Edward (9 page)

The reception was a mess for Trevor: too many people were
let in, security checkpoints broke down, not all the cameras came on line,
local 'help' wasn't.  It was certainly in line to cause poor Trevor an
ulcer by morning.  But for Tatiana, it was a wonderful night; after
several days of near isolation from her fans, she had a chance to romp and
play, smile and pose, grin and sign autographs.  She genuinely seemed to
enjoy mingling with her fans young and old, telling little stories, and
offering little quips of encouragement buffered with warnings of the long hours
required for her line of work.  She seemed more like an ambassador for pop
than a star.  Maybe it was her still being the child star,
maybe it was her just trying to be an approachable person. 

Edward could have sworn they walked twenty kilometers that
night, back and forth all over the sprawling lounge.  Normally a private
club with exquisite indoor gardens, it was open to the public for the night and
Edward got to see every square meter of it.  Rather than being Tatiana's
shadow, as was normal, he was more her escort, waltzing her around with her
hanging off his arm.  Well, at least she wasn't trying to hold his hand in
public.  Yet.  Tatiana made him nervous and
calm, both at the same time!  That just wasn't right.  And then there
was Zoë; she made him calm and nervous!  Girls made no sense at all!

Edward gritted his teeth and just pressed on as his
enjoyment of the evening started to wear thin.  The only excitement to be
found was when some protestors tried to crash the party.  The queue of
actual
fans was so deep that when the protestors tried to rush the doors, they
were quickly and forcefully ejected even before security got involved. 
There was something to be said for dedicated fans.

Midnight rolled around, and much to Tatiana's annoyance, it
was time to call the reception to an end.  Gillian had hoped to wrap
things up at eleven, but when she realized that was hopeless, she drew the line
at midnight: they had another full day of rehearsals the following day and
Tatiana had to get some rest.  Tatiana said her goodbyes as she did her
best to take the longest path possible back to the car.

It was almost midnight thirty when they finally made it
back to their hotel.  A small gaggle was waiting out front.  Wow,
some fans needed a life!  After a small amount of grumping, it was finally
decided to let Tatiana out at the front door to see the die-hard fans that
didn't make the reception.  Edward stepped out of the car and made it two
whole steps before he raised his Live Steel armor and slammed Tatiana to the
ground.

The explosion was sharp and bright, but fortunately for all
involved it went off on the far side of the armored car, which soaked most of
the blast.  Edward's mind raced as he quickly shuffled Tatiana
inside.  What had happened?  Where had it come from?  He slapped
his comlink, “Talk to me!  What just happened?”

“Small scale device.  More fireball than damage. 
May have just low ordered.  Still working it. 
Client secure?”

“Flustered but fine.  Taking her up.” 
Edward cursed under his breath as he moved Tatiana inside; Gillian, where was
Gillian?  “Gillian under cover?”

“She's still in the car.  We are bringing her in via
the parking garage.”

Edward looked over Tatiana, “Are you okay?”

“A little shaken.  Honestly, once you did that armor thingy, I couldn't
even hear or feel the blast.  It was a little one, like the old ones,
yes?”

“Yep.  Whoever it was, they’re back.”

“Pipe bomb under a manhole cover,” chirped Kestrel over the
comlink as Edward sat with Gillian.  “The manhole cover actually took most
of the blast.  It was more of a giant firework than a bomb, but it was
still uncool in my book.  We have logs of people that were in those access
tunnels, we should be able to narrow it down by morning.”

“Awesome as always, Kestrel.  Out.”

“Out.”

Edward turned to Gillian, “Twice today I've messed
up.  First at the rehearsal and then I completely forgot about you; I just
got focused on Tatiana.  If you wish me to resign, I'll understand.”

Gillian cocked an eye at Edward, “That is the stupidest
thing I've heard all week.  And I'm in the music business: I hear some
pretty stupid things!  There is no way I'd ever want you to resign. 
Your job is to protect Tatiana.  Not me—Tatiana.  Do we understand
each other?  If Trevor wants to assign Alex or Gigi or whoever to protect
me, that's another thing.  But you are here to protect Tatiana, and I have
seen
nothing
to make me doubt your ability or resolve to protect
her.”  Gillian smiled broadly, “If you have to make a choice, and I hope
you don't, you choose her!  You got that!  I've been her surrogate
mother these last three years and that's just the type of stupid thing a mother
is going to say, so get used to it.  Protect Tatiana.  Are we clear?”

“Yes, Gillian.”  Edward was still flustered and
ashamed; it didn't matter what she said.  “How is Tatiana?”  Edward
was sure she was asleep, but he was just desperate to change the subject.

“She's asleep.  Did you want to go give her a
goodnight kiss?”

Edward's stomach rolled.  Maybe it wasn't such a good
idea to change the subject after all.

“Sorry, Edward, that was a cheap shot.  But if you are
going to mope about the excellent job you did today protecting Tatiana, that is
what you are going to get.  Fair enough?”

“Yes, Mom.  Goodnight.”

Gillian just smiled back, “Goodnight, Edward.”

Friday's rehearsal started late and ended early. 
Gillian let Tatiana sleep late, much to Tatiana's chagrin, but paid the cast
for a full day regardless.  It was a Friday and
everyone
needed the
break.  The troupe survived the fourth piece without drawing down the
'wrath of Gillian.'  Edward survived the fifth piece with only a mild
glazed and confused look.  It was a nice and dull day.  Dull and boring.  Boring and dull. 
Not a care in the world.  Well, maybe an ulcer for Edward as they all
started to pack up for their early dismissal.

Tatiana caught Zoë in the hall, “Hey Zoë, do you want to
come with me to the reception on Saturday?  You're getting billing on the
show; you might as well have some fun soaking up the free press.”

Zoë laughed, “I'm going to
school
once this tour is
over; I’m not sure I need the press.  Besides, I'm not sure I have
anything to wear.”

“Oh, come on, it'll be fun.  If you need something to
wear, come over to my place this evening and we'll get something cut to fit
you.”

Zoë cocked her head as she looked at Tatiana, “The vultures
that
bad?”

Tatiana shrugged, “Not vultures so much, just, well....”

“No one
you
know or can relate to or talk to.”

Tatiana offered a feeble nod, “If you are too busy...”

“No, like you said, it could be fun,” Zoë smiled warmly.

Tatiana brightened immediately.

“But I will need help in the wardrobe department.”

Tatiana laughed, “I wasn't kidding before.  Swing by
at six, we'll get something picked out and then grab a bite to eat.  By
then the alterations should be done and we'll have time for a second fitting.”

Zoë smiled and shook her head softly, “I just buy off the
rack and tweak by hand here and there.  The only thing I ever had custom
fit was my bike armor.  Six you said?”

Tatiana beamed and nodded, “Look forward to it!”

As the three of them broke away from Zoë at the armored
car, Gillian addressed Tatiana, “I'm very sorry dear.  I hadn't thought
about that; you haven't seen most of your old friends in almost six months.”

Tatiana sniffed, “Most of them were just the kids of Dad's
friends or sycophants.  Haven't had any good friends since Mom died.”

Gillian grimaced and hugged Tatiana, who quickly and warmly
returned the embrace.  “She's a good choice.  She's smart,
independent, and talented in her own right.”

Tatiana giggled and addressed Edward, “You think Zoë is
cute, don't you?” 

In response, Edward's fur rippled in color uncontrollably,
causing Tatiana to burst out laughing.

“That is forward and rude, Tatiana,” groused Gillian, “He
is a professional trying to do his job.”

Tatiana bit her lip and looked at her feet, “I'm sorry.”

Edward nodded as he regained his composure, “To be quite
frank, you two are both quite attractive.  And, for the record, it is
beneath you to fish for compliments.”

“Well spoken,” replied Gillian.  “If we are all done
being cutesie for a moment, I have a couple of pragmatic questions.  First
and foremost, is the reception still on after the pipe bomb incident?”

Glad for the change in subject, Edward nodded, “Yes
indeed.  Trevor viewed that as a separate security incident and thus still
feels we can safely handle the reception on Saturday as planned.”

“Excellent.  If I recall, Kestrel had high hopes for
leads based on the security camera footage.  Did anything come of that?”

“Yes and no.”  Edward's mind raced as he tried to
recall everything he had heard over the comm chatter correctly.  “From
what we know from our footage and the footage based on the hotel's cameras,
that particular bomb had been in place for at least two weeks.  Based on
some circumstantial evidence, Kestrel estimates that it had been in place for
between four and six weeks.”

“Seriously?”  Gillian's surprise was hard to miss.  “That
seems quite a long time to wait to use it.”

“Well, if there is a long time between planting the device
and when it goes off, it’s that much harder to connect people to the
scene.  More importantly, it tells us a lot about the person or persons involved.”

“They are not impulsive.  They plan far in advance and
are willing to be patient.”

“Exactly.  That makes them difficult to catch due to their
caution, but, if their past history is to continue, they are unlikely to cause
real casualties.  The difficulties arise if we do something that causes
them to become impulsive.  Then things could get very nasty.”

“And if more than one person is involved, then we are also
worried about group dynamics as well.”  Gillian closed her eyes and sighed
deeply.  “Please tell me there is some good news buried in all this?”

“Actually, Kestrel said he had several bits of solid,
actionable intel, er, information that came from their
work in the last eighteen hours.  The trick is to coordinate with Trevor
to make sure that if anything is done with said information, it doesn't spook
the bad guys and cause them to do something rash.”

“So cautious optimism is what Kestrel is offering.  I
can handle that; he is a no-nonsense individual.  Trevor seems to be
running the show, I've noticed, but you said it's actually a Shukurae unit.”

“Takru is actually the one in charge of the unit. 
Trevor is the liaison with the local police as he has had the most experience
working situations like this.  The two of them work pretty tight together. 
If, heaven forbid, it ever turns into a blazing gun battle, you will quickly
see Takru out in front running the show.”

“I continue to be impressed with the professionalism of
your group.  Too often, I see people that are of higher rank meddle in the
day–to-day affairs they know nothing about to the dismay of all involved.”

“The Shukurae are
incredibly
practical in that
regard, and our unit is well above average.  It is an all-volunteer unit
which also helps keeps the group pragmatic and tight.”

“If the dance troupe was half as professional as your team,
I'd have an easy job,” murmured Gillian.

“Where is the fun in that?”

“Bite your tongue!”

As they approached the hotel, Edward's comm link chirped as
Kestrel came online, “Is everyone up for a roll of the dice?”

“If it ends this, then yes,” murmured Tatiana.

Gillian nodded as well.

“That's a ‘yes’ on this end.  What's the plan?”
replied Edward.

“Kadu, Alex, and Meeka are waiting in the lobby.  You
take Tatiana in the front door but leave Gillian in the car.  If a charge
goes off, we have three likely hotspots where the bomber may be signaling the
device.  If we have a target that bolts, they chase.  We have locals
on standby.”

“So, am I taking the client upstairs or is Alex?”

“I take it from the tone in your voice that you want to
chase.”

“Guessed it in one.  You do know me well.”

“Kadu is in full armor with climbing straps.  You are
predictable.”

Edward laughed, “That just makes things easier to
plan.  Estimated risk to target or neutrals?”

“Low to nil.  Several thousand to tens of
thousands in property damage.”

“Jerks.”

“Understatement,” offered Gillian.

“So I'm bait,” gulped Tatiana. “I guess it is no different
than normal.”

“There is a reasonable chance nothing will happen today,”
chirped Kestrel’s voice over the comlink.

“Notice he said 'today,'” observed Gillian.  “Hold
your head high, girl.  Edward has done this many times.”

“And every time, quite admirably,” smiled Tatiana. 
“If you are confident, Edward, then let's do this.  Anything
to help it end sooner.”

The car pulled up in front of the hotel as normal, and,
like normal, a small but loyal throng of fans was there hoping to meet her.

“May I mingle?” asked Tatiana suddenly bubbly.

“Yes, just stay very, very close,” replied Edward.

Edward stepped out of the car and held the door for Tatiana
as he gritted his teeth in anticipation. Tatiana nodded and fluffed her hair as
she climbed out of the car; her smile could have lit up the block.  Well,
it probably would have if it had only been darker outside.  Tatiana was in
seventh heaven while Edward's stomach just rolled and rolled as the time ticked
away.  Then, there it was—a sharp pop and crash as a small charge went off
behind them.  Edward raised his armor more out of reflex than need; there
was no real threat.  But he quickly scooped up Tatiana and rushed her
inside to the waiting team.

“No joy on the three hot spots.  But we may have a hit
on the crowd itself,” chirped the comlink.

“You okay?” asked Edward as he turned to Tatiana.

“Yeah.  After last night, that was actually anticlimactic.”
She grinned. “Go chase 'm down.  I'll be fine.”

Alex nodded to Edward and took her to the private elevator.

Edward nodded to Meeka and Kadu, “Ready for the hunt?”

“Just need a target,” replied Kadu.

“You heard the lady, Kestrel.  Who's the target.”

“Outside, female Taik, black hair, red
coat with black tics.  Age, mid-thirties, wearing a blue skirt and matching top. 
Hard right as you leave the doors.  Be
civil.  We only have a 95% on this.  We have a good radio signal with
a high convergence and she turned away just before the blast.”

“Heading out now.”

Edward and the two Shukurae exited the building, and he
quickly put on his best smile, “Was everyone all right?”  He scanned
around for the lady in question.  He spotted her in an instant and they
locked eyes.  In half a heartbeat, she ran off like a shot!

“Kadu!” yelled Edward as he crashed through the crowd after
the lady.  She was fast, but Edward was no slouch and soon he'd have
Kadu.   Kadu was there faster than he thought!  The crowd would
only part so fast for him, but a Shukurae?  Oh, they got clear of Kadu and
Meeka in a hurry!  As Kadu passed, Edward jumped on her back and grabbed the
straps.  “She cut the first corner on the right.”

Kadu nodded as her great form picked up speed.  In the
straightaways she could easily outpace their target and, in spite of her great
size and speed, she could turn corners remarkably well too!  Well, much
better than Meeka, that was for certain.  As they rounded the corner, they
quickly reacquired visual on their target.  And their target suddenly
seemed far more concerned than before!  Having two Shukurae chasing you
down an alley could do that to you!  Suddenly there was an enormous
explosion behind them in the direction of the hotel.

“Massive damage on the hotel!  Contact the fire brigade!  We have a massive
fire burning here!”

“Alex!  Alex!” screamed Edward over the comlink.

“We have no contact with Alex or the client,” came the reply.

“Kadu, abort.  We need to get back to the hotel.”

“And risk losing the suspect?”

“Rather that than risk losing the client!”

“Meeka is continuing without us,” barked Kadu over the
comlink.  “We are returning to the hotel.”  Kadu wheeled around and
lurched back the way they had come.

“Thank you, Kadu.”

“As you said, the client is more important than us acting
as law enforcement.  Besides, I know of no one that can get here quickly
whose protective gear can handle that blaze and protect the client. 
Remember, the armor does not provide air.”

“Practical as always.”

“You expected me to suddenly change?” 

As the pair rounded the corner, the full situation at the
hotel hit them.  The upper two floors of the hotel were in complete flames
around the entire front face.

“Is the client in the elevator car or in the penthouse?”
called Edward over the comlink.

“Elevator was in return mode when the blast occurred, so we
think she'd be in the penthouse.”

“Twelve stories up, Kadu.”

“I can toss you on top of the mezzanine if that will help.”

“That's two floors, every bit helps. Talk to you tomorrow,
Kadu.”

“Talk to you then.  Be careful with your timing, five
minutes and fifteen seconds.”  Kadu grabbed Edward by a big handful of fur
behind the neck and with one smooth motion tossed him high in the air and up
onto the hotel's beautiful mezzanine.  Swifting they called it. 
Adrenaline taken to the next and most extreme level as Edward took his last
breath for the next five minutes and let his body take over control. 
Climb!  Climb was the command and climb he did, springing from ledge to
ledge.  He sprang up the side of the building like a feral cat might climb
a tree.  Branch to branch, be it window ledge to balcony ledge.  As Edward
hit the upper floors of the building his Live Steel armor engulfed him
reflexively.  Good thing too as his higher brain functions weren't all
there; he was on pure instinct.  Climb, find girl,
escape.

He climbed through the flames and onto the landing of the penthouse, at least the floor was intact.  Smoke
inhalation was the greatest danger at this point.  Not for him, he wasn't
breathing, but for her.  He crashed through the main door to only a mild
haze of smoke; he quickly tried to call out, but suddenly realized how unintelligible,
how very feral one sounded when swifting.  He briefly dropped his armor
and carefully took a long sniff through his mouth and nose as he tried to
locate Tatiana. There she was!  Good strong scent!  He plowed ahead
and quickly found both Tatiana and Alex in the far guestroom. 

She had blockaded the door for smoke and was trying to hail
people out the window.  Alex was unconscious on the floor.  To say
she looked overjoyed at seeing Edward was an understatement.  To say she
was confused to see him operating in such a primeval mode was also an
understatement.

Edward, however, wasted no words, partially because he
couldn't form any, and partially because time was of the essence!  He
threw Alex over his shoulder like a ragdoll and scooped up Tatiana in his
arms.  His Live Steel armor engulfed the three of them as he lumbered back
into the main living room and threw himself out the window.

There were long shrieking gasps from the crowd below as
they saw the trio plummet from the twelfth story window.  They were
quickly replaced with shock, disbelief, and relief as they smashed to the
ground below and then appeared no worse for the drop as Edward lowered his
armor in its signature blue shower of sparks.  While the trio had been
spared the side effects of transfer of momentum and kinetic energy, the
pavement was not quite so lucky, and it took a bit of care for Tatiana to
thread her way out of rubble up to the waiting hands of the Shukurae. 
There was more to do, that was for certain, but Edward's reserves were running
out.  Relieved in the knowledge that he had gotten Tatiana to safety,
Edward blacked out.