Mandate (7 page)

“You are the analyst.” The intermission concluded and the music began to soar around them again.

It didn’t completely wipe out Wren’s tension, but it did take the edge off. When she and Beryl were left to thank the head of the prefecture for the concert, they did so graciously before leaving at the tail end of the crowd.

The skimmer was two long blocks away, and Wren was on alert while trying to appear casual.

Beryl was shifting into battle mode. She really wanted a fight.

There was no one between them and the parking area, and Wren felt the approach as armoured attackers appeared in doorways and shadowed alleys.

A man in a mech suit stepped between them and their goal. “Remain calm and you will come to no harm.”

Wren felt Beryl cycling up, her pink hair was close to glowing and there was a grin on her face.

Wren spoke, “Sir, take your friends and leave before you are injured.”

The emotions of the men around them spiked with amusement.

Wren flexed her hands and angled her shoulder to meet Beryl’s for a moment.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

The man in the mech gave the signal, and the shadows moved with hostiles.

Wren waited until they were three feet away before she sent a wave of energy up from the ground that sent the men tumbling up and back over the nearby buildings in a wave.

Beryl went for the man in the mech and tore the suit to pieces around him, leaving the would-be kidnapper in the tangle of wires and shattered servos.

Wren reached into her cleavage and flicked the com button. “They are down and kind of all over the place.”

Drovin chuckled. “The peacekeepers are coming in. Remain where you are, and keep Beryl from killing anyone.”

“I will try, but she is really irritated.”

He laughed, and Wren left the com open as she went to calm Beryl.

“Easy now. We are safe, Beryl. Let’s get to the skimmer and wait it out.” She sent tiny threads of calm and security through Beryl’s mind.

Beryl nodded and backed away with her limbs still shaking with fury.

With tonight’s events looming ahead of them, Beryl had skipped her dose for the night.

Beryl had uncovered the plan to kidnap and hold her in her daily search through the data streams. Her work in the sector had drawn the ire of some members of organized crime families and she was targeted to gain leverage over the Guardians of W’lyn.

Wren still had a hard time not laughing at the thought that Beryl would make a good victim.

Beryl’s target was still stuck in his mech, but he felt a surge of triumph as they touched the wall of the skimmer.

“Beryl. Freeze.”

Beryl was irritated, but she turned slowly to face Wren. “What?”

“Was there any contingency plan in your finding of their scheme?”

“Like…”

“Blowing you up?”

“There was something about taking care of me. Why?”

“Because my hand just activated a bomb and we need to get out of here fast.”

Beryl was worried. “I can fly myself, but I am not sure if I can carry you.”

“Don’t worry about me. I can get us both out of here safely if you will trust me.”

Beryl smiled nervously. “Caretaker, I trust you.”

“Then, give me a hug and don’t let go.”

The moment that Beryl touched her, her weight shifted and the switch went off. Wren wrapped them both in a protective shield and propelled them up and away from the skimmer.

When the blast hit them, they were knocked about like dandelion fluff, landing safely on a rooftop to watch the blaze where they had been standing seconds earlier.

Beryl blinked. “I didn’t know you could do that.”

“I did it in practice a few times. I haven’t ever had to maintain a shield while being blown up before, though.” Wren’s hands were shaking as she looked at the explosion.

The peacekeepers swarmed over the streets below, locking up those who had been standing by to attack. The man in the mech was laughing at the explosion.

Beryl whistled sharply and wiggled her fingers at him from her perch on the edge of the roof.

He saw her and he began to fight his captors, shrieking and cursing in languages that Wren couldn’t identify.

The peacekeepers stunned him and wrapped him in restraints. They would file him into their system, and his owners or employers would have to decide on what they wanted to do with him after he was released from peacekeepers’ custody. It would be his problem to deal with. If he ever came near Beryl again, Wren was pretty sure that he would end up dead. She would just have to kill him rather than let him target her charges. It wouldn’t be the first time she had used any necessary means to defend one of her clients.

“Are you all right, Wren? You look upset.”

“I just take a bit to calm down. I will be fine.”

The second Guardian skimmer was on its way in.

Toyo swept in and wrapped Beryl in his arms, carrying her toward the base.

Wren waited on the roof until Drovin extended his hand to hers, and she climbed into the skimmer, settling against her mate as it lifted off.

He sighed. “I was worried.”

She blinked as he reached into her cleavage and turned off her open com.

“I was worried as well. I am glad I didn’t hurt anyone.”

Loesh looked at her. “Seriously? What can you do, knock them backward?”

“When it comes to the safety of those in my care, I can do anything necessary to keep them safe. Never doubt it.” She sighed and leaned against Drovin.

Rand piloted them back to the base for the official debriefing.

They all gathered in the vid room and recorded their individual parts for the W’lyn court records. The men expressed their disgust at having to pretend to answer the fake distress call, but they had agreed to it as long as Wren wore the com link.

Beryl explained her insistence on staying for the music, citing, “I always stay to the end.”

By the time Wren was making her statement, she was tired. There were too many high emotions flying around in the room, making her personal defences feel bruised and battered.

“When we approached the skimmer, he broadcast anticipation, and when I touched it, I felt triumph. Whatever was about to happen was linked to the skimmer, so I guessed it was a bomb. Beryl and I linked and got out of there before the blast, landing on the nearby roof to watch the skimmer burn.”

She sighed in relief. “Then, we watched the peacekeepers swarm the streets and pick up the attackers. The Guardians arrived and returned us to the base. This concludes the deposition of Wren Silverberg of the Alliance Protectorate of Terra, Caretaker to Guardian Base W’lyn.”

Drovin turned off the recorder, and Beryl took the crystal to file it in the official archives.

Wren was exhausted while the others were exhilarated. Beryl had her ersatz granola bar and was returning to a more predictable state.

“Please excuse me.” Wren got to her feet and walked out into the night, heading for the peace of the garden.

The distance from the intensity of the post-excitement emotion worked wonders. By the time she entered the garden, she was almost relaxed.

She took off her shoes and wiggled her toes in the grass. The dress that she had received from Beryl foamed around her ankles as she sat against the tree and blanked her mind.

Drovin approached and sat next to her. He took her hand and pressed a kiss to it. “You did well tonight.”

“Thank you. I was so afraid I was going to hurt someone again.” She squeezed the tears out of her eyes.

“If you did it in defence of your charge, you would have been justified.”

“And yet, I would have had to live with it. Again.” With a watery smile, she added, “You read my file. You know what is in there.”

“I know you have defended your clients before and one to the death.”

“He was the one who had caused her injuries, and the cause of his demise was marked as accidental.” She wiped her eyes.

“We both know that the heart is a delicate object and can easily be blocked by someone who has a talent for telekinesis.”

“I didn’t have it then.”

“But you felt it. You felt the slash of power and then he fell over. I read the report by Norz. It was not the first time that he has met someone with our talent. He knew the signs.”

“I thought I was just a low-level empath until the enhancement.” She rubbed her eyes.

“You have never been
just
anything. You were in a state of evolution. When you were ready and you let it, the power came. Our bonding just shaped the form that your power was taking. You could have been anything, and you can still continue to change. I will help you to the fullness of your power in any way I can.”

She looked at him and her eyes watered again. “That is so sweet.”

“I do mean it. I have waited for you, and I am more than willing to do whatever you need to continue the expansion of your mind.”

She sighed and crawled into his lap, tugging at her dress so it stopped pinning her in place. “I don’t want to expand right now. I just want to settle in and be me. I also am learning how to be part of a couple, so let me learn one new role at a time.”

He settled his arms around her waist and pulled her in tight. “You learn quickly.”

She laughed. “I do. It is one of my most endearing qualities.”

Wren settled in his arms and breathed in deeply. This was the place she was supposed to be. She checked his mind for pain and sent comfort along his system. She found the micro tears in muscle and bone and coaxed his body into knitting them more fully.

When his muscles relaxed and he settled more easily against the tree trunk, she smiled. Yup, she was right where she needed to be.

* * * *

Across the island base, flowers bloomed and trees grew three inches that day. The caretaker put her heart and soul into the island and it flourished in that moment, preparing for the changes that would come.

So, we went back to W’lyn. There will be more of Beryl, more of Wren, and the other Guardians will be back in
Molten
. A metalwork artist chooses a life in the stars where her burning touch can be part of her occupation without hesitation.

Thanks for reading,

Viola Grace

http://www.violagrace.com

[email protected]

Viola Grace was born in Manitoba, Canada where she still resides today. She really likes it there. She has no pets and can barely keep sea monkeys alive for a reasonable amount of time. Her line of day job tends to be analytical which leaves her mind hopping to weave stories. No co-worker is safe from her character analysis. In keeping with busy hands are happy hands, her hobbies have included cross-stitch, needlepoint, quilting, costuming, cake decorating, baking, cooking, metal work, beading, sculpting, painting, doll making, henna tattoos, chain mail, and a few others that have been forgotten. It is quite often that these hobbies make their way into her tales.

Viola’s fetishes include boots and corsetry, and her greatest weakness is her uncontrollable blush. Her writing actively pursues the Happily Ever After that so rarely occurs in nature. It is an admirable thing and something that we should all strive for. To find one that we truly like, as well as love.