Severed Bonds

by R S Penney

  “Yes, I told Harry.”

  Red-faced and fuming, Ben shut his eyes and tried to remain calm. No. Bleakness take him! Calmness was for people who hadn't been let down over and over again. “You told Harry,” he said. “I was right there, but you didn't tell me.”

  When Jack looked up, his eyes were blue ice, so cold they could flash freeze water in a matter of seconds. “You're the one who said you wanted out, remember?” he barked. “We didn't know Leo was coming here! We didn't think there was any danger, and I am telling you right now!”

  With teeth showing, Ben leaned forward and shook his head ever so slowly. “After everything I've been through with you people…” he said. “And this is what I get. You do realize this man remembers me from when I saved your life!”

  “I know.”

  “And you don't even think to tell me the instant you know he's out.” It was all too much for him. Companion have mercy. He knew most Keepers had their heads planted firmly up their asses, but he thought Jack was different. “Because I was there, Jack, and I remember that Leo holds grudges.”

  “I'm sorry.”

  Ben stood up with a grunt, his face tight as he tried to contain his anger. He shook his head slowly. “Sorry doesn't cut it,” he said. “Solve your own problems, Jack. Leave me the hell out of it.”

  He left before the other man could protest.

  Maybe Keli was right. Bleakness take him, he would have never imagined such a thing just one year ago, but maybe the Antaurans really would treat him better. It was an impulsive thought – he knew that – but his anger was like a hot rock in his chest. He had given enough for these people.

  It was time to start doing things his way.

  Chapter 11

  There were many different crime labs in the Justice Keepers' building, and this one was a cramped little room with no windows. Various kinds of equipment were spread out on black-topped tables on each of the four walls: microscopic scanners, high-resolution lasers that could map out a fingerprint on almost any substance, chemical analyzers. They were all here.

  A horseshoe-shaped console in the centre of the room controlled a two-dimensional hologram that descended from the ceiling like curtains draped from a rod. Traffic camera footage. The images flashed faster than Anna could count them.

  At her side, Cassiara stood with two fingers on her lips, blinking as she studied the images. “So, this will run a facial recognition algorithm?” she asked. “What are the odds it'll work?”

  Anna felt her mouth tighten, then shook her head with a huff. “It's hard to say,” she admitted. “Leo had to be out in the open to get to the store, but if he was wearing a hood or a cap that hid his face.”

  “He might have anticipated we'd try this.”

  Shutting her eyes, Anna breathed deeply and then gave a curt nod of confirmation. “You're not wrong,” she said. “But that's the worst part of this job: slogging through the long, painstaking analysis of the evidence.”

  She turned away from the console and the ever-flickering hologram that was pretty much guaranteed to make her nauseous if she watched it for any length of time, and with a sigh, she clomped over to a beverage dispenser on the wall. It was a rectangular device with rounded corners and a screen on its white surface.

  Her fingers slid across the screen, bringing up menus, selections of various warm and cold drinks. She settled on a cup of tea. “It's good to have the old gang together,” she said as she waited for her selection. “Maybe I'll ask Harry and Jack if they want to grab a drink tonight. You should come!”

  Without looking, she could sense the other woman standing with one hand on the console, watching the holograms. Anna couldn't sense those – they had no substance – but she knew where they would be. “I'm not sure,” Cassi said. “I'm not really one of you guys yet!”

  “You're Jack's friend,” Anna shot back. “That's good enough.”

  A moment later, the dispenser was spraying a stream of brown liquid into a paper cup, steam rising to fill the room with a delicious scent. Anna took it and sipped a little too soon. The tea burned her tongue.

  Wincing from the sting of it, Anna tossed her head about. “Impulsiveness, Lenai,” she scolded herself. “One of these days, you're gonna rush right into a storm of gunfire and wake up to find Granny Veryl standing over you with that sour expression, saying 'I told you to watch where you were going.”

  Cassi was leaning against the outside of the horseshoe-shaped console, one fist on her hip as she studied the wall with halfhearted interest. “I take it that's your tragic flaw,” she said. “A tendency to rush in.”

  “And out,” Anna said. “I'll rush in any direction.”

  “Does that apply to everything?”

  “What do you mean?”

  A half-shrug was Cassi's only response, and she kept her focus on the wall. Lack of eye contact. Anna didn't share Jack's talent for sizing people up in an instant, but she had a pretty good idea what that meant. “Relationships,” Cassi said. “Do you rush into them as quickly as you rush into battle?”

  Turning her head to fix her gaze on the woman, Anna narrowed her eyes. “I never really thought about it,” she answered in guarded tones. “I haven't had many relationships in my adult life.”

  “I see.”

  “Yeah,” Anna said. “And if you don't mind my saying so, that's pretty big with the specificity there. Got a reason for that particular line of questioning?”

  “Just curiosity.”

  A small smile tugged at the corners of Anna's mouth, and she shook her head. “No, I don't think so,” she said, striding across the room. “That's a little too specific for simple idle curiosity.”

  Cassi looked up at her.

  Anna felt warmth in her cheeks, and then lowered her eyes by instinct. “You have a thing for Jack,” she whispered. Oh, Companion have mercy; she wasn't prepared for this. How to handle it? “Sorry; I shouldn't have pried.”

  Cassi leaned against the console with arms folded and turned a scowling face away from Anna. “Yes, I do,” she admitted. “He's smart and funny and really quite delightful if you get to know him.”

  “That he is.”

  “So I was wondering…”

  Anna shut her eyes, sweat prickling on her forehead. Her insides felt like they had been tied in knots. “You were wondering what was going on between us?” she whispered. “We're just friends.”

  She could have lied, she realized after having stated the truth so plainly, but it just wasn't her way. Choose honesty, and accept the consequences of doing so. That was the official Lenai policy on social interaction. Well…Most of the time. At least Seth approved of her decision.

  “Good to know,” Cassi said.

  Anna cleared her throat. “All right,” she said with a nod. “Let's see if the algorithm found anything.”

  Pounding on the white front door to Alia's apartment with the knuckles of one fist, Anna waited for her sister to answer. Another fun-filled family event in the never-ending lead up to this wedding. She was already cringing. If her sister was still pissed off about her decision to sleep with Milli, well…

  Having changed into black pants and a matching t-shirt, Anna stood in the hallway with her arms folded. “Just play it cool,” she told herself. “It won't be that bad.”

  The door swung inward, and Alia stepped into the opening. As always, her sister looked gorgeous in a white dress, her long red hair tied up in a ponytail. “Come on in,” she said. “Everyone's here.”

  Alia had a small apartment with a kitchen just inside the front door, and beyond that, steps that led down to the living room. Anna could already hear the sounds of light conversation; someone was laughing.

  Seth echoed her feelings of being out of place, and she knew it had something to do with the memories she had of Alia's less than kind comments about her decision to Bond with him. That would make things difficult. Never mind her talent for keeping her foot in her mouth on a permanent basis; now she was feeling anxiety
for two!

  When she descended the steps to the living room, she found two black couches in the light of a floor-to-ceiling window that looked out on a city skyline. Dusk was coming on fast, and the sky was a faint shade of pink.

  Her mother was on the sofa to her right in a simple brown dress with short sleeves, honey-blonde hair left loose. “Leana,” she said. “I'm glad you could make it. You know everyone, right?”

  At her side, Milli was sitting forward with a wine glass cradled in her hands, a look of nervous contemplation on her face. Well, that probably wasn't a good sign. If Alia was still pissed about the other day…

  Sadly, she didn't know all the women in this room. This was an old tradition called Selari Olom, quite literally “Women's Night.” It was an opportunity for the ladies in both families to get to know one another while the men did the same with the groom. It was an old tradition – one that was predicated on the assumption of a heterosexual wedding – but Alia seemed to enjoy going through all the little rituals that would inevitably lead to her wedding day. “No,” Anna said. “I'm afraid I don't.”

  Thankfully, Alia came down the stairs to hand her a champagne flute filled with sparkling orange juice. Even though Keepers could drink small amounts of alcohol, most people would assume they wanted something else unless told otherwise. Anna was very grateful for the drink; being nervous always left her feeling parched.

  Her mother gestured to a young lady in white shorts and a black halter top who sat on the couch that faced the window. This girl had olive skin and wavy brown hair that she wore tied back. “That would be Teli,” Sierin explained. “Soral's cousin.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Anna said in guarded tones. “You live in the city?”

  The girl frowned as she stared into her lap, clearly too shy to make eye-contact. “No, I don't,” she answered. “I'm from Drial.”

  Anna felt her eyebrows shoot up as she peered into her glass. “That's quite the trip,” she said softly. “If I remember my time zones, it's still early morning in Drial. You must be exhausted.”

  A wan smile was Teli's answer to that, and she still refused to look up. “Yeah, I feel like I could pass out right now,” she said. “But Aunt Mara said I should visit the Capitol at least once before I go off world.”

  “You're going off world?”

  “She was accepted into an engineering program on Salus Prime.” The answer came from Alia's future mother in law. Mara was a short woman, paler than her niece, with just a little gray in her black hair.

  Bringing the flute to her lips, Anna shut her eyes and took a small sip. “Well, that's amazing!” she said, though it sounded a little forced to her ears. “I've never been to Salus, but I've been to Alios, and I can tell you that going off-world is something that everybody should do at least once.”

  “With the way things are going,” Mara replied, “we were almost hoping she would stay. It's not safe out there in anymore.”

  “Salus has never been attacked,” Anna countered.

  It was considered to be one of the three Core Worlds, right in the heart of Leyrian territory. The Antaurans had never penetrated deeply enough into Leyrian Space to pose any kind of threat to Salus.

  Mara looked up at her with light from the window glinting off the thin lenses of her glasses. “You never know what could happen these days,” she said. “Ever since those big SlipGates opened…”

  “Look at how violent things have become in the last few months.”

  That came from an older woman with curly brown hair who stood by the window with her arms crossed. One of the groom's aunts, Anna figured. “A bombing in this city?” she went on. “When was the last time that happened? Fifty years ago?”

  “And now that madman is on the loose,” Sierin added. “Killing people. It's not safe to go out anymore.”

  Wrinkling her nose in distaste, Anna shook her head. “Of course it's safe, Mom,” she muttered, unable to hide her exasperation. “The Justice Keepers brought him down before, and we'll do it again.”

  That didn't seem to mollify anyone; they all just glanced in different directions. No one wanted to continue the conversation, it seemed. Anna was more than happy to let the subject drop, but Mara suddenly decided she had more to say.

  The woman lifted her own wine glass and took a sip before standing up and giving them all a frosty glare. “We haven't even mentioned the worst part,” she said. “We know the Keepers can turn against us now.”

  “That's not true!” Anna insisted.

  “Darling, I know you must feel a certain amount of loyalty for your comrades, but we've seen the news. We know what Jena Morane did in that park.”

  Anna squinted as she held the woman's gaze, trying her best to keep her fury under control. “That wasn't Jena.” Her voice was a blizzard. “I worked side by side with Jena; I knew her. She would never do something like that.”

  Mara seemed crestfallen as she looked down at the floor and took a brief moment to collect herself. “No offense, dear,” she said. “But you will forgive me if that is a little hard to believe.”

  “The woman who killed those people is Jena's mother.”

  “Leana, that's enough.”

  She heard her mother's protests, but the anger was boiling now. The insult to Jena's memory, the mockery Isara made of everything that they'd worked for. And these people gobbling up the media's lies like candy. “I was there! I interrogated her!” Anna shouted. “My friend carries Jena's symbiont! We know it wasn't her who-”

  “Leana!”

  Sierin was on her feet in an instant, casting a death-glare at her youngest daughter. “This is no place for politics,” she said. “I will thank you not to ruin your sister's party with controversy.”

  Anna gaped at her mother, then gave her head a shake as if to dispel an illusion that had clouded her mind. “You're kidding, right?” she said. “You're the one who brought up the subject of-”

  “Leana! That's enough!”

  Anna threw back her head and downed the rest of her juice. “Yeah.” She bent over to slam her glass down on the coffee table. “Excuse me! I need some air!”

  The arch-shaped hallways of the Hall of Council were illuminated by silver rays of sunlight streaming through windows on one wall, each one leaving a bright spot upon the red carpets and the wooden doors opposite them.

  In a black skirt and sleeveless blouse that she had dug out of her closet, Larani Tal stood in that hallway with her black hair in a long braid. “Just what I need,” she muttered. “On top of everything else, the fascists have come out.”

  A day had passed since Jack's altercation with Leo at Pelor University, and word of the attack had already spread through the media. That was unavoidable, of course. After Leo had made his presence known, Jack had no choice but to liaise with local police. The city had shut down SlipGates and scoured train stations in an attempt to trap Leo before he escaped. Sadly, they had been unsuccessful.

  The report was on every news station, in every paper, and now Councilor Dusep saw fit to capitalize on the media attention. Larani wanted to groan. Give an opportunist like him the slightest whiff of a scandal and he would pounce like a jackal.

  To her surprise, Jack came around the corner with a gasp. Surprise turned to shock when she realized he was wearing a pair of dress pants and a high-collared black shirt. A bit grim, but it suited him. And he had done…something…about that hair.

  Larani turned to face him.

  She lifted her chin, her eyebrows climbing upward as she held the man's gaze. “I was not expecting you,” she said. “I thought you would be consumed with the manhunt I set you on yesterday.”

  Jack looked down at the floor, his expression tight with anger. “There's nothing I'd like more,” he answered. “But I'm not going to let my other duties slip while I hunt down Captain Douche Bag.”

  His mouth twisted, and he glanced up the hallway to see if anyone had heard that comment. “So, here I am,” he added. “Ready to sit in on the lates
t press conference by Admiral Douche Bag himself.”

  “Very well.”

  They started up the corridor toward a media room where Dusep would be greeting nearly two dozen reporters and several other politicians from his party. Larani decided to say nothing about Jack's foul mouth. The young man was under a great deal of stress, and she could tolerate a slip in decorum so long as it wasn't too severe. Suddenly, something occurred to her.

  Larani crossed her arms as she walked through the corridor at a measured pace, her brow furrowing. “Wouldn't Admiral Douche Bag be Isara?” she inquired. “I mean if she's Leo's immediate superior…”

  “She can be President Douche Bag.”

  “And if Slade were still alive?”

  Her companion offered a shrug and then a bark of bitter laughter. “Emperor Douche Bag?” he suggested. “The chain of command only goes so high.”

  Wooden doors were thrown open to expose a room with cream-coloured walls and folding chairs in neat rows upon rich blue carpets. A lectern stood in the glare of bright floodlights on either side of the room.

  Most chairs were occupied by reporters, several of whom conversed with each other in hushed tones. Larani chose two chairs near the back. This was an opportunity to observe. She didn't want to draw attention to herself.

  Jack sat next to her, hunched over with hands on his knees, an expression of intense dislike on his face. “What do you think?” he murmured. “Any chance these folks will put Dusep on blast?”

  “I'm sorry?”

  “Earth expression,” he explained. “Sorry. I'm wondering if they're going to call out his hate mongering.”

  “Some almost certainly will,” Larnai said. “But there is an ethic in journalism that says all points of view are worthy of consideration.”

  “I've heard that before,” Jack began in a voice thick with contempt. “Put a science denier next to an accredited physicist, and the audience will think their words have equal weight.”