Edward

by Marcus LaGrone

  “Okay, as you may or may not have guessed, this is a private mental institution,” began Felix. “As such, you all must realize that it is expected that everyone here remains extremely discreet and respects the privacy of all the people you see here.”

  Everyone solemnly nodded in agreement.

  “About six weeks ago,” began Logan, “the staff received a court restrain and hold order for a patient here. As none of these people were criminally committed, this came as a bit of a shock. More particularly, there was a problem: along with the court order came a series of signatures of various doctors supporting the decision. None of the doctors have seen said patient in at least four years so that is a violation in both policy and law. The staff questioned the validity of the order and were threatened by the local police to comply or they would be held in contempt. That is not how the system works.”

  “I think you can guess about which police were involved based on the earlier arrests,” remarked Felix. “What then became the source of confusion is the patient. Julia Ford is the name on the records, but when we did some serious digging, that name does not fit nor do her records match.”

  “Which brings us here today,” started Trevor with a grin. “I have a theory. Felix would you get the lights?”

  Felix quickly turned off the lights and readied himself by the blinds of one of the windows.

  “So now, Gillian,” began Trevor as they sat in the dark, “do you recognize Julia here?”

  Felix opened the blinds and beyond they could make out a frail but ultimately attractive young lady in her early twenties. She was sitting in a nightgown in a large plush chair reading a book and appeared to be fighting the shivers.

  “Oh, my word. That is Rebecca. That is Rebecca Ravenswell! What happened? Why is she here and why under a false name?”

  “That is what we are trying to figure out. Who had her committed and why? She is having an entirely new battery of tests being done, but it is going to take a few weeks to see how those all pan out. From what we can tell, she probably has a mild panic disorder, which is consistent with the problems of stage fright that you mentioned. However, that is not consistent with the actual medication she was given.”

  “Someone was giving her the wrong medication?” asked Gillian aghast.

  “Worse than that,” began Logan, “The labels on her primary medication were reasonable. She wasn’t responding entirely well to those, so the local staff was augmenting them. The problem was, her primary medication had been tampered with. It was mostly amphetamines.”

  “That would just make her worse!” exclaimed Gillian.

  “Exactly. That made sure she never left,” concurred Logan. “She was being given amphetamines when they thought she was being given something for panic attacks. By the time they upped her other medication to bring her under control, she was just a mess, doomed never to leave.”

  “Wait, this is a private place,” interjected Zoë. “Who is paying for it all?”

  Felix smiled, “Sharp girl, excellent question. We know there is a large account that pays here every month, but we are still trying to figure out who opened that account in the first place.”

  Trevor smiled at Tatiana. “Think back, Tatiana, to your childhood. Do you remember anyone that was around as a child that suddenly went away?”

  Tatiana shook her head, “No, not at all.”

  “Would you be willing to give a blood sample?” asked Logan.

  “You think we may be related?” asked Tatiana. “Sure, what the heck.”

  “You don’t have to,” mothered Gillian.

  “Hey, if it’ll help sort out who that poor lady is, then why not?”

  Gillian beamed, “Wonderful! That is very big of you.”

  “It’s not going to hurt much is it?” Tatiana asked with a little nervousness.

  Trevor shook his head, “Nah!” He went to the door and paged a nurse.

  Soon a nurse entered and took a small dab of blood from Tatiana’s left thumb. Tatiana winced a little bit, but she smiled through it all. Logan produced a small scanner from his coat pocket and fed the sample into it.

  “That is the entire scanner?” asked Zoë in amazement.

  “Scanner, yes. But it still sends the data to the computer downtown to analyze it,” replied Logan with a grin. In less than a minute Logan had his results, “Things just got complicated. Due to some very unique markers, there is a 99.85% chance that she is your first cousin or closer.”

  “Or closer…” echoed Gillian.

  “As in she might be my sister,” finished Tatiana.

  “Most likely half-sister, but yes,” clarified Logan.

  “Yes,” agreed Edward, “things may have just gotten very complicated.”

  Gillian stopped Trevor on the way back to the car, “You knew they were related, didn’t you? You don’t just ask for a blood test flippantly.”

  Trevor nodded, “I had a very strong supposition. Tatiana’s and Rebecca’s faces frame perfectly. Same style ears, same style eyes and irises. Those irises are quite piercing and are shared with her father. Couple that with Rebecca was born right when the governor’s political career was rising, Rebecca’s birth certificate does not list the father, and it takes some serious political muscle to get a court order drawn up that is patently illegal, and we have some serious red flags.”

  “So is my father behind this?” asked Tatiana more than a little worried.

  “We don’t know. This could be hiding an embarrassment, extortion, or blackmail. It may also be that she is being held ‘in reserve’ by a political opponent that already has some muscle of their own. This is a tense and delicate situation. Let’s try and keep it out of the tabloids, eh?”

  Tatiana grimaced. “I think that would be best for Rebecca! She’s going to have a hard enough time piecing her life back together without the news hounds breathing down her throat,” she observed.

  Zoë hugged Tatiana and grinned, “Did you hear yourself? That was awesome!”

  Tatiana looked confused, “What did I say?”

  Gillian smiled, “You expressed concern more for Rebecca than yourself.”

  Tatiana shrugged and grinned shyly, “Um, what else was I supposed to do?”

  “It’s just a side of you we haven’t seen much,” beamed Zoë. “Run with it, girl.”

  “Hey, I just found out that I might have a sister. Half-sister or otherwise, that is kinda cool!”

  “We are still trying to run down Rebecca’s mother, and no luck. We could ask your father about Rebecca, but it’s possible he may not even know,” remarked Trevor plainly. “Other options are to discreetly approach your other relatives and compare backwards.”

  “What a mess,” murmured Gillian. “Once she is sorted out, they are going to let her go, yes?”

  Trevor nodded, “It’s still going to be several weeks to completely detox her system, but now that they know what was tampered with, they see no reason why she should be there at all. In the grand scheme of things, she has a very minor issue that ought to be able to be treated very easily. She could use some friends when this is over.”

  “Sign me up,” volunteered Tatiana. “Oh no. Unless my current gig is going to be a sore point with her. Hadn’t thought of that.”

  “Two points of curiosity,” began Gillian. “Was her initial therapy all those years ago correct?”

  Trevor shrugged. “We don’t know. But we are going to check in on that. And the second?” asked Trevor with a grin of anticipation.

  “What does all of this mean against the back drop of ‘the fan club’? I mean it is absurd! If Tatiana’s concert was canceled tomorrow and you guys hadn’t found out about Rebecca, how long would it have taken before she would have even been capable of putting on a new concert?”

  “We don’t think that people in ‘the evil fan club,’” Trevor laughed at the description, “are being remotely rational. They are being used. The question, now more than ever, is ‘who?’ The backdrop has taken more
of a political/blackmail tone than before. And that is going to take result in some tough questions.”

  “Gillian, toss me your phone. I’ll call Dad right now,” offered Tatiana.

  “Things are a bit delicate, dear,” admonished Gillian.

  “That’s my advantage,” grinned Tatiana, “I can get away with it.”

  Gillian stared at the ground for a bit and then handed over the phone.

  Tatiana quickly dialed in. “No, I will not hold. This is Tatiana. Tell Daddy to pick up the freaking phone,” Tatiana snarled pleasantly. “Oh, hi, Dad! No, I did not elope. Good guess though. I have a question for you: does the name Rebecca Ravenswell or Julia Ford ring a bell? No? Are you sure? So you wouldn’t mind me dropping by the house and stealing your toothbrush for a quick DNA test? I can be by in twenty minutes. That ring a bell any better?” Tatiana listened for a minute. “The question before the house is not, ‘Is she related to me?’ The question is, ‘Is she your kid or uncle’s kid?’ Okay, whatever. I’ll be by the house in twenty minutes or so. If you make it home by then it’ll give you a chance to meet Edward and Zoë. And don’t get fresh with Gillian when we come by, she’s engaged!” She hung up with a socialite’s snarl and tossed the phone back to Gillian.

  “That reminds me, what time?” asked Gillian as she batted her eyes at Trevor.

  “Does eight o’clock sharp work for you?” he grinned back.

  Gillian nodded. “You want to come with us to the governor’s mansion? Not in an official capacity, but as my fiancé.”

  “It’s up to Tatiana.”

  “Sure!” beamed Tatiana. “It’ll be fun.”

  “So combing your dad’s fur backwards and shaving it off is fun?” kidded Zoë.

  “More or less,” replied Tatiana with an evil grin.

  35

  Thirty minutes later they pulled the armored car up to the front of the governor’s mansion. There was more than a little confusion as the local security suddenly felt horribly inadequate in comparison, but Tatiana was a welcome face and soon they made it inside.

  “That was some nasty traffic out there,” remarked Gillian.

  “Another reason not to be on this side of town,” replied Tatiana. “You stay here and wait for Daddy. I’ll be right back!” Tatiana bolted down the hall leaving the group in the spacious living room.

  “The Grauer place is nicer than this and less tacky,” smirked Zoë. “Someone here is trying to show off. Look at the crap-tastic art on the walls.”

  “Well, it was a given her father had no taste, or he wouldn’t have let Gillian get away,” kidded Trevor.

  Gillian giggled like a school girl and poked Trevor in the ribs.

  Tatiana came running back with a broad grin. “Got a hair brush and a toothbrush.”

  “There is more than one toothbrush there,” remarked Gillian.

  “Eh, didn’t know which was his, so I took ‘m all. Logan can sort them out I’m sure.”

  “Well let’s get those in some plastic bags, but you get to carry those out of the building,” replied Trevor.

  “Be right back then!” Tatiana sprinted off again.

  Trevor’s comlink chirped twice. That earned a dirty look as he slapped it, “Out of position, but go ahead.” Trevor’s fur stood on end as he listened in on his ear bud. That was a bad sign; Trevor was normally the ultimate poker player. “Send the gunships to pick us up right now! This is a local problem. If we can help, we will, but first and foremost this is a local problem.” He quickly tapped his comlink again, “Did you get that? Yes, bring the magnetics online and set the spaced armor. We’ll fly you out as we go. Look alive!”

  Gillian spoke for them all, “What happened?”

  Trevor ignored her as he bellowed down the hall that Tatiana had just left down, “Tatiana! Come back now! As in right now!” He turned and looked square at Edward, “Armor online, boy, we trust no one that is not our own.”

  The ‘boy’ comment would have pissed off Edward on any other day, but he knew Trevor was scared, and he meant it more as a worried father figure and not to be condescending. Edward’s Live Steel armor burst out in a cascade of blue sparks. Weapons were just a heartbeat away.

  Tatiana soon came running into view with her collection in little plastic baggies, but her face all but melted as she saw the stern looks. Fear was the prevailing expression and all eyes turned to Trevor.

  “The governor had a big press conference half an hour ago, the usual song and dance about cracking down on crime and taking the motorcycle gangs down and holding them responsible. All the standard things politicians say. Well, apparently someone believed him. His limo was hijacked by a motorcycle gang on the way home, and he was kidnapped under a hail of gunfire.”

  Tatiana’s fur stood on end, and she melted to the floor.

  “So what do we do?” asked Gillian, trying to be calm.

  “We wait for our gunships. Then we fly back to the flat while the locals try and figure out what is going on. First and foremost, we make sure that there isn’t a repeat performance with Tatiana.”

  Edward and Zoë helped Tatiana to a chair where she tried to regain control. “I’m starting to know how you felt when Ethan was taken,” smiled Tatiana faintly to Zoë. “Only it had to be a hundred times worse for you. You actually liked Ethan.”

  Zoë put on her best smile, “Eh, it’s your father. You may have had your little arguments, but he is still family. Don’t worry; there are a lot of good people out there who train to handle things like this.”

  “And how many of them can be trusted?” asked Tatiana as she fought back the tears. “Every corner we turn we find another layer of subterfuge and lies!”

  “Just hold on, girl, we’ll figure something out,” mothered Gillian.

  Fifteen minutes later, structured chaos descended on the governor’s mansion as three light and two heavy Shukurae assault gunships descended with weapons in full display. As one of the heavy gunships started to land, the others started firing out a constant barrage of decoy flares along with smoke and tear gas grenades. They were making a mess, and they didn’t care. The gunship lowered its rear ramp and the armored car rolled neatly inside while the group from inside quickly ran the distance over to the loading ramp. As they ran, the other gunships hovering overhead started launching flash-bang grenades in a wide arc around the entire compound as well as an even thicker layer of teargas. The governor’s compound was going to be a complete and horrid mess and they didn’t care: they had their clients. As soon as the doors were closed, they were quickly shepherded to the restraints against the wall. Suddenly the gunships violated any remaining noise ordinances as they not only cranked their engines to full power, but also ignited a series of JATO bottles to accelerate their egress. There was a high probability that the rocket boosters were going to start the roof of the mansion on fire; that was someone else’s problem.

  “We have a 5km exclusion zone and a 3km kill zone,” remarked one of the Shukurae to Trevor.

  “At 2999 meters, kill them. Kill them all,” snarled Trevor.

  “You gave them nine more decimeters than Takru did,” replied the Shukurae with a toothy grin.

  The Van der Grauer complex was in complete lockdown when they arrived. Any spectators on the ground floor had been turned away and roadblocks had been set up at a three kilometer radius. Any news craft that even thought about turning their cameras that direction were met by high power strobe lights blinding their optics and a quick and gruff escort away. Takru made it clear: any pictures of the buildings, personnel, their movements, equipment or their locations that wasn’t stale by at least 36 hours was going to be viewed as reconnaissance as a prelude to actions against their client and would be dealt with accordingly.

  The lieutenant governor suddenly found himself in a rough position. He had the job by means of his own political aspirations, but ultimately he was a lackey to the governor that was routinely kept in the dark about all but the most basic of affairs. He was just str
ong enough to appear important, but malleable enough to be a puppet. Now the puppet had to pull his own strings, for better or worse.

  Edward caught the chatter back and forth between Trevor and Logan, advocating moving quickly against the corrupt cops and judges. While it would make things difficult, it would at least increase the trustworthiness of those the now acting governor would have to deal with. With no small amount of persuasion, Gillian convinced Trevor to set up his command post there at the hotel where they could easily keep tabs on what was going on. In less than half an hour, there was a command post set up across the hall from them, complete with a two meter radius holographic projector of the city beyond.

  “Is Takru coming here?” Gillian asked Edward.

  He shook his head, “They can communicate securely and quickly. This also makes sure that if anything catastrophic happens, someone in the know is still around.”

  That made Gillian cringe.

  Edward tried to smile, “Don’t worry about Trevor. He’s locked in here with Tatiana and this place is now quite a fortress.”

  Trevor approached them all with a stern look, “Okay, we are getting ready to go live in here. If you want to sit in, you are welcome to. However, try not to interfere. Gillian, you are responsible for the girls, understand? It may get tense for both of them.”

  Gillian nodded but seemed a little confused, “Zoë?”

  Zoë nodded nervously, “I’ll be fine. I hope.”

  They all piled into the room. Already present were Kadu and Tazo. Edward was a little surprised to see Kadu there; she still had an IV in her arm, but she was sticking to her chair, and it was her experience not her muscle that was being brought to bear tonight. On the far wall was a giant array of both flat and full news displays covering channels both local and across the colony to the far side of the planet. There were two other Shukurae there that Edward recognized, but didn’t know their names. That was embarrassing!