Etheric Adventures Boxed Set: Books 1-3

by S. R. Russell

  “Hell, no!” Anne snapped. “It’s too dangerous. I’ll do it myself.”

  “Hell, no!” Stevie and Seshat shouted in unison.

  Seshat continued when Stevie settled back in her chair. “Neither of you will be doing the initial testing. You both have lives and limbs that would be at risk. Once Stevie makes me a body or two, I would only have a radio link at risk!”

  Stevie looked at Anne and smiled wryly. “She’s got a point.”

  “But, um, but…frack, I’m not sure I like it, but you’re right,” Anne finally admitted.

  Jinx joined the conversation. “I’m happy that is settled. I was afraid I would have to steal the device and hide it until someone was able to talk some sense into you.” She wagged her tail as she looked at Anne.

  “We know everyone will be watching you,” Stevie said, then hurried to finish when she realized how that statement might make Anne feel more pressure. “But you’re not alone! We’ll all help, right, guys?”

  Jinx chuffed an agreement and pushed her head under Anne’s hand.

  There was a shimmer of tears in her eyes as Anne hugged Jinx and reached over to squeeze Stevie’s hand. Looking at Seshat’s display screen, she whispered, “I think we’re all nuts, but thank you!”

  In the dark, the cooling fans increased in speed dramatically as the data search commenced. Her person needed help, and Seshat was determined to find a way to provide that assistance.

  Chapter Five

  With just days remaining in the school year, the teachers were handing out grades. For some archaic reason, the school insisted on giving a hard copy to each student in addition to the electronic report. When Mr. Jenkins called her name, Stevie walked up to his podium. When she was handed the document, she made certain to look at it and read FAIL: required work incomplete printed in red letters. Smiling, she held out her hand to the teacher she absolutely despised.

  Mr. Jenkins gave her successive looks of shock, fear, and then cunning as he took her hand and proceeded to squeeze it with all his strength while pretending to shake it. After all the training she’d done with the Guardians, Stevie barely noticed the human’s effort, and she refused to respond with anything except polite pressure.

  “Thank you so much, sir,” Stevie said loud enough to be heard by the whole class, “You’ve taught me a lot, and I’ll be sure to remember all of it.”

  As Stephanie “Call me Stevie” Kasyanov walked back to her seat, she was extremely grateful for all the hours Anne had put in working with her Pricolici form. Not because it gave her the control not to shift, but because she had enough control that she didn’t dance all the way back to her seat. The look of absolute stupefaction on Mr. Jenkins’ face was priceless.

  Jinx woke instantly and, recognizing the feeling, started pulling the blankets off her person. Seshat, Jinx whined over her internal radio to the AI.

  On it! Seshat ensured the stressed dog.

  “Anne! Anne! Wake up!” Seshat shouted over the speakers in Anne’s room. Previous experience had shown that Anne could merge comments from her implant transceiver into her nightmares.

  At least she showers before bed. Jinx commented as she engaged in one of her least favorite activities and started licking the bottom of her person’s foot.

  Anne sat bolt upright, eyes wild for a second before her brain registered Jinx, alive and healthy at the end of her bed. Anne held her arms out, and Jinx, used to the routine, carefully moved up to stand where Anne could hug her.

  “Shall I set up another appointment with your therapist?” Seshat asked once Anne’s shuddering breaths had evened out.

  Anne sighed. “I don’t know. I imagine you’ve been tracking my episodes?”

  “Affirmative. Why?” the AI responded.

  “I don’t feel like the therapist is doing me a lot of good,” Anne explained. “Has there been a measurable decrease in the number of times I have nightmares since I’ve been seeing the therapist?”

  “You had nine last month, and you are down to six this month, with one week left to go.” Seshat knew from experience to give Anne actual numbers instead of trying to make things look better by using percentages.

  “That will probably make it eight this month then.” Anne sighed again. “Not a lot of improvement. Go ahead and make another appointment. At least they’re not getting worse.”

  Low-light cameras showed Anne, tightly clutching Jinx, fade off to sleep again. Cooling fans once again spun up to deal with the increased temperature as Seshat researched and designed more additions to her project. She was NOT going to allow her person to continue to suffer.

  “Let’s go, Jinx.” Anne headed for her appointment with the therapist.

  “You’re almost an hour early,” Seshat commented, wondering if Anne was so stressed by the appointment that she had gotten the time mixed up.

  “Thanks, Seshat, I know that. 3PO hasn’t been assigned a permanent orbit yet, so it passes that big window in All Guns Blazing every two to three days. It should be passing by now, and I want to go look at it before my appointment,” Anne informed the AI.

  “Will that be conducive to a relaxed mindset?” the electronic person queried.

  “As long as I look at it as a new project and a challenge and temporarily forget how much responsibility will be involved, it will be,” Anne responded honestly. “It’s awesome to think that we’re going to do to that chunk of rock what Bethany Anne has done to Meredith Reynolds.

  >>I wonder,<< Seshat continued over their implanted link once Anne and Jinx had left the apartment, >>if I should try to carry over some of the MR’s design type while developing 3PO?<<

  Anne considered briefly. You think some familiarity with the design will help those working on 3PO?

  >>Humans do tend to be creatures of habit,<< Seshat pointed out.

  True, Anne acknowledged. Just make certain my lab and testing area have lots of rock between them and any other areas.

  >>Of course. That’s why we have 3PO in the first place.<<

  Trying to keep out of the way, Anne and Jinx positioned themselves at the edge of the huge window. It was one of the things that made All Guns Blazing a unique experience, plus the fact that it was the first human bar in space. The beer was supposed to be quite good also, but considering Anne was under the legal drinking age, she couldn’t attest to the veracity of the claim.

  3PO hung there in shining glory, lit by Yoll’s star.

  >>The mineralogical survey doesn’t depict how ugly it is,<< Seshat commented.

  I imagine we’d all be ugly if we were stuck in an asteroid belt being bombarded by space debris for who knows how many years, Anne replied, not mentioning to Seshat that she found it amazing they had the ability to turn a very large space rock into the Meredith Reynolds, or in this case, a working research base.

  How long before we can start? Jinx wanted to know.

  >>There is currently some discussion of where to station 3PO so it can’t be used as a shield by an attacking force,<< Seshat informed her two- and four-footed people. >>I think we’ll be given a large number of pucks so there won’t be any holes in the defensive fire,<< she continued, sharing her hypothesis.

  That makes sense, Anne agreed.

  Bethany Anne was having a rare morning. She only had thirty-seven reports to go through, instead of having to listen to politicians and bureaucrats whine and complain they weren’t getting enough out of this or that project.

  Translated into real-speak, she had made it quite clear that taking bribes would not be tolerated.

  As she started her twenty-first report, she noticed a slight headache beginning. By the twenty-fifth report, it was becoming more pronounced.

  “TOM, ADAM, you two doing anything out of the ordinary with the computer?”

  “Nothing at the moment.” TOM’s voice issued from Bethany Anne’s tablet. “Why, are you having a headache?”

  Bethany Anne nodded, then replied, “Yes. It started about ten minutes ago.”

&nbs
p; “If I may?” Meredith interrupted. “Check to see if it’s your headache, or if you are picking up something from someone else.”

  “Well, my head hurts en… Bistok droppings!” Bethany Anne went silent for a few seconds. “Where is Anne?” she demanded, standing quickly.

  “Anne is currently seeing her therapist,” Meredith replied quickly. “If her increased stroking of Jinx’ fur is any indication, she started stressing out ten minutes and thirty seconds ago.”

  “Show me the feed,” Bethany Anne told Meredith, resuming her seat.

  “Doctor-patient confidentiality…” Meredith began.

  Bethany Anne slapped the table for emphasis and cut Meredith off. “If it’s causing that much stress in one of my people, you can either give me a feed or watch me pop into the office. Your choice!” Bethany Anne growled as she got to her feet once again.

  “On your tablet,” Meredith grumbled.

  “Pause it,” Bethany Anne said after a few seconds of watching. She turned to head to her kitchenette. “This looks like it’s going to require popcorn!”

  Ouch? Jinx’ quiet comment informed Anne she was clutching the dog’s fur so tightly she was causing her pain.

  Sorry, Anne sent. Her pressing with all these stupid questions is giving me a headache and an upset stomach.

  Doctor Jane Haskell watched her patient intently. Anne might not be forthcoming with her answers, but her body language and her increased contact with her dog indicated she was close to breaking. Doctor Haskell thought fondly of the container of cherry-chocolate-chunk ice cream in her freezer. She was going to sit back and indulge in that as a reward for getting this young woman to break.

  Anne was tired of the “What were you thinking?” and especially the “How did that make you feel?” questions. Thoughts of eating ice cream had her almost chucking her cookies. Why was she thinking she had ice cream in her freezer?

  A sharp stab of pain deep behind her eyes, then her headache was gone. In its place was a connection to her therapist, and all the dirty, disgusting games she liked to play with her patients.

  “You b-b… Witch!” Anne spat.

  The doctor looked puzzled, then amused. Shaking her head, she goaded, “So much a child that you can’t even voice profanity?”

  Anne jumped to her feet and stormed over to the hardwood desk in the office. With a grunt of effort, she picked it up and flung it against the wall so hard it shattered, the broken drawers discharging their contents all across the floor.

  “You want profanity, you…”

  Bethany Anne watched in awe as Anne threw the doctor’s desk across the room. She spat out her mouth full of popcorn when Anne started a cursing streak out of Bethany Anne’s handbook. Bethany Anne ticked off the invectives and was proud when Anne hit fourteen without any lame or repetitive curses.

  “Was that profane enough for you?” Anne spat as she stalked across the room to the corner the doctor had pushed her chair into. She reached down and picked the doctor up one-handed by the throat. Anne could feel fangs in her mouth and knew her eyes were blood-red.

  “You want to know what I thought? Easy! No one was going to kidnap Jinx!” Anne was almost spitting in the doctor’s face.

  “You want to know what I felt? I was happy I killed that man, and if I had needed to, I would have killed the others if that had been required to protect Jinx. And that,” Anne finished very quietly, “is what bothers me—that killing that man doesn’t bother me.”

  Anne opened her hand and the gasping doctor fell into her chair, then bounced onto the floor. The doctor sat looking up at Anne while she gulped air into her lungs.

  “We’re done!” Anne proclaimed, gazing down at the doctor. “Furthermore, you’re finished! Once I report this to Bethany Anne, you won’t work as a therapist on the Meredith Reynolds ever again.”

  “You? You’re just a young girl…”

  Bethany Anne watched the so-called doctor try to bluster and intimidate her young friend and employee.

  “Sounds like that’s my cue.” With a quick check of the video on her tablet, Bethany Anne disappeared.

  She arrived right in front of the chair Anne had vacated, then plopped down and crossed her legs. She reached down to pet Jinx, who had just sat and watched her person demolish a doctor’s office. Bethany Anne’s voice cut through the doctor’s frantic ramblings.

  “That young woman,” Bethany Anne made certain to emphasize “woman,” “has my complete trust, and if she says you’re not fit to practice, then you won’t be practicing. Come to think of it, the only thing you’ll be doing is time!”

  “What?” Doctor Jane Haskell squeaked in disbelief.

  “You heard me,” Bethany Anne declared. “At the moment, I don’t know how many people you’ve screwed over, but messing with Anne is reason enough. I’m sure an investigation into your patient records will add to your charges.

  “You going to be all right?” the Empress asked Anne.

  Anne nodded. “I’m good, thank you.”

  Bethany Anne spared a brief smile for Anne, but the smile faded as she grabbed the shocked doctor and stepped.

  “I guess we’re heading home early.” Anne looked down at Jinx and headed for the door.

  Chapter Six

  Anne wished that school ending in less than a month and beginning her own company would save her from weapons practice, but no such luck. Ever since a lucky hit from Peter one day had left her trying to fight with broken ribs, Pete had turned up the pressure. Now, Weres were throwing the equivalent of bowling pins at her while she and Jinx attempted to fend off three active attackers.

  Empress, Queen Bitch, or preferably just Bethany Anne stood trying to understand what was going on. Guardian Commander Peter plus two other Guardians were throwing heavy objects at Anne while three Guardian Marines pressured Anne and Jinx with combat batons. One of the thrown objects finally made it through Anne’s defenses and hit the arm she threw up at the last minute. The sound of breaking bone could be clearly heard by Bethany Anne, and she watched as Anne turned to try to protect her wounded arm. That gave one of the Marines a chance to grab Anne and throw her against a weight bench, which resulted in another bone breaking. Bethany Anne could see that Anne’s leg wasn’t going to mend properly the way it was.

  Before she could say anything, Jinx had dashed to Anne and grabbed the foot of the broken leg and yanked it one way while Anne tried to move the other way. The leg straightened, but Anne was left panting and in tears. As Bethany Anne moved into the room, Jinx took up a guard position as Anne tried to drag herself behind the cover of the overturned bench.

  “Stop! This instant! What the slimy, shiny fuck are you doing to my researcher?” The Empress’ eyes were red and her fangs were showing.

  “It…it…it’s okay,” Anne panted through gritted teeth. “I kind of gave up fighting the first day I got a broken rib, and that left Jinx alone against four enemies.” She winced as she worked her recently broken arm and tried to stand on her good leg. “We’re,” Anne pointed to Jinx, then back to herself, “trying to figure out what we need to do to get me healed and back in the fight as soon as possible.”

  “Are you telling me you’ve been coming in here to have bones broken on purpose so you can learn how to deal with them?” The way Bethany Anne spat the words, it was almost like there was a period between each one.

  Anne hopped away from the irate Empress on her good leg and nodded when her back hit the wall.

  “Furry festering fuckwits! How. Many. Days?” This time there were periods between the words Bethany Anne growled.

  “Three?” Anne squeaked, making it sound like a question.

  What the hell is wrong with her nanocytes that this child is practicing dealing with broken bones? Bethany Anne asked her boarders. She didn’t care who answered, as long as they were quick.

  >>Nothing.<< Replied ADAM calmly. >>My records show we discussed Anne’s situation when she initially went into the Pod-doc. She was a young female s
tudent with leukemia, so the decision was made to cure and optimize her, not to provide combat upgrades. You are on record as agreeing with that course of action.<<

  “Down!” Peter shouted and followed his own order and hit the floor as Bethany Anne blurred. The “pin” that had broken Anne’s arm flew across the room with such force that stone chips flew away from the wall and wood splinters careened outward like a shotgun blast.

  Bethany Anne stood there, wood splinters dropping to the ground as her body expelled them and the cuts from stone shards slowly healing. She looked at one deep gash in her arm and walked over to Anne. “I know it seems gross, but take a mouthful and swallow it. It will speed your healing,” Bethany Anne told the shocked young woman.

  “Tomorrow, you and Jinx will report to the Pod-doc for upgrades,” Bethany Anne ordered as she exited the training area. She had Cheryl Lynn clear her schedule for the remainder of the day, and only TOM, ADAM, and Ashur heard an Empress cry for the pain she had caused one young woman.

  Anne wasn’t sure if it was nerves or the blood from Bethany Anne, but she was having a difficult time concentrating on anything that evening. Jinx was upset because she didn’t know what to do to help her person.

  The common room brightened as Seshat’s screen went live. “Jinx, you have an incoming call.”

  Jinx trotted over and sat in front of the screen, expecting Dio or Matrix, and was surprised to see a tearful young woman holding a small child on her hip.

  “I’m so sorry.” The woman sniffed. “I don’t know what else to do.”