Stone Soldiers 4: Shades of War Read Online Free
Author: C. E. Martin
brown eyes. She wore makeup and an almost-sheer, dark green dress- something Josie would have expected to see in a formal occasion- not in the underground vault of a super-secret government building.
"Dr. Olson," Josie said, walking over and setting her bag down beside the pool. She checked her watch. She had barely made it in time.
"Why are you here?" the Doctor asked, setting her magazine down. Josie noticed her finger and toenails were painted a bright red and she had thin black high heels set on the floor beside her chair, next to her purse.
"I wanted to be here when he wakes up."
Dr. Laura Olson seemed genuinely surprised. "Been rethinking the whole grandpa thing?"
Josie looked over at the statue of the man, or rather, the petrified form of Colonel Mark Kenslir, super soldier, patriot and yes, her grandfather. Sort of. Josie frowned at the sight of the stone man's nakedness.
In Mexico, when he had been electrocuted and turned to stone, the Colonel had been covered with a thick layer of burnt soot and ash that helped conceal his modesty. But once transported back to Florida, and placed in this storage vault beneath headquarters, Dr. Olson had scrubbed the statue clean. It was far more of Kenslir than Josie had wanted to see.
"Why are you here?" Josie asked.
Laura smiled, revealing the fangs set in her mouth. "Admiring the view... and waiting for my next meal."
Josie bent down and removed a towel from her bag. She wrapped it around the Colonel's waist, covering him.
"Well, you're no fun," the vampire said, frowning. "And here I thought I'd finally get him alone, in the flesh."
Josie glanced at her watch again. They were less than a minute from sundown. "Don't you ever stop?"
Dr. Olson didn't need a watch. She could feel the sun setting even here, underground, surrounded by all this concrete and steel. She stood up, slipped on her shoes and picked up her small handbag.
"If he'd let me, I never would, dear," the vampire said. She pulled a compact from the handbag and checked her hair and makeup.
Josie noticed the dress was more than a little sheer. She could almost see through it. And as always, the vampire didn't believe in undergarments.
"His wife is right down the hall!" Josie said.
Laura smirked. "Turned to stone."
The vampire smoothed out her dress and adjusted her breasts. "I don't consider that competition.”
Josie was about to say something else, but Laura held up a finger, pointing to the petrified Colonel.
A faint green glow was coming from the statue- radiating out from all over it. Josie looked down at the water in the pool. The level was dropping. The stone man was absorbing the water.
"You know why he's in here- in the vault, right?" Laura asked. "In case he goes full wolf. Maybe you ought to leave."
Josie frowned. "No way am I leaving him in here alone with y-"
She stopped talking because the stone man was moving.
Kenslir's fingers began to flex, then his body trembled slightly. He stood slowly, lowering his arms and rising to full height. Josie could see the gray stone of his body swelling slightly, his muscles growing larger as he absorbed the water needed to undo the cellular damage of his most recent death. Soon he would be back to his six-foot, four-inch frame, with broad shoulders and muscles like a body builder.
The green glow brightened and the Colonel was now standing still, arms at his sides. The gray stone softened, smoothing, then began to lose its color- the gray fading out, replaced by slightly tanned flesh tones. The green glow faded out.
The Colonel's eyes opened, revealing strange, green, almost-black irises similar to Josie's. He opened his mouth and drew in a great lungful of air.
"What'd I miss?" he finally said.
Josie breathed a sigh of relief. The Colonel had never died from electrocution before. The powers that be were concerned the weird collection of curses that kept him immortal might not be able to return him to life on this full moon. But once again, his
"Dr. Olson," Josie said, walking over and setting her bag down beside the pool. She checked her watch. She had barely made it in time.
"Why are you here?" the Doctor asked, setting her magazine down. Josie noticed her finger and toenails were painted a bright red and she had thin black high heels set on the floor beside her chair, next to her purse.
"I wanted to be here when he wakes up."
Dr. Laura Olson seemed genuinely surprised. "Been rethinking the whole grandpa thing?"
Josie looked over at the statue of the man, or rather, the petrified form of Colonel Mark Kenslir, super soldier, patriot and yes, her grandfather. Sort of. Josie frowned at the sight of the stone man's nakedness.
In Mexico, when he had been electrocuted and turned to stone, the Colonel had been covered with a thick layer of burnt soot and ash that helped conceal his modesty. But once transported back to Florida, and placed in this storage vault beneath headquarters, Dr. Olson had scrubbed the statue clean. It was far more of Kenslir than Josie had wanted to see.
"Why are you here?" Josie asked.
Laura smiled, revealing the fangs set in her mouth. "Admiring the view... and waiting for my next meal."
Josie bent down and removed a towel from her bag. She wrapped it around the Colonel's waist, covering him.
"Well, you're no fun," the vampire said, frowning. "And here I thought I'd finally get him alone, in the flesh."
Josie glanced at her watch again. They were less than a minute from sundown. "Don't you ever stop?"
Dr. Olson didn't need a watch. She could feel the sun setting even here, underground, surrounded by all this concrete and steel. She stood up, slipped on her shoes and picked up her small handbag.
"If he'd let me, I never would, dear," the vampire said. She pulled a compact from the handbag and checked her hair and makeup.
Josie noticed the dress was more than a little sheer. She could almost see through it. And as always, the vampire didn't believe in undergarments.
"His wife is right down the hall!" Josie said.
Laura smirked. "Turned to stone."
The vampire smoothed out her dress and adjusted her breasts. "I don't consider that competition.”
Josie was about to say something else, but Laura held up a finger, pointing to the petrified Colonel.
A faint green glow was coming from the statue- radiating out from all over it. Josie looked down at the water in the pool. The level was dropping. The stone man was absorbing the water.
"You know why he's in here- in the vault, right?" Laura asked. "In case he goes full wolf. Maybe you ought to leave."
Josie frowned. "No way am I leaving him in here alone with y-"
She stopped talking because the stone man was moving.
Kenslir's fingers began to flex, then his body trembled slightly. He stood slowly, lowering his arms and rising to full height. Josie could see the gray stone of his body swelling slightly, his muscles growing larger as he absorbed the water needed to undo the cellular damage of his most recent death. Soon he would be back to his six-foot, four-inch frame, with broad shoulders and muscles like a body builder.
The green glow brightened and the Colonel was now standing still, arms at his sides. The gray stone softened, smoothing, then began to lose its color- the gray fading out, replaced by slightly tanned flesh tones. The green glow faded out.
The Colonel's eyes opened, revealing strange, green, almost-black irises similar to Josie's. He opened his mouth and drew in a great lungful of air.
"What'd I miss?" he finally said.
Josie breathed a sigh of relief. The Colonel had never died from electrocution before. The powers that be were concerned the weird collection of curses that kept him immortal might not be able to return him to life on this full moon. But once again, his