Jagged Edge

by Dennis Young

  “Which reminds me, you still owe me a report on that operation.”

  She shrugged. “Yeah, well, I’ve been busy consorting with the enemy.”

  Fawkes grinned and Talice shrugged. “Get me that in the next twenty-four hours. The top brass is asking questions.”

  “I thought you were part of the top brass… sir. Hell, just tell them we did the job and to take the rest of the day off.”

  They shared a quiet laugh for a moment. Then their eyes met again, this time with more feeling.

  “I miss dinner and dancing with you,” said Fawkes.

  Talice shrugged again. “I’ve been out of town a lot lately.”

  Their eyes stayed locked. “I have tomorrow evening free. The Running Foxxe is still pretty good, I hear,” he said.

  “Won’t your girlfriend be jealous, you seen with another woman.” Talice motioned to her rather haggard look this morning. “Or would this be considered a sympathy case?”

  Fawkes held his peace, then shook his head. “I don’t have… there are no other women in my life, Talice.”

  Wow, that’s pretty serious sounding… She gave him a look with a touch of reminiscence. “Didn’t we have a conversation similar to this about a year ago? I… I don’t know…”

  “You’re in town now, right?”

  “For a couple more days, yes.” She looked away and sighed in resignation. Damn hormones.

  She raised her face and smiled demurely. “Why don’t you call me sometime?”

  * * *

  Anchor Prime…

  The ride into the city was not as angst-filled as the one before. Talice sent a note to Mac, asking her to meet at Ginny Sue’s for brunch. She entered just as Mac arrived.

  They found a table at the window and watched the boats as drinks were served. Talice downed half a glass of water, then sipped her Bloody Mary. She licked the peppered rim and grinned salaciously.

  Mac watched with interest, noting a flush of Talice’s face. “You look… better.”

  “Long talk with a mutual friend of ours. I’ll fill you in later. Right now, I want to talk about legs.”

  “Yours or mine?” They touched rims, then made their way through the buffet line, returned to the table, and began to eat.

  “Geez, I just realized, I haven’t had a meal since yesterday.” Talice cleaned her plate and rose, heading back for seconds.

  Mac watched her carefully as she returned. “Alright, what about legs? Mine, then yours.”

  Talice put down her fork at last. “Mac, it’s been five years. What the hell?”

  Mac took a few bites in silence, then set away her plate. “The DNA tests are still coming up skewed. They don’t know what’s wrong. They can grow the clones to about halfway, then they just… die. They’re looking deeper into my ancestry, see if there’s something they missed.”

  “Duh! I love it when doctors look for ‘something they missed’. Fucking excuses.”

  Mac shrugged. “It’s okay… for now. They asked me to start considering prosthetics. The new ones have full nerve feedback.”

  “So you can get an itchy toe?” Talice’s humor fell flat. She showed sad eyes to Mac. “What can I do to help?”

  “Where’s that magic wand of yours?”

  “I broke the hell out of it when it couldn’t get rid of these damn bugs.”

  Mac shook her head, smiling. “So it’s you with your bugs and me with my hoverchair.”

  “We make a damn good couple, you know?” Talice returned the smile warmly.

  Talice picked up her fork as Mac toyed with her drinking glass. “Now… what about your legs?”

  “My legs are just fine. It’s my knees I seem to be battling with.”

  Mac furrowed her brow.

  “I keep wanting to open them.”

  Mac set down her drink. “Well, we haven’t heard this for a long time.”

  “Yeah…” Talice put her fork down again and motioned for the server to clear the table. “We need to take a walk down by the park. I know a cozy bench facing the harbor where no one can hear us whispering our dirty little secrets.”

  “Ooooh, lead on.” Mac backed away from the table as Talice cleared the billing. They headed out, and in twenty minutes were side by side under a great tree, watching the boats once more.

  “I saw Jance last night.”

  Mac turned, studying Talice. “You’re still alive. So she’s dead, right?”

  “Mac, Babs is a hostage on Crius. Jance is trying to get her and all the others out, but doesn’t have the firepower, or manpower, for that matter. I made a deal.”

  Mac stared out into the harbor for a long while. “Well… you’ve had an interesting time since we got back.”

  “Don’t sound so cold. This is business. And I’ve talked to Fawkes already. He’s… resigned to the fact we’re going to have to do it this way. He feels a bit responsible, since he talked Babs in to staying at the infirmary. Jance can get us in. But the deal is, everyone comes out. And my guess is, after thinking about this, she wants something besides a bigger bank account.”

  “Like what?”

  Talice leaned forward, elbows on her knees. “She wants her record cleared. No more red.”

  “A clean record and creditmarks, too. What a deal.”

  “Dammit, Mac, we were going in anyway. This is the second part of the bigger mission, you know that. But we didn’t… we didn’t know Babs was a captive. I just hope she’s still alive.”

  Mac laid a hand on Talice’s quivering arm. “Babs is smart, and tough. Hell, she’s probably got the whole thing organized.”

  Talice looked up. “Yeah… but there are things you don’t know about Babs. Personal stuff.”

  Mac shrugged and shook her head.

  Talice continued. “Babs likes women. As partners. She had a rough past when she was young. Incest. Gang-raped. She almost killed herself more than once. I think maybe getting into medicine helped her overcome those memories and treatment.”

  “And you know this how?”

  Talice waved a hand. “Comments during our exams. Little things. I asked her once. She almost broke down and cried. You and I know it doesn’t matter to me, or just about anyone. No one on Theia cares what you do in your own bedroom. But Babs is pretty and blonde and kind of flirty. At least she was with me. A man would just… hell, they’d probably kill her if they knew.”

  Talice laid her head in her hands. “Babs is sweet, and kind, and has the best bedside manner I’ve ever seen. She cares about people, Mac, the way… the way doctors did in the Last Wars on Olde Earth. Hell, doctors became like… gods, I guess, worth whatever survivors had they could pay with.”

  Mac ran her hand along Talice’s shoulder. “I don’t know what to say, Princess. How soon do we need to go?”

  “Jance is getting me intel, which I’ll pass along to Fawkes. They’re preparing a battalion for the operation.”

  “I wondered about that. I was hoping we wouldn’t have to take on an army of Nemesis fanatics ourselves.”

  Talice sighed, then sat up straight. “Fuck! Fuck!”

  Mac started. “What?”

  “I just realized why they took her. The real reason, I mean.” Talice gathered thoughts as Mac waited.

  “Babs is a doctor. How many doctors of her skill do you think there are on a backwater planet like Crius?”

  Mac’s dark face actually paled. “Holy shit.”

  * * *

  They retreated to Talice’s apartment as the day warmed. She brewed tea and they sat on the sundeck, mulling their revelations. They talked about who to tell and what to say. Fawkes and Evans for certain; the team, as necessary. And was Jance telling the truth about Babs being in real danger?

  “Sure, if she doesn’t do as they say,” said Mac. “But if you’re right, they also have to protect her and keep her from real harm.”

  “Harm not only from within Nemesis, but other groups who may covet her abilities.”

  Mac nodded. “To s
ay nothing of whatever law and order there is. She’d be worth gold on Crius. The planet has so little real money in circulation…”

  “Only as long as she’s alive.” Talice sipped, trembling with worry. “Look, we’ve got to tell Fawkes, if no one else. He knows she’s gone, it’s official Marine business now, and honestly, he might just tell us to get lost while he sends in someone else with no emotional attachment to Babs or anyone else.”

  Mac blew across her cup, thinking. “No… there isn’t anyone else. How many merc teams do you think the Marines really trust? Talice, he’s a lieutenant colonel. That means he’s right up against the top brass and answers directly to them. He has to do whatever he can with the best resources he can muster. That’s us.”

  “What if we went in alone once we get Jance’s intel? Disguised as a… I don’t know, a rival gang looking to buy?”

  “You mean like we did on the last mission, and damn near got ourselves killed?” Mac chuckled wryly. “Evans may be able to fit in, but the rest of us? Not a chance.”

  Talice laid back her head on the lounge chair and sighed. “Then I guess we wait for Jance to get back. Thirty days, Mac. That’s all we have.”

  “Why? What happens after that?”

  Talice shrugged. “No idea. And she didn’t say.”

  “Then find that out, too, because it’s likely critical. And get your head together, Princess. We’re gonna need to be on our game for this one, even more than the last. Evans is… well, if not part of the team by now, at least a trustworthy source. And he’s still a Marine. Jance is… a fucking renegade. A betrayer.”

  “Of the oath she took, yeah. I think about that a lot.”

  Mac set away her cup. “I’m headed back out to the infirmary later. Want to come along?”

  “No, I’m going to beat myself up some more. Good for the soul.” Talice leaned over and hugged Mac. She walked her to the apartment door. “Stay in touch. And let me know what you find out about your legs.”

  “And you keep your knees together. Unless it’s serious.” Mac gave her a look. “Fawkes… isn’t it?”

  Talice nodded reluctantly. “I don’t know what to do. Sometimes I think he’s serious… other times, I know he is.”

  “Then just be sure.”

  “It’s not just the sex, Mac.”

  “The hell it isn’t!”

  They shared a laugh before Talice watched her motor down the corridor and into the lift, then closed the door.

  * * *

  Talice collapsed in the bed an hour after Mac’s leaving and slept the sleep of the dead. She woke at dawn, warmed the tea left from the afternoon before, and drank it with a muffin.

  The angst crept back into her mind. Babs…

  She stretched out on the floor, letting her mind wander. She sat up, cross-legged, for a full minute, but couldn’t sit still. She paced. She did sit-ups, then pushups, then ran in place for twenty minutes. Then finally called music on the speakers and danced nearly an hour to up-tempo stuff with an Olde Earth Latin beat. She was dripping with sweat by the time she stopped.

  She drank a liter of cold water, then a bottle of S-H. Then another half-liter of water. She showered quickly, slid into her camis and a sleeveless shirt, and sat on the sundeck again, checking her wristcom for messages. Then Babs’s. Nothing.

  It’s been less than two days. Jance will string this along as far as she can without endangering her part. What the hell happened to her, anyway? Why does she have it in for me?

  The weather screen was off. The warm, breezy air caressed her face. She drifted, still sleepy, exhausted with worry for Babs.

  Her wristcom buzzed, and she jumped, fumbled with it, and read the message. I know it’s short notice, but the Running Foxxe is worried they haven’t seen us for a while (grin). I thought I’d see if you’re free for dinner, so we can assuage their anxiety (grin again). Fawkes.

  She smiled at his awkward humor. “I don’t know where this is all going,” she said to herself, “but I think I’d be a lot lonelier without you around. And if somehow, I end up in your bed, or you in mine, it’s gotta mean something. But ’til then, hey, free dinner sounds great.”

  She typed a quick reply. Sure. 2200 Hours? You buying (grin, too)? Talice.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Trouble in my Blood (Part Two)

  Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop

  “Ponder and deliberate before you make a move.”

  Sun Tzu, “The Art of War”

  The Running Foxxe…

  The restaurant was half-full and the piano in the bar playing something classical. Talice arrived early, sat with a glass of sparkling water, and watched out the window as the harbor readied for the night. As usual, she’d worn her flowing black pantsuit, but supplemented it with a bright red sash.

  “Talice.” Fawkes entered quietly from the side, dressed casually in a grey sports jacket, dark trousers, and matching ascot. She rose, put her arms around him, and hugged him close. For a moment, he didn’t respond, then his arms encircled her waist. She didn’t want to let him go… for a thousand different reasons.

  At last he drew gently away and looked her in the eye. “Are you alright?”

  She held his gaze. “Much better now, yes.”

  They held each other for a moment, then sat as the waiter brought a basket of fresh veggies and light dip. He bowed and retreated.

  Fawkes’s eyes wouldn’t leave hers. She met his questioning gaze squarely, a half-smile on her lips.

  At last she nearly laughed. “I’m sorry, I just… I’m happier to see you tonight than I thought. I hope I didn’t embarrass you.” She dipped her eyes away.

  “No, no… just a more personal greeting than I expected.” He smiled self-consciously.

  “We could try it again, just to make sure it’s appropriate.”

  He watched her again, this time with a serious look on his face.

  Talice drank from her glass. “I’m sorry… just a lot on my mind and I… needed a hug.”

  His face relaxed a bit. “I understand. We’ll talk about that later. By the way, I saw Mac going in to the infirmary as I left the Base yesterday.”

  The waiter returned with menus and Fawkes ordered for them both. Salads with local greens arrived, and Talice dug in. Politely, but she dug in.

  “She’s having issues with the clones. Or rather, the doctors are,” said Talice.

  Fawkes nodded slowly as he ate. “You know they’ve tried three times now? Setting up for the fourth.”

  “Is there a limit?”

  He shook his head. “For Mac, absolutely not. But it will be tougher, the older she gets.”

  Talice showed a look of feigned concern. “Yeah, she’s getting pretty ancient.”

  They shared a quiet laugh.

  Dinner came, and they ate with little conversation. Somehow, Talice knew they’d talk later, as they usually did on nights like this, but tonight, something was different. There was an energy, a spark, a scent, imagined or real, just below the threshold of sensing. It quickened her blood, and she powered through the light dessert. And the rest of her wine. And the tea that followed.

  Fawkes watched her carefully through it all. “You worked up an appetite somewhere along the line.”

  She nodded. “Woke at dawn and went through self-imposed PT. Otherwise, I’d be climbing the walls.”

  “Well, the jazz club is on the list for tonight, if you’re interested.”

  Talice knew the code word, “jazz,” but shook her head. “Honestly, can we just take a stroll? I’m tired, I’m sore, and I’m really danced out from today. I’d love to hold your hand and just go for a walk.”

  He thought about it, then smiled. “Whatever the lady wants is fine with me. Hand-holding included.”

  Fawkes paid the check, and as they made their way out, paused at the desk to book another evening. The hostess gave Talice a knowing look as they left. Damn, am I sending out signals that obvious? Down, girl!

  In a few minut
es, they were on the darkened walkway, weaving through the light evening crowd. Holding hands.

  By coincidence, or by design — and Talice really wasn’t sure which — they ended up on Harbor Row, Pier Thirteen, and paused at the rail.

  “This is where I met with Jance, two nights ago.”

  Fawkes was taken aback a bit. “I didn’t know you actually met in person. I thought—”

  “I know. I didn’t make it clear on purpose. Call it need-to-know.”

  He shrugged after a moment. “Okay, that’s fair. What else?”

  She shuddered. “I talked with Mac. We think Babs was taken because of her medical ability. Assuming she’s on Crius, she’s likely the senior source of knowledge on the planet.”

  Fawkes considered, nodded, and motioned for her to continue.

  She stepped closer, and his arm encircled her waist gently. “I’m terrified. For Babs. For Mac. And dammit, for myself. Colonel… Hal… I don’t know how much longer I can do this.”

  She sighed, a ragged sound. “I was twenty-two when I joined the Marines. Twenty-nine when this fucking worm came into my life and my dreams were shattered. Now… I’m nearly thirty-five. I’m exhausted. But I don’t want to give up.”

  She laid her head against his shoulder. He drew her closer. “‘The flame that burns twice as bright burns half as long.’” He recited the quote, then chuckled lightly as she looked at him. “Olde Earth, ancient Chinese, in fact. A philosopher, Lao Tzu, from the Te Tao Ching. And you have burned so very, very brightly, Talice.”

  “I’ll… take that as a compliment.” She smiled sadly, her eyes with his again.

  He kissed her, a gentle, warming kiss. Then again, with a growing hunger.

  She crushed her lips to his. Her arm entwined his neck, and she pulled him closer. Took his hand to her breast. Held it there. Held it there. Dug her fingers into his shoulder.

  She drew back a bit, laid her cheek against his, nearly gasping. “My place or yours?”

  “Talice…”

  “Dammit, I… I need closeness, I need a touch. I need to be with someone I trust. Someone I know isn’t trying to fuck me, figuratively.” She leaned into his embrace. “Just literally.”