Bianca D'Arc (9 page)

“Oh, boy.” Lila took the seat in front of the
console and sort of deflated as she watched the rage being acted
out on the screen.

“Yeah,” Chip agreed as they watched Beezus
make a few calls, kicking at her door every now and again. “Aren’t
you glad you stayed with me last night?” Chip put his hands on her
shoulders and rubbed gently. He hated the tension in her small
frame. He wanted to take all this turmoil away and take her
somewhere safe where Beezus or anyone like him could never find
her.

One of Lila’s hands rose to cover his. “For
more than one reason.” She turned and smiled up at him. The
universe froze for a moment out of time as he caught his breath.
She squeezed his hand and everything started spinning again. Damn.
He had it bad.

“I’m glad you think so.” He dragged a box
over and sat next to her before the console. “I can tell we’re
shielded here and I have a few things I’d like to say to you before
we go back to the bar.”

“That sounds serious.” She turned to face
him. The box put him a little lower than her, but it would do. He
had made a decision when she’d shown him this room. “How do you
know we’re shielded?”

“I’ve got…” He hesitated, never having told
anyone about his enhancements before. It was harder than he’d
thought. “I’ve got internal sensors.” That was putting it mildly,
but he’d see how she dealt with that idea before he told her the
full extent of his cybernetics.

He’d thought long and hard about this moment
over the past hours. He didn’t want any secrets between them. Not
if they were going to take this to the next level. He knew he was
moving fast, but his heart wouldn’t be denied. He didn’t want her
getting closer unless he was sure she could accept him for all he
was.

“Really?” She looked at him for a moment, her
gaze curious. That was a promising sign. “That must be so cool.
What kinds of things can you sense? Is it a direct brain interface
or something else? I thought that tech was still experimental.” Her
questions tumbled out one on top of the other. The questions were
eager and she had a smile on her face, which boded well. She didn’t
seem repulsed by the idea and that last question…

“You know about brain interface tech?”

That stilled her questions and she reached
for his hand. “I guess now is the time to tell you that my husband
was a neuroscientist. He worked on all kinds of projects for
General Winters, even though he was a civ through and through. His
research and expertise brought him to the attention of the military
and he went to work for them gladly. He wanted to do his part to
keep the jit’suku out of our galaxy. He was a patriot, even if he
wasn’t born with the body and temperament of a soldier. We met
through our mutual work for Winters. I retired from the
intelligence service when we got married and concentrated on
starting our family while he kept up his research into
neuro-enhancement and cybernetics.”

“Your husband was Dr. Smith,” he guessed.
There had been a team of doctors who had put him back together
again, but he remembered the soft spoken civ neurosurgeon best for
his calm demeanor and confidence. He’d liked the other man and had
struck up a friendship of sorts with him during Chip’s long
recovery.

Lila smiled. “That’s the code name they gave
him. Silly, I always thought. Did you know him? Was he the one who
operated on you?”

“We used to play chess. He had a quick mind
and a penchant for butterscotch candies. He always seemed to have a
few in his pocket.”

Lila caught her breath. “I used to put them
in his pockets. He always forgot to eat regular meals when he was
working and his blood sugar would sometimes drop. The candy helped
him stay on a more even keel.” Tears gathered in her eyes and a sad
smile lifted the corners of her luscious mouth.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you
sad.”

“I miss him, but it’s not like it used to be.
Right after he died, I was utterly devastated. Time heals, they
say. It’s a cliché for a reason. It’s true as far as it goes.
Talking with people who knew him makes me feel good now, instead of
sad. The fact that you knew him…” she trailed off as her face lit
with a nostalgic sort of happiness that he didn’t really
understand. “It makes me believe that things have happened as they
were meant to happen. I was supposed to find you. It was fate.”

Chip took a deep breath, wanting the slate
clean between them before they went any further.

“Then you might as well know all of it.” He
took a deep breath for courage. “I’ve never revealed this to
anyone, Lila. It’s top secret and need to know. I need you to know
before we get any more involved.” He held her gaze as he began his
story. “When I joined Winters’ elite group, I had already been
Enhanced. Do you know what that means?”

“Genetic therapy to make you a faster,
stronger, better soldier. It was a top secret program and was
discontinued, as far as I know.”

“Good. So you know I was already different,
but then I was involved in an accident in a safe zone. On one of
our own bases. An out of control carrier ran over me and I nearly
died. That’s when I met Dr. Smith and his team. It took months, but
they put me back together like the big egg in that children’s
nursery rhyme. I didn’t just know Dr. Smith. I was one of his
biggest experiments. I’d like to think we were friends. He told me
stories about his family—usually the antics and escapades of his
kids. Like the time his baby daughter tried to ride the dog like a
horse.”

Lila laughed as her eyes filled with wonder.
“I remember that.”

“I was in the hospital for months, Lila. He
came to see me every day and spent time with me as the surgeries
progressed and he was able to test my abilities and responses to
the technology. I had severe brain damage from the accident. Your
husband changed all that. He gave me experimental cybernetic
implants that saved my life and my mind. I owe him everything,
Lila. Without his gift, I wouldn’t be here today.”

“That is so amazing to hear. So much of his
work was secret. I never got to meet anyone he worked with at the
time.”

“He helped a lot of people, Lila. I’m betting
I was one of the most extensive repair jobs though. I wanted you to
know, in case it changed your mind about being with me.” He laid
himself bare, putting it all on the line. “I’m not quite a cyborg,
but I can do all sorts of things with my implants that make me even
more different than the Enhancement did. I’d understand if it
repulsed you. I wouldn’t like it, but I’d understand.”

She regarded him curiously for a moment
before speaking.

“What kinds of things can you do?”

Surprised by her question, he became hopeful.
Now was the time. She’d make her decision and he had to abide by
it, for good or ill.

“Watch the screen,” he instructed, already
sending out a tentative recognition code to the closed system. Sure
enough, the code was accepted. It was a code common to all
operatives who worked for Winters. The system had a failsafe that
would recognize any operative with the correct code and it welcomed
him into its inner workings easily.

Chip sifted through the data until he found
what he wanted. Images flashed over the screen faster than the
human eye could decipher, but he knew what they contained. He had a
computer linked directly to his brain that was faster than the
human eye.

“You’re doing this?” Lila asked as the images
whizzed by.

“I’m searching backward from last night to
find out if any of the suspect group has been past your quarters
before. And yes, we have a winner. Hmm. I don’t like this.” He
placed one particular series of images on the screen for her to
see. It was Bjornson and Beezus both, strolling by as if looking
for some other address, and they had a few of their posse with
them. “The time stamp is two days ago.”

“Do you think they’ve been suspicious of me
since then?” But she answered her own question a beat later. “Of
course. Why else would they come down this hall and linger for a
bit too long in front of my hatch? Damn.”

Chip didn’t miss the fact that she didn’t
seem at all upset by the revelation of his cybernetics. She seemed
more concerned—rightly so, in his opinion—about the stalkers on the
screen checking out her address.

“This site is good, but the bar is better.
More escape routes to hidden compartments. More tentacles into the
station’s systems. We can do more from there to stop whatever it is
these bozos have planned and keep everyone—especially you,
Lila—safe.”

She looked at him as if measuring his words.
He hated the little worry line between her brows. He moved closer
to kiss it away, then lingered close to her, happy when she leaned
into him. He’d lend her his strength anytime.

He didn’t know how it had happened or exactly
when, but this woman had become incredibly important to him in a
very short time. He’d revealed his deepest secret to her and she’d
just taken it in stride. What a woman.

“All right.” She leaned away from him,
seeming to gather her strength before his eyes. “Let’s close up
this shop and lock it tight. I’ll pack my stuff and we can carry on
with our original plan. I’ll camp out at the bar for the time
being, until we figure this out.”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” he agreed,
kissing her once before moving away.

He retracted his cybernetic signal from the
console and left it to her to shut it down and park everything in
standby mode. It didn’t take long. She sealed the secret panel soon
thereafter and began gathering her things and closing up the
apartment. Within twenty minutes, they were on their way out the
door.

Lila grabbed his arm as they stood in the
small entryway, just as he was about to open the hatch. She stood
very close to him, her expression serious.

“What you told me before,” she began
hesitantly. Chip knew the whole apartment was well shielded. They
could speak freely here, but not once the hatch was popped. He
withdrew his hand from the control and turned to face her. “I want
you to know it doesn’t make a difference to me. In fact, knowing
that you benefited from my husband’s work makes you even more
special to me. I’m glad you knew him. And I’m glad he could help
you.” She took a deep breath. “It took me a long time to get over
losing him. I didn’t come here expecting to get involved with you,
Charlemagne,” she smiled as she spoke the name only she ever used
for him. “But I don’t regret a thing and if you’re agreeable, I
want to see where it leads us.”

She stood on tiptoe and kissed him. It took
him only a moment to extend his arms around her and deepen the
kiss. He’d take anything she chose to give him, especially a kiss
that tasted sweeter than the finest spun sugar.

They stood there, exploring each other’s kiss
for long, long moments before the soft chime of a clock from within
the apartment alerted Chip to the passage of time. They’d already
been away from the bar longer than he’d planned. It was about time
to head back and get his woman to safety.

“You’re a special lady, Lila Senna.” He let
her go by slow degrees, knowing it was necessary to get moving but
annoyed by having to let her go.

She smiled at him and moved back, picking up
the smaller of her two bags. Chip already had the heavier one
strapped around him, keeping his hands free and distributing the
weight so it was easier for him to carry if they needed to move
fast. He checked the external monitor Lila’s sister had installed
in her quarters to be sure nothing bad awaited them on the other
side of the door.

Seeing nothing, he popped the hatch and moved
out, a lightness in his step as he thought about what she’d said.
His fears about her reaction had been overblown as it turned out,
though any other woman probably would have been more upset by his
revelation. He wondered if all her talk of fate bringing them
together had some merit. What were the odds he’d meet up with Dr.
Smith’s widow even if they did both work for the same branch of the
intelligence service?

The odds weren’t high. He knew that for
certain. Intel agents rarely crossed paths except with their
handlers, for everyone’s protection. If you didn’t know your
co-workers, you couldn’t betray them. So then… was it fate that had
brought them together? Lila seemed to think so and he was beginning
to respect her opinions more than most operatives he’d worked with.
He was even starting to believe in her so-called gifts. After last
night he had to believe she had some of the psychic abilities she
claimed. She’d known Beezus was waiting to do her harm.

On a basic level, he believed in her
abilities, or he never would have turned that pod around in the
tube. He had to admit it to himself. If psychic abilities did
exist—and he had proof now from two sources, Lila and her sister,
Della—then they were most definitely in existence in the Senna
family.

The halls were clear of trouble as they made
their way to the tube station a short distance away. Chip used his
implant to call a pod for them, so it would be waiting when they
got there. He’d opted for a larger version this time, considering
the luggage. He placed the bag he wore on one seat and took
another, already programming the destination via his implant. He
was gratified when she decided to sit right next to him, even
though there were other seats available.

The pod sealed and moved out into the stream
of traffic, heading toward their destination.

“You did that?” She nodded toward the console
he hadn’t had to touch in order to get them underway. Normally, one
had to program the pod manually before it would move. He hadn’t
touched it, yet they were underway.

Chip only nodded. He didn’t usually talk
about his abilities. Very few people even knew about them. It was
novel to have anyone ask, especially a woman he’d made love to the
night before.