Ward

by C Bilici

  He smiled. “Afraid.”

  “I’m not—”

  “You should be. You’d be stupid if you weren’t. Most of us never get to see our loved ones again, let alone know they’re in danger.”

  Boots scraping on the stonework, she stood, and he followed as she walked to the beach.

  “So, how would you handle it?”

  “Me? I would probably jump in head first and knock myself out. I didn’t exactly get to where I am today for using my head, though.”

  “If I see you grab your crotch again we will have problems.”

  “If I’d been able to sleep my way to the top I’d be a Cardinal by now.” He tutted and shook his head. “My point was, though, that I’ve seen you in action a little.”

  “Were you spying on Jasper and me in the hospital?” She stopped as he lagged and came to a halt.

  “I’m serious. You kept your cool under pressure. Trust yourself. Most people would have stayed behind on Mhyrr, taken the easy route.” He looked her over. “Why didn’t you?”

  Her head shook. “What would be the point? They’ve got her in an induced coma so she can rest. And I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if I didn’t do something to try and find Paul.” Sand kicked up as her boots scuffed the pristine beach. She turned to face him and Arnoald was giving her a wry grin. “Son of a bitch, you’re distracting me to make me feel better?”

  “There you go talking about my mother again. A third time and I’ll have to take you home.”

  “You wish. You don’t even have your magic dick any more.”

  Mouth open, Arnoald’s hand fell on his chest. “I feel so violated right now.”

  “Yeah, you wish I would violate you.” She gave him a light punch on his upper arm. The solid flesh of his upper arm resisted in an impressive way and she felt her brow rise. “Thanks.”

  “No problem. But you should know, in my culture, that means we’re now engaged.” With a tender touch, he rubbed his arm.

  “And you should know, I don’t buy before I try.”

  Straight, white teeth glowed as his grin widened. “I’m OK with that.”

  “Good. I’ll get my extra big strap on when I visit home.”

  As she departed for the Nexus, his look of surprise became genuine.

  The giant roller-Amazon glared down at her before looking at the nails of one hand in disinterest.

  “You’ll keep,” Stacey said before moving on.

  The gloom of the shuttered room after the brightness of the Nexus was somewhat disorienting as she blinked the afterimage away.

  “Home sweet home.”

  The flat was like someone she knew but hadn’t seen since they’d hit a rough patch. Dishevelled items and furniture out of place the bad hair and old track-suit from the back of the cupboard. There was a funky smell to the place. She stepped into the kitchen and the odour from the bin hit her before she saw the open bag in it full to brimming.

  “Gee, thanks for cleaning up the place and eating me out of house and home, people.”

  Leaning her head back, she tied the mouth of the garbage bag and disappeared.

  “Here,” she yelled at her avatar. The bag rustled through the air as it sailed, crumpling as it hit the wheel of a giant skate. “Make yourself useful.”

  The avatar glowered down at her, lifted the roller-skate, and flattened the bag without looking at it.

  A can of scented deodorant in hand, she sprayed the bin and air in the kitchen thoroughly. “There, now it smells like a public toilet block. Much better.”

  The can rattled as she dropped it in the empty bin and left the room.

  Gaze sweeping around the living room, she chewed her lip. “What are we looking for exactly, Stacey?”

  After rifling through old magazines and DVD’s, she threw herself on her bed. The springs in the mattress creaked as she rose, rubbing her elbow. She prodded the object under the blankets before throwing them back. The annoyed look on her face melted to a smile.

  “Well, hello there.”

  After she had crawled across the bed and planted boots on the floor, she picked up the guitar like it was a holy object and rested it on her thigh, the stock pointing at the ceiling. Her arm fell around it in a caress, the other joining it as she pressed it to her body.

  Dropping it into place, she strummed.

  Her hands froze. She squeezed the plectrum she’d taken from the head as she rose, the neck of the guitar choked in one hand as she stormed to Jasper’s room.

  “So much for fucking Pussy Whipped Cream,” she said, slamming the lid of the guitar case down.

  There was nothing further to find here, only memories.

  Guitar case in hand, she re-entered the kitchen and opened all the cupboards until she found what she was looking for. She filled the container that was nowhere near where it was usually stored, grabbed up the guitar, and left.

  The stench of melted plastic and wet ash was stronger than she had expected, causing her nose to wrinkle. The grass where Justin had fallen seemed to be the only space untouched and as she remembered, apart from the blood and other parts. The synthetic turf was clean, probably hosed off.

  With a metallic scrape, Stacey unscrewed the hip flasks top, and raised it.

  “See you on the other side.”

  The cheap scotch burned her throat. She wiped her lips with the back of her hand, then poured a measure on the green plastic grass. Not bothering to stopper the flask, she left the blackened pile.

  The flask rose again, but this time she drank without word. She tilted the flask.

  “Waste not, want not.”

  Stacey’s hand stopped before any liquid could spill. Slow as she could, she turned her body to face the speaker.

  A young woman with long blond-brown hair as straight as a die stood there, smoking. The scent of the hand rolled cigarette was instantly recognisable. Despite the chill air, she wore a short dress with a loose cardigan which hung off one shoulder. On her feet were tightly laced above ankle boots the same brand as Stacey’s own.

  “Hey, Stace.” The girl spoke with calm familiarity, blowing smoke into the starry sky. “Long time no see.”

  Stacey looked at the girl suspiciously. “Charlie?” She let her head fall back. “Fuck me. Of course, you’re the other Mhyrr spy.”

  Charlie smiled wide. “Lunia, Ward information specialist, at your service.” She curtsied with a flourish of her dress. “You’re here for clues to the whereabouts of Paul, no doubt.”

  “Okay, A, what the fuck, and B, what the actual fuck? Was everyone else in my band but me an alien fish spy?”

  “No, Tammy wasn’t Mhyrr, poor lass. She may have made a decent Ward, though we’ll never know. Her name, incidentally, is close enough to a Mhyrr name. Tamarna. Moorna is Mhyrr for jasper, the mineral, in case you were wondering.”

  “Where the fuck have you been Charlie?”

  The girl sounded and look stoned, but that was normal for her. Charlie had always been random and eccentric, or so Stacey had thought. She was alien, but the question now was, just how alien?

  “Would it help,” Charlie said, eyes narrowed on Stacey, “if I said I wasn’t Umbra?”

  Stacey shook her head.

  “Tell me where the fuck you’ve been, Chuzza, then we’ll see.”

  “I could ask you the same question.”

  “Jasper was in deep shit, you know. Hunted by the Shadow Man, who has Paul by the way. Took his fucking eye out. Tammy and Justin are dead.”

  “And you know this, how?”

  The cigarette fell from Charlie’s fingers as the flask hit the concrete path leading to the shed in Tammy’s back yard. Stacey’s palm pointed at her friend, glowing.

  But Charlie was quicker.

  They stared each other down.

  “So, you’re a Ward now.”

  “I’d tell you to drop it, but—” Stacey shrugged. “You know how it goes.”

  “Likewise,” Charlie said.

  “So, tal
k.”

  Neither of them lowered their arms.

  “Jasper and I investigated independently.”

  “Divide and conquer?”

  “It’s not a strategy unique to Earth. I wasn’t able to make any positive identification of any traitors. I had no doubt there was a group of them operating out of the Enclave, but try as I might I couldn’t find any evidence. I left Jasper here to check in with the others. When I came back—”

  “Jas was gone.”

  “And everyone else along with her now, it seems.” Charlie gave Stacey one of her signature lazy smiles that belied her true intelligence.

  “Well, that might be because they’ve rejoined Moorna on Mhyrr after we discovered you. I’m sure Vaya would love to hear from you, especially after Haerys and Rafa turned out to be Umbra douche holes.”

  The smile slid from Charlie’s face. “You were on Mhyrr?”

  “Yeah. Jas is fine, by the way, thanks for asking.”

  Her eyes flitted about in thought as Charlie nodded slowly. “Seems like I’ve missed quite a bit. While I’ve been traipsing around Earth for a year, with nothing to show, you rooted out several on my home world in a matter of days.”

  If acting weird was an indicator of being Umbra, then that would have meant Charlie had been one from the day they’d met.

  “Well, I can’t take all the credit for that. Fenton, my…” Stacey’s hand waved in the air.

  “Master?”

  “I prefer handler, but whatever. He uncovered the traitors while I uncovered your partner, if you know what I mean.”

  A half smile crept across Charlie’s lips. “You don’t change a bit.” The glow from her palm cut as Charlie lowered her hand.

  “Oooh, trust me, I changed plenty after that experience.” She shook her hand, exhaling from her pursed lips. “Hoo, mama, those—”

  “Gills? Yeah.”

  Laughter replaced the tension in the air.

  “It’s good to see you, Chuzza. Really.”

  “Ditto, Stuzza. But I guess you’ll be testing me anyway?” Charlie nodded as Stacey gave her a one shouldered shrug. “I understand, believe me. Just let me know what I can do to help.”

  “You’re not going home?”

  Charlie’s grin said it all. “You know I couch surf.”

  Stacey held out her fist, and Charlie crossed the lawn to bump it. “I’m glad you’re sticking around.” She hoisted the guitar case and threw her arm over the girl’s shoulder. “Now all your eccentric shit makes sense. I thought you were just an ice-cold bitch.”

  “Oh I am, honey. I am.” She winked at Stacey.

  That was more like the Charlie that Stacey knew, although the rest of it was too, oddly enough.

  “So, you know anything that could help us find Paul?”

  “Sorry, Stace.” A sadness washed down Charlie’s face, starting in her eyes. “I came here looking for clues myself. So far I’ve got zip.” Charlie picked up the flask and shook it, a metallic slosh answering her question. She took a sip and handed it across

  With a grunt, Stacey finished it off and tossed it into the bushes. She turned on her heel to stare at the darkened shed. They hadn’t been the closest of friends, but Tammy’s death had hit her hard.

  “I was going to go to the morgue next,” Stacey said. “See if there was anything that Tammy’s body could tell me.”

  “That’s not a half-bad idea, actually.”

  “Do you know the way, or should we call an Uber?”

  Smirking, Charlie held out her hand. “Come on, Colombo.”

  The guitar case gave a muffled rattle as Stacey shook it. “Need to make a pit-stop first.”

  “Ahuh.” A hurt look crossed her face.

  “Just don’t get handsy with me. At least not without buying me a drink or five first.”

  “Please. You wish I would get handsy. Now, show me what you got.”

  Stacey took Charlie’s hand and jumped them to the Enclave core. She stashed the guitar in the beach hut given to her to use.

  “Love what you’ve done with the place,” Charlie said, looking around.

  “Where the hell have you been?”

  They both turned to the door. Fenton stood within it and glared.

  “Just the man I wanted to see,” Stacey said. “Charlie, meet Fenton.” The two eyed each other. “Please don’t start playing tonsil hockey in my presence, or, you know, at all.”

  “You’re Stacey’s master? I haven’t seen you around the Enclave before.”

  Stacey waggled her finger at Charlie. “That’s what she said. She being Jas.”

  Fenton’s eyes narrowed. “You’re the last Mhyrr agent. The one who didn’t return.”

  “Mea maxima culpa. In my defence, though, I wasn’t aware of those orders.”

  Though he nodded, it was obvious Fenton was suspicious of Charlie. And vice versa.

  “Chillax, people. We’ll scan her ass, both literally and figuratively, then get back to work.”

  “Speaking of.” Fenton turned his annoyed gaze on Stacey now, the heat in them rising. “What did you think you were doing?”

  “My job. Which, I might add, Despina had no issues with.”

  “Well, Despina doesn’t always have our individual safety in mind.”

  “Not to meddle in your affairs,” Charlie said, “but if Stacey’s Cardinal thought she could handle it, then she can.”

  “Neither of you knows Despina like I do.”

  “Maybe give me the chance to find out for myself.”

  “You’ll be dead before that.”

  A scoffing laugh escaped Stacey’s lips. “Yeah, ‘cause you’ve kept me so safe up until now. Look, let’s just agree to disagree. I’m a big girl. You going to help me clear Charlie or not? We’re going to go check out Tammy’s body for clues.”

  Despite that Fenton looked like he wanted to say so much more, he kept his mouth shut.

  “Follow me,” he snapped.

  He led them to a large room within the temple complex. One of the Mhyrr scanning devices sat atop a table. To Stacey, it looked like a Sci-Fi handheld barcode scanner. She picked it up and pointed it at Charlie.

  “Price check, aisle 3, one hot piece of ass.” Stacey pulled a trigger button and the machine let out a tirade of beeps in protest.

  “Let me see that,” Charlie said, holding out he hand.

  The scanner was taken from Stacey as she made to comply.

  “If you don’t mind, I’ll operate it.” Fenton stabbed at a screen atop the device.

  Charlie shrugged. “I’m priceless, anyway.”

  The process was repeated several times until Fenton begrudgingly cleared Charlie.

  “Satisfied, mein kommendant?” Fenton gave Stacey a curt nod.

  They disappeared from the room, only to return a short time later to find Fenton poring over the controls of the scanner.

  “That was quick,” he said. Then he saw their faces. “What is it?”

  “Tammy’s body. It’s fucking gone.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  SENSING AN APPROACH, Paul raised his head. They’d come back for more. He wasn’t sure he had any more to give them, long past breaking point. He would have collapsed and not gotten up again if it weren’t for the fact he was bound, the very air projecting living shackles that held him like iron.

  The man-thing smiled at him with that grin, part idiot, part madman, part genius. It was entirely unnerving to see and stirred something deep within Paul’s soul. Then there was his pet, always following at his heels.

  Tammy hung off the man-thing’s arm, smiling an entirely different smile. It spoke of lust. Lust for death, blood and sex. For power.

  “Please, Tammy. No more. Please.” He turned to the man-thing. “Haven’t you had enough?” Paul pleaded, feeling his eye quivering as fresh tears welled while the other— He didn’t even know what the other did anymore, imagining it as a gore encrusted pucker on his face.

  Tammy stared back into his e
ye, chuckling. She was wearing her infamous Goth inspired Japanese schoolgirl outfit.

  “No, my friend,” the man-thing spoke. “One last great performance. Then, and only then, will I be done with you. Then you will have truly given us your all.”

  Tammy straightened herself off the man-thing and walked forward in as lascivious a manner as she could, every motions and footfall carefully thought out and accentuated. Every show of a curved, pale thigh, sway of hips, and hooded eyes, everything was affected. Her clothing dissolved into her flesh as she approached — was her flesh. Her entire body was bereft of a single hair but for her head. Her change did not stop there, though.

  Her already white skin became an ashen death pallor, arms forming into tentacles. Her small breasts engorged, leaked blackness from nipples that grew into fat slugs, areola spreading and dimpling beneath the slithering things. Her legs lengthened to match his height and she pressed her now giant bosom against his chest, eye to eye. She draped those tentacle arms around him, the limbs stretching to encircle them both, locking her to him, pulling him tight against her.

  As her grip tightened, he could feel that black milk from her massive chest trickling down his chest and stomach and over his genitals, already raw from repeated use and abuse at her hands. He stiffened as he sensed the liquid turn to tendrils there, winding up and down the length of him, creeping over his balls and playing about between his legs.

  Then it was joined by one of her tenticular arms.

  It crept through the crevice of his buttocks, both appendages assisting each other as they spread his flesh. The other arm, meanwhile, hugged his neck, the tip inching up his chin to his lips.

  “Remember that Japanese cartoon tentacle porn we watched that time?”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  THE MEDICAL EXAMINER’S office was a taped off hot zone, quarantined as a bio-hazard site, not that it posed any obstacle to Stacey and Charlie. As they searched through the place, Charlie told Stacey about her call with Vaya.

  Things, it seemed, were much the same on the other worlds. Traitors had been discovered in the three remaining realms, but nothing to the extent of Cardinals. From all the evidence, it seemed the Umbra were concentrating their efforts on Mhyrr and Earth, perhaps their launch platform for whatever it was they were planning.