“All right,” Zander said, running his fingers through his hair. “I don’t understand this, Zain. Why would anyone want to hurt her?”
“Maybe we need to take another look through those employee files.”
“Why? We saw no one at all familiar the first time.”
“That’s true,” Zain agreed. “But we were all under the influence of Chaos at the time. Me more than you and Zach, but it’s enough to make me think a second look might be a good idea.”
“You’re right,” Zander said. “I’ll go get cleaned up, then I’ll head down to the office and get started. Once you’re sure Bean is asleep and guarded, you get cleaned up and come down. I’ll fill Zach in.”
“I won’t be long,” Zain said. After Zander left Zain began to pace while keeping one ear on the sounds coming from the bathroom. The attacks on Bean were escalating rapidly. They had to find out who was trying to kill Bean before one of them succeeded.
Not because of Chaos, or whatever it was she was supposed to do with her sisters. Not even because of what the Doftles might do to the Thousand Worlds. While those were important factors, all he could think about was how empty their lives would be without her. They needed time to prove themselves worthy of her. Time to love her, and hopefully, one day, earn her love in return.
Chapter 21
12 days to deadline
Bean awoke early the next morning. It wasn’t because she’d gone to bed in the middle of the afternoon and slept through the night, though she had. Nor was it because of bad dreams, which she hadn’t had. It was because her stomach was growling so loudly that it woke her up.
“Thank goodness you’re finally awake,” Iffon said from his perch beside the bed. Bean glanced at the clock.
“It’s barely six,” she pointed out.
“My stomach doesn’t care what time it is, and from the sound of it, neither does yours.”
“I can’t argue with that,” she said, pushing the covers back. She stood up and walked over to Iffon. “Thank you, Iffon, for healing those burns. Just from the few seconds I was conscious enough to feel them, they were surprisingly painful.”
“You’re welcome, Bean,” Iffon said, rubbing his head against her hand when she reached up to pet him. “I’m only sorry I didn’t check for a bomb ahead of time.”
“I don’t know why you’d ever think it was necessary,” Bean said. “You saved me, Iffon. Again. I’m very grateful to you for that. I’m certainly not going to complain about you not knowing what would happen ahead of time.”
“Thanks, Bean.”
She smiled, then frowned. “Didn’t the omelets Zach ordered get delivered?”
“They did, and I ate them,” Iffon replied. “I’m afraid I need more food, though.”
Bean looked toward the table as he spoke and saw the empty dishes, then went to the dresser and began opening drawers. “Give me a couple of minutes and we’ll go to the cafeteria.”
“Thank you.”
True to her word, Bean washed her face, brushed her teeth, dragged a brush through her hair and pulled on some clothes in just a few minutes. She came out of the bathroom while braiding her hair, tied it off and stuck a couple of hair sticks in it.
“Ready?”
“Yes, and thanks for getting ready so quickly, Bean.”
“You really need food badly, don’t you?”
“I’m afraid so, yes.”
“I wish you’d woken me, Iffon. I don’t like seeing you suffer, especially on my behalf.”
“Better your behalf than anyone else’s, and I’m not suffering. I’m just uncomfortable.”
Bean thought he was splitting hairs but she didn’t want to argue with him about it. She grabbed a set of clean dishes for him, then hit the panel beside the door and stepped out. “What’s this?” she asked as the door slid shut behind her.
“Guards, String Bean,” Jawn Lobo said, leaning down to press a kiss to the top of her head.
“I appreciate this, guys,” she began, then paused when Jax kissed her as Jawn had. Then they all took a moment to thank Iffon for watching out for her and for healing her. She was a little amused to sense his embarrassment at the praise they heaped on him, but gave no sign of it. When they were finished, she returned to what she’d meant to say before.
“I really do appreciate this, very much. But it really isn’t necessary.”
“It’s very necessary, Cuz,” Jarl said before pressing a kiss to her forehead and squeezing her in a quick hug, careful not to bump Iffon. He stepped back and bent down to look into her eyes. “You’re family, Bean, and we love you, so there’s no question that we’ll do whatever we can to keep you safe. Aside from that, if we allow you to be harmed further, there’s not going to be much reason for us to go back home.”
Bean didn’t like it, but gave in because she knew that, even though Jarl generally joked about everything, he wasn’t joking now. She also knew her fathers wouldn’t blame them if something happened to her, but they would blame themselves. Especially if they let themselves get talked out of guarding her.
“All right,” she said. Then she frowned. “How long have you been standing out here?”
“All night, why?” Jawn asked curiously.
“You can’t watch me around the clock guys,” she said, turning to walk up the corridor. “You need to get some sleep.”
“First, we don’t need as much sleep as you do, as you know perfectly well,” Jax said. “And second, we’re due to be replaced in about an hour.”
“Replaced?”
“Elkin, Tom, and Nik Katre have the next shift, I believe.”
“So, this isn’t just you keeping watch over me. It’s an official thing.”
“Yes, Cuz, it’s an official thing,” Jarl said with his usual grin. “Technically known in the service as an order.”
“Well I don’t like it,” she said, stepping into the elevator. “It’s one thing to have you three standing outside my door and following me around. You’re family. But I’m not comfortable having other people so close to me all the time. I went over this with the Falcorans the last time they tried to put guards on me.”
“Sorry, String Bean,” Jawn said. “This is the way it’s going to be until whoever is threatening you is caught.”
“We’ll see about that,” she muttered.
“Take a moment and think about this logically, Bean,” Jax said. “You were nearly killed. If not for Iffon, you would have been. What would you do if our roles were reversed?”
She crossed her arms and huffed with frustration. “Fine, but just so you know, I consider your use of logic to be a dirty trick.”
“And why is that?” Jarl asked, laughter in his voice.
“Because not once in my entire life have I known any of you to use logic at any time, for any reason.” With that the elevator doors opened and she sailed out, leaving her cousins staring after her in open mouthed surprise.
“She’s grown herself quite the little attitude,” Jawn said.
“Yeah she has, and she wears it well,” Jarl agreed.
Jax nodded. “It’s about time.”
***
An hour later Bean leaned back in her chair, incapable of taking one more bite. Iffon, on the other hand, was still going strong.
“You put more food away than any female I’ve ever seen,” Jax said, clearly impressed. “Where do you put it, though?”
“I don’t know,” she said, a little embarrassed. “I think it was being transformed into fuel immediately after I swallowed it.”
“The same thing is occurring with Iffon, apparently. That’s a good-sized bird, but he’s already eaten more than twice its weight and size.”
“We both expended a lot of energy yesterday while Iffon healed me. Him much more than me. My burns were pretty severe.”
“That reminds me,” Jawn said, his green eyes gleaming at her. “We heard how you saved the ship again yesterday. We’re very proud of you, String Bean.”
Bean blushed and duc
ked her head. “It wasn’t a big deal guys. I just knew what was happening and managed to tell the right people about it.”
Iffon suddenly straightened, his head snapped toward the entrance and his body stiffened. Bean didn’t know what he’d heard and didn’t wait around for him to explain. Something told her to get her butt out into the corridor and she listened.
She threw herself out of the chair and ran before her cousins had a chance to react. She ran as hard and as fast as she could, dodging tables and pushing past people, adrenaline coursing through her. She heard her cousins behind her, and she heard Iffon’s wings before he landed on her shoulder, but she didn’t slow down or hesitate until just before she reached the exit. Then she slid to a stop and froze, looking through the transparent walls that provided a clear view of the corridor beyond.
To her right stood the Falcorans, spread out slightly, obviously having just come out of the elevator bay. Zander’s hands were spread wide as he spoke, but she couldn’t hear what he was saying over the thundering of her heart.
To her left stood Debora which was a surprise, but Bean didn’t allow herself to be distracted by it. She was far more interested in the gamma rifle the other woman was holding. She didn’t know much about guns, but there was no mistaking the size and shape of the illegal weapon. There was no mistaking the fact that the weapon was aimed at the Falcorans, either. Most of all, there was no mistaking Debora’s intention to use it.
Bean glanced back at Zander briefly, then returned her gaze and her attention to Debora. They thought they could talk her out of what she was about to do. Bean knew, she knew, they were wrong.
Her eyes found the trigger, saw the finger pressing against it, and saw the flex in Debora’s wrist that warned she was done listening. Bean acted without thought. She lunged through the open doorway and flung up both hands, one toward the Falcorans, the other toward Debora, a loud, harsh scream erupting from her throat that she was completely unaware of. At the same time, there was a loud explosive sound. Debora had pulled the trigger.
Those watching were stunned by how fast Bean moved. Then they were stunned to see the thin, blue stream of gamma rays stopped before they’d traveled more than a few feet from the barrel of the weapon. They hit something invisible and ricocheted off it, over and over again, as though a giant transparent ball surrounded Debora.
Bean saw Debora’s eyes change from smug to terrified just before the gamma rays hit the weapon, detonating the micro-fusion power supply. There was no possibility that Debora, or anything made of solid matter, could have survived the explosion and Bean knew it. Knew it, but couldn’t quite accept it.
She stared at the giant ball now filled with thick white steam and eerie blue lightning, searching for some sign that Debora was still in there. A sign that, by some miracle, she was still alive. She knew it wasn’t possible, but each time she told herself that, the terror in Debora’s eyes replayed like a looped vid, repeating itself over and over in her mind.
“Bean,” a voice said close by her side. With some effort, she tore her eyes from the ball of crackling blue light and saw Jawn on his knees beside her. It was only then that she realized she was kneeling on the floor in the middle of the corridor, tears streaming unchecked down her face.
“I killed her,” she whispered, her heart filled with sorrow and regret. “I killed Debora.”
“You saved everyone on this ship, Bean,” Jawn said firmly.
“But I killed her, Jawn. I killed Debora.”
“No, you didn’t,” Jax said, kneeling in front of her.
“I did, Jax, look,” she waved toward the ball, fresh tears pouring down her cheeks.
“No, you didn’t,” Jax insisted, his hands clasping her shoulders. “You put up a shield, Bean. You put up a shield to protect everyone. She pulled the trigger. Not you.”
Bean knew he was right. The discharge from the gamma rifle’s beam would’ve blown straight through the ship, vaporizing all solid matter in its path, stopping at nothing until long after it escaped into open space. If she hadn’t done whatever it was she did, they’d all be dead now, Debora included.
She looked at the ball, then back to Jax before nodding reluctantly. She wiped the tears from her face with trembling fingers, surprised when Jax released her shoulders and pulled her into a tight hug.
“Thank you for saving all of us, Bean,” he said into her hair. She closed her eyes and hugged him back. When he released her, she felt better, and offered him a little smile in thanks. He climbed to his feet and held out a hand to help her up.
“Bean,” Jawn said. She looked at him.
“Yes?”
“I think the Commanders would like to be released.”
“Released?” she asked, her eyes drifting back toward the ball containing what had been Debora. Strong hands gripped her shoulders gently and turned her to face the other direction. She was startled to see the Falcorans banging against…well…nothing. She frowned.
“I don’t understand.”
“You put a shield around them, String Bean. A damn strong one too. The only way they’re getting out is if you let them out.”
“How do I do that?” she asked, terrified all over again. There was only so much air inside that thing. Would they die, too? Panic gripped her. “How do I make it go away, Jawn? Tell me, please. How do I get them out?”
“Relax, Bean,” Jax said soothingly. “They’ll be okay, but you need to calm down before you can do anything.”
She nodded, wiping away more tears before taking a few deep breaths. “Better?” Jax asked.
“Yes,” she replied. “Help me make it go away, please.”
“Try concentrating on the shield,” Jawn said. “You created it, so you should be able to sense it.”
“Okay,” she said, nodding. She did as Jawn said and focused on the shield itself, surprised when she really did feel it. “Now what?”
“See it in your mind, Bean. Imagine it as a real, solid object that you can see. When it’s as real in your mind as you can make it, imagine it gone.”
Bean struggled to do as Jawn said, but her fear kept getting in the way. She would never have believed herself capable of creating something so thick and so solid. But she had, obviously, and she was very afraid she wasn’t strong enough to make it go away. They were going to do die, and it was her fault.
“Bean,” Iffon said from her shoulder. “You need to breathe. In and out, nice and slow. Everything is going to be fine. They’re fine. They have air. There’s nothing to fear.”
Bean followed Iffon’s directions, trying to breathe deeply, trying to calm herself, but it wasn’t working. Then she closed her eyes and blocked all sight and sound, focusing on just breathing. Images formed in her mind of Zander, Zach, and Zain standing before her, their bright eyes calm, trusting her to do what needed to be done. She calmed, and the answer came to her.
She opened her eyes, raised one hand palm out toward the transparent ball, and felt it in her mind. Then she moved her hand in a wide sweeping motion, erasing it from existence.
Zander, who’d been pressing against the shield from the inside, suddenly stumbled forward. He caught his balance quickly, then all three of them hurried toward her. Zander caught her up in his arms and held her tightly, surprising her. When her own arms wrapped around his neck in return, it surprised her even more.
Zander tightened his arms briefly, then set her down. “Are you all right?” he asked.
“Yes, I’m fine,” she replied, her eyes running over him, Zach, and Zain as they stood shoulder to shoulder in front of her. “You?” When none of them answered, she looked up to find them all staring at the giant ball behind her.
“How long will that shield last?” Zach asked.
Bean turned to look at it, shaking her head slowly. “I don’t have any idea. I’ve never done anything like that before. I didn’t know I could. I don’t even know how I did it.”
“It’s going to be fine,” Zander said soothingly, trying no
t to remember their horror when they’d seen her leap into the corridor, placing her fragile body between them and the gamma rifle. Trying not to think about her on her knees, her entire body shaking as she cried. Trying not to think about the frustration and helplessness they’d all felt at their inability to get to her.
He clenched his jaw, then spoke as calmly as he could. “There’s nothing to worry about. We just need to find a way to get it off the ship.”
“It’s too big to fit inside the service elevator,” Zach said.
“Maybe she could shrink it a little,” Zain suggested. “Just a few feet would be enough.”
Zander frowned. “Maybe we can just leave it as it is. That’s the strongest shield I’ve ever seen. I don’t think any radiation is going to get through it.”
“What if it weakens over time?” Zach asked. “That could be a serious problem.” Zain and Zander nodded.
“Um…,” Bean said, then hesitated, a worried expression on her face as she looked from one of them to the other. “Are you guys…um…serious?”
Zander looked at her in surprise. “Of course we’re serious. Why do you ask that?”
“Iffon?”
“I think I’ll meld now, Bean,” he said, then dove immediately into her arm before she could reply.
“That’s so interesting to watch,” Jarl said, but Bean didn’t even hear him. She was astonished by Iffon’s desertion. He’d never done anything like that before.
She lowered her arm and turned her attention back to the Falcorans. She looked at each of them again, then around at the people behind her which, she suddenly realized, amounted to a rather large crowd. She looked at her cousins who now had carefully expressionless faces.
“Well, hauk it.”
“Lost that crumpet jam again, have you?”
“You probably ate it,” she groused before looking at the Falcorans again, this time with resignation. She took a deep breath.
“Will you guys come over here with me for a moment? Please?”
“All right,” Zander said hesitantly as she walked up the corridor toward the elevators. She stopped, saw that the cafeteria crowd was still watching, and turned into the elevator bay. Only when she was sure they were completely out of sight did she stop and turn to face them, taking another deep breath.
Bean's Heart (Hearts of ICARUS Book 7) Page 36
