Edward (11 page)

Edward
rolled out of bed.  Oh, that had been a long night.  At least there
wasn’t anything scheduled for the day.  He
wandered over to the chest of drawers and looked for some clean clothes. 
Clean clothes he found, but they weren’t his!  Um. 
Right.  He went to the bathroom to liberate a
towel only to find the shower occupied.  He carefully reached in and
grabbed a towel before making himself at least somewhat presentable as he
bolted across the living room to his own room.

“Nice
towel!” called out Gillian with no small amount of mirth.

“Thanks
for noticing, Mom!” called Edward back.

Gillian
shot her coffee out her nose at the reply, “Ow!”

 As
quickly as he could, Edward showered and changed only to find Kadu waiting for
him as soon as he was done.

“What’s
up?” asked Edward as he joined Kadu and Gillian in the living room.

“Trevor
figured you’d both like to know: three more people have been apprehended for
their involvement with the fire at the hotel.”

“Good!”
replied Gillian sternly.  “I hope the courts nail their tails to the
floor.”

“One
of the parties is being charged with tampering with the fire suppression system
and substituting a highly flammable liquid in for the normal foam.  That
individual is in serious trouble.”

“Ouch!”
replied Edward.  “I would imagine!  That also explains why the fire
spread so quickly.”

 Gillian
sighed and shook her head. “Is this still all about Rebecca?”

“Yes,
Lady Gillian.  From what we can tell, their excessive admiration for the
lady is at the heart of this all.”

“Would
all of this insanity stop if Tatiana found a different agent?  They are
doing this to get at me after all.”

“Oh,
heck no!” barked Tatiana from her doorway.  “You aren’t leaving!  If
we let a pack of nut jobs push us around now then they will
always
push
us around.”

“Considering
the attacks have been directed against Lady Tatiana even when you were not
present, I do not believe that you leaving would help the situation,” ventured
Kadu.  “You have represented Lady Tatiana for three years, bringing her up
to the point where she is now.   It does appear that they intend on
stopping the show, not just you.  Which stands to reason as the show is
the outward manifestation of your work.”

Gillian
sighed, “So what do we do?”

“Keep
on going,” began Edward.  “They are starting to make some serious cracks
in the case.”

“Let
them do their job,” smiled Tatiana, “and we do ours.”

Gillian
smiled back, “Fair enough, I guess.”   She rearranged her hair and
fur as she tried to change the mood, “So, what is planned for the day?  Nothing
is on the books as is.”

“Well,”
began Tatiana, “as soon as Zoë gets out of the shower, we were talking about
picking up her little brother and going to the aquarium down town.”

“Zoë
is here?  I didn’t see anyone in the guest bedroom this morning,” asked
Gillian more than a little confused.

Edward
and Tatiana looked at each other sheepishly but were saved from explanations
when the front doorbell rang.

“I’ll
get it,” ventured Tatiana as she escaped from Gillian.

Kadu
quickly checked her comlink and then nodded as Tatiana opened the door.

It
was Moira.  She was dressed as nicely as she’d been yesterday,  but today she looked as giddy as a school girl and
was clutching two books.  She looked around nervously, “Can I come
in?”  More than a little confused, Tatiana nodded and Moira scurried into
the living room and beamed at Tatiana as the door closed.

“Had
to make sure Victor didn’t see me here.  Dad doesn’t approve of your music
and that old lint ball Victor is the world’s biggest spy,” Moira was bumbling
and giddy as she held out two books.  “Would you
please
sign
these?”

Tatiana
started to understand and brighten, “So you
do
like my music.”

“Oh,
yes,” bubbled Moira.  “It’s great fun.  Everyone at school plays the
heck out of it, yet it never seems to go old.  I was kinda glad your
concert got moved a week; Mother will be back by then and she might let me
go.  Dad won’t.”

“Your
dad’s no fun?” laughed Tatiana as she graciously signed the books.

“Bor-ring. 
Not only that, but I think he is tone deaf too.”

“So,
Victor—he was that older tall guy in the elevator yesterday?”

“You
left off ‘creepy,’” laughed Moira.  “Yep, that’s him.  He’s the
chauffeur and
spy
.”  She blew a raspberry.

“Out
of curiosity, what do you honestly think of Zoë’s piano work?” asked
Tatiana. 

Edward
gritted his teeth; he was pretty sure Zoë could hear the conversation in the
other room.

Moira
rolled her eyes, “I’ve been taking piano lessons since I was four.  Hated it all.  Boring, boring, boring. 
Then there was that recital at the university.  Zoë won a scholarship
playing that, you know.  Anyway, that was the first time I ever heard
someone play piano that seemed to be enjoying what they were doing.  And
it really translated!  It was the first time I ever
enjoyed
a
recital.  If only I had teachers who were like her growing up, I probably
would have enjoyed piano a whole lot more.  I probably would have
practiced a bit harder, too,” she giggled.

Tatiana
smiled, “When the concert tour is over, I do believe she will be
teaching.  If you are interested.”

Moira
smiled, “That would be wonderful.”  She laughed lightly, “That is one of
the few things I think my father and I could agree on.”  Moira waved to
Edward, “Hi, Mr. Silverglade!  If you could drop
by when my mom gets back, that would go a long way towards convincing her it is
going to be safe at the concert.”

Edward
smiled, “I’d be happy to speak on behalf of the entire team.  Speaking of
which, this is my partner, Kadu.”

Moira
smiled and bobbed politely to Kadu, “Delighted to meet you, ma’am.”

“And
you, Lady Grauer.”

Moira
spun and bobbed to Tatiana again, “Thank you again.  I need to get back
before I’m missed.”

Tatiana
gave Moira a quick hug before seeing her out the door.

Zoë
poked her head out of the bedroom, “’Mr. Silverglade.’  Does someone feel
old yet?”

They
all had a good laugh at that.

Gillian
caught Edward by himself as Tatiana snuck off to the kitchen, “Your brother,
the one married to Ivy, how big is his family?”

Edward
looked a little surprised at the renewed curiosity. “Llewellyn.  Ivy is
the First Mother, Maria the Second Mother, and the twins April and May are the
Third Mothers.  They adopted our niece, Dawn, and they already have a
three-year-old girl named, Heather, and are expecting another child at any
time.”

Gillian
cocked her eye, “Third Mothers, plural, that is normal for twins?”

Edward
nodded, “Pretty much.  Twins are considered lucky in families and tend to
marry in as a pair.  Occasionally you end up with two First Mothers!”

Gillian
smiled, “That does sound like it offers a lot of opportunities for some
interesting family dynamics.  I guess things
would
come across
differently if that is how everyone was raised.  Do you know why I’m
bringing this up?”

Edward’s
mind went blank. “Um, no ma’am,” he replied formally.

Gillian
snickered a bit at the ‘ma’am’, “You are seeing both Tatiana and Zoë.  I
think you would make an excellent couple with either of them.  What I’m
curious about, and concerned about, is the fact that
you are seeing both of them at the same time.”

Edward
was confused, “Um, it’s not like it’s a secret or anything.  I mean
Tatiana kinda got into it when…”

Gillian
hissed as she folded her ears back and closed her eyes, “I don’t want to know
about it!”  She took a deep breath and relaxed and her ears perked back
up, “You are a Highlander: dating two girls at once may not be that big of a
deal where you are from, but we aren’t where you are from.  These girls
aren’t Highlanders; they haven’t grown up with this being the
status quo
. 
Please do try to keep that in mind in your dealings with them.  They
aren’t used to it; in fact, there is a common phrase that ‘three is a
crowd.’  Just please be careful.  I like all three of you way too
much to want any of this to end poorly.”

Edward
nodded slowly as it all started to sink in, “I guess I never really thought
about
that
aspect of it.  I also guess calling you ‘Mom’ isn’t so
far-fetched after all.  I’ll try and be careful, but I never thought…
well, I guess that is the problem.  I wasn’t thinking.”

Gillian
smiled warmly, “You mean well.  I know that, but relationships are
complicated at the best of times and these are hardly the best of times. 
Added to that is another party and things are just
extra
complicated.”

“I’ll
do my best not to hurt anyone.”

“That
is all I can ask.  And I didn’t expect you to do any less.  I just
want to make sure you are thinking about what is going on.  Now
scoot!  Go get something to eat!”

“Yes, Mom!”

Two
hours later, Tatiana, Zoë, and Edward, with Kadu sitting up front, found
themselves once again in the armored car cruising to the far side of
town.  Gillian had elected to give the aquarium a miss, but the others
were determined to have a good time.

“This
isn’t exactly the best side of town,” observed Tatiana as she peeked out the
window.

“Unfortunately,
no,” agreed Zoë.  “But this is where my aunt lives and she takes care of
my little brother.  I help pay his bills since my aunt is mostly retired,
and we keep talking about moving them to a better part of town.  But she
keeps insisting on taking any and all spare cash and saving it for Ethan’s
college fund.  Not like he needs it; he’s a sharp cookie.”

“So
Ethan is the name of your brother?” asked Kadu.

Zoë
laughed, “Yeah, sorry I wasn’t so clear.”

“May
I ask why he isn’t living with his parents?” asked Kadu.

“Because
they are worthless people that…”  Zoë fought for control and just gave up
and just sat there in silence for a while.  “At fourteen I became an
emancipated minor.  That same year we were able to get my aunt to take
over legal guardianship of my little brother. I had a scholarship to a private
school; that took care of me.  My older brother helped where he could
until he left planet.  He helped my aunt with the bills for Ethan there
for two years.  I wish he had stuck around longer, but I don’t blame him
for leaving.”

“Hey,”
began Tatiana, “if you don’t want to talk about this, we understand.”

Zoë
smiled back at her, “I’m sorry for blubbering.  Let’s just get Ethan and
have a good day.”

Tatiana
smiled back, “Sounds like an excellent plan.”

They
soon made it to the row house where Ethan lived, and Zoë sprang out of the car
to get him.  A few moments later, the pair of them returned.  Ethan
was a wide-eyed boy of about fifteen years with a fur coat that was a spitting
image of his sister’s: just like a clouded leopard’s.  He was tickled to
meet Tatiana, but just as tickled to be riding in a real armored car.  He
found the Shukurae fascinating!

 
In less than half an hour they were standing outside a massive aquarium. 
Edward had never seen one so large; it was easily ten stories tall and looked
like it went forever off into the distance.  Edward thought he had done a
lot of walking at the reception the other night, that was
nothing
compared to walking the aquarium.  There was no way they were going to see
it all in one day, but that was probably the charm of it.  Ethan seemed to
be in second heaven and could name just about every variation of fish and
creepy crawly they came across.

“How
many planets does this aquarium cover?” asked Edward.

“Just
this one,” beamed Ethan before he launched down another viewing tube.

“Wow! 
He really is into this isn’t he?”  asked Edward.

Zoë
beamed, “He has ‘marine biologist’ written all over him, doesn’t he?”

“Who
needs a guide when you have your brother,” joked Tatiana.  “I think he’d
move in here given the chance.”

“Don’t
give him any ideas!” joked Zoë.  “They have a
summer internship that he’ll be old enough to apply for next summer.  He’s
pretty much got it, unless he finds something better.”

Tatiana
laughed as she watched Ethan in the distance, “What could be better than this
for him?”

“The aquarium down in the Katwara Prefecture.  It is five times the size of this one.  Covers sea life from seven systems.”

“Wow! 
They have internships too?  I bet they are competitive.”

“Yep,
but you can’t win if you don’t try.”

“Good
attitude,” smiled Tatiana.

 They
spent four more hours walking the varied halls and tubes of the aquarium before
finally,
finally
Ethan was tired enough to admit defeat.  The only
problem they had the entire day had been a single run-in with a camera crew and
Tatiana.  She had quickly turned it into a plug for the aquarium and all
went well, save for some very tired feet.

“They
need to pad the floors in here,” groused Tatiana.  “These tunnels are how
many thousand kilometers long?”

Zoë
snickered then asked, “Is there anything planned after dropping off
Ethan?  We have a long day of rehearsal tomorrow.”

Tatiana
blew a raspberry, “We still have time to eat over at Grausberry’s.”

Zoë
whistled, “That’s a pricy place.”

“Eh,
we go back, change, drag Gillian along, and get her to pay for it.”

“Drag
her along?” joked Zoë.

“Kicking
and screaming.  It’s her second favorite place!”

“It
is a long way back to Lord Ethan’s residence and then back to the hotel and
then Grausberry’s.  Might I suggest that I take him home so as to free up
your time,” offered Kadu.

“That
would be cool!” interjected Ethan.

Zoë
smiled, “Well, I guess that is that.”  Zoë hugged Ethan goodbye as he and
Kadu hailed a cab.

“He
does seem to like the Shukurae,” mused Tatiana.

“Well
he’s not met many other races save for humans.  I’m just happy to see him
doing well around others,” beamed Zoë proudly.

“Eh,
he’ll probably use it for bragging rights at school,” mused Tatiana.

“Whatever
works.”

“Shall
we ladies?” interrupted Edward as he opened the door of their armored car.

With
a quick nod they all piled in the car and made their way back across
town.  It had been a long day, but a fun enough diversion from their
normal routine and the sun was making its soft descent on the horizon when they
made it back to the hotel.  They were, to some relief, greeted by Alex and
Meeka when they arrived.

Tatiana
hugged Alex as they got out of the car, “Oh, so good to see you back out of the
hospital!”

“Glad
to be out.  Kinda stiff still, but nothing like hospital food to motivate
you to leave!” joked Alex.

They
all threaded their way to the hotel elevator and had just started up the
elevator when Edward’s, Alex’s and Meeka’s comlinks all chirped in unison.

“Not
good,” mumbled Edward as he swatted his comlink.  “Edward
at the nest.  What is the problem?”

Takru’s
voice instantly came on over the air.  That wasn’t a good sign at all, “Is
the client secure?”

“Ninety
seconds from lock-down.  What’s up?”

“Contact
back when client is secure.”

“Welcome
back, Alex,” offered Meeka.

Alex
laughed, “Thank you, Meeka, that was a good one.”

Tatiana
looked at Edward nervously, “What is going on?”

“No
clue, we’ll find out as soon as we have you safely upstairs.”

Tatiana
nodded and cozied up next to Edward as did Zoë.  It was the longest
elevator ride any of them could remember, but there was little point in
speculating and less point in rushing Takru.  When they finally hit the
elevator landing they rushed into the room and bolted the door behind
them.  Meeka contacted Jake and Paul outside to let them know they were
inside and locked down.

“What
is going on?” asked Gillian as the mob rushed in.  “I got a cryptic
message from Takru that said to stay in the room.”

“It
was Takru not Trevor; that was a bad sign,” noted Tatiana.

Edward
nodded to the crowd as he activated his comlink, “Edward at the nest.  Locked down.”

“Seven
minutes ago, Kadu and her charge were intercepted on the street by elements of
the River of Tears motorcycle gang.”

Zoë’s
fur immediately stood on end.

“After
a short gun battle, Kadu went down and her charge was kidnapped.”

Edward’s
fur bristled and churned black and gray as he continued to listen.

“Kadu
is in route to the hospital.  Massive blood loss, but trauma to the torso
was minimal.  Six of the gang members were pronounced dead on scene and
four more are under guard in route to the hospital.”

“Did
Kadu get a tag on Ethan?” asked Edward evenly through clenched eyes.

“Affirmative. 
We are showing an active trace on his location.  En route to the edge of
the industrial district where there is new construction.  This is
consistent with what the locals know of the gang.”

“What
do they want?” asked Gillian incredulously.

“That
gang, probably a ransom demand,” glared Zoë.  “And they are the type to
get messy if they aren’t paid.”

“Why
Ethan?” asked Tatiana.

“Current
estimation is due to news exposure with him at the aquarium this afternoon.”

“So
they see someone that lives on the crap side of town that is chummy with a rich
person and they grab him,” offered Edward.

“That
fits our current profile.”

“I
hate this town!  I hate this planet!  Why did we have to get stuck in
this backwater pit!” screamed Zoë.

Edward
nodded to Gillian and she quickly moved to Zoë, “Come on dear, let’s take a
break from all this and let the professionals deal with it.”

“Do
we have clearance to act from the locals?” asked Alex.

“Not
yet,” replied Takru.

“I’m
not sure I care,” retorted Edward.

“I’m
not sure I do either,” replied Takru with a cracking snarl.

Edward
turned to Zoë, “Pick out a dress.  We’ll be back in time for supper.”

“Assault
gunship will take fifteen minutes to get online and eight more to load up.”

“Faster Takru. 
We need something faster,” growled Edward.

“I
can have a news repulsar craft on your roof in three minutes.”

“So long as they don’t squawk.”

“They
get exclusive footage.  But if they broadcast a live feed, I promised to
shoot them out of the air.”

Edward
laughed, “You are such a charmer Takru.”  

“You
thinking an armor slam?” asked Alex.

“You
up for it?” asked Edward.

“One
day out of the hospital… so sure… I’m game.  Meeka, you
going to wait on the gunship?”

“Meeka,”
began Takru, “if you could get to the hospital, they are unsure about blood
supply for Kadu and you are the correct type.”

“Then
I am going to the hospital.  Good luck Highlanders,” Meeka nodded and left
the room.

 “What
about oxygen and wing suits?” asked Edward.

“Kadu’s
room,” came Takru’s voice, “should have everything you two need.”

Alex
and Edward turned and headed for the door.

“Be
careful,” called Tatiana tearfully.

“I
wasn’t kidding about supper.  You go pick out a dress too!” called Edward
with an evil grin as he and Alex left the room.

A
short walk down the hall and the pair opened the lock to Kadu’s room. 
They couldn’t help but gawk as they walked in.  There was a bed, a simple
box of clothes, and then there was a complete arsenal filling the room.  Weapons for Shukurae, Taiks and humans.  A quick laugh
at the display and the pair quickly found what they were looking for: high
altitude oxygen masks, winged jump suits and geo-projection tracked night
vision helmets.  They soon added on various bits of rappelling equipment
and a few stun grenades just for sport.