Edward

by Marcus LaGrone

  “Lt. Governor Staton is now acting governor and has mobilized the PDF—Planetary Defense Force to lock down the areas where the most violent gangs have been operating. It will take at least another four hours to get them all in place. The 1212th CSOG has volunteered their services, but honestly, they are more for blowing crap up. If we have a hot target, then they are a go.”

  Trevor suddenly got part of a feed over his ear bud and switched it to the overhead speakers, “Go ahead, Captain Tobias.”

  “We have traced his phone to the old ship dock areas at which point he was separated from it. More importantly, we just got a brief proof of life from the gang in question.”

  “And they are?”

  “Your room is not secure.”

  “I trust everyone in this room more than I trust you, but I think you just answered the question,” snarled Trevor.

  “Hands of Redemption. If she is a leak, it is your ass on the line, Trevor.”

  “If who is a leak?” asked Gillian.

  “Me,” replied Zoë. “That is the gang my father rides in.”

  There was an eerie calm in the room. Zoë just stared at the floor while everyone stared at her.

  “Let me be blunt,” asked Gillian. “Where do your loyalties lie?”

  Zoë looked up at her, square in the face, “With Edward, Tatiana, and Ethan. This whole stupid dirt ball can go up in flames for all I care. So long as those three are safe, I don’t care. I just don’t care.”

  “We are talking about your father here.”

  “We are talking about the nut job who pimped out my sister and got her ODed on drugs! The bastard ought to be rotting in prison some place!”

  “He would be rotting in prison some place, but my father found it convenient to have some unofficial muscle,” retorted Tatiana forcefully. “What are the odds that the weapons that the gang has, came from items my father’s lackeys managed to lose?”

  “You seem much more suspicious of your father than I would have anticipated,” observed Captain Tobias evenly.

  “I know him better than you do,” replied Tatiana coldly. “Zoë’s with me. Deal with it.”

  Zoë forced a smile and hugged Tatiana lightly.

  “Where is Ethan?” asked Edward suddenly.

  “He’s the blue blob on the display,” replied Trevor calmly. “Gunship number 2. Five minutes out from here.”

  Zoë smiled for the first time that evening, “Trevor, I could kiss you!”

  Trevor looked shocked, “Please don’t! Between Gillian and Edward I’d never live it down! Besides, it was Kadu that called the shot on that one.” Trevor shifted his tone and poise. “Okay, Captain, we’re tight on this end. Zoë is not leaving, and all electronics here are being monitored. But if you are still nervous, how about this: we’ll dump data to you and let you act on it as you see fit.”

  “That seems like a good fit, indeed. We could start with what all Zoë knows about the current state of affairs of the group.”

  Trevor nodded to Zoë, “You up for it?”

  Zoë nodded and moved her chair closer to the display and intercom system. “Well first of all, the state’s evidence my brother gave years ago should have been 117 pages. If you don’t have all 117 pages, someone on your end is a rat fink.”

  “We have twelve pages of your brother’s testimony…”

  Tatiana laughed, “And you complained about Zoë being a problem leak? Clean your own fur!”

  “We have recently been made aware of our own internal problems. I guess I do owe you an apology, Ms. Sylva,” replied the Captain.

  “Darn right you do. Oh, by the way. Hantenwiskers Bank, downtown branch, safety deposit box 212427 has a copy of the report. If you have anybody you can trust to go by and pick it up.”

  Edward cringed, and grinned. That was a little rude, but well played.

  “The Illustrious Order of the Silver Hands of Redemption. They are a quasi-religious motorcycle gang. They make money the old fashioned way: run guns, drugs, extortion, prostitution. Just like the federal government only they don’t wear ties,” began Zoë with a sarcastic grin.

  “And they have cooler rides,” interjected Tatiana.

  Edward tried not to giggle. He couldn’t tell how much of it was that Tatiana was mad at her father and how much of it was that she was supporting Zoë. Either way it was fun to watch.

  “There is the so-called ‘Rector.’ He is the leader. He runs the whole show from top to bottom. His word is law. The only catch is there are four Deacons. At the end of every year, the Deacons evaluate the Rector and decide if he stays or goes. If he goes, it isn’t pretty. My father is one of the Deacons. Lucky me. There are eight tribes. They each operate independently from each other and each tribe is unique in how it is organized and how it chooses its leadership. Each tribe is responsible for providing two thugs for each of the Deacons and their best-of-the-best-brawler to the Rector himself. The Deacons are not supposed to show favoritism to any one tribe, and usually don’t. They usually treat them all like crap. The tribes are fiercely loyal in that whole religious sort of way, quite scary. But they aren’t bold enough to have attacked the governor on their own. It is almost a given that the Rector would have told them to.”

  “What’s to prevent the Deacons from disappearing, as it were?” asked Trevor.

  “Ah, good question. The Deacons have to vote that the Rector stays. A missing vote is a ‘no’ vote. If there are no Deacons there can be no ‘yes’ vote and the Rector is torn limb from limb. Actually that has never happened historically, but you get the idea.”

  “Quasi-religious; so what’s their thing?” asked Trevor.

  Zoë had to think a bit on that one, “You know, it’s more than a little messed up. Father always said I kept letting rational thought get in the way of enlightenment. From a political agenda they were ‘working class will inherit the land from rich non-pious’. Sort of ‘the land will swell up and reclaim her due’ and may or may not include ‘in a ball of fire.’”

  “So, would you classify them as a doomsday cult?” asked Captain Tobias plainly. “We have conflicting interpretations.”

  Zoë nodded, “The reason you have conflicting interpretations is different tribes view it different ways. Some of the tribes are doom and gloom while others are ‘out of the darkness, is life.’ There is a tribe for any flavor of idiot you want. Oh, my bad, ‘righteous believer.’”

  “I’m cool with ‘idiot’ at this point,” offered Trevor with a broad grin. “Is there rivalry between the various tribes?”

  “Always. That is how he keeps them in line. But whenever there is a ‘calling,’ they all snap into neat little lines… at least until the drugs and alcohol wear thin. If they are all blockaded down by the old docks, in about five days you could drive a beer truck by them and they would all follow like the pied piper.”

  “Interesting observation, but I doubt we have five days,” mused Trevor.

  “That help for now?”

  “That explains some of our confusion about the gang. We’ll call back after we have retrieved and read the copy of her brother’s report,” replied Captain Tobias.

  “Understood. Out.”

  Everyone let out a sigh of relief.

  “You are aware that harm may very well come to your father, Zoë,” said a fatherly Trevor.

  Zoë closed her eyes and nodded, “It’s been a long time coming. But it’s due. Besides, I thought we were going to be calling you and Gillian ‘Mom and Dad.’”

  Gillian and Trevor both beamed at that.

  “Ethan is at the door; you might want to go let him in,” replied Trevor.

  36

  Edward sat next to Tatiana as they watched Ethan and Zoë gab over dinner.

  “You really put on a brave face in there. Zoë really needed it. Thank you,” whispered Edward as he kissed her on the forehead.

  “I don’t know how much of a façade that was. I was raised by my mother; my father just happened to be in the sam
e building, occasionally. When he wasn’t chasing another skirt.”

  “Ouch!”

  “Yeah, the thought that I had a sibling didn’t strike me as that far-fetched.”

  “You don’t hold that against Gillian, do you? I mean, I heard she and your father had a thing for a bit.”

  Tatiana laughed, “Never! Not in a million years. I love Gillian dearly. She showed up well after my mother had died. I had hoped dad was going to marry her. I’m glad she didn’t; it turns out she found a better man. I’m going to get a father out of this yet!” Tatiana sat in silence for a bit, “If that had been Gillian who had been kidnapped, then I would have been a nervous wreck. Now, I’m just nervous.”

  “Just stay close, and everything will be fine.”

  Tatiana smiled and motioned to Zoë, “You catch that about her sister? No wonder she is upset at her dad. Did you know about that?”

  “She had told me about the drug overdose part.”

  “Ick… Enough of that, I have something to talk to all of you about. Come on!” Tatiana got up and beckoned Edward over to the table with Zoë and Ethan. “Gillian, can you join us please? I’d like to talk about something unrelated.”

  Gillian smiled as she sat down, “Something unrelated sounds good. What’s up?”

  Suddenly Zoë frowned, “Crap, another reason to shave my father and paint him blue: they spoiled your date with Trevor!”

  Gillian laughed, “I was well aware of the risks, don’t worry. I’m certain he’ll make it up to me. Now what is on your mind, Tatiana?”

  “I’ve been debating the pros and cons of being a studio artist rather than a performing artist,” Tatiana announced plainly.

  “Whoa, that’s a big change. On the down side, fewer fans…”

  “That might be a plus!” interjected Tatiana. That got a laugh.

  Gillian smiled and continued, “The pay is about a fourth. On the plus side, the hours are much more sane and the stress is about one tenth! What brings this up?” Gillian had a broad grin; she had a good guess.

  “Well, after meeting Ivy and her family, I was thinking… not right away of course… I want kids.”

  In the back of Edward’s mind he had to have known that was coming at some point. That didn’t mean he was any more prepared for it. That was obvious to all as his fur cycled in color in seemingly random patterns.

  “Breathe, Edward,” admonished Gillian. “Don’t swift over something like this.”

  Zoë smiled and stared at them both while Edward slowly and deliberately started breathing again.

  “How’s this for a plan: we hang around here until Zoë finishes college and then we play it by ear, as it were,” offered Tatiana.

  “You sure you still want me around?” asked Zoë.

  “Wouldn’t trade you for the world,” beamed Tatiana.

  37

  Morning sky was a beautiful red glow. Bad for sailors, went the rhyme, but Edward wasn’t a sailor. But something was ruffling his fur. Maybe he should ‘be warned.’ He kissed the still sleeping Zoë and Tatiana and made his way to the command room across the hall.

  “You look terrible, Trevor!” remarked Edward as he entered.

  “Glad to see you too! This is what happens when morons keep you up past your bedtime…”

  “Did you get any sleep last night?”

  “About two hours… going to crash again here in a bit. Kadu is holding this station when I’m out cold, for the record.”

  “Figured as much.” Edward looked Trevor up and down; there was more going on than lack of sleep. “What’s got your tail in a knot?”

  Trevor smiled, “Too tired to bluff, eh? Tobias wasn’t telling us everything that went down last night. Our own connections, and um…”

  “Spies?”

  “That’s gauche! But close enough! Anyway, what struck you odd last night?”

  “Doomsday cult or not.”

  “Comb his fur and send him home! Excellent!”

  “Okay, that is all nice and good, but why are they worried?”

  Trevor cued the map of the city and brought up the hijacking in replay. “Well, as the hijacking was happening here, there was also a theft at the PDFs arsenal in the adjacent prefecture.”

  “Oh, that is a crap way to start. Was the hijacking and kidnapping just a cover then?”

  “Nope.”

  “’Nope…’ I hate you, Trevor. What was it for then?”

  Trevor blinked, “Oh sorry, didn’t mean to be pithy. I’m just tired. Four Korsovar implosive warheads have gone missing.”

  “'And the land reclaim her due in a ball of fire,'” echoed Edward. “I mean, seriously, those things have a lot of safeties.”

  “You mean like the authorization codes…”

  Suddenly Edward understood, “That only the head of the PDF and the Governor would know. They didn’t kidnap him for political reasons, they kidnapped him for those control codes!”

  Trevor nodded with a feeble grin, “Yep. On the plus side, they can’t get those things close enough to the nest to use them against us without us being able to detect and evacuate in time. The downside is, if they set one off in downtown…”

  “They can kill a couple of hundred thousand people.”

  “At the very least…”

  Edward looked at Trevor, sleepy or not there was a plan brewing in his head. “I’m not going to like what you are thinking, am I?”

  Trevor smirked and laughed, “It only matters if one, they ask for help and, two, all parties on this side volunteer.”

  “So, it is hurry up and wait.”

  “Not exactly. There is always room for you to practice.”

  “Practice what?”

  Trevor smiled, “Have you ever tried to fold Live Steel of something mechanically complicated, like a submachine gun?”

  “Oh, heck! That is a pain in the tail! Trying to keep it focused in your mind!”

  “Your brothers seemed to have little problems doing it…”

  “My brothers can walk on water! I mean seriously! Their tails won’t even get wet!”

  “Is that a no?”

  Edward sighed, “Okay, I assume this is because of taking someone in under cover.”

  “Yep. Do you think you can do it? I mean like this morning?”

  Edward bit his lip. There was hard, there was impossible, and then there was just darn annoying and having to try harder. “I think I can. It’s going to suck.”

  “Cascade implosive Korsovar chain reactions suck…”

  “I can do it,” replied Edward firmly.

  “Good. I’ll see if you’re coherent at noon, and then we’ll try for the bigger project…”

  “And that is?”

  “A secret… go practice… I need sleeeeeeep.”

  38

  Noon came and Edward was exhausted. He finally had it down; he could make a standard submachine gun come and go at will in the normal cascade of blue sparks that was Live Steel. With some concentration he could produce an almost endless number of magazines to go with it. He couldn’t do it like his brothers. They could basically fire the weapons without ever having to fold them all the way into existence. They hardly ever did that. They both thought ranged weapons were too impersonal; you should have to look into the face of the person you killed. Right Hand of Kali. That was what Llewellyn had been called on several planets. When you walk down a street and just strike down everyone and everything dead in your path, it does tend to leave an impression. Not one that Llewellyn ever wanted to think about ever again. Edward was starting to understand more and more his brother’s concerns and apprehensions, but first things first: lunch, Zoë and Tatiana.

  Edward devoured lunch while Zoë and Tatiana looked on nervously.

  “Are you okay?” asked Zoë.

  “I’ve been working out with Live Steel all morning,” he replied evenly.

  “Okay, so something weird went down last night,” ventured Tatiana.

  “More of, they left out so
me details that are distressing,” he offered.

  “Kadu said she wanted me to come by and play ‘what if,’ providing I had a strong stomach,” ventured Zoë. “Do you know what that is about?”

  “Yes,” he replied with a deep sigh. “My understanding is they are going to want you to guess where they may try to do a terrorist type strike that would be consistent with what they view as targets considering their religious background. If you don’t have the stomach for it, just tell her.”

  “They have more planned?” asked Zoë exasperated.

  “Trevor fears so. We don’t know it for a fact, but he likes to be prepared.”

  “Will you come with me?” Zoë asked Tatiana.

  “I doubt I will be of any help, but if you need the moral support, sure thing!” she replied spiritedly.

  They turned their attention to happier thoughts for the rest of lunch, and then Edward went and had a long shower. As he was getting dressed again, there came a knock at the door.

  “Be there in a second!”

  He opened the door to find a much more awake, and freshly showered himself, Trevor. “You ready for a rough afternoon?”

  “Ugh. They ask for help yet?”

  “Nope, more training. Follow me.”

  Edward finished straightening himself out and then followed him out of the room and down the far hall to a new room. Edward’s heart fluttered as he looked inside. “Trevor, I officially hate, hate you.”

  “Yeah, I know. Practice. See if you can learn how to fold that. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”

  It was an extended family dinner; Gillian, Trevor, Kadu, Tazo, Edward, Tatiana, Zoë, and Ethan all sat down together for dinner. It was solemn and everyone was tired: mentally, physically and emotionally.

  “Are you okay, Zoë?” asked Ethan as he picked at his food.

  “I sat down and played, ‘who would dad kill’ all afternoon. Kinda unsettling at the very least,” replied Zoë evenly.

  “Ethan,” interrupted Gillian, “Trevor and I have been talking, not that it would be a big difference really from day to day…”