Jagged Edge

by Dennis Young

  The chrono announced “0640 Hours.”

  Who the fuck is calling this early? She pried one eye open and read the message. Mac? What the hell?

  Need to talk. Trouble in Paradise. Mac.

  Talice’s trigger phrase had been adopted by the team. “Trouble in Paradise” meant “It’s worse.”

  She sat up and typed out an acknowledgement, then headed for the bath. Standing under a hot shower roused her, and she considered. Mission stuff? No, that’s just business to Mac. Team problems? Geez, I hope not. Fawkes? Talice slumped slightly as her mind continued to clear. Her legs. Gotta be her new legs. Dammit.

  She toweled dry quickly, then typed out another message. Frank’s Diner, 0900. Breakfast, then talk. Talice.

  She slapped on a patch of C-12Plus, dressed, and headed out the door, then stopped at the lift, thinking. Mac deserves her legs. The Corps has kept me alive this long, so they can sure as hell grow her legs right. Maybe I can talk to Babs…

  She considered as the lift descended. She exited, found the streets crowded with ground traffic and the walkways elbow-to-elbow. She did the sashaying dance learned in big cities, while contemplating her newly-found dark thoughts. She nearly walked past the diner entrance, hung a hard left, and joined Mac, already at a corner table.

  They hugged briefly. Mac slid a Bloody Mary in front of Talice.

  “That bad, huh?” Talice grinned before sipping. The drink was spicy with a peppered rim and woke her taste buds with a jolt. “Oooohhh, yeeeaaahhh.”

  “To dreams, crushed once more.” Mac raised her glass, then downed half her drink.

  “Geez, Mac, not again.”

  Mac nodded. “Just got the word this morning. DNA culture was tainted. Eight months of growth, down the drain. Literally.” She took another long pull from her glass, nearly emptying it. “And that’s after two tries earlier after my discharge. They’re… concerned. Sometimes, the system just doesn’t work.”

  “Look…” Talice laid a hand on Mac’s. “Fawkes wants us in his office at 1400 Hours today. Let’s go early and talk to Babs. Maybe she can pull some strings.”

  “She can pull all the strings she wants. Still gonna take another year at least.”

  Talice nodded. “And in the meantime, we’ll have work, and it will go by faster than you think. That’s what the meeting is about. He’s checking the names we got from Scarbach, but he’s got other opportunities going too. And he’s looking to see if we can use the old training facility.”

  Mac thought, then nodded reluctantly. “I could move into the barracks. Save a bit of creditmarks and keep me busy.”

  “Yeah, you’re pretty good at the Mother Hen stuff.”

  Mac gave Talice a look. “Still… another year.”

  “What the hell, you’re still young. For an old lady, that is.” Talice grinned again.

  “I’ll be fifty in a couple of years. And I’m still thinking about a family.”

  “I read about a sixty-year-old woman who had kids.”

  “…Point taken. Still…”

  Talice shook her head. “No ‘still’ about it. You’ve always told me if something’s important, you’ll find a way to make it happen. C’mon, Mac, where’s that drill instructor stuff gone?”

  Mac got the server’s attention and ordered two more drinks. “So now you’re giving me orders again, Captain?”

  “I want you in this life just as much as you said you wanted me. We’re a team. Doesn’t work any other way.”

  Drinks were set before them. Mac nodded thanks to the server, then raised her glass. “Okay, Captain, keep giving orders, and I’ll carry them out. Now, let’s eat, then go talk to Babs. I want to hear if she can work miracles with paper-pushers like she’s done with your bugs.”

  * * *

  Northland Marine Base…

  Talice and Mac entered the Officers’ Station early. Babs was out of the clinic on a short leave and not expected back for three days.

  “I’ll send her a commtext,” said Talice. “She won’t mind and can probably give us a name of a good paper-pusher.”

  Mac nodded. “So we’re here to what, get a briefing? Any idea what else the colonel has in mind?”

  “We need to get back into training. That’s the main thing I told him.”

  The orderly stood as they came to his desk. “Follow me, ladies.”

  Fawkes was in his office, perusing his SLATE as the door opened. He nodded to chairs, then took his own as Talice and Mac sat. “Just in time. I have a job for you.”

  “Music to our ears,” said Talice, then smiled. “Off planet, I assume.”

  “Back to Crius, your favorite place.”

  “I thought the Marines flattened the pirates’ HQ pretty thoroughly,” said Mac.

  Fawkes nodded. “And now Nemesis has moved in. Basically, we did them a favor, clearing out the competition.”

  Talice exchanged looks with Mac. “Details?”

  “Still gathering intel, but I’ll have something in the next ten to fifteen days. In the meantime…” He passed Talice a heavy envelope. “That’s your clearance to inspect and evaluate the old training facility for occupancy. I need that back within three days. Assuming everything is clear, you can move the team in at your convenience. The rulebook is in there for official use, but I’m sure you know the drill.”

  “Thank you, Colonel,” said Talice quietly. “This means a lot to us. Having a chance to get back closer to the Corps will give everyone a lift.”

  “I know it’s been hard, with no real work. I’ll be honest… the pasting we gave Nemesis on Eos set them back a bit, but as I told you, I’m surprised they’ve bounced back this soon.”

  “Tells me they’re stronger and better managed than we thought,” said Mac. “And dispersed wider, too, if they’re on Crius this quickly.”

  “We think that was already in the works. Eos is a planet with greater opportunities, more population to exploit, even if it’s more secure than Crius. It took more than a year for Gorg Evans to infiltrate and get the info we needed. That, and your team pulling him out in one piece. Crius gave them a fallback after we took out the local bandits, but there’s little profit where there’s nothing to plunder. So we’ve got to hit them again while they’re still licking their wounds.”

  “Timeframe?” asked Talice, the envelope resting in her lap.

  “Once we have the intel, I’ll know more. Now…” Fawkes picked up the paper Talice had given him the day before. “About these names…”

  Talice and Mac waited, watching Fawkes mull his words.

  “I’m not going to ask you where you got them, but I have a pretty good idea. So we looked into their civilian records and found a few things. Are you aware they both have legitimate businesses in Fourth Sector? And one of them is part-owner in that place you frequent?”

  “The Bloody Tavern?” Talice was aghast.

  “They’re also silent partners in legal bordellos there. Anchor Prime in its early days allowed such, and several of the places have been grandfathered into the laws.”

  “That’s…” Mac shook her head. “We’re listening, Colonel.”

  “The local authorities have been trying for years… decades really, to find a way to shut these places down. If they can nail one or two, they might get the laws changed.”

  Talice shrugged. “So what’s stopping them from investigating?”

  Fawkes drank from his cup before continuing. “Both names are on the city Board of Commissioners. Any hint of illegality would cause serious issues in city politics.”

  “Fuck politics!” Talice blushed. “Sorry, sir, but lives may be at stake here!”

  “Is there any chance Nemesis is involved as well, Colonel?” asked Mac.

  “We haven’t dug that far, but believe me, we will.”

  “I don’t understand,” said Talice. “These guys may have blood on their hands. Hostage blood, or at least blood of women who are probably being mistreated and forced into working in the sex tra
de.”

  “Do you know the average income of many of these women?” Fawkes sat back and shook his head. “Dancers make more than a Marine Captain, mostly untraceable, in what they call ‘gratuities’. A licensed masseuse, even the ones in the middle of Anchor Prime, double. The women, and in a few cases men, who actually work the sex part can triple that easily.” He blew a breath. “It’s legal. It’s licensed, and they are required by law to have doctors evaluate anyone involved in sexual activity twice a year.”

  Talice shrugged with her hands. “So what do we do? If the names are untouchable, what options do we have?”

  “For the moment, none,” replied Fawkes. “In the meantime, get your team into the training facility, let me know what you need to refurbish it to your liking, and polish your craft. By the time you can hit a bull in the ass with a banjo again, I should have some intel about Crius.”

  Fawkes chuckled as Talice and Mac nearly laughed out loud.

  Talice declined to ask what a banjo was.

  * * *

  Homeward Bound…

  Talice and Mac said little during the metrolink ride back into Anchor Prime. They exited halfway between their apartments and found a cafe niche, ordered tea and munchies, and watched the world go by for a bit.

  “Okay, so we’re back to work soon.” Mac sipped, waiting.

  Talice looked away for a moment. “There’s more. Stuff the colonel didn’t tell you, that I’m supposed to pass along.”

  Mac’s eyebrow rose. “Now comes the bad news, right?”

  “… Jance is back in town.”

  Mac set her cup away. “Well, I shouldn’t be surprised, but I really am. If he knows, why hasn’t she been arrested?”

  Talice shrugged. “She’s not a criminal on Theia, but yeah, I wondered the same thing. Mac, she’s seriously scary, and more than capable. I think she’s been watching me.”

  Mac nodded. “Alright, I’ve been duly warned. You need to let the team know, too.”

  “I’m headed to see my folks for a few days. Can you take care of it? And let them know we’ll be back in training soon?” She met Mac’s eyes. “Look… this is gonna be difficult for us, this sex trafficking thing. Nemesis on Crius, that’s known territory. Getting shot at is easy compared to what’s in store for the team otherwise.”

  “One step at a time, Princess. Don’t over-think this, at least not yet.”

  “We’re rusty, Mac. That little situation you put us in was a wakeup call. The team needs to think about this as individuals before we take it on. Nemesis on Eos was tough. This could be worse, and we’d better have our minds set before we accept.”

  “I agree. Yes, I’ll let everyone know about Jance.” Mac gave her a hard look. “And you get your head on straight too. You’re letting the worries get to you.”

  Talice nodded slowly. “I need to get going. I’ll send you a message tomorrow, but don’t look for me back in town before two or three days. I’ll take the colonel’s info with me to study on the trip.”

  Talice paid the bill and gave Mac a quick hug. “Gotta go pack. See you soon.” Then she was out the door.

  She hit the walkway quickly, setting a brisk pace for a few blocks. She slowed, then eased to the side of a shop. She looked around.

  Dammit. Those eyes again. I can feel ’em on me. And she knows I can’t do a fucking thing about it here.

  She stepped to the side of the street, hailed a groundcar taxi, and got in.

  “Destination, please.” The auto-driver’s voice was far too cheery for Talice.

  “Anywhere. South. Just drive until I tell you to turn around.”

  The car moved away slowly. Talice wanted to look back, but kept her gaze to the front.

  I’m gonna feel her eyes on me until I can do something about it. And she knows it. She’s laughing right now, I can tell. Damn her anyway…

  * * *

  The trip into the mountains north of Anchor Prime was a three-hour hop by air transport, then another two by groundcar. After hugs and smiles around, and a tear or two from Mom, they settled quickly into the familiar routine of dinner at the table and talk.

  Mom was working on her Master’s in Computer Sciences and thinking about another year of Business Strategy. Talice knew Mom would be a student forever, while working from home on the side, doing net security and high-tech anti-hacking for the military. “All very hush-hush,” Dad had said, as Mom beamed.

  They sat together in the study, just bringing each other up to date on family matters, neighbors, local politics, and of course, the coming winter season. Dad had installed a full weather shield over the property, and Mom had programmed the system to allow rain in when necessary, or sunshine when wanted. Otherwise, the shield diffused the light of Laberos during midday, and was full-transparent morning and evening.

  Night came, and Mom retreated to her lessons, while Talice and Dad sat once more in the porch swing. Just like old times.

  “The team is bored silly. Mac’s new legs are gonna go back to square one. I’m bored, too.” Talice sipped her single malt scotch and sighed. “Wish we were back in the Corps.”

  Dad, being a thirty-year man and having retired as a full colonel, nodded in understanding. “But you’ve got work coming, right? Otherwise, you can move back home and start taking over running the place.” He grinned as Talice shrugged.

  “That’s the problem. When we don’t have work, we really don’t have much to do. Moving into the old training facility will help. Make us feel more like we’re still Marines.”

  “We are Marines, Talice. Always will be. But there’s more, and it’s probably time we talked about it.” Dad took a long drink from his coffee mug.

  Talice straightened to listen. When Dad spoke in “that” voice, it was important.

  “You have a dirty job.”

  Talice huffed a breath. “Tell me about it. Sometimes I really don’t understand it, but if I think too deeply, I… I almost get sick.”

  Dad nodded. “That’s exactly what I mean. You kill for a living. Yes, you track down criminals and traitors and people who do horrible things to other people for the sake of money. But that doesn’t alter the fact of your chosen profession.”

  “It chose me, Dad. You know what I really wanted to be.”

  “And circumstance took that away from you.” He held his hand before Talice could reply. “No, you’ve never complained, at least no more than you had a right to. So you stayed the course and did the only thing you knew how to do. Being Special-Ops in the Corps prepared you for this, and that’s a major plus. As you’ve found out, there are mercs who have no idea what that means.”

  “Some sloppy wannabes out there, that’s for sure.”

  Dad drank again waiting for Talice to continue. She took a long pull from her glass. Damn. I really didn’t want to think about this tonight, but maybe he’s right. Maybe that’s part of the problem. Maybe I’m… ashamed a little bit.

  Talice looked him in the eye. “Was it like that for you? When you were off Theia fighting? We never really talked about it much, and I understand better now why.”

  Dad nodded slowly. “I’ve waited this long because I wanted to see if you were really committed to this. You know what the definition of adventure is, don’t you?”

  Talice smiled a bit and shook her head.

  “Someone else a million miles away, having a really tough time.”

  They laughed together.

  “Yeah, the team’s had some adventures, that’s for sure.”

  Dad continued. “There will come a time when you won’t know if you can do it anymore. And if you stop, you’ll find yourself searching for something to fill that void. Most of us… most Special-Ops, don’t find it. The adrenalin rush has left a very big mark on us, physically, emotionally, spiritually. Nothing you’ll ever do will be like it. Risking your life on a daily basis changes you completely. Everything else is just… dull. And you already know the very special hell of desk work.

  “And I’ll
be truthful with you, Princess. The only things that kept me going when I got back was you and your mother. I don’t know what I would have done without you. You saved me.”

  Talice was nearly shaking. Dad had never talked to her like this. Never this frankly, this openly, this… scarily. She took another drink, thinking of what to say. “Dad… I can’t imagine my life without your guidance. You helped me achieve my dream. Yeah, it was taken from me, but sometimes that’s a blessing. Maybe I’m stronger and better for it. I hope so.”

  “‘What does not kill us’…”

  “I know that one, too.” Talice grinned and raised her glass. “Love you, Dad. Thank you for everything.”

  They touched rims and drank. Talice felt a teardrop descend into her glass and drank that, too. Swallow your tears. Good advice.

  * * *

  Talice stayed three days, and headed home on the fourth. She hugged Mom tightly and whispered in her ear. “Take care of Dad and yourself. Because I need you both in my life more than ever now.”

  Mom gave her a look with a twinkle in her eye and nodded. She understands, thought Talice. She’s been waiting for Dad and me to have that talk. No telling how long. And she knew all the time it would eventually happen. Where the hell would I be without these people? Probably long dead…

  She didn’t head back to her apartment immediately. Instead, she walked the city streets until twilight, when the wind picked up and a storm blew in. She took shelter in a pastry shop and checked her wristcom messages, then toyed with the notebook she’d gotten into the habit of carrying, jotting down ideas for the training facility and other things.

  Her wristcom buzzed. Back in town yet? I’m hungry and need some company. Mac.

  Talice smiled. Another person I couldn’t do without.

  She typed out a quick reply. Sitting in a boring coffee shop being bored. See how those go together? Dinner sounds good. Talice.

  Mac sent back a reply with a recommendation. In half an hour, they were sitting together again in a midtown Thai place Talice didn’t even know was there.

  “Opened late last year. Good stuff. Burn-your-eyeballs-out spicy.” They sipped Tom Yum soup with shrimp and cilantro and mushrooms and lemongrass, in a hot-as-hades broth.