon...ever.

Hayes then says "Essie! This could be the breakthrough we need to kill the Queens!"

"Emmmm....not so sure about that. I need to be close, real close. But as a last resort may..be?"

"We'll see. At least we now have a last resort. In any case, you're a monster."

"Sheesh, how flattering."

His grin says it all.

"Essie?" I hear his voice, but I feel a bit dizzy.

"Dizzy, sir. I guess I'm finally done venting. I'm seriously out of juice."

"Well, being at the receiving end of an Alpha Charlie is part of being in the military. But your contribution here more than made up for this morning. In the end you did great......"

I didn't hear the rest of his words, because I lost consciousness.