by S. E. Weir
Link glowered at his honorary niece. “You and Todd are having sex already? I’ll kill him.”
Phina leveled a fierce glare at him, which would have concerned him if it didn’t happen on a semi-regular basis. “That’s none of your business. No matter how close our relationship, trainer or chosen family, you never have a say about that.”
He crossed his arms again and grew even more serious. Phina was the most important person in his life. He had made a vow to her parents to take care of her, but even if he hadn’t, he would still need to make sure for himself. “I don’t think that’s true. I need to make sure Todd understands the gravity of the situation.”
“I assure you, he understands just fine. It’s between me and Todd. You don’t have a say in my relationships,” Phina argued, showing the fiery passion that only came out when she was protecting people she loved. That served to give Link both a pang in his heart and a sense of warmth. She was one of the best people he knew. He opened his mouth to capitulate when Stark spoke again.
“This is why he needs a woman. Then he wouldn’t be all up in your business.”
“I don’t need a woman!” Link exploded. “Stop saying that!”
Stark grinned with amusement. He delighted in pushing people’s buttons and was satisfied to have gotten a rise out of him.
Link blamed himself for that since he had taught Stark the behavior. He turned to Phina, who evaluated him speculatively. Link winced and made an effort to appear mature and above the common needs of man.
“I don’t need a woman,” he assured her. Chocolate brown eyes flashed into his thoughts, and he stuffed the vision down like he always did. There was no need to dwell on things that couldn’t happen.
“I don’t believe that, but that’s not what I want to talk about.” Phina shifted her position, her concern for him showing. “I want to know what’s wrong. I know something is bothering you and I’m not letting go of it. I should have said something earlier.”
Link reached over and squeezed her hand in reassurance. “It’s not your job to take care of me, kid. It’s my job to take care of you. Which is why I’m going to have a come-to-Jesus talk with Todd when we get back.”
“You’re going to leave him alone.” Her eyes flashed in warning. “I’m serious, Link. Our relationship is still relatively new, and I need you to keep out of it.”
He sighed but nodded. “I understand. But if he hurts you, he’s going to wish he was dead. I’m warning you now, so you don’t come crawling to me later when it happens.”
She pulled her hand away and lightly punched him. “I’m an adult. I know how to take care of myself. I’m basically Black Widow and Jean Grey mixed together.”
“Ugh.” Stark cringed. “You just mixed two superhero universes. I don’t think we can be friends anymore.”
Phina challenged him on that. “I don’t think that’s likely. Who else would you talk to?”
“Hey!” the AI protested. “I have friends. I talk to them all the time. ADAM’s even making a little sister for me.”
“Oh? What’s her name?” Phina perked up with interest at ADAM’s name, causing Link to sulk. Phina had a soft spot for the first AI to ever be created. Link couldn’t blame her since ADAM was unique, even more so than the digital entities he created as his children. Link felt... jealous.
Huh. He paused for a rare bit of introspection. Link had waited for years for Phina to grow up so he could take her under his wing and she could take over as the Diplomatic Spy for the Etheric Empire. He had been waiting until she could protect herself and he didn’t have to stay away from one of the last people he considered family. Now that the time had come, Link felt jealous of ADAM and Todd because they were both close to Phina and took up time she could be spending with him.
Link squirmed uncomfortably. It wasn’t that he didn’t want her to have other relationships. He just didn’t want his time with her to be taken up by other people. That wasn’t unreasonable, was it?
He sighed and rubbed his face. Maybe they were right that he needed a relationship of his own. He had felt like he was too old, but Todd was about the same age as him. Once the Pod-doc’s technology allowed the humans who had come from Earth with Bethany Anne to live longer, age differences had become less of an issue. It didn’t seem to be a problem for Todd and Phina. Something to think about.
Phina startled him by poking him in the arm, and Link realized he hadn’t been following the conversation. Her expression showed a mix of earnestness and determination.
“Hey! I’m talking to you, Link. I’m a total badass. Just ask Todd. He knows I could take him, and he doesn’t care. You don’t have to worry about me. Just stay out of our business.”
Link grabbed her hand before she could withdraw it and squeezed it along with a reassuring smile. “All right. I’ll stay out of it.”
She squinted warily. “You promise?”
He nodded. “As long as you promise me that if you do need help that you come to me or send a message. I’m not backing out of my promise to take care of you, so I’ll trust you to not leave me in pain knowing that I could have done something if there’s a problem.”
Phina swallowed roughly but agreed. “I promise. I won’t forget.”
Link patted her on the shoulder, then figured he might as well continue being a modern marvel of maturity. “As for what I’ve been worried about, I think I am still struggling with what Zultav and Kuvaq told us.”
“That those people they heard about are targeting you?”
He sighed and fidgeted with his fingers. “One of my contacts told me about a meeting she overheard which gave me similar but less complete information. It sounds like they are all positive there is a problem within Spy Corps.”
She nodded in understanding and concern. “That’s why you have been upset and out of sorts, isn’t it? You think you haven’t been there enough and it’s your fault for not seeing it.”
He sighed and sagged in his chair, shaking his head. He felt weary and old. “Isn’t it my fault? I’m in charge of Spy Corps. It’s my job to make sure everything is all right.”
“That doesn’t mean it’s your fault. Whose bright idea was it for you to be basically doing two full-time jobs at two different locations anyway?” She scowled, and he deflated more.
“Mine.”
“Oh.” Phina stopped at that realization, then shrugged. “Okay, then it is partly your fault.”
Link groaned and closed his eyes, but as she continued, they flew open again.
“It’s not all your fault. Whoever these people are, you didn’t make them do this. Don’t take on responsibility for things that you haven’t done.”
“Thank you, Phina.” He reached over and clasped her hand again, giving her a warm smile that turned her fierce earnestness to a soft glow. “How did you get to be so smart?”
“I suspect it was my parents,” she responded seriously.
“Yes, along with your dry wit and warped sense of humor.”
Phina shrugged nonchalantly. “Everyone needs a hobby.” She shifted and put her head on his shoulder in a rare expression of affection. She must have sensed he needed it.
Stark blessedly disappeared, which gave them time alone. Link made an effort to relax and had almost managed it when Phina asked, “So, now that we know the problem is in Spy Corps itself, what do we do?”
Link tensed up and began to feel the weight of the Empire on his shoulders. “We’ll do what we must.”
“Spy on Spy Corps?”
“Yes.”
“This is going to suck, isn’t it?”
He answered honestly. “You have no idea.”
Chapter Three
QBBS Meredith Reynolds, Ship Docks
“Phina!” multiple voices shouted upon seeing her for the first time in months.
She darted down the ramp with a wide grin and spread her arms to hug everyone in the small crowd at the bottom. Alina and Maxim were first, giving her a huge squeeze.
“Phina, I m
issed you so much!” Alina, Phina’s best friend in the whole universe, overdramatized things sometimes, but she was also smart, loyal, and had a good heart. Clutching Phina, she declared in her most no-nonsense voice, “I’ve decided you can’t go anywhere ever again.”
“Alina,” Maxim gently admonished his wife.
She let out a loud sigh, then drew back to give Phina a wobbly smile. “Fine. You can go for work, but only if you message me every day so I don’t miss you too much. And if you see fabulous clothes or shoes, you have to get them for me,” she added seriously. “It’s a law.”
“That’s not a law,” Phina responded dryly. She gave Alina another squeeze before letting go. “That’s wishful thinking.”
“No, it’s a law,” Alina protested as Maxim nudged his wife out of the way. “The best friends forever law. The Phinalina law. It’s a real thing.”
Phina would have responded, but she was pulled into another hug by Ryan, who teased her with a wide grin before his girlfriend Celeste elbowed him and gave Phina a smile and gentle hug. “Welcome home.”
Before she knew it, Phina had also been greeted by Drk-vaen and Sis’tael, and Jace and his fiancé Melia. Including Link and Will, a large portion of her chosen family was here.
She missed Braeden, her Gleek chosen brother, but knew he was back on his planet with his people. Phina and Braeden exchanged messages every couple of days, as well as mental conversations every few weeks to strengthen their ability to connect mentally over large distances. Braeden carried most of the distance on his own, but Phina had been gradually getting stronger.
After speaking to her friends for a few minutes—Will had joined from the ship as well, so they were all together—she began to wonder why Todd hadn’t been there to greet her.
“Where...”
A spark fired on the edge of her awareness. She turned to see Todd Jenkins walking toward them from the entrance to the docks, still some distance away. He was as ruggedly handsome as always, although his appearance was a little rough like he had forgotten to shave a time or two and had been running his fingers through his hair.
Phina extracted herself from the center of the group, though startled cries followed her. She ran full speed toward her boyfriend, then slowed down just before reaching him so she didn’t bowl him over from the momentum.
Todd opened his arms with a wide smile and caught Phina at just the right time to swing her around before putting her down. They both stood there grinning at each other for several moments before Todd shook his head and pulled her closer, holding her tight.
“I missed you so damn much, Phina.”
“I know.” Phina swallowed as she buried her nose in his shirt and hugged him back. “I missed you, too.”
“We need to figure something out soon because I need to hear your voice every day. I got too used to seeing and hearing you all the time on the Stark and Xaldaq before I came back with the other ship.”
Phina huffed a laugh. “That sounds sweet and a bit pathetic.”
“Hey!” Todd protested as he pulled back with a frown.
She smiled at him and reached up to hold his face and gently push his frown up into a smile with her thumbs. “I must be pathetic too because I had the same thought. Pretty mushy of us, huh?”
Todd regained his pleased smile and shook his head before pulling her close again. “No, I think it’s just right.”
“Awww,” they heard in chorus behind them. Todd tightened his grip, then pivoted them so they could see their friends clearly— and shamelessly— ogling the exchange from several feet away.
“You guys are too cute for words.” Celeste was happily snuggling with Ryan, who boasted that he’d seen it coming. Her friends chimed in with their own comments.
Phina blushed at the attention, but a distraction came in the form of Link as he approached from behind the group and called to Ryan. “You saw it because I told you, boy. I called it before either of them figured it out.”
The others perked up in interest while Ryan turned to Link with irritation. Phina wrinkled her nose in derision as she stayed in Todd’s arms, not wanting to let go just yet. “Yes, take all the credit for our relationship. That’s exactly what we need.”
Todd ran his hand down her head and smoothed her hair down to its ends. It felt soothing. No wonder Sundancer liked getting petted. “Let it go, Phina. We both know what the truth is. He’s trying to get you worked up.”
A glance at Link told her Todd was right. She put it out of her mind and slipped a thought to her patient and observant boyfriend. What do you think about all of us going to dinner, and then the two of us spend the rest of tonight and tomorrow together?
Todd looked down with the warm smile he reserved just for her. That sounds like the best offer I’ve had since I left Xaldaq. Let’s do it.
When Phina related the plans to their friends, Link protested, “We need to get working on our next steps.”
Phina took a step back from Todd and crossed her arms as she turned to her mentor. “I think I’ve done enough over the last several months to warrant a day off. In fact, know what? Two days doesn’t seem unreasonable. We can make plans then.”
Link stared at her with a furrowed brow and frown before reluctantly agreeing. “Fine. We can do that. But I want your full attention and A game after.”
Phina ignored the glances of her curious friends following the conversation and scowled at the insult. “Since when have I ever not given my best?”
Alina spoke up. “Well, you purposely got B’s in school and purposely failed the Etheric Academy entrance test.”
“Wait, you did what?” Will’s gaze darted between the two of them as the others in the group showed a mix of confusion, intrigue, and surprise.
Link shifted impatiently at the interruption.
Phina turned to Alina with a tight smile. “Since it was purposeful, you could say I did my best at those things, right?”
Her best friend winced in chagrin since she knew Phina hadn’t wanted that to become common knowledge. “Sorry, Phina. Yes. You always do your best at whatever you put your mind to.”
Phina smiled to let Alina know things were all right between them, then turned her attention back to Link. “So, two days.”
He nodded seriously and walked toward the docks’ entrance. “I’ll see you then. You all have fun at dinner.”
They waved goodbye, then Phina turned back to her friends. “All Guns Blazing?”
They agreed and headed out, everyone else chatting away as Phina and Todd walked together ahead, holding hands. He bent his head to ask quietly, “What was that about?”
Phina sighed. She had figured the question would come after Alina’s comment. “I didn’t want to stand out and be different in school. The kids didn’t warm up to me. If they saw the teachers giving me high marks all the time, they would have become difficult. I had a taste of that in the first couple of years of schooling when I already knew everything they were teaching. I was often called on or asked to give the answers, even asked to help the other kids.”
She grimaced and shrugged. “The students didn’t like that, especially the boys. They began treating me differently. I kept things to myself more and didn’t let on that I knew the answers. The teachers gradually lost interest, so it wasn’t a problem anymore. I skimmed under the radar after that since I already knew all the answers and could decide how many to get wrong.”
“I can see that, though that consistent level of subterfuge sounds tiring,” Todd responded thoughtfully as he rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. “What made you decide to fail the Etheric Academy exam? Wouldn’t it have been a good thing to go?”
“Usually,” Phina agreed. “Many of the kids going to the Academy either don’t know what they want to do and need to figure that out, or they need specialized training for their objective that the Academy can give. I already knew what I wanted to do. My aunt wanted me to go and had gotten me the opportunity to take the exam since my grades were purpo
sely not good enough. She wasn’t happy when I failed.”
Todd winced. “It must have grated for you to purposely fail and then be criticized for it.”
“It did, but I knew what was likely to happen going into the situation.” She shrugged, pushing thoughts of her aunt away.
“Because you’re a beautiful genius,” he gently teased her as they arrived at the bar. Phina’s cheeks flushed, but she flashed Todd a pleased smile, then focused on their seating arrangements.
After they had ordered and everyone was listening to Will describe the events that had happened while they were gone, Phina sent a telepathic message. She continued to appear to pay attention to the conversation at the table.
Anything?
You do realize that you are using me to do your job? I should lodge a complaint. Or perhaps ask for payment in fish and liver? Her paired Previdian Sundancer usually sounded like a mix between a dignified but cranky college professor and a teenager addicted to porn—if that porn was in the form of liver and fish.
To Phina’s mind, fish and liver didn’t even count as food, but her cat-shaped mentor and friend insisted they were important and necessary delicacies.
I heard that. I’m not a cat.
We’ve had this same conversation a hundred times. You look like a cat. Eventually, you’re just going to need to get over it.
Sundancer sniffed in her mind. I’ll get over it when you acknowledge I’m not a cat.
Of course you aren’t a cat.
Finally. Thank you for recognizing my superior nature.
You just look like one.
Phina could practically feel the glare from here even though she knew Sundancer wasn’t close by. He was near, though.
So, tell me.
Fine. Sundancer rolled out the attitude. We will talk about your deplorable opinions later. As far as people following you, one person was keeping an eye on you the whole time, from disembarking until now.
Phina froze, ignoring the buzz of conversation. Todd glanced at her in concern, but she gave him a subtle signal to wait. He nodded and continued listening to the group ask Will, who soaked up the attention and became a bit dramatic in the telling, questions about Xaldaq.
